Shapechanger. If the vampire isn’t in sunlight or running water, it can use its action to polymorph into a Tiny bat or a Medium cloud of mist, or back into its true form.
While in bat form, the vampire can’t speak, its walking speed is 5 feet, and it has a flying speed of 30 feet. Its statistics, other than its size and speed, are unchanged. Anything it is wearing transforms with it, but nothing it is carrying does. It reverts to its true form if it dies.
While in mist form, the vampire can’t take any actions, speak, or manipulate objects. It is weightless, has a flying speed of 20 feet, can hover, and can enter a hostile creature’s space and stop there. In addition, if air can pass through a space, the mist can do so without squeezing, and it can’t pass through water. It has advantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws, and it is immune to all nonmagical damage, except the damage it takes from sunlight.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the vampire fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Misty Escape. When it drops to 0 hit points outside its resting place, the vampire transforms into a cloud of mist (as in the Shapechanger trait) instead of falling unconscious, provided that it isn’t in sunlight or running water. If it can’t transform, it is destroyed.
While it has 0 hit points in mist form, it can’t revert to its vampire form, and it must reach its resting place within 2 hours or be destroyed. Once in its resting place, it reverts to its vampire form. It is then paralyzed until it regains at least 1 hit point. After spending 1 hour in its resting place with 0 hit points, it regains 1 hit point.
Regeneration. The vampire regains 20 hit points at the start of its turn if it has at least 1 hit point and isn’t in sunlight or running water. If the vampire takes radiant damage or damage from holy water, this trait doesn’t function at the start of the vampire’s next turn.
Spider Climb. The vampire can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Vampire Weaknesses. The vampire has the following flaws:
Forbiddance. The vampire can’t enter a residence without an invitation from one of the occupants.
Harmed by Running Water. The vampire takes 20 acid damage if it ends its turn in running water.
Stake to the Heart. If a piercing weapon made of wood is driven into the vampire’s heart while the vampire is incapacitated in its resting place, the vampire is paralyzed until the stake is removed.
Sunlight Hypersensitivity. The vampire takes 20 radiant damage when it starts its turn in sunlight. While in sunlight, it has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.
Multiattack. (Vampire Form Only). The vampire makes two attacks, only one of which can be a bite attack.
Unarmed Strike (Vampire Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage. Instead of dealing damage, the vampire can grapple the target (escape DC 18).
Bite. (Bat or Vampire Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one willing creature, or a creature that is grappled by the vampire, incapacitated, or restrained. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) necrotic damage. The target’s hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken, and the vampire regains hit points equal to that amount. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0. A humanoid slain in this way and then buried in the ground rises the following night as a vampire spawn under the vampire’s control.
Charm. The vampire targets one humanoid it can see within 30 feet of it. If the target can see the vampire, the target must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw against this magic or be charmed by the vampire. The charmed target regards the vampire as a trusted friend to be heeded and protected. Although the target isn’t under the vampire’s control, it takes the vampire’s requests or actions in the most favorable way it can, and it is a willing target for the vampire’s bite attack.
Each time the vampire or the vampire’s companions do anything harmful to the target, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success. Otherwise, the effect lasts 24 hours or until the vampire is destroyed, is on a different plane of existence than the target, or takes a bonus action to end the effect.
Children of the Night (1/Day). The vampire magically calls 2d4 swarms of bats or rats, provided that the sun isn’t up. While outdoors, the vampire can call 3d6 wolves instead. The called creatures arrive in 1d4 rounds, acting as allies of the vampire and obeying its spoken commands. The beasts remain for 1 hour, until the vampire dies, or until the vampire dismisses them as a bonus action.
The vampire can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. The vampire regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Move. The vampire moves up to its speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
Unarmed Strike. The vampire makes one unarmed strike.
Bite (Costs 2 Actions). The vampire makes one bite attack.
A Vampire’s Lair
A vampire chooses a grand yet defensible location for its lair, such as a castle, fortified manor, or walled abbey. It hides its coffin in an underground crypt or vault guarded by vampire spawn or other loyal creatures of the night.
Regional Effects
The region surrounding a vampire’s lair is warped by the creature’s unnatural presence, creating any of the following effects:
- There’s a noticeable increase in the populations of bats, rats, and wolves in the region.
- Plants within 500 feet of the lair wither, and their stems and branches become twisted and thorny.
- Shadows cast within 500 feet of the lair seem abnormally gaunt and sometimes move as though alive.
- A creeping fog clings to the ground within 500 feet of the vampire’s lair. The fog occasionally takes eerie forms, such as grasping claws and writhing serpents.
If the vampire is destroyed, these effects end after 2d6 days.
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Posted Dec 16, 2022Is it just me or the vampire is weakened? When I checked it last time its Unarmed attack caused 1d8+4 slashing and 3 or 4d6 necrotic. Now it is only the slashing. And if you think I can't remember well check Strahd von Zarovich who has 4d6 necrotic beside the slashing damage for unarmed strike. Now you can say that Strahd is special and stronger than other vampires but actually he is just a spellcaster vampire (I think the spellcaster vampire version was just added because of the Count).
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Posted Dec 27, 2022144hp and 17 damage per round? This is a CR5 monster at best. Even with trivially overcome regeneration and some minions to help it, a 10th level party is turning this guy to mist in 1 round.
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Posted Dec 28, 2022Good catch, but the statblock hasn’t changed. The extra Necrotic damage (like the wolf form and 20 INT) is a special feature of Strahd himself, along with way better skill bonuses than the standard vampire Spellcaster.
I don’t know why the vampire Spellcaster has the same CR as Strahd von Zarovich, since it’s damage profile doesn’t really change from the basic, CR 13 vampire.
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Posted Dec 28, 2022Yeah, the vampire banks a lot on its Resistance and Legendary Actions. This is one of the earliest monsters of the edition, so maybe they assumed that Radiant Damage would be less common than it is? Regardless, I think this is more a problem with the CR system being a bit weird in general.
That being said, you may get some value out of this monster for a 10th Level party if you play off it’s mobility with some interesting terrain, trying to pick off individuals while avoiding a direct slug-out. Spiderclimb and Shapechange give it some fun and unique movement options at this tier of play.
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Posted Jan 5, 2023The real question is, could a vampire BE a paladin?
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Posted Jan 19, 2023That’s a very good question. The answer is yes, although it would need to be a very extreme set of circumstances to drive a vampire to take a Paladin’s Oath (probably Oath of Vengeance).
The really scary thing about Vampires is (unlike most undead) they have capacity to learn new skills/gain class levels, and have all the time in the world to do so. That knowledge and experience is why the vampire in this statblock has such high INT, WIS, and CHA scores, while vampirism only giving bonuses to physical stats.
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Posted Mar 24, 2023Vampires are evil :) the theory is about a Japanese folklore
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Posted Mar 24, 2023thats cool
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Posted Mar 24, 2023My question is do they die with a wooden stake in their heart?
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Posted Mar 27, 2023The Animal companion cannot become a vampire except through plot shenanigans. And the general rule is, if a Vampire is destroyed, the Vampire Spawn it created have free will and remain as Vampire spawn. They only become true Vampires if they drink a full Vampires blood.
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Posted Mar 27, 2023You sit in a corner and cry because that isn't a vampire. That is at best a Dhampir, at worst just some guy with super strength in sparkly makeup
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Posted Mar 27, 2023This is when you **** with their minds and make the vampire act as if it did something special and be hyper-dramatic with it
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Posted Mar 27, 2023This is where it gets weird, technically that isn't Direct sunlight. Its Filtered sunlight even though it passes through an invisible source. We know this, because in Barovia there is Sunlight, but its filtered by the clouds. If you were to say Control Weather and opened the clouds above Strahd then he would be in direct sunlight
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Posted Mar 27, 2023Nope, but if you Stake them in the Heart while they are in there Coffin they are Paralyzed until the Stake is removed
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Posted Apr 28, 2023I’m a little confused. I might be misinterpreting this, but it seems like once a vampire turns into mist (with it!s action), it has no way to turn back, as it can’t use it’s action to shapechange back?
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Posted May 6, 2023Shapechanger. If the vampire isn’t in sunlight or running water, it can use its action to polymorph into a Tiny bat or a Medium cloud of mist, or back into its true form.
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Posted May 7, 2023Ah, thanks.
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Posted May 9, 2023-
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Posted Jun 2, 2023Well, dependent on what you mean by turned into a vampire, there are a couple possibilities. If it's a vampire spawn, then if it's master is killed, a spawn becomes a fully independent vampire, though it's still has the spawn stats, which are lower than a normal vamp. If the master gives it some of their blood, they become a true vampire, with no obligation other than gratefulness to the original.
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Posted Jun 3, 2023Vampires have remained as my favorite creatures for quite some time now, both in and out of DnD. No matter what setting or time you put them in, no matter what art-form in which they exist, they always prove to be a challenging, fear-inducing, power-fantasy satiating creature, with plenty to change in whatever ways you see fit. Want a secretive, ominous figure that uses unrivaled charisma and incredible abilities to make your otherwise confident protagonist(s) feel a deep sense of hopelessness? Use a vampire. Wanna have a super strong BBEG that can power their way through or even overpower the front-liners' attacks while taunting their lack of progress? Use a vampire. Want a seductive antagonist that the players actively feel several strong emotions, both positive and negative towards, which can prove terrifying and challenging in equal measure, for both combat and RP? Use a vampire. Want a "villain" that's really just the product of a whole bunch of unfortunate circumstances, now targeted by our would-be heroes for reasons that don't match reality? Use a vampire. Wanna flex your drama muscles and create a whole bunch of ridiculously entertaining and compelling scenarios that enhance the experience overall? Use a friggin vampire. I'm tellin' ya, it's one of the best things that have been invented in human history; you can use it for like any creative thing out there and as long as you know what you're doing, it objectively enhances all that is in connection with it. Also vampire seggsy, you cannot change my mind on this.