Aspect Codex

Vampirism

Vampirism is an imported aspect from the Jericha Aspect Data sheet. Its full lore and named powers can be expanded here as the canon text is added.

VampirismNon-spellcastingChargesPersuasion or Stealth

What This Aspect Does

Vampirism defines a character's supernatural focus, training profile, resource model, and power family. This page is structured so each separate power can become its own linked entry instead of being buried inside a character sheet.

Power Links

42 separate powersReusable by characters, items, curses, and locations
Tier 0ActionAt-Will

Crimson Bite

Make a bite or fanged strike against one creature. On a hit, the target takes piercing or necrotic damage. If the target is bleeding, charmed by you, grappled by you, or below half hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to your CHA modifier.

Tier 0Bonus ActionAt-Will

Night Eyes

Your eyes adjust to darkness like a night predator. For the duration, you gain darkvision out to 60 ft., or increase existing darkvision by 30 ft., and add 1d4 to Perception or Stealth checks made in dim light or darkness.

Tier 1Bonus ActionAt-Will

Blood Scent

You smell living blood, fresh wounds, and fear. For the duration, you know the direction of bleeding creatures within 60 ft. that are not behind total cover, and add 1d4 to Survival checks to track wounded living creatures.

Tier 1ActionAt-Will

Predator's Smile

Fix one creature with an inviting, dangerous gaze. It makes a WIS save. On a failure, it is charmed by you until the end of your next turn, or frightened instead if it is already hostile and below half hit points.

Tier 1Bonus ActionAt-Will

Wall-Crawl

Move with coffin-beast grace. Gain a climbing speed equal to your walking speed, and you may climb difficult surfaces, including ceilings, while leaving your hands free if you move at half speed.

Tier 1ReactionAt-Will

Thirsting Reflex

When a living creature within 5 ft. takes piercing, slashing, or necrotic damage, gain temporary hit points equal to 1d8 + your CHA modifier as your hunger sharpens.

Tier 2Bonus ActionAt-Will

Sanguine Recovery

If you damaged a living creature with a bite, claw, weapon, or Vampirism power this turn, regain hit points equal to 2d6 + your CHA modifier. This healing fails if you are in direct sunlight or took radiant damage since the end of your last turn.

Tier 2ActionAt-Will

Bite and Bind

Make a bite or claw attack. On a hit, the target takes necrotic or piercing damage and must make a STR save or be grappled by you. While grappled this way, your bite attacks against it have advantage.

Tier 2Bonus ActionAt-Will

Coffin Step

Move from one shadow, coffin, grave, curtain, doorway, or patch of dim light to another space you can see within range. This movement does not provoke opportunity attacks, but cannot pass through sealed magical wards.

Tier 2ActionAt-Will

Dread Invitation

One creature that can see or hear you makes a WIS save. On a failure, it cannot willingly move farther from you until the end of its next turn. If it is already charmed by you, it instead uses its reaction, if available, to move up to half its speed toward you.

Tier 3Bonus ActionAt-Will

Blood Mark

Mark one living creature whose blood you can smell, see, or have tasted. For the duration, you know its direction while it is within 1 mile, and your first Vampirism attack against it each turn deals extra necrotic damage equal to your CHA modifier.

Tier 3ActionAt-Will

Hungering Bite

Make a bite attack against one living creature. On a hit, it takes piercing and necrotic damage, and you regain hit points equal to half the necrotic damage dealt. If the target is willing, charmed, grappled, or incapacitated, roll one extra damage die.

Tier 3ActionAt-Will

Velvet Command

Speak a soft command to one creature charmed by you or frightened of you. It must make a WIS save. On a failure, it follows a simple one-word command on its next turn, such as approach, drop, flee, halt, kneel, or release.

Tier 3ActionAt-Will

Children of the Night

Call minor night creatures such as bats, rats, moths, or ravens to harry and distract. Choose a 10-ft. radius area. Creatures of your choice in the area have disadvantage on Perception checks and the first opportunity attack they make each round.

Tier 4ReactionAt-Will

Mist Escape

When you are hit by an attack, become a rush of red mist and shadow. Reduce the damage by 4d10 + your CHA modifier and move up to 15 ft. without provoking opportunity attacks. You cannot pass through airtight barriers.

Tier 4ActionAt-Will

Enthralling Gaze

One creature that can see your eyes makes a WIS save. On a failure, it is charmed by you for the duration. It repeats the save whenever you or your allies damage it. While charmed this way, it treats your voice as familiar and trustworthy, not as an absolute command.

Tier 4ActionAt-Will

Blood Feast

Make a bite attack against a grappled, willing, charmed, incapacitated, or restrained living creature. On a hit, deal necrotic damage, regain hit points equal to half the damage, and the target cannot regain hit points until the start of your next turn.

Tier 4Bonus ActionAt-Will

Predator's Body

Your body becomes colder, faster, and more predatory. Gain resistance to necrotic damage, a climbing speed if you do not already have one, and advantage on Stealth checks made in dim light, darkness, castles, crypts, alleys, or other enclosed night-haunts.

Tier 5Bonus ActionAt-Will

Regenerative Hunger

For the duration, regain hit points equal to your CHA modifier at the start of each turn if you have at least 1 hit point and have damaged, charmed, or frightened a living creature since the end of your last turn. This regeneration stops for one round if you take radiant damage or begin your turn in direct sunlight.

Tier 5ActionAt-Will

Crimson Thrall

One humanoid or living creature that is charmed by you, has tasted your blood, or whose blood you have tasted makes a WIS save. On a failure, it becomes your willing attendant for the duration, avoiding obvious self-harm and repeating the save if directly endangered.

Tier 5Bonus ActionAt-Will

Beast of the Coffin

Take on monstrous vampire traits: claws, fangs, pallid wings, batlike ears, or wolfish hunger. Gain +10 ft. speed, advantage on Athletics checks to grapple, and your natural weapon attacks deal extra necrotic damage once per turn.

Tier 5ActionAt-Will

Bloodless Passage

Move through cracks, bars, keyholes, loose soil, coffin seams, curtains, fog, or shadowed gaps as a thin blood-mist, provided the opening is at least 1 inch wide. You cannot carry creatures with you and cannot pass through sealed radiant wards.

Tier 6PassiveAt-Will

Vampiric Resilience

Your undead predation becomes part of your body. You no longer need to breathe, have resistance to necrotic and poison damage, and advantage on saves against disease, poison, exhaustion from lack of sleep, and charm effects from creatures you have fed on.

Tier 6ActionAt-Will

Crimson Dominion

Radiate predatory authority. Living creatures of your choice in the emanation that are charmed by you or below half hit points have disadvantage on saving throws against your Vampirism powers. A creature can be affected by this disadvantage only once per turn.

Tier 6ActionAt-Will

Blood Drain

Make a bite or touch attack. On a hit, the target takes necrotic damage and makes a CON save. On a failure, its hit point maximum is reduced by the necrotic damage dealt until it finishes a long rest, and you gain temporary hit points equal to half that damage.

Tier 6Bonus ActionAt-Will

Red Mist Form

Become mist, shadow, bats, or red vapor. You can move through spaces as narrow as 1 inch, resist nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage, and cannot manipulate objects heavier than 10 pounds. Direct sunlight or radiant damage forces a CON save to maintain the form.

Tier 7PassiveAt-Will

Night Sovereignty

You are immune to mundane disease and have advantage on saves against poison, charm, fear, and exhaustion. In dim light or darkness, your speed increases by 10 ft., and your first Vampirism attack each turn deals extra necrotic damage equal to your CHA modifier.

Tier 7ActionAt-Will

Lordly Gaze

One creature that can see and hear you makes a WIS save. On a failure, it is charmed or frightened for the duration. While affected, it cannot willingly attack you unless you damage it first. It repeats the save at the end of each turn.

Tier 7ActionAt-Will

Crimson Banquet

Draw power from wounded creatures nearby. Living creatures of your choice in the emanation that are below half hit points make CON saves, taking necrotic damage on a failure or half on a success. You regain hit points equal to your CHA modifier for each creature that fails, up to five creatures.

Tier 710 MinutesAt-Will

Coffin Sanctuary

Consecrate a coffin, grave, bed, crypt, abandoned room, or dark resting place as your sanctuary. While resting there, you recover one level of exhaustion and regain extra hit points. If reduced to 0 hit points within 1 mile, you know the sanctuary's direction.

Tier 8Bonus ActionAt-Will

Deathless Predator

Become a near-complete vampire predator. You are immune to poison damage and the poisoned condition, resistant to necrotic and nonmagical weapon damage, do not breathe, and gain a climbing speed. While in dim light or darkness, your regeneration from Vampirism powers increases by your CHA modifier.

Tier 8ActionAt-Will

Court of Blood

Your presence creates a predatory court. Charmed creatures in the emanation have disadvantage on saves to end your charm, frightened creatures have disadvantage on attacks against you, and allies of your choice gain temporary hit points when you drain life.

Tier 8ActionAt-Will

Exsanguinating Kiss

Make a bite attack against one living creature. On a hit, the target takes heavy necrotic damage and makes a CON save. On a failure, it is weakened until the end of its next turn, dealing half damage with weapon attacks and unable to regain hit points.

Tier 8ActionAt-Will

Storm of Bats

A shrieking storm of bats, shadows, or red-winged night creatures fills a 30-ft. radius. The area is lightly obscured and difficult terrain. Creatures of your choice entering or starting there make DEX saves or take necrotic damage and have disadvantage on opportunity attacks until their next turn.

Tier 9PassiveAt-Will

Ancient Vampire Body

You are immune to poison damage, disease, suffocation, starvation, dehydration, and mundane exhaustion. You resist necrotic and nonmagical weapon damage. Effects below Tier 9 cannot kill you outright unless they use radiant/divine force, destroy your sanctuary, or satisfy a story weakness.

Tier 9Action1/Long Rest

Mass Enthrallment

Living creatures of your choice in the emanation make WIS saves. On a failure, a creature is charmed or frightened by you for the duration. Affected creatures repeat the save when damaged or at the end of each turn if directly commanded into danger.

Tier 9ActionAt-Will

Blood Moon Feast

Draw blood-force from the battlefield. Living creatures of your choice in the emanation make CON saves, taking necrotic damage and losing the ability to regain hit points until the start of your next turn on a failure. You regain hit points equal to half the highest damage dealt to one target.

Tier 9Reaction1/Long Rest

Return to the Coffin

When you would die, dissolve into mist, bats, ash, or blood and flee toward a prepared sanctuary on the same plane. If the sanctuary remains intact for 24 hours, you reform there with 1 hit point. Radiant, divine, or Tier 9+ effects may prevent this if they destroy the sanctuary.

Tier 10Bonus ActionAt-Will

Vampire Lord Ascendant

Become an apex vampire. You are immune to poison and necrotic damage, resistant to nonmagical weapon damage, regenerate hit points equal to your CHA modifier at the start of each turn unless in direct sunlight or harmed by radiant damage, and your Vampirism powers deal or restore an extra 4d10 once per turn.

Tier 10Action1/Long Rest

Sunless Sovereign

A court of supernatural night gathers around you. The area becomes dim light, nonmagical sunlight is suppressed, chosen enemies make WIS saves or become frightened, and creatures charmed by you cannot willingly move farther from you while inside the emanation.

Tier 10Action1/Long Rest

Crimson Apocalypse

Blood hunger erupts across a battlefield-scale area. Living creatures of your choice in a 60-ft. radius make CON saves, taking immense necrotic damage and being unable to regain hit points until the start of your next turn on a failure. You heal for half the damage dealt to one failed target.

Tier 10Action1/Ever

Eternal Hunger

Declare a mythic vampiric event tied to a bloodline, city, court, eclipse, ancient coffin, murdered dynasty, or endless feast. It can found a vampire court, curse a noble house, turn a battlefield into a feeding ground, or bind a sanctuary to your hunger. It can be opposed only by Tier 10 vampirism, divine intervention, radiant miracle, or a story condition set when declared.

Characters With This Aspect

No character is linked to this aspect yet.