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There are vampires in pop culture, like Bram Stoker’s and Castlevania’s Dracula. The vampires ofDungeons & Dragonstake inspiration from them. Vampirism is classified as a curse on the carefully-created Wizards of the Coast world. It is a tricky curse, where your character trades their humanity for immense—yet costly—power. When you have a vampire for an enemy, it can also be hard or easy, depending on whether you’ve played a few campaigns.
This guide will look into the lore of the vampire in D&D, as well as the mechanics and what it means for your character if they become a vampire.
How Vampirism Works
To become a vampire, your character has to die when they get bitten. If you’replaying a D&D campaign based onFifth Edition rules, you will encounter them. The bite itself isn’t what makes the character a vampire; it’s their death and rebirth into undeath that does it.
Effects
Bite(Bat/Vampire form)
Melee Weapon Attack(+9 to hit, five ft. reach)Willing creature or a creature grappled by the vampire, incapacitated, or restrained.
Max hit point isreduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken. If the target dies due to the effect, they mustbe buried in the groundto rise as a Vampire Spawn.
Under special conditions, a Vampire Spawn whose creator gives it its blood becomes a full-fledged vampire.
Basic Vampire Abilities & Weaknesses
You should note thatthere are some drawbacks to becoming a vampire. Vampire enemies are powerful, but limited in their abilities. Here are some basic skills they possess:
Definition
Multiattack(Vampire Form)
Vampires aregranted two attacks. Bite attacks can be done only once per day.
Unarmed Strike(Vampire Form)
Treated as amelee attack (+9 to hit, five ft. reach). Targetstake 8 (1d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage.Grapple (escape DC18)can also be done in place of damage.
Bite(Bat or Vampire Form)
Melee attack (+9 to hit, five ft. reach). The target must be willing, grappled, incapacitated, or restrained. Hit points are reduced equal to the necrotic damage taken. Upon death, if buried, the target becomes a Vampire Spawn under the control of their respective Master Vampire.
Charm
The vampire can control one humanoid within 30 ft. of it, as long as they can see. ADC17 Wisdom check can save the targetfrom being charmed.A charmed target considers the vampire friendly(protects and follows orders). The target can also bemarked for a Bite attackthis way. If the vampire’s companionsdo anything harmful to the target, they get another chance for a saving throw.The effect ends on a successful roll. A bonus action can also end it. The charmed status persists for 24 hours or until the vampire dies or is on a different plane of existence.
Children of the Night(Once per day)
The vampire can magicallycall 2d4 swarms of bats or ratsduring sundown. It can also call3d6 wolves while outdoors. It takes1d4 rounds for the creatures to arrive, immediately acting as allies of the vampire. These beasts areavailable for one houruntil the vampire dies. The vampire can also dismiss them through a bonus action.
Effect
By Invitation Only
If someone living inside a residence doesn’t invite you in, you cannot enter.
Running Water
Vampires take acid damage if they end their turn in water.
Stakes to the heart are deathly lethal to vampire players.
Sunlight
Aside from disorientation, you can die from being burned alive by the sun.
Roleplaying A Vampire
Roleplaying as a vampire is a unique experience. Dungeon Masters cancraft rich storylines with characters who arehaving a hard time balancing their urges. The character’s lingering humanity can strike a contrast with their new-found, rapidly-developing predatory instincts.
What Is A Dhampir?
If you take on the idea of movie and game dhampirs such as Blade and Alucard,they are half-human, half-vampire. In D&D, these charactersstill haveall the vampire’s strengths and slight weaknesses. You still retain many of your starting skills with the addition of vampiric powers like increased speed, darkvision, and so on.
The difference lies in what you feed on.Dhampirs have a greater selection of food choicesthat can affect their roleplay. Here are some choices and how they might affect the game:
Gameplay Ideas
Blood
The staple of a vampire. The gameplay is that the dhampir lives on blood partially. It makes for better challenges and unique events in gameplay.
Flesh/Raw Meat
Blood can be present in the flesh or raw meat. While taming a target can be challenging, struggling prey is more dangerous.
Brain/Spinal Fluid
This can also present interesting mutations or storytelling elements for the dhampir. They could develop new appendages or transformations for feeding on these specifically, or they could develop new skills aimed towards helping them corner their prey.
Psychic Energy
One way an energy vampire could feed. They could target powerful psychic beings, giving the entire party a run for their money, not to mention rewards.
Dreams
This is another interesting way to have your character feed on an incapacitated or struggling target. Having the target take 1d4 psychic damage while you are feeding is one way to go about it.
Life Force
Another way an energy vampire can feed. A creative DM could also turn this into a way that a dhampir can have followers or prey they could feed on again and again. Targets could also take 1d4 necrotic damage upon touch or attack.
The following arechallenges or rewardsthat the dhampir can run into:
A Cure For A Curse
The curse of vampirism in D&D can be cured. Like movie vampirism, however, it usually involves a lot of daring. Here are some creative ways a DM may offer a cure for your character’s curse:
The Final Word On Vampirism
Some may argue that there are characters like Blade who are anti-heroic vampires. In D&D, however,vampires were created to be villains. Their alignment of lawful evil is proof of this. In the right setting, they canbecome crucial partners to complete quests. They can also become the Achilles’ heel of many players, especially low-level adventurers.
There are other ways to play neutral or ‘good’ vampires, butit all depends on how the DM sees the entire campaignplay out for everyone involved.
