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By Dean 'NightFire' Howard
Authors Notes: I first wrote out the notes for this roughly six months ago. It was a crude system dealing only with the Dhampyr of the Kuei-Jin. I then watched Blade at the cinema and Vampire in Brooklyn on Video and suddenly the idea came to me for writing about their western counterparts. Shortly after I read the Sonya Blue books (all 4 of them) and a little of them went into this as well. When I looked on the net for inspiration I found articles already written on both. One was called Dhampyr Shih by and the other just called Dhampir by . Although these were very good articles, they weren't what I wanted and when the Kindred of the East companion came out I was appalled at White-Wolfs interpretation of these creatures, so I set about writing and this is the product.
Disclaimer
The Storyteller System, Vampire:
the Masquerade, Werewolf: the Apocalypse, Mage: the Ascension, Wraith:
the Oblivion, Changeling: the Dreaming, Kindred of the East, Kindred of
the East Companion and A World of Darkness are all trademarks of White
Wolf Game Studios and the use of these trademarks is without their permission.
The mention of or reference to any companies or products including White
Wolf Game Studios and their respected products is not a challenge to the
trademarks or copyrights concerned. This work is designed rather to add
to the world they have created, and to increase consumer interest in their
products.
Description
Dhampyr are the true half-vampires. Existing in both the realms of the dead and the living at the same time. They are caused by the embrace of a pregnant woman in the last 3 months of pregnancy. They are the perfect vampire hunters due to their enhanced abilities and other special gifts. They are often the masters of strange magick's. The Dhampyr have most of the strengths of the Vampires, but because of their human side, they have almost none of the weaknesses.
When the embrace takes place, all of the mother's blood is drained out of her body, but none of the unborn child's isn't. If it late enough in the pregnancy, the child's blood is only tainted by the vampiric blood, and the new form of nutrients it carries. If it is any later than the last 3 months of the pregnancy, the child will die and possibly become a trueborn vampire. This is the only way the Kindred may produce the halfling.
Kuei-Jin create Dhampyr by impregnating or being impregnated by a permanently Yang imbalanced vampire. If the Vampire is impregnated then the vampire must spend yang to keep the child, but if a normal human is carrying the child, then it will come to term like any other child.
But in both cases the child is different, touched by death and walks in light. They have the powers of their undead parents but they also have the advantages of life. Immune to sunlight, they are often treated like children, albeit with a slightly weird home life. Mercifully these halflings are rare but are prized for their skills as assassins and hunters, both in the Middle Kingdom and in the west.
Character Creation
Kindred Dhampyr
Attributes: 7/5/3
Abilities: 13/9/5
Backgrounds: 7 (They may take any Background
a Vampire may take)
Virtues: 7
Disciplines: 3+1 in Numia
Willpower: 4
Humanity: Conscience + Self Control
Psi-Pool: D10
Blood: D10
Freebie Points 15 (Normal Costs)
Kindred Dhampyr Special Abilities
Psi - All of this type of Dhampyr can metabolise dark emotions such as hate, rage etc... The upper limit of this pool is equal to the blood pool limit. Psi can be spent instead of blood, at a ratio of 2 to 1. Psi points are spent instead of when using Numia. To drain these emotions, the Dhampyr must roll Willpower (difficulty equal to strength of the emotion), each success grants 1 Psi point
Physical Prowess - Dhampyrs can learn Potence, Celerity, and Fortitude much in the same way a ghoul can. Also due to these factors, the Dhampyr is immune to all human and vampire diseases
Aware - Dhampyrs have 1 dot in Numia to start off with. This is to represent the higher human aspect of their half-dead selves. They also have all of their parent's clan disciplines. Also they are immune to both the Delirium and the Fog. They often have a banality of around 5
Blood - Dhampyrs can use blood to regenerate, fuel disciplines in the same way as a normal vampire. They can also grow fangs to drain blood.
Generation & Diablerie - Dhampyrs have a generation equal to the generation of their fathers, and it may never be raised. If committing Diablerie, then each blood point drained also grants 1-Psi point, nothing else.
Humanity - Most Dhampyr follow other paths, as they get older. It is possible for them to follow other paths of enlightenment. Being part human however allows them to move around during the day. But any vampiric powers have a +3 difficulty in sunlight. They also age around 1/10 th the normal human rate.
Call of the Blood - For some strange reason, Dhampyrs can sense vampires around them, usually up-to around 15 ft. To sense them the Dhampyr must roll Perception + Awareness (difficulty variable). It will not give the exact location, but it will tell if they are using their disciplines.
A disadvantage of the call of the Blood is that makes the Dhampyr vulnerable to Frenzy and Roteschreck.
Kuei-Jin Dhampyr
A Kuei-Jin Dhampyr must still take a Direction, and P'O Nature. They are considered to be Yang balanced automatically.
Attributes: 7/5/3
Abilities: 13/9/5
Backgrounds: 7 (They may take any Background
a Kuei-Jin may take)
Chi Virtues: 4
Disciplines: 3 +1 in Demon Art
Willpower: 4
Dharma: 1
Hun: 3
P'O: 1
Freebie Points 15 (Normal Costs)
Kuei-Jin Dhampyr Special Abilities:
Child of Death - Being a child of death, they can spend their Ch'i like a Kuei-Jin and they have the normal Ch'i advantages (Ghostsight, Lifesight, Grow Fangs, Resistance) but they also suffer from wave and fire nature. They cannot suffer from shadow nature, as the demon isn't strong enough. They are also immune to all diseases, both human and vampire.
Dharma - The Dhampyr being inhuman, may follow the Dharmic paths of enlightenment, and gain the dot modifiers. They can also drain Ch'i in the same way as Kuei-Jin.
Powers - The Dhampyr can only learn Shintai and Demon arts (with the exceptions of Feng Shui and Tzu Wei).
Child of Life - Being a child of life, Dhampyr can spend 1 Yang to heal wounds (2 for aggravated damage). They are also immune to the Delirium and Fog and have an average Banality of 4. They will age at 1/10 th the human normal rate and like humans are immune to any negative effects of sunlight.
Dhampyr Merits and Flaws
ESP 1pt Merit
With this merit, the Dhampyr gets feelings about things, some will call it instinct and others will call it luck. But it is the spirits giving clues about things. When in a situation that could be deemed viable for the use of ESP, then the ST may give the Dhampyr a small piece of information about it, but nothing too deep (e.g. he's lying but not he's lying about knowing where the princes nest is.) This information is often right but not too reliable.
Low Mass 3pt Merit/Flaw
A Dhampyr with Low Mass as a merit can 'alter' his mass at will. This allows the Dhampyr to jump up to double normal length and height, and will fall at roughly half the normal speed.
If taken as a flaw, then the Dhampyr permanently has Low Mass and although has all the benefits of this, every time they have to make a Stamina or Dexterity roll, must make a roll afterward of be thrown back 10 feet. Any combat manoeuvre or power, which alters balance, throws or knocks down the Dhampyr, has 1 automatic success.
Blood/Ch'i lust 2pt Flaw
This flaw brings the Dhampyr much closer to the world of the dead. They must spend 1 blood / Ch'i point per night like a vampire and they feel the need for the substance when the levels are appropriately low.
Light Sensitivity 2-3pt Flaw
This power takes away the sanctuary of the sun from the Dhampyr. For the 2 point flaw, the Dhampyr must wear sunglasses or have -2 to all dice pools.
The 3 point version includes the above but it also 'erases' all supernatural powers during the sunlit hours i.e. Disciplines, all attributes over 5 but not Ghostsight/Lifesight or call of the blood
Yin Aspected 2pt Kuei-Jin Flaw
To be Yin Aspected is terrible for a mortal, even one with a foot in the realms of the dead. The Dhampyr is unnaturally pale, and has certain sensitivity to the sunlight (+1 to all difficulties). Also all regeneration costs are doubled.
Human Immune System 2pt Flaw
A Dhampyr with this flaw is as vulnerable to illness and disease as any other human. Whilst still immune to all vampiric diseases they can still be affected but not killed by human viruses
Ghost & Life Sight/ Call of the Blood 4pt Merit
This Dhampyr has the special abilities of their counterparts without the flaws. So in this case a Kindred Dhampyr can take Ghostsight and Lifesight, whilst a Kuei-Jin could take Call of the Blood
Unknowing Dhampyr 5pt Flaw
You don't know about your heritage, and as such can't use many of the conscious powers. Whilst you are still immune to diseases, you wont be able to use regeneration or some of the more exotic powers. The only powers open will be the Physical disciplines (for Kindred) or Demon arts (for Kuei-Jin).
Kindred Dhampyrs gain the awareness Numia when they become knowing Dhampyr.
Umbral Child 4pt Merit
You know about the spirit world, and have a means of getting there. Kuei-Jin must follow their rules and rituals for this but Kindred must 'side-step' like the Lupines, but using either shadows big enough or a pool of blood big enough to stand in and roll Dexterity + Occult (difficulty local Gauntlet).
