[phydaux42]

As I understand it the Human Meta-Human Vampric Virus is highly contagous. It turns humans into ghouls, elves into banshees, dwarves into goblins, trolls into windigos and orcs into something else that I forget right now.

So if the Vampric Virus turns metahumans into these things, where do actual vampires come from?

[Dragonslayer]

Different strain of the virus. The first of ghouls you, if you survive. Trolls ghouls are best run from. The second strain makes you a vampire based on meta-type.

[Icy]

Strain 1:
Human - Vampire
Elf - Banshee
Ork - Wendigo
Dwarf - Goblin
Troll - Dzoo-No-Qua

Strain 1b:
Human - Nosferatu
Troll - Mutaqua
The other metatypes are killed by this strain

Strain 2:
Human - Loup-Garou
Elf - Harvester
Ork - Grendel
Dwarf - Gnawer
Troll - Formoraiq
Sasquatch - Bandersnatch (this is the only strain which infects sasquatches)

Strain 3:
Human - Ghoul
Elf - Ghoul
Ork - Ghoul
Dwarf - Ghoul
Troll - Ghoul

And then there are four variants of strain 1 which turns an infected human into an abat, amalanhig, sukuyan or penanggalan. The other metatypes are still turned into the normal types of strain 1 (at least I remember it that way).

There are also three variants of strain 3 which turns all metatypes into sasabonsam, gaki or busaw.

[Patrick Goodman]

Strain 1b:
Human - Nosferatu
Troll - Mutaqua
The other metatypes are killed by this strain

That we know of.

Strain 2:
Sasquatch - Bandersnatch (this is the only strain which infects sasquatches)

Yeah, I got shot down with my notion of Strain 1 for sasquatches a few years ago. There's always next time, though....

I really need a moustache that I can twirl.

[Mirikon]

Why not just make a Strain IV, Patrick?

[Patrick Goodman]

I'm trying to simplify things. HMHVV already has more strains than the Bears locker room at season's end; I don't think it needs another.

Besides, how would that help my moustache-twirling?

[SpatulaODoom]

Well obviously strain IV causes the infected to grow massive glorious luxurious handlebar moustaches.
EDIT: And maybe there could be some vampire stuff in there too.

[Patrick Goodman]

You guys should really count your blessings that John Dunn managed to talk me down from a few things back when we were getting Running Wild put together....

[Starmage21]

You guys should really count your blessings that John Dunn managed to talk me down from a few things back when we were getting Running Wild put together....

I thought strain 1 looked more like this:

Human - Vampire
Elf - Vampire or Banshee
Orc - Vampire or Wendigo
Dwarf - Vampire or Goblin
Troll - Vampire or Dzoo-Noo-Qua

[Patrick Goodman]

Strain 1 is a bugger, but this reminds me that I've got to get the basic mechanic for other-than-humans becoming vampires worked out. It's pretty rare, maybe as rare as Bruckner-Langer, but I'm not quite sure how to model it in game terms. Yet.

But I think the original presentation, with a footnote saying, "You might turn into a vampire anyway, if the virus is feeling out-of-sorts or particularly bastardly," would probably suffice.

[SpatulaODoom]

So does that make you the one we need to thank for HMHVV being close to unresistible and very easily transmitted in 4th ed?

[bannockburn]

Also the one who tried to fix it. Click the link in his sig.

[CanRay]

So, when do we see the Bio-Warfare Model Strain that affects DRAGONS?

[Patrick Goodman]

So does that make you the one we need to thank for HMHVV being close to unresistible and very easily transmitted in 4th ed?

No, I'm the one trying to clean that up.

[mtfeeney = Baron]

Don't clean it up.  Just make HMHVV-infected PCs less likely to be killed on sight by the entire world population.