Ways to Increase a Dhampir's Bite Damage

I'm trying to make a Dhampir tank and I need methods to increase the piercing damage, thus increasing the HP restored. I'm playing a Barbarian, so spells won't mix with this (I know, Hunter's Mark is the easiest method). Any help is appreciated!

There are a few items that increase unarmed damage, which are mainly geared toward Monks but which will help out anyone making Unarmed Strikes: Wraps of Unarmed Power, Insignia of Claws, Eldritch Claw Tattoo. These may be of help if you're using the 5.5e Dhampir where the bite attack is explicitly a type of Unarmed Strike.

Edit: removed  Wyrmreaver Gauntlets from my list as its extra damage is Force, not Piercing, so technically it doesn't get you more healing.

Berserker barbarian's Frenzy.  The attack is strength-based (only the damage is con-based), the bonus damage from frenzy is the same type as the base damage, and it explicitly works with unarmed strikes.

Hunter's mark doesn't help for all purposes, because it's force damage, not piercing.

You might also check out the piercer feat, although that seems silly and low value.

Also Enlarge/Reduce will increase the bite damage by 1d4.

I am playing a 2014 Dhampir (Tabaxi) Echo Knight Fighter (Tank), and can tell you that after low levels, the bite Heals, even if you were able to use 2d4 will not be enough to help with creatures doing much more damage in later tier of play.

Heck, even the Fighter's Second Wind which can heal much more than the Dhampir's Bite, doesn't really help much of the time.

Quote from Squirrelloid >>

You might also check out the piercer feat, although that seems silly and low value.

I don't think Piercer would be worth taking just for this purpose, but on a character who also mainly uses weapons that deal piercing damage, it's a nice synergy.

Quote from Laird_Denton >>

I am playing a 2014 Dhampir (Tabaxi) Echo Knight Fighter (Tank), and can tell you that after low levels, the bite Heals, even if you were able to use 2d4 will not be enough to help with creatures doing much more damage in later tier of play.

Heck, even the Fighter's Second Wind which can heal much more than the Dhampir's Bite, doesn't really help much of the time.

 Well, if you're a Berserker Barbarian Dhampir in a rage, dealing 1d4+2d6+con+2 piercing damage is like 15 healing at level 3, and if you're resisting the damage you take, that starts to feel significant.  Then at level 9 you can add another 1d10 to that, and rage becomes +3.  And that's just Barbarian stuff.

I mean, it's not going to keep up into high tier play, but most games never get to high tier play.

Can you swap in an unarmed strike for any melee weapon attack w/in 5' you are allowed to make?

"Instead of using a weapon to make a melee attack, you can use a punch, kick, head-butt, or similar forceful blow. In game terms, this is an Unarmed Strike—a melee attack that involves you using your body to damage, grapple, or shove a target within 5 feet of you."

You mean unarmed strikes don't need hands free?

Beserker is really your only choice here, then max out your CON and STR. Magic items can add a little bit, but not that much.  You'll want to be wielding a weapon in addition to using your fangs, because without the healing your fangs are much much weaker than using a weapon. You could ask your DM if they would allow the Monk Martial Arts scaling to apply to your fangs but Barb-Monk multiclass is super MAD, so I don't recommend it  

Quote from StonyMac >>

Can you swap in an unarmed strike for any melee weapon attack w/in 5' you are allowed to make?

"Instead of using a weapon to make a melee attack, you can use a punch, kick, head-butt, or similar forceful blow. In game terms, this is an Unarmed Strike—a melee attack that involves you using your body to damage, grapple, or shove a target within 5 feet of you."

Not necessarily. If some ability or spell says that it's used with a weapon attack, then you need to make an actual weapon attack, not an Unarmed Strike. Things that work with both (e.g. Divine Smite) will say that explicitly.

Quote from Tarod_ >>

You mean unarmed strikes don't need hands free?

I actually skipped over worrying about that since the Dhampir would be making a bite attack (and because juggling seems so prevalent in 5.5e).

I was actually originally going to post about how difficult it seems to be to give up some optimize weapon attack for a low-power bite attack (despite the benefit to ability checks or attack rolls, which seems more powerful that healing). However, I realized that I was not sure what attacks could be sacrificed for an unarmed strike.

Quote from wagnarokkr >>

Quote from StonyMac >>

Can you swap in an unarmed strike for any melee weapon attack w/in 5' you are allowed to make?

"Instead of using a weapon to make a melee attack, you can use a punch, kick, head-butt, or similar forceful blow. In game terms, this is an Unarmed Strike—a melee attack that involves you using your body to damage, grapple, or shove a target within 5 feet of you."

Not necessarily. If some ability or spell says that it's used with a weapon attack, then you need to make an actual weapon attack, not an Unarmed Strike. Things that work with both (e.g. Divine Smite) will say that explicitly.

Thanks. I just have not paid much attention to unarmed strikes since none of my builds was relying on them. However, after reading this thread, I started wondering if I was not leveraging my Dhampir's bite enough for key savings throws or attacks (been thinking about fighting dragons lately).

So you CAN swap in a bite attack (unarmed strike) for a main attack, extra attack, reaction attack, etc... but NOT if a features says "you can make a melee attack roll with the weapon against a second creature" or something like that.

Also I assume that an unarmed strike cannot substitute in for a light weapon attack via the light property (or Light + Nick).

Sorry, not trying to waylay the thread - just figured max damage is a combo of how often you can use it as well as the damage boosts you can stack on it.

I think Charger should work to increase the DPR from the bite and has some good synergies with other weapon attacks as well (also some nice flavor to charge and bite).

Charger

Improved Dash. When you take the Dash action, your Speed increases by 10 feet for that action.

Charge Attack. If you move at least 10 feet in a straight line toward a target immediately before hitting it with a melee attack roll as part of the Attack action, choose one of the following effects: gain a 1d8 bonus to the attack's damage roll, or push the target up to 10 feet away if it is no more than one size larger than you. You can use this benefit only once on each of your turns.

Quote from StonyMac >>

So you CAN swap in a bite attack (unarmed strike) for a main attack, extra attack, reaction attack, etc... but NOT if a features says "you can make a melee attack roll with the weapon against a second creature" or something like that.

Yes, though It may be a mistake to think of it as "swapping in" an Unarmed Strike. Weapon attacks and Unarmed Strikes are both types of attacks you can make when you do things that let you make an attack, such as taking the Attack action or making an Opportunity Attack. Actions and abilities that let you make attacks tell you what kind of attacks you can make with them.

Quote from StonyMac >>

Also I assume that an unarmed strike cannot substitute in for a light weapon attack via the light property (or Light + Nick).

Correct. Unarmed Strikes are not weapons and so they don't have the Light property, or any weapon mastery property like Nick.