D&D Race Guide: How to Play a Dhampir
If you want to play a vampire-esque character this Halloween, Dhampir are an option to sink your teeth into.
For players who want to do something a little different and a little bit spookier at the table, Dhampir may just be D&D’s answer. This playable race of undead aren’t quite vampires, but they’re just about halfway there. And that means that playing a Dhampir will give you many of the boosts and boons of the undead nightlife, with an almost unquenchable thirst. But those benefits might just be worth it.
“Poised between the worlds of the living and the dead, dhampirs retain their grip on life yet are endlessly tested by vicious hungers. Their ties to the undead grant dhampirs a taste of a vampire’s deathless prowess in the form of increased speed, darkvision, and a life-draining bite.”
Hungers & Origins
Unlike regular vampires, Dhampirs have a variety of origins and hungers. In 5E there is a provided chart and each can be chosen by the player or at random.
Dhampir hungers include physical things like blood, flesh or raw meat, spinal fluid, and then more nebulous concepts such as psychic energy, dreams, and life energy. Yes, you can play a psychic vampire in your next campaign.
Potential Dhampir origins also run a pretty wide variety, ranging from being the reincarnation of a vampiric tyrant to having a parasite whose hunger you indulge, to having one parent who is a vampire. There are eight pre-written options in total, and each would individually be a solid backbone for an incredibly interesting backstory. Of course, if you want to go off-book with an origin or a hunger, that’s always up to your DM’s digression.
Dhampir Traits
As one of the newer additions to the playable race list, 5E gives players a lot of freedom in how to build and play their Dhampir. Ability Score Increases include a +2 to anyone score and an additional +1 to any other. But Dhampir characters will also get pretty specific to them.
They have a slightly increased speed at 35ft, as well as Darkvision, and a small or medium size depending on what race the character is aside from Dhampir. In addition, Ancestral Legacy allows them to replace any other race with Dhampir legacy but also lets the character keep any skill proficiencies as well as climbing, flying, or swimming speeds.
As undead, Dhampir characters don’t need to breathe, but they do have a Vampiric Bite. Fangs act as natural weapons and deal 1d4 piercing damage while allowing the character to regain hit points or take a bonus to their next ability check or attack roll. Finally, Spider Climb lets them climb as quickly as they can walk, and at 3rd level gives a full range of motion with the ability to walk up, down, and across vertically with hands-free.
Best Classes For Your Dhampir
A Dhampir Barbarian would be terrifying on the battlefield. They would go into a rage, bite their enemies, and regain hit points. This is a character who would chomp their way through an encounter and come out better than they went in; the blood they’d be covered in with just be a benefit.
But for a more subtle character or one who wants to take advantage of Spider Climb, Ranger could be a very good option. Walking across high walls or trees would give them a clear advantage when it came to ranged weapons such as bows, and natural Darkvision as well as no need to breathe would give them the opportunity to track monsters into places most adventurers simply couldn’t.
Tips & Tricks
Dhampirs are one of those player races that seem almost too good to be true. They’re vampires without many of the sun-based drawbacks of being a vampire and open players up to all sorts of interesting backgrounds and bonus powers. And if you’re going to play a Dhampir, you can’t forget about the powers. They have a lot of them and they all have a lot of potential both in and out of battles.
Don’t forget to use wall climbing for spy work or even just simple dramatics. Feel free to take a bite out of the worst NPC if you’re low on hit points. But don’t take it too far. There’s a line between playing your character and having fun with it, and being that player at the table and you want to make sure you stay on the right side of the line.
Have you ever played a Dhampir character? Have you had a Dhampir in your adventuring party? What hunger and origin would you want your character to have? Let us know in the comments!
Happy adventuring!
