Regeneration. The vampire regains 10 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 when it ends its turn in running water.
Stake to the Heart. The vampire is destroyed if a piercing weapon made of wood is driven into its heart while it is incapacitated in its resting place.
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. The vampire makes two attacks, only one of which can be a bite attack.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 8 (2d4 + 3) slashing damage. Instead of dealing damage, the vampire can grapple the target (escape DC 13).
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one willing creature, or a creature that is grappled by the vampire, incapacitated, or restrained. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) 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 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.
"If a true vampire allows a spawn to DRAW BLOOD FROM ITS OWN BODY." Why would vampires have blood?
Different stories portray vampires differently. I believe the vampires in Anne Rice's books, like "Interview with a Vampire", undergo a similar ritual to create other vampires, where a victim must drink blood from the vampire to become one themselves, otherwise they simply die. In 5e DnD, if a victim isn't allowed to drink the blood of its master, it becomes a spawn completely under the master's control. I assume that vampires perhaps cannot make blood like a living body can, and this is why they need to feed. When they feed on living blood, they become briefly "revivified", enough to regain some semblance of a living body, which fades if they do not continue feeding. An alpha vampire would be feeding all the time, being fully free-willed, and would have the highest reserve of blood within its body. The sacrament of giving blood is a big sacrifice for the alpha -- who probably needs to feed again immediately afterwards to regain vitality -- and is not to be taken lightly or given to undeserving creatures. An alpha will probably only rarely turn a spawn into a full-fledged vampire.
Spawn that under an alpha's control probably have much less blood in their body, leading them to be controlled more by hunger and instinct -- making them more animalistic and less "human". The transfusion of a master's blood effectively makes them "alive" (as alive as they'll ever be, I guess) again, with all the benefits of being a vampire.
No shapeshifting, disadvantage on attacks and checks in sunlight, no athletics or acrobatics skill?
I know I'm not the first one to think this, and honestly if you have this spell these guys aren't such a scary threat to you unless they come at you in numbers or are a strengthened variant buuuuuut.
Step 1: Cast Dawn.
Step 2: "Cast" Grapple.
Step 3: Vampire fails it's attacks/grapple checks.
Step 4: BUUUUUUUUUUURN AHAHAHAAAA!
I remember a greentext about a Paladin that’s got grappled by Strahd in the final battle of COS. Immediately the Pally used the Ravenkind symbol to cast Sunlight and just regrappled as he pummeled him into the dirt. Pretty funny stuff.
If you're able to cast dawn, then your character level would be at least double this creatures CR. That in and of itself is an over match for one of these, but the simple fact that it can regeneratein more than 1 way and has multiattack is what would make it challenging for characters equal to or lower than its CR
So, few questions.
When their creator dies, is that when they turn into mist and sleep in a coffin or when they are killed after that? I was wondering if a PC player who becomes a Vampire Spawn can be free and drain Trahd's blood when he recovers in his coffin for zero health.
Also, does becoming a true vampire mean that character has Vampire stats?
Funnily enough, the the description of the spell daylight only specifies that it shines “Bright Light”, not “sunlight”.
Whether or not you think that triggers their weakness is DM discretion, of course, but the ambiguity is interesting.
Still a stylish way for high level party to dispatch an inferior foe (especially if you’re something like a level 20 Paladin, and can pull it off singlehandedly)
Forbiddance. The vampire can't enter a residence without an invitation from one of the occupants.
Good quest hook right here. Someone let the vampire in.
All's I'm thinking off is when a vampire in Adventure Time got pushed into a house, turning to smoke afterwards.
How to beat a Vampire:
Step 1: Shove 'em into a house, uninvited.
Step 2: ????
Step 3: GROFIT
Oh, I missed this earlier. It’s a really good question.
Technically, I think the answer is supposed to be “no,” he’s not free until the Master Vampire is utterly destroyed.
But, I personally think it seems cool to give the PC a chance to try, with a Wisdom or Charisma contest, when the master is thus incapacitated (especially if he’s already been staked).
Whether the turned PC’s stats are completely overwritten or merged with the vampire is a matter of GM discretion, but the general rule of thumb is “take whatever’ best.”
I also like the idea that the vampire just gets stuck in the doorway, like there’s an invisible force field over the threshold.
Dawn says "each creature" in the radiance takes the damage, not just hostile ones. So if your party is immune to radiant damage, rock on, but if not you're going to burn right along with them.
“The Cleric casts fireball in an enclosed space. What could go wrong?”
Is shoving the vampire in the house not a direct invitation?
if you're shoving a vampire into a house, aren't you "inviting him in"?
Unless it’s not your house, at which point I’d argue you can’t invite them in as you don’t have the authority
If you're holding a creature that is burning, you're also gonna take fire damage. But good plan.
Theirs actually a side bar for PCs being/becoming vampires, what they gain. Same for we're creatures.
In most vampire lore, the vampire has blood.