Opinions about Vampire Roleplayers 🧛

Argent Dawn
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So ever since I started roleplaying, during tBC, Vampire roleplayers have been a thing. And ever since the Roleplay community has always separated itself from their roleplay, at worse aggressively judging their lore inaccuracies from something they enjoy roleplaying.

During Wrath the San’layn were introduced. And Vampire roleplayers made attempts adopting lore-accurate Vampires as ‘Forsaken’, although they were still being criticised for being Scourge allied and such, should be killed on sight.

Eventually during legion actually creatures named ‘Vampyr’ became a thing, being far closer to our general idea of a vampire. I haven’t been roleplaying during those times, so I’m not aware of their influence on the RP community.

Now in both Shadowlands the Venthyr we introduced, together with a Darkfallen skin for the Night Elves, Blood Elves, and Void Elves. Giving a lot of transmog options for those who are more Chiroptera-Curious to say.

Now I’ve noticed a bit of difference between the Vampire Roleplayers from tBC as from the ones today. The ones during tBC era and beyond were mostly inspired by the Twilight craze which was popular at the time. The ones I spot today sometimes go for Vampire the Masquerade inspirations, or sometimes full Bram Stoker which I love. You can sometimes spot them at the Stormwind Graveyard, hanging with their ghoulish group as 90’s Goth kids smoking cigarettes at the back of the schoolyard.

I was curious how the roleplay community reacts today in people who just want to roleplay Vampires. Is there still a strong feeling of distance and judgement? Is there a ‘Don’t ask don’t tell’ policy when roleplaying with them? Have you seen people doing it right, and wrong? And perhaps if someone who’s a more old-school roleplayer, if your mind changes about them along the way.

Now please, let’s keep the forum respectful, and I would love to see people making an effort to speak their mind and if criticising; don’t speak in an unnecessary hateful manner. Thank you.

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I used to main a San’layn in a Scourge-themed guild and never ran into any problems or stigma, but then I suppose that’s just the thing; I played it in an appropriate environment.

I think if you’re going to do it you should keep in mind the reputation such roleplay has and stick to the lore as much as possible, i.e. follow any already existing nomenclature, draw inspiration from NPCs when choosing your mog, etc etc.

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Most of the vampire types I encounter seem to fall under this heading. Or an odd Count Dracula knock off that just wanders around the city.

However, I’ve seen some blood DKs who are vampiric after a fashion doing things nicely, drawing blood from foes to kill them, whilst powering their own battle lust.

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I love V:TM but it’s a bit weird to try to shoehorn it into warcraft.

I’ve personally never seen vampire rp done well, that’s not to say it isn’t possible but you’d essentially be on the fringe of society even in the forsaken sphere as the san’layn still have scourge connotations - though I do know there are a couple hovering about the more ‘evil’ aligned guilds.

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To my understanding while san’layn, are vampire like, they are not vampires, and while the vampyr from legion is very vampire like, they are still not vampires per say.

The lore accurate vampire does not exist as a creature but is instead a condition any creature could have as long as they fulfil one very basic requirement.
That requirement is automatically fulfilled by warlocks actually, because of one spell they have called “drain life”

To the best of my understanding of wow lore and as far as I am aware it hasn’t changed, to be a lore accurate vampire or vampyr as they are called you need have a means of draining life energy, be it a weapon, spell or inherent ability, as long as you can drain life energy from a living thing you can be classified as vampyr in wows setting.

Correct me if I am wrong though.

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If you’re playing a non-villain type, I don’t see what san’layn gets you over just playing a blood DK other than (justified or otherwise) stigma.

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Yeah I’ve spotted him as well. Personally I love the guy, he’s going full out. Going full ‘bleh.’
One of my characters once stalked him as she suspected him to be behind some murders. He was dating a human girl, and she followed him over the rooftops Assassins Creed style. Eventually the Vampire and girl separated, he held her neck and said “Forgive me.” and I thought, “Here is comes!”, but he just gave her a kiss on the cheek and bid her farewell. It was great.

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In my understanding San’layn are Darkfallen vampires but not all Darkfallen are San’layn. For example a Dark Ranger wouldn’t be described as vampiric.

I’m also not sure what your definition of a vampire is if you consider neither San’layn nor Vampyr to fit the bill.

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We’re thinking of different people, because that’d probably make me laugh.
Its a dude and his apparent wife with a thrall. I’m not sure if they’re still about, been a while since I’ve been in SW, but they were not doing the stigma favours.

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blood dk at least can strangulate so if you go shirtless you can get a bit of daddy denathrius going

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Yes my mistake, I mixed those up, I will correct it right away.

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Blizzard seemingly did too when they started calling all undead elves darkfallen all of a sudden.

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It is to be expected with how often they change stuff on the fly
as for this

A quick looksy through all mention of vampires in wows setting
blood is very much optional when it comes to vampires
my understanding of the vampire in wow is thus far, is it a glorified parasite that feed on some form of life energy?
if yes, then it can be a vampyr
does it drink blood for dramatic effect?
if yes, its not a vampyr, but more likely a crazed blood mage type of thing.

This is why you can have a vamperic sword, vamperic wild life or technically be a vampyr if you play a warlock and use the drain life spell.

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Are there actually any characters or mobs that drink blood without getting some boon from it and only doing it for dramatic effect?

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I am unsure, I question if the san’layn needed to drink blood or if it was just a power move. same goes with the vrykul in Stormheim.
however the venthyr are dependent on soul juice which is a form of life energy, making them clearly vampyr.

This is just my understanding of a poorly defined concept in the setting.

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I’d argue the San’layn are the very OG archetype of what a vampire in wow is (apart from maybe the Nathrezim, but I’m purposefully not bringing stuff now connected to slands into this) and has very much with blood magic to do.

A quick look at Blood-Queen Lana’thel’s abilities or the Invocation of Blood connected to the Blood Prince Council says a lot imo.

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I agree they are rocking the OG archetype
but since wow lacks a clearly defined undead creature that drinks blood, they are at most vampyr and share that title with anyone else who siphon power and energy from living things.
The Nathrezim is also known as vampyr but of a psychic varient, the Void with captial V is also called vampiric at least once.
Frostmourne was arguably a vampyr sword, hungering for souls (although that might have been more of a dramatic effect thing rather than the actual case?)
blood death knights siphon blood to heal themselves, making them vampyr, warlocks does the same with pure life energy to the same effect.
you could stretch it and argue most elves addicted to magic are mana vampyrs in wows setting.

its not a singular defined creature, but rather a label or condition many can claim to have.

In terms of RP its not a far fetched thing to roleplay a vampire, as long as you understand the archetype does not need to apply to you, and blood is very much optional.
you don’t have to account for classic weaknesses, nor do you have to be undead strictly speaking, just have a means of draining “life” energy in whatever form it takes for you.

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I think it boils down to both over- and under-defining it.

A vampyr is clearly a vampire and all vampyr/vampires are vampiric, but not everything vampiric is a vampyr/vampire.

San’layn = vampire.
Vampyr (Lucard & Co.) = vampire.
Venthyr = vampire.
Nathrezim & everything else = vampiric.

…I’ve now reached the point where vampire no longer looks like a word.

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That is an agreeable way to settle it.

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Most vampire roleplay Ive seen over the years has been for a lack of better word, erp bait.

A flirtatious character itself doesnt have to mean that nor does relationship rp. But a majority of vampire roleplayers ive seen has essentially been clan Toreador to an extreme.

Also perhaps its a bit nitpicky of me, but I personally never liked people roleplaying vampires because they werent a thing in WoWs lore, atleast not in that sense.

Sanlayn was a very specific thing(even more so in past lore) and Venthyr is another thing entierly.

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