Miran Codex

Profile

Miran is a deceptively complex vampire with a soul. Torn from his parents, one of whom being Ludmilla Vilisevic, at birth and living through a traumatic childhood made for a sadistic vampire with Peter Pan syndrome. His fun-loving personality was warped into something evil and dark over the next century. It was only recently that, due to the love of his soulmate, Silka, he was able start on a path of domestication redemption. He was given a soul from a Wish spell, the copy of his old soul being put back into his body and transforming him into a slightly new person, allowing him to grow and feel empathy.

At his core, Miran is someone who likes making people happy. He's always seen with a smile, and is always pulling some Looney Tunes esque gag or prank. The trickster is a member of the quartet of rebels currently working on taking down Strahd. Miran is a perfect example of a villain that's now helping the heroes.

Miran hides a lot of hidden depth behind his smile, for his history is wrought with trauma and guilt. He has a lot of making up to do for the things he's done, but he's willing to do it. For her.

“People act like reality matters. It doesn’t. It’s just what you’re lookin’ at. Reality is perception. Now stop frowning!”

Miran, The Black Cat of Yester

Medium undead (vampire spawn), neutral evil

STR17 (+3)

DEX20 (+5)

CON18 (+4)

INT20 (+5)

WIS14 (+2)

CHA16 (+3)

Saving Throws Dex +9, Int +9, Wis +6

Armor Class 18 (Mage Armor)

Hit Points 127 (15d8 + 60)

Speed 45 ft., climb 30 ft.

Skills Acrobatics +8, Arcana +11, Athletics +6, Deception +9, Insight +5, Perception +5, Performance +6, Persuasion +6, Sleight of Hand +11, Stealth +8

Damage Resistances necrotic; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from non silvered attacks

Condition Immunities charmed (from any source besides an older vampire), exhaustion, poisoned

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 15

Languages Common, Elvish, Sylvan, Draconic

Challenge 8 (3,900 XP)

Proficiency Bonus +3

Illusion Savant. Miran’s Illusions are more potent than the average Mage. His Illusion spells are modified in the following ways:

Miran can cast Illusion spells without providing a Verbal component.
Miran’s ranged Illusion spells have their range increased by 60 feet.
When casting Minor Illusion, Miran can do so as a bonus action, and can create both sound and an image in a single casting.
Miran can maintain concentration on two spells simultaneously, as long as at least one is an illusion spell. When he does so, he makes concentration saving throws with disadvantage, and rolls for each spell.
When Miran casts an Illusion spell of first level or higher, he can choose one inanimate, nonmagical object that is part of the illusion and make that object real. The object remains real while the illusion lasts, during which time it can’t deal damage or give any conditions. He can use a bonus action to do this on additional objects while the illusion remains.
While he can see an illusion he has cast, Miran can use his action to change the nature of that illusion using the spell’s normal parameters.

Actions

Multiattack. Miran makes three attacks, only one of which can be a bite attack.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one willing creature, or a creature that is grappled, incapacitated, or restrained. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage plus 14 (4d6) necrotic damage. Miran regains hit points equal to the necrotic damage taken. The target loses one unexpended hit die, or drops to 0 hit points if it cannot.

Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5 ft., one creature. Hit: 8 (2d4 + 3) slashing damage and the target is Grappled (escape DC 16). If the target is already Grappled by Miran, it is also Restrained until it is no longer Grappled by Miran.

Vampiric Charm (concentration). One creature within 30 feet that can see Miran must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by Miran for 24 hours. The charmed target regards Miran as a trusted friend to be heeded and protected. Although the target isn’t under Miran’s control, it takes Miran’s requests or actions in the most favorable way it can, and it is a willing target for Miran’s bite attack. Each time Miran or Miran’s companions do anything harmful to the target, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Miran can attempt to deepen his control over a thrall when using this ability, and can modify it in one of the following ways:

Vampiric Suggestion. On a failed save, Miran can suggest a specific course of action, as per the Suggestion spell. Miran may instead opt to suggest an idea or mindset to be adopted. The creature follows Miran’s suggestion while it is charmed.

Vampiric Domination. The creature is also Dominated while it is charmed. The creature remains charmed for one hour while under this effect.

Regeneration. Miran regains 10 hit points at the start of his turn if he has at least 1 hit point and isn’t in sunlight or running water. If Miran takes radiant damage or damage from holy water, this trait doesn’t function at the start of his next turn.

Slippery Fuck. Attacks of opportunity made against Miran are made at disadvantage.

Spider Climb. Miran can climb difficult surfaces, including upside down on ceilings, without needing to make an ability check.

Vampire Weaknesses. Miran has the following flaws:

Forbiddance. Miran can’t enter a residence without an invitation from one of the occupants.

Harmed by Running Water. Miran takes 20 acid damage when he ends his turn in running water.

Stake to the Heart. Miran is destroyed if a piercing weapon made of wood is driven into his heart while he is incapacitated. Piercing damage dealt to Miran by weapons made from gulthias wood cannot be reduced in any way.

Sunlight Hypersensitivity. Miran takes 20 radiant damage when he starts his turn in sunlight. While in sunlight, he has disadvantage on attack rolls and ability checks.

Spellcasting. Miran is a 15th-level spellcaster. His spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 16, +8 to hit with spell attacks). He has the following wizard spells prepared:

Cantrips (at will): firebolt, mage hand, message, minor illusion, prestidigitation, shocking grasp

1st level (4 slots): disguise self, mage armor, magic missile, silent image, Jester’s Affected Accent

2nd level (3 slots): mirror image, misty step, phantasmal force, Jester’s Misdirect

3rd level (3 slots): glyph of warding, hypnotic pattern, major image

4th level (3 slots): greater invisibility, phantasmal killer, polymorph

5th level (2 slots): mislead, synaptic static, dream

6th level (1 slot): mental prison, programmed illusion

7th level (1 slot): mirage arcane

8th level (1 slot): illusory dragon

Vampiric Charm Modifications

Miran may attempt each modification once per day, per creature. After one minute, Miran can maintain this effect without requiring Concentration. A creature that succeeds on a save against this feature or either of its modifications is immune to this feature, or that specific modification, for one hour.

Bonus Actions

Shapeshange. Miran can shape-shift into a Tiny bat, or back to his true vampire form. While shape-shifted, Miran gains the form’s Speeds but otherwise retains his statistics, can’t speak, is limited in his actions by the forms anatomy, and reverts to his vampire form if slain.

Reactions

One Step Ahead (Recharge 6). When Miran is hit with an attack roll or fails a save caused by another creature, he can reveal that he was an illusion all along. An illusory duplicate instead suffers the consequences of the attack or failed save, then dissipates. Miran then teleports to any free space within 30 feet, revealing “where I have been all along!”

Hissing Retreat (1/Day). When exposed to sunlight, or taking radiant damage, Miran can move up to his movement speed.

Legendary Actions

Miran can take 2 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. Miran regains spent legendary actions at the start of his turn.

Tumbling. Miran moves up to half his speed and makes a Claws attack.

Change Scene! (Costs 2 Actions). Miran casts an illusion spell of 4th level or lower.

Become the Black Cat

Miran is a performer.

A master illusionist and consummate trickster, Miran fights like a stage magician, always distracting the eye and controlling the flow of a scene.

He delights in making enemies waste actions, forcing difficult choices, creating uncertainty, and watching others struggle to understand what is real.

Playing With Layers

Miran’s signature strength is his ability to maintain concentration on two illusion spells at once, letting him build scenes rather than single effects.

Draw attention.
Redirect movement.
Obscure information.
Reinforce a lie he is already telling.

Committing to the Bit... Mostly

When encountered by low-level parties, Miran should feel threatening but survivable. He pokes, prods, humiliates, and confuses: a cat playing with a ball of yarn.

If Miran is fighting to win, something has gone terribly wrong.

Appearance

Miran is a tall, lanky vampire with the theatrical prettiness of a stage magician and the feral charm of a stray black cat that has learned exactly how cute it needs to be to get away with murder. His silhouette should feel long, thin, bouncy, and slightly wrong, like a boy who never grew up correctly and decided to make that everyone else’s problem.

His presentation mixes jester, cat, magician, vampire prince, and scribbly art-kid chaos. He should look like someone who decorates himself the same way he decorates spellbook margins: stars, moons, little monsters, rude doodles, symbols, dramatic flourishes, and jokes only he thinks are funny.

Visual Anchors

Long black hair, pretty face, sharp vampire features, and expressive green eyes.
Very thin, lithe build: theatrical rather than imposing.
Catlike body language: tilting, lounging, perching, slinking, springing.
Jester-prince details: moons, bells, ribbons, stars, playing-card logic, patched fabric.

Expression & Movement

He smiles constantly, but the meaning of the smile changes: bratty, charming, vicious, frightened, bashful, delighted, guilty. His movement should feel animated and pose-heavy, like every gesture is secretly a performance beat.

He rarely just stands there. He leans upside-down over railings, crouches on furniture, points with too much flourish, hides behind props, and makes his whole body part of the joke.

Doodle Motifs

Messy stars, crescent moons, black cats, jester bells, fake stage curtains, arrows, exclamation marks, and little impish self-caricatures.
Comic-book emphasis marks around his head when he is scheming, startled, lying badly, or trying to be adorable.
Hand-drawn annotation energy: labels, crossed-out notes, stickers, little symbols in the margins.

portrait image

spellbook image

wand image

coat detail

Jester’s Book of Jokes

(reflavored Duplicitous Manuscript, see stats for that)

Wondrous Item, rare

Filled with a century’s worth of scribbled notes, art ranging from childish doodles to thoughtful, masterful drawings, ideas for elaborate or crude pranks, picked flowers, notes on victims and obsessions, and all the spells Miran finds the most fun, this spellbook is a beloved treasure of the eccentric vampire. He may make this book look like whatever he wishes to others.

Jester’s Wand

Wand, common

Made from carved wood and crystal, adorned in dangling charms and ribbons, this wand is the focus for many of Miran’s spells. While mostly mundane, it also has the ability to draw on any surface you press the crystal’s point against, as if drawing with paint, chalk, ink, or charcoal. Anything drawn with this wand lasts 24 hours before fading.

Jester’s Coat of Useful Items

(reflavored Robe of Useful Items)

Wondrous Item, rare

This coat is Miran’s baby. Gifted to him by Strahd himself, it’s been with him for over a century. It has cloth patches of various shapes and colors covering it, lovingly embroidered and painted with artistic decorations of magic, celestial bodies, and cute critters. While wearing the coat, he can use an action to detach one of the patches, causing it to become the object or creature it represents.

Miran dabbles in enchanting and makes his own patches for this coat as needed, using them for tricks and gags. Teapots, candy, stuffed animals, coconut cream pies, pipe bombs, you name it.

Additionally, as a bonus action, he can expend one charge to either teleport to the coat, or have the coat teleport to him. After either he or the coat teleports, he magically dons the coat. If he teleports to the coat while it is being carried by a creature, he and the coat instead appear in the nearest unoccupied space to the creature. This ability has 3 charges. He regains 1d3 charges at dawn.

DM Notes

Miran is not perfect. It is not a failure if the party catches him off guard or ruins a trick. It is a feature.

Moments of humility make Miran funnier and more real, and they give the players a sense of earned triumph.

A trickster who never slips stops being fun. A trickster who sometimes eats dirt becomes a favorite.