Sanguine Hex Sorcerer

The blade begins the flow, the flow empowers the spell. Those were the words the woman had said to him. Words he almost hadn’t heard as his attention was focused on the two fangs peeking from under her upper lip. He remembered he had been shaking, unsure even after weeks with her if he should be fleeing for his life. The man bound on the table before both of them gave him some clue that it was too late to back out now. With a quick motion he made a clean slice along the upper arm. It couldn’t have hurt too badly, it hardly looked worse than the injuries he himself had gotten on the farm. He had even made sure the dagger was sharp and clean, which seemed strangely caring for the given situation. These musings did not stay with him long, for words formed themselves in his mind. They came with the smell, coppery and thick. They made no sense, but his body knew what to do with them though his mind did not. Power, unlike anything he had ever felt, flowed along his veins and out, searching for the lifeblood kin that had birthed it. When it was done, he stood panting. Partly this was from the exertion, but most of it came from the desperation that now gripped him. The bound figure before him was his, he knew that. He held power, this too he knew. The flow had changed, redirected midstream in his direction. He wanted more. “Well done” whispered the feminine voice from the darkness. “Now let us see about your next lesson.”

Description

Whether by a curse that flows through them, or an innate affinity for sanguine arts, Sorcerers of the Sanguine Hex utilize blood to empower their spellwork. Unfortunately, they need access to the blood of their victim and as such tend to get closer to their targets than most Sorcerers. Yet, once they have done so they find their craft more potent than others.

Start the Flow

1st-level Sanguine Hex feature

You may use a dagger as your spellcasting focus.

In addition, when you hit a creature with a melee attack using a weapon that deals either Piercing or Slashing damage, you may have the target make a Constitution saving throw vs your spell save DC. On a failure, they begin to bleed and gain 1 Bleeding point. Bleeding creatures take 1d4 Necrotic damage at the beginning of their turn for each Bleeding point they have. A creature can use an action to make a DC 15 Wisdom (Medicine) check to stop the bleeding and remove all Bleeding points on them.

At the end of your turn, if you have not cast a spell this turn and have inflicted a Bleeding point on a creature as a result of an attack, you may cast a spell that has a casting time of 1 action or 1 bonus action.

Wetwork

1st-level Sanguine Hex feature

When you cast a spell that deals damage to a bleeding creature, you may change the damage type to Necrotic. If you do so, as a Reaction to this, you may have each bleeding creature affected make a Constitution saving throw vs your spell save DC. On a failure that creature takes a bonus 1d4 Necrotic damage per Bleeding point they have.

Expanded Metamagic : Induce Sepsis

At 1st level, add the following option to the list of Metamagic options you can learn.

• Induce Sepsis. As a Reaction when a creature succeeds on a Constitution saving throw for either your Start the Flow, Wetwork, Essence Drain, or Hemohex features, you may spend 1 Sorcery Point and have that creature reroll the saving throw. They must use the new result for that roll.

Essence Drain

6th-level Sanguine Hex feature

As a Reaction at the end of a turn in which a creature within 60 feet of you that is bleeding has taken damage, you may have that creature make a Constitution saving throw vs your spell save DC. On a failure you gain 1d6 Temporary Hit Points for each Bleeding point on that creature.

Hemohex

14th-level Sanguine Hex feature

When a bleeding creature fails a saving throw against a 5th-level or lower spell you cast, you may spend 1 Sorcery Point to infuse their vital essence with the spell’s effects. The target must make a Constitution saving throw vs your spell save DC. On a failure, at the start of their next turn, they suffer the effects of the spell again (and must repeat any needed saving throws).

Manipulate Lifeblood

18th-level Sanguine Hex feature

When a [Tooltip Not Found] creature hits you with an attack, it must make a Charisma saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failure, it cannot target you with that attack and must instead target another creature of its choice within range, using the same attack roll.