History Main / VampireVarietyPack

Particularly common bloodlines include a [[ClassicalMovieVampire more refined and high-class one]] with little beyond tasteful fangs to mark them outwardly, sometimes embodying the modern view of vampires as seductive predators; a [[FeralVampires more bestial]], highly monstrous one, typically called "strigoi" or "[[LooksLikeOrlok nosferatu]]", [[BatPeople which may be visibly batlike even in human form]]; an especially corpse-like one that puts particular weight on vampires' undead nature; and the life energy-draining [[ChineseVampires vampires of Chinese myth]], usually called eastern vampires or jiang-shi.

Particularly common bloodlines include a more refined and high-class one with little beyond tasteful fangs to mark them outwardly, sometimes embodying the modern view of vampires as seductive predators; a [[FeralVampires more bestial]], highly monstrous one, typically called "strigoi" or "[[LooksLikeOrlok nosferatu]]", [[BatPeople which may be visibly batlike even in human form]]; an especially corpse-like one that puts particular weight on vampires' undead nature; and the life energy-draining vampires of Chinese myth, usually called eastern vampires or jiang-shi.

SubTrope of OurVampiresAreDifferent, obviously. One clan may be {{Chinese Vampire}}s or {{Classical Movie Vampire}}s, or may [[LooksLikeOrlok Look Like Orlok]]. A CouncilOfVampires may be made up of representatives from each clan. Compare ActuallyNotAVampire. See also TotallyNotAWerewolf. For another type of very varied fantasy creatures sometimes used in this same manner, see DragonVarietyPack.

* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has all the vampire Courts from ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'': White, emotion-eating demons with hereditary bonds to humans; Black, classic ''Dracula'' vamps, albeit more like blood-sucking zombies; Red, blood-drinking Mayan bat-demons hiding behind a human skin mask; and Jade, very secretive Chinese vampires. Other than that, there are occasional [[VampiricDraining "psychic vampires"]], and a mysterious vampire called "the Welshman" who's from outside the Court system, keeps Britain mostly clear of other vampires (out of territoriality rather than altruism) and lives in Cardiff. More prominently, there's also the Grey Court, which are the original ''Dracula''-style vampires, led by Dracula himself, and dating back to Atlantis, with the Black Court being explained as an experiment by a necromancer several thousand years ago, who tried to turn a corpse into a Grey Court vampire rather than a living person. None of them like the others, at all.

* ''Literature/CertainDarkThings'': "Vampires" consist of ten known HumanSubspecies, each with distinct biology and society. They include the Tlāhuepochtli, a matrilineal Mesoamerican lineage that can [[PartialTransformation grow wings]]; the Necros, whose blood spreads a [[CharmPerson mind-controlling]] plague; and the Revenants, whose power to [[LiquidAssets drain and transfer life energy]] with a touch [[FoodChainOfEvil even frightens other vampires]].

** Jiang-shi arose from moroi who went into hibernation for unclear reasons and emerged maddened by their hunger. They are stiff and corpse-like in appearance, and their perpetual starvation has driven them to eschew blood in favor of consuming their prey's life essence through their breath.

SubTrope of OurVampiresAreDifferent, obviously. One clan may be {{Chinese Vampire}}s or {{Classical Movie Vampire}}s, or may [[LooksLikeOrlok Look Like Orlok]]. A CouncilOfVampires may be made up of representatives from each clan. Compare ActuallyNotAVampire. See also TotallyNotAWerewolf.

* Utilised by ''VideoGame/TheSims4'' in it’s Vampires game pack, where vampires have a CharacterLevel system and SkillTree. As a vampire utilises their powers, they will increase in rank, and unlock skill points which they can use to gain more powers, based on many different types of vampires, and they will also have to chose weaknesses, again, based on many different types of vampires. As such, it is very unlikely any two vampires will have the exact same abilities and weakness.

* ''Literature/AnnoDracula'' uses the idea of different bloodlines to draw vampire characters from a variety of sources that use different rulesets, by saying that some attributes are common to all vampires (for instance, weakness to silver) while others only appear in a particular bloodline (for instance, the need to sleep in a coffin full of one's native earth is particular to Dracula's bloodline).

* ''Literature/DraculaChaChaCha'': Different bloodlines exist, each featuring a different subset of vampire characteristics; only some bloodlines are able to transform into other shapes, for instance.

** There are several other minor types of vampire. The Jade Court is Chinese and very isolationist and secretive, and there are a few others that just aren't widespread enough to be called Courts. Word Of Jim is that they mostly operate in southeast Asia.

* ''Literature/TheWitcher'': The word "vampire" is used as a hypernym to refer to a number of creatures that thrive on blood. Unlike most examples, they aren't really undead or capable of turning humans into vampires, but are actually interdimensional creatures from another world that were displaced in the series' setting, and are otherwise invulnerable to sunlight, garlic or holy symbols. Composed of ''several'' subspecies fitting in these categories, they are split into "low" and "high" vampires: the lowly ones such as Fleders, Garkains and Ekimmas are completely inhuman monsters that live as beasts, while the high ones such as Higher Vampires and Bruxas possess a more human-like appearance and are capable of blending among civilized society.

* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': The comic continuation varies the standard depiction of vampires in the TV show. Season Eight has Japanese vampires who take on some of the characteristics of the stereotypical [[OurVampiresAreDifferent/AnimeAndManga manga vampire]], and Season Nine introduces "zompires", animalistic and unintelligent vampires [[spoiler:who were sired during the period when the Earth had no Seed Of Wonder, and New Vampires, vampires with magical powers and fewer vulnerabilities who were sired after the creation of the new Seed Of Wonder]].

*** Clan Malkavian's members are insane in some form or another, although they possess the power to extend this madness to others and draw unique insights from it. They all share a connection through the Malkavian Madness Network, a hive-mind rumored to be part of the consciousness of the clan founder itself, Malkav.
*** Clan Nosferatu's vampires are hideously deformed, each in a specific and unique way -- some may possess the classic suite of Orlok-like features, some may have mismatched animalistic traits, and so on. They're forced to avoid contact with most humans, as they'd never pass for anything other than monsters, and instead live in complex hideouts in the sewers. (Many of them can use the Obfuscate discipline to disguise themselves, though.) They can also tame the animals that dwell alongside them, such as rats, strays, and even the occasional SewerGator.

Often a clan will be named for its [[MonsterProgenitor originator]], who will be the leader of the clan if they're still around. It's also sometimes the case that each clan founder in turn share a sire, who may be the originator of the vampire species. If ''that guy'' is still active, he's your best bet for a VampireMonarch. If not, expect him to be ShroudedInMyth.

Particularly common bloodlines include a more refined and high-class one with little beyond tasteful fangs to mark them outwardly, sometimes embodying the modern view of vampires as seductive predators; a [[FeralVampires more bestial]], highly monstrous one, typically called "strigoi" or "[[LooksLikeOrlok nosferatu]]", [[BatPeople which may be visibly batlike even in human form]]; an especially corpse-like one that puts particular weight on vampires' undead nature; and corpse-like, life energy-draining vampires from Chinese myth, usually called eastern vampires or jiang-shi.

Particularly common bloodlines include a more refined and high-class one with little beyond tasteful fangs to mark them outwardly, sometimes embodying the modern view of vampires as seductive predators; a [[FeralVampires more bestial]], highly monstrous one, typically called "strigoi" or "[[LooksLikeOrlok nosferatu]]", [[BatPeople which may be visibly batlike even in human form]]; and an especially corpse-like one that puts particular weight on vampires' undead nature.

* ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'' has all the vampire 'Courts' from ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'': White, emotion eating demons with hereditary bonds to humans; Black, classic ''Dracula'' vamps, albeit more like blood-sucking zombies; Red, blood-drinking Mayan bat-demons hiding behind a human skin mask; and Jade, very secretive Chinese vampires. Other than that, there are occasional [[VampiricDraining 'psychic vampires']], a mysterious vampire called 'the Welshman' who's from outside the Court system and keeps Britain mostly clear of other vampires (out of territoriality rather than altruism) and lives in Cardiff. More prominently, there's also the Grey Court, which are the original ''Dracula'' style vampires, led by Dracula himself, and dating back to Atlantis, with the Black Court being explained as an experiment by a necromancer several thousand years ago, who tried to turn a corpse into a Grey Court vampire rather than a living person. None of them like the others, at all.
* In the extensive "''Sylum Clan''" vampire Fan Fic site, vampires are organized into clans.

!!Examples

[[folder:Films - Live-Action]]

[[folder:Mythology & Religion]]

** 1st edition AD&D has energy-draining vampires and vampiric ixitxachitl in the core rules, plus penangallans and pseudo-vampires from the ''Fiend Folio''. Modules introduced the Lankhmar vampire and a unique vampiric lizard man, and Dragon Magazine presented stats for Dracula, vrykolakas, and a plethora of regional variants: the alp, the anananngel, the asanbosam, the bruxsa, the burcolakas, the catacano, the ch'ing-shih, the ekimmu, the krvopijac, the lobishumen, the mulo, the nosferat, and the vlkodlak. The option for vampires with class abilities was addressed in the ''Monster Manual'', and bore fruit in 1e adventures like "I6: Ravenloft".

** 2nd edition AD&D starts out with the energy-draining vampire and an Eastern vampire, followed by the lidevic, nelapsi, and stregoni from Dragon Magazine, and the ''vampiric dragon'' (yes, really) from ''Draconomicon''. Plus a ''lot'' of world-specific variants:

*** The [=BECMI=] nosferatu and velya were updated for 2e AD&D's Mystara products.

*** The Ravenloft setting has the nosferatu, Eastern vampire, vampyre, cerebral vampire, mayonaka, vorlog, Oriental vampire, a whole slate of species-specific vampire variants (dwarf, drow, elf, gnome, halfling, kender, illithid), and Urik von Kharkov: a unique vampire with panther-like traits. ''Van Richten's Guide To Vampires'' threw open the door for DMs to make '''every''' vampire different, customizing stats for each.

[[folder:Webcomics]]

Particularly common bloodlines include a more refined and high-class one with little beyond tasteful fangs to mark them outwardly, sometimes embodying the modern view of vampires as seductive predators; a more bestial, highly monstrous one, typically called "strigoi" or "[[LooksLikeOrlok nosferatu]]", [[BatPeople which may be visibly batlike even in human form]]; and an especially corpse-like one that puts particular weight on vampires' undead nature.

** The von Carsteins are essentially {{Dracula}}, brooding in gothic castles in the local {{Uberwald}}. They descend from Vlad von Carstein, formerly Vashanesh of Nehekhara and Neferata's first husband, and his later bride Isabella von Drak, whom he married after settling in Sylvania.

** There are also a few vampires who don't quite match any of the known types (like [[Literature/{{Drachenfels}} Genevieve]], although she was later retconned to be a Lahmian), and others who are sired by one bloodline but end up learning the abilities of another (like [[Literature/GotrekAndFelix Ulrika]], a Von Carstein "adopted" by the Lahmians).

** Firstly, there are {{Mutants}} who resemble vampires in one form or another, although this is just a superficial appearance and does notmake them true vampires.

** Several minor bloodlines exist such as the Yiki Onna (Japanese vampires with the power to turn into ice storms), Charniputra (a gargoyle-like vampire race that dwells in the Himalayas) and the Nosferati (a pale, bald vampire race that resembles Count Orlok).

** Rahabim are shark-like creatures that have lost their weakness to water, making them the only vampires that can swim, but unlike other the clans they retain the weakness to sunlight no matter how old they become. On land, they move slowly but can fire energy projectiles at enemies. They are found in the Drowned Abbey.