Shapechanger. If the vampire isn’t in sunlight or running water, it can use its action to polymorph into a Medium cloud of smoke, or back into its true form.
While in smoke form, the vampire dragon resembles a swirling cloud of smoke with white-hot embers appears in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on the vampire dragon's location. The cloud spreads around corners and is heavily obscured. 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 ash 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 or radiant damage. When the cloud appears, each creature in it must make a Dexterity saving throw DC 15. A creature takes 6d8 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature must also make this saving throw when it enters the spell's area for the first time on a turn or ends its turn there.
Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the vampire dragon fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.
Magic Resistance. The vampire dragon has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Smoke Escape. When it drops to 0 hit points outside its resting place, the vampire transforms into a cloud of smoke (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 smoke 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. The vampire dragon can use its Frightful Presence or Vampiric Charm. It then makes three attacks: one with its bite and two with its claws.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 10 ft., one willing creature, or a creature that is grappled by the vampire, incapacitated, or restrained. Hit: 19 (2d10 + 8) 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.
Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 15 (2d6 + 8) slashing damage.
Tail. Melee Weapon Attack: +14 to hit, reach 15 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (2d8 + 8) bludgeoning damage.
Frightful Presence. Each creature of the vampire dragon's choice that is within 120 feet of the vampire and aware of it must succeed on a DC 19 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the vampire's Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.
Fire Breath (Recharge 5–6). The dracolich exhales fire in a 60-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 21 Dexterity saving throw, taking 63 (18d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Vampiric Charm. The vampire targets one humanoid, beast or dragon it can see within 30 feet of it. If the target can see the vampire, the target must succeed on a DC 19 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 dracolich 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 dracolich regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Detect. The dracolich makes a Wisdom (Perception) check.
Move. The vampire moves up to its speed without provoking opportunity attacks.
Wing Attack (Costs 2 Actions). The dracolich beats its tattered wings. Each creature within 10 feet of the dracolich must succeed on a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw or take 15 (2d6 + 8) bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone. The dracolich can then fly up to half its flying speed.
Lair and Lair Actions
A Red Vampire Dragon's Lair
Red Vampire Dragon lair in high mountains or hills, dwelling in caverns under snow-capped peaks, or within the deep halls of abandoned mines and dwarven strongholds. Caves with volcanic or geothermal activity are the most highly prized red vampire dragon lairs, while still being defensible enough to hide from daylight.
It hides its coffin in an underground crypt or vault guarded by kobold vampire spawn or other loyal creatures of the night.
It's hoard acts as the Vampire dragon's coffin well protected deep within the lair, a red vampire dragon spends as much of its time outside the mountain as in it. For a red vampire dragon, the great heights of the world are the throne from which it can look out to survey all it controls—and the wider world it seeks to control.
Throughout the lair complex, bodies of other dragons and similarly large creatures will be thrown about as the vampire would use these smaller dragons to feet itself.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the vampire dragon takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the vampire dragon can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- Magma erupts from a point on the ground the vampire dragon can see within 120 feet of it, creating a 20-foot-high, 5-foot-radius geyser. Each creature in the geyser’s area must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
- The vampire dragon target it can see in it's lair that is casting a shadow. The shadow must be visible and be within 60 feet of the vampire dragon. The target must make a Charisma saving throw DC 21, on a failed save the target's shadow detaches and becomes a shadow. It obeys the vampire dragon and acts on initiative count 20. Only a remove curse or greater restoration will restore the target's shadow after the Shadow has been destroyed.
- Volcanic gases form a cloud in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point the vampire dragon can see within 120 feet of it. The sphere spreads around corners, and its area is lightly obscured. It lasts until initiative count 20 on the next round. Each creature that starts its turn in the cloud must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of its turn. While poisoned in this way, a creature is incapacitated.
Regional Effects
The region containing a legendary red vampire dragon's lair is warped by it's magic, which creates one or more of the following effects:
- There’s a noticeable increase in the populations of bats, rats, wolves, and undead in the region.
- 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 5 miles of the vampire’s lair. The fog occasionally takes eerie forms, such as grasping claws and writhing serpents.
If the vampire dragon dies, these effects fade over the course of 1d10 days.
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