Boards›Story, Art, & Sound

Vladimir is not a vampire.

Over Innsmouth··122 votes·6,619 views

I am a Vlad main and a lore enthusiast. Since he's been slightly elevated into the spotlight thanks to his name coming up in the Mid-Year Mage Rework post, I felt it necessary to highlight this.

On a personal level, it reeeaaaally bothers me that people keep saying over and over that Vladimir is a vampire, or defined as being a vampire, or whatever variation on that phrasing exists.

He's a blood mage with vampire aesthetics sure, but no where is it ever stated that Vladimir's a vampire. There's no mention to an aversion to sunlight, there's nothing suggesting he drinks blood, and there's nothing implying that he's undead in any way.

He just really, really likes blood. That's it.

Edit: Yes, he has a tremendous amount of vampire-related thematics and skins, and there's no reason he shouldnt be a vampire, just so happens that he isnt for whatever reason. I'm not opposed to him being one, it's just that he's not, and I'm the type of person who likes the distinction to be clear.

119 Comments

Ralanr57 votes

People are saying he's a vampire?

He's not. He's a blood mage. A hemiomancer. That's all.

Velzard of Koz3 votes

His name might have been taken from Vlad Tepeš (nicknamed Dracula, the Dragon), he drains (might be understood as drinks) blood and seems pale. That misleads people.

I believe when he drains blood, he doesn't drink it, it goes to his bloodbank ball he has. Yet it is not maybe visible enough in the animation and it heals him. Maybe he could get some mechanic based on gathering the blood, using it to empower his abilities. And the more various blood types he gets, the stronger the blood posoning. That would diverse him from vampire to hemomancer.

Ralanr9 votes

The dude is basically 100% blood at this point (so probably more water based then humans in general). Vampires usually don't turn into puddles of blood (Alucard excluded).

Velzard of Koz2 votes

Now just stress out this fact in the gameplay and people will see it. I suggested him empowering as he drains blood. Maybe secondary fury-like bar. That would on the other side make him combo-focused maybe, which might not be what he is played now (idk I don't play him, you should know better, I was just saying people have reason to be misled, it's not their fault, some stressing in his gameplay that he's not vampire might be required)

Auz the Ripper1 votes

i really think Vlad and Mundo should have a bloodwell-like mechanic similar to Aatrox granting each of them a stat increase for each % it's filled

Kuroi864 votes

Idk about Mundo, but I think using blood as a resource would be a big boost to Vlad in terms of game health. Allow him to drain blood from enemies through one or multiple means, then he has a choice to make, does he hang onto the drained blood for added damage/effects on abilities or use up some/all of it for healing himself.

Auz the Ripper1 votes

well, it wouldn't be blood per se in regards to mundo i just feel it would be thematic for mundo to get "excited" by the pain and a good way to express that in-game would be something like Bloodwell.

elon wątroba2 votes

Rage generated by being hit, reversed gnar mechanics :D.

NegusInParis2 votes

He also looks like the stereotypical vampire

La Barbotte40 votes

hes a guy who loves his wife everyday of the month

Mcprowlington32 votes

He's got a vampire name, aesthetics, themes and gameplay. He has roughly six skins that reference other vampires.

Is he a vampire? No, not technically. But he comes close enough to covering that niche that you can be damn sure riot will never put an actual vampire in the game.

So let people have their fun.

Solitair2 votes

Isn't eve actually vampiric? Technically she is just speculated to have vampiric qualities related to energy/life force, but for all intents and purposes, she's seen as a vampire of some sort.

Divewing2 votes

Evelynn is a succubus. Not quite a vampire

Solitair1 votes

I believe her lore describes her with the word "vampiric" or at least something directly relevant to the word "vampire". So even if she is technically a succubus (which is a word I don't think her lore actually mentions) her qualities are about as vampiric as Vlad's, if not more so.

Divewing3 votes

Specifically? There's no mention of anything bat like. Nothing blood-related. And while she's not listed as a succubus either, her title is "The Widowmaker", meaning she kills married men, combine that with her obviously sexualisation, there's more to suggest she is a succubus than a vampire.

Arkna20 votes

{quoted} vampire aesthetics

He's pasty white and full of terrible puns. Those are basement dwelling redditor aesthetics.

LostSoul66613 votes

in the journal of justice I believe it confirms Vlad doesn't actually drink blood. it states that "he absorbs his victims life essence" which I guess means he absorbs the blood directly through his skin I guess?

Over Innsmouth2 votes

Yeah, that's as close as he gets. Blood fuels him and his spells (which would be awesome if that was incorporated into his rework as a resource bar. Something like using spells that regain hp allows you to use more powerful spells that spend hp and the resource bar).

GreenLore2 votes

I think that basically means that he drinks not only blood,but whatever is keeping you alive. So for example if Orianna runs on fuel,he would suck out her fuel(or whatever her energy source is).

Solerian10 votes

While he may not necessarily be a vampire, there is some evidence that he may actually consume blood for whatever reason. This may partially lead to the misconception that he's a vampire.

His passive Crimson Pact depicts a mouth with supposedly blood dripping out of it. Many of his quotes ("I'd love a pint.", "Deliciously vain.", "My cup is half empty.") are pretty funny blood puns that allude to consumption in a way. Might be grasping at straws but it's still evidence he may be a hematophage.

Over Innsmouth4 votes

I'm pretty sure he does consume blood, it's just not vampiric in nature/necessity. I know it's a little thing, but I'm one of those people who likes specifics and distinctions.

Granted, if his pool is taken to be an accurate representation of some of his power, his entire body can be turned into blood. Which means his cells might potentially be totally homogenized. Which is awesome.

Solerian3 votes

At the very least, Vladimir's a real cool champion I hope Riot fully fleshes out in the future. He's one of the old caste that's been left behind pretty much. It's nice to see an actual blood mage that isn't fit into the caste of vampire cliches.

Shonjl9 votes

He is a blood mage, everyone knows it, people just like using Vampire since its easier to get an idea of what he is off.

Narsicus7 votes

He might not be a technically be a vampire but there is absolutely no denying that a vast amount of his theme stems from vampire mythology.

His looks are the picture of the old school vampire aristocrat (minus the hair, whats up with that anyway?), he is literally named after Vlad the Impaler, most of his skins are based on Castlevania, and he makes constant allusions to having a taste for blood. He is basically a bat transformation away from being Runeterran Dracula.

I know he doesn't follow ALL the tropes but its pretty obvious why people just call him a vampire and he is close enough that it really doesn't bother me when they do.

Only Play Darius5 votes

But Vayne's silver bolts hurt him incredibly hard due to his passive

Sirsir5 votes

Riot has lore? < Anyone who thinks Vlad is a vampire

I mean hes a pale dude named VLAD that sucks blood out of people, its an understandable mistake. The only thing hes missing is a Transylvanian accent and a line that goes 'Bleh bleh-bleh'

SettDownShutUp5 votes

Tomato tomato.

...hmm, that saying doesn't carry as much weight through text.

Streetlight Man5 votes

Azir is not a bird, he's actually a...

Um...

He's actually a really big bird

Ultraboomer4 votes

thank you. I sometimes feel like I am the only person on Earth who cares about stuff like this, thank you for showing me I am not.

Spizzle90003 votes

Precisely. Which is why I'll be incredibly pissed off if they make his Q a skillshot. Like, draining blood is a part of his identity as a blood mage, but you don't just stare in a certain direction and if there's someone there, blood comes out of them. That makes no sense. You rip the blood from your targeted opponent, and you can't take blood from the middle of the air. . . So how would it make sense for his Q to be a skillshot or whatever? I mean, we all know that's what Riot's gonna do.

Plus, if they make him into a true tank who just happens to have the lore of a hemomancer and some ranged abilities, I'll be super pissed. The mage part of his identity is infinitely more valuable than the tank. But, the tank makes sense as a secondary, just not a primary. Focus on his mage-like qualities and his blood-stealing or whatever. Hell, I'd be okay if they turned him into a burst mage if it was between that and him becoming a tank (doesn't make sense thematically, but makes more sense than a mage being a tank. . .)

Also don't give him mana. A blood mage does not make sense to be using mana. Maybe give his Q an effect where it fills up a blood well and his E and W can expend some to empower those abilities? I dunno, it makes sense I guess, but just don't screw him up Riot, please. . .

Also yeah he's not a vampire.

Over Innsmouth2 votes

I think they'll keep his mage-tank qualities. If they don't they'll side towards the mage-half of him I reckon since y'know, this is the _Mage _ Update.

A fair amount of players (myself included) have expressed possible interest in a resource bar (a la Aatrox's bloodwell, but more...refined). I'm more attached to Vlad having free or pseudo free (something like a easy-to-hit skillshot that costs hp to use but refunds the cost completely if it lands) than having his Q, since Riot said that's specifically what they dislike about him.

LostFr0st2 votes

Inb4 Rito makes Vlad throw cleavers.

Spizzle90002 votes

I think I might be okay with that, but it would have to do either significantly more damage early on, or buff his other abilities a great deal. After all, he's not OP or UP right now, and if they throw in a skill shot, it ought to be more powerful than a point and click. The thing that bothers me most about that though is that he's a blood mage. He should have at least one ability that drains his enemies' blood, and that's not something you aim for exactly, ya know? It's not shooting a blast of magic at someone; it's willing their blood to be ripped from their arteries and veins and taking it for yourself.

That isn't a skillshot thing, at least in my opinion.

I understand what you're getting at though. And then a resource bar might be interesting, but I hope they keep elements of his current passive. It's really nice to be able to build straight AP (but mostly AP items with some defensive stats, such as Zhonya's, Abyssal, Liandry's, Rylai's, and WotA) and still get relatively tanky. If they don't keep that, they'll have to either put innate tankiness into his stats, or turn him into a long-ranged mage, or make him into a burst mage. And not a single one of the latter two options make much sense imo.

Mama Soraka2 votes

I like Vlad, but I see why he needs some work. Mainly because spellvamp is being held back as long as he exists in his current form. I see why you feel that draining blood just couldn't work as a skill-shot so I worked out a way that I believe is an acceptable alternative to you and serves my own ends of removing Vlad's current unfitting ultimate to make way for a new one. Vlad could have a slow-moving skill-shot (think slightly faster than Illaoi's E) that tethers him to the first target hit and slowly drains life from them. While so affected by this tether, that target takes somewhat more damage from Vlad's abilities and Vlad heals more from damaging them. This way we find that a blood-draining skillshot feels good and we offset his thematically confusing ultimate onto his transfuse which makes room for a new more single-target oriented tanky Vlad rather than the current "Somehow my blood makes everyone take 8% more damage" Vlad.

What I'm saying is I hate his current ultimate, because it feels boring and doesn't match with the fantasy of being the big bad Blood-mage that I envision Vlad to be.

Sahn Uzal1 votes

Riot won't give Vladimir mana. They've done some crazy stuff. But Riot does put value in making it so their champions have gameplay that matches their lores. It would make no sense what so ever to give him mana. For the same reason, and for the fact that this is a MAGE update, and not a TANK update, he'll most likely remain a mage :P

My guess would be Vladimir will undergo the largest changes in this update. I would guess his Q is gonna be replaced by an ability that kinda does the same, but in a different way (Think Graves Q) Pool will stay. No doubt. Passive, E and R... I can't begin to guesss :^) every option makes too much sense. summoner 31

Spizzle90001 votes

Good. If they did that, I would be so pissed.

And I think his R for sure will stay. It makes too much sense, considering he's a blood mage, so he should be able to give his enemies AIDs (think about it though. It makes everything hurt you more, so in a way, it's weakening your immune system).

But yeah, from what I heard, they don't like his Q being a point and click instant ability that does a large amount of damage, costs nothing, has a short CD later on, and heals him. I hope they update the visuals for his classic skin though, cause the vfx for it suck (see what I did there?)

Sahn Uzal1 votes

His R might be a problematic ability tho. So Tl;Dr, we can guess Q will get changed, propably. And if one of his abilities were to go it will propably be his E, bcuz I don't think anyone really gives a shit about it . The stack passive can be kept in his kit in another way and a little burst combo can still be there :p PS, my english might be kinda weird now, Im kinda tired. summoner 31

Spizzle90001 votes

Meh, I think that his ultimate is the nice balance between decent, but not overpowered in 1v1s, but really makes his AoE and teamfight ability absolutely monstrous.

I personally love his E. Easy harass and it allows you to hit stealthed enemies. I'll be most sad if they remove it, but I think Riot won't screw him too badly, although they might considering everyone other than his players fucking hate him. I think his E's concept is good, but they might change it.

His passive should be kept, but it'd be good if they made a stacking mechanism that actually makes him have a better and more distinct effect later in fights other than the not really noticeable damage and healing increase on his E.

Sahn Uzal2 votes

I just feel like his E lacks depth. You can't really make a lot of plays with it. Same goes for his Q actually. I mean, having simple abilities is fine. But I feel Vladimir lacks some gameplay depth that can't be compensated by just his cool W and occasional R plays summoner 31

Spizzle90002 votes

It does most definitely. I just like being able to ruin Rengar, Shaco, Teemo, and Akali 100% :D

I personally like the Q as it makes sense to me imo. I mean, you're not throwing blood at them, you're taking blood from them. You don't aim shit like that, ya know? His W will stay for sure, and his R will probs get changed a bit, ya know?

Also upvoted cause Poro.

Sahn Uzal2 votes

Let's just wait and see what Riot will do with him. I personally like his Q as well, I love every spell that has the word selfhealing in it. ^^

I've been using the Poro as a signature for a while now :p summoner 31

Punkkee3 votes

MonkeyKing

Penta Penguin3 votes

Renekton is not a crocodile, he's actually an ancient shroomia ascended god creature cursed by madness in a vault for 1,000 years

...

RyotProfanity3 votes

Yasuo isn't Japanese. Xin Zhao isn't Chinese. Master Yi isn't a samurai. Heimerdinger isn't German. LeBlanc isn't French.

Why not?

Because planet earth, our world, does not exist in League of Legends lore.

That's what I learned after reading LoL wikia for a long time.

KING OF MASKS2 votes

He's definitely not a literal vampire, but on an aesthetic/thematic level he fits the bill as League's "vampire" champion. I'm certainly aware of his lore (it's pretty sweet), but that doesn't stop me from making the occasional vampire joke or reference when I see someone playing him in-game.

Let's face it: out of the entire champion roster, Vlad is the one who's meant to represent the vampire trope. C'mon, he even has four (4) skins that are vampire-inspired (Nosferatu/Marquis/Count/Vandal).

KAHm in my JAYCE2 votes

Wow Be NEGATIVE

Ha. See what I did there?

GhastlyGhoulMan2 votes

This post exactly. Think bloodbender... But a LOT more painful.

NommyPancake1 votes

Question: What type of blood does he need for his mage?

A, B, AB, or O?

It's really important and Riot should update his lore.

My Name Dave2 votes

"go ahead B-! you'll be just my type.."-Vladimir

Mama Soraka2 votes

Vladimir I'm absolutely livid that you beat me to this

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