Vampire Patrician

Family: Vampires

Medium undead, lawful evil

Armor Class 16 (natural armor)
Hit Points 119 (14d8 + 56)
Speed 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
15 (+2)	18 (+4)	18 (+4)	16 (+3)	13 (+1)	20 (+5)

Saving Throws Dexterity +8, Wisdom +5, Charisma +9
Skills Deception +9, Intimidation +9, Perception +5, Persuasion +9
Damage Resistances necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Senses darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 15
Languages the languages it knew in life
Challenge 10 (5,900 XP)

Special Traits

• Cruel Combatant. A melee weapon deals one extra die of its damage and an extra 3 (1d6) necrotic damage when the vampire patrician hits with it (included in the attack).
• Misty Escape. When it drops to 0 hp outside its resting place, the vampire patrician transforms into a cloud of mist instead of falling unconscious, provided that it isn’t in sunlight or running water. If it can’t transform, it is destroyed. While it has 0 hp in mist form, it can’t revert to its vampire form, and it must reach its resting place within 2 hours or be destroyed. While in mist form it can’t take any actions, speak, or manipulate objects. It 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, the mist can do so without squeezing, and it can’t pass through water. It has advantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws, and it is immune to all nonmagical damage, except the damage it takes from sunlight. Once in its resting place, it reverts to vampire form. It is then paralyzed until it regains at least 1 hp. After spending 1 hour in its resting place with 0 hp, it regains 1 hp.
• Noble Resilience (Recharges after a Long Rest). The vampire patrician can ignore the effects of sunlight for up to 1 minute.
• Regeneration. The patrician regains 15 hp at the start of its turn if it has at least 1 hp and isn’t in sunlight or running water. If it takes radiant damage or damage from holy water, this trait doesn’t function at the start of its next turn.
• Spider Climb. The vampire patrician can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
• Undead Nature. The vampire patrician doesn’t require air, food, drink, or sleep.
• Vampire Weaknesses. The vampire patrician has the following flaws:
  • Forbiddance. The patrician can’t enter a residence without an invitation from one of the occupants.
  • Harmed by Running Water. The patrician takes 20 acid damage if it ends its turn in running water.
  • Stake to the Heart. If a piercing weapon made of wood is driven into the patrician’s heart while the patrician is incapacitated in its resting place, the patrician is paralyzed until the stake is removed.
  • Sunlight Hypersensitivity. The patrician takes 20 radiant damage when it starts its turn in sunlight. While in sunlight, it has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.

ACTIONS

• Multiattack. The vampire patrician can use its Bone-Chilling Gaze. It then makes two attacks, only one of which can be a bite attack.
• Rapier. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) piercing damage plus 3 (1d6) necrotic damage.
• Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit, reach 5 ft., one willing creature, or a creature that is grappled by the vampire patrician, incapacitated, or restrained. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) 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 patrician 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 vampire patrician’s control.
• Bone-Chilling Gaze. The vampire patrician targets one humanoid it can see within 30 feet. If the target can see the patrician, the target must succeed on a DC 17 Charisma saving throw or become paralyzed with fear until the end of its next turn.
• Release the Hounds! (1/day). The vampire patrician calls 4d6 hunting hounds (use mastiff statistics) to its side. While outdoors, the vampire patrician can call 4d6 hunting raptors (use blood hawk statistics) instead. These creatures arrive in 1d4 rounds, helping the patrician and obeying its spoken commands. The beasts remain for 1 hour, until the patrician dies, or until the patrician dismisses them as a bonus action.

ABOUT

Handsome and youthful-looking with blond hair, slightly pointed ears, and piercing blue eyes, this vampire has a definite air of arrogance as he regards everything around him with barely concealed contempt.

Vampire patricians are weaker than their vampire kin but are far superior to the spawn their kin create. What they lack in power, they more than make up for in sheer cruelty.

Iron-Fisted Rulers. Vampire patricians govern a small town or village for their undead overlord. Seeking to impress those above them, they keep the downtrodden peasantry in a state of perpetual dread with public floggings, executions, and sacrifices on the altars of the Blood Goddess and hunting expeditions in which the patrician and guests pursue hapless peasants through the woods.

Brooding Presence. Vampire patricians make their homes in small castles or large manor houses, often on a steep hill that looms over their territory. Their subterranean resting places are well guarded by vampire spawn and mindless undead. The area around a vampire patrician’s home is partially corrupted by its unnatural presence, creating the following effects: plants within 1,000 feet of its home warp to become more beautiful and deadly versions of their base form, secreting poison or releasing sweet-smelling, toxic pollen; and sounds are more muted, making conversation harder to overhear and screams for help almost inaudible over distances.