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Sampire

What this profession is

Section titled “What this profession is”

The sampire (“samurai + vampire”) is the most famous PvM template in Ultima Online: a melee character that leeches life on every hit and shrugs off packs of monsters that would flatten a normal dexxer. On this shard all the pieces are real (the EJ expansion stack includes AOS, SE, and ML skills). It’s a fusion build — not its own skill — combining three schools:

  • Necromancy + Spirit Speak → Vampiric Embrace (life-leech form)
  • Bushido → Lightning Strike, Evasion, two-handed parrying, plus the Honor-virtue Perfection bonus
  • a little Chivalry → Consecrate Weapon and Enemy of One

Core skills

Section titled “Core skills”
  • Necromancy — needed to cast Vampiric Embrace, the leech form that defines the build. This is not a token investment: Vampiric Embrace requires 99.0 Necromancy (VampiricEmbrace.cs), so you carry near-GM Necromancy.
  • Spirit Speak — Necromancy’s casting/damage skill (DamageSkill = SpiritSpeak). With Necromancy ≥ 99 the form casts off Spirit Speak (80–120 range), so you want real Spirit Speak too — it is a genuine slot, not free.
  • Bushido — for Lightning Strike, Confidence, Evasion, and improved parrying with two-handers (BaseWeapon.cs CheckParry uses Bushido). It also powers the Honor virtue’s Perfection damage bonus (see below).
  • Chivalry — a small investment for Consecrate Weapon (hit the target’s weakest resist) and Enemy of One (big single-type damage). Each cast costs mana plus tithing points, not tithing alone (see paladin).
  • A weapon skill — usually Swordsmanship (a two-handed weapon with a Whirlwind special and built-in leech).
  • Tactics and Anatomy — the damage multipliers, mandatory.
  • Parrying is common; Healing is optional because the leech replaces bandages.

The build

Section titled “The build”

There is no dedicated sampire template page yet. Build it as a dexxer that borrows from three schools: start from the Warrior Template for the weapon + Tactics + Anatomy core, then fit Necromancy, Bushido, and a little Chivalry around it. This is a tight fit — see 7x GM Templates for the 700-point budgeting; sampires often run Necromancy and Chivalry below GM (only as high as their key spells need) to free points for the combat core.

How to play it — the loop

Section titled “How to play it — the loop”

Read Combat Advanced for special moves and weapon speed; this build lives and dies on them. The signature loop:

  1. Vampiric Embrace active (cast it and stay in form) — every blow now heals you.
  2. Honor a tough target — this is the Honor virtue (Scripts/Services/Virtues/Honor.cs), invoked on the creature, not the Bushido move “Honorable Execution”. Honoring builds Perfection, a damage bonus that scales with your Bushido. Then Consecrate Weapon + Enemy of One (Chivalry) before engaging.
  3. Whirlwind into a pack — hitting many enemies at once means many simultaneous life-leeches, so a crowd actually heals you faster than it hurts.
  4. Sprinkle Lightning Strike for accuracy on key swings; lean on Confidence/Evasion and Parrying when focused.

Because the leech scales with how many things you’re hitting, the sampire is near-unkillable solo against monster packs — the reason it’s the legendary go-to PvM farmer. (Mechanics confirmed: servuo: Scripts/Spells/Necromancy/VampiricEmbrace.cs, the Bushido files, Scripts/Services/Virtues/Honor.cs, and Scripts/Spells/Chivalry/ConsecrateWeapon.cs / EnemyOfOne.cs.)

Gear

Section titled “Gear”
  • Weapons and the weapon catalog — a two-handed weapon with a Whirlwind special and Hit Life Leech; many players favor a no-dachi or double axe.
  • Magic item properties — stack Hit Life Leech, Hit Lower Defense, Swing Speed Increase, Stamina/Mana sustain, and the resist cap. Faster Casting helps only the few buff casts.
  • Armor — Vampiric Embrace carries a concrete elemental weakness: it applies a −25 fire resist offset while in form (VampiricEmbrace.cs FireResistOffset). Over-cap your fire resist on gear so you stay protected once the form drops it. (At Necromancy > 99 the form also grants poison immunity.)

Making a living

Section titled “Making a living”

The sampire is the premier solo PvM farmer: it clears high-tier dungeon packs and bosses that other solo templates can’t survive, looting everything. Tithe gold for Chivalry, keep Necromancy reagents for re-casting the form, and sell the haul via Vendors & Banking.

See also

Section titled “See also”