I'm trying to create a small, lower level vampire-themed adventure where a party comes to a suffering village after the local vampire has already been "killed," but really he hasn't quite died...but he hasn't quite survived either. See my idea is the vampire's body was destroyed and his misty form wasn't able to return to his resting place to regenerate, thus turning him into a vampiric mist.
I'm working on my ideas of how his former minions will impact the story, but I'm not sure what the rules, if any, are. I know when a vampire dies, his familiar returns to being just a normal human again, while his spawn remains a vampire spawn but now with free will. But turning into a vampiric mist isn't the same as dying I think. Are there any rules, probabilities you think should happen, or should I just guess or go with what makes the adventure better?
Also, I could use suggestions on what else might fit the theme of the adventure while staying within the idea of an adventure for a level 1-5 party. I've already settled on taking the old Vampire Rose monster and update it for 5e (already saw a couple converted stat blocks for it) and a surprise for the players with a Mimic pretending to be a coffin they'll hopefully assume is the resting place of a vampire (want to lead them into assuming there's a normal vampire behind the strange going-ons before springing the reveal). Especially need suggestions for their time at level one.
I'm working on my ideas of how his former minions will impact the story, but I'm not sure what the rules, if any, are. I know when a vampire dies, his familiar returns to being just a normal human again, while his spawn remains a vampire spawn but now with free will. But turning into a vampiric mist isn't the same as dying I think. Are there any rules, probabilities you think should happen, or should I just guess or go with what makes the adventure better?
First, you should always, always, go with what makes the adventure better. If the rules don’t fit your story, you change the rules, not the story. Second, the things you are saying about spawn and familiars aren’t in the rules. They are part of some versions of the popular stories around vampires, but they are not part of the D&D rules. So you can feel free to make whatever lore surrounding vampires that you like. The only really important part is to stay consistent with your own lore if you use vampires again.
For level 1, if you’re looking at keeping with that gothic, vampire vibe, things like giant bats, or wolves can be a good challenge.
First, you should always, always, go with what makes the adventure better. If the rules don’t fit your story, you change the rules, not the story.
Well, mostly. The point of having rules is to have the world behave in a consistent manner, thus allowing your players to make rational decisions, so you should be careful about changing things that have already been established as true in your game... but the fate of vampire spawn when their master has become a vampiric mist is rather unlikely to be one of those things.
The rules don't say how a Vampire Spawn is under the control of a Vampire, just that they are. I think the "how" should play a part in what they'll do next.
If they were dominated via psychic means, then their minds are once again their own. It's like breathing clean, fresh air. Whatever joy they get from it is bittersweet because they're undead and cannot do everything they could while mortal. By the same token, they're likely more powerful than they ever were before. Alternatively, the master might have asserted dominance through brutal violence and psychological manipulations. One could hate their former master, while another might have Stockholm Syndrome and mourn them; if their mortal life sucked enough. I can even see one feeling so lost without their master's "love" to try to revive them. If the mist isn't dealt with and eventually finds its way back to the proper resting place, perhaps by being lured with fresh victims, then the master could return.
Regardless, I would go with the spawn are presently free enough to pursue their own interests. I would consider liberated vampire spawn to be survivors of violence. And that opens up a lot of possibilities.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
I'm trying to create a small, lower level vampire-themed adventure where a party comes to a suffering village after the local vampire has already been "killed," but really he hasn't quite died...but he hasn't quite survived either. See my idea is the vampire's body was destroyed and his misty form wasn't able to return to his resting place to regenerate, thus turning him into a vampiric mist.
I'm working on my ideas of how his former minions will impact the story, but I'm not sure what the rules, if any, are. I know when a vampire dies, his familiar returns to being just a normal human again, while his spawn remains a vampire spawn but now with free will. But turning into a vampiric mist isn't the same as dying I think. Are there any rules, probabilities you think should happen, or should I just guess or go with what makes the adventure better?
Also, I could use suggestions on what else might fit the theme of the adventure while staying within the idea of an adventure for a level 1-5 party. I've already settled on taking the old Vampire Rose monster and update it for 5e (already saw a couple converted stat blocks for it) and a surprise for the players with a Mimic pretending to be a coffin they'll hopefully assume is the resting place of a vampire (want to lead them into assuming there's a normal vampire behind the strange going-ons before springing the reveal). Especially need suggestions for their time at level one.
Maybe the Vampire Spawns have gained a bit of free will, so the vampiric mist can still influence them, but not control them?
First, you should always, always, go with what makes the adventure better. If the rules don’t fit your story, you change the rules, not the story.
Second, the things you are saying about spawn and familiars aren’t in the rules. They are part of some versions of the popular stories around vampires, but they are not part of the D&D rules. So you can feel free to make whatever lore surrounding vampires that you like. The only really important part is to stay consistent with your own lore if you use vampires again.
For level 1, if you’re looking at keeping with that gothic, vampire vibe, things like giant bats, or wolves can be a good challenge.
Well, mostly. The point of having rules is to have the world behave in a consistent manner, thus allowing your players to make rational decisions, so you should be careful about changing things that have already been established as true in your game... but the fate of vampire spawn when their master has become a vampiric mist is rather unlikely to be one of those things.
The rules don't say how a Vampire Spawn is under the control of a Vampire, just that they are. I think the "how" should play a part in what they'll do next.
If they were dominated via psychic means, then their minds are once again their own. It's like breathing clean, fresh air. Whatever joy they get from it is bittersweet because they're undead and cannot do everything they could while mortal. By the same token, they're likely more powerful than they ever were before. Alternatively, the master might have asserted dominance through brutal violence and psychological manipulations. One could hate their former master, while another might have Stockholm Syndrome and mourn them; if their mortal life sucked enough. I can even see one feeling so lost without their master's "love" to try to revive them. If the mist isn't dealt with and eventually finds its way back to the proper resting place, perhaps by being lured with fresh victims, then the master could return.
Regardless, I would go with the spawn are presently free enough to pursue their own interests. I would consider liberated vampire spawn to be survivors of violence. And that opens up a lot of possibilities.