Dhampir (
Versatile Heritage)
Legacy Content
Uncommon Dhampir Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 32 2.0Many 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.
You Might...
- Distance yourself from your heritage by trying to blend into society or even hunting undead.
- Take special precautions to avoid being exposed to “helpful” healing magic.
- Find yourself fascinated by the sight, smell, or taste of blood.
Others Probably...
- Feel unsettled by your ghostly pallor and sharp teeth.
- Wonder about or even romanticize your origins and motivations.
- Find themselves strangely drawn to your grace, charm, and appearance.
Adventurers
Outsider status combined with supernatural abilities make dhampirs natural adventurers. The
criminal,
hermit,
nomad, and
street urchin backgrounds are common among dhampirs, while those with better fortune might have the
acolyte,
noble, or
scholar backgrounds.
Dhampirs who practice magic are often undead-bloodline
sorcerers,
wizards of the necromancy school, or occasionally
oracles or
witches. Those who have learned to fend for themselves might be
rogues or
swashbucklers, and those who seek to slay undead might choose
champion or
ranger.
Other Information
Dhampir Settlements
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.
Strigoi
The first vampires arrived on Golarion from the
Shadow Plane, but most have died out, gone into hiding, returned to the Shadow Plane, or evolved into modern vampires. Those ancient few who retain their original form are called strigoi. These vampires aren't destroyed when exposed to sunlight— instead, they enter a dormant state from which they rise again at nightfall.
Versatile Heritage
Legacy Content
Uncommon Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 32 2.0Ancestry Page DhampirYou are the scion of a vampire, half living and half undead, gifted with uncanny charm and grace, a bloodless pallor, and elongated incisors. You gain the
dhampir trait, in addition to the traits from your ancestry. You have the
negative healing ability, which means you are harmed by positive damage and healed by negative effects as if you were undead. You also gain
low-light vision, or you gain
darkvision if your ancestry already has low-light vision. You can choose from dhampir feats and feats from your ancestry whenever you gain an ancestry feat.