Blood-Starved Beast Feat
The curse of the Blood-Starved Beast is said to have originated from an unholy fusion of lycanthropy and vampirism. Desperate to create a predator that could match the savagery of werewolves, vampires devised a painful and volatile ritual to imbue a creature with monstrous power. Few survive the transformation, but those who do must wrestle with the beast within, struggling to maintain their humanity or succumb to their bloodlust.
Infliction of the Curse:
To acquire the curse, a creature must undergo a dark ritual under specific conditions:
- The creature must have consumed blood within the past 24 hours.
- The ritual requires a sacrifice (another living creature) and seven participants (the cursed, the sacrifice, and five witnesses).
- All seven must have consumed fresh blood within the last 24 hours.
- After the ritual, the creature becomes afflicted with the curse. Over the next week, the curse takes root. During this time, the curse can still be removed with a Remove Curse spell. However, once the week passes, the curse becomes a permanent part of the creature, removable only by a Wish spell or a powerful magical ritual.
Transformation:
The Blood-Starved Beast can transform either willingly or unwillingly. The creature must grapple with their beastly urges and manage their transformations, which are tied to their Curse DC (described below).
Willing Transformations:
- The creature may choose to transform at will, once per long rest, using a bonus action.
- Each willing transformation increases the Curse DC by 5.
Unwilling Transformations:
Unwilling transformations occur when the curse takes control. These transformations do not consume the creature's bonus action and are triggered by:
- A failed saving throw against certain spells or rituals (e.g., Command, Suggestion).
- A failed saving throw during a blood moon.
- Failure to meet the curse’s feeding requirements (see Curse DC table below).
An unwilling transformation increases the Curse DC by 10.
Controlling the Transformation:
The creature can remain in control as long as its hit points are above one-third of its maximum HP. However, if its HP falls below this threshold, it must succeed on a Constitution or Wisdom saving throw (player's choice) against a DC equal to (Curse DC / 10, rounded down). If the save fails, the DM chooses the closest creature (friend, foe, or neutral) for the cursed creature to attack in a savage blood frenzy.
Reverting to Humanoid Form:
To return to humanoid form, the creature must make a Constitution or Wisdom saving throw (player's choice). The outcome determines how much the creature struggles to let go of the beast within:
- Success: The transformation is smooth, and the Curse DC decreases by 5.
- Failure: The transformation is painful and chaotic, and the Curse DC increases by 10.
When knocked unconscious, creature is reverted back to human form.
Curse DC System:
The Blood-Starved Beast’s control is measured by the Curse DC, representing the balance between its bloodlust and its beastly urges. A higher DC indicates the beast is gaining control, while a lower DC reflects a blood-thirsty addiction. Maintaining balance is key.
Base Curse DC:
- The Curse DC rises and falls based on actions taken while cursed. Below are the conditions that affect the DC:
- Clarification: DC
| Curse DC | Effects |
|---|---|
| DC > 75 | Permanently stuck in beast form. Only Greater Restoration, Dante's Ritual, or death can return the creature to normal form. |
| 61 - 75 | Must transform once every 24 hours, but no longer needs to consume blood. |
| 41 - 60 | Must consume blood every 3 days and transform once every 2 days. |
| 26 - 40 | Must consume blood every 2 days and transform once every 3 days. |
| 10 - 25 | Must consume blood every 24 hours, but no longer needs to transform. |
| DC < 10 |
Cannot transform. Enter a blood frenzy that requires feeding every hour, suffering 5 damage per hour until blood is consumed. This lasts 12 hours. If 12 hours pass without feeding, make a DC 10 Constitution Saving Throw. On success, the DC resets to 15. On failure, the DC rises to >75. |
Managing the Curse DC:
The creature's interactions with the curse affect its Curse DC. The following actions modify the DC:
- Willingly Transforming: DC increases by 5.
- Unwillingly Transforming: DC increases by 10.
- Resisting an Unwilling Transformation: DC decreases by 5.
- Transforming Back Successfully: DC decreases by 5.
- Transforming Back Unsuccessfully: DC increases by 10.
- Controlling the Beast Below One-Third HP:
- Success: DC decreases by 5.
- Failure: DC increases by 5.
Feeding:
Feeding on blood also influences the DC:
- Consuming small amounts of blood (e.g., via bites, drinks): DC decreases by 5.
- Feeding until unconsciousness (feeding a creature until it is unconscious or using the blood of corpses): DC decreases by 10.
- Draining blood (lethal feeding): DC decreases by 15.
Note: If creature has been killed recently and you wants to drain, this counts as feeding of corpses and not draining blood. So DC decreases by 10
However, feeding too frequently (more than twice within 24 hours) causes the DC to increase by 10, representing the creature's addiction to bloodlust.
Comments