jiangshi – the hopping vampire

Posted on by solomani

Moving on to 3rd edition OA there are a few new monsters in this book that were not in 1e.  Converting them here.  I retained some of the standard vampire traits just to keep them consistent with each other.

HOPPING VAMPIRE

Medium undead (yokai), chaotic evil
Armor Class 15 (Natural Armor)
Hit Points 82 (11d8 + 33)
Speed 20 ft.
STR      DEX     CON     INT      WIS     CHA
16 (+3) 16(+3) 16(+3) 11(+0) 10(+0) 12(+1)
Saving Throws DEX +6, WIS +3
Skills Perception +3, Stealth +6
Damage Resistances necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that are not crystal
Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 13
Languages Understand the languages it knew in life but never speaks
Challenge 5 (1,800 XP)

Breath Sense. The vampire can detect living creatures that are breathing without seeing them including invisible creatures and creatures that use other tricks to fool sight. This trait works similar to blindsense out to 120 feet. A living creature that is not breathing  (including holding its breath) is invisible to the jiangshi. The jiangshi can see undead and constructs normally.

Curse of Vampirism. Any humanoid hit by a vampire’s attacks must succeed at a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or contract a curse that turns it into a hopping vampire. The cursed target can’t regain hit points, and its hit point maximum decreases by 10 (3d6) for every 24 hours that elapse as the creature grows fangs and becomes more bestial. If the curse reduces the target’s hit point maximum to 0, the target dies, and it raises as a hopping vampire. The curse lasts until removed by the remove curse spell or other magic.

Each hour spent hopping or dancing on pure sticky rice delays the curse’s onset by 1 day. (As with any physical exertion, a character can only dance on sticky rice for so long before tiring). Once the transformation has run its course, it cannot be reversed by any means short of a wish or divine intervention.

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.

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.

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).

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.

 

DESCRIPTION

Screen Shot 2020-01-12 at 8.41.57 pm
“Hopping Vampire” by Sardhina

When a body is buried improperly or in an inauspicious loca- tion, it often returns to activity as a hopping vampire, hungry to kill living creatures. The body is animated by the po soul (evil portion of the soul) of the deceased; the hun soul (good por- tion) is departed. Without the hun soul, the body is not truly alive, so it retains some of the rigidity of death. The spectacle of these creatures hopping around looking for victims would be ridiculous if they were not such deadly opponents.

The return from death gives the hopping vampires a green- ish tint to their skin, fangs in their mouths, and razor-sharp claws. They are usually dressed in funerary wear—either fresh and new or moldering with decay.

Hopping vampires are not the sophisticated, intelligent oppo- nents that standard D&D vampires are – this ecological niche is filled by the oni in Oriental Adventures. They behave much like rabid animals, attacking with their claws and fangs, giving little thought to strategy or tactics.

 

Banner Credit: “Hopping Vampire” by Azawindam.

Published by solomani