GURPS Blood Types

GURPS Blood Types is a 1995 classic GURPS reference book that lists the name of 78 different types of vampires from actual mythology and describes 23 vampires (or vampire like) beings from both mythology and fiction.

Background

Unlike the previously licensed 1993 GURPS Vampire The Masquerade this RPG supplement from Steve Jackson Games takes its inspiration directly from folklore and fiction.

The three broad types

GURPS Blood Types breaks vampire and vampire-like beings into three broad types:

Mortal Vampires--Living beings who have become vampires through some pact or deal. Some say they can enter the astral plane and attack from there. Generally they are not undead.

Undead--Once living beings who have come back from the dead to feed on the living

Spirit and other worldly beings--Otherworldly parasitic beings that masquerade as a member of a mortal race.

Glossary of Foreign Vampires

"Where possible, foreign terms have been given a literal translation. Creatures marked with an asterisk have been described in detail in Chapter 5." Creatures in bold have had information from Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology added.

A and B

Adze* (Africa; Ghana and Togo)
Algul, Aluga (Arabia): “Horse leech”; listed under Aigul
Alp (Germany, Slavonia)
Aswang* (Philippines)
Baital, Baitala* (India)
Bebarlang* (Philippines)
Boabhan-Sith (Scottish)
Bhuta (India): Generic vampire term; listed under Bhootums
Blutsauger (Germany): “Blood sucker”
Bruxsa* (Portugal); listed under Broxa

C and D

Callicantzaro* (Greece)
Chi’ang Shich* (China)
Chordewa* (Bengal)
Churel (India)
Civateteo* (Pre-Columbian Mexico)
Danag (Philippines)
Dearg-dul (Celtic Ireland): “Blood sucker”; variant of Dearg-Due
Doppelsauger

E to J

Empusa (Ancient Greece); listed unded Empouse
Erestun, Eretica, Eretik (Russia)
Gaki* (Japan)
Ghul* (Arabic)
Givach (Prussia): Listed under Gierach
Hannya* (Japan)
Hsi-hsue-kuei (China): “Blood sucking demon”; listed under varient spelling of Hsi-Hsue-Kue
Jaracacas* (Brazil) listed under Jaracas

K

Kasha (Japan)
Katakahana (Crete): variant spelling of Katakhana
Kephn* (Burma)
Kosac (Croatia)
Kozlak (Dalmatia)
Krvoijac (Bulgaria)
Kukuthi (Albania): Variant of Kukudhi

L

Lamia* (Ancient Greece)
Lampir (Bosnia)
Langsuir/Langsoir* (Malaysia)
Larvae (Roman): plural of Larva
Leanhaun-Sidhe (Ireland): variation of Leanhaum-Shee
Liderc nadaly (Hungary)
Lilitu* (Babylonia)
Lobishomen (Brazil)
Loogaroo* (West Indies)
Lugat (Albania)
Lupi Manari (Croatia)

M and N

Mormo* (Ancient Greece)
Moroii*, Muroni (Romania): Listed under Living Vampire in Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology
Motetz Dam (Hebrew): “Blood sucker”
Mullo (Gypsy)
Nachzehrer (German)
Nelapsi (Slovakia)
Neuntöter (Germany) “Nine Killer”
Nosferatu* (Romania): actual word is Nosferat

O and P

Obayifo* (West Africa; Ashanti)
Pennaggalen* (Malay)
Pijavica (Slovenia, N.W. Yugoslavia)
Pontianak* (Malaysia)
Priculics (Romania)

S and T

Sampiro (Albania)
Sanguisuga (Roman Empire) “Blood sucking”
Strigoii (Romania): listed as a variant of Cel-Rau
Strix* (Roman Empire): listed under Sheerree as Strix Nocturna
Succubus* (Europe)
Talamaur (Australian isles)
Tlaciques* (Mexico; Nahuatl)
Tenatz (Montenegro)
Tenjac (Croatia)
Tympanios* (Greece): varient spelling "Tympaniaois" listed under Vyrkolakas

U to Z

Ubour, Upior, Upyr, Upi (Russia, Poland, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia); Variation: Upier
Ustrel* (Bulgaria)
Vampir, Vampiir, Vampyras*, Wampir, Wamphyr (Slavic states)
Varcolaci (Romania): listed under Priculics
Vere-Imaja (Latvia)
Veripard (Latvia, Estonia, Russia)
Vetal, Vetala (India): crosslisted with Baital
Viesczy, Vjiesce, (Slavic; Russia, Poland)
Volkodlak, Vukodlak (Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia): Originally meant “Werewolf". Listed under Volkolak, Vudkolak, and Vukodlak
Vyrolakos* (Balkan; Albania, Greece)

Vampires detailed in the work

Those with a "^" can be active in daylight:

• Adze^: supernatural entity vampire from central Africa mainly Ghana and Togo.

• Alien^: otherworldly vampire-may or may not be supernatural in nature.

• Astral^: mortal vampire (sorcerer) found around the world. Some examples are Bebarlang of Southeast Asia and Philippines and the Chordewa of Bangal hill tribes.

• Baital^: supernatural entity vampire from India.

• Chi’ang Shich: Undead vampire from China. The Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology lists this a different vampire from the Jiang Shi but for simplicity they are grouped together here. Must be burned completely to be destroyed and can put their essence to an object requiring it to be destroyed.

• Civateteo^: an undead vampire of Mesoamerica. Another variant of this from the same region is the Langsoir.

• Gaki^: supernatural vampire-like being from Japan. May be either an animated corpse or otherworldly spirit.

• Ghul^: Mortal vampire (flesh eater) from Arabian folktales. Hannya is the Japanese equivalent.

• Gothic^: undead vampire made famous by Dracula and most of the movie variants inspired by the work.

• Half-Vampire^: Mortal vampire that is usually a servant or slave to the Gothic type. The Dhampir of Gypsy mythology is the half-Vampire offspring of a human and vampire.

• High-Tech^: Mortal vampire created via super science.

• Human^: Mortal Vampire who feels the need to drink another's blood or claim they can drain people of their life force. Moroii (Romania) are human vampires with supernatural powers and destined to rise as undead when they die.

• Incubus/Succubus^: supernatural vampire-like entity that drains life via sexual contact rather than blood.

• Lamia^: undead/supernatural entity from ancient Greece. (Word is 5th-century Vulgate's translation of Lilith) Other names are Empusae and Mormo. The Jaracacas is the Brazilian equivalent.

• Lilitu^: supernatural entity vampire from ancient Mesopotamia. Name and nature has connection to Adam's first wife (Lilith)

• Loogaroo^: Mortal vampire (soul pact) of Haiti. Obayifo (Africa) is from the Ashanti people and the Tlalicque is from pre-Columbian Mexico. Generally female.

• Modern: Updated version of Gothic vampire type.

• Nosferatu (word): Nonexistent word that supposedly means undead in Romanian. In the context of GURPS Blood Types it is the vampire seen in the film Nosferatu. Called Nosferat in Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology.

• Penanggalen^: Female mortal vampire (soul pact) of Malay Peninsula. Male counterpart in Berma is the Kephn. Can only feed at night. Aswang Mannananggal (Philippines) is another variant.

• Strix: Mortal vampire (witch) of ancient Rome. Variants are the Aswang (Philippines) and Bruxsa (Portugal)

• Ustrel: Undead child vampire of Poland. If not properly destroyed can rise again as another type. Variants are the Callicantzaro (Greece) and Pontianak (Malaysia)

• Vampir: Traditional undead European vampire of the Slavic nations. Usually attacks in astral form and is more likely to be a peasant than noble. Ka (Egypt) is a rough equivalent to the Vampir's astral form.

• Vyrolakos^: Traditional undead European vampire of the Balkan nations. Usually attacks physically and in the legend would often take human mates and have families. Tympanios is a precursor variant that was less insane and did not depend on blood. The Encyclopedia of Vampire Mythology describes a totally different vampire.

Bibliography

GURPS Blood Types uses a host of sources but here are the more scholarly ones:

• Barber, Paul (1988) Vampires, Burial and Death (Yale University Press)
• Bunson, Matthew (1993) The Vampire Encyclopedia (Crown Publications)
• Frayling, Christopher (1991) Vampyres: Lord Byron to Count Dracula (Faber and Faber, Ltd)
• Haining, Peter (1977) The Dracula Scrapbook (Bramhall House)
• McNally, Raymond T. and Florescu, Radu (1972) In Search of Dracula (N.Y. Graphic Society)
• Melton, J. Gordon (1994) The Vampire Book (Visible Ink Press)
• Summers, Montague (1928) The Vampire, His Kith and Kin (Routledge and Keegan Paul)
• Summers, Montague (1929) The Vampire in Europe (Routledge and Keegan Paul)
• Twitchell, James B, (1975) The Living Dead: The Vampire in Romantic Literature (Duke University Press)
• Wolf, Leonard (ed.) (1995) The Essential Dracula (Plume)