D&D 5E Player is playing a Vampire

[MonsterEnvy]

I am normally the DM for our group, but we are playing a mini-episode of CoS each time we hit a chapter break in the Age of Worms AP. One of our players will be DM for CoS. I asked him if I could play a "half-vampire/pseudo-vampire."

Don't. Even part vampire characters really really don't fit the tone or image of Curse of Strahd. It's seriously a bad fit. Your thing would be fine pretty much anywhere else, but in Curse of Strahd it just does not fit.

 

[Carlsen Chris]

OK.

First, Vampire PCs have a long history in D&D. Longer than the Cleric as it happens (literally - the first cleric was a vampire hunter designed to deal with an out of control vampire PC). Ignore anyone telling you not to do it.

But the player can not play a vampire straight out of the MM. You need to balance things and let them grow into the role - probably the best way would be to custom-tweak either a Monk of Shadow or a Warlock as the base class and then take out the less vampirely stuff for more vampirely stuff.

"If it happened in the old days, it's OK today."

Want to play with a vampire in the party? Sure. Just make sure that the rest of the party includes a dragon (from Council of Wyrms), a Frankenstein monster (Van Richten's Guide to the Created), a Mermaid (The Sea People) and a 1st level Fighter with a laser rifle (Gamma World) and a Mutant Rhododendron (TMNT and other Strangeness).

 

[Horwath]

Vampire template:

vulnerability to radiant damage.

vulnerability to sunlight: depending on sunlight strength and amount of clothes on him at the end of the turn in direct sunlight vampire suffers 1 to 10 radiant damage(later doubled for vulnerability). I.E. being naked at high noon on a sunny day would be 20 damage per round(after doubling) and being in heavy cloths with gloves and a big cloak would maybe be 0 damage total.
All to DM's discretion.

In any turn in direct sunlight vampire has disadvantage on all saves, checks and attack rolls and cant do any special vampire powers. It also can only take action or bonus action on it's turn and cannot take reactions.
All attacks have advantage vs vampire in sunlight.

After long rest vampire regains only 1/4 of max HD. minimum 1.

Ability bonuses: pick 2 out of str, dex, con and cha. they get +2 bonus. all 4 have a max score or 22 now.

Fast healing: as a bonus action vampire can spend one HD to heal himself as after a short rest.

Blood drain: Vampire gains bite attack(str or dex) for 1d4+mod damage. If it deals atleast 1 damage vampire gains 1 HD. It can go over maximum but any HD over max disapears after a long rest. Blood drain takes one HD from the target. Vampire cannot drain a target without HDs. From willing or disabled target vampire can drain HD while dealing only 1 point of damage.

spider climb: continuous, as per spell.

power of blood: before making str,dex, con or cha check, save or attack vampire can spend one HD to gain advantage on that role.

misty step; vampire can use misty step without any components once per short rest. Any uses in between rests cost 2 HDs

vampire speed: vampire can spend one HD to gain bonus action: it can be used to take dash,dodge,disengage,hide,attack(one attack only) or cast a cantrip.

 

[Ancalagon]

Don't. Even part vampire characters really really don't fit the tone or image of Curse of Strahd. It's seriously a bad fit. Your thing would be fine pretty much anywhere else, but in Curse of Strahd it just does not fit.

Totally. Strahd would either recruit the PC (ie, turn into an NPC) or go out of his way to take him out since it's a potential rival.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

But why? It seems like the perfect place to throw in a (half)vampire PC.

Tone and character perspective. Vampires are dangerous monsters and there is only one in the adventure as the main villain. The PC's should be going in blind having no idea of the things about to hit them. A half vampire implies they would already be familiar with vampires and the like. When Strahd and his serpents should be something terrifying.

It's hard for me to explain. But tone and setting wise. Vampire related character options are probably a worse fit for Curse of Strahd then any other 5e adventure.

 

[Tormyr]

Tone and character perspective. Vampires are dangerous monsters and there is only one in the adventure as the main villain. The PC's should be going in blind having no idea of the things about to hit them. A half vampire implies they would already be familiar with vampires and the like. When Strahd and his serpents should be something terrifying.

It's hard for me to explain. But tone and setting wise. Vampire related character options are probably a worse fit for Curse of Strahd then any other 5e adventure.

Well, that's disappointing, but I appreciate your input. The DM for this has us making character trees where the first two are closely related and somehow sucked into Barovia, while the third is loosely related and can be a native of Barovia. I don't know what that means in terms of how much knowledge of Strahd or related things there will be. This character would have been fighting any vampire influence in her and have been gunning for Strahd, so Strahd sending lackeys after her would have made sense. The DM had thought this character concept would have been a good idea, but I will run your thoughts past him. Most likely the bard will just end up as a normal human.

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Well, that's disappointing, but I appreciate your input. The DM for this has us making character trees where the first two are closely related and somehow sucked into Barovia, while the third is loosely related and can be a native of Barovia. I don't know what that means in terms of how much knowledge of Strahd or related things there will be. This character would have been fighting any vampire influence in her and have been gunning for Strahd, so Strahd sending lackeys after her would have made sense. The DM had thought this character concept would have been a good idea, but I will run your thoughts past him. Most likely the bard will just end up as a normal human.

Yeah I am also of the opinion that there should be no characters native to Barovia in the party. The Adventure assumes this as well. A native character would know way too much information for free. It also takes a great deal of the mystery away by having a native PC, when as mentioned they should have no idea what to expect.

The characters should be completely unrelated to Strahd. Due to reasons I can't say because of spoilers. But I honestly think your experience will be lesser if you deviate from the book in this way.

 

[Tormyr]

Yeah I am also of the opinion that there should be no characters native to Barovia in the party. The Adventure assumes this as well. A native character would know way too much information for free. It also takes a great deal of the mystery away by having a native PC, when as mentioned they should have no idea what to expect.

The characters should be completely unrelated to Strahd. Due to reasons I can't say because of spoilers. But I honestly think your experience will be lesser if you deviate from the book in this way.

Okay, so how should a new character be brought into the party if a PC dies? Do the mists swallow up someone else and they are deposited in Barovia next to the party? Or something else?

 

[MonsterEnvy]

Okay, so how should a new character be brought into the party if a PC dies? Do the mists swallow up someone else and they are deposited in Barovia next to the party? Or something else?

Well they can be brought back to life in a few ways. But my preferred solution would be the mists swallowed someone. And they have been in Barovia a bit longer then the party or they recently arrived via the mists.

 

[cmad1977]

Play Vampire larps?