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SNORTY SUPERNATURAL FIELD GUIDE - VAMPIRES
Appearance. Vampires are typically pale, due to their inability to tolerate sunlight. Their bloodless physiology makes them cool to the touch. Often they are very elegant and graceful. Sometimes they are hideous, resembling animated corpses. They have needle-sharp fangs, typically an elongation of the eyeteeth (the canine teeth of the upper jaw). These fangs they can retract at will so that they may blend in with humans undetected. Powers: Vampires always have superhuman strength and swiftness and longevity. They can mesmerize humans. A few, such as Dracula, can shape-shift into a bat or a wolf, and those types of vampires usually have control over bats and wolves. Some vampires can fly. Weaknesses: Vampires shun the sunlight and any place or object that has been sanctified in connection with organized religion. They must feed regularly or die. Many vampires have no shadow or reflection and can thus be recognized. How Vampires are Created: Traditionally, a vampire starts off as an ordinary human that is "sired" by another vampire: that is, bitten and almost drained of blood. Sometimes this is enough to turn a human into a vampire. More often, the human's blood is consumed by the vampire, and then the human is made to consume some of the vampire's blood in return. Sometimes vampires are born of the union of two vampires or a vampire and a human. How to Kill a Vampire: A vampire must be struck through the heart with a stake, which should turn him or her to dust. Just to be completely certain, one should probably behead a vampire as well and burn the head and the body. Some, but not all vampires, can be destroyed by direct sunlight. Anne Rice's vampires are burned up by sunlight; Kim Harrison's living vampires are not. In some vampire fiction, the oldest vampires are most vulnerable to sunlight; elsewhere, it's the oldest vampires who have amassed enough power to resist sunlight. Other things that vampires sometimes fear: holy symbols such as the Christian cross, and garlic.
Jim Butcher in his Dresden Files series distinguishes between the vampires of the Red Court, which feed on blood, and the White Court, which feed on psychic energy. Social Structure: Vampires live in hierarchical clans, with lower-ranking vampires owing their allegiance to higher-ranking vampires – usually to the vampire that "sired" them or turned them into a vampire in the first place. Master vampires are vampires who have created a certain number of "offspring" who then owe him or her allegiance. Typically master vampires have also attained a certain age (numbered in centuries) and an advanced level of power. Nowadays, master vampires set up their personal fiefdoms around large metropolitan cities: such as Jean-Claude, the Master of the City of St. Louis (in Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series). Piscary is the Master of the City of Cincinnati in Kim Harrison's Hollows series. When the Master of one city and his or her entourage journeys to the territory of another master vampire, protocol must be carefully observed so as not to start a clan war. In many ways, the social structure of vampires resembles that of the Mafia, which may explain the vampire's attraction to organized crime for profit. Relationship to Humans. Vampires sit above humans in the food-chain, and classify humans as a source of sustenance much as humans regard cattle. They feed on the life-force of humans: either through drinking blood, or (less commonly) absorbing psychic energy. Many vampires "adopt" a human as a personal servant or food source. In Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series, these humans are referred to as "pomme de sange": literally "blood apple" (in French). These human-vampire relationships often are mutually beneficial. The vampire gains a food source and someone to do her bidding when she is confined to darkness during the daylight hours. The human gains protection and prestige from the vampire. The act of getting one's blood drunk is supposed to bring sexual pleasure to humans and vampires alike. Opponents - Werewolves. Werewolves are the ancient foe of vampires, being of similar strength and longevity. Opponents - Vampire-Hunters. Vampire-Hunters are almost always humans, and therefore at a great disadvantage in terms of strength, speed, and susceptibility to injury. Von Helsing, a contemporary of Dracula, is the most famous vampire-hunter.
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Vampires, also known as the Undead, have existed forever; they are mentioned in the folklore of most cultures. (For vampire fiction, go to 
Types of Vampires: Kim Harrison, in her Hollows series, distinguishes between "living" vampires and dead ones. The dead ones have had their human life extinguished when they were turned into vampires. The living ones were infected by the vampire virus when they were in the womb. Their powers are not as great as those of the dead vampires, but they will inherit them when they too die. The living vampires can withstand sunlight and still have both a conscience and a soul. Ivy in the Hollows series is a living vampire.
However, many modern-day vampire-hunters have been female: Anita Blake in Laurell K. Hamilton's series of the same name, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer in Joss Whedon's long-running (1997-2004) television series. In Buffy's world, the vampire-slayer is supposed to be female and is in fact the latest in a long line of reincarnated slayers gifted with the same strength, speed, and invulnerability to injury as a vampire.