They had power. They ruled. They had weaknesses best kept secret. What was it like though to be one of the classic vampires? There are options available to you when creating your own classic vampires. Is yours civilised through and through, the gentleman or lady to the core? Or is the civility and the glamour only skin deep and cast aside like a beautiful mask when away from prying eyes? Speaking of masks, is your vampire only long canine teeth away from normal when it's time to bite or is the change in appearance and facial structure more dramatic? Perhaps it's all a matter of demeanour and a snarling predatory expression speaks more horror than any bat-nose and rictus grin. The baleful expression speaks more to the character of the blood drinking beast that may lurk inside of your vampire. The more inhuman the face the less it conveys the human(-like) emotions, and isn't necessarily indicative of what lies beneath the surface.
How patient do you want your vampire? How in control is the blood lust? Is blood even an important factor or merely an indulgence based on only a small need for continued existence? Is that the only lust that drives the character? Can your vampire satisfy those needs other than blood, or is it a point of internal conflict and a driver of destructive rage waiting to boil over?
What is a typical night in the undeath of this vampire like? Is it an endless array of galas and parties? Is it a string of conquests, or a trail of bodies? Is it filled with lonely hunting or companionship and camaraderie? That last begs the question of how many vampires are found together at any time and what the pecking order is among them. Is there a single master or a band of equals? There are so many options to consider.
