A Monk’s Radiant Fury

How a simple monk single-handedly took down a vampire.


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Our DM does levels by xp rather than milestones, also our group often has players coming in and going out. As a result, the party wasn’t always equal in level. At this particular time, the party was made up of four players:

Cannibal Lector, a 4th level Barbarian, and 1st level Fighter Goliath. A wild guy who who often has crazy plans but usually knows when to cool it.

Winoan, a 1st level Paladin Half-Elf. Seems somewhat timid on the surface but puts on a brave face when others are in danger.

Solis, a 3rd level Monk Aasimar. No-nonsense and lives for the fight. Will risk it all to protect both his friends and his livelyhood.

and myself, Tiso, a 3rd level Rogue and 1st level Fighter Halfling. A cheerful rogue who isn’t one for theivery. In battle he won’t hesitate to kill but never drags it out.

We also had an NPC Elf girl named Mina who we met in a previous quest with us who was 1st level Rogue with an unknown number of levels in Fighter. Also, Solis was sworn to protect her as his character’s reason for even being present was because he was serving as her bodygaurd at the moment.

At this time, we found ourselves trapped in a small area that had been cursed by vampires that made and enternal fog linger around a few towns and cities that made it so if you tried to leave the area, you would turn to ash. This fog had been lingering for about a decade. At the moment, Winslow, the leader of a guild of vampire hunters and researchers had us looking for the journal of a woman named Corona who is believed to have escaped somehow.

Various investigation had lead us to a black hut in a place called Ruin, a former city left in shambles after many vampire attacks and eventually its true name was lost. This black hut was believed to be the former home of Corona. Upon entering, the place if very clearly in very poor condition. While it is mostly empty from several lootings, there remains dark vials handing on the walls and a few rugs and chairs. At this time, a calling stone given to me by Winslow begins blinking , so I answer it. He informs me that he believes that some of the vampires are tracking us down and that we might be in danger. He also says that he is sending a team of all his best men, including the guild’s champion, Brutas, to investugate the matter. After relaying this to the party, we continue looking around for a little bit, Solis notices a trapdoor peaking out from under one of the rugs.

Solis: “Hey! Theres a trapdoor over here!”

We all rush over to see and indeed there is a trap door.

Solis: “Who would like to do the honors?”

Tiso: “I got this.”

I go to open the door before noticing that it is locked.

Tiso: “You guys know I’m not great at this kind of thing but I’ll try.”

It is at this moment that the DM informs me that before I even start, I notice that it is in fact, a magic lock. All of us roll Arcana and suprizingly enough, only Cannibal succedes. Our DM then explains how Cannibal recognizes the arcane markings from his years of mercenary work and from deep in his memory recalls how to dispell it. I then roll Slight of Hand and get a nat 20, opening the lock with ease despite my lack of proficiency.

We then all look down the hole and just see darkness below. Solis pulls a stone from his pack and casts a light cantrip on it and then drops it down the hole. It only falls about 10 feet before landing on a wooden floor. We all climb down and find ourselves standing on a very creeky wooden floor. The first thing that catches our eyes is that there is a vamperic envoy chained to one of the walls.

For those who don’t know, a vamperic envoy is basically like a lesser vampire. They are significantly weaker than normal vampires and are basically mindless, usually taking orders from full vampires.

 It is quick to start hissing at us, but it is clear that it has been trapped her for a long time and is increadably weak.

Tiso: “We should just kill it. This is just cruel.”

Cannibal: “Shouldn’t we like, interrogate it first or something?”

Tiso: “Sounds like someone forgot that envoys can’t speak.”

Cannibal then kind of just shrugs and attacks the envoy. DM doesn’t even make him role for hit or damage, saying that in its feeble state, anything could kill it. With that done, we turn our attention to the rest of this room. Winoan puts his attention on the creaky floor, meanwhile, my attention is on the vials stored in this room. They are filled with dark liquid just as the ones upstairs. Filled with both curiosity and stupidity, I told the DM that i would like to dip the tip of my cloak into a vial. He responds by saying that as expected, by cloak comes out simply wet with the fluid. Like and idiot, I then stated that i wished to lick this fluid off my cloak to find out what it was. MY mouth is immediatly filled with the taste of blood. I spit it out and immediatly begin chugging a vial of holy water, terrified.

Right after this happens, Winoan rips a weak board out of the floor and we learn that below this floor is just an empty pit, who knows how deep. Shortly thereafter, Solis and Winoan find a secret door into another room. The floor in there appears even more rickedy, but there also is a table with a book laying on it. Winoan steps into the room but a small part of the floor gives way and his leg gets stuck. Solis then makes his way into the room and grabs the book before helping Winoan once back to steadier ground.

As this was happening, a calling stone blinking again so I answered it. Winslow informed me that the party he sent out to investigate, including Brutas, are all dead. Furthermore, the vampires likely know out location are aparently particularly interested in me. He asks if there might be any reason why and I inform him of the vial of blood, but that it had also barely just happened. He then reminds me that in the 10 years it has operated, the guild as a whole has only actually managed to kill two vampires.

I begin relaying this to the party when we  all hear a lot of commotion and shouting from upstairs and we are all freaking out. We all decide to hide and everyone succeeds… except Cannibal who rolls a 2. Not a moment later, vampires burst in and immediatly cast a fireball at Cannibal. Because we aren’t that far away, Mina and I are also both struck. We both succeed out dex saves but Cannibal does not, taking a heafty 22 damage. Mina is also knocked out from this blast as she was missing HP from a previous battle still.

The floor then, of course, collapses under us from this explosion. Cannibal and I both fall immediatly, as do an unknown number of vampires. Solis sprouts his Aasimar wings and attempt to catch Mina but fails. He then attempt to catch Winoan and succeeds, placing him by the exit ladder before flying down after us. 

Cannibal, Mina, and I all land far below with a might splash. I have a mear fourth of my HP left, Cannibal, while having quite a bit more, is unconcious anyway due to some bad rolls. As i start swimming to shore, I spot Mina on the shore with an envoy creeping up on her. At this time, Solis arrives and is able to spot Cannibal floating in the water and drags him to shore before spotting a full fledged vampire creeping in the shadows.

Around this time, I’m basically shitting my pants because Mina is down, Cannibal is unconcious, Winoan isn’t present, and I’m critically wounded, and we are about to be attacked by a full fledged vampire, an encounter I was fearing even if we were in top shape.

I’m terrified that we are about to have a TPK.

Roll Initiative.

Well, Solis and I did… first was me, then the envoy, then the vampire, then Solis.

I load a wooden stake into my crossbow and fire a bolt directly into the envoy, this at least pulls its attention away from Mina. I also use Second Wind and heal for 9 HP. The envoy then attacks me and thankfully misses. The vampire then attacks Solis.

Nat 20.

The vampire viciously sinks its teeth into Solis, but he is unphazed. As an Aasimar, he is a holy being and thus, resistant to such evil powers.

Solis briefly looks over at Mina’s horribly injured unconcious body and then back at the vampire.

Solis: “I am sick and tired of all these god-damn vampires in my god-damn plane of existance.”

Nat 20

He throws a wooden stake into the vampire’s chest and punches it,

Also. his wings are still out which grants him bonus radient damage.

Flurry of Blows – He gets another two hits in, driving the stake in further.

The vampire isn’t down yet, but it took some heavy damage.

Around this time, up above, Winoan, not wanting to abandon his friends, safely climbs his way down. He sees the ongoing fight as well as Mina’s uncouncious body. He rushes over and dumps the few HP his level 1 Paladin self can into Mina, saving her from death.

It’s my turn again and I decide to take a risk and pull out my rapier and jumping at the envoy and get several good hits in. I’m fully expecting to get hit right after but instead the envoy charges at Winoan after spotting him healing Mina. Poor Winoan is taken down in a single blow.

The vampire then attacks Solis again but misses. Solis then retaliates with another attack and a flurry of blows. Hit, Miss, Hit. Cannibal then wakes up, and the DM tells him that he will be able to act after Solis next turn.

Now its back to me, I lunge at the envoy with my Rapier again and narrowly manage to finish it off with a sigh of relief.

The vampire again tries to attack Solis, but again fails. Solis then once again attacks as well as using his final Ki point to do a third Flurry of Blows. He rolls to hit:

20, 18, 20

With a screech the vampire falls to the ground.

“You may think you have defeated me, but…”

The vampire begins mumbling some sort of incantation but, before it can finish, Solis punches it in the jaw, snapping it out of place. With that final blow, the vampire falls limp.

Solis single handedly beat a vampire to death with his bare fists.


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