With WoW’s midnight expansion around the corner, let’s take a look at a supplement made of Midnight.

The Adventurous Vampire is a D&D 5e supplement about the vampire class by Midnight Moth Publications. It provides all you need to create a playable vampire character.

Disclaimer: We were provided with a free digital copy of this product.

Starting with lore, there are 4 vampiric origins that explain how one became a vampire, varying from the well-known tale where you drink a vampire’s blood to improper burial, offering roleplay potentials and inspiration about how each character feels about their transformation and how others may react to their existence. Moreover, there is information about how vampires live among society and their interaction with other vampires and mortals. Of course, no lore would be complete without mentioning vampire hunters, adding an extra layer of flavour to the supplement.

So, you read the lore and now want to be a vampire. What’s next?
The vampire class reshapes a character’s functionality by replacing traditional traits and survival mechanics with a system crafted around hit dice and hit points that represent life and vitality. Don’t forget that vampires need blood to survive, and their thirst is real! Here, vampirism is not presented as a power with no cost, and I really appreciate the Player Safety at the Game Table paragraph, which even mentions safety tools to ensure that no one oversteps sensitive boundaries. Does that mean that vampires are bad guys? Nope, and that choice is yours to make. And yes, you can actually shapeshift.

What about subclasses, you may ask. Apart from the general vampirism mechanical elements, there are 5 unique subclasses to add depth to your characters and choose the way they fight. The arcanist uses blood-infused magic, and their spellbook is called the Book of Blood. (If you are familiar with the Noblesse manhwa, that’s Rai for you.) Then, there is the charmer, and as the name implies, they use their charm to manipulate social interactions and encounters to their benefit. The enervator, on the other hand, feeds on their target’s discomfort. They are also known as Energy or Psychic vampires as they leech the poor souls of their victims. Then, we have the stalker, a subclass that feels like a predator specialising in stealth and deadly strikes. And last but definitely not least, the warrior. An unholy knight with their own bloodsteed that takes the shape of any large creature they prefer.

Layout & Art

As we have already seen in Warlock: Dragon Patron & Ooze Patron, the art is unique. It complements the theme beautifully, giving off a storybook feel. The illustrations effectively support the text, without feeling overwhelming or too forced. The layout follows the 2-column style, with each section clearly separated and information easy to locate. On the first pages, there is a hyperlinked table of contents for easier navigation through the document, as every vampiric info you need is a mouseclick away.

Extras

The supplement also includes rules and guidelines for multiclassing from and to the vampire class in Appendix A, along with some class limitations, as clerics, paladins and druids do not blend that well with vampires. In Appendix B, 30 new magic items await you to use them not only in vampiric adventures but also in other campaigns. They range from tools of survival to relics that literally open doors, like the ring of trespass that allows vampires to safely enter a residence uninvited, so beware of rings! The final pages of the supplement have custom character sheets to aid the players.

Final thoughts

The Adventurous Vampire is a unique supplement full of charm that supports unconventional concepts in a nice way. It is inspired by the myth of vampires, which it carefully expands, leaving room for inspiration for both players and game masters. So would you invite a vampire to your RPG table? I surely would!

Stay crafty and quench your thirst,
Your new favourite author.

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