Preview the Swashbuckling Vampirates From Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

Spelljammer: Adventures in Space contains Boo's Astral Menagerie, a book full of wonderful monsters to encounter during your adventures in Wildspace. Within these pages lies the answer to an age-old question—what's better, vampires or pirates? And the answer is yes! Setting sail across the Astral Sea, vampirates are undead brigands that will terrorize your spelljamming players with vicious swordplay and life-draining abilities.

Monster Preview: Vampirates

A spelljamming ship being chased and bombarded with energy blasts

Vampirates aren't created in the same way as traditional vampires—as in, they weren't bitten by another vampire or cursed by some form of magic to acquire their undead existence. Instead, vampirates are the husks of astral pirates who faced death and rejected its eternal embrace.

But, this refusal to go quietly into the realm of the dead comes with a price: Vampirates must consume the lifeforce of other creatures to continue their unlife. Unlike their bitey landlubber kin, vampirates don't extract the life from a creature by draining its vital fluids—an act that vampirates look upon with distaste. Instead, vampirates can consume another creature's life energy using their Energy Drain ability. This trait can affect prey up to 30 feet away from the vampirates and restores some semblance of a healthier and robust appearance, though never truly restores life itself.

It's a Vampirate's Unlife for Me

Apart from their differing origins, the vampirate's Energy Drain is what truly sets them apart from their other vampiric kin. As an attack that can be used in melee or range, it's a deadly and useful tool to catch your players off guard.

The trickiest part about the vampirate's Energy Drain is creatures reduced to 0 hit points by the attack die instantly with no death saving throws. The poor soul then immediately rises as a shadow. Although the shadow is "free-willed," they are still under the Dungeon Master's control, making this a cruel end for a player character indeed.

But, say your players have avoided a future as spectral darkness and managed to slay a vampirate. Unfortunately, they're not out of the woods yet, for the snuffed swashbuckler has one last trick up their sleeve. When a vampirate is reduced to 0 hit points, their Explode trait triggers, reducing the vampirate to a cloud of toxic dust. This dust deals necrotic damage to any creature within 5 feet of the ex-vampirate on a failed Constitution saving throw.

Two vampirates glancing over a treasure map

The Vampirate Code

Vampirates offer a fun way to incorporate two different classic tropes into your game. With their unique abilities, your players will be left not knowing what to expect. 

Vampirates typically ply the Astral Sea on a spelljamming ship accompanied by a number of shadows drawn from the husks of their prey. The ship will be led by a vampirate captain—though how long the captain of a cunning crew of undead brigands can remain in power is uncertain. They might also have an undead companion, such as a will-o'-wisp or a crawling claw, possibly one of their own missing limbs, a peg leg, or a hook taking their place.

For as long as the captain is in charge, their temperament is reflected in their crew—from bloody raiders to parlaying rakes. Some crews will pillage every vessel they come across, leaving naught but flotsam and jetsam in their wake, while others will drain victims sparingly, often leaving survivors. It's important to decide what kind of captain leads a vampirate crew and what flag they sail under. Will your players face merciless undead or lost souls that seek to rise against their tyrant captain?

Of almost equal importance on any ship sailing the Astral Sea is the spelljammer, which is where the vampirate mage comes in. Rarely leaving the spelljamming helm, they pilot the ship through the Astral Sea, taking it in search of life energy to plunder and buckles to be swashed.

Setting Sail With Vampirates

You can stock an entire spelljamming ship with vampirates should you wish. Or, you can use them as the officers of the vessel, filling out the rest of the crew with remnants of their prey—shadows. This can create an eerie ghost ship feeling, especially if you don't reveal the vampirates initially and instead have the players wander the deck as spectral images floating about fulfilling their duties.

Once the vampirates make their presence known, don't be afraid to lean into their charismatic nature. Both vampires and pirates are known to be roguishly charming, and these undead are a double threat.

But once the niceties are over and the parlaying has ended, vampirates can bring a lot to the fight. Their Energy Drain ability can be devastating—even at higher levels because of the auto-death trigger—and you can use your players' assumptions against them. They may expect vampires to have to close the distance to start draining their life. But, as Energy Drain can be used as a melee or ranged spell attack, the vampirate's pearly white fangs serve mainly aesthetic purposes. To lean into this fake-out, you can open with a melee Energy Drain first to lure your players into thinking these are like regular vampires who need to get close to drain their prey. Then, when they least expect it, bust out the 30-foot ranged spell attack and upend their strategy!

Assuming your player's characters don't end up becoming permanent, intangible members of the crew, the vampirate's Explode trait will be a fun little surprise when the tides have begun to turn. The damage type for this trait is necrotic, which means it doesn't risk setting other vampirates off in a chain reaction, thanks to their damage immunities. Although, having a group of low hit point vampirates swarm a weak party member as a last-ditch effort to take them out would certainly be an explosive conclusion to the fight!

Where to Find Vampirates

Vampirates can be found in Boo's Astral Menagerie, one of the three books included in Spelljammer: Adventures in Space. You can preorder Spelljammer: Adventures in Space now to instantly unlock perks. Then, jump right into the books when it releases on August 16.

Space Hamsters and Other Curious Creatures You'll Find in Spelljammer
by Davyd Atkins
Get Digital Perks With Your Preorder of Spelljammer: Adventures in Space Today!
by D&D Beyond Staff
The Spelljammer's Guide to Wildspace in Dungeons & Dragons
by Mike Bernier

Davyd is a moderator for D&D Beyond. A Dungeon Master of over fifteen years, he enjoys Marvel movies, writing, and of course running D&D for his friends and family, including partner Steph and his daughter Willow (well, one day). They live with their two cats Asker and Khatleesi in the south of England.

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