Vampires - Dietary Requirement, Essence Drain required? Options

[The Jopp]

I'm a bit confused. In the fluff they say that Vampires and their ilk need Essence APART from their dietary requirement.

In the description of their weaknesses there is only the dietary requirement in food (meat, blood etc).

Is it just me or doesn't that makes some of the optional vampires (Alternate Infected) rather harmless.

The Sukuyan (Carribean Vampire) needs SALT to continue his life.

Great, he has extra salt to his food but otherwise a nice chap.

Not what I would call a horrible vampire if there is no need to gain essence from victims.

Still, can be fun to play.

[Muspellsheimr]

Powers: Enhanced Senses (Hearing, Smell, Thermographic
Vision), Essence Drain, Immunity (Age, Pathogens, Toxins),
Infection, Mist Form, Natural Weapon (Bite: DV Str/2+1P, AP
0, –1 Reach), and Regeneration.
Weaknesses: Allergy (Sunlight, Moderate), Allergy (Wood,
Severe), Dietary Requirement (Metahuman Blood), Essence Loss,
and Induced Dormancy (Lack of Air).

Essence Loss
Critters with Essence Loss have no actual Essence of their
own and must drain Essence from others in order to survive.
Beings with Essence Loss lose 1 point of Essence every lunar
cycle (1 month). As Essence decreases, Magic may also be affected
(see p. 62).
If a creature is reduced to 0 Essence, it will die in (Body
+ Willpower) days if it does not replenish itself. A creature
in this state is extremely dangerous—a starved predator that
hunts for fresh Essence with mindless ferocity.

[Neraph]

Irregardless of the Dietary Requirement, some of the Infected still need to Drain Essence in order to survive. At a certain point, that only becomes one point per month, which is far from lethal (especially if spread around; prostitutes are good for this).

[Wanderer]

Irregardless of the Dietary Requirement, some of the Infected still need to Drain Essence in order to survive. At a certain point, that only becomes one point per month, which is far from lethal (especially if spread around; prostitutes are good for this).

Who needs actual live donors of flesh/blood, with all the risks entailed ? That's to reap Essence alone. For dietary requirements, there is bribing sararimen of biotech firms to gain regular access to blood/tissue banks, or paying a street doc to set up an dozen of clones on life support in your basement which you can rotate as donors.

[SincereAgape]

Is the essence that Shadowrun vampires drain permanent? Or is it a temporary altercation and the target recovers their essence as if they were healing damage would modifiers?

[Rasumichin]

Is the essence that Shadowrun vampires drain permanent?

The Esence is lost permanently and can only be regained by certain genetic treatments.

[SincereAgape]

Innnnnnnnntersting.

* Evil GM thoughts began to formulate in the mind.*

[SincereAgape]

One more quick question regarding Vamps in the 6th world. Essence drain, thus a character whom has a low essence would be easier to turn into a vampire then a magically active character or a character without any cyber or bio ware. I ask because there are a few characters in my current campaign with an essence around 1.0. One shot and they become a fellow blood sucker hopefully.

[Muspellsheimr]

Not necessarily easier - just faster.

[Neraph]

And not just that, if they resist once, they're dead.

[Snow_Fox]

and a vamp is more likely to target people with less cyber meaning more essence. they don't want to create more vampires, I know they sometimes might for a plan, but ingeneral more vampires means more competion for the limited food source.

A joy girl might be good, they'd even enjoy it. Or you can go trolling for rapists and give a would be mugger a hell of a surprise.

[SincereAgape]

Good point Snow Fox. In the process of storytelling On the Run for a few returning Shadowrunners. During the final fight scene there is a NPC whom has the essence drain power and I'm thinking of ways to incorporate the critter into a thematic antagonist for the players.

Guess one more question about Sixth World vampire and essence drain in general. Say the vampire is able to drain the essence of a magician whom has a magic of 6. After losing the point of essence would they be able to incorporate cyberware to compensate for that loss. For example, a particular sorcerer was drained of her essence and had her magic rating dropped to 5. Would she then be able to purchase one essence point worth of cyberware and in the process keep her essence at 5? Or would the installation of the cyberware drop her essence to four?

I am assuming the ladder, as the point of essence is lost to the vampire instead of cyberware, but I just wanted to make sure. In the end it's the discretion of the GM, but what has everyone else done if they have ever encountered this situation?

[Fortune]

Say the vampire is able to drain the essence of a magician whom has a magic of 6. After losing the point of essence would they be able to incorporate cyberware to compensate for that loss. For example, a particular sorcerer was drained of her essence and had her magic rating dropped to 5. Would she then be able to purchase one essence point worth of cyberware and in the process keep her essence at 5? Or would the installation of the cyberware drop her essence to four?

The latter would happen, with the Mage's Essence dropping to 4. No free rides for Vampire chow.

[Ancient History]

One of the unmentioned-side-effects of the increased speciesism of HMHVV in SR4 is that Infected looking not to infect others are likely to choose victims from outside their metatype.

[Neraph]

The latter would happen, with the Mage's Essence dropping to 4. No free rides for Vampire chow.

Wrong. This point was brought up in the FAQ I beleive, and you can safely use that lost point of essence for cyber/bio.

[SincereAgape]

Wrong. This point was brought up in the FAQ I beleive, and you can safely use that lost point of essence for cyber/bio.

Quote. Or it didn't happen. Would love for this to be true, would make for better storytelling (And I'm a stickler for the book rules.)

[Fortune]

Wrong. This point was brought up in the FAQ I beleive, and you can safely use that lost point of essence for cyber/bio.

I call bullshit. I am positive that I am correct in this matter. Please provide a quote to back up your position.

[WhiteWolf]

Wrong. This point was brought up in the FAQ I beleive, and you can safely use that lost point of essence for cyber/bio.

Fortune is right regarding this you would loose an additional 1 point of essence. Once you loose essence it is gone and your score is set, so person who has an essence of 6 and loose a point of essence from a vampire (or via some other means) the persons essence is now 5; and should that person decide to have some kind of implants added then they would subtract the total essence loss from the new score of 5. Simple logic.

[Snow_Fox]

right, I'm chiming in here too, this is not like having room made in your basement. Draining your life essence by a vampire is a crippling loss of yourself. it does not have an upside except for the euphoria

[Neraph]

Whichever; just get it genereplaced.