Vampires have been known to have all kinds of powers and abilities as well as inabilities and weaknesses. And Bloodlink vampires are are no different.
But it can be confusing when real world folklore and literature change and conflict each other, and book characters are limited by their own perspective.
To help resolve some of that confusion, I have listed and explained each of the characteristic strengthens and weaknesses of the vampires in Bloodlink. Enjoy!
Strengths
Superhuman reflexes
This one is fairly straight forward. All vampires have enhanced strength and speed. As Rat, one of the vampires in the book, explains "the only limits you have are the ones you give yourself." Because their bodies are numb, they don't feel strain so they can move as fast as they want to. The only limits are the ones in the vampire sets in their mind. Sounds simple, right?
Well, it would be if that was 100% true. Rat's logic stems from the idea the muscles, coupled with the mind, is what gives the vampire its strength. But he himself actually gave us the clue to the true source. After all, "it all starts with the blood."
How much vampiric blood the vampire got from his or her sire will determine how strong a vampire will be. But that blood must not be diluted with human blood. The more human blood that remains in the vampire will weaken him or her. This is why pure born vampires are the fastest and the strongest because their blood is not mixed with human blood.
Drinking vampiric blood from another vampire can increase a given vampire's strength and speed, but this has an array of negative consequences, and no vampire has ever proved to have greater strength than a pure born, even after consumption of vampiric blood.
Enhanced Senses
All vampires have enhanced smell, hearing, and sight. Most vampires can see exceptionally well in the dark, but some half bloods and vampires with diluted blood have more trouble. They can hear things roughly twenty miles away, though not no one has ever measured it. Many have been seen to be able to track smells over great distances, much like a bloodhound.
Telepathy
Most vampires have the ability to invade a person's mind to change or control their thoughts, altar or erase memories, and even direct their actions. If the person has a strong willed mind or magical abilities, the invading vampire may find it harder to control them. Most vampires use this ability to silence their victims as they feed. Vampires themselves can be subject to an attack from another vampire if their guard is down and/or the intruding vampire is exceptionally powerful.
A vampire must make eye contact before they are able to enter for the first time. After that, they can come and go as they please unless the person learns how to block them through magic, their own vampiric ability, or shear willpower, but few manage to do it on willpower alone.
Wall Climbing
While not ability widely known or seen, some vampires have been known to climb, walk, or run up and down walls and even ceilings. It is not known how they are able to do this.
Shapeshifting
Vampires can transform into a variety of things to hide their presence from watchful eyes. Normally, they will transform into an animal they share the most qualities with, but they can also become things like fog, mist, or in the extremely rare exception, a shadow.
When in animal form, a vampire will gain the instincts and the ability to feel from the animal form they taken. This latter attribute encourages many to stay in an animal form longer than is wise and they may lose their sanity in the process.
*Special Note: There is only one vampire known to have ever been become a shadow due to his unique circumstances of having regained his identity after losing it while becoming a Shade (See: Vampire Lore - Sire and Sirelings). He has been known to possess other unique abilities such as creating, manipulating, and commanding shadows as well as use them as a means of transport. Some know who he is by his darkening mood. When that happens, the light around him seems to vanish.
Weakness
Numbness
All vampires are completely numb to the touch. It is not understood how deep this numbness goes internally, except they cannot feel any pain unless they are wounded in the heart. While this can also be considered a strength, many vampires see it only as hinderance as it dissociates and disconnects them from the world around them. Many have gone mad due to this one fact alone.
Daylight/Day Time Hours
Vampires lose all their vampiric powers during the day. They lose all strength and become weaker than the average human, so it is discouraged from venturing out during the day and the majority of vampires choose to sleep through it. But they are still very dangerous if awakened or provoked.
If they have shapeshifted at the time the sunrises, they must stay in that form until sunset. The same is true for the use of telepathy. If they have entered a person's mind at the time of sunrise, they are then locked in that person's mind until sunset. If they gain control over the person's thoughts and/or actions before sunrise, they remain in control until sunset, but they cannot gain more control or pull out until after sundown. Some vampires have gone mad when locked in a shapeshifted or a telepathic state, so it is highly encouraged to pull out or return to their natural form before the sun rises.
Sunlight and bright, direct light hurts the eyes of all vampires, unless they have diluted blood, but as their eyes adjust to the light, it will become easier to bear. Sunlight causes their eyes to yellow, and vampires who have remained awake during the day describe it as "seeing through a haze", especially immediately after sunrise or upon awaking up during the day.
Strong Odors
Garlic is the one most know about, but due to their sensitive noses, vampires are often deterred by any strong, foul smells. Most vampires avoid this though by holding their breath.
No Casting
Vampires have no shadow or reflection. While not necessarily a weakness, it is an annoyance to some. It is also a proven a way to determine if someone is a vampire or not. They also will not leave a fingerprint on any surface.
Faith
It is widely accepted that crosses and holy water will deterred vampires; however, these are merely objects if not backed by strong faith.
The use of holy water is most often used to bless homes by marking the doorway with it, but if the vampire entering does not notice it, know what it is, and believe that it works, the water will have no affect. In this case, it is the faith of the vampire that determines the holy water effects them. But even vampires who believe in God, often will excuse it as plain water and ignore it. The opposite is also true though: if plain water is on a doorway and the vampire believe it is holy water and that it deters vampires, the vampire will not be able to pass through the doorway.
Bibles and churches have also proven to deter vampires of faith and the Original Six. They cannot enter the church at any point, and bitten vampire with no faith may be able to enter a church, however, if the membership to that church as waned in recent years.
Similarly, crosses do not work on vampires with no faith unless the person wielding it has strong faith. The Original Six tend to avoid crosses all together, but they and vampires of faith have been known to combat humans wielding a cross if the person has little or no faith the cross will work.
Rumor has it that if a person of great faith, with complete trust in God, commands a vampire in the name of God to leave, the vampire is forced to leave the area and not return, regardless of their own bias, background, or belief. However, this rumor has yet to be confirmed because few people have ever dared attempt it for fear it will not work.
I hope you enjoyed taking another look into the Bloodlink world. There is so much still to talk about and discover. If there is a particular topic you'd like me to talk about, let me know in the comments or visit my contact page and ask me directly. I'd love to hear from you!
Until then, Stay Sane!