Medium Undead, Lawful Evil
Armor Class 20 (natural armor)
Hit Points 244 (17d8 + 168)
Speed 30 ft., fly 60 ft.
STR
18 (+4)
DEX
18 (+4)
CON
18 (+4)
INT
20 (+5)
WIS
15 (+2)
CHA
18 (+4)
Saving Throws DEX +10, CON +10, INT +11, WIS +8, CHA +10
Skills Arcana +15, Perception +12, Religion +10, Stealth +14
Damage Immunities Cold, Necrotic, Psychic; Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Metal Weapons
Condition Immunities Frightened
Senses Darkvision 120 ft., Passive Perception 22
Languages All
Challenge 20 (25,000 XP)
Proficiency Bonus +6
Traits

Shapechanger. Dracula can use his action to polymorph into a Tiny bat, a Medium wolf, or a Medium vampiric mist, or back into his true form.

While in bat or wolf form, Dracula can’t speak. In bat form, his walking speed is 5 feet, and he has a flying speed of 30 feet. In wolf form, his walking speed is 40 feet. His statistics, other than his size and speed, are unchanged. Anything he is wearing transforms with him, but nothing he is carrying does. He reverts to his true form if he dies.

Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Dracula fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.

Misty Escape. When Dracula drops to 0 hit points outside his coffin, he transforms into a cloud of mist (as in the Shapechanger trait) instead of falling unconscious

While he has 0 hit points in mist form, he can’t revert to his vampire form, and he must reach his coffin within 2 hours or be destroyed. Once in his coffin, he reverts to his vampire form. He is then paralyzed until he regains at least 1 hit point. After 1 hour in his coffin with 0 hit points, he regains 1 hit point.

Regeneration. Dracula regains 20 hit points at the start of his turn if he has at least 1 hit point. If he takes radiant damage or damage from holy water, this trait doesn’t function at the start of his next turn.

Spellcasting. Dracula is a 20th-level spellcaster. His spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 18, +10 to hit with spell attacks). He has the following wizard spells prepared:

Cantrips (at will): mage hand, prestidigitation, ray of frost, eldritch blast

1st level (4 slots):comprehend languages, fog cloud, sleep, shield

2nd level (3 slots): detect thoughts, gust of wind, mirror imagealter self

3rd level (3 slots): animate dead, fireball, nondetection

4th level (3 slots): blight, greater invisibility, polymorph

5th level (3 slots): animate objects, scryingtelekinesisdominate person

6th level (2 slots): create undeadmage handtrue seeingdisintegrate

7th level (2 slots): finger of deathteleportsimulacrumplane shift

8th level (1 slot): mind blankcontrol weather

9th level (1 slot): imprisonmenttrue polymorph

Spider Climb. Dracula can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without having to make an ability check.

Vampire Weaknesses. Dracula has the following flaws:

Forbiddance. He can’t enter a residence without an invitation from one of the occupants.

Stake to the Heart. If a piercing weapon made of wood is driven into his heart while he is incapacitated in his coffin, he is paralyzed until the stake is removed.

 

Actions

Multiattack (Vampire Form Only). Dracula makes three attacks, only one of which can be a bite attack.

Unarmed Strike (Vampire or Wolf Form Only). Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (1d10 + 8) slashing damage plus 14 (5d8) necrotic damage. If the target is a creature, Dracula can grapple it (escape DC 18) instead of dealing the slashing damage.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one willing creature, or a creature that is grappled by Dracula, 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 Dracula regains hit points equal to that amount. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if its hit point maximum is reduced to 0. A humanoid slain in this way and then buried in the ground rises the following night as a vampire spawn under Dracula's control.

Charm. Dracula targets one humanoid he can see within 30 feet of him. If the target can see Dracula , the target must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw against this magic or be charmed. The charmed target regards Dracula as a trusted friend to be heeded and protected. The target isn’t under Dracula's control, but it takes Dracula's requests and actions in the most favorable way and lets Dracula bite it.

Each time Dracula or his 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 Dracula 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). Dracula magically calls 2d4 swarms of bats or swarms of rats, provided that the sun isn’t up. While outdoors, Dracula can call 3d6 wolves instead. The called creatures arrive in 1d4 rounds, acting as allies of Dracula and obeying his spoken commands. The beasts remain for 1 hour, until Dracula dies, or until he dismisses them as a bonus action.

Legendary Actions

Dracula 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. Dracula regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.

Move. Dracula moves up to his speed without provoking opportunity attacks.

Unarmed Strike. Dracula makes one unarmed strike.

Bite (Costs 2 Actions). Dracula makes one bite attack.

Description

With his mind sharp and his heart dark, Vlad Dracula Tepes is a formidable foe. Courage and lives beyond measure have been lost to him. 

The Vampire’s Minions

Whenever Dracula appears in a location other than his tomb, consult the minions table to determine what creatures he brings with him.

Dracula's Minions

d20 Creatures
1–3 1d4 + 2 dire wolves
4–6 1d6 + 3 ghouls
7–9 1d4 + 2 Strahd zombies
10–12 2d4 swarms of bats
13–15 1d4 + 1 vampire spawns
16–18 3d6 wolves
19–20 Dracula's 3 Brides vampire  


Giant Clockwork Mechanism

Dracula can afford to be bold in his tactics, for he has additional protection in the form of a giant clockwork mechanism hidden inside Castle Bran.

Any damage that Dracula takes is transferred to the giant clockwork mechanism. If the giant clockwork mechanism absorbs damage that reduces it to 0 hit points, it is destroyed, and Dracula takes any leftover damage. The giant clockwork mechanism has 150 hit points, an AC of 15, and is worth 1,500 XP if encountered by itself. It is restored to that number of hit points each dawn, provided it has at least 1 hit point remaining. Dracula can, as a bonus action on his turn, break his link to the giant clockwork mechanism so that it no longer absorbs damage dealt to him. Dracula can reestablish his link to the giant clockwork mechanism as a bonus action on his turn, but only while in Castle Bran.

The effect of the protection afforded by the giant clockwork mechanism can be chilling to behold, as damage to Dracula is quickly undone. For example, a critical hit might dislocate Dracula's jaw, but only for a moment; then the vampire’s jaw quickly resets itself.

The ability of the giant clockwork mechanism to absorb damage is suppressed if it or Dracula is fully within an antimagic field.

Lair and Lair Actions

Lair Actions


While Dracula is in Castle Bran, he can take lair actions as long as he isn’t incapacitated.

On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Dracula can take one of the following lair action options, or forgo using any of them in that round:

  • Until initiative count 20 of the next round, Dracula can pass through solid walls, doors, ceilings, and floors as if they weren’t there.
  • Dracula targets any number of doors and windows that he can see, causing each one to either open or close as he wishes. Closed doors can be magically locked (needing a successful DC 20 Strength check to force open) until Dracula chooses to end the effect, or until Dracula uses this lair action again.
  • Dracula summons the angry spirit of one who has died in the castle. The apparition appears next to a hostile creature that Dracula can see, makes an attack against that creature, and then disappears. The apparition has the statistics of a specter.
  • Dracula targets one Medium or smaller creature that casts a shadow. The target’s shadow must be visible to DRacula and within 30 feet of him. If the target fails a DC 17 Charisma saving throw, its shadow detaches from it and becomes a shadow that obeys Dracula's commands, acting on initiative count 20. A greater restoration spell or a remove curse spell cast on the target restores its natural shadow, but only if its undead shadow has been destroyed.

Monster Tags: NPCShapechangerundead

KimbertheMonk

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