So after a considerable absence of Unearthed Arcana through the new year...BAM. Vampires.
Well, not quite that...dhampirs, hexbloods and reborn (oh my!)
Yes, we’re given some pseudo-monster lineages to inject some of that good ‘ol gothic horror into our characters.
And none of them have my interest more fixated than that dhampir lineage...providing that vampiric “feel” without any of the apprehension of Sunlight Sensitivity or garlic allergies.
I’ve been mulling over what class would “fit” this sort of character...I’m not talking exploits with that bite mechanic (they’ll be tweaking that, I’m sure); I’m talking about the role playing.
A skulking Rogue Dhampir, for instance...even a Swashbuckler, who isolates their target for Sneak Attack, and charms people with vampiric hypnosis ala “Panache”.
Or a Glamour Bard who allures their audience with the same sort of dhampiric charm, and sings and dances...even up the wall or ceiling!
Honestly, just pairing a dhampir with any of the existing classes or subclasses seems to give a distinct flavor to the character...
What are some of the classes your most eager to match with these new dhampir features?
I already built a Dhampir Battlemaster based on Blade. But I'm also considering a Dhampir Inquisitive based on Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Buffy herself is a V-Human Monster Slayer Ranger.)
I also have a Hexblood Fey Wanderer and a Hexblood Glamour Bard, as well as a Reborn Hexblade.
I'm kind of leaning to a character concept of a Sun Soul Monk for a Dhampir that's trying their best to go against their heritage, but has some mechanical advantages.
In the same branch, I like the Way of Shadow Monk, your spells and cantrips give a fun way to play into the sneaky, shadowy archetype. The shadow teleporting feels fun for a creature of the night, and plays well in opposition to my Sun Soul concept
I'm kind of thinking that the Phantom Rogue could have some fun angles, with the Whispers of the dead being tied into the people that you have bitten instead of nebulous dead spirits, and the Soul Knife lends itself quite well to a more spectral origin (And the edge lord in me kind of wants to re-flavour the psychic knives into blood magic). Arcane trickster feels fun for the classic image I have of vampires as light, nimble, and magically gifted
The Undying Warlock plays well for a Dhampir that's slightly more Vampire in my mind. The ability to reattach your limbs, the significantly slowed ageing, and the undead seeming to favour you could create some distance between you and your living companions. Hexblade also gets a shout out for similar reasons to the Arcane trickster, with the benefit of playing into the trope of charismatic vampires
Shadow Sorcerer feels like a natural pick for similar reasons to the Way of Shadow Monk, but this time the power comes from your blood. Feels a little fragile to me though.
Barbarian feels like a fun RP possibility for a Jekyll and Hyde situation where you are trying to hold back your powers, and a rage is you embracing it. Maybe a Berserker or Beast if you want to play a savage. Zealot or Ancestral Guardian feels like a fun way to tie some magic into your Dhampir gifts, or possibly your Ancestors are a line of Vampire hunters
Last thought was the Rune Knight, reflavoured for runes you learned in whatever event turned you into a Dhampir. Maybe the magic that holds you between life and undeath
I'm kind of leaning to a character concept of a Sun Soul Monk for a Dhampir that's trying their best to go against their heritage, but has some mechanical advantages.
In the same branch, I like the Way of Shadow Monk, your spells and cantrips give a fun way to play into the sneaky, shadowy archetype. The shadow teleporting feels fun for a creature of the night, and plays well in opposition to my Sun Soul concept
I'm kind of thinking that the Phantom Rogue could have some fun angles, with the Whispers of the dead being tied into the people that you have bitten instead of nebulous dead spirits, and the Soul Knife lends itself quite well to a more spectral origin (And the edge lord in me kind of wants to re-flavour the psychic knives into blood magic). Arcane trickster feels fun for the classic image I have of vampires as light, nimble, and magically gifted
The Undying Warlock plays well for a Dhampir that's slightly more Vampire in my mind. The ability to reattach your limbs, the significantly slowed ageing, and the undead seeming to favour you could create some distance between you and your living companions. Hexblade also gets a shout out for similar reasons to the Arcane trickster, with the benefit of playing into the trope of charismatic vampires
Shadow Sorcerer feels like a natural pick for similar reasons to the Way of Shadow Monk, but this time the power comes from your blood. Feels a little fragile to me though.
Barbarian feels like a fun RP possibility for a Jekyll and Hyde situation where you are trying to hold back your powers, and a rage is you embracing it. Maybe a Berserker or Beast if you want to play a savage. Zealot or Ancestral Guardian feels like a fun way to tie some magic into your Dhampir gifts, or possibly your Ancestors are a line of Vampire hunters
Last thought was the Rune Knight, reflavoured for runes you learned in whatever event turned you into a Dhampir. Maybe the magic that holds you between life and undeath
I'll give some ideas for characters for every class (with the subclasses I think work best):
Artificer (Battle Smith Subclass): As Enhanced Weapon works on simple and martial weapons and your Vampiric Bite counts as a simple weapon, you can infuse your Vampiric Bite to make it magical, and thus usable with Battle Ready (for Int to attack/damage rolls). You then can make your Steel Defender appear as a bat (flightless until you get Replicate Cloak of the Bat). You could even have a Homunculus Servant that appears as a winged vampire bat.
Barbarian (Path of the Beast): Though your vampiric bite uses CON for attack and damage rolls (thus ineligible for Rage bonuses), you can grow a different set of pointed teeth for Bite, healing you in different ways. This doesn't really fit well, unfortunately, but could be a very creepy character.
Bard (College of Whispers or Eloquence): The College of Whispers is the obvious choice if you want to max out your feature-bound creepiness, using Words of Terror to make villainous monologues to terrify others, psychic blades to stack even more damage onto your Vampiric Bites, and the ability to suck people dry of their blood and then snatch their shadow from their deceased body and shapeshift into them. This would make a great villain, or great character for an evil campaign. College of Eloquence could be much more nefarious, it just requires roleplay. Silver Tongue works on Deception, so you will be great at deceiving others, Unsettling Words lets you be better at using your bardic spells on them (like vampiric mind control), and the ability to talk to bats, rats, wolves and other creepy/dangerous animals.
Blood Hunter: All of these work. All of them. If you want to be Blade, be a Ghostslayer Blood Hunter and slice up some vampires left and right. Order of the Lycan is good if you want to feel like you're turning into a ravenous, super-powered, blood-drinking vampire (don'tmentionTwilightdon'tmentionTwilight), though it will require your DM allowing your bites to count as unarmed strikes (which they don't, for some reason). If you want to carry around bottles of blood to empower you in combat, Order of the Mutant is great for you. If you want to be Strahd, sworn to the Dark Powers of Ravenloft and gaining unearthly magic, the Profane Soul is great (Hexblade or Undying works best), getting the ability to hex others.
Cleric (Grave/Death Domain): You worship a deity of death. If you're a Death Domain cleric, your patron deity could have created/blessed your race. If you're a Grave Domain cleric, you may have been transformed into a Dhampir through a necromantic ritual, and worship a deity of the Grave in order to gain redemption from your evil deeds. As a Death Domain cleric, Touch of Death and Inescapable Destruction are both great for your Vampiric Bite or Inflict Wounds, and Divine Strike adds to your Vampiric Bite.
Druid (Circle of Spores): As a Circle of Spores druid, I would reflavor your spores as being magical motes shaped like vampiric fangs or tiny bats. Symbiotic Entity could be themed as you taking on more of your vampiric heritage, being better with your Vampiric Bite and gaining THP from becoming bloodthirsty. Using TCoE, Wild Companion can let you get a bat familiar. Once you're level 8, you can transform into a bat or giant bat.
Fighter (Battle Master/Psi Warrior): First, if your DM allows it, I would take Unarmed Fighting fighting style to deal extra damage with your Vampiric Bite (it's not legal RAW). As a Battle Master, you could be a veteran hunter of humanoid/bestial prey, having discovered ways to be even better at using your Bite attack (Ambush, Precision Strike, Riposte, Trip Attack, Lunging Attack, Grappling Strike, Disarming Attack are all good and thematic options). If you're a Psi Warrior, you could be a psychic vampire, using Psionic Strike to empower your vampiric bite attacks, Protective Field to make you even more durable than the average fighter, and Psi-Powered Leap fits the theme of vampires leaping long distances (basically all of these features make sense for a psychic vampire).
Monk (Way of Long Death/Mercy/Shadow): As a Long Death monk, Touch of Death helps you get even more HP/TPH when you kill people, Hour of Reaping fits the terrifying vampire theme, Mastery of Death lets you be even more survivable, and Touch of the Long Death lets you add 20d10 necrotic damage to a bite damage. As a Way of Mercy monk, Hand of Healing fits the bordering life-death theme of Dhampir and Hand of Harm lets you channel your necromantic damage even more. As a Shadow monk, all of your spells fit the vampiric theme, Shadow Step and Cloak of Shadows lets you be a stealthy-ninja-vampire, and Opportunist lets you dig your fangs into a creature your buddies attack.
Paladin (Oathbreaker/Conquest/Vengeance): Need I explain? Oathbreaker fits the "Undead Vampiric Knight" theme the best, Conquest fits the terrorizing vampire theme the best, and Vengeance fits the undying hunter theme the best.
Ranger (Beast Master/Gloom Stalker/Swarmkeeper): Beast Masters can command a bat as their animal companion, Gloomstalkers fit the invisible stalking vampire archetype the best, and Swarmkeeper lets you command a swarm of bats.
Rogue (Phantom/Soulknife): Others have explained Phantom above. Soulknife lets you be a psychic vampiric hunter.
Sorcerer (Shadow): Just reflavor your Hound of Ill Omen as a vampiric wolf, and you're good.
Warlock (Hexblade/Undead/Undying): I think you get it.
Wizard (Illusion/Necromancy): Illusion lets you trick people into becoming your prey (keeping with the theme of bats) and Necromancy lets you animate the corpses of your victims.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Mechanically I'm most exited about the Dhampir as a Monk with Way of Shadow monastery tradition. Picking up the Fighting initiate feat for the blind-fighting fighting style in order to not get disadvantage in magical darkness. If they don't fix the wording then your bite can be your monk weapon giving your bite level scaling die damage. This in turn would increase your healing with the bite.
Thematically I'm also most exited about the Dhampir as a Monk with Way of Shadow monastery tradition. There's just something about being able to enter combat in your formal attire (unarmored defense) and being nimble in combat. Using the shadows to appear behind a target and bite it in the neck being creepy as heck.
The new Bladesinger Wizard has caught my interest with a dhampir...and even has a very “Alucard” feel to it.
Access to Wizard spellcasting can allow many of the vampire-esque features to be filled in with spells...”Gaseous Form”, “Vampiric Grip“ and “Misty Step”...
...while the use of a blade, coupled with the Bladesinger’s movement speed & defensive bonuses, lends to the physical dhampir traits rather well.
Plus, the dhampir can bite with their fangs, and still cast a cantrip in the same action.
Conceptually, I’d say they learned their Bladesong from an unusual source...perhaps they are Vistani, and the martial art is all flourish + their mysticism.
I built my Dhampir as a Swarmkeeper Ranger. The swarm is of course, all bats. I made her a STR/CON based character who wields a Rapier. That along with Vampiric Bite are all piercing damage so I’m pairing with the Piecer feat for damage rerolls and possible additional dmg dice.
I’ve found a nice stack for damage between favored foe, swarm damage, the Piercer feat, and even more when Zypher Strike is cast. She moves around the Battlefield quite nicely, does good damage, and the role play is amazing.
My only wish would be to have some sort of “Glamor” ability for persuasion checks. Some sort of racial ability, but this can still be kinda accomplished through skill proficiency
I would say wizard, so you could have your character have a knack for magic because of their wizardly vampiric heritage. On the same line, a sorcerer is also good. The wizard is better than the sorcerer though.
Phantom Rogue. Terrified that their "symptoms" of hungering for blood and the unintelligible, half-heard whispers are leading to full psychosis. It all started that night when they woke up in the alley! Beginning play with no knowledge that they were attacked by a wampyre. Will the truth of their abilities be a relief or lead to further horror? This character might end up being familiar with specific "voices" which provide oft turned to skills - "Sebastian, are you there? I need to understand this arcane rune. Can you help me?" Taking responsibility for vulnerable souls and comforting them for a while before releasing them from their temporary existence as trinkets. Recognising that their very nature gives them responsibilities. Will they sit compassionately after battle and sooth the victims of the party? Or will they disappear into the darkness of their own minds...?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Old time player, who has been following 5e for a while. Started with AD&D, CoC, RuneQuest, T&T, MERP, Role Master and Paranoia. I'm 50 yo at time of writing.
Way of Shadow monk 6 / Swashbuckler. Shadowstep around the battlefield in a very vampire-like manner in order to get one-on-ones for sneak attack. My guy was a rogue that was infected. He went in search of a cure. He ended up at a monastery where he was given an ancient treatment that stopped him from fully changing into a vampire and he learned to suppress his urges (most of the time). He then returned to his roguish skillset. I RP his shadow abilities and his unarmored defense as vampiric attributes.
Also gave him sun sensitivity.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
So after a considerable absence of Unearthed Arcana through the new year...BAM. Vampires.
Well, not quite that...dhampirs, hexbloods and reborn (oh my!)
Yes, we’re given some pseudo-monster lineages to inject some of that good ‘ol gothic horror into our characters.
And none of them have my interest more fixated than that dhampir lineage...providing that vampiric “feel” without any of the apprehension of Sunlight Sensitivity or garlic allergies.
I’ve been mulling over what class would “fit” this sort of character...I’m not talking exploits with that bite mechanic (they’ll be tweaking that, I’m sure); I’m talking about the role playing.
A skulking Rogue Dhampir, for instance...even a Swashbuckler, who isolates their target for Sneak Attack, and charms people with vampiric hypnosis ala “Panache”.
Or a Glamour Bard who allures their audience with the same sort of dhampiric charm, and sings and dances...even up the wall or ceiling!
Honestly, just pairing a dhampir with any of the existing classes or subclasses seems to give a distinct flavor to the character...
What are some of the classes your most eager to match with these new dhampir features?
I already built a Dhampir Battlemaster based on Blade. But I'm also considering a Dhampir Inquisitive based on Angel from Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Buffy herself is a V-Human Monster Slayer Ranger.)
I also have a Hexblood Fey Wanderer and a Hexblood Glamour Bard, as well as a Reborn Hexblade.
I'm kind of leaning to a character concept of a Sun Soul Monk for a Dhampir that's trying their best to go against their heritage, but has some mechanical advantages.
In the same branch, I like the Way of Shadow Monk, your spells and cantrips give a fun way to play into the sneaky, shadowy archetype. The shadow teleporting feels fun for a creature of the night, and plays well in opposition to my Sun Soul concept
I'm kind of thinking that the Phantom Rogue could have some fun angles, with the Whispers of the dead being tied into the people that you have bitten instead of nebulous dead spirits, and the Soul Knife lends itself quite well to a more spectral origin (And the edge lord in me kind of wants to re-flavour the psychic knives into blood magic). Arcane trickster feels fun for the classic image I have of vampires as light, nimble, and magically gifted
The Undying Warlock plays well for a Dhampir that's slightly more Vampire in my mind. The ability to reattach your limbs, the significantly slowed ageing, and the undead seeming to favour you could create some distance between you and your living companions. Hexblade also gets a shout out for similar reasons to the Arcane trickster, with the benefit of playing into the trope of charismatic vampires
Shadow Sorcerer feels like a natural pick for similar reasons to the Way of Shadow Monk, but this time the power comes from your blood. Feels a little fragile to me though.
Barbarian feels like a fun RP possibility for a Jekyll and Hyde situation where you are trying to hold back your powers, and a rage is you embracing it. Maybe a Berserker or Beast if you want to play a savage. Zealot or Ancestral Guardian feels like a fun way to tie some magic into your Dhampir gifts, or possibly your Ancestors are a line of Vampire hunters
Last thought was the Rune Knight, reflavoured for runes you learned in whatever event turned you into a Dhampir. Maybe the magic that holds you between life and undeath
Yeah, I've been thinking about it way too much!
Right there with ya!
Those are some neat ideas!
I’ve been asking the same question, and the only thing that comes to mind is a Blood Hunter or Shadow Sorcerer. Any other suggestions would be nice!
I'll give some ideas for characters for every class (with the subclasses I think work best):
Please check out my homebrew, I would appreciate feedback:
Spells, Monsters, Subclasses, Races, Arcknight Class, Occultist Class, World, Enigmatic Esoterica forms
Mechanically I'm most exited about the Dhampir as a Monk with Way of Shadow monastery tradition. Picking up the Fighting initiate feat for the blind-fighting fighting style in order to not get disadvantage in magical darkness.
If they don't fix the wording then your bite can be your monk weapon giving your bite level scaling die damage. This in turn would increase your healing with the bite.
Thematically I'm also most exited about the Dhampir as a Monk with Way of Shadow monastery tradition. There's just something about being able to enter combat in your formal attire (unarmored defense) and being nimble in combat. Using the shadows to appear behind a target and bite it in the neck being creepy as heck.
The new Bladesinger Wizard has caught my interest with a dhampir...and even has a very “Alucard” feel to it.
Access to Wizard spellcasting can allow many of the vampire-esque features to be filled in with spells...”Gaseous Form”, “Vampiric Grip“ and “Misty Step”...
...while the use of a blade, coupled with the Bladesinger’s movement speed & defensive bonuses, lends to the physical dhampir traits rather well.
Plus, the dhampir can bite with their fangs, and still cast a cantrip in the same action.
Conceptually, I’d say they learned their Bladesong from an unusual source...perhaps they are Vistani, and the martial art is all flourish + their mysticism.
Enchanter wizard for those eyes you can just get lost in!
i had an idea for a dhampir echo knight but using the parasite as the echo
I am leader of the yep cult:https://www.dndbeyond.com/forums/off-topic/adohands-kitchen/82135-yep-cult Pronouns are she/her
I built my Dhampir as a Swarmkeeper Ranger. The swarm is of course, all bats. I made her a STR/CON based character who wields a Rapier. That along with Vampiric Bite are all piercing damage so I’m pairing with the Piecer feat for damage rerolls and possible additional dmg dice.
I’ve found a nice stack for damage between favored foe, swarm damage, the Piercer feat, and even more when Zypher Strike is cast. She moves around the Battlefield quite nicely, does good damage, and the role play is amazing.
My only wish would be to have some sort of “Glamor” ability for persuasion checks. Some sort of racial ability, but this can still be kinda accomplished through skill proficiency
I would say wizard, so you could have your character have a knack for magic because of their wizardly vampiric heritage. On the same line, a sorcerer is also good. The wizard is better than the sorcerer though.
My dhampir is an Undead Warlock, with Strahd as her patron.
I'm personally a big fan of Way of the Shadow Monk, and at lvl 4 take the Telepathic feat to get into peoples heads.
Phantom Rogue. Terrified that their "symptoms" of hungering for blood and the unintelligible, half-heard whispers are leading to full psychosis. It all started that night when they woke up in the alley! Beginning play with no knowledge that they were attacked by a wampyre. Will the truth of their abilities be a relief or lead to further horror? This character might end up being familiar with specific "voices" which provide oft turned to skills - "Sebastian, are you there? I need to understand this arcane rune. Can you help me?" Taking responsibility for vulnerable souls and comforting them for a while before releasing them from their temporary existence as trinkets. Recognising that their very nature gives them responsibilities. Will they sit compassionately after battle and sooth the victims of the party? Or will they disappear into the darkness of their own minds...?
Old time player, who has been following 5e for a while. Started with AD&D, CoC, RuneQuest, T&T, MERP, Role Master and Paranoia. I'm 50 yo at time of writing.
Thinking of a dhampir that is a circle of spores druid/swarmkeeper ranger.
Any ideas on which to lean more on?
Way of Shadow monk 6 / Swashbuckler. Shadowstep around the battlefield in a very vampire-like manner in order to get one-on-ones for sneak attack. My guy was a rogue that was infected. He went in search of a cure. He ended up at a monastery where he was given an ancient treatment that stopped him from fully changing into a vampire and he learned to suppress his urges (most of the time). He then returned to his roguish skillset. I RP his shadow abilities and his unarmored defense as vampiric attributes.
Also gave him sun sensitivity.