D&D General Feeding/hunger rules for vampires - all input appreciated

[Casimir Liber]

Been musing on feeding/hunger rules for vampires and have come up with this so far - all input appreciated (I hadn't seen anything like it in the Monster Manual...unless I am missing something...?)

--------------------------------------------

Vampires and vampire spawn need blood to thrive. In general, draining one humanoid completely will shift a vampire from Hungry to Satiated for a week. Draining three victims will send any vampire to an Engorged state (vampires generally avoid this unless they have been Ravenous or Emaciated beforehand, in which case they are likely to accidentally overfeed). A vampire generally shifts one state downwards each week they don’t eat adequately, though this highly dependent on the vampire’s activity levels and age (a vampire’s resilience increases with age), The exception is the Emaciated state, which vampires can remain in for highly variable periods (usually months) before becoming a Husk.

• Engorged: The vampire appears bloated, with full, rosy lips and a plethoric face. It makes Constitution saves with Advantage and Dexterity saves with Disadvantage, and has Vulnerability to Piercing damage. The vampire can’t use its Deathless Agility bonus action. Vampires are often aware of their vulnerabilities in this state and slumber until they have shifted from and Engorged to a Satiated state, which can take anywhere from a few days to a month or more.
• Satiated: The vampire appears normal
• Hungry: The vampire appears thin and hypervigilant. And hungry. Has difficulty remaining civil. Others will notice its glare at any potential food.
• Ravenous: The vampire appears gaunt and feral. Will attack to feed - and begin draining any incapacitated or unconscious victims. It goes into a Rage and has Advantage on attacks, with attacks against it at Advantage until it feeds for 1d4 rounds.
• Emaciated: The vampire appears even thinner and paler - skin and bones. It makes its attacks, ability/skill checks and saves at Disadvantage due to emaciation until it feeds for 1d4 rounds. Emaciated vampires try to conserve energy by entering a light torpor for extended periods if there looks to be no possibility of feeding in the near future.
• Husk: The vampire resembles a desiccated corpse - only its fangs giving it away - and remains still for long periods. It makes its attacks, ability/skill checks and saves at Disadvantage due to starvation until it feeds for 1d4 rounds. Also can’t use Deathless Agility bonus action.

 

[aco175]

I like the idea to make them a bit more unique. Do other monsters have something for them. I can see something like this for ghouls and even shadows/wraiths. Steal from movies with cults of human cattle are devoted to them or evil lairs where humans a kept for food and bled to prevent dropping too low. I would not develop things too much unless it was going to be a more central part of a campaign.

Maybe becoming a husk gives insight into future events or allows one to do something cool like evolve somehow, thus allowing for this state other than when they are imprisoned or trapped somehow.

I do not notice any difference between emaciated and husk other than a roleplay difference. It is fine, but maybe add attacks against them have advantage. Also, do they go up 1 step if they feed for 1d4 rounds or go all the way to satiated?

 

[Alzrius]

Pathfinder 1e had a fairly detailed optional system for vampiric hunger (which also worked for other undead who needed to feed on the living). You can find it over here: "The Hunger".

 

[Casimir Liber]

Pathfinder 1e had a fairly detailed optional system for vampiric hunger (which also worked for other undead who needed to feed on the living). You can find it over here: "The Hunger".

oh wow I did not know that! Seems a bit wordy but not a huge problem as it (I guess) would mostly occur out of game flow time as it were.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Some time ago I thought about how to create a d20 version of Cainites from WoD/CoD. Later my idea was to create "health levels" working in a way close to exhaustion levels in 5e. And my last idea is "hunger" 1-20 points pool. with 0 points the vampire is "engorged". The vampire can earn hunger-points using regeneration/fast healing. If there is are too many hunger points the senses to detect preys are better but the self-control is harder. A vampire "loses" a hunger point for each level os exhaustion/health whose prey lost.

 

[Stalker0]

I think this version is perfectly fine. If you want to simplify it a bit more and use some more core 5e rules, you could go with the 2024 exhaustion system.

Every X time frame that a vampire goes without feeding, it gains 1 exhaustion. This exhaustion is fully restored when the vampire feeds for X amount of time.

When the vampire is at 3 exhaustion or greater, it gains advantage to all attacks, but other creatuers have advantage to attack it.

At 10 exhaustion the vampire does not die but instead becomes unconscious and in a mummified state, only direct feeding of the vampire can restore it.


something like that.