Plane Shift: Innistrad
5e
Vampire: Vampirism on Innistrad is an anointing that persists and is perpetuated by magic—not a curse or a disease, but a physical state that the vampires somewhat euphemistically call a “condition of the blood.”
Typically, a vampire drinks so much blood from a human that the victim dies, but sometimes the vampire is interrupted and the human survives and recovers. Such survivors are often met with suspicion and fear, but they never become vampires unless an actual exchange of blood has occurred—which is always a deliberate act on the vampire’s part.
Innistrad’s ancient history speaks of a human alchemist and healer named Edgar Markov, who sought to preserve his own life and the lives of his family. As old age began to claim him, he despaired of finding an alchemical solution and turned to black magic. Not long after, the demon Shilgengar appeared to Markov and revealed a means by which he could achieve immortality: a dark ritual that involved drinking an angel’s blood.
The vampires of Innistrad are all descended from twelve ancient sires—the congregation that participated in Markov’s blasphemous ritual.
After his father’s death, Strefan studied magic and forged a pact with the demon Shilgengar in return for the promise of immortality. After murdering his brother Sergei and drinking his blood, Strefan journeyed to Markov Manor and consulted with Edgar Markov. Together, they worked with Shilgengar to create the twelve bloodlines of vampires on Innistrad.
Vampire Neonate: ?
Vampire Elder: ?
Geist: The restless spirits of the dead.
Innistrad is filled with the ghosts of the human dead. These spirits, called geists, take many forms. Some are protective ancestors, some are simply lost between life and death, and others are vengeful creatures bent on resolving conflicts they couldn’t in life. While Avacyn stood as guardian over Innistrad, she and the angels of Flight Alabaster ushered the spirits of the departed into the Æther, where they rejoined the essence of the plane. In her absence—and now her madness—many spirits cling to the world of the living, unable or unwilling to find their way to the Blessed Sleep.
Geists have always been a presence on Innistrad.
Some manifest on the plane only because of a grudge or regret powerful enough to disturb the Blessed Sleep of the body to which they were connected. Others linger because of a strong desire to protect their living kin, or because of some obsession forcing them to continue a duty they performed in life.
Benevolent Green-Aligned Geist: Rarely, human spirits return as benevolent green-aligned geists.
Unhallowed, Ghoul: Ghoulcallers are necromancers—mages who use black mana to call forth the dead from graveyards. These risen dead are called ghouls, or the unhallowed. The ghoulcaller fills the fragile mind of his or her creation with a single driving purpose, which the ghoul carries out to the best of its ability using whatever skills it has. The result is a grotesque parody of life: risen blacksmiths attempting to “reforge” their opponents, fallen warriors rasping incoherent battle cries, undead murderers reawakening their deadly slyness, and fallen mages trying to weave spells that often result in some horrible distortion of their original purpose.
Risen Blacksmith: Ghoulcallers are necromancers—mages who use black mana to call forth the dead from graveyards. These risen dead are called ghouls, or the unhallowed. The ghoulcaller fills the fragile mind of his or her creation with a single driving purpose, which the ghoul carries out to the best of its ability using whatever skills it has. The result is a grotesque parody of life: risen blacksmiths attempting to “reforge” their opponents, fallen warriors rasping incoherent battle cries, undead murderers reawakening their deadly slyness, and fallen mages trying to weave spells that often result in some horrible distortion of their original purpose.
Fallen Warrior: Ghoulcallers are necromancers—mages who use black mana to call forth the dead from graveyards. These risen dead are called ghouls, or the unhallowed. The ghoulcaller fills the fragile mind of his or her creation with a single driving purpose, which the ghoul carries out to the best of its ability using whatever skills it has. The result is a grotesque parody of life: risen blacksmiths attempting to “reforge” their opponents, fallen warriors rasping incoherent battle cries, undead murderers reawakening their deadly slyness, and fallen mages trying to weave spells that often result in some horrible distortion of their original purpose.
Undead Murderer: Ghoulcallers are necromancers—mages who use black mana to call forth the dead from graveyards. These risen dead are called ghouls, or the unhallowed. The ghoulcaller fills the fragile mind of his or her creation with a single driving purpose, which the ghoul carries out to the best of its ability using whatever skills it has. The result is a grotesque parody of life: risen blacksmiths attempting to “reforge” their opponents, fallen warriors rasping incoherent battle cries, undead murderers reawakening their deadly slyness, and fallen mages trying to weave spells that often result in some horrible distortion of their original purpose.
Fallen Mage: Ghoulcallers are necromancers—mages who use black mana to call forth the dead from graveyards. These risen dead are called ghouls, or the unhallowed. The ghoulcaller fills the fragile mind of his or her creation with a single driving purpose, which the ghoul carries out to the best of its ability using whatever skills it has. The result is a grotesque parody of life: risen blacksmiths attempting to “reforge” their opponents, fallen warriors rasping incoherent battle cries, undead murderers reawakening their deadly slyness, and fallen mages trying to weave spells that often result in some horrible distortion of their original purpose.
Zombie Animal: Ghouls also include zombie animals, often animated by necromancers to serve as familiars—most commonly cats, rats, and snakes.
Zombie Animal Cat: Ghouls also include zombie animals, often animated by necromancers to serve as familiars—most commonly cats, rats, and snakes.
Zombie Animal Rat: Ghouls also include zombie animals, often animated by necromancers to serve as familiars—most commonly cats, rats, and snakes.
Zombie Animal Snake: Ghouls also include zombie animals, often animated by necromancers to serve as familiars—most commonly cats, rats, and snakes.
Geist Red-Aligned Poltergeist: Human spirits motivated by fury sometimes return as red-aligned geists called poltergeists.
Undead: ?
Risen Dead: ?
Zombie: ?
Shadow: ?
Specter: ?
Will-o'-Wisp: ?
Wraith: ?
Ghoul: ?
Ghast: ?
Mummy: ?
Wight: ?
Lich: Liches are powerful necromancers who fuse the magic of the ghoulcaller with the arcane science of necro-alchemy, preserving themselves in hideous unlife while retaining their sentience and magical power.
Vampire Spawn: ?
Strefan Maurer, Strefan the Fiend, Vampire: After his father’s death, Strefan studied magic and forged a pact with the demon Shilgengar in return for the promise of immortality. After murdering his brother Sergei and drinking his blood, Strefan journeyed to Markov Manor and consulted with Edgar Markov. Together, they worked with Shilgengar to create the twelve bloodlines of vampires on Innistrad.
Strahd Von Zarovich, Vampire: ?
Ruby, Twin of Mauer Estate, Vampire Neonate: ?
Carmine, Twin of Mauer Estate, Vampire Neonate: ?