Torn between the world of the living and the dead, Dhampyrs are unable to achieve complete control over their Chi as their Kuei-Jin parents have, but that same imbalance has blessed them with something no other creature has - incredible joss.

It is often said that the mere fact that they survived conception, birth and childhood with the blood of the Kuei-Jin running through their veins qualifies Dhampyrs and unbelievably lucky beings. This is true, but there is more to it then simple coincidence. Luck, or more accurately joss, surrounds the Dhampyrs and seeps into every aspect of their lives. They always seem to win the lottery or pachinko games, and vending machines never eat their money. More then that, they seem to have an uncanny ability to survive what should be certain death.

This luck goes both ways of course. Just as good things are bound to happen to them, they are also more likely then most to run into another supernatural or stumble into a top secret government plot. They're just lucky that way.

Joss is tied to the human aspect of the Dhampyr, so the more humanity a Dhampyr expresses, the more joss helps that Dhampyr survive. Conversly, an inhumane Dhampyr is unlucky indeed. Joss is also limited. Everyone's luck runs out at some point. A Dhampyr only has as much available joss as she does Humanity. Once that is used up the Dhampyr feels a chill run down her spine, she just knows something bad will happen.

When a Dhampyr has run out of Joss, botched in any Joss-related roll or botched while using an ability enhanced by Joss Binding, the seemingly weak P'o of the Dhampyr rears its ugly head. The P'o inflicts horrific visions upon the Dhampyr (based on the P'o nature), and the Dhampyr must check for Wave Soul. Failure means the Dhampyr runs screaming in fear while suffering the hallucinations of the P'o for a number of hours equal to the P'o's total successes. Afterwards the Dhampyr's Courage drops by one, if the Courage level drops to one, the Dhampyr may earn a Derangement. If the Dhampyr botched during the check, she also gains a point of P'o.

Joss is regained naturally at a rate of one point per day, although Dhampyrs may earn extra points after a great victory over opposition. The player may ask to make a Courage roll (difficulty 6) after such a victory. Each success earns a point of Joss. Humanity rolls (difficulty 9) can also be made to regain Joss whenever a Player has earned a Willpower point.

Western Kindred believe they are decided from a single progenitor - the biblical Cain, the first murderer - and they believe that each time a vampire embraces a human to create a new vampire, that new vampire is one more generation removed from Cain. The youngest vampires, those with the thinnest blood connection to Cain, are considered to be 15th Generation vampires. Although they are weaker than any of the previous generations, they can do something no other Western Kindred can do: they give birth.

The child of a 15th Generation Kindred and a human (or even two 15th Generation Kindred) is known as a Dhampir. Few exist in the world, and fewer are even aware of their own existence. Kindred society (divided among Sabbat, Camerilla, Anarch and Independent) largely believe Dhampirs are little more then an urban legend, or a bad joke, a really bad joke. The average Dhampir would probably agree with the latter.

Most Dhampirs grow up unaware of supernatural forces, but with the innate knowledge that something just isn't right with the world, or at least themselves. At some point, they can "awaken," they use their powers and realize they are something more then human. They might pump more blood into their system to increase their strength, or even soak a bullet wound. Once that happens their physiology changes. They start to become more aware of their half-vampire nature, and even start to drink blood (although they do produce it like any other human). Their aging also slows incredibly (making life hard if they awakened as pre-teens) and they run the risk of Frenzy(the difficulty is 3 less then it would be for a normal Kindred). Frenzies for someone who was trying to live in normal human society can be permanently damaging.

They can also learn disciplines, but with a few exceptions, that is largely dependent upon finding a "sponsor" vampire to teach them and feed them Kindred blood, which can also turn the Dhampirs into little more then blood bound Ghouls. Indeed, most Kindred (especially Sabbat) who find Dhampirs assume they are little more then Revenants (hereditary Ghouls). Additionally, Disciplines cannot exceed their primary level (one dot) unless the Dhampir is Ghouled by a low-generation vampire (for every generation the Sponsor is bellow 10th, add one dot). Available Disciplines for non-Ghouled Dhampirs: Fortitude, Potence, Celerity, Auspex, Dominate, Obfuscate, Presence, Animalism and Protean. (NOTE: if you wanted to make the Dhampirs more competitive among other halflings, I might suggest giving them the "My Power" ability to create-a-discipline that 15th Generation vampires have)

There is one advantage Dhampirs have over their full-blooded parents - they can sense other vampires (or half-vampires or ghouls). Less experienced Dhampirs can look at a person and know they are less then human, or walk into a room with a hiding vampire and know there is one nearby, more experienced Dhampirs can locate vampires no matter where (or how) they hide, even the highest discipline levels cannot hide someone from this ability. Some Dhampirs can even share their gift of sight with others. (treat this as a 2-5 point Merit or as a special Trait that increases with experience)

Dhampirs can hold 10 Bloodpoints aside from the blood that is naturally in their systems (so spending all their blood doesn't bother them), and they regenerate one Bloodpoint per day. They can regenerate with their blood as vampires do, except for Aggravated damage, and they can regenerate limbs, but it costs a Willpower point and roll (difficulty 8) in addition to blood. They also have no fear of fire.

Much to the dismay of the Kuei-Jin, more and more Dhampyrs are learning the mythological origins of their ancesters.

During the Age of Legends, the Third Age of the Middle Kingdom, the Wan Xian (Ten Thousand Imortals) watched over mankind as gods on earth. Their children, half-immortal and half-mortal, were known as the Jin Hai, the Golden Children. The Jin Hai served dutifully alongside their parents, keeping the Middle Kingdom prosperous and joyful. Many Jin Hai were proclaimed as heroes to the mortals of the land, and many Jin Hai allowed themselves to enjoy that adoration.

At the end of the Third Age, the Wan Xian began to become corrupt with power. No longer content to absorb the ambient Chi of the Middle Kingdom, many began to take it from mortals by force. Disgusted by their parents, many Jin Hai banded together to stop the needless destruction.

They were no match for their parents god-like powers. Not long after the Wan Xian themselves fell before the August Personage, angry at the wickedness they had wraught. The Ten Thousand Imortals were cursed. After their fall from grace they would be known as the Ten Thousand Demons, the Wan Kuei. As the Fifth Age draws to a close, the Wan Kuei have become known by the title Kuei-Jin.

The great Scarlet Queen took pity on the martyred children, and perserved their heroic souls. The took the Yang-blessed souls and ensured that each time a child was born to a Yang-imbalanced Kuei-Jin, that child would carry the soul of a fallen Golden Child.

The legend of the Jin Hai was lost, but in recent years rumors have spread like wildfire. Many Dhampyrs now believe it is their destiny to take revenge for the sorrow of their former lives, others feel they were put on earth to be a reminder to the Kuei-Jin of why and how they fell from grace.

Most disturbing to the Kuei-Jin is the thought that some of the Jin Hai escaped the massacre of their brethren. The whispered ramblings of the idealistic Dhampyrs speak of less then a handful of Jin Hai that still walk the earth, old beyond imagining, but powerful none-the-less. They believe the old Children, under the guises of fishermen, beggars and the senile, are out there watching over the Dhampyrs, and ready to guide them toward their destiny.

Powers: Whatever you think a 5,000 year old day-walking half-Vampire would have.

Maiko born in Japan almost universally have visible, and often disturbing, diformities, but those born in particularly tainted areas, such as Defiled Dragon Nests or the cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, bare the legacy of the Brunings (as the atomic blasts are refered to among Kuei-Jin). These twisted mockeries of Dhampyrs bare not only physical deformities, but supernatural ones as well.

Called Makuro Hiko, or Black Sun Children, these Half-Damned have strong P'o (3 points at creation, instead of the 1 Dhampyrs have) and Tainted Joss (they still have good luck, but at the expense of others). Additionally, many bare innate gifts similar to the Bakemono, but unlike the Ban Ren Guei these gifts are not concealable. (see the Bane-Granted Powers, section of the Ban Ren Guei page)

Many Dhampyrs who know of the legend of the Jin Hai fear that the growing number of Makuro Hiko are taking away from the number of Golden Children souls. Each corrupted soul is sent to Yomi World (either for an eternity of torment or to return a Kuei-Jin), and that means one less Golden Child reborn as Dhampyr.

(The rest of this is not found in the Dhampyr book but written to make Makuro Hiko characters more rounded for game play)

As creatures of Tainted Joss, and Tainted Chi, any attempts to learn Shintai Disciplines result in the Makuro Hiko learning Bile Shintai (the dark, toxic reflection of Shintai used by The Scorpion Eaters). Creatures who can Sense Wyrm in others, often sense the taint of Makuro Hiko. Often Makuro Hiko carry muted versions of the weaknesses of Hengeyokai or Kuei-Jin (such as Silver Allergy or Sun Allergy). Additionally, all Makuro Hiko have at least one visable deformity (which can be anything from a strange-looking scar to a tentacle).

While Makuro Hiko can regain Yin, Yang and Demon Chi in the same natural way that Dhampyrs do, they are unable to simply absorb it from mortal flesh. For mortal Chi to be effective, it must be as tainted as the Makuro Hiko (as a result many Makuro Hiko prey on patients at cancer treatment centers and detoxication clinics).

This dangerous, and tainted lifestyle catches up to the Makuro Hiko. Few can expect to live beyond 30 years, even if they are not killed by others.

There are benefits to life as a Makuro Hiko of course. Like the Dhampyrs and Ban Ren Guei, they can exist during the day. Unlike the Dhampyrs and Ban Ren Guei however, the Makuro Hiko have less trouble learning new disciplines (Bile Shintai, Demon Arts and Tainted versions of Joss powers). It takes practice but some Makuro Hiko have even reached as high as Level 5 in some disciplines, making them more than a match for their "cousins" (none can reach hirer then that though, their bodys just can't handle that much Chi movement).

Although originally created by accident, some Makuro Hiko have been birthed purposefully by the Devil-Tigers, despite that Dharma's aversion to Dhampyr creation. If Scorpion Eaters create Dhampyr at all, they can only be Makuro Hiko, for their essences are already too tainted. The same could be said for Akuma, though wether they would want to create one is anybody's guess. Makuro Hiko born from any of the above Dhamras need not be born in Japan.

Additionally, Makuro Hiko who take the Merit of Dharmic Schooling can replace outmoded ideas of "Humanity" with tenets that might better suit their dark lifestyles (like the aforementioned Devil-Tigers, Scorpion Eaters or Akuma).

Many Merits and Flaws in other vampire or werewolf sourcebooks can apply to Dhampyrs and their cousin, here are some new ones that would be specific to them.

Dharmic Schooling (1 or 2 pt. Merit):

Chi Attunement (3 pt. Merit):

Vivophage (1 pt. Flaw):

Sheltered Upbringing (2 pt. Flaw): (For Makuro Hiko version of this flaw, see Ban Ren Guei flaw.)

Sun Allergy (3 pt. Flaw):

Tainted Joss (3 pt. Flaw): (Not available to Makuro Hiko)

Ignorance of Self (4 pt. Flaw):

Strong P'o (4 pt. Flaw): (this gives Makuro Hiko 5 points of P'o)

Poison Joss (6 pt. Flaw): (certainly available to Makuro Hiko)

See Ban Ren Guei.