Vampire bats were small, nocturnal flying creatures that fed exclusively on the blood of other mammals, distinguishing them from their fruit- and insect-eating kin. Like most other Bats, they navigated and hunted using echolocation, emitting high-pitched sounds and interpreting the returning echoes to perceive their surroundings. This reliance on sound left their eyesight poorly developed, making them largely unaffected by visual impairments such as blinding light, while effects that dampened or negated sound could severely hinder them.
Vampire bats were often found in caves, ruins, and other dark refuges, where they roosted in colonies. Their bites were typically painless and subtle, allowing them to feed undetected for short periods. Though not inherently supernatural, their habits and appearance led to strong associations with Vampires, Giant Vampire Bats, and other blood-drinking entities, and they were frequently encountered in the presence of such creatures or employed as Familiars by practitioners of dark magic.