Homebrew Dhamphir Race Details

You are a being born of humanity and vampirism yet remain neither. You are something else.

Origin of the Dhamphir

A dhamphir can only come into being through magic. Vampires are undead and cannot procreate life. However, be it natural phenomenon or a dark ritual a human is affected by the preternatural essence of a vampire causing an alteration to their blood. A descendant of that human may arise where that alteration has triggered and caused a being that is born of vampirism and humanity yet not actually either one.

Dhamphir usually seem human at first but after puberty their inhuman blood awakens and become the dhamphir. Since most dhamphir are born of two human parents this is often quite a shock. They are rarely prepared for this change or the bloodlust that comes from it so they lose control, get discovered, assumed to be vampires and killed. Since dhamphir are very rare and with the quick destruction of them before anyone realises they're not actually monsters this means the world generally has no knowledge about these strange beings.

On even rarer occasions the phenomenon or dark ritual may cause that affected human to transform instantly into a dhamphir rather than tainting their blood for a future dhamphir offspring.

Appearance

When born dhamphir are indistinguishable from humans up until the change at puberty. After the change their appearance may change in small ways: they get slightly paler, the colour of their eyes may get a little brighter or more bold and their upper and lower canine teeth get slightly more pointed. These changes are barely noticeable.

However, should the dhamphir be too hungry, while they feed or because they simply want it; their appearance can take on more vampiric appearance such as eyes that glow unusual colours like red, their skin can become completely pale white and they gain vampire fangs. This appearance is actually the true appearance, they just have the natural ability to hide these pronounced features for blending in.

Dhamphir Nature

Although they have some vampiric abilities these are less than an actual vampire and this goes for the weaknesses too. Dhamphir are not vampires and can cross water, are unharmed by sunlight (although are more sensitive to it), and are alive. They are not undead fiends and can be harmed and killed just like any mortal creature. They do retain an infinite lifespan, however, and can live to any age.

Dhampir are very much like humans and are mostly born to human parents but the change in nature is so much that they cannot simply be considered a sub-race of humans or of vampires. Their body and soul is not human at all and never was.

Dhamphir can procreate in the usual manner with another human or dhamphir. If they do with a human there is a 50% chance the offspring will also be dhamphir but if the child is not one then they will be human with the taint in their blood which may cause a descendent of theirs to be a dhamphir. If two dhamphirs produce a child the child will always be a dhamphir but still will be born 'as if' human until the change occurs at puberty.

Bloodlust

Like the vampire Dhamphir do need to feed on blood. They must feed on the blood of a living humanoid creature that is not another dhamphir or they starve, lose control or eventually die. It is the life force of that creature they feed on through the conduit of blood so it cannot be spilled blood or from a corpse - they must feed directly off the living. This can make things difficult to keep hidden.

Ideally a dhamphir will need to feed once every two days but they can consume food normal for a human and abate their need to feed on blood for a time. Even with this they will need to feed no less than once every 6 days or they starve. For more on this see the Feeding and Starvation Racial Trait below.

Culture and Names

Dhamphir are so rare they have no culture of their own and will therefore hide as part of human culture taking human names.

Dhamphir Traits

As a Dhamphir you have the following racial traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Charisma increases by 2. You may choose to increase either Strength or Dexterity by 1.

Age

Dhamphir reach maturity in their late teens like humans do and only then do their dhamphir racial abilities manifest, which is called the 'change'. Once this occurs they no longer age normally and can live eternally.

Alignment

Dhamphir by nature will not be inclined toward a particular alignment but due to their need to feed and the reactions of people who find out about dhamphirs they often need to think of themselves first making them bend more to Neutral alignments.

Size

Dhamphir vary widely in height and build, from barely 5 feet to well over 6 feet tall. Regardless of your position in that range, your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and one extra language of your choice.

Darkvision

You have Darkvision out to a range of 60 feet. Within this range you can see dim light as if it were bright light and darkness as if it were dim light.

Bat Form

With an action you can magically transform into a bat as though through a Polymorph spell. This functions the same as the spell except in the following ways:

  • This is a racial ability and not a spell. The magic is the same kind of natural magic that is part of the world - like how dragons are magical - but is not a magical effect in the same way as a spell. It is immune to things like Counterspell, Dispel Magic, Detect Magic and Antimagic Field.
  • You retain your mental scores of Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma as well as your class features (if can be used in the new form), and you keep your other racial traits except size and speed. For instance your racial ability score increases will apply to the bat statistics adopted when you transform.
  • The duration is permanent until you choose to transform back which takes a bonus action.

If you revert to your normal dhampir form as a result of dropping to 0 HP you cannot use this feature again until you either complete a short or long rest or until you feed on blood.

You cannot change into or out of bat form willingly if you are currently in sunlight or if you took radiant damage since your previous turn.

Charm

You can cast the spell Charm Person without the need of any spell slots. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell when cast this way. When the spell cast through this feature ends they will not be aware that you charmed them. If you can see the target's eyes and they can see yours you can cast the spell through this feature without any verbal or somatic components.

Once you have cast the spell through this feature you cannot do so again until you complete a long rest.

A humanoid creature charmed by you be it through this or any other spell you cast that charms will always be willing to let you feed on them.  Feeding and any damage caused by it will not grant the target a new saving throw against the effect even if harm or damage normally would. When the charm effect ends, unless you choose otherwise, they will forget that you fed on them if you did.

Feeding and Starvation

You do not need to eat or drink normal food or water. You must feed on the blood of a living humanoid creature once every 2 days - hereafter called a 'feed'. You can abate this somewhat by eating food and drinking as normal for a human everyday but only for up to 6 days before you must feed. You will be unable to abate your need of blood through normal food until you feed.

If you skip one feed you become hungry. There are no penalties for beng hungry. If you skip a feed while already hungry you become 'famished' and gain 2 levels of Exhaustion but the penalty does not apply to Strength (Athletics) checks made to grapple a target. If you skip a feed while 'famished' you become 'starving' and your dhamphir true features will always be showing plus you receive an additional level of Exhaustion. The penalties do not apply to your Bite attack. You are unable to receive the benefit of a short or long rest . If you skip a feed while 'starving' you become 'crazed' and receive another level of Exhaustion and you lose control - you will be unable to use or maintain Bat Form and if already in it you revert to normal form, you will be unable to use the charm racial feature, you cannot cast spells and you must attack the nearest humanoid creature you see regardless if friend or foe and attempt to grapple and bite them to feed which you continue to do while able until you feed. Attempts to grapple and bite will be made with advantage in this state. If you skip another feed you die. The exhaustion levels gained through these starvation levels cannot be removed by any means except feeding. One feed removes one level of starvation and any levels of exhaustion that starvation level gave. If you are not hungry and feed you lose one level of Exhaustian if you have any.

To feed you must Bite a living humanoid creature that has blood. You can only Bite a target if you have them grappled or if they are willing, restrained or incapacitated. Whenever you succeed at grappling a target you can use your bonus action to immediately attempt to bite them. Your bite is considered a melee weapon attack with a reach of 5 ft. You automatically succeed on this attack if the target is willing.

Bite: melee weapon attack, reach 5ft, 1d20 + Proficiency + Strength or Dexterity (your choice when making the attack). On success you deal 1d6 + Strength or Dexterity (same as used for attack) piercing damage and 2d6 necrotic damage. The target's maximum hit points are reduced by the amount of necrotic damage they took until they complete a long rest. You recover lost hit points equal to the amount of necrotic damage dealt. If you are already at full health you gain temporary hit points equal to the amount of necrotic damage dealt which remain until reduced by attack, until you feed again or until you complete a short or long rest.

Note: Due to the limitations of Character Builder this bite attack cannot be added automatically. Please use the Custom Attack option in the attacks section on your character sheet to create this bite attack if desired.

Sunlight Sensitivity

You have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.

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