Forgotten Realms Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Forgotten Realms Wiki

Vampires were a type of undead that fed on blood. They were one of the most feared and powerful undead creatures.[6][4]

There's something so pure about a vampire's evil, so perfect in its utter corruption... It'll tear at your throat like a ravenous beast, then smile at your companions as it dabs its blood-soaked lips with a silk napkin.
— Terevan of Celduilon[9]

Description[]

A vampire looked very much like it did when alive, but with paler skin, hardened and feral features giving them a predatory aspect, and red eyes that were hard to forget. Their hands were clawed.[4]

They did not cast shadows and had no reflections in mirrors.[4]

Personality[]

Vampires enjoyed fine things and engaging in decadent behavior, sharing such habits with liches. A vampire was always a creature of evil. If it was not evil in life, it became so in undeath.[4]

Powers[]

A vampire retained all the abilities it had in life, and it gained the ability to drain blood and life energy, and to dominate other creatures with its gaze. A vampire could also command rats, bats, and wolves, or take the form of those creatures.[4]

Weaknesses[]

The greatest weakness of all vampire kind was their hypersensitivity to sunlight. If exposed directly to light created by the sun, they would start being harmed instantly, and would eventually burn to ash if they did not hide in the shadows. [1] Additionally, they could not spend more than a moment in running water without being injured. [1]

Vampires were eternally bound to their coffins and the unholy earth where they were buried.[4] While they were either resting or regenerating in their coffin, driving a stake through their undead heart would destroy them instantly.[1] They also could not tolerate the smell of garlic and would not voluntarily enter an area with a strong odor of it.[4]

Lastly, they could not enter any residence, without an explicit invitation of the beings inhabiting it. [1]

Creation[]

A new vampire was created when another vampire drained the life out of a living creature. A humanoid or monstrous humanoid could become a vampire.[4]

Half-vampires could be created in one of two ways. First, in some rare cases, a vampire could consume enough blood that it could breed with a humanoid or monstrous humanoid, creating half-vampire offspring. Second, in even rarer cases, if a pregnant mother survived having her blood drained by a vampire, her unborn could be "tainted" with vampirism instead.[10]

Master vampires were vampires that had perfected the art of taking spawn, and as a result, could lead large gangs of them. They usually had one chosen spawn that was much better than the others. However, all of a master vampire's spawn were better than the norm: stronger, faster, and more numerous.[11]

Activities[]

Vampires typically plotted to empower themselves and produce spawn that would spread across the world.[4]

Varieties[]

VampireDemihumans

The demihuman vampires of Ravenloft: An elf, dwarf, halfling, and gnome.

Notable Vampires[]

Appendix[]

Notes[]

The 1st edition accessory Lords of Darkness described a "greater vampire" which was created from the life-draining kiss of a succubus. A greater vampire had all the abilities of a lesser vampire and could also move about freely in daylight, allowing it to take on the persona of a normal person, usually a wealthy individual. During the hours of daylight, the greater vampire retained its superior strength and spell immunities but could not use any of its special abilities such as life-drain, shapeshifting, or gaseous form.[14]

See Also[]

Appearances[]

Gallery[]

Further Reading[]

External links[]

Disclaimer: The views expressed in the following links do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of this wiki, nor does any lore presented necessarily adhere to established canon.

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Christopher Perkins (2014-09-30). Monster Manual 5th edition. Edited by Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 297. ISBN 978-0786965614.
  2. Mike Mearls, Claudio Pozas, Robert J. Schwalb (April 2011). Player's Option: Heroes of Shadow. Edited by Michelle Carter. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 49–62. ISBN 978-0-7869-5745-3.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 258–259. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
  4. 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 250–253. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
  5. 5.0 5.1 David "Zeb" Cook et al. (1989). Monstrous Compendium Volume One. (TSR, Inc). ISBN 0-8803-8738-6.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Gary Gygax (December 1977). Monster Manual, 1st edition. (TSR, Inc), p. 99. ISBN 0-935696-00-8.
  7. Mike Mearls, Stephen Schubert, James Wyatt (June 2008). Monster Manual 4th edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 258. ISBN 978-0-7869-4852-9.
  8. Skip Williams, Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook (July 2003). Monster Manual v.3.5. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 253. ISBN 0-7869-2893-X.
  9. Rodney Thompson, Logan Bonner, Matthew Sernett (November 2010). Monster Vault. Edited by Greg Bilsland et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 281. ISBN 978-0-7869-5631-9.
  10. Andy Collins, Bruce R. Cordell (October 2004). Libris Mortis: The Book of Undead. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 106. ISBN 0-7869-3433-6.
  11. Andy Collins, Bruce R. Cordell (October 2004). Libris Mortis: The Book of Undead. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 55–56. ISBN 0-7869-3433-6.
  12. William W. Connors (1996). Monstrous Compendium - Ravenloft Appendices I & II. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 54, 56, 58. ISBN 0786903929.
  13. F. Wesley Schneider, et al. (May 2021). Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft. Edited by Judy Bauer, Michele Carter, Scott Fitzgerald Gray. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 239. ISBN 978-0-7869-6725-4.
  14. Vince Garcia, Jean Rabe (December 1988). “Vampires”. In Scott Martin Bowles ed. Lords of Darkness (TSR, Inc.), p. 49. ISBN 0-88038-622-3.

Connections[]

Shadow Spellcasters
Assassin (Executioner) • BlackguardBinderShadowcasterVampire
Advertisement