Homebrew Vampire (Dhampir) Species Details
Story
Often born in secret and abandoned at orphanages or left to die on the outskirts of town, they tend to live solitary lives as exiles and outcasts. Few mortal mothers survive the childbirth and those who do often abandon their children and refuse to speak of the matter. While some speculate that dhampirs result when mortal women couple with vampires, others claim that they form when a pregnant woman suffers a vampire bite. Some particularly zealous scholars even contest dhampirs’ status as a unique race, instead viewing them as humans suffering from an unholy affliction. Indeed, this hypothesis is strengthened by dhampirs’ seeming inability to reproduce. Neither human nor vampire they just can't seem to find where they belong in life.
Physical Description
Dhampirs look like statuesque humans of unearthly beauty. Many possess a ghastly pallor, particularly in the sunlight, while those with dark complexions often possess skin the color of a bruise. While many dhampirs can pass as humans in ideal conditions, their features are inevitably more pronounced and they move with an unnaturally fluid grace. All dhampirs have elongated incisors.
Attitudes and Philosophies
They acquire the cultural beliefs and teachings of the regions in which they grew up, and adopt additional philosophies over the course of their complex lives. This ability to adapt to a variety of circumstances provides dhampirs with a social camouflage that hides them from both predators and prey. As dhampirs are scions of evil, few races view them favorably. They share an affinity for those half-breeds whose sinister ancestry also sets them apart from human society, particularly tieflings and half-orcs. Humans view them with a combination of fear and pity, though such feelings often devolve into hatred and violence. Other humanoid races, such as dwarves, elves, and halflings, simply shun them. Similarly, dhampirs bear a deep-seeded loathing for living creatures, their hatred planted by jealousy and fed by frustration.
Names
Lacking a culture and unified traditions, dhampirs share humans’ predilection for a diversity of names, and most keep their human birth names. Many dhampirs take their mother’s surname, while others take the surname of the towns or regions in which they were born, or use a surname derived from a significant event.
Bloodlust
Like the vampire Dhampir do need to feed on blood. They must feed on the blood of a living humanoid creature that is not another dhampir 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 dhampir 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 six days or they starve. (see Bloodlust trait)
Vampire (Dhampir) Traits
Dhampirs share certain racial traits as a result of their vampiric descent.Ability Score Increase
Your Charisma increases by 2. You may choose to increase either Strength or Dexterity by 1.
Age
Dhampir reach maturity in their late teens like humans do and only then do their dhampir racial abilities manifest, which is called the 'change'. Once this occurs they no longer age normally and can live eternally.
Alignment
Dhampir 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
Dhampir vary widely in height and build, from barely 5ft to well over 6ft tall. Regardless of your position in that range, your size is Medium.
Speed
Your base walking speed is 35ft, climbing speed is 10ft, "flying" is 5ft, and swimming is 0ft. You cannot fly as a humanoid, but you can jump. You cannot swim.
Languages
You can speak, read, and write Common and one extra language of your choice.
Darkvision
Thanks to your vampiric heritage, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim Iight 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.
Keen Smell
You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks to smell the presence of blood. This only applies to blood that is exposed to the open air, e.g. you can’t use this to detect a completely uninjured, hidden creature.
Your Father's Childe
You have advantage on saves against the undead.
Cold as the Grave
You are resistant to necrotic damage and cold damage.
Sunlight Sensitivity
You have disadvantage on attack and sight-based perception rolls that rely on sight when: you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight or bright light.
You are vulnerable to fire damage.
Bloodlust
You can drink blood from a grappled, incapacitated, unconscious or restrained victim. If you do so, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier multiplied by 1/2 your level (rounded down).
You gain two actions from this trait:
- A scaling unarmed Fangs attack based on your level (1,5,10,15,20) that deals necrotic damage.
- A more "passive & simple" natural Bite, as a bonus action, that does 1+STR modifier piercing damage.
Rules:
- 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 two days. You can abate this somewhat by eating food and drinking as normal for a human everyday but only for up to six days before you must feed. You will be unable to abate your need of blood through normal food until you feed.
- When using Fangs: Drinking blood from an unconscious or incapacitated person has a 50% chance of killing them. Have the player roll 1d10, 1-5 the creature dies, 6-10 they live but can't be fed upon again or they will die.
- When using Bite: Whenever you succeed at grappling a target you can use your bonus action to immediately attempt to bite them. You automatically succeed on this attack if the target is willing.
Hunger
STAGE 1: If you skip one feed you become 'hungry'. There are no penalties for being hungry.
STAGE 2: If you skip a feed while already hungry you become 'famished' and gain 2 levels of Exhaustion. (Feed twice to remove.)
STAGE 3: If you skip a feed while 'famished' you become 'starving' and you receive an additional level of Exhaustion. You are unable to receive the benefit of a short or long rest . (Feed three times to remove.)
STAGE 4: If you skip a feed while 'starving' you become 'crazed' and receive another level of Exhaustion and you lose control - 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. (Feed four times on separate living humanoids or kill one humanoid to remove.)
DEATH: If you skip another feed you die.
If you are not hungry and feed you lose one level of Exhaustion if you have any regardless of how you obtained it.
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