Homebrew Vampire Species Details

Context

(This race comes from the D&D Wiki Homebrew Page and is not mine. To find the original homebrew race which includes the vampire spawn sub-race details, vampire feats, and vampire items, please go to the Wiki and look up the Vampire race. Unfortunately I can't put a direct link, but that should get you there. The Wiki should specify that it is Vampire (5e Race).)

Physical Form

Tall, pale and gaunt humanoids, their otherworldly presence and stillness make a vampire stand out among the warm bodied living. With sharp dark facial features, red eyes that seem to glow in the absence of light and cold bodies that cast no reflection, vampires are as solitary as they come.

Vampires are pale due to their undead nature and avoidance of the sun. While their stillness comes from the fact that they no longer need to draw breath, making every action and inaction a conscious decision on their part. When forced into a corner, their sharp retractable fangs and claws become a declaration of warning to all creatures that bleed as any eloquence in their humanoid guise disappears, replaced with a primal bloodlust as they cut down the living like a plague.

A Deal Or A Curse

Undead are not born, and vampires are no exception to this. When a creature dies and rises as a vampire or vampire their race becomes this one, losing their previous traits, ability score increases, etc. Only retaining parts of their physical appearance as their personality is warped into a mockery of their former self. Vampires are usually the result of a dark pact and while the mortal may not make the deal with the goal of becoming a vampire in mind the dark powers they've negotiated with cares little and only seeks to sow as much evil and strife within the world as a result of such a deal. Powerful beings of evil such as malevolent gods are also capable of afflicting a mortal with vampirism.

It is a common misconception that being bitten by a vampire can turn you into one. When in practice it only, kills you, warping your body and mind into a creature of evil, a vampire spawn and as such a slave to the true vampire that killed you. It is only by drinking the blood of the vampire that turned you can a vampire spawn then become a vampires. Though, few vampires are willing to relinquish their control in this manner.

Dark Desire

Whether or not a vampire retains any memories from its former life, its emotional attachments wither as once-pure feelings become twisted by undeath. Love turns into a hungry obsession, while friendship becomes bitter jealousy. In place of emotion, vampires pursue physical symbols of what they crave, so that a vampire seeking love might fixate on a young beauty. A child might become an object of fascination for a vampire obsessed with youth and potential. Others surround themselves with art, books, or sinister items such as torture devices or trophies from creatures they have killed.

Coffinlike Structure

All vampires are bound to a coffinlike structure, normally some form of large container that usually takes the form of a sarcophagus, casket, or coffin. It is here that a vampires rests and reforms when they're defeated. They are usually hidden away in areas that are difficult to access by non-vampires and are heavily protected by minions, traps, and thralls. A coffinlike structure is made from the wood of your original coffin, or the stone of your original tombstone in some cases. The structure is large enough to encase your body in and must have an opening to allow mist to enter and exit. If a vampires didn't receive a formal burial, it must lie beneath a foot of earth at the place of its transition to undeath. A vampires can move its place of burial by transporting its coffinlike structure or a significant amount of grave dirt to another location. Some vampires set up multiple resting places this way.

With your Dungeon Master's discretion, the area in which your coffinlike structure rests for 2d6 days can be considered your lair, manifesting the following regional effects as it is warped by your unnatural presence:

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.

If you are destroyed, or you move your coffinlike structure to elsewhere these effects end after 2d6 days.

Vampire Weaknesses

Although vampires can be incredibly strong, their curse still comes with several notable drawbacks. Regardless of if you are a vampire spawns or a true vampire, you are affected by the following weakness unless specified otherwise:

Forbiddance: You can't enter a residence without an invitation from one of the occupants.
Running Water: Your flesh is torn apart in the presence of water, you take 20 acid damage when you end your turn in running water. This damage may not be reduced in any way.
Stake to the Heart: If a piercing weapon made of wood is driven into your heart while incapacitated in your coffinlike structure, you become paralyzed until the stake is removed if you are a true vampire. However, if you are a vampire spawn, you are instead destroyed.
Sunlight Hypersensitivity: You sear and burn in the light of the sun, your flesh immolating. If you end your turn in direct sunlight, you take 20 radiant damage. You also have disadvantage on any attack rolls and ability checks when in direct sunlight.

Vampire Names

Vampires usually retain the names of their mortal lives and as such will have a name based on the race or culture they originated from. Some change their name when they ascend to true vampires and it is accepted that long-lived true vampires who obtain grand estates take on titles of nobility such as Count, Countess, Duke, or Duchess.

Notable Vampires: Count Dracula, Strahd von Zarovich, Alucard, Count von Count.

Vampire Traits

Whether you drank the blood of a true vampire as a vampire spawn or made a pact with a dark power, you have become a true vampire, gaining the following traits in addition to your vampire spawn traits, with the exception of your Spawn trait.

Undead

Your creature type is considered to be both humanoid and undead.

Ability Score Increases

Your Strength, Dexterity, Charisma and Constitution scores each increase by 1.

Age

Vampires are immortal and can be any age. Vampires retain the physical appearance of the age at which they were turned at during their mortal life. They also retain the psychological development associated with that age, therefore vampires who did not reach adulthood in their mortal life may still have the impulses of an adolescent in their vampiric life.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Unholy Body

Dark magic sustains you, making you resistant to necrotic damage. Healing potions do not have a healing effect on you. Instead, they deal poison damage equal to the amount that was meant to heal. To heal you must either drink blood, spend hit dice, or finish a long rest.

Blood Drinker

Even though you are undead, you still require sustenance in the form of blood to sustain your unholy existence. You are immune to diseases. You do not need to eat or breathe, but you can ingest food and drink if you wish, though this food is always bland and stale to you. If you go for longer then seven days without drinking at least one ration of blood, you suffer one level of exhaustion on the midnight of that day, which can only be removed by drinking a ration of blood. After consuming one ration of blood, you recover all levels of exhaustion. If you reach six levels of exhaustion due to this trait, you are paralyzed.

A ration of blood is a vial, roughly 4 ounces and while that is just enough to sustain you each week, you still feel the urge to drink and may still appear twitchy or ravenous in the heat of battle or when treating a wounded ally. A pint, such as that contained within a flask is considered a healthy amount, enough to keep you sustained while also suppressing your less civilized behavior. Each ration of blood heals you for 1d4+1 hit points while a pint will heal you for 2d4+2 hit points.

Superior Darkvision

You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Bite

All vampires have sharpened teeth capable of tearing flesh from bone and draining blood from the body. If a willing, paralyzed, charmed incapacitated, restrained, or grappled, creature within 5 feet of you has blood, you may use your bonus action to Bite them dealing 1d6 piercing damage and draining their blood dealing additional necrotic damage equal to your Constitution modifier. Drinking blood this way is equal to consuming a ration as per your Blood Drinker trait. When you use your Bite, you can choose to not deal damage.

Claws

As a vampire you have a set of claws, your claws are natural weapons, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal slashing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength or Dexterity modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Language

You can speak, read, and write Common, as well as one other language of your choice, that you knew in life.

Blood Connoisseur

As per your Blood Drinker trait, if you reach six levels of exhaustion due to this trait, instead of suffering death, no longer gain any more levels of exhaustion and become indefinitely paralyzed. The only way to remove this paralyze is to be exposed to a rations worth of blood.

True Vampire

You gain a coffinlike structure. In addition, you can now take vampire feats and you gain one of these feats of your choice.

Vampire Fangs & Talons

Your teeth might as well have been that of a child's before. The damage for your Bite increases by 1d6 when you reach 5th level (2d6), 11th level (3d6), and 17th level (4d6). In addition, your claws lengthen and the damage for your Claws trait increases to 1d6.

Misty Escape

When you drop to 0 hit points outside of your coffinlike structure, you transform into a cloud of mist instead of falling unconscious, provided you are not in an area of sunlight or running water. If you can't transform, you are destroyed.

While in mist form, you can't take any actions, speak, or manipulate objects. You are weightless, have 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 mist can do so without squeezing, and it can't pass through water. It has advantage on Strength, Dexterity and Constitution saving throws, and is immune to all nonmagical damage, except the damage it takes from sunlight.

While you have 0 hit points in mist form, you can't revert to your vampire form. If you do not reach your coffinlike structure within 2 hours, you are destroyed. Once in you coffinlike structure, you revert to your vampire form. You are then paralyzed until you regain at least 1 hit point. After spending 1 hour in your coffinlike structure with 0 hit points, you regain 1 hit point.