Vampire Part 1: Lore and Stats

I am the Ancient, I am the Land. My beginnings are lost in the darkness of the past. I was the Warrior, I was good and just. I thundered across the land like the wrath of a just god, but the war years and the killing years wore down my soul as the wind wears down stone into sand.

Count Strahd von Zarovich

Lore: A Terrible Thirst

Vampires hunger for the lives they’ve lost. Alas, the closest thing they have to sate that yearning is the blood of the living.

Regardless of whether they maintain their memories from their past life, they do maintain their emotions. Unfortunately, those emotions are twisted and distorted by undeath, and they strive for a physical trophy of their emotions. For example: love might become crazed obsession, and the vampire may seek out a beautiful maiden. Vampires have all manner of obsessions, from art to magic to more… sinister desires.

Most slain by a vampire turn into vampiric spawn, ravenous beasts controlled by their new master and hungry for blood. Should the master give them a taste of their own blood, they will evolve into a true vampire themselves, though few vampires ever provide this kindness. Most vampire spawn only attain freedom when their masters die.

Though bound to their place of burial, vampires are capable of moving. Though they must keep their grave, or at least the soil in which their corpse rotted, close at hand. Some vampires even spread their burial site to multiple locations as they travel.

One vampire that stands out more than the others is Strahd von Zarovich. As brilliant a warrior as he was a thinker, he fought in countless battles in defense of his people. Once his body grew too old for war, he settled in Barovia and built a mighty castle, Ravenloft, from which he could survey his lands, where his brother, Sergei, came to live with him as his advisor and companion.

But Strahd’s love for his brother quickly turned into envy and hatred. Sergei was still young and strong and handsome. So much so that Strahd’s beloved, Tatyana, spurned him for his brother. In a desperate effort to win her heart, Strahd forged a pack with dark powers, thus becoming an immortal beast. At his brother’s wedding, Strahd confronted Sergei and killed him.

As you might expect, this did not earn Tatyana’s heart. The maiden flung herself from the walls of Ravenloft to her death. Strahd’s guards turned on him, yet their arrows did not kill him. Strahd had become the first vampire. And in his immortality, his yearning for youth and life has only grown fiercer. Now, he resides deep within the dark depths of Ravenloft, forever unwilling to admit his own hand in the catastrophes that ruined his life.

This lore is incredible! Strahd alone makes it amazing; he’s legitimately one of my favorite D&D villains, and the ‘Curse of Strahd’ campaign is one of 5e’s best offerings! Seriously, if you need a pre-written campaign, that one is a super solid pick!

Even setting Strahd aside, you could write all kinds of stories with a vampire antagonist! The lore is so open that it practically begs for you to get creative! Maybe you could write a compelling relationship between a vampire and his spawn, with the players caught in the middle. Or perhaps the players attain an item of a vampire’s obsession and they now have to find some way to escape/kill it! The sky is the limit!

The night sky, of course. Sunlight is a big no-go.

Design: Stronger Together

*Places hand on Bible* I swear, with God as my witness, I will not make a Twilight joke.

Individually, I don’t think either of these designs are particularly strong. The vampire looks more like a peevish fancy elf than a lord of the night, and the spawn looks like a generic horror monster. Not the best for my criteria.

However, the lore helps elevate this one. Remember: vampire spawn can evolve into true vampires. This makes the similarities between the two – the claws and the fangs – as well as the differences – the clothing, the skin complexion, and the eyes – all the more striking.

The design tells something of a story. The disgusting ragged monster, evolved into the noble yet cruel ruler of the night. A tyrant turning innocent people into the monster it once was itself. In that regard, these designs are great!

Alone, they’re not great. But together? They’re not half bad.

Which is probably gonna be the opposite of how the stats play out. But that’ll have to wait until next week, because holy hell, there’s a lot to go over!

See y’all next time, for when we put this deadly pair on the list!