D&D 5E Strahd is not a typical vampire

[dave2008]

I have seen some comment about how Strahd is just a copy of the MM vampire. While that is mostly true and I wish he was pimped out with some unique gear he is most definitely not a standard MM vampire. Not including his lair actions there is one significant change that justifies his CR 15 rating.

[sblock]Strahd has additional necrotic damage on his unarmed attack which bumps up his DPR to 110! With his lair actions that can jump to 120. The standard vampire can only pump out 50 DPR. That is a significant difference.
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[AaronOfBarbaria]

I'm glad that Strahd has an advantage over the Monster Manual vampire stats, but this is a thing that has always struck me as people failing to frame things properly - the Monster Manual vampire isn't "standard", each and every one of them are meant to be unique and interesting, and the vampire spawn is the "standard vampire."

Like how any two liches aren't supposed to be, in-game, exactly identical in their capabilities or just one of many "standard" liches.

 

[NotActuallyTim]

That might be true [MENTION=6701872]AaronOfBarbaria[/MENTION], but I'm pretty sure it doesn't get mentioned anywhere in the MM or DMG that making standard monsters unique is encouraged or even ok. Which means that anybody who learns most of their DMing skills in the 5E era is going to wind up disagreeing with you no matter how right you may be.

 

[Ancalagon]

I'll definitely support the idea that each Vampire is unique. They aren't just monsters, they have goals and motivations, just like a lich, a powerful warlord or a dragon... NPCs really.

 

[Demetrios1453]

That might be true @AaronOfBarbaria, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't get mentioned anywhere in the MM or DMG that making standard monsters unique is encouraged or even ok. Which means that anybody who learns most of their DMing skills in the 5E era is going to wind up disagreeing with you no matter how right you may be.

Um, what? There's an entire section in the DMG on how to customize monsters. Either that, or I've really misinterpreted what pages 273 - 283 are for...

"Part of the D&D experience is the simple joy of creating new monsters and customizing existing ones, if for no other reason than to surprise and delight your players with something they've never faced before." - DMG, p. 273.

 

[NotActuallyTim]

Um, what? There's an entire section in the DMG on how to customize monsters. Either that, or I've really misinterpreted what pages 273 - 283 are for...

"Part of the D&D experience is the simple joy of creating new monsters and customizing existing ones, if for no other reason than to surprise and delight your players with something they've never faced before." - DMG, p. 273.

Well, . I can't read words.

I blame someone other than myself for my mistakes.

 

[Shroomy]

Not to mention that all five of the 5e D&D adventure hardcovers feature many instances of bog standard monsters from the MM modified slightly.

 

[TheCosmicKid]

Isn't the MM vampire supposed to be Strahd? Like how the death knight is Lord Soth.

 

[Mirtek]

The Problem with the lowered CR ceiling in 5e is that there is less room for differentiation if unique monsters.

Especially at high levels

 

[AaronOfBarbaria]

Isn't the MM vampire supposed to be Strahd? Like how the death knight is Lord Soth.

The art is definitely meant to be Strahd, but the monster stat-block isn't any more meant to be specifically Strahd than the orc war chief stat-block is meant to be Obould Many-Arrows. Which is to say that yes, the stats absolutely work for Strahd if that's the vampire in your story - but they also work if the vampire in your story is some other specific vampire (like my home-brew campaign's most infamous vampire, Vandugren - though I use the spellcaster variant for him).

What the stat-block doesn't work for by its design is the "rank and file" vampires - as D&D uses the same distinction that many version of vampire lore use in which there are "normal" vampires (D&D's vampire spawn) and "master" vampires (D&D vampire).