Vampire

Vampires are undead predators who survive on the blood of their victims. They are unnaturally strong and fast, though they are weakened by sunlight, garlic, and running water. They cast no reflection and must be invited into the homes of sentient, living beings.

Traits

Ability Score Increase. Your Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, and Charisma scores each increase by 1.

Age. Vampires are forbidden from turning children, so most are adults. They are ageless.

Alignment. Vampires follow the laws of a secret society made up of their kind. They value the traditions and hierarchy of this society over any other. Within this structure, many Vampires are selfish and wicked, treating mortal beings as lessers. Vampires are neutral or evil with a lawful bent.

Rarity. Uncommon.

Size. Vampires can come from almost any common living humanoid. Your size is Small or Medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 35 feet.

Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness within the same range as if it were dim light. Absent even dim light, this vision is monochromatic.

Bite. You have fangs, and so your unarmed strikes can deal ld4 piercing damage. Your bite has the light and finesse weapon properties, and you have proficiency with it.

Charming Gaze. You can cast the friends cantrip without material components. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for it.

Drink Life. When you bite, if your target is living and is grappled by you, incapacitated, restrained, or willing, it takes ld4 necrotic damage from your bite. Each round when you deal this damage, you can spend 1 Hit Die to regain hit points. The target’s hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken. This reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if you reduce its hit point maximum to 0.

Forbiddance. You can enter a residence only with an invitation from one of the occupants.

Garlic Weakness. While you are within 5 feet of one clove or more of garlic, you are poisoned.

Living Corpse. You are a humanoid, but your undead nature gives you the following traits.

  • You are immune to disease, and you have resistance to poison damage. Also, you can add your proficiency bonus to saving throws against being poisoned. If you have proficiency in such a saving throw, your proficiency bonus is doubled against being poisoned.
  • You need not breathe.
  • You are vulnerable to radiant damage.
  • Although you can be healed as if you’re humanoid, and the raise dead spell works on you (returning you to “life” as a vampire), you are otherwise considered to be undead whenever it is detrimental for you.

No Reflection. Your image does not appear on reflective surfaces.

Restless Thirst. You must consume life force to survive. To benefit from a long rest, you must have dealt at least 5 necrotic damage with your bite since finishing the previous long rest.

Running Water Vulnerability. Immersion in a body of rapidly moving water larger than you deals you ld4 acid damage the first time you enter it on a turn, and each time you end your turn in it thereafter.

Sunlight Vulnerability. You have disadvantage on attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, your target, or what you’re trying to see is in direct sunlight. In addition, being exposed to direct sunlight deals you ld6 radiant damage the first time you enter it on a turn, and each time you end your turn in it thereafter.

Languages. You speak, read, and write Common and one other language. Most Vampires learn Shadowtongue.

Section 15: Copyright Notice

Tales of Arcana Race Guide © 2021 Arcanomicon, LLC Author(s) Matt Knicl, Chris S. Sims

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