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This race deals with making a vampire PC, and includes all the implications that come with it including: this race is hard to kill under most circumstances, you are undead and
Go
Search must drink blood for nourishment, and the race has a large number of weaknesses. This race also gives the PC access to a number of racial feats in an attempt to balance the
benefits a vampire provides to the PC. This page also circumvents the "Player Characters as Vampires" rule on page 297 of the Monster Manual.
Homebrew
5e Homebrew
Contents [hide]
4e Homebrew 1 Vampire
3.5e Homebrew 1.1 Physical Form
2.5e Homebrew
1.2 A Deal Or A Curse
Pathfinder Homebrew
1.3 Dark Desire
D20M Homebrew
1.4 Coffinlike Structure
System Ref. Documents 1.5 Vampire Weaknesses
5e SRD 1.6 Vampire Names
3.5e SRD
1.7 Vampire Spawn Traits
3.5e UA
1.8 Vampire Traits
3e SRD
Pathfinder SRD 1.9 Random Height and Weight
Modern SRD 2 Vampire Feats
2.1 Feat: Superior Body
Open Game Content
2.2 Feat: Shapechanger
All 3rd-Party OGC
2.3 Feat: Animating Bite
5e OGC
3.5e OGC
2.4 Feat: Children of the Night
Pathfinder OGC 2.5 Feat: Unnatural Charm
2.6 Enhanced Vampirism Table
Community
3 Vampiric Campaign Items
Tavern Chatroom 3.1 Cloak of the Underdark
Official Discord Server
3.2 Cloak of Hiding
Facebook
User Email 3.3 Ring of Muted Light
3.4 Vampire Sunglasses
Miscellaneous
3.5 Ring of Misty Shadows
Publications 3.6 Crypt Ring
Random Page
3.7 Ring of Dracula
Donations
4 References
Tools
What Links Here
Related Changes
Vampire
Special Pages
“Every time I die, this is the vision that greets my eyes. And every time I think, 'How lovely that sunlight which I forsook so many centuries ago...”
—Alucard
Printable Version
Permanent Link
Vampirism:
It is essential to recognize that vampirism isn't lycanthropy, that vampirism isn't a curse, disease or condition. When you fall
prey to a vampire, or when a vampire gets you... you die. That isn't to say you die and come back as a vampire spawn but you die. A
vampire, spawn or not, isn't a living creature. It's undeath and evil manifest. A creature of inversed good and paradox, a thing of white
and black mixed in unholy conjunction. It is dead, yet seeks life. It kills, but occasionally plants the seed for more of its kind to be... not
born but formed. When a vampire comes into being they don't behave like the people they were in life. They are inverted, the chaste
becoming temptresses, the kind becoming cruel, the once holy now finding glory in perversion. All their once positive qualities are
specifically inverted to form a more personalized evil.
One shouldn't consider vampirism to be an "effect" on a player. When a player character becomes one, they are dead. They are gone.
An evil with their appearance arises from their corpse - an evil with their memories not because it is them, but because it uses who the
person used to be as a guide to shape itself. Vampires are inhuman, merciless, and uncaring about their earlier life or only caring enough
to know how it can use its previous existence to create its preferred style of pain, death, and perversion.
While vampirism is an excellent opportunity to explore a different avenue for roleplay and experience something that even veteran
players seldom get to it try. It is important to keep in mind that few have the stomach for it and fewer the capability. As such, a Dungeon
Master should take special care when allowing such an unconventional avenue to become available for players and should endeavor to
start the player(s) off as a vampire spawn and consider the transformation into a true vampire as a another form of reward for a player
that seeks out true vampirism.
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.
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.
Dark Desire Table
This section provides a table for players and Dungeon Masters who want to choose or randomly generate dark desires and where they originated from for vampires. It is recommended that if you are picking a
desire for an already made character, that you pick traits that oppose or are the warped version of one of your character virtues.
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 spawn 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.
Inhuman, merciless, and uncaring about their earlier life. Vampires are undeath and evil manifest of inversed good and paradox.
Ability Score Increase. Your Strength, Dexterity 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.
Alignment. Young vampires may keep the lawful, neutral or chaotic alignment they had in life, however, older vampires always lean towards
lawfulness, usually following a code of their own design that they've developed over the centuries to ensure their survival. The vast majority of
vampires are lawful evil, and none but the greenies attempt to maintain their inner humanity and remain even a neutral, let along a good one.
Size. Vampires can range in height and weight like most humanoids would, though they are normally lighter then they appear to be while
looming over others. Your size is Medium.
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, at the midnight of the seventh day and every
midnight on days thereafter, you suffer one level of exhaustion, which can only be removed by drinking a ration of blood. After consuming one
ration of blood, you recover all levels of exhaustion caused by this trait. If you reach six levels of exhaustion due to this trait, you are
destroyed.
A ration of blood is a vial[1], roughly 4 ounces[2] 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[3] 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.
Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 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. You may use
your Strength or Dexterity modifier for your attack and damage rolls with your claws. If you hit with them, you deal 1d4 slashing damage
instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.
Spawn. You are a vampire spawn and as such your will is circumvented by that of your true vampire master. There is little you can do in the
way of resisting your master and can't take actions to harm them, however, you can pervert the intent of their commands by exploiting their
poor wording. The knowing perversion of such a command though will often lead to your destruction if their master believes it to be so. Any
attempt to go against you masters will or pervert their command requires you to make a DC17 Charisma saving throw at disadvantage.
Languages. 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.
Vampire Feats
Vampires have some impressive abilities and it is only the truly ancient and powerful vampires that can utilize them all. As a vampire you have access to the following list of feats and if you are using the optional
feats rule, you can forgo taking Ability Score Improvement feature to take a vampire feat of your choice instead.
Feat: Shapechanger
Vampires are known for their ability to shift from form to form. You gain the shapechanger tag and if you are not in sunlight or running water, you can use your action to polymorph into a Tiny bat[4] or a Medium
cloud of mist for 1 minute, or back into your true form.
Bat Form: While in bat form you can't speak, your walking speed is 5 feet, and you have a flying speed of 30 feet. Your statistics, other than your size and speed, are unchanged. Anything you are wearing
transforms with you, but nothing you are carrying does. You revert to your true form if you die.
Mist Form: While in mist form, you can't take any actions, speak, or manipulate objects. You are weightless and 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. You have advantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws, gain a
number of temporary hit points equal to twice your level, and are immune to all nonmagical damage, except the damage you take from sunlight.
Once you transform this way you cannot do so again until you complete a short or long rest.
Each time you or one of your 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 for 24 hours, until you are destroyed,
until you on a different plane of existence than the target, or if you take a bonus action to end the effect. You can only have one creature charmed this way at once and you can use this trait a number of times
equal to your Charisma modifier before you must complete a long rest before using it again.
Cloak of Hiding
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement)
This elegant garment is made of dark silks interwoven with faint amber threads. While wearing this cloak, you can pull its hood over your head, totally concealing your face. Attempts to look into your hood only
reveal darkness. In addition, while your hood is up, you are hidden from divination magic and you can't be targeted by such magic or perceived through magical scrying sensors.
Vampire Sunglasses
Wondrous item, rare
These crimson tinted sunglasses, allow those to look into the light with an issue. You are immune to the effects of sunlight. In addition, you have advantage on saving throws against being blinded and any effect
that relies on eye contact, such as a medusa's Petrifying Gaze or a umber hulk's Confusing Gaze.
If a vampire also has the Unnatural Charm feat, it cannot be used while these are worn.
Crypt Ring
Ring, very rare (requires attunement by a true vampire)
A ring with a small compartment in its silver head, containing a small part of your coffinlike structure such as a piece of stonework, a chunk of wood, or compressed dirt. While Ring of Misty Shadows
worn with a part of your coffinlike structure is placed here, this ring teleports you back to your coffinlike structure when you are reduced to 0 hit points unharmed. Once used this
ring cannot be used again until the next midnight.
Ring of Dracula
Ring, artifact (requires attunement by a true vampire)
This magnificent ring was said to have been worn by the famed Dracula himself and in the eons he wore it, it took on magical properties as it was warped by his powerful unnatural presence. The ring is covered in
a layer of gold, its black obsidian material becoming evident in the engravings that adorn it. At its crown, sits a crimson gem that radiates status and nobility. While wearing this ring you gain the following benefits:
You no longer possess any of the weakness a vampires has and are immune to the effects of sunlight.
If your coffinlike structure is further then 2 hours away but on the same plane of existence you reach it within two hours and regain all lost hit points once you've rested there for an hour.
You can go for a month without needing to consume blood.
Random Properties.
The Ring of Dracula has the following random properties:
Enhanced Fangs. Your Bite now reduces the hit point maximum of the creature by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken, and you regain 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 your
control.
Enhanced Talons. Your Claws now deal 1d8 slashing damage and on a successful attack, you can grapple the creature as a bonus action.
Vampiric Resistance. You are resistant to non-magical bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage.
Unnatural Regeneration. You gain 10 temporary hit points at the start of your turn if you have at least 1 hit point.
Enhanced Vampirism. All vampires feats you possess are enhanced, as seen in the Enhanced Vampirism Table.
Legendary Actions
You 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. You regain spent legendary actions at the
start of your turn.
Once attuned to the Ring of Dracula you cannot unattune to it and the only way to remove it from your person is to destroy you.
Destroying the Ring of Dracula
The Ring of Dracula is indestructible like most artifacts, however, it can be destroyed by being swallowed by a good-aligned solar or some of the other more powerful good entities of the upper planes.
References
1. ↑ Players Handbook p.151
2. ↑ Players Handbook p.154
3. ↑ Players Handbook p.151/154
4. ↑ Monster Manual p.318
5. ↑ Monster Manual p.337
6. ↑ Monster Manual p.339
7. ↑ Monster Manual p.341
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