necrotic, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Senses
darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages
the languages it knew in life
Traits
Regeneration. The vampire regains 10 hit points at the start of its turn if it has at least 1 hit point and isn't in sunlight or running water. If the vampire takes radiant damage or damage from holy water, this trait doesn't function at the start of the vampire's next turn.
Spider Climb. The vampire can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Vampire Weaknesses. The vampire has the following flaws:
Forbiddance. The vampire can't enter a residence without an invitation from one of the occupants.
Harmed by Running Water. The vampire takes 20 acid damage when it ends its turn in running water.
Stake to the Heart. The vampire is destroyed if a piercing weapon made of wood is driven into its heart while it is incapacitated in its resting place.
Sunlight Hypersensitivity. The vampire takes 20 radiant damage when it starts its turn in sunlight. While in sunlight, it has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.
Actions
Multiattack. The vampire makes two attacks, only one of which can be a bite attack.
Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one willing creature, or a creature that is grappled by the vampire, incapacitated, or restrained. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage plus 7 (2d6) necrotic damage. The target's hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken, and the vampire regains hit points equal to that amount. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.
Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 8 (2d4 + 3) slashing damage. Instead of dealing damage, the vampire can grapple the target (escape DC 13).
How vampire spawn fight
A vampire spawn is a lesser vampire: CR 5, 82 hit points, AC 15, and resistance to necrotic damage and nonmagical weapons. It makes two attacks a turn, only one of which can be a bite. Its claws deal 2d4 + 3, or grapple instead (escape DC 13), and its bite, which only works on a creature that’s grappled, incapacitated, restrained or willing, deals 1d6 + 3 piercing plus 2d6 necrotic and heals the spawn by the necrotic damage.
The pattern is claw to grapple on one turn, then bite and claw on every turn after. Each bite also lowers the victim’s hit point maximum until a long rest. On top of that, it regains 10 hit points at the start of each turn unless it’s in sunlight or running water, or took radiant damage or holy water since its last turn.
Running vampire spawn at the table
Grab the weakest target. Grapple the wizard or cleric with a claw, then keep biting. The victim needs a DC 13 check to break free.
Use the walls and ceiling. Spider Climb lets spawn ambush from above and retreat where melee characters can’t follow.
Remember their master. Spawn are a vampire’s servants, made from the humanoids it kills and buries. Where there are spawn, there’s usually a vampire giving orders.
Let the weaknesses matter. A spawn can’t enter a home uninvited, takes 20 radiant damage each turn it starts in sunlight and 20 acid damage when it ends a turn in running water. Players who fight at dawn or across a stream should be rewarded.
Common questions
How do you stop a vampire spawn’s Regeneration?
Deal radiant damage or hit it with holy water: its Regeneration doesn’t work at the start of its next turn. Sacred Flame, a paladin’s Divine Smite and Guiding Bolt all deal radiant damage. Sunlight and running water stop it too.
How do you kill a vampire spawn for good?
Reduce it to 0 hit points; unlike a true vampire, a spawn has no Misty Escape to flee back to its coffin. Driving a wooden stake into its heart while it’s incapacitated in its resting place also destroys it.
Can a vampire spawn turn my character into a vampire?
Not by itself. A creature killed by a spawn’s bite just dies. It’s a true vampire’s bite that raises a buried humanoid as a new spawn.
How hard is a vampire spawn fight?
One spawn is CR 5, worth 1,800 XP. By the Dungeon Master’s Guide’s encounter math, that’s Deadly for four 3rd-level characters, Hard at 4th and Easy at 5th.
Does the lost hit point maximum come back?
Yes, when the character finishes a long rest. If the reduction ever brings the maximum to 0, the character dies.
Can vampire spawn cross running water?
They can, but a spawn takes 20 acid damage whenever it ends its turn in running water, and it doesn’t regenerate while there.
CR 1. Hungry undead whose claws paralyze. Common allies or rivals of a vampire’s household.
How many vampire spawns for a fight?
A vampire spawn is worth 1,800 XP. Using the 2024 encounter budgets (SRD 5.2), this is how many vampire spawns fit each difficulty for a party of four characters of the same level. A dash means even one would be over the budget.
Party level
Low
Moderate
High
4th
—
—
1
5th
1
1
2
6th
1
2
3
7th
1
2
3
8th
2
3
4
9th
2
4
5
10th
3
5
6
11th
4
6
9
12th
4
8
10
13th
5
9
12
14th
6
10
12+
15th
7
12
12+
16th
8
12+
12+
17th
10
12+
12+
18th
11
12+
12+
19th
12
12+
12+
Budgets add up every monster’s XP, so you can swap some for other creatures of the same total. Try other party sizes and mixes in the encounter calculator.
How the vampire spawn compares at CR 5
Against the 26 other challenge 5 monsters in the SRD 5.1, the vampire spawn has more hit points than 4 of them, which makes it one of the frailest at its CR. See every CR 5 monster.
Statistic
Vampire Spawn
CR 5 average
Armor Class
15
14.5
Hit points
82
103
Best attack bonus
+6
+7
Vampire Spawn 2024 stat block
The 2024 Monster Manual revised the vampire spawn, and the SRD 5.2 carries the new stat block. What changed:
Armor Class: 15 → 16.
Hit points: 82 → 90.
New in its stat block: Vampire Weakness, Forbiddance, Running Water, Stake to the Heart, Sunlight, Claw and Deathless Agility.
Gone from it: Regeneration, Vampire Weaknesses and Claws.
Armor Class
16
Hit Points
90 (12d8 + 36)
Speed
30 ft.
Challenge
5 (1,800 XP)
STR
DEX
CON
INT
WIS
CHA
16 (+3)
16 (+3)
16 (+3)
11 (+0)
10 (+0)
12 (+1)
Damage resistances
necrotic
Senses
darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages
Common plus one other language
Traits
Spider Climb. The vampire can climb difficult surfaces, including along ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.
Vampire Weakness. The vampire has these weaknesses:
Forbiddance. The vampire can’t enter a residence without an invitation from an occupant.
Running Water. The vampire takes 20 Acid damage if it ends its turn in running water.
Stake to the Heart. The vampire is destroyed if a weapon that deals Piercing damage is driven into the vampire’s heart while the vampire has the Incapacitated condition.
Sunlight. The vampire takes 20 Radiant damage if it starts its turn in sunlight. While in sunlight, it has Disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.
Actions
Multiattack. The vampire makes two Claw attacks and uses Bite.
Claw. Melee Attack Roll: +6, reach 5 ft. Hit: 8 (2d4 + 3) Slashing damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it has the Grappled condition (escape DC 13) from one of two claws.
Bite. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 14, one creature within 5 feet that is willing or that has the Grappled, Incapacitated, or Restrained condition. Failure: 5 (1d4 + 3) Piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) Necrotic damage. The target’s Hit Point maximum decreases by an amount equal to the Necrotic damage taken, and the vampire regains Hit Points equal to that amount.
Bonus actions
Deathless Agility. The vampire takes the Dash or Disengage action.
