Homebrew Ascended Dhampir (Ancient Vampire) Species Details

Legends claim the first of their kind were immortals who drank deeply from the boundary between life and death, becoming something neither living nor undead. Their blood carries an essence older than kingdoms and older than many gods. It is a predatory spark that refuses to fade with time.

To become an Ancient Vampire, one must first slay an existing member of the lineage. This alone is not enough. The victor must consume the fallen vampire's essence, drinking not merely its blood but devouring the supernatural fragment that grants its immortality. Few survive the ordeal. The ancient power fights to preserve itself, tearing apart unworthy hosts from within. Those who endure awaken transformed, inheriting a portion of the slain vampire's eternal nature.

Because of this, every Ancient Vampire carries the legacy of those who came before. Their blood is a chain stretching back through countless generations of hunters, tyrants, kings, monsters, and survivors. Some claim fragments of memory linger within the essence, appearing as dreams, instincts, or whispered voices from previous bearers.

Unlike lesser vampires, Ancient Vampires do not burn beneath the sun. Instead, sunlight reveals their true nature. Their skin gleams with an unnatural radiance, as though the ancient essence within them is being exposed to the world. Though they can walk beneath the day, its light weakens their supernatural gifts and leaves them painfully vulnerable to divine power.

Most Ancient Vampires eventually develop an insatiable hunger. Not for flesh, but for essence. Blood is merely the vessel. What they truly crave is the spark of life contained within living creatures. Feeding allows them to sustain the ancient power that courses through their veins, and many come to view mortals not as people, but as prey.

Their numbers remain few, for every new Ancient Vampire requires the death of an old one. Some seek worthy successors to continue their legacy. Others guard their immortality jealously, hunting any who would dare claim it. This endless cycle of predation has persisted for millennia, ensuring that every Ancient Vampire is both heir and executioner, descendant and usurper.

To encounter an Ancient Vampire is to stand before a creature that has inherited centuries of stolen immortality. To kill one is to be offered a terrible choice.

Leave the essence to fade into nothingness.

Or consume it, and become the next link in the chain.

 

This species is only available to three concurrent players at a time. This species requires a quest to take and replaces the species of the character that takes it.

You have the following traits.

Creature Type

You are an Undead. You gain Immunity to necrotic, resistance to poison, and Vulnerability to radiant damage

Size

You are Medium or Small. You choose the size when you gain this lineage.

Speed

Your walking speed is 30 feet. You have a flight speed equal to half your walking speed. You may levitate 2-3 inches above the ground instead of walking.  Levitation does not function over non-solid surfaces

Vampiric Grasp

Your ancient vampiric nature allows you to seize prey with terrifying ease.

Once on each of your turns, when you hit a creature with:

• an unarmed strike,
• a natural weapon attack, or
• a melee weapon attack made with a weapon wielded in one hand that could reasonably be used to seize or control a target (such as a gauntlet, cestus, brass knuckles, clawed glove, or similar weapon),

you can use a bonus action to automatically grapple that creature, provided it is your size or smaller and is within your reach.

You can have only one creature grappled by this trait at a time. If you use this trait while already grappling a creature, the previous grapple immediately ends.

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 as shades of gray.

Deathless Nature

You don’t need to breathe.

Ancient Resilience.

When you fail a saving throw, you can choose to succeed instead.

Once you use this trait, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

Vampiric Bite

Your fanged bite is a natural weapon, which can only be used on a grappled or willing. You add your Constitution modifier, instead of your Strength modifier, to the attack and damage rolls when you attack with this bite. It deals 3d6 magical piercing damage on a hit. While you are missing half or more of your hit points, you have advantage on attack rolls you make with this bite.

When you attack with this bite and hit a creature that isn’t a Construct or an Undead, you can empower yourself in one of the following ways of your choice:

• You regain hit points equal to the piercing damage dealt by the bite.
• You gain a bonus to the next ability check or attack roll you make; the bonus equals the result of the first d6

You can empower yourself with this bite once per round

Sun-Touched Flesh

Direct sunlight causes your ancient blood to react unnaturally.

While you are in direct sunlight, your skin emits a faint supernatural glow in a 10-foot radius and dim light for an additional 10 feet.

You have disadvantage on stealth checks made to hide while in direct sunlight.