Homebrew Dhampir Species Details

I am kalashtar, born of two worlds. Over a thousand years ago, my ancestor bound her bloodline to the spirit Kashtai, and I am a child of that union. Kashtai moves within me. Her memories come to me in dreams, and at times her voice whispers in the silence of my mind. As long as at least one of my sisters is alive, Kashtai will survive — and as long as she lives, she will fight il-Lashtavar.

— Lakashtai, servant of the light

Children of Night

Dhampirs are the unholy union between a elven woman, and a male vampire. Vampires often stalk women at night, waiting for a perfect moment of vulnerability to strike. When the opportunity presents itself, the vampire swoops in, and bites the victim on the neck, making her his thrall, or his magically charmed, unwilling servant.

Vampires are insidious creatures, that play with their servants over a period of time. If the vampire so desires, he lures the charmed woman to his lair. It is there that he impregnates the woman. This is how Dhampires are born. For inexplicable reasons, the mother almost always perishes during the birthing process. If the dhampire infants are not killed immediately after birth, they are often orphaned, and forced to live a life of solitude and distrust.

Vampiric Urges

The Taint of Darkness

Even though dhampirs don’t need blood to survive, they can drink it from mortals if they so wish. After dhampirs drink blood, they look less pale, more alive. They also experience a burst of energy and power. Some dhampirs grow addicted to this hideous practice, growing more and more like their monstrous ancestors. The taint of undeath ironically gives a dhampir longevity on par with elves. Most grow up as orphans, and despite their exquisite features and innate charm, they face a lifetime of prejudice, mistrust, fear, and persecution. Humans who witness the seemingly sinister nature of a dhampir child’s supernatural powers or sensitivity to daylight display an array of reactions ranging from awe to terror to outright hatred. Eventually, a dhampir must learn to cope with these difficulties in order to find his place in the world. While most dhampirs succumb to the innate evil of their undead heritage and devolve into the monstrous fiends depicted by society, a few reject their unholy conceptions, instead vowing to avenge their mothers by hunting the very creatures that sired them. Dhampirs keep few, if any, close companions. Ultimately, the majority of evil dhampirs regard their allies as little more than tools or fodder. Those whom they deem useful are judged by their merits as individuals, not by their race. However, even with those they feel attached to, most dhampirs are sullen and reserved. Some fear the persecution heaped upon them may be transferred to their companions, whereas others worry their own bloodlust will one day overwhelm them and they’ll inadvertently turn upon their friends. In any case, an alliance with a dhampir almost always leads to an ill-fated conclusion.

Dhampir Names

Since dhampirs don’t have their own culture nor a common community, they usually borrow names from their mortal parent’s language and culture. However, since dhampir are so frequently abandoned, they sometimes make do only with (often cruel) nicknames received on the streets

Adopted Names:  

Dhampir Traits

Your kalashtar character has the following traits.

Ability Score Increase

Your Intelligence and Charisma scores both increase by 1. In addition, one ability score of your choice increases by 1.

Age

Dhampirs develop physically at the same rate as humans do, but due to Vampiric heritage, they share lifespans closer to that of longer-lived races, ranging from 300-400 years.

Alignment

As with humans, a dhampir's alignment is solely determined by the individual, though due to their unique heritage and the subsequent treatment by most of the world they easily fall to evil, and they also tend slightly toward chaotic alignments.

Size

Dhampires are similar in build to humans, though they are typically a few inches taller. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Vampiric Frenzy

In the heat of battle, you can throw yourself into a bloodlust. As a bonus action, you can make a special attack with your bite. If the attack hits, it deals its normal damage, and you gain temporary hit points (minimum of 1) equal to your Constitution modifier, and you can’t use this trait again until you finish a short or long rest.

Darkvision

You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

 

Predatory Charm

As an action, you can magically beguile the mind of a creature that you can see within 30 ft. For one hour you have advantage on charisma checks made against the creature. If you or any of your allies attack or damage the target, the effect ends. When the effect ends, the target becomes hostile toward you until the next dawn, at which point it becomes immune to this trait. You can use this trait once per short or long rest. A creature immune to being charmed is immune to the effects of this trait.

Bloodrush

 You have the ability to make a bite attack against a creature. You can use your Strength or Dexterity for your bite's attack roll. On a hit, your bite deals necrotic damage equal to 1d6 plus the ability modifier used to make the attack roll. You may also choose to gain temporary hit points equal to the amount of necrotic damage dealt with this attack. You may gain temporary hit points from this trait a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you may choose to gain advantage on wisdom or dexterity checks. Any expended uses of this feature are restored after a long rest.

Charming Presence

You have proficiency with charisma based skills.

Languages

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