Spellcasting. The Duke is an 9th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 22, +14 to hit with spell attacks). The Duke has the following wizard spells prepared:
Cantrips (at will): Chill touch, Sword Burst, Thunderclap, Toll the Dead
1st level (4 slots): Chromatic Orb, Magic Missile, Thunderwave
2nd level (4 slots): Cloud of Daggers, Misty Step, Rime's Binding Ice
3rd level (4 slots): Ashardalon's Stride, Counterspell, Fireball, Glyph of Warding
4th level (3 slots): Raulothim's Psychic Lance, Wall of Fire
5th level (2 slots): Animate Objects, Immolation, Negative Energy Flood, Telekinesis (At Will)
Magic Resistance. The Duke has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.
Mage Slayer. When The Duke damage a creature that is concentrating on a spell, that creature has disadvantage on the saving throw it makes to maintain its concentration. You have advantage on saving throws against spells cast by creatures within 5 feet of you.
Fire Absorption. Whenever the Duke is subjected to fire damage, it takes no damage and instead regains a number of hit points equal to the fire damage dealt.
Undead Nature. The Duke doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.
Shapechanger. If the Duke isn’t in running water, it can use its action to polymorph into a Tiny bat, a Medium cloud of mist, a Large Winter Wolf, or back into its true form.
While in bat form, the Duke can’t speak, his walking speed is 5 feet, and has a flying speed of 30 feet. His statistics, other than its size and speed, are unchanged. Anything it is wearing transforms with him, but nothing it is carrying does. It reverts to its true form if it dies.
While in mist form, the Duke can’t take any actions, speak, or manipulate objects. He is weightless, has a flying speed of 30 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.
While in wolf form, the Duke can’t speak, its walking speed is 50 feet. Its statistics, other than its size and speed, are unchanged. The wolf has advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell. Anything it is wearing transforms with it, but nothing it is carrying does. It reverts to its true form if it dies.
Legendary Resistance (4/Day) If the Duke 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 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 Duke regains 20 hit points at the start of its turn if it has at least 1 hit point and isn’t in running water. If the Duke takes damage from holy water, this trait doesn’t function at the start of the Duke’s next turn.
Spider Climb. The Duke has a climbing speed equal to his walking speed, and can move up, down, and across vertical surfaces and upside down along ceilings, while leaving his hands free.
Vampire Weaknesses. The Duke has the following flaws:
Forbiddance. The Duke can’t enter a residence without an invitation from one of the occupants.
Harmed by Running Water. The Duke takes 20 acid damage if it ends its turn in running water.
Multiattack (Vampire form Only). The Duke makes 3 attacks, only one of which can be a bite attack, and casts one spell.
Causality (Longsword). Melee Weapon Attack: +18 to hit, reach 5 ft., 1 target. Hit: 18 (1d8 + 11) Slashing damage or 23 (2d10 + 11) two-handed, plus an additional 1d10 radiant and 1d10 necrotic damage.
Unarmed Strike. (Vampire form Only) Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 12 (1d8 + 8) bludgeoning damage. Instead of dealing damage, the vampire can grapple the target (escape DC 22).
Bite. (Bat, Wolf, or Vampire Form Only) Melee Weapon Attack: +15 to hit, reach 5 ft., one willing creature, or a creature that is grappled by the vampire, incapacitated, or restrained. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 7) 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.
Cold Breath. (Recharge 3–4). The Duke exhales a blast of freezing wind in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw, taking 18 (4d8) cold damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
Fire Breath (Recharge 5–6). The veteran exhales fire in a 90-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 22 Dexterity saving throw, taking 53 (10d10) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
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.
Mage Slayer. When a creature within 5 feet of you casts a spell, you can use your reaction to make a melee weapon attack against that creature.
Counterspell. If the creature is casting a spell of 3rd level or lower, its spell fails and has no effect. If it is casting a spell of 4th level or higher, make an ability check using your spellcasting ability. The DC equals 10 + the spell's level. On a success, the creature's spell fails and has no effect.
The Duke 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.
Strike While It's Hurt. The Duke makes one unarmed strike, or one weapon attack.
Bite (Costs 2 Actions). The Duke makes one bite attack.
Inescapable Fire (Costs 3 Actions). The Duke recharges his fire breath weapon and uses it.
Description
Spawn of the Red Greatwyrm Nuriith-Sibun and the Empress of Night, The Duke seeks to free his father from his prison underneath an active Volcano. The Duke is currently at odds with the Draconic Dominion, a group of Dragonborn worshippers and royals, and their Ancestor-Gods, a smattering of a white, blue, silver, bronze, crystal, Amethyst-shadow, and gold dragons, for betraying and imprisoning his progenitor. The Draconic Dominion holds immense power, as well as the Key to Nuriith-Sibun's freedom.
Lair and Lair Actions
Lair
The Duke's lair is in his fortress Castle, Drota, where he has everlasting fog and a hedge-maze at the entrance on the ground level, a grand ball room and adjoined guest wing on the first level, and an expansive basement when he keeps and makes his secret police, the Ember Dregs.
Regional Effects
The region surrounding The Duke’s lair is warped by the his 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.
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the Duke takes a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the Duke can’t use the same effect two rounds in a row:
- Magma erupts from a point on the ground The Duke 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 22 Dexterity saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
- Volcanic gases form a cloud in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on a point The Duke 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 22 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned until the end of its turn. While poisoned in this way, a creature is incapacitated.
- Until initiative count 20 of the next round, The Duke can pass through solid walls, doors, ceilings, and floors as if they weren't there.
- The Duke targets one Medium or smaller creature that casts a shadow. The target's shadow must be visible to The Duke and within 30 feet of him. If the target fails a DC 22 Charisma saving throw, its shadow detaches from it and becomes a shadow that obeys The Duke'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.
Previous Versions
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8/5/2022 2:41:00 PM
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10
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1
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8/10/2022 3:05:42 AM
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10
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1.3
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Coming Soon
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9/1/2022 9:03:54 PM
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13
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1.4
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Coming Soon
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