In this blog we are going to tell you about The Dhampir in DnD 5e, so read this blog carefully to get the complete information.
Vampires have captivated the minds of people all around the world for well over a century, but their terrible powers, severe limits, and malevolent nature make them a tough addition to a team of adventurers. Enter the Dhampir: a vampire descendant with much of the taste of a vampire but fewer hassles and greater personality freedom.
With the Dhampir Lineage, D&D players may finally live out their finest vampiric (half-)lives.
The Dhampir was first revealed in the Gothic Lineages Unearthed Arcana in January 2021 and was formally introduced into the 5e fold alongside Hexbloods and Reborn in Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft.
What Exactly Is a Dhampir?
A Dhampir is a creature created by the mating of a vampire and a human. Dhampirs are highly attractive and shapely. Their beauty is frequently likened to royalty. Dhampir’s abilities are comparable to vampire abilities but without normal flaws. They pose a significant threat to both opponents and friends, and dealing with them should be approached with utmost caution.
Dhampir was previously described as “half vampires,” but this latest version broadens their scope to embrace all kinds of horror clichés that can arouse a dark thirst. You may be the kid of a vampire, be cursed with vampiric magic as a result of a failed spell, have an extremely hungry parasite, or anything else. The most crucial distinguishing feature is that you’ve been instilled with some eerie power at the expense of a distinct and impossible-to-resist yearning.
Physical Characteristics
While they appear to be human-like, many Dhampirs have a pale complexion and black hair. They look like stillbirths at delivery, although they actually have a very feeble heartbeat. Most have sharpened teeth or claws as reminders of their undead ancestors. They eat in the same way as people do, but they have issues with being out in the sun. Their appearance is human as well, yet they are considered more elegant than humans. They are not as powerful as vampires, but they have the advantage of not having to feed on others. Dhampirs seem tall and robust, with elegant features and a thin build that belies their unusual power.
So, What Distinguishes The Dhampir From Others?
It, along with its Gothic Lineage pals, can be selected as a race right away at character creation, or at any time during the campaign.
Obviously, players would need to consult with their DMs about the specifics/allowances, so don’t come up to your next game with a fully transformed character who can now walk on walls, but it’s quite great that the Lineages give a method to freshen up a character without entirely discarding it.
The Dhampir would be particularly intriguing in a Curse of Straud game in which a party member was overrun by vampire offspring and left for dead by the party, only to emerge as a half-human, half-vampire with undetermined allegiances.
Making a Dhampir
Before we get started, I’d like to explain how Dhampirism works in 5e. Simply told, you may either become a Dhampir throughout your campaign or declare your character a Dhampir during character creation.
These two approaches don’t operate that differently mechanically, but it will alter how you roleplay your character. A Dhampir who has been affected for a long time prior to the commencement of the campaign would have a far more unified aim than someone who is abruptly changed in the middle of a campaign.
Consult your DM to see which choice is best for you, as well as how well Dhampir or other dark lineages fit into your game. A half-vampire is more likely to fit into a Ravenloft campaign than one set in Eberron.
Dhampir Abilities and Traits
Ability Score Increase – Increase one ability score by two and another by one, or increase three distinct ability scores by one. Replace whatever Ability Score Increase you previously had with this if you are changing your race with this lineage.
Languages – You can communicate in Common and one additional language that you and your DM think is acceptable for the character. If you replace your race with this lineage, you keep any languages you already know and learn no new ones.
Creature Type – Humanoid
Size – You are either a Medium or a Small. When you obtain this bloodline, you get to pick the size.
Speed – Your walking pace is 35 feet per minute.
Ancestral Legacy – If you replace a race with this lineage, you can maintain the following aspects of that race: whatever skill proficiency you obtained from it, as well as any climbing, flying, or swimming speed.
If you do not retain any of those elements or pick this lineage when creating your character, you earn proficiency in two skills of your choosing.
Darkvision – Darkvision allows you to see in dim light as if it were brilliant light within 60 feet of you and in darkness as if it were dim light. Colors appear as shades of grey in the darkness.
Deathless Nature – You are not required to breathe.
Spider Climb – Your ascending speed is the same as your walking speed. Furthermore, on the third level, you may travel up, down, and across vertical surfaces, as well as upside down along ceilings, while keeping your hands free.
Vampiric Bite – Your fanged bite is a natural weapon that counts as a simple melee weapon that you are skilled with. When you attack with this site, you add your Constitution modifier to the attack and damage rolls instead of your Strength modifier. On a successful hit, it delivers 1d4 piercing damage. You get an advantage on attack rolls with this bite when you are losing half or more of your hit points.
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Dhampir Hunger
While there are no hard and fast rules for how your desires function mechanically, you definitely have a yearning for something or other supplied by living beings. Blood is by far the most prevalent dark need, although it may be anything. It might be raw flesh or something more ethereal like psychic energy, but it has to be something you drain from people, and typically not in a good way.
You’re not obligated to feed on these things technically, but from a roleplaying sense, you should either be indulging or rejecting your evil desires with enormous resolve. It’s up to you whether you play it as a sturdy vigil against your worst tendencies or as a blood monster who succumbs to the hunger of the shadows.
1. Blood
2. Flesh or raw meat
3. Cerebral spinal fluid
4. Esoteric humor
5. Psychic energy
6. A color from one’s appearance
7. Dreams
8. Life energy
Dhampir Origins
Dhampir no longer has a unifying source and can instead have any horror trope origin you can think of. It’s purposefully ambiguous so you may adapt your dark history to match your persona any way you like.
You are the reincarnation of a vampiric tyrant ancestor.
You share the appetite of a predatory god, fiend, fey, or spirit as a result of your bond with them.
You survived a vampire assault but were permanently transformed.
You are infected with a parasite. You satisfy its hunger.
Tragic events thwarted your transition into an immortal.
You are a weakened version of an alien entity. Squeezing your appetite accelerates your regeneration.
A vampire was one of your parents.
A daring experiment altered your body, leaving you dependent on others for critical fluids.
What Classes are Ideal for the Dhampir?
Because of the ability score bonuses, this lineage might be suitable for any class, or even a multiclass construct. Making the greatest use of the characteristics available boils down to making the best use of the traits available, which is generally just our secondary concern when considering how race and class complement each other.
Before we go into the classes that make the most sense, let’s talk about the different sorts of builds in general. Classes range from total caster to fully martial, with several pauses in between.
The vampiric bite will thrive in melee-focused martial arts programmes. These characters will have no trouble getting up close and personal for some light nibbling. They’ll also have a simpler difficulty increasing the piercing damage for the additional effects.
Casters and ranged martial classes will benefit more from the spider climb ability. Being able to cast spells from a safe ceiling or wall while being away from the combat is an unheard-of advantage. This type of traversal skill, in general, allows any ranged combatant to stay on top of things.
The following are some classes that can enhance or make effective use of Dhampir’s abilities:
Druid
The wild shape of the druid allows you to retain your racial skills as long as the creature you transform into is capable of them. Wild-shaping into anything with a stronger bite implies that the vampiric bite is also enhanced. There’s also the fact that any creature can now climb spiders.
Monk
Monk weapons are any basic melee weapons that lack two-handed or hefty qualities. This implies that your fangs qualify, increasing your damage die every few levels and maybe enable you to employ dexterity instead of constitution.
Monks have some pretty incredible mobility, which will just add to your vampiric speed, ceilings, or no ceilings. The Way of the Shadow monk, in particular, is an excellent thematic fit.
Paladin
Paladins of vengeance, conquest, or oathbreaker will be the ideal fit, with a lot of fear-based skills to support your darker nature. Oathbreakers even have necromancy powers at their disposal.
The fun thing is that you can smite with your teeth, or smite bite. The additional damage will not be penetrating, but it is a smart way to make it a more effective strike when you want to bite for health or a roll benefit.
Ranger
Dhampir is sometimes described as preferring a life of monster hunting, and what better way to do it than to join this subclass? There are no significant mechanical synergies, however, if your life aim is to hunt out vampires or other entities, this subclass is ideal.
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Best Races to Become a Dhampir
This entire section disregards my earlier dissatisfaction with the ancestral heritage attribute. If you choose to oppose the RAW, this part is irrelevant because all races will be equally viable.
If you choose to remain with RAW, here are some races that will offer you flying or swimming speeds. Focus on your background if you’re seeking specialized skill proficiency. Dhampir doesn’t need to worry about climbing speeds because they acquire one naturally.
| Race | Speed |
| Aarakocra | Flying 50ft (no medium or heavy armor) |
| Water Genasi | Swimming 30ft |
| Lizardfolk | Swimming 30ft |
| Triton | Swimming 30ft |
You now have everything you need to create a Dhampir. Will you give in to your hunger or fight back against the powers that have cursed you? The choice is yours, and we wish you the best of success with this intriguing individual.
Conclusion
We Hope this blog is sufficient enough to provide the information about The Dhampir in DnD 5e. Thanks for reading this blog.