Count Strahd von Zarovich (Homebrew)

Shapechanger. If Count Strahd von Zarovich isn’t in running water or sunlight, he can use his action to polymorph into a Tiny bat, a Medium wolf, or a Medium cloud of mist, or back into his true form.

While in bat or wolf form, Count Strahd von Zarovich 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.

While in mist form, Count Strahd von Zarovich 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 he can’t pass through water. He has advantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws, and it is immune to all nonmagical damage, except the damage he takes from sunlight.

Shadow Escape. If Count Strahd von Zarovich drops to 0 Hit Points outside his resting place, he teleports into its resting place unless it is in running water or sunlight. Once inside his resting place, Count Strahd von Zarovich has the Paralyzed condition for 1 hour, after which he regains 1 Hit Point.

Legendary Resistance (4/Day). If Count Strahd von Zarovich fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.

Spellcasting. Count Strahd von Zarovich is a 12th-level spellcaster. Its spellcasting ability is Count Strahd von Zarovich (spell save DC 18, +10 to hit with spell attacks). Count Strahd von Zarovich has following Wizard spells prepared:

Cantrips (at will): Blood Bolt, Claws of Darkness, Chill Touch, Douse Light, Eye Burn, Hellfire, Poison Spray, Shadow Bite, Shadow Blindness, Vengful Blade.

1st level (4 slots): Arcane Aegis, Black Ribbons, Chameleon Skin, Cloak of Shadow, Consumption, Crimson Lash, Ghost Light, Gloaming, Hell's Lash, Ice Knife, Infect, Shadow Armour, Shadow Hands, Shroud Blood, Shield, Silvery Barbs, Vampiric Claws.

2nd level (3 slots): Arcane Lock, Biohazard, Blood Sacrifice, Blood Wisp, Blur, Chorus of the Lost, Conjure Ferryman, Dark Path, Darkness, Dazing Blast, Drafyn's Blunted Blade, Earthbind, Flaming Sphere, Harrowing Ballad, Hold Person, Invisibility, Krail's Rupture, Maddening Whispers, Mind Spike, Mirror Image, Misty Step, Negative Image, Sanguine Secrets, Sanguine Shield, Shadow Adaptation, Shadow Blade, Shadow Puppets, Slither, Theft of Vitae, Unraveling Whisper, Viel of the Reaper, Vortex Warp.

3rd level (3 slots): Bestow Curse, Bitter Wind, Call Shadow Mastiff, Counterspell, Crimson Harvest, Culling Sickle, Grim Shadows, Haste, Isolation, Magic Snare, Mirror Spell, Mist of Mourning, Mote of Hell, Orros Mark of Fate, Scarlet Dawn, Shadow Drain, Shadow Portal, Shadow Tendrils, Shadow Trove, Shadowy Eruption, Spirit Shroud, Suffocate, Summon Undead, Thunder Step, Vampiric Touch, Void Strike.
 
4th level (3 slots): Arcane Eye, Banishment, Black Hand, Buried Alive, Charm Monster, Consume Mind, Curse of Damned Aging, Curse of Foul Blight, Curse of Lost Sentiment, Dark Sacrament, Dimentsion Door, Drayfn's Curse of Incompetence, Evard's Black Tentacles, Greater Invisibility, Hallucinatory Terrain, Hide in One's Shadow, Intrusive Despair, Murder of Crows, Otiluke's Resilient Sphere, Puppet Master, Sacrificial Siphon, Shadow Step, Sickening Radiance, Siphon Time, Spirit of Death, Wall of Death.

5th level (2 slots): Cloudkill, Cone of Cold, Curse of Ill-Fated Fortune, Curse of Insatiable Greed, Danse Macabre, Dark Dementing, Far Step, Feast of Flesh, Greater Animate Dead, Incite Rot, Krail's Rot, Living Shadows, Modify Memory, Negative Energy Flood, Rary's Telepathic Bond, Scrying Seeming, Septic Shock, Shadow Gateway, Spirit Swarm.

6th level (1 slots): Black Well, Blood Tide, Circle of Death, Curse of conceited Obsession, Curse of Crushing Sensation, Curse of Uncontrollable Wrath, Doom of Stacked Stones, Ghastly Charge, Life Drain, Melting Curse, Mental Prison, Move Earth, Soul Cage, Vile Necrosis, Weave Numen.

(3 Uses) Wish. Thanks to his Luck Blade, Strahd von Zarovich can cast the Wish spell up to 3 times.

Spider Climb. Count Strahd von Zarovich can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.

Vampire Weaknesses. Count Strahd von Zarovich has the following flaws.

• Harmed by Running Water: He takes 15 acid damage if he ends his turn in running water.

• 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.

• Sunlight Hypersensitivity: While in sunlight, Strahd takes 25 radiant damage at the start of his turn, and he has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.

Multiattack. Count Strahd von Zarovich makes two attacks, only one of which can be a bite attack.

Unarmed Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 9 (1d8+5) bludgeoning damage, plus 14 (4d6) necrotic damage. If the target is a creature, Strahd can grapple it (escape DC 18) instead of dealing the bludgeoning damage.

Luck Blade. Melee Weapons Attack: +13 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 10 (1d8 + 5) one handed, or 14 (1d10 +5) Two handed, slashing damage.

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 Strahd, 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 Strahd 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 Strahd’s control.

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

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

Sanguine Drain. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 18, one creature Count Strahd von Zarovich can see within 30 feet that isn’t a Construct or an Undead. Failure: 14 (4d6) Necrotic damage. The target’s Hit Point maximum decreases by an amount equal to the damage taken, and Count Strahd von Zarovich regains Hit Points equal to that amount.

Shadow Stealth. While in Dim Light or Darkness, Count Strahd von Zarovich takes the Hide action.

Vampiric Charm (Recharge 5–6). Count Strahd von Zarovich casts Charm Person, requiring no spell components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 18), and the duration is 24 hours. The Charmed target is a willing recipient of the vampire’s Bite, the damage of which doesn’t end the spell. When the spell ends, the target is unaware it was Charmed by the vampire.

Count Strahd von Zarovich 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. Strahd regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.

Move. Count Strahd von Zarovich moves up to his speed without provoking opportunity attacks.

Unarmed Strike. Count Strahd von Zarovich makes one unarmed strike.

Bite (Costs 2 Actions). Count Strahd von Zarovich makes one bite attack.

Beguile. Count Strahd von Zarovich casts Command, requiring no spell components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 18). Strahd can’t take this action again until the start of his next turn.

Deathless Strike. Count Strahd von Zarovich moves up to half its Speed, and it makes one Luck Blade attack.