Hunting Vamps, how to take 'em Options

[fistandantilus4....]

Just started playing my first vampire hunter (everyon'es gotta have one, right?), and spent some time going over old threads by HMHVV hunter and Ronin, checking out that nice file w/ helios and others to get some good background.

The character I made (Richter ;) ) is a mundane with some cyber (mostly eyes and ears, and a monowhip in his finger). I wanted to make him that way instead of making it too easy and being able to go adept and use astral sight to spot the infected. 'Course now i have to figure out just how to spot them.

So far I've been using thermographics to spot lesser heat signatures. In my mind at least, vamps have a lower body heat, but there is still some. My GM has been playing it pretty well with the whole "vampires are cool" and all the vamp groupies making it tough to tell who's what. Even has what are basically air conditioned clothing to make the posers skin cooler, which makes sense in a world with dwarves and trolls and thermo vision being more or less common.

I've tried watching their breath for heat differences from norms. ALso just their center mass heat since that wouldn't change that much from their little "cool coats". I was also thinking of using a dirctional boom mike or laser mic to check for heart beat rate (yes, I did play MGS:Sons of Liberty. Why do you asK?).

Any other ideas on spotting them?

AS for taking them down,still hunting for a sniper rifle. Character is specialized in nunchuku (pretty sure i spelled that wrong), carries a hk-227s, and is specialized in the monowhip. Has flash grenades (and paks, and flare compensation in his eys), and has the magic resistant edge. ANy other ideas?

[Kanada Ten]

Talk to your GM about using MM Wave RADAR to identify living verse vampires. He or she may like the idea of vampires appearing slightly different.

One could develope splash grenades that react to infected skin cells by say, perhaps, turning normals' skin purple but a vampire's yellow (or leaving it unaffected). This may use nano tagnets that latch onto the skin but are shed by vampires, or something similar.

[Dawnshadow]

[Gyro the Greek S...]

Pack white phosphorus grenades and magnesium rounds. Thermite is easy as all hell to make (mixing rust and aluminum), though getting it to light is hard (those magnesium rounds would work nicely, though). And for a thermite bomb, rig some thermite to a frag grenade. You'll need some demolitions or B/R for that, as it's a great deal more difficult, but we're talking about a substance that can burn through carbon steel.

Flamethrower attachments to assault rifles are always nice.

If your GM is playing regeneration works the same on stun as physical, those flash grenades are going to do jack-all. You seemed to imply that your GM is having the vampires not generate body heat, but just a heads up, that's not canon IIRC. They're just infected with a virus. Stick with head and spinal shots if you're going to shoot them.

Try not to go one on one if possible; even with magic resistance, elemental manipulations and other various powers will make things hell on you.

Ah, yes. Pack wood dust in aerosol, that'll dampen their day.
A lack of air induced dormancy, but good luck on arranging that.


Vampiric Pawns are immune to normal weapons. These are human pawns indistinguishable from normal people. Beware.

Elemental effects from setting them on fire are somewhat effective, however. The immunity to normal weapons is halved, with armor rating equal to their essence.

Looks like you've got a hell of a job ahead of you, chummer.

This post has been edited by Gyro the Greek Sandwich Pirate: Feb 16 2005, 02:53 AM

[toturi]

There's nothing in Canon that says vampires exhibit much physical differences from normal (meta) humans and from the Terminus Experiment, I gather it is also difficult for even Awakened with astral perception to spot them too (Short Eyes doesn't count: NPC!).

Going by Canon, the only physical difference is that they have less bouyancy. Theorectically it might be possible to use Ultrasound or Radar to detect vampires with their difference in bouyancy(density). Otherwise, other than behaviorial cues like not eating and strict teetotaller, there is not anything else that I can find.

[BitBasher]

Man, I would rather be drug across carpet tacks and dipped in rubbing alcahol than have to fight any vamp one on one in SR.

This isn't the game system for that. SR vamps aren't wussy.

Also as stated above SR vamps aren't dead, they just have a virus. They aren;t dual natured and it's not readily visible astrally anyway. You need to take a simple aciton to specifically assense a vampire and then get 4 (or is it 5) or more sucesses on that test to see it's medical status if I recall correctly.

Oh, they can also really move in sunlight without a problem, they only have a moderate allergy to sunlight and they can automaticall regenerate things they are allergic (and vulnerable) to as long as it doesn't do a deadly wound. Sunlight only does a box every minute to them, and they regenerate all damage every 3 seconds.

Easiest way to kill them is a high force weapon focus, at least force 3... higher if you can get it. Since youre mundane that's not an option.

best you can hope for then is massive explosive damage which has the absolute best chance to kill them, which is only 1 in three assuming you get them over deadly before the end of a single combat round. If at the end of a combat round they aren't at deadly they have to roll nothing and all damage vanishes.

Shooting them in the head can get you A 1 in 3 chance to kill them if and only if you can ge tthem to deadly except that their TN to dodge a headshot is the same as any other shot but your NT to shoot them in the head is +4 for a called shot meaning far less sucesses. Again, faill to do deadly damage AND make them miss their regen toll and they erase all damage at the end of the round.

For god's sake don't get into melee with them. They add their essence (up to 12) to all their physical stats. This gives them extra combat pool and body to soak with, and str to deal damage with.

Also they naturally move faster than people with a higher initiative... OH and pray the vamp isn't magically active, because they show a much higher chance to be magically active than an uninfected person. Meet even a half ass vampire mage or physad and you're pooched. Totally.

All in all I just think it's faster to shoot yourself in the headunless your GM is giving handouts to make you feel good. ;)

[Kanada Ten]

On killing, Head Shots are the way for mundanes. Smartlink 2 and Full Automatic with extreme recoil comensation (4 cyberarm gyro mount, 4 gas vent, 1 customized grip = -9). Use the 9 bullets to lower the TN by 3 so that Called Shots will be done at a net -1 TN.

[Crimson Jack]

[BitBasher]

[fistandantilus4....]

I'm going for ways to spot them so that I don't have to fight them head on. Yes, I definitely have demolitions, and b/r.

Just read terminus experiment, and the vamps there idi give off less body heat, but there still was some there.

My plan is to stalk them for a while and attack from suprise, hence searching for an SM-3 rifle, and having c-4.

My idea on the flash grenades is that it would temporarily blind a primarily night dweller. Not really looking for any modifers from stun damage, just a combat phase where they can't see for a sec and i can.

I know that the vamps will get me eventaully. Just hoping to have some fun and go out with a banf. I have hunted4 and darksecret (was fed off by a vamp before. Used to be a "thrall"). Im not going for a D&D style , 1/2 vamp hunter kinda of crap. Just want to see how long I can do it and stay alive. Seemed like a lot of fun/.

That's why I'm looking for suggestions, to make it last a bit longer. Most runners taht keep runnnig should get it in the end anyways!:D

As fas as the radar, got any specifics? How would i make something like that? Has elec, and elec B?R 3 each. So he's capable, but not great.

Thanks for the feedback, more would be welcome! I'll let you know when they finally eat me!

[BitBasher]

[Kanada Ten]

[Fortune]

Shoot them all. Those that get back up with no damage are likely the ones you are looking for.

[BitBasher]

[Kanada Ten]

[fistandantilus4....]

[Pthgar]

[Pthgar]

Try Cascade rifle with silver nitrate. Spary everybody and if they blister it's a vamp (or someone with an allergy). Then open up with your weapon of choice.

Alternatively, vamp hunters in the old movies and books used to spend a great deal of time trying to prove said target was a vamp. Maybe it shouldn't be that easy to tell. Maybe that should be the run. "Investigate this cult leader and see if he's/she's just a whacko or if he's/she's something worse. here's 5,000 bucks. Sucker."

[Cynic project]

The best vampire hunter..Mind you I did not make him as one, was a voodoun.

AFter about fourth initate grad he fought with a vampire head on.Then again having six levels of immunity to normal weapons, plus being nearly as strong as the vampire really helped.

But here it is.Vampires in shadowrun are hardcore. They meant to be so hardcore,that one vampire could at least scare a whole team of shadowrunners. So making vampire hunters seems to be something that maybe good for solo games or games with a team of them.

[BitBasher]

[The Grifter]

Might I suggest a well-placed 81mm mortar with a white phosphorous/high explosive mix?

[Pthgar]

I'm going to have a hard time getting the "oh, drek..." factor across to my group.

Two runs ago they encountered their first vamp (an old pc who's player didn't want him anymore and didn't have the good grace to die like a man). I set it up to be the big battle of the run. It was only the second time playing for one of the guys, he made a really excellent shot with a Barret (borrowed from another char). He called it, and blew the vamps head off. I rolled like creamy drek for the vamp and he died. I sat there with an empty look on my face while the player was like "What?"
The worst thing was that his character was based off of a frelling Final Phantasy charecter! :please:

[Pthgar]

[BitBasher]

[Pthgar]

This won't help a mundane, but what happens if you heal a vampire? Can you magically eliminate HMHVV? Probably not or it would already be done. But maybe curing the virus also kills the host. I can't think of any canon reference to this idea, but it's probaly out there.

[edit] Also any thing with elemental light effect. Maybe a UV laser pistol/rifle? Or UV flashlight on roomsweeper from above. Killing hands with elemental strike (light) for adepts.

I have a char who's a generalist monster hunter (adept). He hasn't ran into vamps yet but I would like him to be ready.