| “ | Remember my friend, that knowledge is stronger than memory, and we should not trust the weaker
— Abraham Van Helsing
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A battle between two of my favorite Van Helsing stand in's from two my favorite fictional settings, JoJo and Ravenloft. Both are wise old vampire hunters, who wield radiant powers, with dark pasts, with respectable titles and a young apprentice.
Baron Zeppeli[]
| “ | What is courage? Courage is knowing fear and making that fear your own!
— Will A. Zeppeli
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” |
Baron Will Anthonio Zeppeli is a major supporting character in Phantom Blood, the first arc of the manga series JoJo's Bizarre Advventure and its various adaptations. Acting as a the primary teacher and mentor to Jonathan Joestar during his quest to slay Dio Brando, Zeppeli would followe Jonathan into Windknight. Zeppeli would be slain, something forseen during his Hamon training. However, he before his death, he would infuse the last of his Hamon energy into Jonatahn, giving him the strength to finally defeat Dio.
Abilities[]
Hamon: An ancient breathing technique, designed to produce powerful ripple-like energy. As a master of the art, Zeppeli could perform several combat and utility abilities. However, as a breathing art, attacks to the airways could be crippling to a hamon user's abilities.
- Overdrive: A simple ability, where the user channels Hamon into either a limb or an object. This made any hamon attack strong against undead, but also increased the attack’s damage, being able to throw enemies back and break stones.
- Zoom Punch: A technique which artificially lengthens the attackers arms by temporarily dislocating it before healing it back into place. This move has a lot of power in it, and can be used to get the drop on an unsuspecting enemy.
- Hamon Cutter: By infusing hamon into a liquid which he shoots out from between his teeth, Zeppeli can create a deadly hamon infused liquid disc. These hamon cutters are very powerful, capable of being spat out in numbers, and strong enough to cut through steel knives.
- Seated Jump: Zeppeli can perform a high jump from a seated position, being able to leap well over 15 feet into the air, allowing him to cover terrain and perform surprise attacks.
- Healing: Zeppeli was capable of healing injuries with Hamon. Just within himself, we’ve seen him mend a wounded leg and even repair frostbitten necrotic tissue which composed almost his whole arm. We’ve also seen Hamon users heal broken bones before, along with healing gangrene.
Peak human physicality: Due to his hamon training, Zeppeli was an exceptionally physically powerful man. He was strong enough to knock Jonathan on his ass with a single punch, and capable of performing seated jumps. He was very acrobatic, being able to dodge strikes from powerful undead like Tarkus, and was fast enough to intercept roughly 10-12 thrown knives mid air. He could also take a pretty bad hit, surviving for minutes as a bisected torso.
Unarmed combat: Zeppeli was a very capable unarmed fighter. He was able to take out several zombies with just a single overdrive punch, and effectively blocked a stab from Jack the Ripper with a bottle. Zeppeli’s personal fighting style is simple, fast and acrobatic, using fast but powerful strikes, along with integrated Hamon attacks.
Equipment[]
Wine: Zeppeli has brought wine with him into battle before, using it as ammo for his Hamon cutter. For his fight, he will have a bottle and glass nearby for him to use.
Van Richten[]
| “ | I am cursed. Thus, I will never have peace
— Rudolph Van Richten
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Doctor Rudolph Van Richten is a major character and NPC in the setting or Ravenloft, most recently appearing in the 5e campaign Curse of Strahd. Originally being the mentor to Esmerelda D'Aviner, Van Richten had more recently traveled to the domain of Barovia with the intention of finding and slayin Strahd Van Zarovich, the strongest vampire to exist. Van Richten, while at times averse to interaction, can become a staunch companion of the party in their crusade against Strahd, along with a good connection for the party to interact with Esmerelda.
Abilities[]
Clerical magic: As a Cleric, Van Richten could draw magical power from the deity Helm, allowing for him to cast magic spells. While mostly based in healing and utility, Van Richten’s spells were still usable in combat. However, the spells often required somatic, verbal, and at times material components to be cast.
- Light: A cantrip which illuminates an object within 30 feet, making it project bright light within 20 feet, and dim light for an extra 20 feet. The spell is very good at utility, but can also be used to blind or distract an enemy. The spell is concentration, meaning it ends if Van Richten takes damage or casts another concentration spell.
- Cure wounds: A simple healing spell which can be used at very close range to heal major wounds. This spell can close deep cuts, mend broken bones, repair burns, etc… Mechanically, it healed between 1d8+4 and 5d8+4 hit points.
- Sanctuary: A type of arcane ward which makes it hard for an enemy to attack Van Richten. The ward effectively makes any opponent attacking Van Richten second guess themselves, making them not want to him and stopping their attack (Mechanically a wisdom save). The spell is concentration, meaning it ends if Van Richten takes damage or casts another concentration spell.
- Spiritual weapon: A spell which summons a magical, floating weapon which Van Richten can command to at will, being able to be moved 20 feet and attack as a bonus action. The weapon didn't deal normal damage, but instead burned the opponent with radiant flames.
- Freedom of movement: A spell which makes Van Richten far more mobile and agile, allowing him to quickly traverse rough terrain, allows him to escape any bonds or grapples, and make him immune to magical paralysis or restraints. The spell is concentration, meaning it ends if Van Richten takes damage or casts another concentration spell.
Swordsmanship: Despite being an old man, Van Richten was still a skilled hand with the sword in battle. He used a sort of fencing style, using minimal cutting and thrust moves with a narrow blade. He also used the haft of his cane as a bludgeoning weapon. With this skill, he is able to fight off monsters varying from zombies to vampire spawn.
Equipment[]
Sword cane: Van Richten’s only weapon, a sword concealed within his cane. The sword was light and narrow, being around 3 feet long and being designed for quick cut and thrust style bladework. The shaft of the cane could also be used in melee combat, with Van Richten using it as a bludgeon tool at times.
Leather armor: Van Richten wore a set of mundane leather armor under his clothes, granting him an extra level of protection against damage at no expense to his mobility.
X-factors[]
Fitness[]
While both Van Richten and Zeppeli are beyond the norms for their age range, there are several factors which need to be considered. While Van Richten is a very spry man for someone as old as he is (late 60’s), Zeppeli is not only 2 decades younger, but nearly superhuman. While Van Richten could contend in the short term, as he has faced tough opponents before, he will be destroyed in a protracted engagement.
Experience[]
While one could assume Zeppeli had at least some experience in battling the undead to some degree before the events of Phantom blood, it's really not set in stone. And even then, this speculated experience pales in comparison to what we know about Van Richten, who spent decades doing nothing but purging his world of undead, with many regarding him one of the greatest undead slayers of his age.
Intelligence/Tactics[]
Both Zeppeli and Van Richten are clearly wise, philosophically complex, well thought out men with large amounts of education in their specific fields. However, where the two differ are their skills in tactics, with Van Richten having a greater reliance on tactics to make up for his old age, giving him an incredibly keen tactical mind.
Scenario[]
The fight will be a 1 on 1 on unfamiliar terrain. Neither will have prep time, but will have a vague idea of who the other is.