Evil Enjoyer

I often see people automatically reduce Ascended Astarion to "Cazador 2.0," drawing a direct parallel between Cazador's relationship with Astarion and Tav's relationship with Ascended Astarion. More often than not, the only argument behind this comparison is that both characters are vampire lords.

Being a true vampire or a Vampire Lord does not, by itself, determine someone's personality. D&D lore makes it clear that true vampires are not all the same. Yes, many vampires are cruel tyrants who see their spawn as nothing more than extensions of their own will. But that is far from the only possible dynamic between a vampire and the spawn they create. There are vampires who are capable of affection, love, trust, and even willingly giving up control over their spawn.

For example, let's take a look at the official D&D Beyond article:

Regaining Control of Yourself

All vampires begin their journey under the control of the vampire who sired them. However, if a vampire lets their progeny drink blood from their own body, their spawn will be given free will. Very few vampires choose to give up control of their spawn like this, and for good reason. Most vampires are control freaks, and see their spawn as mere extensions of their will. But other, more ethical vampires may exert this control to reign in their fledgling spawn’s blood lust, choosing to free their spawn once they understand the subtle and dangerous line they must walk between the living and the dead.

Note the wording here is very specific; the true vampire must allow their spawn to draw and drink their blood in order to relinquish their control over them in that manner. The only other way a vampire spawn can achieve free will is if their master dies. So if you’re playing a vampire spawn, and you want out from under the thumb of your master, you need to either find a way to kill them (good luck, considering they have total control over you) or somehow convince them to give up their control over you. This is no easy feat.

If you are playing a vampire that has agency, you and/or your DM should have a clear reason as to why you were granted such a gift by your creator. Maybe you reminded them of a loved one from their mortal life, or perhaps you carried out a deed for them and were granted this as a reward.

This passage is particularly interesting for several reasons. First, the text explicitly states that not all true vampires are alike. Yes, the majority of vampires are obsessed with control and view their spawn merely as extensions of themselves. But immediately afterward, the article introduces a contrast: "But other, more ethical vampires..."

In other words, the lore doesn't say that every true vampire is inevitably a tyrant toward their spawn. It explicitly allows for a separate category of vampires who use their control not for personal gratification or power, but as a temporary measure — to help a newly turned spawn get through the most dangerous period of their new existence and keep them from causing harm along the way.

Second, the lore establishes that free will can be the creator's own conscious choice. A vampire can voluntarily relinquish their power over a spawn by allowing them to drink their blood. Some vampires choose to free their spawn once they believe they are ready.

The final paragraph is just as important. It encourages players to come up with their own reason why a vampire might grant freedom to their spawn:

"Maybe you reminded them of a loved one… or perhaps you carried out a deed for them and were granted this as a reward."

In other words, the relationship between a true vampire and their spawn does not have to be built solely on abuse and enslavement. The rules explicitly allow freedom to be granted out of affection, respect, gratitude, or any number of deeply personal reasons.

For that reason, the claim that "no true vampire would ever willingly give up control over their spawn" simply isn't supported by D&D lore. The rules clearly allow for different kinds of true vampires.

Cazador represents perhaps the most classic archetype: a vampire utterly consumed by domination and control. At the same time, the lore explicitly recognizes the existence of vampires who are fundamentally different from him. In other words, being a true vampire does not prescribe a single inevitable relationship dynamic between creator and spawn. Personality still matters.

Third, Astarion willingly gives Tav his blood. And he does so for multiple reasons. On one hand, Tav is the person he loves. On the other, Tav has fundamentally changed his life and earned both his gratitude and his trust. Within that context, offering Tav the "gift of immortality" functions not only as an expression of love, but also as a reward — a way of repaying everything Tav has done for him.

Cazador created Astarion as a slave, turning him into both a tool and disposable property. After ascending, Astarion theoretically has the power to repeat that same cycle — to become another Cazador and reduce someone else to what he once was himself. But possibility does not equal inevitability.

Instead, Ascended Astarion voluntarily gives Tav his blood, creating a direct inversion of what Cazador once did to him. He takes the very same vampiric system that was used to enslave him and transforms it into an act of trust, love, and gratitude. What was once the source of his own suffering becomes, in his hands, an opportunity to give someone else what he himself was forever denied.

There are other sources that point toward the same conclusion as well:

«Creator vampires, particularly those who created the bride out of love, will be totally honest with their bride, depending on loyalty, friendship, and even reciprocated love, to keep the bride from trying to bring about their destruction. This is arguably the most beneficial situation for both vampires, because two vampires cooperating are much more dangerous than two creatures involved in machinations against each other. A creator and bride who truly love and trust each other make a team that is exceptionally difficult to defeat!»

«Many laypersons, and even some experts who should know better, cling to the totally false belief that all vampires are virtually identical. I must admit that I can understand this fixation: if one can list, categorize, and completely describe all the attributes and powers of a vampire, the fiend becomes significantly less horrifying. Humans and demihumans find the unknown to be much more threatening than the worst of the known.

Consider, then, how much more terrifying is the creature that might have abilities and attributes that are totally unexpected. Clinging to the familiar catalog of characteristics is, thus, intellectual laziness—a refusal to take that first step into uncharted territory. It is also highly self-destructive behavior, particularly among those who would hunt vampires.

As mentioned earlier, most of the discussions to this point refer to the "typical" vampire, and hence are wrong to one degree or another, because the truly typical vampire does not exist. We could, of course, consider "typical" to refer to a broad category of creatures into which most vampires fall. The majority of vampires will show some similarity with this "main sequence" of vampiredom (if I may so coin a word). The more unusual vampires, thus, fall outside this sequence.»

«The vast majority of vampires view their offspring simply as disposable tools, to be used and then discarded. Yet there are some, it seems, who feel some kind of empathy for their “children.”

These rare creatures will “raise” their offspring, teaching them all they need to know to survive in the world, and then send them forth to “live their own lives.”

Gratitude is an uncommon thing among vampires, however, and offspring of such sentimental creatures generally view this “care” as weakness. Vampires who care for their offspring are most often destroyed by those very offspring.

Vampires differ in their motivations when creating offspring. Some fledglings do it accidentally, not yet understanding the consequences of killing a foe. Others do it to create slaves for themselves. Some few seem to need contact with members of their own kind and so create companions.

This latter group are more likely to become the sentimental “parents” described above, and are hence most likely to meet destruction at the hands of their offspring.

When a vampire is destroyed, all semblance of control over its offspring immediately vanishes. Most offspring will immediately go about their own business.

I have heard of some rare creatures who have sought the destroyers of their creator and wreaked vengeance on them. I find this somewhat hard to believe because it implies a sense of loyalty, even love of a kind, between vampires.

Still, stranger things have proved to be true.» © Van Richten's Guide to Vampires, 1991

Stephen Rooney has also pointed out that vampires are, above all else, individuals with distinct personalities. Astarion is perhaps one of the clearest examples of that idea. He isn't simply "a typical vampire" pulled from a generic template—he is a character shaped by his own past, his trauma, his experiences, and his worldview. Cazador and Astarion may share the same supernatural nature, but that does not make them the same person, nor does it mean that every relationship involving a true vampire must inevitably mirror the dynamic between them.

Interviewer:

Astarion, you know, for all of his edginess, right? He's not a typical vampire from pop culture in the sense that oftentimes they're thought of as soulless, right? In a lot of pop culture tropes, they're very one-dimensional. They don't have a soul. They're seeking out blood, and that kind of defines them in a lot of ways.

But just the fact that Astarion can have relationships, he can actually feel something for other people, and he can feel emotional pain — how did you reconcile that with the fact that he's a vampire?

Stephen Rooney:

It was tricky because you're absolutely right that you have this sense of, and it's true of vampire spawn in D&D as well, that a vampire can just be a bit minimalistic. They want blood and that's their only driving force.

Actually, I'm not sure whether or not D&D vampires have souls or not, or if they've passed on, but they definitely have personalities for sure. You have some fantastic vampires in D&D lore and in the world of D&D.

So it wasn't too difficult to say, "Oh, Astarion is going to be someone who has a personality, can fall in love, has a whole bunch of trauma."

But you're right, the big thing then to balance is the bloodlust, and it makes interesting story moments if Astarion is kind of overcome — if he's feeding on you and he can't stop himself.

I also think most people would agree that, in many respects, Astarion is anything but a "typical" member of his kind. If he were, any good-aligned ending for him would be impossible. Vampire spawn are warped by the vampiric curse, which pushes them toward cruelty, selfishness, and the pursuit of power. On top of that, Astarion's own backstory makes it fairly clear that, even before becoming a vampire, he was hardly what anyone would describe as a particularly kind person.

So what does the lore actually say about vampire spawn?

«Vampire spawn are newly created vampires. They have yet to fully master their abilities, and many are consumed by their thirst for blood. Vampire spawn might serve more powerful vampires or pursue their own depraved agendas.» © Monster Manual (2024)

«Forever anchored to their unholy graves, the nocturnal predators known as vampire spawn scheme for power. They tend toward decadence, believing themselves superior to other living (or undead) creatures.» © Libris Mortis: The Book of Undead (2004)

«Alignment: Vampire spawn are traditionally evil, though a DM may relax this restriction in a campaign that features undead player characters. The innate selfi shness of the typical vampire spawn makes a good alignment diffi cult to uphold.» © Libris Mortis: The Book of Undead (2004)

«Whether or not a vampire retains any memories from its former life, its emotional attachments wither as once-pure feelings become twisted by undeath. Love turns into hungry obsession, while friendship becomes bitter jealousy. In place of emotion, vampires pursue physical symbols of what they crave, so that a vampire seeking love might fixate on a young beauty. A child might become an object of fascination for a vampire obsessed with youth and potential. Others surround themselves with art, books, or sinister items such as torture devices or trophies from creatures they have killed.» © Monster Manual (2014)

At the end of the day, vampires remain some of the most fascinating creatures in D&D. In my opinion, the subject is far more nuanced — and far more open to interpretation — than fandom discussions often make it out to be. The same is true for vampire spawn. As Stephen Rooney's interview demonstrated, this part of the lore leaves plenty of room for different readings and doesn't always offer clear-cut, definitive answers.

Stephen Rooney:

I think there's some complexity to it, and I think vampires by their very nature are complex creatures. Especially the vampires we see now. Like Astarion is, I would argue, neither good nor bad. I mean he is a vampire.

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