Vampiric (5e Class)
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Vampiric
"For one who has not yet lived a single lifetime, you're a wise man, Van Helsing"
-Count Vlad Dracula
The Vampire
Awakened to an endless night, vampires hunger for the life they have lost and sate that hunger by drinking the blood of the living. Vampires abhor sunlight, for its touch burns them. They never cast shadows or reflections, and any vampire wishing to move unnoticed among the living keeps to the darkness and far from reflective surfaces.
Creating a Vampire
Whether or not they retain memories from its former life, their emotional attachments wither as once-pure feelings become twisted by undeath. Love turns to hungry obsession, while friendship becomes bitter jealousy. In place of emotion, vampires pursue physical symbols of what they crave, so that a vampire seeking love might fixate on a young beauty. Others surround themselves with art, books, or sinister items such as torture devices or trophies from creatures they have killed.
- Quick Build
While many different versions of vampires exist, you can make an archetypal Vampiric quickly by following these suggestions. First, Dexterity should be your highest ability score, followed by Charisma. Second, choose the Revenant background.
Class Features
As a Vampiric you gain the following class features.
- Hit Points
Hit Dice: 1d8 per Vampiric level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 8 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per Vampiric level after 1st
- Proficiencies
Armor: None
Weapons: Finesse
Tools: None
Saving Throws: Dexterity, Charisma
Skills: Choose 4 from Animal Handling, Deception, History, Insight, Intimidation, Investigation, Nature, Perception, Performance, Persuasion, Religion, Sleight of Hand, Stealth
- Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
- (a) Rapier or (b) any Finesse weapon
- (a) 2 daggers or (b) a handcrossbow
- (a) Burglar's Pack or (b) Dead Man's Pack
- If you are using starting wealth, you have 4d6x10 gp in funds.
Level | Proficiency Bonus |
Features | Bite |
---|---|---|---|
1st | +2 | Vampiric Bite, Undeath | 1d8 |
2nd | +2 | Bat Form, Hypnotic Gaze | 1d8 |
3rd | +2 | Vampiric Curse | 1d8 |
4th | +2 | Ability Score Improvement | 1d8 |
5th | +3 | — | 2d8 |
6th | +3 | Mortal Husk | 2d8 |
7th | +3 | Curse Feature | 2d8 |
8th | +3 | Ability Score Improvement | 2d8 |
9th | +4 | Necrotic Strike | 2d8 |
10th | +4 | — | 3d8 |
11th | +4 | Curse Feature | 3d8 |
12th | +4 | Ability Score Improvement | 3d8 |
13th | +5 | Hypnotic Gaze Improvement | 3d8 |
14th | +5 | Among The Dead | 3d8 |
15th | +5 | — | 4d8 |
16th | +5 | Ability Score Improvement | 4d8 |
17th | +6 | Bat Form Improvement | 4d8 |
18th | +6 | Form of Dread | 4d8 |
19th | +6 | Ability Score Improvement | 4d8 |
20th | +6 | Vampiric Fangs | 5d8 |
Vampiric Bite
As an action, you can bite a creature near you. That creature must make a Con Save against 10 + your Dexterity Modifier. On a failed save, roll a d8 and turn the damage into temporary hit points. You can then keep the hit points. On a successful save, the creature takes damage but you do not gain hit points. The amount of damage increases as you gain levels in this class, as shown in the Bite column of the Vampiric table.
Undeath
Beginning at 1st level, your disconnect from life gives you the following features:
- You can hold your breath indefinitely, and you don't require food, water, or sleep, although you still require rest to reduce exhaustion and still benefit from finishing short and long rests.
- You no longer age, retaining the appearance you had when you were turned. Additionally, if you put a severed body part of yours back in place when you use this feature, the part reattaches. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
- You cannot enter places you aren't invited into, and being on holy ground pains you
- You have no reflection and you cast no shadow
- You have advantage on Survival and Investigation checks made to track any creature who has recently lost blood
- Direct sunlight will burn your skin, giving 1d8 radiation damage for every hour you are in it
Bat Form
Starting at 2nd level, you can use your action to assume the shape of a bat. You can use this feature twice. You regain expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.
You can stay in a bat form for a number of hours equal to half your vampiric level (rounded down). You then revert to your normal form unless you expend another use of this feature. You can revert to your normal form earlier by using a bonus action on your turn. You automatically revert if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die.
While you are transformed, the following rules apply:
- Your game statistics are replaced by the statistics of the bat, but you retain your alignment, personality, and Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma scores. You also retain all of your skill and saving throw proficiencies, in addition to gaining those of the creature. If the creature has the same proficiency as you and the bonus in its stat block is higher than yours, use the creature's bonus instead of yours. If the creature has any legendary or lair actions, you can't use them.
- When you transform, you assume the bat's hit points and Hit Dice. When you revert to your normal form, you return to the number of hit points you had before you transformed. However, if you revert as a result of dropping to 0 hit points, any excess damage carries over to your normal form, For example, if you take 10 damage in animal form and have only 1 hit point left, you revert and take 9 damage. As long as the excess damage doesn't reduce your normal form to 0 hit points, you aren't knocked unconscious.
- You choose whether your equipment falls to the ground in your space, merges into your new form, or is worn by it. Worn equipment functions as normal, but the DM decides whether it is practical for the new form to wear a piece of equipment, based on the creature's shape and size. Your equipment doesn't change size or shape to match the new form, and any equipment that the new form can't wear must either fall to the ground or merge with it. Equipment that merges with the form has no effect until you leave the form.
At 17th level, you can instead turn yourself into a giant bat with this feature.
Hypnotic Gaze
Also at 2nd level, if you stare into a creatures eyes (and they stare back), you can put them under the effects of charm person the duration. You cannot use this feature again until after a short rest.
At 13th level, the effects are more similar to that of command.
Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.
Necrotic Strike
At 9th level, when you hit a creature with an unarmed attack and roll damage against the creature, you can replace the damage type with necrotic damage. While you are using your Form of Dread, you can roll one additional damage die when determining the necrotic damage the target takes.
Mortal Husk
At 6th level, your connection to undeath and necrotic energy now saturates your body. You have resistance to necrotic damage. If you are transformed using your Form of Dread at 18th level, you instead become immune to necrotic damage.
Among the Dead
At 14th level, undead have difficulty harming you. If an undead targets you directly with an attack or a harmful spell, that creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC (an undead needn't make the save when it includes you in an area effect, such as the explosion of Fireball). On a failed save, the creature must choose a new target or forfeit targeting someone instead of you, potentially wasting the attack or spell. On a successful save, the creature is immune to this effect for 24 hours. An undead is also immune to this effect for 24 hours if you target it with an attack or a harmful spell.
Form of Dread
At 18th level, you manifest an aspect of your curse’s dreadful power. As a bonus action, you transform for 1 minute. You gain the following benefits while transformed:
- You gain temporary hit points equal to 1d10 + your vampiric level.
- Once during each of your turns, when you hit a creature with an attack, you can force it to make a Wisdom saving throw, and if the saving throw fails, the target is frightened of you until the end of your next turn.
- You are immune to the frightened condition.
- You can transform a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
In addition, when you are reduced to 0 hit points, you can cause your body to explode. Each creature within 30 feet of you takes necrotic damage equal to 2d10 + your vampiric level. You then revive with 1 hit point in your previous space, along with your gear, and you gain 1 level of exhaustion. Once you revive this way, you can’t do so again until you finish 1d4 long rests.
The appearance of your Form of Dread reflects some aspect of your curse. For example, your face might transform into bat-like features due to your vampiric curse.
Vampiric Fangs
Your Vampiric Bite attack will no longer end the Hypnotic Gaze effect.
Vampiric Curse
At 1st level, you chose the curse of you vampirism, all detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 3rd level and again at 7th and 11th.
Baobhan
Baobhan Sith Vampires focus on controlling their victim's mind and bending them to their will.
- Hypnotic Stare
You can target 3 creatures at 3rd level, and the effects can include Calm Emotions.
- Inhuman Eyes
You can target 4 creatures at 7th level, and the effects can include Sleep.
- Mob Mentality
You can target 5 creatures at 11th level, and the effects can include Suggestion.
Empusa
The Empusa attempt to extend their powers through the use of magic.
- Spellcasting
When you reach 3rd level, you augment your vampiric prowess with the ability to cast spells.
Level | Cantrips | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | 2 | 2 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
2nd | 2 | 3 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
3rd | 2 | 3 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
4th | 2 | 3 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
5th | 2 | 3 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
6th | 2 | 3 | ~ | ~ | ~ |
7th | 2 | 4 | 2 | ~ | ~ |
8th | 2 | 4 | 2 | ~ | ~ |
9th | 2 | 4 | 2 | ~ | ~ |
10th | 3 | 4 | 3 | ~ | ~ |
11th | 3 | 4 | 3 | ~ | ~ |
12th | 3 | 4 | 3 | ~ | ~ |
13th | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | ~ |
14th | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | ~ |
15th | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | ~ |
16th | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | ~ |
17th | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | ~ |
18th | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | ~ |
19th | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
20th | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
- Cantrips
You learn two cantrips of your choice from the necromancy spell list. You learn an additional necromancy cantrip of your choice at 10th level.
- Spell Slots
The Spellcasting table below shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.
For example, if you know the 1st-level spell Cause Fear and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast Shield using either slot.
- Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher
You know three 1st-level necromancy spells of your choice, two of which you must choose from the abjuration and evocation spells on the necromancy spell list.
The Spells Known column of the Spellcasting table shows when you learn more necromancy spells of 1st level or higher. Each of these spells must be of a level for which you have spell slots. For instance, when you reach 7th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.
Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of the necromancy spells you know with another spell of your choice from the necromancy spell list. The new spell must be of a level for which you have spell slots.
- Spellcasting Ability
Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your necromancy spells, since you learn your spells through study and memorization. You use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a necromancy spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.
Spell save DC= 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
Spell attack modifier= your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier
- Reaper
At 7th level, when you cast a necromancy spell of 1st through 5th level that targets only one creature, the spell can instead target two creatures within range and within 5 feet of each other. If the spell consumes its material components, you must provide them for each target.
- Defy Death
You can give yourself vitality when you cheat death. You can regain hit points equal to 1d8 + your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1 hit point) when you succeed on a death saving throw. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.
Nosferatu
Nosferatu
- Skulker
You are expert at slinking through shadows. You gain the following benefits:
- You can hide when you are lightly obscured from the creature from which you are hiding
- When you are hidden from a creature and miss it with a ranged weapon attack, making the attack doesn't reveal your position
- Dim light doesn't impose disadvantage on your Perception checks relying on sight
- Ghost Walk
At 13th level, you can now phase partially into the realm of the dead, becoming like a ghost. As a bonus action, you assume a spectral form. While in this form, you have a flying speed of 10 feet, you can hover, and attack rolls have disadvantage against you. You can also move through creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain, but you take 1d10 force damage if you end your turn inside a creature or an object.
You stay in this form for 10 minutes or until you end it as a bonus action. To use this feature again, you must finish a long rest or destroy one of your soul trinkets as part of the bonus action you use to activate Ghost Walk.
- Unnatural Movement
Choose one:
- Gaseous Form
- Misty Step
- Pass Without a Trace
You can now cast it on yourself without using a spell slot. After you do so, you cannot use it again until after a long rest.
Soucouyant
Soucouyant enhance their shapeshifting to go beyond what most vampires can do.
- Beast Form
Your vampiric level determines the beasts you can transform into, as shown in the Beast Shapes table. At 2nd level, for example, you can transform into any beast that has a challenge rating of 1/4 or lower that doesn't have a flying or swimming speed.
Level | Max CR | Limitations | Example |
---|---|---|---|
3rd | 1/4 | No swimming/flying | Wolf |
7th | 1/2 | No flying | Giant Snake |
11th | 1 | None | Swarm of Bats |
- Swarm
At 11th level, you can choose to turn yourself into a swarm of animals (such as a swarm of bats) rather than a single creature.
Strigoi
Strigoi rely on their strength and endurance to overpower their prey.
- Touch of Death
Starting at 3rd level, you can destroy another creature's life force by touch. When you hit a creature with a melee attack, you can deal extra necrotic damage to the target. The damage equals 5 + twice your vampiric level. After you use this feature you cannot use it again until after a long rest.
- Necrotic Blade
At 7th level, you gain the ability to infuse your weapon strikes with necrotic energy. Once on each of your turns when you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can cause the attack to deal a 1d8 necrotic damage to the target. When you reach 14th level, the extra damage increases to 2d8.
- Inescapable
Finally at 11th level, your ability to channel negative energy becomes more potent. Necrotic damage dealt by your attacks ignores resistance to necrotic damage.
Multiclassing
Multiclassing with Vampiric results in you becoming a Dhampir.
Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Vampiric class, you must meet these prerequisites: Dexterity 13
Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Vampiric class, you gain the following proficiencies: Finesse Weapons
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