Vampire Mist

​These dread monsters inhabit both swamps, where they creep along mixing in with morning and night fog, and subterranean caverns, where they stalk prey in absolute darkness. Vampiric mists attack at night or early morning, flowing over the ground in search of warm-blooded victims. They prefer lone victims, but hungry mists sometimes raid towns at night, slaying livestock and draining victims in their sleep, before slipping out at dawn.​
​First thought to be immature forms of crimson death, it is now known that these fiends were deliberately created by a powerful vampire wizard. Vampiric mists reproduce by division. A mist is 10% likely to divide during its substantial stage immediately after feeding. The two mists created have 3 Hit Dice each, but only 4 hit points per die (thus they are born ravenously hungry). Vampiric mists prey on all warm-blooded creatures. No animals hunt vampiric mist deliberately, though stirges, leeches, and other bloodsuckers are sometimes drawn (fatally) to their smell. Vampiric mists have no known life span. They live until they starve, are slain, or reproduce.​
​These gaseous monsters prey on all living creatures, enveloping them with their gaseous tendrils, then draining their blood for food. Vampiric mists appear as thick, billowing clouds, 5 to 8 feet in diameter. Color ranges from pale pink when hungry to crimson red when sated. Vampiric mists speak no language, but they communicate through a limited form of telepathy. These creatures reek of old blood and are often smelled before seen.​

​The vampire mist is related to the crimson death, and is suspected to be the immature form of that horror. It appears as a pale cloud, normally 5-8 feet in diameter but variable in size and density. It is encountered only in bogs, swamps, and similar chill and damp places, including dank subterranean areas. Healthy vampire mists have maximum hit points (8 per die), but are almost never encountered in this state. A 'mist loses 1 hp for each 12 hours without feeding, and is thus always hungry when encountered wandering. It regains hit points by enveloping its victim with its gaseous tendrils, and draining the victim's fluids, turning a pink hue after feeding. The 'mist regains 1 hit point for each 2 points of blood drained, but this is not regeneration. Though this is the 'mist's primary reason for attacking, it is quite capable of defending itself even when fully sated. The slightest touch of its airy tendril inflicts 1-8 points of damage, draining blood that the monster simply discards. Non-magical protections are usually of no value against the 'mist's attacks. Character types are thus treated as base AC 10, modified only by Dexterity and magical protections (shields having no effect). If the 'mist's hit roll is 4 or greater than the minimum needed, its enveloping attempt is successful. No further hit rolls are needed; the 'mist automatically inflicts 1d8 points of damage each round thereafter until it flees or is slain. If the 'mist is struck while its victim is enveloped, the damage from the blow is divided evenly between the victim and the 'mist. An enveloped victim may attack the mist physically, without risk of sharing the damage. However, the enveloping damage is constant, disrupting concentration, and thus preventing the victim's use of spells and most magical devices. A 'mist can normally be damaged only by magical weapons and spells that affect air, including lightning and magic missile spells. After feeding, however, the monster takes on substance; it slows to 6" rate, its Armor Class drops to 8, and it can then be damaged by normal weapons.​

​Vampiric mists automatically sense the presence of any warm-blooded creature within 50 feet. Hungry mists take the shortest route possible to the victim, navigating by touch, flowing easily over water or through narrow cracks. Their path can be blocked by nonporous obstacles, but vampiric mists are intelligent and if any reasonable path exists they will find it. ​
​All vampiric mists have maximum hit points (8 per die) when full, but they are almost never encountered in this state. For each 12 hours a mist goes unfed, it loses 1 hit point. Vampiric mists whose hit point totals reach 0 due to starvation die. To regain hit points, vampiric mists must drain fresh blood from living victims (hence the mist’s name). For each 2 hit points of blood drained, the mist regains 1 hit point.​ A vampiric mist may attack one victim per round by reaching out with a gaseous tendril. Targets of a vampiric mist are treated as AC 10. Modify this number by the victim’s Dexterity, and by the magical protection worn (+1, +2, etc.) but ignore magical shields. The touch of a vampiric mist drains 1d8 points of blood. A hit 4 above the needed to hit number means the mist has enveloped its victim. Enveloped victims are automatically hit each round until either the mist dies, finishes feeding, or retreats. Attacks by other characters against an enveloping vampiric mist divide their damage evenly – half against the mist, half against the victim. Only the enveloped victim may attack the mist without harm to himself, However, because of the disorienting effect of rapid blood loss, enveloped victims may not use any spells or magical devices that require concentration.​
​While blood draining is mainly used to feed, the ability can also be used in defense by sated vampiric mists. Extra blood is simply dumped upon the ground.​ ​Normally, a vampiric mist is damaged only by magical weapons or by spells that effect air. Lightning bolt and magic missile are also effective. However, immediately after reaching maximum hit points a vampiric mist takes on substance. This substantial stage last 1d6 turns. During this time the mist’s movement rate slows to 6, its AC drops to 8, and it may be hit by normal weapons. Blood draining is not a form of regeneration; a mist that loses hit points in combat must heal those points normally. Keep track of a mist’s current hit points and its maximum possible for that combat (this total starts at 24 and goes down with damage caused to the mist). Each time the mist is wounded, reduce both the current hit points and the maximum. If the current hit point total ever reaches 0, the mist dies. Hit points gained by draining blood are added to the current hit points, which cannot exceed the maximum total (24 minus damage to the mist). Hit points lost due to starvation are subtracted from the current hit points only. The current hit points may never exceed the mist’s maximum hit point total. (After the current battle is over, the maximum hit point totals for any surviving mists return to 24.)​​

Vampiric Mist

Climate/Terrain:
Alignment: NE
Organization: Solitary
Activity Cycle: Night

Intelligence: Ave./Human (8-10)
Treasure: (D)
Diet: Blood

# Appearing:
XP Value: 270
Mvmt: 12 (6 when substantial)

Size: M (5-8 ft.)
Morale: Elite (13-14)

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Spoken Languages and Dialects

Hit Dice 3

Base THAC0: See below

PSP(Chi)

Armor Class 4 (8 when substantial)

Magic Resistance: Armor Notes:

Number of Attacks

Attack Forms

Martial Art Style(s):

Type	THAC0	Damage	SF	Effect
Tendril	All AC 10 with Dex adj.	d8	Auto hit each rd. thereafter

Spells and Psionics:

Disciplines: | mTHACO | mAC

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Campaign Notes:

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Associates:

NPCs, followers, pets, mounts, etc.