D&D 5E Daybreakers in 5e

[Shades of Eternity]

One of my favorite movies of all time is Daybreakers.

I love the idea of a modern vampire society that feels normal, but has a real scarcity issue.

How would you do it with 5e.

1. What would be the baseline of "Joe Vampire." I was looking a while back but a vampire or vampire spawn doesn't quite fit. What powers would they have and what cr would they be?

2. What magic would they use to simulate almost an eberron like use for technological compensation for the society.

3. How do they setup a donor system?

4. How do you simulate a vampire deprived abomination and what cr would they be relative to the vampries?

5. Your a bunch of plucky survivors and most likely, you aren't as cool as Dafoe. What level would you make them and what strategies would you do to survive being dinner?

Anything else you can think of, go for it.

 

[Yaarel]

In terms of D&D mechanics, the breakthru is that blood grants no benefit whatsoever to a vampire.

Rather. For each 24 hours that a vampire fails to drink living blood, the vampire suffers one level of exhaustion.

If I recall correctly, @CyberDave is the first one to propose this.

Relatedly, when a vampire drinks blood, any exhaustion level transfers to the victim or volunteer instead.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Technically there was a canon world in D&D, the origin of Valdimir Ludzig, a vampyre (living vampire) where the bloodsuckers ruled.

Vladimir Ludzig - Mistipedia

 

[Horwath]

lets have a go at mechanics:

Vampires cannot regain HDs during a rest.

Vampire has bite attack: 1d6+str or dex

Vampire can drain blood with bite attack, this removes HDs from target. If target has no HDs left they suffer 1 consitution damage per HD taken.
Vampire can take a number of HDs equal to proficiency bonus per attack.

Vampire can have extra HDs over it's level equal to proficiency bonus.

Vampire must spent a HD for "waking up" form long rest. If vampire has not HDs, vampire suffers a level of exhaustion and do not remove any present exhaustion level and regain HPs only to half of max value.

Vampire can spend HDs gained as a part of bite attack, those HDs heal for max value.

Vampire has resistance to cold, lightning and necrotic damage.

Vampire has vulnerability to radiant and fire damage. Vampire cannot gain immunity to fire or radiant damage from any source. treat that immunity as resistance instead.

When vampire ends it's turn in direct sunlight, he suffers 1d5 to 5d5 radiant damage, depending on percentage of body exposed. apply vulnerability normally to this damage.

Vampire has innate spider climb.

 

[Shades of Eternity]

okay here's a rough draft of a vampire civilian as an npc/monster.

I simplified a few of the powers just to make it easier to use.

I made it high enough that they would slaughter most normal people, but would be foddar for experienced adventurers.

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Vampire - Civilian

This looks like your average Joe or Jane, but paler. However, as soon as they realize you’re a possible meal, you see a set of fangs. Either that or it is the fact they are a chain smoker and can pull it off.

Vampire - Civilian

Medium Undead; varies, but usually any evil
Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 58 (9d8+18)
Speed 30 ft.; climb 20 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
16 (+3) 13 (+1) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 11 (+0) 10 (+0)
Skills: Perception +2, Stealth +3. Add other skills as needed (+2 plus attribute).

Damage Resistances: cold, lightning, and necrotic damage

Damage Vulnerabilities: Radiant, Fire Damage. cannot gain immunity to fire or radiant damage from any source. treat that immunity as resistance instead.

Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12

Languages: French, spirit speak and one of choice

Challenge: 3 (700 XP) Prof. +2
Sunlight damage. When vampire ends it's turn in direct sunlight, he suffers 2d6 radiant damage. This includes the vulnerability to radiant damage.

Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage. Each successful hit regains the same amount of hit points.

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How's that?

 

[NotAYakk]

okay here's a rough draft of a vampire civilian as an npc/monster.

I simplified a few of the powers just to make it easier to use.

I made it high enough that they would slaughter most normal people, but would be foddar for experienced adventurers.

*********************************

Vampire - Civilian

This looks like your average Joe or Jane, but paler. However, as soon as they realize you’re a possible meal, you see a set of fangs. Either that or it is the fact they are a chain smoker and can pull it off.

Vampire - Civilian

Medium Undead; varies, but usually any evil
Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 58 (9d8+18)
Speed 30 ft.; climb 20 ft.
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
16 (+3) 13 (+1) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 11 (+0) 10 (+0)
Skills: Perception +2, Stealth +3. Add other skills as needed (+2 plus attribute).

I might remove the +2 Perception/Stealth proficiency.

Add in features for it maybe. Training is separate?

Damage Resistances: cold, lightning, and necrotic damage

Undead in 5e rarely resist necrotic.

Damage Vulnerabilities: Radiant, Fire Damage. cannot gain immunity to fire or radiant damage from any source. treat that immunity as resistance instead.

2x damage is less fun than other kinds of weaknesses.

I like "cannot be immune". I might also make them ignite.
"Ignite: When a vampire takes Radiant or Fire damage, they take the same amout of damage as Fire at the start of their next turn. If they haven't taken any Radiant damage since the start of their last turn, this damage is halved."

"Sunlight vulnerability: When a vampire ends it turn in direct sunlight, it takes 5 radiant damage."

You'll notice that in sunlight, you take 5 on turn 1, and you start burning.

On turn two, you take 5 fire to start, then 5 more radiant.

On turn three, you take 10 fire to start, then 5 more radiant.

You quickly burn up. Getting out of the sun makes the fire damage halve every turn.

The radiant damage prevents the fire from going out, and instead it burns brighter every turn.

Actions
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage. Each successful hit regains the same amount of hit points.

Traditionally Vampires don't start with a bite. They grapple.

Actions:
Multiattack. The Vampire Civilian makes two Claw attacks.

Claws. Melee weapon attack, +5 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. Hit: 1d4+3 slashing damage. If two Claws hit one creature, that creature is Grappled (escape DC 18).

Bite. Melee weapon attack, +5 to hit. This attack has disadvantage if the target isn't grappled, and advantage if the target is grappled. Hit: 1d6+3 piercing damage, and the target loses 1 HD: the vampire rolls that HD and gains that many HP. If the creature has no HD remaining, it becomes unconscious until it regains at least 1 HD.

 

[Shades of Eternity]

hmm, I like it

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revised vampire civilian

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Vampire - Civilian

This looks like your average Joe or Jane, but paler. However, as soon as they realize you’re a possible meal, you see a set of fangs. Either that or it is the fact they are a chain smoker and can pull it off.

Knowledge. History, Parapsychology (Common DC 11, Unusual DC 13, Secret DC 15).

Revived from the Dead. It takes a vampire to make a vampire. It is well known that most vampires’ victims are drained of blood before the attacker returns just a slight amount of blood. It takes about a day for somebody to become a vampire.

Vampire Workers. Most Vampires aren’t that much different than they were when they were alive. They are busy running around, doing their jobs and generally staying out of trouble. While the highest population of these is in what was once Quebec, it surprising how many Vampires just want to keep things normal. However, the limitations of avoiding the sun and requiring blood gets in the way and only makes things worse over time.

Out of Time (Secret). Vampire Civilians are a product of a previous era and can often be distracted by things of their past. A successful DC 12 Intelligence (history) check can goat them successfully into a rant that lasts a full round where they cannot move or attack.

Vampire - Civilian

Medium Undead; varies, but usually any evil
Armor Class 14 (natural armor)
Hit Points 58 (9d8+18)
Speed 30 ft.; climb 20 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
16 (+3) 13 (+1) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 11 (+0) 10 (+0)
Skills: Add skills as needed (+2 plus attribute).

Damage Resistances: cold and lightning damage

Damage Vulnerabilities: cannot gain immunity to fire or radiant damage from any source. treat that immunity as resistance instead.

Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12

Languages: French, spirit speak and one of choice

Challenge: 3 (700 XP) Prof. +2

Human Like: These creatures have advantage to disguise themselves to pass as humans

Ignite: When a vampire takes Radiant or Fire damage, they take the same amount of damage as Fire at the start of their next turn. If they haven't taken any Radiant damage since the start of their last turn, this damage is halved."

Sunlight damage. When a vampire ends it turn in direct sunlight, it takes 5 radiant damage."

Actions
Multiattack. The Vampire Civilian makes two Claw attacks.

Claws. Melee weapon attack, +5 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. Hit: 1d4+3 slashing damage. If two Claws hit one creature, that creature is Grappled (escape DC 18) and can bite attack as a bonus action.

Bite. Melee weapon attack, +5 to hit. This attack has disadvantage if the target isn't grappled, and advantage if the target is grappled. Hit: 1d6+3
piercing damage, and the target loses 1 HD: the vampire rolls that HD and gains that many HP. If the creature has no HD remaining, it becomes unconscious until it regains at least 1 HD.

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How's that?

If it works, I'm going to crib from another great movie: Near Dark. I have this vision of a Vampire Nomad that run around in darkened vans bringing civilians on "tours."

 

[Yaarel]

Heh, one would think an Undead corpse would be immune to necrotic damage, since their entire body pretty much is necrotic tissue!

Why the lightning tho?

I would just have cold resistant, necro immune, and radiant vulnerable.

 

[Shades of Eternity]

Done and Done.

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Vampire - Nomad

As you open the S.U.V. door, you see an aging older person with whose skin is pale and transmits both horror and charisma. They feel like they are stuck in the 80s.

Knowledge. History, Parapsychology (Common DC 13, Unusual DC 15, Secret DC 17).

Designated Driver. Nomads main purpose in Vampire society is to setup ambushes for prey. They drive a Mama Bear S.U.V. with tinted windows and a pack of civilian vampires to get them to a meal. As a result, they are usually in charge of the operation.

Recruit. Not all hunts are simple shoot outs. The Nomad is very charismatic and often ends up talking his way into a meal. Besides their social skills, they have a supernatural charm to get what it wants. However, if that fails, it will immediately go for harsher methods.

Too old for this (Secret). It is possible to talk the Nomad and their pack out of making somebody a meal. Often a nomad is lonely for their time out on the road. With the right social skills, you might even get a friend for the rest of their afterlife.

Vampire - Nomad

Medium Undead; varies, but usually any evil
Armor Class 15 (natural armor)
Hit Points 93 (11d8+44)
Speed 30 ft.; Climb 20 ft.

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA
19 (+4) 14 (+2) 14 (+2) 10 (+0) 12 (+1) 15 (+2)
Skills: Athletics +7, Deception +5, Intimidation +5, Perception +4, Stealth +5

Damage Immunities: Necrotic
Damage Resistances: cold,
Damage Vulnerabilities: Radiant. Cannot gain immunity to fire or radiant damage from any source. Treat that immunity as resistance instead.

Senses: Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14

Languages: French, spirit speak and one of choice
Challenge: 5 (1,800 XP) Prof. +3
Charm. The vampire targets one humanoid it can see within 30 feet of it. If the target can see the vampire, the target must succeed on a DC 12
Wisdom saving throw against this magic or be charmed by the vampire. The charmed target regards the vampire as a trusted friend to be heeded and protected. Although the target isn't under the vampire's control, it takes the vampire's requests or actions in the most favorable way it can, and it is a willing target for the vampire's bite attack.

Each time the vampire or the vampire's companions Do anything harmful to the target, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success. Otherwise, the effect lasts 24 hours or until the vampire is destroyed, is on a different plane of existence than the target or takes a bonus action to end the effect.

Driver. The Nomad has Ground Vehicle Proficiency. If a roll is required, assume it is +5 Proficiency check for maneuvers.

Human Like: These creatures have advantage to disguise themselves to pass as humans.

Ignite: When a vampire takes Radiant or Fire damage, they take the same amount of damage as Fire at the start of their next turn. If they haven't taken any Radiant damage since the start of their last turn, this damage is halved.

Sunlight damage. When vampire ends it's turn in direct sunlight, they suffers 5 radiant damage.

Actions
Multiattack. The Vampire Civilian makes two Claw or pistol attacks.

Semi-Auto Pistol. Ranged Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, range 30/120 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d4+2) piercing damage.

Claws. Melee weapon attack, +7 to hit, reach 5 ft, one target. Hit: 1d4+3 slashing damage. If two Claws hit one creature, that creature is Grappled (escape DC 18) and can bite attack as a bonus action.

Bite. Melee weapon attack, +7 to hit. This attack has disadvantage if the target isn't grappled, and advantage if the target is grappled. Hit: 1d8+3
piercing damage, and the target loses 1 HD: the vampire rolls that HD and gains that many HP. If the creature has no HD remaining, it becomes unconscious until it regains at least 1 HD.

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How's that?

next one, doing the Blood Ops: aka what happens when vampires get special ops training.

 

[Yaarel]

For the sake of simplicitly, I would let fire damage be normal, and without comment, except Ignite is fun, so that radiant damage does cause the vampire to burst into flames incurring ongoing fire damage. Maybe combine both sunlight damage and ignite as part of radiant vulnerability.