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In my campaign, I'm planning to have an NPC ghost possess an NPC vampire.

Is this even possible?

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  • \$\begingroup\$ "The vampire twitches spasmodically, and then attempts to shakes his[her] body of the apparition. " I think it depends on the relative level of the ghost to the vamp whether it succeeds. \$\endgroup\$
    – Cedric
    Aug 27, 2021 at 23:15

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The answer to your question is of course yes, because as the DM, you control the world, and things work how you say they work. If that's how ghosts and vampires work in your world, then that's how it works.

What I imagine you actually meant is whether the official ghost in the Monster Manual can possess an official vampire in the Monster Manual, to which the answer is no. The Possession ability specifies that it targets a humanoid:

One humanoid that the ghost can see within 5 ft. of it must succeed on a DC 13 Charisma saving throw or be possessed by the ghost...

and a Vampire is not technically a humanoid but an undead:

Vampire

Medium undead (shapechanger), lawful evil

Humanoid is a creature type, like undead, construct, or monstrosity, and vampires are not of that creature type, even though you could describe their traditional body structure with the adjective "humanoid."

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    \$\begingroup\$ This is a good take. You highlight the fact that the DM can do whatever they want, and give a proper analysis of the rules as written. \$\endgroup\$
    – Thomas Markov
    Aug 27, 2021 at 22:41
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    \$\begingroup\$ To avoid confusing players who know how ghosts work, I would suggest the GM use not a ghost, but a Bloodgeist, a creature I just made up. It's very similar to a ghost, but with the ability to possess vampires. The PCs can discover its lore in an ancient tome. \$\endgroup\$
    – user56480
    Aug 28, 2021 at 13:39
  • \$\begingroup\$ The Vampire in the book is listed as a Medium Undead (shapechanger) - would this end up changing if the shapechanging ability had them shapechange into a humanoid form? It sounds like, if they were a bat, that would be a thing we would be avoiding. \$\endgroup\$
    – Alexander The 1st
    Aug 29, 2021 at 22:38
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    \$\begingroup\$ @AlexanderThe1st Being a shapechanger doesn't mean you can change into anything you want: it is a creature type (just like Undead or Humanoid). And vampires cannot change into a "humanoid form" (their stat block describes their bipedal form as "Vampire form.") However, even if they could, they would likely not be humanoids. The description of them turning into a bat states "Its statistics, other than its size and speed, are unchanged." As such, while transformed (e.g. into a bat) they are still undead (since creature type is one of their "statistics.") \$\endgroup\$
    – Gandalfmeansme
    Sep 1, 2021 at 20:35

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