Vampire, Vampire Form icon: a fanged vampire
Icon by Delapouite, CC BY 3.0

Vampire, Vampire Form 5e stat block

Medium undead (shapechanger), lawful evil · CR 13 · 2024 stat block below

Armor Class
16 (natural armor)
Hit Points
144 (17d8+68)
Speed
30 ft.
Challenge
13 (10,000 XP)
Proficiency bonus
+5
STRDEXCONINTWISCHA
18 (+4)18 (+4)18 (+4)17 (+3)15 (+2)18 (+4)
Saving throws
Dex +9, Wis +7, Cha +9
Skills
Perception +7, Stealth +9
Damage resistances
necrotic, bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
Senses
darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 17
Languages
the languages it knew in life

Traits

Shapechanger. If the vampire isn't in sunlight or running water, it can use its action to polymorph into a Tiny bat or a Medium cloud of mist, or back into its true form. While in bat form, the vampire can't speak, its walking speed is 5 feet, and it has a flying speed of 30 feet. Its statistics, other than its size and speed, are unchanged. Anything it is wearing transforms with it, but nothing it is carrying does. It reverts to its true form if it dies. While in mist form, the vampire can't take any actions, speak, or manipulate objects. It is weightless, has a flying speed of 20 feet, can hover, and can enter a hostile creature's space and stop there. In addition, if air can pass through a space, the mist can do so without squeezing, and it can't pass through water. It has advantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws, and it is immune to all nonmagical damage, except the damage it takes from sunlight.

Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If the vampire fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.

Misty Escape. When it drops to 0 hit points outside its resting place, the vampire transforms into a cloud of mist (as in the Shapechanger trait) instead of falling unconscious, provided that it isn't in sunlight or running water. If it can't transform, it is destroyed. While it has 0 hit points in mist form, it can't revert to its vampire form, and it must reach its resting place within 2 hours or be destroyed. Once in its resting place, it reverts to its vampire form. It is then paralyzed until it regains at least 1 hit point. After spending 1 hour in its resting place with 0 hit points, it regains 1 hit point.

Regeneration. The vampire regains 20 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 if it ends its turn in running water. Stake to the Heart. If a piercing weapon made of wood is driven into the vampire's heart while the vampire is incapacitated in its resting place, the vampire is paralyzed until the stake is removed. 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.

Unarmed Strike. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) bludgeoning damage. Instead of dealing damage, the vampire can grapple the target (escape DC 18).

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one willing creature, or a creature that is grappled by the vampire, incapacitated, or restrained. Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) 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. A humanoid slain in this way and then buried in the ground rises the following night as a vampire spawn under the vampire's control.

Charm. The vampire targets one humanoid it can see within 30 ft. of it. If the target can see the vampire, the target must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw against this magic or be charmed by the vampire. The charmed target regards the vampire as a trusted friend to be heeded and protected. Although the target isn't under the vampire's control, it takes the vampire's requests or actions in the most favorable way it can, and it is a willing target for the vampire's bit attack. Each time the vampire or the vampire's companions do anything harmful to the target, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success. Otherwise, the effect lasts 24 hours or until the vampire is destroyed, is on a different plane of existence than the target, or takes a bonus action to end the effect.

Children of the Night (1/Day). The vampire magically calls 2d4 swarms of bats or rats, provided that the sun isn't up. While outdoors, the vampire can call 3d6 wolves instead. The called creatures arrive in 1d4 rounds, acting as allies of the vampire and obeying its spoken commands. The beasts remain for 1 hour, until the vampire dies, or until the vampire dismisses them as a bonus action.

Legendary actions

Move. The vampire moves up to its speed without provoking opportunity attacks.

Unarmed Strike. The vampire makes one unarmed strike.

Bite (Costs 2 Actions). The vampire makes one bite attack.

How vampires fight

A vampire is a CR 13 undead aristocrat. It regains 20 hit points at the start of each turn unless it took radiant damage or holy water the turn before, or it’s in sunlight or running water. It makes two attacks a turn: an unarmed strike that can grapple (escape DC 18) and a bite against a grappled, incapacitated, restrained or willing creature that deals necrotic damage, lowers the victim’s hit point maximum and heals the vampire.

It rarely fights alone. Its Charm (DC 17 Wisdom) turns a humanoid into a devoted friend who sees the vampire’s bite as welcome, and Children of the Night calls swarms of bats or rats, or wolves outdoors. When it drops to 0 hit points away from its resting place, it turns to mist and flees there to recover.

Running a vampire at the table

Common questions

How do you kill a vampire for good?

Drop it to 0 hit points where it can’t turn to mist, in sunlight or running water, and it’s destroyed. Otherwise it flees to its resting place as mist and lies there paralyzed until it regains a hit point, which takes an hour. Find it there first: a wooden stake through the heart keeps it paralyzed, and most DMs let the party finish it by sunlight, fire or beheading, as the legends say.

How do you stop a vampire’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 or a Mace of Disruption all do it. Sunlight and running water also stop it.

What does sunlight do to a vampire?

It takes 20 radiant damage when it starts its turn in sunlight, and has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks while there. It can’t use Shapechanger or Misty Escape in sunlight.

Can a vampire enter a house without an invitation?

No. It can’t enter a residence without an invitation from one of the occupants.

What happens to someone killed by a vampire’s bite?

A humanoid slain by the bite, then buried, rises the next night as a vampire spawn under the vampire’s control.

How dangerous is a vampire?

It’s CR 13, worth 10,000 XP. For four characters, the Dungeon Master’s Guide’s encounter math makes it Deadly at 9th level and Hard at 10th and 11th, before its minions.

Vampires compared with similar monsters

MonsterHow it compares
Vampire SpawnCR 5. The vampire’s servants: regeneration and a draining bite, but no charm or legendary actions.
Vampire, Mist FormThe same vampire as mist: immune to nonmagical damage, but it can’t take actions.
Vampire, Bat FormThe same vampire as a bat, for scouting and slipping through small gaps.
LichCR 21. The other classic undead villain, a spellcaster with a phylactery.
WightCR 3. A lesser undead that drains life and can raise zombies from its victims.

How many vampires (vampire form) for a fight?

A vampire (vampire form) is worth 10,000 XP. Using the 2024 encounter budgets (SRD 5.2), this is how many vampires (vampire form) fit each difficulty for a party of four characters of the same level. A dash means even one would be over the budget.

Party levelLowModerateHigh
9th——1
10th——1
11th—11
12th—11
13th112
14th112
15th123
16th123
17th124
18th235
19th246
20th258

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 (vampire form) compares at CR 13

Against the 7 other challenge 13 monsters in the SRD 5.1, the vampire (vampire form) has more hit points than 1 of them, which makes it one of the frailest at its CR. See every CR 13 monster.

StatisticVampire, Vampire FormCR 13 average
Armor Class1616.9
Hit points144169
Best attack bonus+9+10

Vampire, Vampire Form 2024 stat block

The 2024 Monster Manual revised the vampire, vampire form, and the SRD 5.2 carries the new stat block. What changed:

Armor Class
16
Hit Points
195 (23d8 + 92)
Speed
40 ft., climb 40 ft.
Challenge
13 (10,000 XP)
STRDEXCONINTWISCHA
18 (+4)18 (+4)18 (+4)17 (+3)15 (+2)18 (+4)
Damage resistances
necrotic
Senses
darkvision 120 ft., passive Perception 17
Languages
Common plus two other languages

Traits

Legendary Resistance (3/Day, or 4/Day in Lair). If the vampire fails a saving throw, it can choose to succeed instead.

Misty Escape. If the vampire drops to 0 Hit Points outside its resting place, the vampire uses Shape-Shift to become mist (no action required). If it can’t use Shape-Shift, it is destroyed. While it has 0 Hit Points in mist form, it can’t return to its vampire form, and it must reach its resting place within 2 hours or be destroyed. Once in its resting place, it returns to its vampire form and has the Paralyzed condition until it regains any Hit Points, and it regains 1 Hit Point after spending 1 hour there.

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. If a weapon that deals Piercing damage is driven into the vampire’s heart while the vampire has the Incapacitated condition in its resting place, the vampire has the Paralyzed condition until the weapon is removed.

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 Grave Strike attacks and uses Bite.

Grave Strike. Melee Attack Roll: +9, reach 5 ft. Hit: 8 (1d8 + 4) Bludgeoning damage plus 7 (2d6) Necrotic damage. If the target is a Large or smaller creature, it has the Grappled condition (escape DC 14) from one of two hands.

Bite. Constitution Saving Throw: DC 17, one creature within 5 feet that is willing or that has the Grappled, Incapacitated, or Restrained condition. Failure: 6 (1d4 + 4) Piercing damage plus 13 (3d8) 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. A Humanoid reduced to 0 Hit Points by this damage and then buried rises the following sunset as a Vampire Spawn under the vampire’s control.

Bonus actions

Charm (Recharge 5–6). The vampire casts Charm Person, requiring no spell components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 17), and the duration is 24 hours. The Charmed target is a willing recipient of the vampire’s Bite, the damage of which doesn’t end the spell. When the spell ends, the target is unaware it was Charmed by the vampire.

Shape-Shift. If the vampire isn’t in sunlight or running water, it shape-shifts into a Tiny bat (Speed 5 ft., Fly Speed 30 ft.) or a Medium cloud of mist (Speed 5 ft., Fly Speed 20 ft. [hover]), or it returns to its vampire form. Anything it is wearing transforms with it. While in bat form, the vampire can’t speak. Its game statistics, other than its size and Speed, are unchanged. While in mist form, the vampire can’t take any actions, speak, or manipulate objects. It is weightless and can enter an enemy’s space and stop there. If air can pass through a space, the mist can do so, but it can’t pass through liquid. It has Resistance to all damage, except the damage it takes from sunlight.

Legendary actions

Beguile. The vampire casts Command, requiring no spell components and using Charisma as the spellcasting ability (spell save DC 17). The vampire can’t take this action again until the start of its next turn.

Deathless Strike. The vampire moves up to half its Speed, and it makes one Grave Strike attack.

Similar monsters

Browse: all CR 13 monsters · undead · every monster