Upioras

Large undead, chaotic evil

Armor Class 15 (natural armor; 17 while its Borrowed Skin is intact)

Hit Points 136 (16d10 + 48)

Speed 35 ft., climb 20 ft.

STR 19 (+4) · DEX 12 (+1) · CON 17 (+3) · INT 10 (+0) · WIS 14 (+2) · CHA 15 (+2)

Saving Throws Str +7, Con +6, Wis +5

Skills Perception +5, Stealth +4

Damage Vulnerabilities radiant

Damage Resistances necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks that aren’t silvered or blessed

Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, poisoned

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15

Languages Common, Infernal

Challenge 7 (2,900 XP)

Traits

Borrowed Skin. When the upioras first appears it is cloaked in a freshly flayed humanoid skin (AC 12; 20 hit points; vulnerability to slashing damage). While this skin remains, the upioras’ Armor Class is 17 and it ignores the effects of sunlight. A creature adjacent to the upioras can target the skin with an attack; a critical hit against the upioras also damages the skin. When the skin is reduced to 0 hit points it is destroyed, the upioras’ AC drops to 15, and the creature gains Sunlight Sensitivity. The skin cannot be restored.

Sunlight Sensitivity. While in sunlight, the upioras has disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight, and its Regeneration trait doesn’t function.

Regeneration. The upioras regains 10 hit points at the start of its turn if it has at least 1 hit point and isn’t in sunlight or in contact with blessed water. The upioras is destroyed only if it starts its turn with 0 hit points and can’t regenerate.

Sacred Bane. The upioras takes 10 radiant damage when splashed with holy water or when it enters a hallowed area, and its Regeneration trait is suppressed until the end of its next turn.

Actions

Multiattack. The upioras makes two Slam attacks.

Slam. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 16 (2d8 + 4 plus 1d6) bludgeoning and necrotic damage.

Crushing Embrace. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one Medium or smaller creature. Hit: 36 (4d8 + 4 plus 4d6) bludgeoning and necrotic damage, and the target is grappled (escape DC 15). Until this grapple ends, the target is restrained, and the upioras can’t make Slam attacks against other targets.

Bone-Hurl. The upioras throws one creature it is grappling up to 20 feet in any direction. The target takes 10 (3d6) bludgeoning damage and falls prone. If the target collides with another creature, that creature must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or take the same damage and be knocked prone.

Poisonous Breath (Recharge 5–6). The upioras exhales a cloud of corpse-stink in a 15-foot cone. Each creature in that area must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 27 (6d8) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that fails the save is also poisoned until the end of its next turn.

Reactions

Deathly Shriek. When the upioras takes radiant damage, it emits a horrific scream. Each creature within 10 feet that can hear it must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of the upioras until the end of its next turn.

Lore

A big, man-sized vampire. At night it seizes people, beats them until every bone is shattered, then sucks up the resulting “soup.”.

A comprehensive study of the upioras phenomenon in East-European demonology begins with an analysis of its name. The term “upioras,” found mostly in English-language reference works, goes back to the Proto-Slavic form *ǫpyrь, from which come the Polish upiór, Czech upír, Russian upyr’, and South-Slavic vampir. The root of the word keeps its original meaning of “devourer,” which explains the creature’s demonic status. Researchers attribute the special form “Upioras” to the Polish-Lithuanian area.

An Upioras is a large, stocky male corpse with springy skin and bright-red lips—seen as a direct result of its steady diet of blood. One of its most horrifying traits is the habit of flaying the skin from a murdered victim and wearing it as camouflage, concealing its true decay.

From Vampire Bestiary 5E, p. 102 · Fern Flower Press