In the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, a vampire is an

undead The undead are beings in mythology, legend, or fiction that are deceased but behave as if alive. Most commonly the term refers to corporeal forms of formerly-alive humans, such as mummies, vampires, and zombies, who have been reanimated by super ...

creature. A humanoid or monstrous humanoid creature can become a vampire, and looks as it did in life, with pale skin, haunting red eyes, and a feral cast to its features. A new vampire is created when another vampire drains the life out of a living creature. Its depiction is related to those in the 1930s and 1940s Hollywood ''

Dracula ''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...

'' and monster movies. In writing vampires into the game, as with other creatures arising in folklore, the authors had to consider what elements arising in more recent popular culture should be incorporated into their description and characteristics.

Publication history

The vampire was one of the earliest creatures introduced in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' game. The vampire as a player character concept was present in

Dave Arneson David Lance Arneson (; October 1, 1947Minnesota Department of Health. ''Minnesota Birth Index, 1935–2002'' atabase on-line Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2004. – April 7, 2009) was an American game designer best known ...

's playtest group for the original version of the rules. It led to the creation of a vampire-hunter, which became the basis of the cleric class. Inspired by

Gothic fiction Gothic fiction, sometimes called Gothic horror in the 20th century, is a loose literary aesthetic of fear and haunting. The name is a reference to Gothic architecture of the European Middle Ages, which was characteristic of the settings of ea ...

, the vampire is a typical denizen of the Ravenloft setting.

''Dungeons & Dragons'' (1974–1976)

The vampire was one of the first monsters introduced in the earliest edition of the game, in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' "white box" set (1974), where they were described simply as powerful undead. Vampires were further detailed in Supplement I: ''

Greyhawk Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game. Although not the first campaign world developed for ''Dungeons & Dragons''—Dave Arneson ...

'' (1975).

''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 1st edition (1977–1988)

The vampire appears in the first edition '' Monster Manual'' (1977), where it is described as a chaotic evil, night-prowling creature whose powerful negative force drains life energy from victims. ''

Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

'' #25 (May 1979) details several vampire variants, including the alp, the , the asanbosam, the bruxsa, the burcolakas, the catacano, the ch'ing-shih, the ekimmu, the krvopijac, the lobishumen, the mulo, the , and the vlkodlak. This article was later reprinted in ''Best of Dragon, Vol. II'' (1981). The vampiric lizard man appeared in the module ''

Tomb of the Lizard King ''Tomb of the Lizard King'' is a '' D&D'' adventure module published in 1982 by TSR. In ''Tomb of the Lizard King'', the player characters are employed by the Count of Eor to investigate a monstrous force that has been terrorizing caravans and p ...

'' (1982). The

Lankhmar Lankhmar is a fictional city in the ''Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser'' stories by Fritz Leiber. It is situated on the world of Nehwon, just west of the Great Salt Marsh and east of the River Hlal, and serves as the home of Leiber's two antiheroes. ...

vampire appeared in the module '' Swords of Deceit'' (1986). Dracula himself was given AD&D statistics in ''Dragon'' #126 (October 1987), along with the vrykolaka and great vrykolaka.

''Dungeons & Dragons'' (1977–1999)

This edition of the ''D&D'' game included its own version of the vampire, in the '' Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set'' (1977), and '' Expert Set'' (1981 & 1983), and was also later featured in the '' Dungeons & Dragons Game'' set (1991), the ''

Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia The ''Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia'' is a 1991 book published by TSR, Inc., as a continuation of the basic edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, which ran concurrently with ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons''. Its ...

'' (1991), the ''Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game'' set (1994), and the '' Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game'' set (1999). This last set also featured the lesser vampire. The velya, a relative of the vampire, was introduced in the module '' War Rafts of Kron'' (1984), and subsequently appeared in the ''

Creature Catalogue ''Creature Catalogue'' is a supplement for Basic ''Dungeons & Dragons'' first released in 1986, and updated in 1993. Contents The ''Creature Catalogue'' is a supplement which describes over 200 monsters, most of which had been collected from '' ...

'' (1986), and the later '' Creature Catalog'' (1993). The swamp velya was introduced in the module ''

Legacy of Blood ''Legacy of Blood'' is the fourth studio album by American hip hop group Jedi Mind Tricks. It was released on September 21, 2004 via Babygrande Records. Production was handled by member Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind, with Chuck Wilson serving as ...

'' (1987). The nosferatu appeared in the gazetteers of '' The Grand Duchy of Karameikos'' (1987) and '' The Principalities of Glantri'' (1987), and in the ''Creature Catalog'' (1993).

''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 2nd edition (1989–1999)

The vampire appears first in the '' Monstrous Compendium Volume One'' (1989), which also introduced the Eastern vampire. The standard vampire and the Eastern vampire are reprinted in the ''

Monstrous Manual The ''Monster Manual'' (''MM'' is the primary bestiary sourcebook for monsters in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'' fantasy role-playing game, first published in 1977 by TSR. The ''Monster Manual'' was the first hardcover D&D book and includ ...

'' (1993). Variants for the standard vampire and the Eastern vampire in the Spelljammer campaign setting were detailed in the supplement '' Crystal Spheres'' (1990). The lidevic appeared in ''Dragon'' #158 (June 1990). The nosferatu vampire for the Ravenloft setting appeared in the '' Ravenloft: Realm of Terror'' boxed set (1990), and later appeared in ''Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium Appendix III: Creatures of Darkness'' (1994), and '' Van Richten's Monster Hunter's Compendium'' (1999). Several vampire variants appeared in ''Monstrous Compendium Ravenloft Appendix'' (1991), including the dwarf vampire, the elf vampire, the gnome vampire, the halfling vampire, and the kender vampire; these creatures were reprinted in ''Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium I & II'' (1996). The Eastern vampire and Mayonaka appear in ''Monstrous Compendium Ravenloft Appendix II'' (1993). The

illithid In the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, illithids (commonly known as mind flayers) are monstrous humanoid ''aberrations'' with psionic powers. In a typical ''Dungeons & Dragons'' campaign setting, they live in the moist cavern ...

vampire and Athaekeetha appear in ''Monstrous Compendium Ravenloft Appendix II'', and later in ''Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium I & II'' (1996). '' Thoughts of Darkness'' (1992), and '' The Illithiad'' (1998). The oriental vampire and the drow vampire appeared in ''Ravenloft Monstrous Compendium Appendix III: Creatures of Darkness''. The cerebral vampire was introduced in '' Bleak House: The Death of Rudolph van Richten'' (1996), and then appeared in '' Monstrous Compendium Annual Volume Four'' (1998). The vampire of the

Mystara Mystara is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role playing game. It was the default setting for the "Basic" version of the game throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Most adventures published for the "Basic" edition of ''D&D'' ...

campaign setting was detailed in ''

Night of the Vampire Night (also described as night time, unconventionally spelled as "nite") is the period of ambient darkness from sunset to sunrise during each 24-hour day, when the Sun is below the horizon. The exact time when night begins and ends depends on ...

'' (1994). The velya and swamp velya returned in the ''Mystara Monstrous Compendium Appendix'' (1994). The nosferatu for the

Savage Coast Savage may refer to: Places Antarctica * Savage Glacier, Ellsworth Land * Savage Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Savage Ridge, Victoria Land United States * Savage, Maryland, an unincorporated community * Savage, Minnesota, a city * Savage, ...

setting appeared in the ''Savage Coast Monstrous Compendium Appendix'' (1996). ''Dragon'' Annual #1 (1996) details several undead variants, including the aswang (ghast), the baobhan sith (doppleganger), the civatateo (mummy), the dubbelsauger (ghoul), the eretica (hag), the fravashi (succubus), the gayal (wraith), the hannya (wight), the (zombie lord), the jigarkhor (wight), the kuei (skeleton), the lemure (spectre), the (wight), the nelapsi (vampire), the (goblin), the pelesit (monkey), the (wight), the ramanga (zombie), the stregoni (vampire), the tlacique (spectre), the ustrel (goblin), the vetala (wraith), the wurdalak (lycanthrope), the xloptuny (wight), the yara-ma-yha-sho (lizard man), and the zmeu (ghost). Three unique vampires for the Forgotten Realms campaign setting appeared in ''Dragon'' #236 (November 1996): Morg; Saed, Beast Chieftain of Veld; and Saestra Karanok.

''Dungeons & Dragons'' 3.0 edition (2000–2002)

The vampire appears in the '' Monster Manual'' for this edition (2000) as a template. The hopping vampire appeared in ''

Oriental Adventures ''Oriental Adventures'' (abbreviated OA) is the title shared by two hardback rulebooks published for different versions of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy roleplaying game. Each version of ''Oriental Adventures'' provides rules for ...

'' (2001). The drider vampire appeared in ''

City of the Spider Queen ''City of the Spider Queen'' is a 160-page adventure module set in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting, for use with the 3rd edition of the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons''. Plot summary According to the adventure background pr ...

'' (2002) for the Forgotten Realms.

''Dungeons & Dragons'' 3.5 edition (2003–2007)

The vampire appears in the revised '' Monster Manual'' for this edition (2003), along with the elite vampire. The moonbane vampire, the persuasive vampire, the psychic vampire, the savage vampire, and the swarmform vampire appeared in '' Libris Mortis: The Book of Undead'' (2004). The vampire mind flayer appears in ''

Lords of Madness ''Lords of Madness'' is an official supplement for the 3.5 edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game. Contents The book includes new content for aberrations including new aberration monsters and monsters related to them, ...

'' (2005). The Kasian vampire, the savage vampire, the shadow vampire and the terror vampire appeared in ''Dragon'' #348 (October 2006). Two unique vampires, Black Duke and Red Widow appeared in '' Monster Manual V'' (2007).

''Dungeons & Dragons'' 4th edition (2008–2014)

The vampire appears in the '' Monster Manual'' for this edition (2008). In the supplement ''

Heroes of Shadow ''Heroes of Shadow'' is a supplement to the 4th edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game. This was the first post-Essentials Dungeons & Dragons release and the supplement was designed to be compatible with both the Essentials line ...

'' (2011), the vampire is presented as a character class. The Vryloka, a race of humanoids with vampiric traits, are also presented. ''Dragon Annual 2009'' and ''Dragon Magazine 371'' also had the Vampire Bloodline, a series of feats.

''Dungeons & Dragons 5th'' edition (2014–present)

The vampire appears in the '' Monster Manual'' for this edition (2014) along with the spellcaster and warrior vampire variants. The jiangshi appears in ''

Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft ''Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft'' is a sourcebook that details the Domains of Dread from the ''Ravenloft'' campaign setting for the Editions of Dungeons & Dragons#Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition, 5th edition of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy ...

'' (2021), along with the dhampir, which is considered a lineage that can replace a character's race.

Description

A vampire can be of any evil

alignment Alignment may refer to: Archaeology * Alignment (archaeology), a co-linear arrangement of features or structures with external landmarks * Stone alignment, a linear arrangement of upright, parallel megalithic standing stones Biology * Structu ...

, and if its alignment was not evil in life, it becomes so in undeath. A vampire retains all the abilities it had in life, and gains the ability to drain blood and life energy, and to dominate other creatures with its gaze. A vampire can also command rats, bats, and wolves, or take the form of those creatures. They also become superhumanly strong, can heal quickly or even regenerate, and can turn into a gaseous form. Some vampires worship the god Kanchelsis.

Vampire spawn

In the '' Dungeons and Dragons'' game, the vampire spawn are undead creatures created when a vampire slays a mortal with its bite. Vampire spawn look much the way they did in life (they are usually humanoids), except with hardened features and a predatory look. They also have greyer skin. A vampire spawn can become a normal vampire after drinking the blood of the vampire who originally turned them into a vampire spawn. A vampire spawn is controlled by the vampire who created them. Vampire spawn are similar in their habits to vampires, being evil creatures drawn to their graves and coffins. They are much more brutish, stupid and while still strong, are physically weaker than vampires. They cannot turn into a bat, dire bat, wolf, or dire wolf and they cannot summon rats, bats or wolves. Vampire spawn are unable to create spawn of their own. They attack by hammering opponents against walls, punching them, and tearing out their limbs. They can both energy drain, and suck the blood with a bite. Their mere gaze drains the victim of confidence, courage, energy, hope and joy. Vampire spawn have the ability to assume a gaseous form. They can also climb upon walls in the manner of a spider. Vampire spawn are, however, also vulnerable to all normal attacks and spells which repel vampires. Vampire spawn speak Common. They can be of any evil alignment. In the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' supplement ''

Libris Mortis ''Libris Mortis: The Book of Undead'' is a book which is an official supplement for the 3.5 edition of the ''Dungeons and Dragons'' role-playing game. The book covers the fictional undead within the ''D&D'' universe and comprises seven chapters, ...

'', vampire spawn, along with several other undead creatures became

character classes In tabletop games and video games, a character class is a job or profession commonly used to differentiate the abilities of different game characters. In role-playing games (RPGs), character classes aggregate several abilities and aptitudes, ...

for player characters.

Variant vampires

* Moonbane Vampire – a vampire vulnerable to the light of the full moon. * Monstrous Vampire – a non-humanoid vampire. * Persuasive Vampire – uses the power of its speech to sway opinions of listeners. * Psychic Vampire – drains a victim's mental strength rather than physical health. * Savage Vampire – rely on brute force and hunt in packs. * Swarmform Vampire – can assume the form of a swarm of creatures. * Vampiric Dragon – vampiric dragon forever anchored to its hoard, much like a normal vampire craves its coffin. It can overcome this weakness through the use of magical trinkets, such as chokers, wrist bands and other pieces of jewelry that contains their entire horde. Most notable of these was Brimstone the Smoke drake's great diamond choker which allowed him to travel any length from his lair whenever he wanted so long as it was at night.

In ''Oriental Adventures''

* Hopping Vampire – Arises when a body is buried improperly or in an inauspicious location. *

Penanggalan The ''penanggal'' or ''penanggalan'' is a nocturnal vampiric entity from Malay ghost myths. Its name comes from the word ''tanggal'' meaning to remove or take off, because its form is that of a floating disembodied woman's head with its trailin ...

– A floating head, with entrails and intestines hanging down from the neck, which it can wrap around throats and limbs to squeeze the life out of its victims before feeding on their blood.

Notable vampires

* Strahd von Zarovich originally of the I6:Ravenloft

adventure module An adventure is a playable scenario in a tabletop role-playing game. These can be constructed by gamemasters for their players, and are also released by game publishers as pre-made adventure modules. Different types of designs exist, including l ...

and later made part of the Ravenloft Campaign Setting. *Union of Eclipses – A powerful and influential cabal of vampires whose dominion spans multiple worlds of the Material Plane. *Vlad Tolenkov – A sometimes consort to and advisor of

Lolth The drow ( or ) or dark elves are a dark-skinned and white-haired subrace of elves connected to the subterranean Underdark in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game. The drow have traditionally been portrayed as generally evil and ...

, he resides in a Nightmare World trapped in the

Demonweb Pits In the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'', an Outer Plane is one of a number of general types of planes of existence. They can also be referred to as ''godly planes'', ''spiritual planes'' or ''divine planes''. The Outer Planes are ...

. *Drelzna – The vampire daughter of the archmage Iggwilv, she was trapped in stasis as the guardian of the main treasure in

The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth ''The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth'' is an adventure module for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. It was written by Gary Gygax and published by TSR in 1982 for the first edition ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' (''AD&D'') rules ...

. *

Kas the Bloody-Handed This is a list of characters from the Greyhawk campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. A Acererak Acererak was a powerful wizard who became a lich, and later a demilich. Publication history Acererak ...

⁣ – The vampire lieutenant of Vecna the lich, whom he would eventually betray and try to kill.

Reception

Rob Bricken of io9 identified the vampire as one of "The 12 Most Obnoxious Dungeons & Dragons Monsters". Detlef Wienecke-Janz and James Lovitt considered the vampire a typical monster of the

Bram Stoker Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912) was an Irish author who is celebrated for his 1897 Gothic horror novel '' Dracula''. During his lifetime, he was better known as the personal assistant of actor Sir Henry Irving and busine ...

-inspired horror-setting of Ravenloft.

Other publishers

The vampire is fully detailed in

Paizo Publishing Paizo Inc. (originally Paizo Publishing.) is an American role-playing game publishing company based in Redmond, Washington, best known for the tabletop role-playing game ''Pathfinder Roleplaying Game, Pathfinder''. The company's name is derived ...

's book ''Classic Horrors Revisited'' (2009), on pages 46–51. Jacobs, James, Rob McCreary, and

F. Wesley Schneider F. Wesley Schneider is an American game designer and author known for his work on the ''Pathfinder Roleplaying Game'' and for '' Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). He was the co-lead designer on the ''D&D'' 5th Edition adventure anthology ''Journey ...

. ''Classic Horrors Revisited'' (Paizo, 2009)