Dhampir (VTM)


 * For the article on the "half-vampire" offspring of a Kuei-jin, see dhampyr.

Dhampir is a term used to describe a "half-vampire", the product of a human and vampire parentage. Dhampir were originally thought of as an impossibility, but in the Final Nights, they not only came into being, but became disturbingly more common. Their presence is considered one of the heralds of Gehenna.

Overview
As full-blooded kindred are no longer sexually potent, it is impossible for one of them to parent a child. In the case of a pregnant female who is Embraced, there is an immediate miscarriage. Occasionally, ghouls have been known to become pregnant, but as they are not full-blooded vampires, the child usually comes out ghouled themselves. In these cases, the child is known as a revenant.

Being unable to reproduce, however, does not necessarily apply to a thin-blooded kindred of one of the high 14th or 15th generations. Thin-blooded lack the potency of blood that low-generation vampires get their powers from, but their limited abilities also give them some human advantages; one of those is fertility. A thin-blooded can impregnate or become pregnant with a child capable of carrying to term; the result of these unions are dhampir. Female thin-blooded who must carry the child usually have a difficult pregnancy, as the bodies of the undead are not meant to carry children.

Traits and Culture
Dhampir are very similar to revenants; some say the only difference between them is their parentage and the culture they live in. Revenants are brought up among kindred, while dhampir are usually brought up and are more comfortable among humans. It is fairly common for dhampir, upon their birth to be abandoned by one or both parents. Many grow up unaware of their parentage or powers. Dhampir are always young, as they are a fairly new phenomenon since the thin-blooded have been around for only two decades. They are also common targets of the Scourge, limiting their numbers.

The average dhampir will have a blood pool, like their Kindred cousins, but cannot make blood bonds, create ghouls, or Embrace; however, they do not have to spend their blood to be active, as their vampiric "blood" is purely supernatural in nature. Dhampir may spend all of their blood pool without touching the physical blood in their body, although they can become exhausted by the act.

Dhampir also have traits common to ghouls. For example, they can spend blood points in the same way, such to raise traits or heal themselves. As part of their kindred origins, dhampir are prone to frenzy. However, they are able to resist frenzy much more easily than the average kindred. Dhampir can also learn Disciplines; in theory, they may learn any of them if they have the right instruction available. The primary ones among dhampir include Celerity, Fortitude, Potence, Auspex, Dominate, Obfuscate, and Presence, as these are more common Disciplines.

Dhampir, officially, cannot become True Mages, Kinfolk, Mummies, or any other combination of dhampirs and supernaturals.