Homebrew Dhampir Species Details

Accursed Bloodlines

Dhampirs are created when a vampire feeds on a pregnant human. This unholy corruption taints the person's blood and forever changes the child they carry. The victim will start to feel sharp pains as the infant absorbs the necrotic energy left by the vampire and over the remaining period of time will grow ill and feeble, the infant absorbing the remaining life energy. The mothers of dhampirs die during childbirth, the child taking away their life essence as they themselves are thrust into the world, neither living nor dead. As a result of this, few dhampirs reach adulthood.

Half-Mortal Heritage

The Dhampir have a strange relationship with death. Though they are not truly undead and can die like any living creature, they share an unnatural fortitude with their unliving ancestors. They can live for a very long time and age slower than normal humans after reaching adulthood. A dhampir’s appearance depends largely on the stock from which its mortal parent hails, most commonly dwarf, elf, or human. Unless inspected with suspicion, a dhampir will pass for a normal member of its mortal heritage. When subjected to closer scrutiny, a dhampir’s relatively pale complexion, enlarged canine teeth, and slow pulse all hint at its true nature. Despite myths to the contrary, dhampirs must eat, breathe, and sleep as all flesh and blood creatures do. Though dhampirs are intrinsically enhanced by necromantic magic, they are still living beings. Most, but not all, dhampirs are sterile and cannot sire or bear children of their own. Those rare dhampirs who can produce children rarely pass down their vampiric influence to the next generation. These children are more commonly members of whatever mortal lineage their parents share.

One Foot in the Grave

Dhampirs are most often raised without the presence of their vampiric parent. In some instances their vampiric parent was destroyed prior to their birth but, in most cases, the mortal parent fled with the child for their safety. As a dhampir matures, they often become curious about why they are different from other children. Whether their parent reveals the truth to the child or the dhampir deduces its parentage on its own, most dhampirs are well aware of their true nature by the time they reach adulthood. Awareness of blood relation to an immortal creature can cause a fascination with mortality in dhampirs. This can cause some dhampirs to pursue means of immortality, most often becoming vampires, while others seek to make peace with and accept their mortality, turning to religion or spiritual studies. Although they have no need to consume blood, many dhampirs experience unbidden violent thoughts and dark appetites. Every dhampir chooses for themselves whether to indulge in these impulses or spend a lifetime exercising restraint and self-discipline.

Against the Dark

Many dhampirs take up adventuring for at least some portion of their life. Dhampirs tend to view the world in stark black and white and this thinking extends to their motivations for adventuring. Some dhampirs might take up adventuring to fight against the evil force of the world or to right the wrongs of their vampiric parent. Other dhampirs choose to adventure as a means of quickly amassing a personal fortune, or a collection of mystical artifacts, in pursuit of personal power or vampiric apotheosis.

Dhampir Traits

Born of life and undeath, the Dhampir sits somewhere in between. Their breath is shallow, their pulse weak, and their gaze unsettles most.

Ability Score Increase

Your Charisma score increases by 2, and another ability score of your choice increases by 1.

Languages

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

Undead Resistance

You are resistant to necrotic damage.

Subdued Breath

As a Dhampir, you lay somewhere between the undead and the living. You have an advantage on CON saves against non-magical effects. Additionally, any Perception, Medicine or Investigation checks made to discern if you are alive while you hold your breath is made at disadvantage.

Fangs

Your fanged mouth is a natural weapon, which you can use to make unarmed strikes. If you hit with it, you deal piercing damage equal to 1d4 + your Strength modifier, instead of the bludgeoning damage normal for an unarmed strike.

Vampiric Talent

You are proficient in Stealth and Persuasion skills, and have advantage on Perception checks to smell blood.

Misty Escape

 As a reaction to taking damage, you can shift into a cloud of mist until the start of your next turn. You gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage which applies to the triggering damage. While in this misty form, attacks against you are made at disadvantage, but you can't take actions, move, speak or manipulate objects. Once you use this feature, you can't do so again until you complete a long rest.

Hard to Kill

While you are not in direct sunlight, you have an advantage on death saving throws.

Sunlight Sensitivity

You have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Perception checks that rely on sight when you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.

Darkvision

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 were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of grey.

Daywalker

You can use an action to ignore your Sunlight Sensitivity feature for 1 hour. You can use this trait again after you complete a long rest.