Vampires. Vamps. Leeches. Fangs. Long have they hunted humanity for sustenance but the modern age has changed their feeding patterns. Well, that’s for one kind of vamp. The other type sticks to eating people. Get the scoop after the jump.

Two Types Of Vampires

The two types of vampires are naturally born vamps and undead vamps. Both share a need for blood to sustain themselves, but a born vampire is less likely to suffer from blood frenzy. Undead vampires have a insatiable thirst for blood.

These bloodsuckers have similar abilities. Most are physical in nature. As vampires get older, they will develop other abilities. Also, both have lily white skin, though undead bloodsuckers have small, black veins visible on different parts of their bodies.

Dispelling A Few Myths

There’s a lot of myths about vampires out there. Folktales passed down from generations past are thought to be true. Vamps won’t be affected in anyway by the following:

• Crosses or crucifixes
• Entering a church
• Flowing water (like a river)
• Garlic
• Salt

Vampire Powers

For vampires under 100-years-old, these are the most common abilities:

• Enhanced reflexes (to dodge handgun fire)
• Super-strength (up to 1,000 lbs.)
• Dexterity (like an Olympic gymnast)
• Night vision
• Enhanced hearing (better than a dog, but less than a bat)
• Rapid healing after consuming blood (but not like the X-Man, Wolverine)
• Super-speed (run up to 50 mph)

For every 100 years a vamp ages, the abilities listed above get better. They’ll also develop these powers:

• Mesmerism (to lure victims easier)
• Shapeshifting (to change into a bat or mist)
• Impervious (their bodies harden and can deflect bullets or stakes)
• Magick nullification (only the oldest vampires have an immunity to magick)

Vampire Weaknesses

Both types of vampires have limitations. Although, it’s easier to kill a younger vampire than an older one. These things can hurt a vampire:

• Fire will cause a vampire to degenerate and eventually die
• Decapitation always takes out a vampire (a blast that destroys most of the head works, too)
• Staking an undead vampire will paralyze it, but not kill it
• Drinking a corpse’s blood will poison an undead vampire
• Werewolves are the natural predators of vampires: A lupine can take out even the mightiest bloodsucker

The Differences Between Naturally-Born Vamps And Undead Vamps

While these vampires have a host of similar abilities and the need to drink blood, they have distinct differences.

Naturally-Born Vampires	Undead Vampires
Both parents were born vamps	Created by an undead vampire
Have a beating heart	Has no heart beat
Have red eyes	Have the same color as in life
Age normally to 25, then slows	Appear as they looked at death
Can drink any mammal’s blood	Needs human blood to survive
Can survive in daylight, but it’s uncomfortable after a few hours	Cannot tolerate daylight
Cannot create other vampires	Creates new vampires by draining victim and giving some of creator’s blood
Rarely suffers from blood frenzy	Known to give in to blood frenzy and slaughter many in one night
Does not develop shapeshifting	Commonly becomes a bat or mist with age
Staking can kill in time	Staking paralyzes undead vamps
Blend in with humans	Farm humans for food
Can enter your home at will	Obeys your orders to enter or leave your home

The Undead Hierarchy

Undead vampires are governed by ancient vampires with a strict hierarchy. The ‘children’ must obey their elders. Otherwise they get eaten or destroyed.

Each elder spreads its curse on to humans that become their children. In general, these elders look for the most ruthless or most adaptable people to become a child. Vampire life is tough, and elders want the most suitable candidates. Not everyone survives the change.

Under most circumstances, the elder will ‘raise’ their children to about 85-years of undeath. Then, they send them off into the night to fend for themselves.

The elders want to keep their secrets. If a child goes on a frenzy, then its creator must discipline it. That usually means destroying them. In some cases, they lock the child in their coffin for a century or two. A parent can always track their children. Some undead vampire children can track their creator, but it’s iffy.

As for naturally-born vampires, they live in extended families. It’s much like suburban life with your cousins nearby. And they don’t have the same twisted dynamics between parents and children as undead vampires.

How To Protect Yourself From Fangs

There isn’t much you can do if you meet a hungry vamp. For the undead version, it must obey you when it comes to entering your home.

Here are few things you can do:

• Wear bloodstone to create a protective sphere your body
• Drink corpse blood (ick!) to poison your own blood
• Get a big, shaggy dog (dogs are descended from wolves and fangs will think twice about coming around)
• Learn some protective magick (it won’t work against the oldest vamps)

It’s best just to leave as fast as possible if you encounter an undead vampire. Most naturally-born ones are friendly, but don’t accept a dinner invite.