The Curse Of Vampirism

"The world seems full of good men, even if there are monsters in it." — Bram Stoker, Dracula

On Racial Templates

This is a racial template meant to be applied to an existing playable race at your Dungeon Master's discretion.

Racial Features

As a vampire, you gain the following additional racial features:

Undead

Raised from the dead as a being of undeath, you count as an undead creature for all spells and abilities that affect undead. You no longer age. Instead of sleeping, to gain the benefits of a long rest, you can spend all 8 hours doing light activity. You do not need to eat or breathe, but you can ingest food and drink if you wish. Instead of food and drink, your new form requires blood to sustain itself. For every ten days you go without drinking blood, you suffer one level of exhaustion.

Bite

Your set of fangs is a natural weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you deal piercing damage equal to ld4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike. In addition, you may choose to spend up to one-fourth of your hit dice (minimum of one) to deal extra necrotic damage to the target by drinking their blood. Roll the number of your hit dice you chose for damage. You then recover hit points equal to the necrotic damage dealt. Once you spend hit dice with this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a short or long rest.

Claws

Your set of claws is a natural weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you deal slashing damage equal to ld6 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Unnatural Sight

Your vampirism grants you superior vision in dark and dim conditions. 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. If you already have darkvision from your race, it's range increases by 30 ft.

Fledgling Regeneration

While not in direct sunlight, you recover an additional 1d6 hit points for every hit dice you spend during a short rest.

Spider Climb

You can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceiling, without needing to make an ability check.

Stake To The Heart

If a piercing weapon made of wood is driven into your heart, you are paralyzed until the stake is removed.

Forbiddance

You can't enter a residence without an invitation from one of the occupants.

Harmed By Running Water

You take 20 acid damage if you end your turn in running water.

Sunlight Sensitivity

While in direct sunlight, you have disadvantage on attack rolls, as well as on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight.

Blueblood

Your bloodline is stems from the cream of society. Decadent nobles, wealthy merchants, and even royalty hail from this strain of vampirism.

• You gain proficiency with the Persuasion skill, if you already had proficiency in the Persuasion skill, then you gain expertise in Persuasion instead.

• Charmed creatures are a willing target for Bite feature. As an action, you may use your Bite feature on a Charmed creature without making an attack roll.

Feralblood

Your bloodline stems from the primordial vampires of old. The horrid creatures of night that shared more in common with beasts than man.

• You gain proficiency with the Survival skill, if you already had proficiency in the Survival skill, then you gain expertise in Survival instead.

• Your natural weapons are even more deadly. The piercing damage from your Bite feature increases to 1d8, and the slashing damage from your Claws feature increases to 2d6. In addition, your attacks with your natural weapons count as magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Demonblood

Your bloodline stems from Orcus' curse of undeath upon the denizens of the Material Plane. Mages, cultists, and priests often belong to this strain of vampirism.

• You gain proficiency with the Arcana skill, if you already had proficiency in the Arcana skill, then you gain expertise in Arcana instead.

• You know the Chill Touch cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the Ray of Sickness spell as a 2nd-level spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the Invisibility spell once with this trait and regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Your spellcasting ability for these spells is Intelligence or Charisma, whichever is higher.

Masqueblood

Your bloodline stems from the mysterious Daywalkers who live amongst the lowly kine. This curious strain of vampirism is believed to have descended from the joining of vampires and doppelgangers though no one is certain of its true origins.

• You gain proficiency with the Deception skill, if you already had proficiency in the Deception skill, then you gain expertise in Deception instead.

• As an action, you can transform your appearance or revert to your natural form. You can’t duplicate the appearance of a creature you’ve never seen, and you revert to your natural form if you die. You decide what you look like, including your height, weight, facial features, the sound of your voice, coloration, hair length, sex, and any other distinguishing characteristics. You can make yourself appear as a member of another race, though none of your game statistics change. You also can’t appear as a creature of a different size than you, and your basic shape stays the same; if you’re bipedal, you can’t use this trait to become quadrupedal, for instance. Your clothing and other equipment don’t change in appearance, size, or shape to match your new form, requiring you to keep a few extra outfits on hand to make the most compelling disguise possible. Even to the most astute observers, your ruse is usually indiscernible. If you rouse suspicion, or if a wary creature suspects something is amiss, you have advantage on any Charisma (Deception) check you make to avoid detection.

Heightened Regeneration

Through embracing your dark gift your regenerative powers have grown. Your Fledging Regeneration feature now restores 2d6 hit points for every hit dice spent during a short rest.

Shapechanger

If you aren't in sunlight or running water, you can use your action to polymorph into a Tiny bat or a Medium cloud of mist, or back into your true form. While in bat form, you can't speak, your walking speed is 5 ft., and you have a flying speed of 30 ft. 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. 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 you can't pass through water. You has advantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution Saving Throws, and you are immune to all non-magical damage, except the damage it takes from sunlight if applicable.

Charm

As an action, you can target one humanoid you can see within 30 ft. If the target can see you, the target must succeed a Wisdom saving throw against your Spell Save DC or be Charmed by you. If you are not a spellcaster, your Spell Save DC is 8 + your Charisma modifier + Proficiency. The Charmed target regards you as a trusted friend to be heeded and protected. Although the target isn't under your control, it takes your requests or actions in the most favorable way it can, and it is a willing target for your Bite attack. Each time you or 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 8 hours or until you are destroyed, are on a different plane of existence than the target, or take a bonus action to end the effect. Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.

Children Of The Night

The vampire magically calls 2d4 swarms of bats or rats, provided that the sun isn't up. While outdoors, the vampire can call 3d6 wolves instead. The called creatures arrive in 1d4 rounds, acting as allies of the vampire and obeying its spoken commands. The Beasts remain for 1 hour, until the vampire dies, or until the vampire dismisses them as a Bonus Action. Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.

Sunlight Hypersensitivity

You take 20 radiant damage when you start your turn in sunlight. While in sunlight, you has disadvantage on attack rolls and Ability Checks. (Incompatible with Daywalker)

Lifeblood

You can only recover lost hit points by a short or long Rest, from your Fledging Regeneration feature, or by spending hit dice via your Bite attack feature. All other forms of healing have no effect on you.

Disfigurement

Your vampirism has left you horribly disfigured alerting any that gaze upon you to your true nature. Anyone that sees your face will immediately know of your vampirism. In addition, you have disadvantage on Deception checks made to conceal your true nature.

By Light, Fire, And Decay

You are vulnerable to acid, fire, and radiant damage.

Insatiable Thirst

Your desire for blood is all-consuming even affecting your physical form. For every day you go without blood, you suffer one level of exhaustion.

Final Death

You are a creature of the damned and to damnation you will go. When you succumb to death, you are reduced to a pile of fine gray dust. You can be restored to life only be means of a True Resurrection or Wish spell.

Mockery Of Life

Your vampirism has left your undead body in rot and decay. With each level of exhaustion, your hit point maximum is reduced by 10 until the exhaustion is cured. Your body is visibly rotting during this time and grows more gruesome with each level of exhaustion.

Uncommon Taste

Your perverse thirst has left you with a distaste for the blood of lesser creatures. You can only stand to drink blood from humanoids. Any attempt to drink blood from a non-humanoid creature gives you one level of exhaustion.