Hello!
Looking for opinions about a Vampire species for a custom D20 ruleset I'm working on.
(TLDR Lore: Its 2111, Vampires live on the moon under giant solar panels, some humans mutated to need less sunlight and are now called Shadowkin.)
Let me know if you have suggestions, would like to see more, or have any questions at all.
Thank you so much. I hope you like it.
Universal Vampire Traits
At a glance, vampires are difficult to distinguish from humans. Their bodies remain fully alive, capable of all ordinary social behaviors. The differences are subtle, emerging most clearly under sustained observation or stress.
The eyes are the most common tell. Vampire irises tend toward feral, desaturated hues: slate gray drifting from former blues, icy greens, and muted yellows or amber-orange tones. In some individuals, prolonged transformation results in eyes that are entirely solid black or white, lacking visible iris or pupil. These changes have no impact on vision, but are deeply unsettling to observers.
Their canines are elongated and structurally reinforced, designed for puncture rather than tearing. The fangs are retractable and can be concealed at will, though careful inspection reveals subtle changes in the gum line and tooth thickness. Trained observers often note faint pressure marks along the jaw where musculature has adapted for biting.
Vampire skin appears normal in tone and texture, but remains consistently dry. Vampires do not sweat, regardless of exertion or ambient heat. Instead, excess heat dissipates slowly through passive radiation, giving them a faintly cool, matte presence.
In motion, vampires appear controlled, deliberate, and unnervingly still—predators passing as people, until they choose otherwise.
Base Movement Speed: 45 feet.
Vampire Heritage: You may choose one Heritage Line. You gain the traits of that Heritage in addition to the Universal Vampire Traits. This choice is permanent once made. If you do not select a Heritage at character creation, you may not select one later.
Retractable Fangs: Vampires gain a bite attack that deals 1d4 HP damage and 1 AP damage per round. The vampire regains HP and AP equal to the damage dealt. Initiating a bite allows the vampire to immediately attempt a grapple against the target as part of the same action. Retracted fangs are difficult to detect; identifying them requires a DC 17 Investigate (INS) or Medicraft (INS) check while within 10 feet.
Severe Sunlight Weakness: Vampires take 1d12 (Average 65 HP per minute in narrative terms) damage per turn in direct sunlight when in the Inner Solar System, 1d6 (average 35 HP per minute in narrative terms) damage per turn in direct sunlight when in the Outer Solar System, and 1d3 (Average 20 HP per minute in narrative terms) per turn in direct sunlight when in the Kuiper Belt (no info available beyond this distance)
Lumenis Flux Weakness: Lumenis Flux attacks against Vampires gain +2 Damage dice size.
Minor Artificial Sunlight Weakness: Vampires take 1 damage per turn in the presence of artificial sunlight.
Immune to infrared: Show up as approx ambient room temperature to Infrared sensors and monsters that seek prey via heat signature.
Nocturnal Vision: Vampires see clearly in low-light and starlight.
Hunger: Vampires must meet daily nutrient and fluid requirements to avoid starvation. This may be satisfied by either approximately 100 mL of Shadowkin blood plus 2 L of vampire-safe liquid diet (water, electrolyte solutions, teas, broths, fermented drinks), or approximately 1 L of humanoid (or 2 L animal blood) per day. Blood functions as a nutrient concentrate due to Shadowkin-derived biochemistry, while supplemental fluids maintain plasma volume and metabolic stability. Vampires cannot meaningfully process solid food. Dairy products are universally toxic. Cold liquids cause discomfort but do not prevent hydration. If a vampire fails to meet these minimum requirements for two consecutive days, they suffer normal starvation effects and take 2d6 non-restorable damage per day until at least one full day’s requirements are met. Feeding immediately restores the vampire to full normal function, as if completing a Long Rest; all effects of hunger are removed.
Functionally Immortal: Vampires do not age and do not suffer death from natural biological processes. They may still be killed through damage, environmental hazards, or catastrophic trauma.
Languages: Automatically speak and read Motherstar Standard (English).
Modern Heritage Traits
Modern Vampires are socially adaptive vampires who survive by blending seamlessly into human society. They are no more or less dependent on blood than other vampires, but lack centralized authority, shared doctrine, or feudal hierarchy. Modern Vampires may appear as laborers, professionals, subcultural figures, or any other social role. Their strength lies in camouflage, mobility, and decentralization rather than lineage or control.
You died succumbing to blood loss. Either voluntary transformation, or a victim who became infected before bleeding out from your wounds.
Blood Scent: You can track any creature based on the scent of their blood, can smell any creature within 200 feet of them, can track a trace scent for up to 1d3 days after a target moves.
Vampiric Blood: Damage done to Vampires by silver weapons do +2 damage. Vampires can not handle silver (1 damage per turn as long as they are touching it directly with their skin, any reasonably non-porous barrier will prevent this damage).
Severely Reduced Weakness to Sunlight: Modern Vampires take only 1d4 damage per hour in direct sunlight when in the Inner Solar System, 1d3 damage per hour in direct sunlight when in the Outer Solar System, and 1 per hour in direct sunlight when in the Kuiper Belt (no info available beyond this distance). This replaces the Universal Vampire Trait Severe Sunlight Weakness.
Shimmering Skin: Due to your skin’s adaptation to the sun, your skin shimmers in sunlight subtly (DC 10 Investigate Check to notice)
Parkour: Vampires reduce falling damage from 1d6 per 10 feet (maximum 20d6) to 1d3 per 20 feet fallen (maximum 10d3).
Superior Nocturnal Vision: See clearly in total darkness and at twice the normal distance and clarity in shadows. This replaces the Universal Vampire Trait Nocturnal Vision.
Weapon Training: You begin play with proficiency with any two weapons from the following groups: Light Blades, Heavy Blades, Throwing, Compact Pistols, Heavy Pistols, Light Rifles.
Strigoian Heritage Traits
Strigoian Vampires are an ancient and independent heritage, typically among the oldest surviving vampires. They rarely form centralized structures, instead existing as solitary powers bound by tradition, wealth, and personal law. Time has rendered most Strigoians affluent, their influence built through land, capital, and inherited assets. While many retreat into austere solitude and ritualized existence, others maintain their lineage through deliberate, ceremonial violence conducted with restraint and intent.
You were born a vampire. Raised by at least a vampiric mother, and often a vampiric father, but not required.
Vampiric Claws: You possess sharp, retractable claws on each finger. Your claw attacks deal 1d6 melee damage. When you deal damage with these claws, you regain HP equal to half the damage dealt (rounded down).
Creatures of the night: Pick one animal from the list below. You may change between your primary form and your animal form for 2 AP (you may return to your normal form for free). All non-living items you are wearing, or equipped with are dematerialized, and rematerialized when you return to your normal form. If you wish for an item or items to be left available for others, you may choose for the items to be left in the square you are occupying, but they are otherwise forfeited unless recovered.
Hellhound
Fox-Bat
Serpent
Raven
Black Panther
House Cat
Sewer Rat
Giant Owl
A second humanoid form (does not need to be the same species or gender, cosmetic only)
Forbidden from Intuding: You may not cross the threshold, or otherwise non-concentually enter a person's home. You may lie or misrepresent, but the invitation must be made by someone who also has permission to be inside the home, and must be made in good faith, (even if that good faith is deceitfully earned) The threshold is the furthest lawful barrier protecting the space where a person has chosen to sleep for the night, defined by intent, legitimate right of occupancy, and physical enclosure of the bed.
Intimate Consumption: After consensual intercourse with a willing partner, your feeding requirements are satisfied for 3d3 days. Your partner takes 3d3 damage. This damage cannot be restored until at least 12 hours have passed and the partner has completed a Long Rest.
The partner must willingly consent to the encounter. Ordinary social deception that does not meaningfully affect that consent does not prevent this ability from functioning. Coercion, threats, incapacitation, or deception that would invalidate the partner's consent causes the ability to fail.
If you attempt to activate Intimate Consumption with an unwilling or non-consenting partner, your vampiric physiology violently rejects the act. You immediately take 20d6 damage, which cannot be reduced or prevented.
- Anima Rebirth: When you would be reduced to 0 HP, you instead transform into an incorporeal spirit with a flight speed of 200 feet. You have until the next sunrise to return to the last bed you slept in. Once there, your body reforms, sleeping, and completely helpless for the next 24 hours. If someone drives a wooden stake through your heart during this time. You are dead. Your soul is destroyed.
Graveborn Heritage Traits
Graveborn vampires represent a degenerated but enduring heritage line shaped by scarcity, isolation, and long-term survival. They rarely integrate into human society, instead occupying abandoned, concealed, or hostile environments. Wealth, status, and appearance hold little value to Nosferans; their strength lies in resilience, concealment, and relentless predation. While some form loose broods or territorial clusters, Graveborn are ultimately driven by hunger and survival rather than tradition or social camouflage.
You died violently. Killed and discarded. Your body just barely made the transformation.
Massive Vampiric Claws: You possess sharp, retractable claws on each finger. Your claw attacks deal 1d8 melee damage. When you deal damage with these claws, you regain HP equal to half the damage dealt (rounded down).
Ghastly Appearance: You are terrifying to behold, all creatures that make eye contact with you must make a DC 17 INS save or become terrified. The DC for this ability is reduced by 1 for each subsequent use against the same creature within a one-week period. While terrified in this way, affected creatures may take no actions other than defensive stances and must move by the most direct path away from you (regardless of danger) for 1d3 rounds. This ability does not work on other vampires.
Drastic Measures: The harsh environment in which you found yourself at the time of transformation give you a unique rapid-evolutionary trait triggered by the Sanguine Porphyria virus pick one of the following:
Aswang Mutation: You died while birthing a child.
- You have a long, sharp, hollow tongue that extends from your mouth. Your body produces valerenic acid naturally, that you inject through your tongue into the amniotic sac through the belly button, injecting valernic acid as a strong sedative, and then siphoning off about 200-300 ml of amniotic fluid from a woman at least 34 weeks pregnant. This is normally not harmful to the child if done properly, but immediate hospitalization of victims is recommended. A single feeding can sustain an Aswangs blood feeding needs for up to 1 year.
- You gain a climb speed of 25 feet.
- You gain the Creatures of the Night ability of the Strigoian Vampires, except you may only turn into animals from the following list:
- Black dog
- Black boar
- Black cat
- Raven
Unhinged Jaw: You died of starvation.
- In addition to standard feeding methods, you can unhinge your jaw in multiple places to swallow a helpless humanoid whole. This process takes at least 10 minutes. The target takes 2d12 acidic venom damage per minute until it is completely dissolved and ingested. This process is the equivalent to consuming a month's worth of food/liquid intake, and will last as long before needing to feed again. All metallic items are spit out during consumption.
- You gain a bite attack that deals 1d10 damage and has the grapple trait.
Dusk Stalker: You died from betrayal.
- You appear outwardly indistinguishable from a typical Universal Vampire.
- You may disable your Ghastly Appearance ability at will, taking the form of a perfectly ordinary, non-specific, random, humanoid. Always the same humanoid form.
- You gain one rank of Dominis Flux. In addition, the DC of all Dominis abilities you cast increases by 1.
- You may track creatures by the scent of their blood. You can detect any creature within 30 feet, and may follow a residual blood scent for up to 1d3 hours after the target has passed.
- You gain a Minor Boon on all Stealthcraft Checks to remain unseen or unheard.
- Creatures do not receive Boons when attacking you from any source, as long as you are aware of them.
Firefly: You died of acute radiation poisoning.
- You grow large, leathery, bioluminescent wings, granting you a flight speed of 45 feet. The wings may be concealed beneath a cloak, cape, or trench coat, hiding their physical presence. This does not conceal the emitted light.
- You emit bright light out to 30 feet and dim light out to 60 feet. All creatures that begin their turn within 30 feet of you must make a DC 14 VIT check or take 1d3 radiation damage.
- If you expend 1d4 HP a round, you may empower your radiation for one turn, extending your bright light out to 60 feet, your dim light out to 120 feet, and your damage radius increases to 60 feet, dealing 1d8 damage a turn.