Dhampir, feat and PrC.

Oni

First Post
Here is the first draft of something I've been working on for the last couple of days. What do you think? I'm having trouble coming up with appropriate prereqs I would appreciate some help with that especially. Whelp go ahead and blast it apart.



A dhampir is the result of the pairing of a vampire and a mortal woman, or a direct decendent of that union. How these rare creatures come to be is difficult to say, but some sages believe that a vampire’s close ties to the to the vitality of life is what makes it possible. Dhampirs are quite rare and few still of that number realize their full potential. Dhampirs almost always come from either a human or elven background though a few exceptions to this exist. Dhampirs are most often male, though female ones have been known to exist.


Dark Lineage [general]
You are directly descended from a vampire who had a dalience with a mortal woman.
Benefit: You have a strong connection to the night time. You gain lowlight vision, if you already have lowlight vision you gain darkvision, if you already have darkvision you extent the range by 30ft. Creatures of the night show deference to you, rats, bats, and wolves will not attack you unless provoked. However daylight seems to wear at you. From dawn to dusk you suffer a –1 circumstance penalty to all save, attack, damage, ability check, and skill rolls.
Special: This feat may only be taken at first level.

Awakened Dhampir
“The Power of my ancestors flows in my blood……and yours.”

Most Dhampir go through their lives never really knowing the full extent of their birthright, however now and again one discovers this power. A Dhampir that has tasted the blood of a vampire begins to feel a stirring inside of him, a welling up of power that he did not know before, if he answers this call and draws upon this power nursing it like a newly started fire he will become awakened and learn the power of his ancestors.
The majority of Dhampir that tread this path often lose their way as they begin to lust for power and for blood. Some are able to maintain their humanity and turn their dark powers on the very forces that spawned them and they are held in as much awe as they are fear. Dhampir are commonly awakened by the vampire that parented them as tool to be set against their enemies.
Dhampire come from almost any background though they are never good aligned clerics. Their very nature makes them poor vessels to wield the divine energies of a good aligned god as they tend to have an adverse affect on their being.
Hit Dice: d8

Requirments
To qualify to become an Awakened Dhampir, a character must fulfill all the following criteria.
Knowledge (Arcana): 4 ranks
Feat: Dark Lineage
Special: Must have drunk the blood of a true vampire, either willingly or unwillingly. However it should be noted that only characters of 5th level and higher have a strong enough life force and sense of self to do this. If a dhampir of inadaquate level drinks of the blood of a vampire, they are seized by blood madness. From dusk to dawn the become ravanous madmen as if under the unfluence of a barbarian rage they seek nothing but blood to sate their thirst. From dawn to dusk they are fatigued. This state of affairs can be cured with a heal spell which burns the foreign blood from their veins, though most do not survive long enough to receive this treatment. A heal spell will not strip an awakened dhampir of their powers as the vampire blood has become an intrinsic part of their being.

Class Skills
The Awakened Dhampir’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Hide (Dex), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Knowledge (religion) (Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), and Spot (Wis).

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier

Class Features
All the following are class features of the awakened dhampir prestige class.
Weapon and Armour Proficiency: An awakened dhampir gains no additional proficiency in any weapon or armor.
Heritage (Ex): With the infusion and awakening of vampiric blood comes a price. Awakened dhampirs gain some of the strengths and weaknesses of the parentage. They gain a +2 to saving throws against mind-influencing attacks, energy drain attacks, cold, and electrical attacks. Between dawn and dusk the dhampir has a –2 circumstance penalty to all save, attack, damage, ability check, and skill rolls made. If a cleric turns or rebukes them they suffer a –2 morale penalty to all save, attack, damage, ability check, and skill rolls made for one minute. If a cleric would be able to command or destroy then the penalty becomes –4. A successful dispel turning check may negate these benalties and a successful Bolster Undead roll adds a +2 to all of the dhampirs save, attack, damage, ability check, and skill rolls for one minute. Even a layperson that strongly presents a holy symbol to the dhampir may make a turning check, if they are success the penalty is a –1 morale penalty. They also gain enhanced vision, creatures with lowlight vision gain darkvision, and creatures with darkvision may extend the range and additional 30ft.
Blood Drain (Ex): Though it is not unheard of for dhampirs to drink blood they normally benefit little from this practice. An awakened dhampir can however make use of blood they drain with practice. Awakened dhampir may suck blood from the living or newly dead (slain within the last hour, may only gain half their con in blood points round down) with their fangs by making a successful grapple check. If it pins the foe it drains blood, inflicting 1 temporary constitution damage each round the pin is maintained. Each point of constitution drained in this manner grants 1 blood point, an awakened dhampir may hold 3xtheir awakened dhampir class level in blood points any beyond that are wasted.
Blood Magic (Su): Awakened dhampirs learn to draw upon the power of blood to to wield abilities similar to those of their ancestor. To the untrained this often makes them hard to distinguish from their undead parents, though a dhampir’s powers are not as refined and must have blood to power them. This ability only works during the hours from dusk until dawn. Using a blood magic requires a standard action unless otherwise noted.
-----I. Commanding Gaze – The awakened dhampir may spend one blood point to make a gaze attack as a standard action against one target, those merely looking on but not targeted are unaffected. The creature targeted must make a will save of DC 10 + awakened dhampir levels + Charisma modifier. Those that fail are affected as though by a charm person spell with a caster level equal to the dhampir’s awakened dhampir level. If the creature would not normally be affected by charm person, then they are not affected by this ability. This ability has a range of 30ft.
-----II. Night Speech – By spending one blood point the dhampir may duplicate the effects of speak with animals, but only with rats, bats and wolves. The caster level is equal to the dhampir’s awakened dhampir level.
-----III. Feral Shape – The awakened dhampir may spend two blood points to transform into bat or a wolf as per the druid’s wildshape ability, with the exception that it provides no healing. This effect ends at dawn, or earlier if the awakened dhampir so chooses.
-----IV. Enhance – By spending a blood point the awakened dhampir may add a +1 to either their strength or dexterity score, more than one point can be spend in the manner and may be divided between strength and dexterity as the dhampir sees fit. The awakened dhampir may not spend more blood points in a given round than they have awakened dhampir levels however. This ability last for one minute.
-----V. Blood Regeneration – An awakened dhampir may spend up to their awakened dhampir level in blood points in a around to power this ability. For each blood point spend in this manner the dhampir heals 1d8 damage to himself.
-----VI. Mist Form – An awakened dhampir may spend 3 blood points to duplicate the effects of a gaseous form spell on their person. The duration is until dawn, but may be ended earlier if the dhampir so chooses.
-----VII. Dread Gaze – As commanding gaze, except it reproduces the effects of a dominate person spell and cost 3 blood points to use.
-----VIII. Greater Feral Shape – As Feral shape, except the dhampir may choose to assume the form of either a dire bat or a dire wolf and it cost 4 blood points to use this ability.
-----IX. Fortify – The awakened dhampir can call upon the power of blood to greatly increase their resiliency. By spending 4 blood points the dhampir may can damage reduction 15/+1 for 1 round per awakened dhampir level.
-----X. Soul Touch – The awakened dhampir is able to reproduce perhaps one of the most feared powers of their undead parent. By spending 5 blood points the dhampir may make a touch attack that deals 1d4 negative levels to the target as per the energy drain spell. In 24 hours the recipient must make a saving throw for each negative level at a DC of 10 + awakened dhampir levels + Charisma modifier failure means the level is permanently drained. Each level drained this manner grants Awakened Dhampir 5 temporary hit points.




Level...BAB...Fort...Ref...Will...Special
1st......+0.....+2.....+2....+0....Blood Drain, Blood Magic I, Heritage
2nd.....+1.....+3.....+3....+0....Blood Magic II
3rd......+2.....+3.....+3....+1....Blood Magic III
4th......+3.....+4.....+4....+1....Blood Magic IV
5th......+3.....+4.....+4....+1....Blood Magic V
6th......+4.....+5.....+5....+2....Blood Magic VI
7th......+5.....+5.....+5....+2....Blood Magic VII
8th......+6.....+6.....+6....+2....Blood Magic VIII
9th......+6.....+6.....+6....+3....Blood Magic IX
10th....+7.....+7.....+7....+3....Blood Magic X


[edit: just dropping in clarifications every now and then
*clarified penalty types and noted the affect on ability checks as well
*got rid of the healing by shapeshifting to prevent it from being better than blood regeneration
*changed the duration of Enhance from one minute/level to one minute
*add that Soul Touch grants temporary HP
*updated prereqs]
 
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very nice Oni! (should we expect a dhampir vampire hunter PrC next? :D)

could someone with Dark Lineage take Daylight Adaptation (FRCS) to get rid of the negatives?

requirements - i wouldn't necessarily add any skill prereq's to this class. its hard to make a prereq that any class can get into at a certain level (most have BAB, but that's easier for a fighter, i've seen some with a Base Will save requirement, but that's easier for a cleric...). you could make the prereq a certain class level (?)

(if the Know:Arcana is left as a prereq, Bards, Monks, Wizards, Sorcerers and Clerics could qualify before the other classes do (with taking a feat like Cosmopolitan or Education (both from FRCS))

you could even add another feat requirement that any given class (the fighter) wouldn't get for free (Alertness, Great Fortitude, Lightning Reflexes, Iron Will...)

you could define each of the abilities (as extraordinary, spell-like or supernatural) and include the time it takes to use them. although some are fairly obvious, i would think anyone playing this PrC would really want to know how long Blood Regeneration takes (free action, MEA, etc.)

i would limit Soul Touch to two negative levels (as per the vampire) and note that any negative levels given heal the awakened dhampir 5 hit points of damage (10 on a critical hit -- MM pg 8)
 
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Just a note on the flavor stuff- if you want to avoid the whole "undead impregnating women" angle you could change the origin to be that a woman is bitten while she is pregnant (a la the Marvel comic book character Blade).
 

Mr Fidgit said:
very nice Oni! (should we expect a dhampir vampire hunter PrC next? :D)

Thanks! And to answer to question, maybe.

Mr Fidgit said:
could someone with Dark Lineage take Daylight Adaptation (FRCS) to get rid of the negatives?

No, Daylight Adaption is a bit of a misnomer. That feat allows a character to avoid the effects of bright light. The Dhampir isn't affected by light so much as the daytime nighttime cycle. If the dhampir is in a brightly lit room at night he still has his powers and if he is in a dark cavern during the middle of the day he receives the penalties. I prefer it this way as it has a bit more of a supernatural feel to it (inspired by Bram Stoker's Dracula it was) and it is also easier to adjucate than say the shade template's loss of power in light, and at what level of darkness are they able to use their abilities.

Mr Fidgit said:
requirements - i wouldn't necessarily add any skill prereq's to this class. its hard to make a prereq that any class can get into at a certain level (most have BAB, but that's easier for a fighter, i've seen some with a Base Will save requirement, but that's easier for a cleric...). you could make the prereq a certain class level (?)

(if the Know:Arcana is left as a prereq, Bards, Monks, Wizards, Sorcerers and Clerics could qualify before the other classes do (with taking a feat like Cosmopolitan or Education (both from FRCS))

you could even add another feat requirement that any given class (the fighter) wouldn't get for free (Alertness, Great Fortitude, Lightning Reflexes, Iron Will...)

I think I'm just going to say, that character level 5 is required even though that kind of flies in the face of one of the basic design principles of PrC's. I think I may do it this way. Remember how a vampire can only be created from a character with 5 or more character level, perhaps I say a dhampir that drinks a vampires blood before being 5th level becomes a ghoul of some sort rather than being awakened as their essense isn't enough to handle the transformation. I don't know I'm still up in the air, prereqs are always a pain in the butt, this is why many of the prereqs for PrC's seem artificial because they are just slapped on there as a way saying you can't take this class until X class level in a round about way.

Mr Fidgit said:
you could define each of the abilities (as extraordinary, spell-like or supernatural) and include the time it takes to use them. although some are fairly obvious, i would think anyone playing this PrC would really want to know how long Blood Regeneration takes (free action, MEA, etc.)

My initial thought was that all Blood Magic was used as a supernatural ability as a standard action. It's really all one ability just different facets of it. That said I may change the feral shape abilities to full round, or one full round actions to reflect the difficulties of shapechanging.

Mr Fidgit said:
i would limit Soul Touch to two negative levels (as per the vampire) and note that any negative levels given heal the awakened dhampir 5 hit points of damage (10 on a critical hit -- MM pg 8)

Attaching the limited healing isn't a bad idea, I like the flavor. This ability wouldn't be avaible to a minimum of 15th level though, so I don't think 1d4 is too much when you consider for a wizard Energy Drain is a mere two levels away. I don't know, I just wasn't sure that 2 levels was enough by the time a high level character receives it I shall have to think on this some.
 

Oni said:
Attaching the limited healing isn't a bad idea, I like the flavor. This ability wouldn't be avaible to a minimum of 15th level though, so I don't think 1d4 is too much when you consider for a wizard Energy Drain is a mere two levels away. I don't know, I just wasn't sure that 2 levels was enough by the time a high level character receives it I shall have to think on this some.
i think the biggest difference between energy drain and Soul Touch is, even a sorcerer or wizard Awakened Dhampir will have at least 2 attacks/round. a fighter (-type) will have at least 3. (**assumes level 5 to enter the PrC)
 

Mr Fidgit said:

i think the biggest difference between energy drain and Soul Touch is, even a sorcerer or wizard Awakened Dhampir will have at least 2 attacks/round. a fighter (-type) will have at least 3. (**assumes level 5 to enter the PrC)


It works like a touch attack. It takes a standard action to activate, so under normal conditions that would mean only one attack that round. Assuming they miss they can hold it as a touch attack and try next round. However even if they do have multiple attacks it only functions on the first successful attack.
 

you're right, standard action (next time i'll try to read and absorb the information :rolleyes: :D )

what happens to person who is killed from the Soul Drain? (someone on the boards wrote that a person who dies from energy drain comes back as a wight. -- i don't know if that's true, it's not in the errata or D&D FAQ. it could have been a Sage thing...)
 

Mr Fidgit said:
what happens to person who is killed from the Soul Drain? (someone on the boards wrote that a person who dies from energy drain comes back as a wight. -- i don't know if that's true, it's not in the errata or D&D FAQ. it could have been a Sage thing...)

This is a very good question (partially because I don't know the answer). I think it would be easiest perhaps if nothing happened, but I'm not sure.

As for the wight thing, you can find that information in the DMG on page 75-76 under Energy drain, its the second to last bullet on page 76.
 

Oni said:
I think it would be easiest perhaps if nothing happened, but I'm not sure.
it probably would be easiest, but i think it would be more fun and surprising to the Awakened Dhampir if they did come back as wights ("Didn't I just kill this guy?!" :D)
As for the wight thing, you can find that information in the DMG on page 75-76 under Energy drain, its the second to last bullet on page 76.
someday i'll have these books memorized!

it is handy to re-read that information. it says, "A creature gains 5 temporary hit points...", not 'an undead creature'; so the Dhampir benefiting from that sound reasonable to me
 

Any thoughts on the number of blood points an awakened dhampir can hold, or the blood point cost to use the various powers. Thoughts on adjustments (or if they are necessary)?
 

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