Order of the Crimson Knight

The Hunter's Bane is a dangerous process that leaves many permanently scarred or dead by the end of the ritual. One of many closely guarded secrets in the order is its formula and the ritual required to perform it. However, known only among the oldest members of the Blood Hunters, the Hunter's Bane that most know is not the complete version. In the past, an amplified version of the Hunter's Bane was applied to potential Blood Hunter's but after extremely high mortality and disability rates drove the Order into hiding, a weaker version was adopted. Those who survived the original Hunter's Bane were granted extraordinary power in the form of crimson armor marking complete control over their own and other's blood.

Your creation is a mystery among even your own Order. Maybe you convinced one of the oldest members that you could take the amplified version of the Hunter's Bane or maybe you found recordings of the amplified ritual and performed it upon yourself. Either way you, somehow, survived and find yourself with power that hasn't been seen in generations. The order of the Crimson Knight were once known for their crimson armor, referred to within the order as the Claret Ward, and their weapons, Catalyst Arms, made from the Hunter's own blood. These Hunter's were the bulwark of the Claret Orders, taking on evils many times their size and winning. The oldest stories tell of proud and noble knights, the people loved, who always honored a challenge and despised any sort of engagement where trickery or unfair methods were on display.

Crimson Physiology

3rd-Level Order of the Crimson Knight Feature

Your control over hemocraft expands through an understanding of anatomy and the flow of blood within yourself. You gain proficiency in the (Medicine) skill if you didn't already have it. Also, you can create a Healer's Kit for half the cost rounded down during a long rest provided you have the materials or close approximations. In addition, as a bonus action, you can expend uses of your Blood Maledict feature to heal yourself by 1 hemocraft die plus your Intelligence modifier for each use spent. 

Crimson Armaments

3rd-Level Order of the Crimson Knight Feature

The amplified Hunter's Bane coursing through your body has begun to activate granting you unmatched control over your blood. 

As a bonus action, you lose a number of hit points equal to the highest number on your hemocraft die and conjure the Claret Ward or the Catalyst Arms from your very blood. Additionally, as a bonus action, or as part of the bonus action you take to activate the Claret Ward or the Catalyst Arms, you can summon both the Claret Ward and Catalyst Arms, but you lose an additional number of hit points equal to the highest number on your hemocraft die. As a free action, for the duration of and while the features are touching you, you can absorb the features into your body and re-summon them as a bonus action for no cost. The Claret Ward lasts for up to an hour each short or long rest. The Catalyst Arms last until you finish a short or long rest. The Claret Ward and Catalyst Arms automatically end if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die.

Claret Ward. Your blood coalesces and hardens around your chest, functioning as an extremely light breastplate, defending you from attacks.

• As long as you aren't wearing armor your Armor Class becomes 13 plus your Dexterity modifier. The Ward counts as wearing light armor.
• Blood Guard: When you take damage, you can use your reaction to roll a hemocraft die. Add your Intelligence modifier to the number rolled and reduce the damage by that total.
• Blood Dart: Whenever you take the Attack action, you can fire a crystallized dart of your blood from the Ward and make the attack with the dart. It has a normal range of 60 feet and a long range of 90 feet dealing 1 hemocraft die of magical piercing or bludgeoning damage.

Catalyst Arms. Your blood crystallizes into weapons or objects that are literally an extension of your body.

• You can summon up to two melee weapons or shields into your empty hands. The melee weapons deal 1 hemocraft die of magical slashing, bludgeoning, or piercing damage each.
• You can apply your Crimson Rite feature to these weapons as a single weapon. These count as simple melee weapons with the light, finesse, reach, and thrown properties with a melee range of 5 feet (not including reach) and a thrown range of 30 feet and a long range of 60 feet.

These effects are subject to the Extra Attack feature. 

Crimson Greaves

7th-Level Order of the Crimson Knight Feature

You can draw out more of your power for a price, resulting in a greater manifestation of your armor cloaking your lower half in blood-hardened greaves. When you activate your Claret Ward a pair of greaves manifests with the breastplate. The Claret Ward's duration increases to 3 hours per short or long rest. 

Claret Ward - Greaves. As a bonus action while your Claret Ward is active, or as part of the bonus action you take to activate the Claret Ward, you can lose an additional number of hit points equal to the highest number on your hemocraft die to summon these greaves. You gain these benefits while the greaves are summoned:

• Your Armor Class becomes 15 plus your Dexterity modifier while wearing the Claret Ward.
• You cannot be slowed or damaged by difficult terrain.

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Crimson Resistance. While your Claret Ward is active you can imbue it with a Crimson Rite, giving you resistance to the damage type imbued and adding Crimson Rite damage to your Blood Darts.

Reactive Blood. If you are targeted by an attack and your Claret Ward hasn't already been activated, you can activate it as a reaction, causing the attack to potentially miss. If the attack does not miss, you gain resistance to the triggering damage until the start of your next turn. You can summon your Catalyst Arms with the same reaction.

Sanguine Reinforcement. When you kill a creature with your Catalyst Arms, you gain temporary hit points equal to half your Blood Hunter level rounded down. Additionally, for no cost, you can re-summon your Catalyst Arms as weapons or shields provided at least one of your hands is empty or holds a Catalyst Arms. These temporary hit points stack.

Crimson Bracers

7th-Level Order of the Crimson Knight Feature

You manifest bracers to increase your striking power. When you hit with an attack using your Catalyst Arms or Blood Dart you can increase the power of the weapon by filtering blood from your bracers into the weapons adding an additional hemocraft die of slashing, piercing, or bludgeoning damage to the attack.

You can use this feature a number of times equal to your constitution modifier (minimum of + 1). Uses reset on a short rest.

Brand of Stagnation

11th-Level Order of the Crimson Knight Feature

Your Brand of Castigation flows into the target's blood giving you minor control over their physiology. Whenever you damage a branded creature with your Crimson Rite, it cannot regain hit points until the start of your next turn. Also, your brand cannot be dispelled until you dismiss it, or apply a brand to another creature.

Crimson Plate

15th-Level Order of the Crimson Knight Feature

You’ve awakened the full power of the Claret Ward and Catalyst Arms, earning the full regalia of the once-mighty Crimson Knights. When you activate your Claret Ward & Crimson Greaves, a full Crimson Plate armor of hardened blood enshrouds your body- complete with gauntlets and a helmet that you can retract on command. Your Claret Ward, once activated, stays active until you finish a short or long rest.

Claret Ward - Plate. As a bonus action while your Claret Ward & Crimson Greaves are active, or as part of the bonus action you take to activate the Claret Ward, you can lose an additional number of hit points equal to the highest number on your hemocraft die to summon this plate. You must have your Crimson Greaves active in order to activate the Crimson Plate. You gain these benefits while the plate is summoned:

• Your Armor Class becomes 18 plus your Dexterity modifier.
• You have advantage on Dexterity and Strength saving throws.

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Crimson Unity. Your Crimson Armaments are now one. You no longer need to lose hit points to activate your Catalyst Arms or Claret Ward (You still must lose hit points to activate the greaves and plate). Additionally, you can apply your Crimson Rite feature to your Crimson Armaments as a single weapon. Also, as long as your Claret Ward is active all of your Crimson Armaments retain their Crimson Rites even if not in contact with you.

Blood Curse of the True Hunter's Bane

18th-Level Order of the Crimson Knight Feature

You gain unprecedented control over your and others' blood allowing you to manipulate the physiology of their bodies. You gain the Blood Curse of the True Hunter's Bane for your Blood Maledict feature. This doesn’t count against your number of blood curses known.

One creature you can see is subjected to a single effect below. This Blood Curse can only be used once per long rest.

Invigorate. As a reaction, after the target has taken damage, it regains hit points equal to the damage it took. If the target lacks blood then you cannot use this effect.

Entomb. As an action, the target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or you halt the flow of their blood. The target is paralyzed until the end of your next turn. If the target lacks blood then you take 3d10 necrotic damage and entomb them in your blood, paralyzing them. Alternatively, if you have the Claret Ward active then you may dispel your Claret Ward and entomb the target inside of it, taking no damage.

Bloody Rain. As a bonus action, you expand the target's blood at a rapid rate causing blood to spout from their pores. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 10d10 necrotic damage as their blood pours from their body. The target takes half damage on a success. If the target lacks blood then you cannot use this effect.

Amplify. Invigorate: the target regains hit points equal to all damage it took in the last 6 seconds. Entomb: On a failed save the target is paralyzed for 1 minute. Bloody Rain: You can roll one hemocraft die and replace the necrotic damage the ability normally does with the result of the hemocraft die times 10 necrotic damage.