Vampires

Vampires are powerful undead schemers who still retain their mortal conscience. No one is born a vampire, it is a condition that spreads when a vampire bites a mortal, which they must do for sustenance. Only a powerful mortal can survive this transformation without losing their mind and becoming a mindless vampire spawn.

Those that do survive end up significantly more powerful than they were before they were turned. They become functionally immortal, as long as they feed regularly on mortal blood. A vampire who does not drink blood slowly loses their mind, eventually losing their mind to madness and becoming feral. It takes several years for a vampire to fully become feral, but once they do the process is irreversible. Feral vampires are driven only by an insatiable thirst for blood. True vampires have been known to hunt and kill feral vampires in order to keep their own existence a secret.

As vampires live longer, the magnitude of their so-called Dark Gift increases, but so does the impact of their weaknesses. Vampirism enhances the victim's base desires, and gives them the means to pursue them. This, combined with their intellect and ability to infiltrate mortal society, makes vampires very dangerous. Since vampires have aeons of time to plot and plan, they often end up near the higher strata of society, perhaps earning a noble title or even becoming royalty.

Vampires sometimes bound together into clans, not related by blood in the ordinary sense, but rather all having gained their bloody powers from the leader of that clan. Clans are bound to each other in a complicated web of frail alliances, ancient bonds, and uneasy truces. Sometimes these clans come into conflict with each other over territory, control of a magical artifact, or a simple insult. These fights can span decades or even centuries and involve the death of many civilians who find themselves in the crossfire.

As the Gift takes hold of a vampire, their skin becomes ashen, their eyes turn red, and their incisors grow longer. Most vampires are neutral evil, uncaring about harm coming to others if it furthers their own devices. Some have a more chaotic bend and revel in the hunt, stalking their unknowing victims from the rooftops before sinking their teeth into their prey.

Powers

Vampires are bound to a location, and can only be truly killed in that place. This lair is usually very well protected with magical devices, minions, traps, and other impediments. A vampire is at its most powerful in this place, making slaying them a task of extraordinary difficulty. Castles, manors, and walled abbeys all make for an excellent location to make a lair.

If a vampire is defeated outside its lair, its essence returns to that place and reforms in a matter of hours. Only by being killed in its lair and pierced with a stake through its unbeating heart can the vampire truly be killed.

The Gift also enhances the vampire's magical ability, especially in the schools of illusion, enchantment, and necromancy. Many vampires are able to walk freely throughout society, concealed by their glamours (at least at night).

• Shapechanging
• Undying
• Spider climb

Weaknesses

The most obvious and debilitating weakness that vampirism confers is a hypersensitivity to sunlight. A recently turned vampire might simply look a bit pale and prefer the indoors, while a vampire who was turned centuries ago has crimson eyes and stark white skin that blisters as soon as they are in direct sunlight.

Since the vampire is bound to its lair, they only have a limited ability to project power beyond that location without increasing the risks they face to their own existence. If a vampire is brought far enough away from its lair, by guile or might, its soul does not have time to return before its tenuous grasp on this world fades.

An interesting weakness that is not as obvious as the purely physical ones is their inability to enter a dwelling without an invitation. You are always safe from vampires while staying in your home. This does not mean you are safe from their non-vampire minions, nor their magic.

• Running water
• Garlic
• Holy Symbols
• Forbiddance

Origins of vampirism

Vampires do not trace their ancestry from their parents, but from the vampire that bit them. Some vampire societies keep records of these lineages going back for thousands of years.

All vampire bloodlines eventually converge to Umbriel, a dark celestial in the service of the Teccan goddess Dessia. In a vile ceremony during the early days of the Empire, Umbriel descended to Midgard and conferred her Dark Gift on one of her worshippers, who became the first mortal vampire.

While the Empire lasted, the followers of Helianna, the goddess of the Sun, mercilessly hunted the vampires, but were unable to extinguish their line completely.

Now, the Pilgrim Knights, in the service of Freya, hunt for vampires, who are abominations who makes a mockery of the divine gift of civilization. The Pilgrims' greatest weapon in this pursuit is the greatspear Dawnrender.

Famous vampires

Many vampires have put their mark on history. Others are still plotting from the shadows, waiting until the pieces are in place before making their play.

King Sangon and Queen Asariel

King Sangon ruled over the Kingdom of Corcaster together with his wife Asariel. They were both powerful necromancers, believing they were destined to become demigods. They eventually created or found the Iron Crown of Corcaster. Some say the crown once sat on the head of Umbriel herself, but regardless, the relic heightened King Sangon's vampiric powers greatly. Other vampires flocked to their cause, and they raised an undead host in secret.

When they deemed the time was right, King Sangon and his wife Asariel rose up against the Empire, defeating the Legion that stationed there in a great ambush that bolstered their undead forces. Afterwards, the Corcaster lands were put under siege by five legions for eight years, until King Sangon's forces tried to force the issue in open battle, but they were defeated at the Battle of the Midnight Sun, where Empire mages cast a powerful spell that conjured a second sun in the night sky.

What happened to the Iron Crown after the battle is unknown. Some say it turned to dust when King Sangon was killed, others suggest that it was covertly moved to a hidden vault far below Tec itself. Regardless, it is one of the most highly sought after artifacts among vampirekind.

• Count Strahd von Zarovich
• Telanir Wenadin

Player Vampirism

Player characters can become vampires, either through being bitten by one in anger, or by voluntary submission. To become a vampire is a terrible ordeal, but its rewards are worth it to some.

If you have been infected with vampirism after being bitten by a true vampire, you still have a chance. Any effect that cures diseases will end the effect for the first 30 days after infection. Once a month has passed, the infection takes hold and you must pass through the Blood Rites during your next long rest.

Blood Rites

When the Blood Rites starts, you must make DC 15 Constitution saving throws until you have 3 successes. Depending on the number of failures you incurred, there are different outcomes:

• 0 failures: Your race changes to Dhampir, and you gain one Vampire Power of your choice.
• 1 failure: Your race changes to Dhampir.
• 2 failures: Your race changes to Dhampir, but you incur three levels of exhaustion.
• 3 failures: Your race changes to Dhampir, but you incur five levels of exhaustion and you permanently lose three of your hit dice.
• 4+ failures: You do not survive the ordeals of the Blood Rites. You lose your mind and become a Vampire Spawn under the control of the DM.

Once you have become a vampire, only the True Resurrection or Wish spells can undo this transformation.

Vampire Powers

As your Dark Gift deepens, so does your hold on the mortal world loosens. Depending on the number of Vampire Power feats you have, you also incur cumulative weaknesses.

Number of Vampire Powers	Weakness
1	Sunlight Sensitivity: When in direct sunlight, you have disadvantage on attack rolls and Perception checks that rely on sight.
2	Ashen Skin: You become vulnerable to radiant damage.
3	Forbiddance: You cannot willingly enter a residence without a direct invitation from the inhabitants.
4	Sunlight Hypersensitivity: If you are in direct sunlight at the start of your turn, you take 10 radiant damage.

Eyes of Night

Your eyes become as red as the blood you crave. You gain the following benefits:

• Your darkvision now pierces magical darkness
• You gain resistance to necrotic damage
• You gain one saving throw proficiency of your choice

Misty Escape

Your wretched existence is tethered to this plane. When you fall to 0 hit points, you instead recover hit points equal to your level, and you become invisible for 1 minute. This invisibility ends early if you make an attack roll or force a creature to make a saving throw. This effect can only happen once per long rest. If you have the Shapechanger feat, you can also turn into your bat form when this happens.

Additionally, if you were not staked through the heart after dying, spells that resurrect you do not require any material components.

Bloodmage

Requirement: Spellcasting or Pact Magic feature

The following spells count as prepared for you, up to your highest level of spell slot.

• 1st: Disguise Self, Charm Person
• 2nd: Invisbility, Suggestion
• 3rd: Animate Dead, Fear
• 4th: Greater Invisibility, Blight
• 5th: Dominate Person, Danse Macabre

Your spellcasting ability for these spells is the same as for your other Spellcasting feature.

Sharpened Fangs

Requirement: 5th level

The damage die of your fangs increase to a d8, and you can attack twice with them when you take the Attack action. Additionally, the number of times you can empower your bite now equals twice your proficiency bonus.

Shapechanger

Requirement: 8th level

You can turn into a bat at will as a bonus action while you are not in direct sunlight. While in bat form, you retain your game statistics, with the following exceptions:

• Your size becomes tiny, and you gain a flying speed equal to your walking speed
• All your equipment melds into the new form and cannot be used
• You gain 30 feet of blindsight
• You can only make attacks with your fangs
• You can only cast spells that do not have a material component

You can revert to your normal form using a bonus action, and the transformation ends early if you start your turn in direct sunlight.

Deepened Gift

Requirement: 12th level

You gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage. Damage from magical or silvered weapons is not affected.