🧛 Philharmonic Vampyres
“Are they artists, hoodlums, or social commentators? Are those teeth part of the costume or not? Who knows?”
A prankster gang with a gothic theatrical flair, named after five members who flew up on wires behind the Night City Symphony on Halloween night — clad in tuxedos, capes, and vampire teeth. Decades later, the Vampyres still straddle the line between performance art and petty crime.
📋 Overview
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Type | Prankster Gang |
| Territory | University District, near NCU campus |
| Base | Old Night City Symphony Hall |
| Leader | The Master (perfect Bela Lugosi replica) |
| Danger Level | Low to Medium |
| Style | Tuxedos, capes, ghost-white faces, fangs |
📜 History
The Founding
The Vampyres were born decades ago with a single spectacular prank: five members in full vampire costume crash the Night City Symphony on Halloween, flying over the orchestra on wires. The stunt became legendary, and the Vampyres were born.
Lord Ruthven
After the 4th Corporate War, a figure called Lord Ruthven arrived in Night City and funded the Philharmonic Vampyres’ rebirth. He was a visionary and an artist — until he went cyberpsycho and turned serial killer, forcing the gang to hire edgerunners to deal with him.
🏛️ Territory
The Vampyres operate in the University District near Night City University:
- Symphony Hall — their ancient headquarters, where The Master holds court with theatrical gravitas
- NCU campus — their audience and recruitment pool; university students are their primary clientele
- Events and performances attract cultural thrill-seekers from across the city
🎭 Operations
Pranks
Classic Vampyre territory:
- Hacking streetlights, Data Terms, and video boards
- Distributing fake money
- Broadcasting fake news bulletins
- Creative disruptions that blur art and crime
Performances
Gothic theatrical productions serve as events, revenue, and recruitment:
- Dracula adaptations, burlesque, opera
- Black candles, holographic smoke, silver bat-head canes, red cloaks
- Events that are part show, part rave, part orgy
- Attracts university students and cultural thrill-seekers
Cyberware & Initiation
The Vampyres use Vampyres cyberware (retractable fangs) and DeathTrance neuralware. The gang’s initiation test: survive an entire performance of “The Scottish Play” with DeathTrance active. If you make it through, you’re in.
👤 Leadership
The Master — the gang’s leader, a perfect biosculpted replica of Bela Lugosi. His real name is unknown. He runs the Vampyres from the Symphony Hall with elaborate theatricality, treating the gang as both family and acting troupe.
🎲 GM Resources
Using the Vampyres
As Color: The Vampyres are perfect for atmospheric encounters — a show that gets out of hand, a prank that exposes something the Crew wasn’t supposed to see, a campus contact who turns out to be a Vampyre.
As Employers: They need outside help for problems that can’t be solved with pranks — like Lord Ruthven going cyberpsycho and leaving bodies around Night City.
As Complications: Their events can serve as cover for more dangerous activities, and their campus connections provide information networks.
Stat Blocks
- Mooks: HP 30, SP 4 (Leathers), Vampyres (1d6), Medium Melee Weapon (2d6), Acting 10, Local Expert (University District) 12
- Random Encounters: Use Boosters; add Electronic/Security Tech Skill Base 10
Adventure Hooks
- A Vampyre prank hacked into something sensitive — now someone powerful wants them dead
- A new “Lord Ruthven” figure is funding the gang. Is history about to repeat?
- A missing NCU student was last seen at a Vampyre show
- The Master wants to pull the greatest prank Night City has ever seen and needs the Crew’s help
🔗 Related Topics
- Gangs
- Inquisitors (The Monk was a defector)
(Sources: CRB p.308; Tales of the Red: Streetstories “A Night at the Opera”; Interface RED Vol. 3)