Harrumphreys
2017-04-17, 06:21 AM
Hello all, flicking through some old WotC downloads and rediscovered the MtG Zendikar expansion for DnD5e. I think the race that most caught my eye was the tribal Vampire option, particularly with the ability to drain a living enemy of life force and create a loyal Null (Domesticated Zombie) with the Blood Thirst ability.
With various Unearthed Arcana releases since the Zendikar release, is there now a way to develop the Blood Thirst ability into something viable?
pdf: https://media.wizards.com/2016/downloads/magic/Plane%20Shift%20Zendikar.pdf
Blood Thirst. You can drain blood and life energy from a willing creature, or one that is grappled by you, incapacitated, or restrained. Make a melee attack against the target. If you hit, you deal 1 piercing damage and 1d6 necrotic damage. The target’s hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken, and you regain 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 killed in this way becomes a null (see “A Zendikar Bestiary”).
In my mind, the Mystic class is the most viable for the Zendikar Vampire that wishes to make good use out of the Blood Thirst ability; various ways to incapacitate an enemy with Crown of Despair (e.g Dolorous Mind) or stabilise a 'knocked out' opponent with the Psionic Restoration focus ability to prevent you from accidentally killing your victim with piercing damage and failed death saving throws.
What do you think?
With various Unearthed Arcana releases since the Zendikar release, is there now a way to develop the Blood Thirst ability into something viable?
pdf: https://media.wizards.com/2016/downloads/magic/Plane%20Shift%20Zendikar.pdf
Blood Thirst. You can drain blood and life energy from a willing creature, or one that is grappled by you, incapacitated, or restrained. Make a melee attack against the target. If you hit, you deal 1 piercing damage and 1d6 necrotic damage. The target’s hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken, and you regain 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 killed in this way becomes a null (see “A Zendikar Bestiary”).
In my mind, the Mystic class is the most viable for the Zendikar Vampire that wishes to make good use out of the Blood Thirst ability; various ways to incapacitate an enemy with Crown of Despair (e.g Dolorous Mind) or stabilise a 'knocked out' opponent with the Psionic Restoration focus ability to prevent you from accidentally killing your victim with piercing damage and failed death saving throws.
What do you think?