Necromantic might comes in many forms, but a singular, ancient source is the blood curse of vampirism. Though it promises much—immortality, agility, charm—it comes paired with insidious drawbacks, from the stinging burn of sunlight to a perpetual thirst for blood. Necromancers that wish to capture a measure of this power without suffering its myriad weaknesses perform a special ritual with vampiric blood in order to become Blood Ascendants. In doing so, they fall deathly pale and lose their reflection within mirrors, but learn to slowly pry out vampiric powers without fully succumbing to the alldevouring curse.
Ascendant Spells
When you choose this ambition at 3rd level, you learn additional spells as noted in the table below. Each of these spells counts as a necromancer spell for you, but doesn’t count against the number of necromancer spells you know.
| Spell Level | Spells |
|---|---|
| 1st | Charm Person, Sleep |
| 2nd | Enthrall, Suggestion |
| 3rd | Hypnotic Pattern, Vampiric Touch |
| 4th | Phantasmal Killer, Private Sanctum |
| 5th | Dominate Person, Modify Memory |
Charnel Drain
At 3rd level, you drain the essence of those you slay. When you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points with your Charnel Touch, you regain hit points equal to your Intelligence modifier + your necromancer level (minimum 3). Additionally, you can choose to knock the target unconscious instead of killing it.
Vampiric Transformation
Starting at 6th level, you can use your action and expend 15 Charnel Touch points to transform for up to 1 hour, or until you drop to 0 hit points or revert on your turn as an action. Anything you are wearing transforms with you, but objects you are carrying fall to the ground in your space. Choose one of the following transformations:
Bat. You transform into a Tiny bat. While in bat form, you can’t speak, your walking speed is 5 feet, and you have a flying speed of 30 feet. Your statistics, other than your size and speed, are unchanged.
Mist. You transform into a Medium cloud of mist. While in mist form, you can’t speak, manipulate objects or take any actions, other than to revert to your true form. You are weightless, have a flying speed of 20 feet, can hover, and can enter and occupy the space of another creature. In addition, if air can pass through a space, you can do so without squeezing, and you can’t pass through water. You have advantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution saving throws, and you have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.
Children of the Night
By 10th level, the hordes of the night answer to your beck and call. When you perform your Animate Thralls ritual, you can summon one or more wolves, swarms of bats, or swarms of rats. You command these creatures as your thralls and they count as Undead for the purpose of your necromancer class features. When one of these creatures is reduced to 0 hit points or released by you, it vanishes in a cloud of mist.
Lichdom: Nosferatu
At 20th level, you have reached the pinnacle of necromancy and transformed yourself into a lich. You have embraced the blood curse of vampirism to become a vampire lord in all but name: a nosferatu.
Coffin Phylactery. Your phylactery is a coffin filled with grave dirt. When you drop to 0 hit points, you reform in your coffin after 1 hour. You are permanently weakened until you spend 24 hours resting in the coffin. During this time, your hit point maximum is reduced to 1, and you drop to 0 hit points if you begin your turn in sunlight.
Regeneration. At the start of each of your turns, you regain 10 hit points. You don’t gain this benefit if you have 0 hit points or you are in direct sunlight.
Vampiric Agility. Your speed is doubled. Additionally, you can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.