Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Vryloka

One thing that D&D has rarely explored is dhampir or any other kind of playable vampire-esque race. This is a shame; it's a rich archetype that players are drawn to. After all, the notion of playable vampires was a solid enough concept to spawn a credible competitor to D&D in the 90s when Vampire: The Masquerade hit the shelves. 

The closest D&D has come to satisfying the "vampire itch" was the introduction of the vryloka in the 4th edition book Heroes of Shadow. Unlike dhampir, vryloka are not the children of vampire and mortal parents. (It's usually noted that vampires in D&D cannot reproduce naturally.) Instead, vryloka are the descendants of human nobles who were taught a ritual to lengthen their lives by a mysterious being known as the Red Witch. Although the bloodbond ritual granted them extended life spans, it fundamentally changed them into "living vampires." They are not fully undead, but neither are they wholly human.

Below is a pdf of my quick-and-dirty attempt to update them to something I could use in my 5th edition D&D games. (As a commentator on this post noted, they'd be prefect for my Teenage Goth Ravenloft campaign.) 

Vryloka for 5e pdf