Grizl' Bjorn
2017-05-17, 06:59 PM
A class provides a bunch of statistics and a back-story. With a little work it’s possible to separate those mechanics from that backstory- even turning it into something completely alien to the original concept. With a handful of small mechanical tweaks and a lot of re-flavouring I’ll show you how to take the mechanics of a shadow monk and turn them around to represent a vampire instead of a monk.
You may or may not like what I present here, but first and foremost it is an example! This sort of transformation from one thing to another can be done with practically any class.
Vampire class (adaptations from shadow monk)
For all the purposes the monk class uses wisdom, including armoured defence and spell-casting, substitute charisma. Vampires are much more widely known for their eldritch charisma than their deep skills of observation!
Shadow arts remains the same except replace silence with suggestion and dark-vision with charm person. These represent the mental powers of a vampire.
Rename Ki. There are a lot of ways to do this. Personally I like something simple like ‘vampiric energy’. The same rename can be used for Ki empowered strikes. For example ‘vampiric energy empowered strikes’.
Paitent defence becomes ‘unstrikeable’. Step of the wind becomes ‘unnatural speed’. Flurry of blows is fine as is. These abilities reflect the maddening and unnatural speed of a vampire in combat.
Re-flavour stillness of mind as ‘Immortal will’
Re-flavour diamond soul as ‘Endurance past the grave’
Purity of body can just be ‘Undead immunities’
Replace tongue of the sun and moon with the second level telepathy feature of the mystic class. Greater versatility is gained but the ability to speak to multiple creatures at once is lost.
Replace timeless body with the ability to speak with bats, rats, wolves, dogs and owls.
Replace the astral projection use of empty body with glibness, or another high level utility focused spell. Very open to suggestions on this one.
This should cover the bulk of it, but if I’ve left anything out make further changes as necessary using your own creativity and character concept.
Appendix: Vampire racial template
Here’s a vampire racial template to go along with the class. You can use any vampiric racial template.
Once per day as an action you can drain hitpoints from a restrained, incapacitated or willing creature at a rate of five points per round. You regain 2 hit-points for every 5 points of damage dealt and may stop after any number of rounds. If the creatures has less than five hitpoints you gain a total of one hitpoint. If you do not use this ability for 3 days you gain a point of exhaustion. If you do not use this ability for a further three days you enter a deep slumber that can only be broken by the spilling of blood within five feet of you. (0.5 points)
Darkvision 60 ft (0.5 points) this includes the ability to see in magical darkness (further 0.5 points) (1 point total)
Undead traits: You do not need to breathe or eat. You do, however, sleep. (0.5 points)
Sunlight sensitivity: Like Bram Stoker’s Dracula and the majority of depictions of vampires before Nosferatu you are not killed by sunlight, but it does weaken you somewhat. You have disadvantage on all ability checks and attack rolls while in direct sunlight. (minus 0.5 points)
Attributes: +2 Charisma +2 Dexterity (4 points)
Bonus proficiency: Acrobatics (.5 points)
Point total: 6
OPTIONAL RULE: If your DM rules it is appropriate for the campaign and permits it you may play a vampire who takes damage in sunlight. You take 4d6 points of radiant damage per round if in direct sunlight and 1d6 points if in indirect sunlight. Items, spells, class features etc. which give resistance or immunity to radiant damage do not reduce or prevent this damage. Only physically blocking all of the sunlight or divine intervention can prevent or reduce this damage. On the bright-side (that was a pun) only real light from the sun has this effect, spells that create ‘sunlight’ or similar do not. Gain two proficiencies of your choice OR plus one to any attribute to compensate.
You may or may not like what I present here, but first and foremost it is an example! This sort of transformation from one thing to another can be done with practically any class.
Vampire class (adaptations from shadow monk)
For all the purposes the monk class uses wisdom, including armoured defence and spell-casting, substitute charisma. Vampires are much more widely known for their eldritch charisma than their deep skills of observation!
Shadow arts remains the same except replace silence with suggestion and dark-vision with charm person. These represent the mental powers of a vampire.
Rename Ki. There are a lot of ways to do this. Personally I like something simple like ‘vampiric energy’. The same rename can be used for Ki empowered strikes. For example ‘vampiric energy empowered strikes’.
Paitent defence becomes ‘unstrikeable’. Step of the wind becomes ‘unnatural speed’. Flurry of blows is fine as is. These abilities reflect the maddening and unnatural speed of a vampire in combat.
Re-flavour stillness of mind as ‘Immortal will’
Re-flavour diamond soul as ‘Endurance past the grave’
Purity of body can just be ‘Undead immunities’
Replace tongue of the sun and moon with the second level telepathy feature of the mystic class. Greater versatility is gained but the ability to speak to multiple creatures at once is lost.
Replace timeless body with the ability to speak with bats, rats, wolves, dogs and owls.
Replace the astral projection use of empty body with glibness, or another high level utility focused spell. Very open to suggestions on this one.
This should cover the bulk of it, but if I’ve left anything out make further changes as necessary using your own creativity and character concept.
Appendix: Vampire racial template
Here’s a vampire racial template to go along with the class. You can use any vampiric racial template.
Once per day as an action you can drain hitpoints from a restrained, incapacitated or willing creature at a rate of five points per round. You regain 2 hit-points for every 5 points of damage dealt and may stop after any number of rounds. If the creatures has less than five hitpoints you gain a total of one hitpoint. If you do not use this ability for 3 days you gain a point of exhaustion. If you do not use this ability for a further three days you enter a deep slumber that can only be broken by the spilling of blood within five feet of you. (0.5 points)
Darkvision 60 ft (0.5 points) this includes the ability to see in magical darkness (further 0.5 points) (1 point total)
Undead traits: You do not need to breathe or eat. You do, however, sleep. (0.5 points)
Sunlight sensitivity: Like Bram Stoker’s Dracula and the majority of depictions of vampires before Nosferatu you are not killed by sunlight, but it does weaken you somewhat. You have disadvantage on all ability checks and attack rolls while in direct sunlight. (minus 0.5 points)
Attributes: +2 Charisma +2 Dexterity (4 points)
Bonus proficiency: Acrobatics (.5 points)
Point total: 6
OPTIONAL RULE: If your DM rules it is appropriate for the campaign and permits it you may play a vampire who takes damage in sunlight. You take 4d6 points of radiant damage per round if in direct sunlight and 1d6 points if in indirect sunlight. Items, spells, class features etc. which give resistance or immunity to radiant damage do not reduce or prevent this damage. Only physically blocking all of the sunlight or divine intervention can prevent or reduce this damage. On the bright-side (that was a pun) only real light from the sun has this effect, spells that create ‘sunlight’ or similar do not. Gain two proficiencies of your choice OR plus one to any attribute to compensate.