[RPG] Does a vampire’s bite attack against a charmed target trigger a saving throw against the charm

dnd-5emonstersundead

So I was wondering how its working when PC is charmed by vampire one on one, and vampire decides to bite it. Does it mean that they can repeat save against charm because they got damaged by it or not since they were willing to get bitten in the first place?

Charm. The vampire targets one humanoid it can see within 30 feet of it. If the target can see the vampire, the target must succeed on a DC 17 Wisdom saving throw against this magic or be charmed by the vampire. The charmed target regards the vampire as a trusted friend to be heeded and protected. Although the target isn’t under the vampire’s control, it takes the vampire’s requests or actions in the most favorable way it can, and it is a willing target for the vampire’s bite attack.

Each time the vampire or the vampire’s companions do anything harmful to the target, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success.

Best Answer

The vampire’s bite is harmful, so it triggers a save against the charm.

The charmed creature gets to make a save “each time the vampire or the vampire’s companions do anything harmful to the target”. The vampire’s bite says:

Hit: 7 (1d6 + 4) piercing damage plus 10 (3d6) necrotic damage. The target’s hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken

This is obviously harmful. Being a willing victim does not make it not harmful. So the bite triggers a saving throw against the charm.

It should be noted that (by rules as written) being a willing victim makes a creature an eligible target for the bite attack, but it does not mean the bite hits automatically. The vampire still has to make an attack roll against the target’s armor class, though a DM could reasonably give the vampire advantage on the attack. In the event that the bite misses, no harm has been done to the target, so no saving throw against the charm would be triggered. However, it would not be unreasonable for the DM to rule that the bite is an automatic hit in some, or even most, cases. For example, I would still require an attack roll to hit a willing victim of a race with the natural armor trait whose neck would still present a challenge for the vampire’s teeth.