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Can a vampire charm a blind person?

The wording of the vampire's Charm action has me a bit confused on whether a blind person either gets no saving throw from it or can't be charmed at all like this.

Here is the exact description:

Charm. The vampire targets one humanoid it can see within 30 feet of it. If the target can see the vampire, the target must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw against this magic or be charmed by the vampire.

Of course, this question is also relevant in case the vampire is invisible or otherwise hidden in plain sight from a target with normal eyesight.

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Interestingly, it does seem to be the case that a Vampire cannot charm a Blind target, or any creature that cannot see the Vampire

You have correctly quoted the Vampire Charm ability as stating:

The vampire targets one humanoid it can see within 30 feet of it. If the target can see the vampire, the target must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw against this magic or be charmed by the vampire [...]

Compare this to the charm person spell which has no such requirement:

You attempt to charm a humanoid you can see within range. It must make a Wisdom saving throw, and does so with advantage if you or your companions are fighting it [...]

And now compare it to the Eyes of Charming which do have this same restriction:

These crystal lenses fit over the eyes. They have 3 charges. While wearing them, you can expend 1 charge as an action to cast the charm person spell (save DC 13) on a humanoid within 30 feet of you, provided that you and the target can see each other [...]

This shows that there do at least exist charming effects that also require two-way line-of-sight.


It should be noted that being under the blinded condition does indeed make the creature unable to see:

A blinded creature can't see and automatically fails any ability check that requires sight.

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    \$\begingroup\$ @techorix That sounds like a related but different question you could ask on this site (comments aren't really means to expend your original question). \$\endgroup\$ Commented Nov 8, 2019 at 8:04
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    \$\begingroup\$ Sometimes I like the quotes of the rules-lawyery bits of the source books like "a blinded creature can't see". Cpt. Obvious reporting for duty. \$\endgroup\$
    – Gloweye
    Commented Nov 8, 2019 at 9:39
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    \$\begingroup\$ @techorix It's not weird though. Bats aren't blind so the vampire can still see the target and if the target can see the "bat" then the rule is working as intended. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Nov 8, 2019 at 10:38
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    \$\begingroup\$ @techorix most likely the charm is not "beauty-based" as you seem to be assuming, but rather based on the "mesmerizing gaze" of the vampire, which need not be affected by the animal form. \$\endgroup\$ Commented Nov 8, 2019 at 11:30
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    \$\begingroup\$ @Vlaz Not really, no... You're not taking the whole sentence. The clauses are: "If it can see... it must succeed... or be charmed." By not considering all three clauses, you're introducing a double-negative and inverting the meaning. \$\endgroup\$
    – T.J.L.
    Commented Nov 8, 2019 at 16:03

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