The half-living children of vampires birthed by human females, dhampirs are progeny of both horror and tragedy. The circumstances of a dhampir’s conception are often called into question but scarcely understood, as few mortal mothers survive childbirth. Those who do often abandon their children and refuse to speak of the matter. While some speculate that dhampirs result when mortal women couple with vampires, others claim that they form when a pregnant woman suffers a vampire bite. Some particularly zealous scholars even contest dhampirs’ status as a unique ancestry, instead viewing them as humans suffering from an unknown affliction. Indeed, this hypothesis is strengthened by dhampirs’ seeming inability to reproduce, their offspring inevitably humans (usually with some inclinations towards undead powers). Regardless, they live and die just like any other mortal creatures, despite possessing a supernatural longevity akin to that of elves.
Many dhampir’s formative years are surrounded by hardship. The most common story for dhampirs’ childhood is as an orphan, and despite their exquisite features and innate charm, they face a lifetime of prejudice, mistrust, fear, and persecution. Other ancestries, particularly humans, who witness the seemingly sinister nature of a dhampir child’s supernatural powers display an array of reactions ranging from awe to terror to outright hatred. Eventually, most dhampir learn to cope with these difficulties to find a place in the world.
Dhampirs keep few, if any, close companions. Given their rejection by society, many dhampirs judge others by their merits as individuals, not by their ancestry. However, even with those they feel attached to, most dhampirs are sullen and reserved. Some fear the persecution heaped upon them may be transferred to their companions, whereas others worry their own bloodlust will one day overwhelm them and they will inadvertently turn upon their friends.
Physical Description: Tall and slender and with well-defined musculature, dhampirs look like statuesque humans of unearthly beauty. Their hair, eye, and skin colors resemble unnerving versions of their mothers’; many possess a deathly cast to their skin.
While many dhampirs can pass as humans in ideal conditions, their features are inevitably more pronounced and they move with an unnaturally fluid grace. All dhampirs have elongated incisors. While not true fangs, these teeth are sharp enough to draw blood, and some suffer a reprehensible desire to indulge in sanguinary delights, despite the fact that the act provides almost no physical benefit.
Dhampir’s mimic an in-between of human and elven life spans, reaching adulthood around 20, with middle age not until 120 and old age in their early two hundreds. The most venerable of this ancestry live into their three hundreds. While touched by the strange influence of the undead, dhampirs still exhibit sexual dimorphism, with the average height of males just under six feet and females nearly half a foot shorter. Their body mass is similar, making most females weigh slightly less than males.
Society: Dhampirs have no culture of their own, nor do they have any known lands or communities. Often born in secret and abandoned at orphanages or left to die on the outskirts of town, they tend to live solitary lives as exiles and outcasts. Individuals acquire the cultural beliefs and teachings of the regions in which they grew up, and adopt additional philosophies over the course of their complex lives. This ability to adapt to a variety of circumstances provides dhampirs with a social camouflage that hides them from both predators and prey.
In rare instances, dhampirs might gather to form small groups dedicated to resolving their joint issues. Even so, the philosophies of such groups reflect the interests of the individuals involved, not any common dhampir culture.
Relations: As dhampirs are seen as outcasts few ancestries view them favorably. They share an affinity for those whose ancestry also sets them apart from societies, particularly shadowlings and tieflings. Humans view them with a combination of fear and pity, though such feelings often devolve into hatred and violence. Other humanoid ancestries, such as dwarves and halflings, simply shun them.
Alignment and Religion: Most dhampirs hold a neutral outlook on life, possibly influenced through their interactions with others or their personal views of the cycle of life and death. Some, though, are strongly attracted to the concept of death while others vehemently fear it. Within these trends, most dhampirs find one or two core values they hold very dear. Such values are varied but often reflect the societies from their childhood or adult years.
Adventurers: The life of an adventurer comes naturally to most dhampirs, since constant persecution condemns many to spend their days wandering. Many dhampirs keep moving to maintain their secrecy and evade mobs, while those who follow the path of vengeance venture forth in search of their despised fathers. Regardless of their reasons, most dhampirs simply feel more at home on the road than in a settlement. Having little formal training, a great many of these journeyers become warriors to protect themselves.
Almost universally, those inclined toward mystical pursue the field of necromancy or healing, though dhampir alchemists have been known to obsess over transforming their own bodies. Those who feel the call of the hunt often become bounty hunters.
Names: Lacking a culture and unified traditions, dhampirs share humans’ predilection for a diversity of names, and most keep their birth names, which depends on the society into which they were born. 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.