Vampire Ascendant

Resting Place. When the vampire drops to 0 Hit Points and is not in sunlight, running water, or its resting place, the vampire teleports to its resting place. While in its resting place, the vampire is stable. After spending 1 hour in their resting place with 0 Hit Points, it regains 1 Hit Point.

Spear Sacrifice (3/Day, or 4/Day in Lair). The vampire ascendant is surrounded by three floating spears of shimmering darkness, which it can summon to a free hand on its turn (no action required). When the vampire fails an ability check or saving throw, it can choose to destroy one of these spears and succeed on the ability check or saving throw instead. Once the vampire destroys all three spears, it can’t use its Spear of the Damned attack or Spear Sacrifice until the next dusk, when it manifests any destroyed spears.

Turn Immunity. The vampire is immune to any effect that turns undead.

Multiattack. The vampire makes two Bite attacks and, if possible, as many Spear of the Damned attacks as the number of uses of Spear Sacrifices it has remaining.

Bite. Melee Attack Roll: +12, reach 5 ft. Hit: 13 (2d6 + 6) Slashing damage plus 14 (4d6) Necrotic damage. The target’s Hit Point Maximum is reduced by a number equal to the Necrotic damage taken, and the vampire regains Hit Points equal to that number. The reduction lasts until reversed by Greater Restoration, or another powerful magical effect. The target dies if this attack reduces its Hit Point Maximum to 0. A Humanoid slain in this way rises the following midnight as a vampire spawn under the vampire’s control.

Spear of the Damned. Ranged Attack Roll: +12, range 60 ft. Hit: 10 (3d6) Force damage, and if the target is a creature, it is knocked Prone and Restrained as a spear of darkness impales it. A creature can attempt to free itself or another creature within its reach by using an action or a Bonus Action to make a DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check. On a success, the creature is freed and the Restrained condition ends for it. The creature is also freed if the vampire summons that spear to attack another target or destroys it using Spear Sacrifice.

Shapechanger. The vampire [Tooltip Not Found] into a Tiny bat, or back into its true form.

While in bat form, the vampire can’t speak, its Walking Speed is 5 feet, and it has a Flying Speed of 30 feet. Its statistics, other than its size and speed, are unchanged. Anything it is wearing transforms with it, but nothing it is carrying does. It reverts to its true form if it dies.

Spellcasting. The vampire can cast the following spells, using Charisma as its spellcasting ability (spell save DC 18):

At Will: Charm Person, Detect Thoughts, Disguise Self, Sending

1/Day Each: Clairvoyance, Geas (level 9 version), Legend Lore

Beguile. Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 20, one creature the vampire can see within 30 feet of it and who can see the vampire. Failure: The target uses its Reaction, if available, to move up to its Speed to a location chosen by the vampire, then either makes a melee attack against a target of the vampire’s choice or falls Prone (vampire’s choice).

Creatures who can’t be Charmed automatically succeed on this saving throw, and creatures who have Advantage on saving throws against being Charmed make this saving throw with Advantage.

Inhuman Agility. The vampire moves up to its Speed without provoking Opportunity Attacks.

Withering Stare. Trigger: The vampire is hit by an attack from a creature it can see within 60 feet of it. Response -- Wisdom Saving Throw: DC 20. Failure: 10 (3d6) Necrotic damage.

The vampire ascendant has three Villain Actions. It can take each action once during an encounter after an enemy’s turn. It can take these actions in any order but can use only one per round.

Bloodstained. The vampire ascendant causes blood to explode in a 20-foot-radius Sphere centered on a point it can see within 120 feet of it. Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 20, each non-Undead creature in that area. Failure: The target is bloodstained until the end of the vampire’s next turn. The vampire ascendant has Advantage on attack rolls against bloodstained creatures, and bloodstained creatures have Disadvantage on saving throws against the vampire’s Beguile Bonus Action.

Fire Drake. The vampire ascendant, along with anything it is wearing or carrying, turns into a Large dragon made of fire. When it does, it releases any creature it was [Tooltip Not Found], and if the vampire was [Tooltip Not Found] or Restrained, that effect ends for it. It then flies up to twice its Speed to an unoccupied space. During this move, the vampire ignores Difficult Terrain, doesn’t provoke Opportunity Attacks, and can move through creatures and objects. Dexterity Saving Throw: DC 20, each creature the vampire passes through. Failure: 36 (8d8) Fire damage. Success: Half damage. Failure or Success: At the end of this movement, the vampire transforms back into its previous form.

Mist of Blades. The vampire fills the area within 60 feet of it with thick swirling mists, Heavily Obscuring that area for other creatures. It can teleport up to four times into any unoccupied space in the mist and make one Bite attack after each teleport. The mist dissipates at the end of this action.