Conscious psychic vampires are those who deliberate take energy from others, either by magical means (for example, servitors), or by some instinctive ability, via the astral plane, or by direct energy draining, often from the victim's aura. While they may not be able to completely control their "draining" tendencies, they do try, and seek methods of learning how to do so more effectively. They tend to have strong and volatile personalities.

Unconscious psychic vampires do not understand what they are, and tend to wander through life in a state of blissful ignorance or denial. They may or may not be aware of the effect they have on others, although they can see the results. Unconscious psychic vampires tend to have rocky and difficult relationships, home lives and personal interactions until they come to some kind of understanding of what they are.

Other unconscious psychic vampires, who are possibly more accurately termed than the above, are those who, unknown to themselves, instinctively drain energy from those around them. The symptom of emotional (and sometimes physical) exhaustion after being in their presence for a while is typical.

Unconscious psychic vampires often, instead of making use of the energy they take, disperse it uselessly into their surrounding environment.