Homebrew Dhampir Species Details

 

ALEKZANDER FLINCHED AS THE DOOR cracked and splintered, violently shattering into pieces. With not a moment of pause, the Inquisitors stormed in yelling and howling. They were a band of highly skilled mercenaries and acolytes from the local church who were given the task of cleansing heresies. Word on the street was that this abandoned shack had housed a bloodthirsty beast. Their accusation— vampirism.

Only they were wrong. Alekzander was something else entirely. For a moment, it seemed even some of their own realized this as their eyes fell on the man's macabre yet enchanting visage. The mercenaries raised their swords and maces, shouting condemnations all the same.

As he drew his blade, the man hissed at the Inquisitors and bared his sharp incisors. If he was to die, it would be by the sword.

 

—  Elric Allyn Loveheart, Dhamphire Academic and Novelist

Born by blood of human and transformed by blood of vampire-kin, they are neither, nor something in between. Dhamphirs are their own race, and can have their own offspring. Be they formed by ritual or sired by a blasphemous union, they are rarely welcomed in societies and have few places to truly call home. Humans see them as vampiric abominations, while vampires see them as a shamefully sickening heresy.

While there are enclaves of dhamphirs beneath some cities, and rumors tell of a fledgeling dhamphire society deep in the underdark, the reality for most is isolation and rejection. Some find acceptance in human cultures by pledging themselves to slay vampire-kin, and vice versa in vampiric circles, though this acceptance tends to only come after the glory of success, not before. For most, to be a dhamphir is to never be trusted, and to see fear in the eyes of the ones you love.

Heretical Origin

Most dhamphirs are sired by their own or are the result of unholy unions between vampire-kin and humans. It is said there are rituals of pregnant women drinking blood or being bitten by a vampire to have a dhamphire child, however.

While they draw power from blood, they can still consume food and be nourished by it. Vampiric power courses through their veins, however they do not feel the inherent corruption of its influence. No dhamphir is the same, each born with a unique connection to life and undeath.

A Blossoming Sanguine Form

Despite looking human in childhood, every dhamphir blooms into their true form upon reaching maturity. Bewitching and gaunt, their visage becomes a ghastly image of their former selves. This new form grants them odd supernatural properties, such as being treated as a living human by any spell that has any differing effects for the undead.

The easiest way to tell a dhamphir is by their lack of a shadow, leaving them looking unnatural in the light. Another consistent method of identification is the dhamphir's eyes, as they always have either black scleras with gray irises, or deep crimson scleras with an iris of bright scarlet. Regardless of the eye type, their pupils glow white. Black, white, brown, and even wine red are all possible hair colors for dhamphirs.

A dhamphir's skintone is always a shade of taupe that is eeriely close to human complexions, but lacks the warmth. It should be noted that despite their ghostly inhuman complexion, they can't have the gray-blue skin of vampires.

Dhamphire Names

With dhamphire culture being so rarely left to thrive, the names dhamphirs choose are largely dependent on the culture they were raised in. Those who manage to keep connected to dhamphir circles tend to pick more "gothic" names, seeing it as the closest thing to a cultural identity dhamphirs have.

Masculine Dhamphir Names: Darius, Leonardo, Casamir, Edric, Mordecai, Percival, Alistair, Mateo, Andrei, Ivan, Nicholai, Elijah

Feminine Dhamphir Names: Bellamira, Evilyn, Isabelle, Velvet, Anastatia, Dannica, Iva, Katarina, Maeve, Gwendoline, Lilith, Ophelia

Gender Neutral Dhamphir Names: Morgan, Salem, Gabriel, Robyn, Willow, Blaire, Quinn, Emery, Eden, Brook, Lauren, Jaden

Dhampir Traits

Your elf character has a variety of natural abilities, the result of thousands of years of elven refinement.

Age

Undeath is a spectrum to dhamphirs, and thus so are their lifespans. Dayborns have human lifespans, twilight sired live for hundreds of years, and umbralbloods do not age after reaching maturity.

Alignment

Dhamphirs might not have an inherent tendency towards evil, but many end up there. They are typically neutral.

Size

Dhamphirs are the same size and build as humans. Your size is medium.

Speed

Your base movement speed is 30 feet.

Ability Score Increase

Your Charisma score increases by 2.

Darkvision

Thanks to your awakened form, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it was dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of grey.

Vampiric Form

You have advantage on saving throws against diseases and being Charmed.

Undead Resistance

You have resistance to Necrotic damage.

Fangs

You have fangs like a vampire. They are a neutral weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit, you deal Piercing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the Bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Blood Drinker

As an action, you can make a special attack with your fangs. If the attack hits, you deal Necrotic damage instead of Piercing damage, and you heal hit points (minimum of 1) equal to your Constitution modifier. Once this attack hits, you can't use this trait again until you finish a short or long rest.

Language

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