Dhampir
Uncommon
Dhampir
Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 32 2.0
Many call vampires the children of the night, but it is dhampirs who can truly claim that title. These mortal offspring of vampires walk the line between life and undeath not just physiologically, but also in their social standing, temperament, and worldview.
The circumstances surrounding a dhampir's birth are rare, complex, and often shrouded in horrific rumors stoked by societal revulsion at the idea of an undead monstrosity producing mortal offspring. Some dhampirs are the child of one mortal and one vampiric parent, while others are born to those who were turned into vampires while pregnant. Still, others rise from dark rituals or other supernatural influences that impose a vampiric curse onto a mortal infant. The life of a dhampir is often difficult: few vampiric parents have the time or inclination to raise a mortal child, while mortal communities find a dhampir's sallow flesh, piercing eyes, and unnerving presence off-putting at best.
Despite being living creatures, dhampirs respond to positive and negative energy as if they were undead, making them unwelcome in many holy communities and often driving them toward necromantic arts. Dhampirs aren't immortal, but age far more slowly than most mortals, with a lifespan similar to that of an elf. Dhampirs have difficulty producing children of their own, and those few born to a dhampir are never dhampirs themselves.
A dhampir generally resembles a member of their non-vampire parent's ancestry, but with a ghostly pallor and eyes so light it seems they have only pinpoint pupils and no iris. All dhampirs have elongated incisors, some nearly as long as those of a true vampire. Many command grace, beauty, and charm, despite their unsettling appearance.
Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 32 2.0
Many call vampires the children of the night, but it is dhampirs who can truly claim that title. These mortal offspring of vampires walk the line between life and undeath not just physiologically, but also in their social standing, temperament, and worldview.
The circumstances surrounding a dhampir's birth are rare, complex, and often shrouded in horrific rumors stoked by societal revulsion at the idea of an undead monstrosity producing mortal offspring. Some dhampirs are the child of one mortal and one vampiric parent, while others are born to those who were turned into vampires while pregnant. Still, others rise from dark rituals or other supernatural influences that impose a vampiric curse onto a mortal infant. The life of a dhampir is often difficult: few vampiric parents have the time or inclination to raise a mortal child, while mortal communities find a dhampir's sallow flesh, piercing eyes, and unnerving presence off-putting at best.
Despite being living creatures, dhampirs respond to positive and negative energy as if they were undead, making them unwelcome in many holy communities and often driving them toward necromantic arts. Dhampirs aren't immortal, but age far more slowly than most mortals, with a lifespan similar to that of an elf. Dhampirs have difficulty producing children of their own, and those few born to a dhampir are never dhampirs themselves.
A dhampir generally resembles a member of their non-vampire parent's ancestry, but with a ghostly pallor and eyes so light it seems they have only pinpoint pupils and no iris. All dhampirs have elongated incisors, some nearly as long as those of a true vampire. Many command grace, beauty, and charm, despite their unsettling appearance.
Additional Information
Geographic Origin and Distribution
The Darklands city of Nemret Noktoria is home to a small, isolated enclave of dhampirs born to the city's vampire ambassadors. A similar dhampir community in the city of Kaer Maga welcomes kin from across the Inner Sea region. In Ustalav and the far reaches of Vudra, a few dhampir villages exist—but as the personal projects of vampires, these hamlets become horrors at night.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Lacking a culture and unified traditions, dhampirs share humans’ predilection for a diversity of names, and most keep their human birth names. Many dhampirs take their mother’s surname, while others take the surname of the towns or regions in which they were born, or use a surname derived from a significant event.
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