Dhampir

These are the legendary half mortal half vampire hybrids, but contrary to popular belief Dhampirs aren’t the resulting offspring of a vampire married to a mortal. However their powers and nature appears to belie this assumption.

They are the result of the early experimentations carried out by the Vampire Intelligences to create a far more versatile and functional thrall. Unfortunately the Vampire Intelligences powers are fairly limited, and they are only able to create variations of the age old vampire template. Dhampirs are in some ways the exception to this rule but even they are beholden to the vampirism strain inundating their very core.

Vampire Intelligences use various modes to propagate the Dhampir but all are imposed on the victim. Usually Vampire Intelligences create dhampirs by infecting a mortal species with a microbial parasite when they have manifested fully on a world. They have been known to take mortals from one dimension to another for this purpose, but never to their home dimension.

This parasite is akin to the mitochondria, present in every cell – apparently lying dormant, serving no purpose. If this infected blood was donated to another user – this parasite ceases to be. Yet when the dhampir is given a blood donation – even the new blood transfusion has this microbial parasite present.

The infected mortals are spared and live as slaves but sometimes are conveniently allowed to escape to a place of safety. This coincidentally happens to be an isolated enclave with a high density mortal population. The initially infected host doesn’t change to a dhampir, but the tragedy is that from that moment onwards that person’s linage will be forever tainted; each subsequent generation will give birth to at least one dhampir.

Scholars in Lazlo have speculated that it’s this microbial parasite, prevalent in humanity that may have led to the Psi-stalker and other mutations on Rifts Earth. There is no known way of eliminating this gene from mortals, other than truly winning the struggle with one’s own nature.

In many ways the dhampir appears to be a mere shadow of the vampire, but they exhibit a greater tendency to grow into their power and are far more versatile than their standard brethren. The dhampir has many of the strengths of a vampire yet displays none of their weaknesses. They are able to operate during the day and in full sunlight, juts like any other normal member of their mortal species. They don’t exhibit any particular supernatural or magical signature, and their aura remains mundane to most investigations.

The dhampir gives the vampire intelligence an operative who is able to fully immerse himself in their potential mortal chattel’s holdings and operate efficiently during daylight hours. The dhampir is far more independent than the traditional vampire as the Vampire Intelligence is unable to force them to obey him.

This built-in flaw in the dhampir was deliberately done by the Vampire Intelligences. It makes things interesting for them to wrestle control from the mortal, as well as allowing them to perfect the mortal’s soul and that is the other reason for their creation.

Vampire Intelligences are nowhere near the power of the normal Supernatural Intelligences, however they are good at cultivating mortal souls that satisfy even the most discerning palate of a connoisseur. They use these souls as bargaining tools against Supernatural Intelligences, exchanging them for power.

Dhampirs young and old are confused and driven by primordial emotions. This state is fermented by the Vampire Intelligence, constantly keeping them in a maelstrom of unchecked passions, pulling them this way and that. It’s a luxury for a dhampir when he or she experiences a moment of clarity and equilibrium in their lives. Dhampirs have the option of resisting the lures and intimidation of vampirism, keeping a tentative hold of their soul, or giving into temptation and unleashing the storm of fury coursing through their essence. The vampire Intelligence even assists the younger dhampirs to keep their mortal soul, distilling it only until he is satisfied that it has been refined to perfection.

In the world of rifts most of the human nations believe that at least 30% of the human population carries the dhampir parasite. Such a high figure is contemplated because its thought that humans with this parasite had the highest survival rating since the arrival of the Rifts. There are scientists who say its because of this parasite that such levels of mutations has occurred in the human and mortal d-bee population of Rifts Earth.

It's likely that highly experienced and powerful dhampirs survived the great cataclysm, and live in the modern Rifts world. These centuries old dhampirs may live as drifters, or more likely rule their own personal fiefdom, other as benign protectors of the weak or more likely as tyrannical rulers.

Ancient secret societies thought that the Mayan god Camazotz, the so called mythical figures known as the Dragon and the Impaler were ascended dhampirs. Dhampirs who had grown so powerful that they achieved the power of a god, due the number of their followers and vampires in their coven. That with such power at their fingertips they had freed themselves from the vampire intelligence that had infected their ancestors with the parasite.

Some myths say these dhampirs had destroyed the enslaving vampire intelligences, but other sources speak of them enslaving the vampire intelligence to do their bidding just as the vampire intelligences had enslaved them once.

If these creatures still exist and are on Rifts Earth then it's inevitable that they will vie for dominance, or form an unholy and powerful alliance, that the rest of the world should dread.

Some Notes on Dhampirs

Dhampirs are born not created

Dhampirs inherit their nature generation upon generation
Dhampirs can win back their soul and free themselves and their descendants from their so called family curse. (Any children born after freeing themselves will not have the parasite and thus those children won’t pass it on)
Dhampirs can lose their battle with their inner demon and/or willingly accept their nature and thus lose their souls.
All human dhampirs will have shown their dual nature by their 21^st birthday. Some will demonstrate it during their birth, others as they get older. Generally speaking dhampirs start showing signs of their vamparic heritage when their mortal species hits puberty.
Dhampirs keep their powers/training when they morph into their vamparic form but the Dhampir's vampire form powers/abilities aren’t applicable in it's normal (mortal/mundane) form. Note: This isn't really a metamorphosis but the vampire within taking over the mortal's body. There are two identical but opposing halves of the same spirit constantly vying for dominance and control of the dhampir's body.
Married dhampirs are able to have children. These children are normal members of their mortal species – except one child usually the first child will be born a dhampir
Dhampirs are able to have children with members of their OWN mortal species. These children will be normal members of their mortal species – except one child usually the first child will be born a dhampir.

Intelligent Humanoid

Alignment: Any, but dhampir's alignment and disposition change at every new level attained due to their internal conflict.
Attributes: As per Mortal Parents' Species
Hit Points: As per Mortal Parents' Species
S.D.C/M.D.C: As per Mortal Parents' Species, plus those from O.C.C/R.C.C, physical skills and powers/abilities
Natural Armor Rating: None
Horror Factor: None in normal form. Vampire form 12 +1 at Lvls 3,6,10,15.
P.P.E: As per Mortal Parents' Species
I.S.P: As per Mortal Parents' Species
O.C.C's: As per Mortal Parents' Species
Natural Abilities: See Invisible, Presence Sense, Sense Evil and See Aura (NB: These senses are natural senses in addition to the normal senses of the Dhampir's mortal parent's species. For Game Purposes they are constantly on and are fairly weak. The dhampir can see strange things (in low magic settings), in the Rifts setting type environments the Dhampir will realize that he is seeing invisible or seeing/sensing supernatural/magical creatures.

Dhampirs HTH attacks hurt vampires and other creatures normally immune to normal physical, magical, psionic, etc damage. SDC creatures will suffer SDC damage from dhampir attacks, and MDC creatures will take MDC damage.

And choose any two from the powers/abilities listed below. Psionic/abilities powers are the same as found in VK book.

Increase any two of their Attributes by another 2D4

+1D4 X 10 HP and 3D4 X 10 SDC

+1 attk

+1D6 to Initiative

Night vision, Alter aura and Mind Block (pick one)

+1D4 to all Saving Throws

Hypnotic Suggestion, Empathy

Summon vermin, canine, fog (pick one)

Telekinesis, pyrokinesis, electrokinesis, hydrokinesis etc (pick one kinesis psionic power)

Metamorphosis bat, wolf and mist (Pick one)

Sixth sense

The dhampir may only be killed by the same means that are used to kill a vampire. Dhampirs heal three times faster than a normal member of their species and rarely scar from mundanely received wounds. Unlike Vampires, In their normal mortal form dhampirs suffer damage like their mortal parent's species. The Dhampir will appear to have died once they have passed the coma stage. There are folk tales speaking of dhampirs killed by mundane methods rising from their grave a few days after being buried. A Dhampir will rise from the grave in 1D8 days of being slain by mundane means.

This is also true in Rifts, a dhampir may only be truly killed by employing similar methods as used to kill a vampire, irrespective whether MDC/SDC weapons are used. To truly kill a dhampir you have to behead them and cauterize their neck and head. Then these need to be incinerated, otherwise the dhampir will likely come back, sooner or later. Dhampirs have to save versus insanity after they have come back from these “false” deaths.

Metamorphosis: Dhampirs vie with their own unyielding fiend for dominance of their soul. A dhampir is able to morph back and forth between their normal and vampire forms (See vampire form for more details on the dhampir's vampire form).

Combat:Two without combat training, or those gained from O.C.C/R.C.C, hand to hand and boxing skills, natural abilities/powers
Damage: As per Mortal Parents' Species
Bonuses: +1D4 P.S, +1D4 to P.P, +1D4 to P.E, +1D4 to Spd, + 3D6 to HP and 1D4 x 10 SDC, +1 Initiative
Magic: As per Mortal Parents' Species
Psionics: As per Mortal Parents' Species
Average Life Span: Unknown. There are no historical cases of a dhampir dying of old age or of natural causes. Dhampirs age normally, but the projection of age given by their body's physique and appearance is a reflection of the individual dhampir's characteristics, or at least what appears to suit their character best. As such dhampirs rarely look to have aged, but as their outlook on life shifts, so does the age projected by their body. Some suddenly grow old, others appear rejuvenated.
Skills of Note: As per Mortal Parents' Species
Habitat: Anywhere. On Rifts Earth Dhampir's whose mortal parent is human are considered human, and those dhampir's whose mortal parents are D-bees, are considered D-bees and members of their mortal parent's species.
Enemies: As per Mortal Parents' Species
Allies: As per Mortal Parents' Species
Size: As per Mortal Parents' Species
Weight: As per Mortal Parents' Species

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