Homebrew Daywalker Vampire Species Details

Dhampir are part vampire. They have some of the features of a vampire, including pointed fangs and paler skin, but they remain as living creatures unaffected by the complete vampiric curse.

A dhampir might have a single vampire parent or could have resisted the full transformation into a vampire.

Any living humanoid can become a dhampir.

 

Blood Supplement

Dhampir don’t need to drink blood to survive…but they can.

Dhampir can subsist off of blood, but aren’t compelled to do so like a vampire. Blood tastes sweet to a dhampir, and they feel invigorated when drinking it.

Some dhampir embrace their vampiric heritage and drink lots of blood, but others only do so in dire situations.

Sunburn

Dhampir don’t burn in sunlight, but they are sensitive to it.

Dhampir prefer to operate at night or underground, away from sunlight. Sunlight affects each dhampir differently. Some find that sunlight gives them a headache, while others find their supernatural powers are dampened in sunlight.

Sunstrider

Dhampir that can walk around in the sunlight without problems are called sunstriders. The most powerful vampire hunters in history have been sunstriders, and true vampires hate them. They see a sunstrider’s mortality as a threat, something that makes them completely incompatible.

Dhampir can’t be turned into vampires, but they also can’t be cured of the curse or process that made them into a dhampir.

Dhampir Names

Dhampir can be from any ancestry, so their names typically align with local or familial customs.

Example Names: Valera, Isomar.

Creating Your Character

At 1st level, you choose whether your character is a member of the human race or of a fantastical race. If you select a fantastical race, follow these additional rules during character creation.

Ability Score Increases

When determining your character’s ability scores, increase one score by 2 and increase a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. Follow this rule regardless of the method you use to determine the scores, such as rolling or point buy. The “Quick Build” section for your character’s class offers suggestions on which scores to increase. You can follow those suggestions or ignore them, but you can’t raise any of your scores above 20.

Languages

Your character can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for the character. The Player’s Handbook offers a list of languages to choose from. The DM is free to modify that list for a campaign.

Creature Type

Every creature in D&D, including each player character, has a special tag in the rules that identifies the type of creature they are. Most player characters are of the Humanoid type. A race tells you what your character’s creature type is.

Here’s a list of the game’s creature types in alphabetical order: Aberration, Beast, Celestial, Construct, Dragon, Elemental, Fey, Fiend, Giant, Humanoid, Monstrosity, Ooze, Plant, Undead. These types don’t have rules themselves, but some rules in the game affect creatures of certain types in different ways. For example, the cure wounds spell doesn’t work on a Construct or an Undead.

Life Span

The typical life span of a player character in the D&D multiverse is about a century, assuming the character doesn’t meet a violent end on an adventure. Members of some races, such as dwarves and elves, can live for centuries. If typical members of a race can live longer than a century, that fact is mentioned in the race’s description.

Height and Weight

Player characters, regardless of race, typically fall into the same ranges of height and weight that humans have in our world. If you’d like to determine your character’s height or weight randomly, consult the Random Height and Weight table in the Player’s Handbook, and choose the row in the table that best represents the build you imagine for your character.

Daywalker Vampire Traits

Dhampir can come from any other living ancestry, such as a human or halfling. You gain the following traits as a dhampir:

Creature Type

You are a Humanoid.

Size

You are Medium or Small. You choose the size when you select this race.

Speed

Your walking speed is 30 feet.

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 discern colors in that darkness only as shades of gray.

Vampire Fangs

You have sharp fangs, which are natural weapons you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with them, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d4 plus your strength modifier, instead of the normal bludgeoning damage for an unarmed attack. Your fangs are not weapons, but attacks with them are considered weapon attacks. This means that you can use your fangs for effects like the paladin’s divine smite, but not abilities that target weapons specifically. The piercing damage from this scales with your level, increasing to 1d6 at 6th level, 2d6 at 11th level, and 3d6 at 16th level.

In addition, when you successfully grapple a target, you can choose to use Vampiric Drain to drain them of some of their blood (no action required). Rather than making an attack roll, the target immediately takes the damage, but you do not add your strength modifier to this attack. When the bite is done this way, instead of piercing damage, it deals necrotic damage, and you heal for the amount of damage done. When you successfully utilize Vampiric Drain, the grapple ends at the end of your turn.

Using this ability can only be done once per short rest.

Compulsion

You can cast the Suggestion spell once with this trait, without expending a spell slot and requiring no material components. You regain the ability to cast it this way when you finish a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

At Higher Levels: When you reach 8th level, you can use this trait two (2) times per long rest. At level 16, you can use this trait three (3) times per long rest.

 

Vampiric Fortitude

You are immune to disease. You have advantage on saving throws against necromancy spells and you have resistance against necrotic damage.

Alchemical Blood

You can create a special Potion of Blood Healing. A vial of the potion can be created with a DC13 Intelligence check, adding your proficiency bonus to the total (or Expertise, if you have expertise with Alchemist's Supplies). If the check succeeds, a single Potion of Blood Healing is created; this vial will last indefinitely without drying or spoiling. If the check fails, no item is created, and the materials are gone. Each vial requires a pint of fresh humanoid blood (either drawn from a living victim or from a corpse slain no more than 30 minutes prior), a dose of anticoagulant worth 25 GP, and 4 hours of concentration. This potion heals 2d4 +2 and removes a level of exhaustion.

Only Vampires and Dhampirs can benefit from this potion.

In addition, you gain proficiency with Alchemists Supplies.

Weakness To the Blessed

You become vulnerable to damage from Silvered Weapons and radiant damage.

Bloodlust

While you can control your bloodlust most days, the urge to feed is always present. As a daywalker, you must feed this thirst every 3 days or your body begins to weaken. Every day you go without feeding after the third day, starvation causes you gain one (1) level of Exhaustion that cannot be removed by any means except for the consumption of blood. Each successful use of your bite attack against a willing, incapacitated or restrained humanoid will remove one (1) level of Exhaustion. Alternatively, each Potion of Blood Healing will remove one (1) level of exhaustion.

Major Feature

You may pick one feature from the below options. This counts as one of two major features you are granted. If you forgo one of the features you instead can choose two minor features to replace it.

Minor Features

Choose two of the following minor features only if you chose one major feature.