Vampire, Priestess

Family: Vampires

Pale-faced with long dark hair and a lascivious, predatory look on her face, this vampire priestess wears the crimson robes of the Red Sisters. She wields a scourge covered in vicious barbs, and a human skull stained ochre hangs on a chain from her hip.

Medium undead, lawful evil

Armor Class 16 (chain mail)
Hit Points 105 (14d8 + 42)
Speed 30 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
16 (+3) 12 (+1) 16 (+3) 13 (+1) 20 (+5) 15 (+2)

Saving Throws Dexterity +4, Wisdom +8, Charisma +5
Skills Religion +4, Perception +8
Damage Resistances necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Condition Immunities charmed
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 18
Languages the languages it knew in life
Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)

Special Traits

  • Misty Escape. When she drops to 0 hp outside her resting place, the vampire priestess transforms into a cloud of mist instead of falling unconscious, provided that she isn’t in running water. If she can’t transform, she is destroyed. While she has 0 hp in mist form, she can’t revert to her priestess form, and she must reach her resting place within 2 hours or be destroyed. While in mist form she can’t take any actions, speak, or manipulate objects. She is weightless, has 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, she can do so without squeezing, and she can’t pass through water. She has advantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws, and she is immune to all nonmagical damage, except the damage she takes from sunlight. Once in her resting place, she reverts to her priestess form. She is then paralyzed until she regains at least 1 hp. After spending 1 hour in her resting place with 0 hp, she regains 1 hp.
  • Regeneration. The vampire priestess regains 15 hp at the start of her turn if she has at least 1 hp and isn’t in sunlight or running water. If the priestess takes radiant damage or damage from holy water, this trait doesn’t function at the start of her next turn.
  • Spellcasting. The vampire priestess is a 9th-level spellcaster. Her spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 16, +8 to hit with spell attacks). She has the following cleric spells prepared:
  • Undead Nature. The vampire priestess doesn’t require air.
  • Vampire Weaknesses. The priestess has the following flaws:
    • Forbiddance. The priestess can’t enter a residence without an invitation from one of the occupants.
    • Harmed by Running Water. The priestess takes 20 acid damage if she ends her turn in running water.
    • Stake to the Heart. If a piercing weapon made of wood is driven into the priestess’ heart while she is incapacitated in her resting place, the she is paralyzed until the stake is removed.
    • Sunlight Hypersensitivity. The priestess takes 20 radiant damage when she starts her turn in sunlight. While in sunlight, she has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.

Actions

    • Multiattack. The vampire priestess can use her Bewitching Gaze. She then makes two attacks, only one of which can be a bite attack.
    • Scourge. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d8 + 3) slashing damage, and the creature must succeed on a DC 16 Constitution saving throw or bleed profusely from the wound. A bleeding creature takes 7 (2d6) slashing damage at the start of each of its turns. A creature can take an action to stanch the wound with a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Medicine) check. The wound also closes if the target receives magical healing.
    • Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one willing creature, or a creature that is grappled by the vampire priestess, incapacitated, or restrained. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) necrotic damage. The target’s hp maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken, and the priestess regains hp equal to that amount. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hp maximum to 0. A humanoid slain in this way and then buried in the ground rises the following night as a vampire spawn under the priestess’ control.
    • Bewitching Gaze. The vampire priestess targets one humanoid she can see within 30 feet. If the target can see her, the target must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by the priestess for 1 minute. While charmed, the creature is incapacitated and has a speed of 0. Each time the vampire priestess or her allies do anything harmful to the target, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on a success. The target can also repeat the saving throw if another creature uses an action to shake the target out of its stupor.

About

Sires and Slaves. A powerful strain of vampirism, shroud-eaters have a greater degree of free will from their sires, though they are bound by what is called the “Tree of Chains,” a pyramid of control with a free-willed vampire at the summit and all those beneath it compelled to obedience. They cannot plot against or defy their sires, but otherwise they can create their own shroud-eaters beholden to them. Wise vampire hunters know to employ the speak with dead spell on a slain shroud-eater to discover its sire, following the Tree of Chains as far as they are able.

Misleading Lore. Shroud-eaters can tolerate quite a bit of sunlight, and, as they grow older, they may withstand it for a longer time, though they still suffer from it and rarely venture out in the day unless forced to do so. Over time, shroud-eaters also learn to alter the memories of the living and to erase traces of their deeds from the minds of witnesses. A subtle shroud-eater may go undetected for ages.

Signs of Their Presence. Unlike other vampires, shroud-eaters cannot be destroyed with a simple wooden stake. The stake must use wood of a white oak or white ash tree. Discovery of burnt groves of these trees serves as a sign that a shroud-eater may live in the area.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Creature Codex. © 2018 Open Design LLC; Authors Wolfgang Baur, Dan Dillon, Richard Green, James Haeck, Chris Harris, Jeremy Hochhalter, James Introcaso, Chris Lockey, Shawn Merwin, and Jon Sawatsky.

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