Blood Hunter Class DetailsBy Matt Mercer Art by Joma CuetoMarred but resolute, his grimacing face dripping with sweat, a half-orc reddens a finger across his wounds to draw a glowing, ruby glyph in the air. He grips the weightless, completed sigil, twisting it to unleash dark magical energies that fire forward, cursing the stalking behemoth from within its own veins to better even the odds.A mysterious half-elf swathed in a worn cloak and rugged leather armor carefully investigates a grizzly scene off the roadway, her eyes flashing with recognition as she meditates on the remnants of the massacre.
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To ask other readers questions about Vampire Hunter D, please sign up. I think that D and his very sassy hand are intriguing characters, and the plots of the. And you found out that D sometimes enjoys the company of his Left-Hand. Doris Lang, orphaned daughter of a werewolf hunter, hires the dhampir Vampire.
The survivor who warily hired her withdraws with a jump as the half-elf suddenly shoots to her feet, sure in the knowledge of the culprit, where it calls home, and how little time there is to find it.Stepping into the lightless chambers of ancient dust and lingering whispers, the halfling’s nose picks up the pungent smell of imminent danger as she hears the scraping of bone and claw on nearby stone. She winces as she runs her blade across her palm, the steel transmuting her blood into glowing runes of powerful magic, her sword suddenly engulfed in arcane flames, eager to brand and burn the flesh of her enemies.Often feared or misunderstood, and driven by an unending drive to destroy the wicked, blood hunters are clever, arcane warriors who have bound their essence to the dark creatures they hunt to better stalk and survive their prey. Armed with the rites of forbidden blood magic and a willingness to sacrifice their own vitality and humanity for the cause, they protect the realms from the shadows, ever vigilant to avoid becoming the same monsters they choose to hunt.
Sacrifice to Preserve LifeWhile most of the classic schools of magical study are well known and widely respected, the less refined and macabre incantations of Hemocraft have long been forbidden and lost to most of the civilized world. Blood Hunters have reclaimed these techniques away from the judging eyes of society, finding blood magic’s esoteric nature effective against the evils that often defy the divine powers that historically hold the line.Through careful study and practice, blood hunters have honed the rites of hemocraft into their combat prowess, forfeiting a facet of their health to infuse their weapons with powerful blood magic and summoning the elements to envelop their strikes. They can sear an arcane brand into the body of their quarry that hinders their foe’s abilities and punishes their aggression, or call blood curses upon their enemies, manipulating their bodies from the inside. Willing to suffer whatever it takes to achieve victory, these adept warriors have forged themselves into a potent force against the terrors that threaten the innocent.
A Monster to Fight MonstersWhether driven by the wish to make a difference in a dangerous world, the need to take vengeance for a great wrong they have suffered, being inspired by witnessing the strange and powerful techniques of another blood hunter in person, or just seeking a place to belong in an uncaring world, the reasons one may take up the Hunter’s Bane and choose this life are many and varied. In joining an order of blood hunters, one is also joining a tight family bound by service to each other and the common cause. For many, this is the only family they have known or have left, so the kinship felt between members of an order is a bond neigh unbreakable.Beyond the boundaries of the order, however, the life of a blood hunter is often not an easy one.
The rituals of the Hunter’s Bane regularly leave one visibly changed and prone to unsettle common folk, and the witnessing of hemocraft can invoke a superstitious fear from even the most learned scholar. While some societies have come to accept the good deeds of the orders, many blood hunters publicly hide their nature unless absolutely necessary, feeling more comfortable in the wilds and wastes of the world where the Orders commonly train. Even so, the best work a blood hunter can do usually involves the poor and defenseless on the outskirts of society, those prone to the corrupting touch of fiends and dark intension. Braving the threat of vilification, these dark protectors wade through civilization, earning coin as mercenaries or bounty hunters, ever watching for the signs of something more nefarious beneath the surface.In choosing this path, a blood hunter has irrevocably given a part of themselves to their cause, physically, emotionally, and sometimes morally.
The orders of blood hunters practice their own unique ideals and methods, often employing techniques with dark origins that test the strength and will of these guardians. Many wrestle with the fear of losing this struggle, so a life of discipline and vigilance drives their travels as they wander the countryside in search of like-minded adventurers and whispers of dark deeds afoot.
Creating a Blood HunterAs you create a blood hunter, the most important aspects of your character are why you were driven to this lifestyle, and why do you seek to give up everything to wallow in the dark with the evils you hunt? Did you lose a loved one to a fiendish beast and now wish to prevent others from suffering the same fate? Do you seek a sense of purpose and security, and found this among the order that has taken you in? Have you always carried a seed of darkness within you, and seek kin to watch over you and prevent you succumbing to it?
Were you once a holy warrior who strayed from his faith and was cast out, but still seek to give yourself to the cause of protecting the innocent? Or are you a criminal with a dark past seeking to make amends, taking this life as a path of penance?What is your relationship with the powers of hemocraft and the abilities it promises to grant you as you step closer to its mastery? Do you respect and fear the ancient power that surges through your veins, using them only when necessary? Do you relish in the strength it offers you, embracing your gifts and using them freely?
Are you worried the superstitions are right, and this power will eventually turn you into one of the monsters you hunt? Or has your study instilled you with the confident control of mind over matter, certain you can bend these gifts to bring a brighter dawn?Consider too that while a blood hunter belongs to an order, many strike out on their own to do their best work. What made you leave the comfort of your order? Do you intend to return, or have you decided you have more to learn in the world beyond? What do you seek in other adventurers that can help you meet your goals?While most blood hunters follow a path of good or neutrality in their pursuits, some have fallen to the dark, seductive side of hemocraft and use their abilities for selfish and evil purposes. These deviants are always thrown from the order, and often hunted along with the creatures they once trained to fell.Quick BuildYou can make a blood hunter quickly by following these suggestions.
First, make Strength or Dexterity your highest ability score, depending on whether you want to focus on melee weapons, or archery (or finesse weapons). Make Intelligence your next highest if you plan to focus on the potency of blood curses and mystical power. Choose a higher Constitution next, as you want to have extra hit points to burn on your crimson rite or amplifying blood curses.
Then, select the urchin or soldier background. The Blood HunterLevelProficiencyBonusHemocraft DieFeaturesBlood Curses1st+21d4,12nd+21d4,13rd+21d414th+21d415th+31d616th+31d6, (2/rest)27th+31d6Order Feature,28th+31d629th+41d6210th+41d6311th+41d8Order Feature312th+41d8313th+51d8, (3/rest)314th+51d8,415th+51d8Order Feature416th+51d8417th+61d10(4/rest)418th+61d10Order Feature519th+61d10520th+61d106Blood Hunter MulticlassingShould you wish to multiclass into a blood hunter, the prerequisites and proficiencies gained are listed below. Blood Hunter Multiclassing PrerequisitesAbility Score MinimumStrength 13 or Dexterity 13, and Intelligence 13 Blood Hunter Multiclassing ProficienciesProficiencies GainedLight armor, medium armor, shields, simple weapons, martial weapons, one skill from the class’s skill list, alchemical supplies. Blood Hunter Multiclassing with WarlockIf multiclassing Order of the Profane Soul with Warlock levels, add a third of your blood hunter levels (rounded down) to your Warlock level and consult the in the for total Spell Slots, Cantrips known, and Spell Slot Level. Class FeaturesAs a blood hunter, you gain the following class features. Order of the GhostslayerThe Order of the Ghostslayer is the oldest of the orders, having originally rediscovered the secrets of blood magic and refined them for combat against the scourge of undeath. Ghostslayers seek out and study the moment of death, obsessing over the mysteries of the transition and how it can become corrupted by unholy powers to rise once more.
Tuning their abilities to annihilate such abominations, these zealous blood hunters seek out the sources of such necromantic energies, intent to destroy them wherever they arise. Rite of the DawnWhen you join this order at 3rd level, you learn the Rite of the Dawn esoteric rite (detailed below).Rite of the Dawn. Your rite damage is radiant damage.
While the rite is active, you gain the following benefits:. Your weapon sheds bright light out to a radius of 20 feet. You have resistance to necrotic damage.
Your weapon deals one additional hemocraft die of rite damage when you hit an undeadCurse SpecialistBeginning at 3rd level, your ancient order teaches advanced mastery over blood curses. You gain an additional use of your Blood Maledict feature. In addition, your blood curses can target any creature, whether it has blood or not. Ethereal StepUpon reaching 7th level, at the start of your turn, if you aren’t, you can choose to magically step into the veil between the planes.You can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain, as well as see and affect creatures and objects on the Ethereal Plane. You take 1d10 force damage if you end your turn inside an object. If you are inside an object when this feature ends, you are immediately shunted to the nearest unoccupied space that you can occupy and take force damage equal to twice the number of feet you moved.
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This feature lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1 round).You can use this feature once. Beginning at 15th level, you can use your Ethereal Step feature twice between rests. You regain all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest. Brand of SunderingBeginning at 11th level, your Brand of Castigation now exposes a fragment of your foe’s essence, leaving them vulnerable to your Crimson Rite. Whenever you damage a branded creature with your Crimson Rite, your weapon deals one additional hemocraft die of rite damage. In addition, the branded creature can’t move through creatures or objects.
Blood Curse of the ExorcistAt 15th level, you’ve honed your hemocraft to tear wicked influence from your allies, punishing those who would infiltrate their body and mind. You gain the Blood Curse of the Exorcist for your Blood Maledict feature. This doesn’t count against your number of blood curses known.
Rite RevivalUpon reaching 18th level, you learn to protect your fading life by absorbing your blood rite. When you are reduced to 0 hit points while you have an active Crimson Rite, but don’t die outright, the rite ends and you drop to 1 hit point instead.
If you have rites active on multiple weapons, you choose which one ends. Order of the LycanOf the many terrible curses that plague the realm, few are as ancient or as feared as Lycanthropy. Passed through blood, this affliction seeds a host with the savage strength and hunger for violence of a wicked beast.
The Order of the Lycan is a proud order of blood hunters who undergo “The Taming,” a ceremonial inflicting of lycanthropy from a senior member. These hunters then use their abilities to harness the power of the monster they harbor without losing themselves to it. Through intense honing of one’s own willpower, combined with the secrets of the order’s blood magic rituals, members learn to control and unleash their hybrid form for short periods of time. Enhanced physical prowess, unnatural resilience, and razor sharp claws make these warriors a terrible foe to any evil that crosses their path. Yet, no training is perfect, and without care and complete focus, even the greatest of blood hunters can temporarily lose themselves to the bloodlust.The Onus of LycanthropyThose inducted into the Order of the Lycan choose this path with conviction, understanding the terrible burden it is and the challenges it brings. Where most who embrace this curse grow wicked, mad, even murderous, these blood hunters accept the gifts of the beast while maintaining control through intense training and blood magic. These factors enable a member of the Order of the Lycan to prevent the spread of their curse through blood, should they wish to.
One of the most sacred oaths of this order is to never infect another without the order’s sanction.Should a member of the Order of the Lycan be cured of the lycanthropic curse, it is a terrible shame on their name, the order, and those who carry the curse still. There have been passages written about members being cleansed against their will, but those brothers and sisters readily return to the order to undergo a renewed initiation of The Taming, reintroducing the curse to their bodies and restoring their honor.Lycanthropy comes in many forms.
Each version of the curse is bound to a specific beast: wolf, bear, tiger, boar, and rat are a few of the more well-known variations. The strain of the curse defines the beast a hybrid form will share, but the features the curse bestows remain relatively uniform across strains.
Heightened SensesStarting when you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you begin to adopt the improved abilities of a natural predator. You gain advantage on Wisdom checks that rely on hearing or smell. Hybrid TransformationUpon choosing this archetype at 3rd level, you begin to learn to control the lycanthropic curse that now lives in your blood. As a bonus action, you can transform into your hybrid form for up to 1 hour.
You can speak, use equipment, and wear armor in this form. You can revert to your normal form earlier as a bonus action. You automatically revert to your normal form if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die. This feature replaces the rules for Lycanthropy within the Monster’s Manual.Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.In the Character Builder, set the option for Hybrid Transformation to Hybrid Form to activate the bonuses for that form on the character sheet. Hybrid Transformation FeaturesWhile you are transformed, you gain the following features:Feral Might. You gain a +1 to melee damage rolls. This bonus increases by 1 at 11th and 18th level.
You also have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.Resilient Hide. You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks not made with silver weapons. While you are not wearing heavy armor, you gain a +1 bonus to your AC.Predatory Strikes.
You can apply your Crimson Rite feature to your unarmed strikes as a single weapon. You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolIs of your unarmed strikes. When you use the Attack action with an unarmed strike, you can make one unarmed strike as a bonus action.Your unarmed strikes deal 1d6 slashing damage.
The damage increases to 1d8 at 11th level.Bloodlust. If you begin your turn with no more than half of your maximum hit points, you must succeed on a DC 8 Wisdom saving throw or move directly towards the nearest creature to you and use the Attack action against that creature. You can choose whether or not to use your Extra Attack feature for this frenzied attack. If there is more than one possible target, roll to randomly determine the target. You then regain control for the remainder of your turn.If you are under an effect that prevents you from concentrating (like the barbarian’s Rage feature), you automatically fail this saving throw.
Stalker's ProwessAt 7th level, your speed increases by 10 feet. You also can add 10 feet to your long jump distance and 3 feet to your high jump distance.
In addition, your hybrid form gains the Improved Predatory Strikes feature.Improved Predatory Strikes. You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls made with your unarmed strikes. This bonus increases by 1 at 11th level (+2) and 18th level (+3). In addition, when you have an active Crimson Rite while in your hybrid form, your unarmed strikes are considered magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. Advanced TransformationStarting at 11th level, you learn to unleash and control more of the beast within.
You can use your Hybrid Transformation feature twice, regaining all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest. In addition, your hybrid form gains the Lycan Regeneration feature.Lycan Regeneration.
At the start of each of your turns, before you roll for bloodlust, you regain hit points equal to 1 + your Constitution modifier (minimum of one) if you have at least 1 hit point and no more than half of your hit points left. Brand of the VoraciousAt 15th level, you have advantage on your Wisdom saving throws to maintain control of your bloodlust in hybrid form. In addition, your Brand of Castigation now binds your foe to your hunter’s thirst for savagery. While in your hybrid form, your attacks have advantage against a creature branded by you.
Hybrid Transformation MasteryAt 18th level, you have wrestled your inner predator and mastered it. You can use your Hybrid Transformation feature an unlimited number of times, and your hybrid form can now last indefinitely.You also gain the Blood Curse of the Howl for your Blood Maledict feature. This does not count against your number of blood curses known.
Order of the MutantThe process of the Hunter’s Bane is a painful, scarring, and sometimes fatal experience. Those that survive find themselves irrevocably changed, enhanced. Some found this experience exalting, embracing the ability to alter one’s own physiology through a combination of hemocraft and corrupted alchemy. Over generations of experimentation, a splinter order of blood hunters began to emerge, one that focused on brewing toxic elixirs to modify their capabilities in battle, altering their blood and, over time, become something beyond what they once were. They called themselves the Order of the Mutant. Researching their targets to know their strengths and weaknesses, these blood hunters can alter their biology to be best prepared for the coming conflict. FormulasYou begin to uncover forbidden alchemical formulas that temporarily alter your mental and physical abilities.Beginning at 3rd level, you choose to learn four mutagen formulas.
Your formula options are detailed at the end of this order description. You gain an additional formula at 7th level, 11th level, 15th level, and 18th level.Additionally, when you gain a new mutagen formula, you can choose one of the formulas you already know and replace it with a new mutagen formula. MutagencraftAt 3rd level, you can concoct a single mutagen when you finish a short or long rest. Starting at 7th level, the number of mutagens you can create when you finish a rest increases to two, and at 15th level, you can now create three mutagens.As a bonus action you can consume a single mutagen, and the effects and side effects last until you finish a short or long rest, unless otherwise specified. While one or more mutagens are affecting you, you can use an action to focus and flush the toxins from your system, ending the effects and side effects of all mutagens.Mutagens are designed for your biology and have no effect on other creatures.
They are also unstable by nature, losing their potency over time and becoming inert if not used before you finish your next short or long rest. Strange MetabolismBeginning at 7th level, your body has begun to adapt to toxins and venoms, ignoring their corroding effects. You gain immunity to poison damage and the condition.In addition, you can instill a burst of adrenaline to temporarily resist the negative effects of a mutagen. As a bonus action, you can choose to ignore the side effect of a mutagen affecting you for 1 minute.Once you use this feature to resist side effects, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest. Brand of AxiomAt 11th level, your hemocraft has altered your Brand of Castigation to enforce a foe’s true nature. Any illusions disguising or making a creature when you brand them end, and they can’t benefit from such illusions while branded. If a creature branded by you is polymorphed or has changed shape, they must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or revert to their true form and be until the end of your next turn.
Whenever a branded creature attempts to polymorph or change shape, they must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or the attempt fails, and they are until the end of your next turn. Blood Curse of CorrosionStarting at 15th level, your blood curse can wrack a creature’s body with terrible toxins. You gain the Blood Curse of Corrosion for your Blood Maledict feature. This does not count against your number of blood curses known.
Exalted MutationAt 18th level, your body has adapted to produce your toxins naturally in a moment of need. As a bonus action, you can choose one mutagen currently affecting you to flush from your system and end, then immediately have a mutagen you know the formula for take effect in its place.You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1). You regain all uses of this feature after you finish a long rest. MutagensThese mutagens are presented in alphabetical order.
You can learn a mutagen at the same time you meet its prerequisites. AetherPrerequisite: 11th level.You gain a flying speed of 20 feet for 1 hour.Side effect. You have disadvantage on Strength and Dexterity ability checks for 1 hour.
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AlluringYour skin and voice become malleable, allowing you to slightly enhance your appearance and presence. You have advantage on Charisma ability checks.Side effect. You have disadvantage on initiative rolls.
CelerityYour Dexterity score increases by 3, as does your Dexterity maximum. This bonus increases by 1 at 11th and 18th level.Side effect. You have disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws. ConversantYou gain advantage on Intelligence ability checks.Side effect. You have disadvantage on Wisdom ability checks. CrueltyPrerequisite: 11th level.When you use the action, you can make an additional weapon attack as a bonus action.Side effect.
You have disadvantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws. DeftnessYou gain advantage on Dexterity ability checks.Side effect. You have disadvantage on Wisdom ability checks. EmbersYou gain resistance to fire damage.Side effect. You gain vulnerability to cold damage. GelidYou gain resistance to cold damage.Side effect. You gain vulnerability to fire damage.
ImpermeableYou gain resistance to piercing damage.Side effect. You gain vulnerability to slashing damage. MobilityYou gain immunity to the and conditions. At 11th level, you also are immune to the condition.Side effect. You have disadvantage on Strength ability checks.
NighteyeYou gain for up to 60 feet. If you already have darkvision, this increases its range by 60 additional feet.Side effect. You gain sunlight sensitivity (detailed in the section of the ). PercipientYou gain advantage on Wisdom ability checks.Side effect. You have disadvantage on Charisma ability checks. PotencyYour Strength score increases by 3, as does your Strength maximum.
This bonus increases by 1 at 11th and 18th level.Side effect. You have disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws. PrecisionPrerequisite: 11th levelYour weapon attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19-20.Side effect. You have disadvantage on Strength saving throws.
RapidityYour speed increases by 10 feet. At 15th level, your speed increases by 15 feet instead.Side effect. You have disadvantage on Intelligence ability checks. ReconstructionPrerequisite: 7th levelFor 1 hour, at the start of each of your turns, you regain hit points equal to your proficiency bonus if you have at least 1 hit point, but no more than half of your hit points.Side effect. Your speed decreases by 10 ft for 1 hour. SagacityYour Intelligence score increases by 3, as does your Intelligence maximum.
This bonus increases by 1 at 11th and 18th level.Side effect. You have disadvantage on Charisma saving throws. ShieldedYou gain resistance to slashing damage.Side effect. You gain vulnerability to bludgeoning damage. UnbreakableYou gain resistance to bludgeoning damage.Side effect.
You gain vulnerability to piercing damage. VermillionYou gain an additional use of your Blood Maledict feature.Side effect. You have disadvantage on death saving throws. Order of the Profane SoulThose who have taken to the Order of the Profane Soul have seen the limits of hemocraft against some of the most ancient and cruel fiends and terrors of the world. Unable to pursue beings of such power, creatures able to vanish amongst the nobles without a trace, or bend the mind of the most stalwart warrior with but a glance, this order trusted in their resilience and delved into this same well of corrupting arcane knowledge, making pacts with lesser evils to better combat the greater. While they may have traded a part of themselves, members of this order believe the power gained far outweighs the price, for even devils now quake when they know they’ve drawn the attention of the Order of the Profane Soul.
Otherworldly PatronWhen you reach 3rd level, you strike a bargain with an otherworldly being of your choice: the Archfey, the Fiend, or the Great Old One, each detailed in the, the Undying within the, and the Celestial or Hexblade in. Your choice augments some of your order features. The ArchfeyYou have chosen the Archfey as your otherworldly patron.
The CelestialYou have chosen the Celestial as your otherworldly patron. The FiendYou have chosen the Fiend as your otherworldly patron. The Great Old OneYou have chosen the Great Old One as your otherworldly patron. The HexbladeYou have chosen the Hexblade as your otherworldly patron.
The UndyingYou have chosen the Undying as your otherworldly patron. Pact MagicWhen you reach 3rd level, you can augment your combat techniques with the ability to cast spells.
See chapter 10 of the PHB for the general rules of spellcasting and chapter 11 of the Player’s Handbook for the Warlock spell list.Cantrips. You learn two cantrips of your choice from the warlock spell list. You learn an additional warlock cantrip of your choice at 10th level.Spell Slots. The Profane Soul Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have. The table also shows what the level of those slots is; all of your spell slots are the same level.
To cast one of your warlock spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend a spell slot. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a short or long rest.For example, when you are 8th level, you have two 2nd-level spell slots. To cast the 1st-level spell witch bolt, you must spend one of those slots, and you cast it as a 2nd-level spell.Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher.
At 3rd level, you know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the warlock spell list.The Spells Known column of the Profane Soul table shows when you learn more warlock spells of your choice of 1st level and higher. A spell you choose must be of a level no higher than what’s shown in the table’s Slot Level column for your level.
When you reach 11th level, for example, you learn a new warlock spell, which can be 1st, 2nd, or 3rd level.Additionally, when you gain a level in this class and order, you can choose one of the warlock spells you know and replace it with another spell from the warlock spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.Spellcasting Ability. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your warlock spells, so you use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability.
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