Why are some vamps better than others?

[The Ferg]

1. Why do vamps like The Master, Dracula, and Drusilla have weird abilities like... well you know, weird stuff like these three do.
2. Why are vamps like Angel and Spike better than others. Well, maybe not better, but it seems like they're stronger, or better at fighting, or something.

[littlewilly]

Did you see the thread below this one called *just how strong are vampires*??
alots explained there

[The Ferg]

Well, this is a little different. It might explain my second question, but it doesn't explain The Master, Dracula, Drusilla, or even Angel's special powers.

[littlewilly]

The Masters powers(heightened speed and strength and mind powers) are, i think, due to his age, i think he is over 2000.
I like Dru's power, sort of like an insane version of the masters powers, plus she gets visions.

It never fully explains how they got their specific powers apart from Dracula.
Remember Spike says its *nothin but showy gypsy stuff* His powers are extremly far fetched but he was my favorite one off episode charachter.

But about the other 3 you mentioned, do you think maybe that as the master was already old and powerful
and considering i think bloodline plays a part in the *fanged fours* strength,
His unique powers manifested and mutated when passed on down the family tree??

that is a good thread you've done The Ferg

Edit:

And the vamps sired by Angel(Penn and James) although they didnt have mind powers, their speed, strength and overall fighting ability were superior to the average vamp.

And i would say their are vampires more powerful than slayers. The*fanged four* may not be as strong as buffy, but they would be stronger than alot of slayers.

Penn would have beaten Angel if Kate didnt save him. James put up a very good fight too.
Spike could have killed buffy. The Master could have killed buffy.
And the four are all slayer killers.

[eunsoma]

wow is the master older than 2000?? for some reason i thought he was around the 600 mark, I read this is the BTVS Monster Book a few years back.. Where is it said that he's 2000?? But yer, I think the Master's abilitys kinda just came with age, like the ugly face :) I guess he was more powerful than most because of his age - like Kakistos was, for example. Also, Angel and Spike, and Darla and Dru too came from his bloodline, which I think explains the heightened strength.

I always assumed Drac was a warlock kinda guy too..

[white avenger]

Just like with people, some vampires are just stronger, smarter or are better fighters than others, either due to natural abilities, experience, or training. As for the "mind powers," maybe those things also have to be learned somewhere, and only certain ones ever bother (most vamps on "Buffy/Angel" just seem interested in killing and feeding, but the really older ones seem to have picked up a few extra experiences and skills along the way, just like older people usually are more experienced than younger ones. They've just been around longer, so more things have happened to them.

[Entiel]

Also in Dru's case the vampire just inherited the person's abilities..Dru had visions when she was human,that's what made her special..add to that the fact that Angelus made her crazy by killing everyone dear to her and you got yourself a special vamp xD

[littlewilly]

Dru hade mind control powers too, maybe from the master.

Edit:

wow is the master older than 2000?? for some reason i thought he was around the 600 mark, I read this is the BTVS Monster Book a few years back.. Where is it said that he's 2000?? But yer, I think the Master's abilitys kinda just came with age, like the ugly face :) I guess he was more powerful than most because of his age - like Kakistos was, for example. Also, Angel and Spike, and Darla and Dru too came from his bloodline, which I think explains the heightened strength.

I always assumed Drac was a warlock kinda guy too..


Im really not too sure about this but i think it said in either, welcome to the hellmouth or harvest that the master was the oldest vamp on record.
So if draculas 600, i just assumed master was much older. the master looked the way he did when he turned Darla(1609) so he must already have been very very old. And how many other vamps look as messed upas master??? none.

[LittleMissLikesToFight]

Wait, since when were all four slayer killers? Angel killed a slayer? I thought that was never answered (and assumed to be a no). And Darla killed a slayer? (if she did i missed that which could def be the case cuz im slow).

[littlewilly]

Well there is a scene in Fool fo Love.
in china.

Drusilla: ''Spike just killed himself a slayer''
Angel: ''well i guess that makes you one of us then''

I know it may just mean he has proved himself to them but it may mean they all killed slayers and now he's done the same.
watcha think?

[Primal Slayer]

The Master was one of the eldest vampires out there, so he probably studied magic at some point in his life.

Drusilla already had visions before she was a vamp so when she was turned, they just inhanced more and more.

Angelus and Spike were just good at what they do, they were ruthless and thats what got them where are they today.

Dracula is an expert in the magic department.

It all depends on who they were, how old they are, and what did they study.

Just look at hamilton, he was a very brainy vamp due to who he was before he was turned.

[littlewilly]

Where did Dru get her hypnotic trance thing that she used on giles and kendra?

[Primal Slayer]

I just choose to think it was a natural progression of her powers. It was just something that ended up happening naturally for her as the same as her visions did.

[littlewilly]

The only powers Dru had before becoming vampire was visions. I dont see any average vamp having hypnotic mind control powers unless there is a reason for it.
Id say it something to do with her *family*

[littlewilly]

On a different matter now(still vamps though). I was reading a 'lie to me'. thread that if Ford didnt mention it was Spike coming to change the vamp wannabe's then how did Buffy know it was Spike coming?
What i was wondering is how often do vamps need to feed?

Remember when Spike first got chipped he went(a few days?) without blood and he was turning into a wreck. So if vampires needed blood every 2 or 3 days, if there was even, lets say, 15 vamps in sunnydale, thats still thousands o deaths a year just from vampires. and even a town as ignorant as sunnydale would surly find that unacceptable. That leads me to believe either they only need to feed every 3 or 4 weeks or their is less than 10 vamps in sunnydale at any given time.

As Buffy keeps most of the vamp population down by killing them fresh out the ground, i tend to think vamps need food every 2or 3 days and there is only about 10 at any given time in sunnydale(there are of course some exceptions)

Edit:

Regarding previous post, the second sentence should have said 'then how did Buffy know it was Spike coming in a town packed with vampires'

[InsaneMystic]

I guess the vampiric need for blood is only partly for food, and in an at least equal measure like an addiction. They probably can go without blood for quite a bit longer than a few days (and remember, Angel was without blood for months when Connor sank him, and while he did go temporarily insane after some time, he was in no danger of dying from it). I guess that those vamps who manage to survive the first few nights in Sunnydale without ending up on the pointy end of a stake learn to lie low for a time after each feed. Still, you're right - it would make for such a sizeable number of deaths per year that even the notoriously in denial Sunnydalers should be up to something, even if you count in the more sensible/less addicted vamps making shady deals with the hospitals to feed on the blood banks (or doing the "suck whore" routine, as with Riley later on), thus reducing the death toll a bit.

As with the Spike, it would fit in well with my theory... Spike would certainly be one to be "hooked on blood" and not be one of the "sensibles", but of the "kill junkies", thus making it likely that a damn good number of kills could be traced to his gang or him directly. Besides, at the time of "Lie to me", Spike was without any doubt THE alpha male in Sunnydales fanged community, and he's rebellious and flamboyant. While it's no more than a guess on Buffy's part that he would be behind it if vamps are "hired" to feed on a club full of wannabes, it's IMO a very well grounded one... how could something that big be going on in Spike's town without him having a part in it? And would Ford with his Dracula fetish have gone to any "lesser" vampire than the alpha male?

[littlewilly]

Exactly, i couldnt agree more. Someone told me in a thread sunnydale has over 30,000 people, i was trying to find a map of sunnydale on internet so i could get an idea where everything is in sunnydale, but i couldnt find one anywhere. (if anyone knows a site, any chance the could tell me?)