Bloodhunter

An integration of the Bloodhunter class created by Mercer into the fighter class.

Hunter’s Bane

At 1st level, you have survived the Hunter’s Bane—a dangerous, long-guarded ritual that alters your life’s blood, forever binding you to the darkness and honing your senses against it. You have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track fey, fiends, or undead, as well as on Intelligence checks to recall information about such creatures.

The Hunter’s Bane also empowers your body to control and shape hemocraft magic, using your own blood and life essence to fuel your abilities. Some of your features require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature’s effects. The saving throw DC is calculated as follows:

Hemocraft save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Hemocraft modifier
(your choice between Intelligence or Wisdom)

Blood Maledict

At 3rd level, you gain the ability to channel—or sometimes sacrifice—a part of your vital essence to curse and manipulate creatures through hemocraft magic. You know one blood curse of your choice. You learn one additional blood curse of your choice at 6th, 10th, 14th, and 18th level. Each time you learn a new blood curse, you can also choose one of the blood curses you know and replace it with another blood curse.

Each time you use your Blood Maledict feature, you choose which curse to invoke from the curses you know. While invoking a blood curse, but before it affects the target, you can choose to amplify the curse by taking necrotic damage equal to one roll of your hemocraft die. This damage can’t be reduced in any way. An amplified curse gains an additional effect, noted in the curse’s description. Creatures that do not have blood are immune to blood curses unless you have amplified the curse.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again. You can use Blood Maledict twice between rests starting at 6th level, three times starting at 13th level, and four times starting at 17th level.

Your hemocraft die is a d4 and it increases to a d6 at 5th level, a d8 at 11th level and againt at 17th level to a d10.

Blood Curse of Binding

As a bonus action, you attempt to bind a Large or smaller creature you can see within 30 feet of you, which must make a Strength saving throw. On a failure, the cursed creature’s speed is reduced to 0 and it can’t use reactions until the end of your next turn.

Amplify. This curse lasts for 1 minute and can affect any creature regardless of size. The cursed creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the curse on itself on a success.

Blood Curse of Bloated Agony

As a bonus action, you curse a creature that you can see within 30 feet of you, causing its body to swell until the end of your next turn. For the duration, the creature has disadvantage on Strength checks and Dexterity checks, and takes 1d8 necrotic damage if it makes more than one attack during its turn.

Amplify. This curse lasts for 1 minute. The cursed creature can make a Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the curse on itself on a success.

Blood Curse of Corrosion

As a bonus action, you cause a creature within 30 feet of you to become poisoned. The cursed creature can make a Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the curse on itself on a success.

Amplify. The cursed creature takes 4d6 necrotic damage when you inflict this curse, and it takes this damage again each time it fails a Constitution saving throw to end the curse.

Blood Curse of Exposure

When a creature you can see within 30 feet of you takes damage from an attack or spell, you can use your reaction to temporarily weaken its resilience. Until the end of the target’s next turn, it loses resistance to all the damage types dealt by the triggering attack or spell (including for that triggering effect).

Amplify. The target instead loses invulnerability to the damage types of the triggering attack or spell, but has resistance to those damage types until the end of its next turn.

Blood Curse of the Anxious

As a bonus action, you harry the body or mind of a creature within 30 feet of you, making them susceptible to forceful influence. Until the end of your next turn, Charisma (Intimidation) checks made against the cursed creature have advantage.

Amplify. The next Wisdom saving throw the cursed creature makes before this curse ends has disadvantage.

Blood Curse of the Exorcist

As a bonus action, you choose one creature you can see within 30 feet of you that is charmed or frightened, or which is under a possession effect. The target creature is no longer charmed, frightened, or possessed.

Amplify. A creature that charmed, frightened, or possessed the target of your curse takes 3d6 psychic damage and must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be stunned until the end of your next turn.

Blood Curse of the Eyeless

When a creature you can see within 30 feet of you makes an attack, you can use your reaction to roll one hemocraft die and subtract the number rolled from the creature’s attack roll. You can choose to use this feature after the creature’s roll, but before the DM determines whether the attack hits or misses. The creature is immune to this curse if it is immune to the blinded condition.

Amplify. You apply this curse to all the creature’s attack rolls until the end of the creature’s turn. You roll separately for each affected attack.

Blood Curse of the Fallen Puppet

When a creature you can see within 30 feet of you drops to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to instill that creature with a final act of aggression. The creature immediately makes one weapon attack against a target of your choice within its range.

Amplify. You can first cause the cursed creature to move up to half its speed, and you grant a bonus to its attack roll equal to your Hemocraft modifier (minimum of +1).

Blood Curse of the Howl

As an action, you unleash a bloodcurdling howl. Each creature within 30 feet of you that can hear you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of you until the end of your next turn. If a creature fails its saving throw by 5 or more, it is stunned while frightened in this way. A creature that succeeds on its saving throw is immune to this blood curse for the next 24 hours.

You can choose any number of creatures you can see to be unaffected by the howl.

Amplify. The range of this curse increases to 60 feet.

Blood Curse of the Marked

As a bonus action, you mark a creature that you can see within 30 feet of you. Until the end of your turn, whenever you hit the cursed creature with a weapon for which you have an active crimson rite, you roll an additional hemocraft die when determining the extra damage from the rite.

Amplify. The next attack roll you make against the target before the end of your turn has advantage.

Blood Curse of the Muddled Mind

As a bonus action, you curse a creature that you can see within 30 feet of you that is concentrating on a spell or using a feature that requires concentration. That creature has disadvantage on the next Constitution saving throw it makes to maintain concentration before the end of your next turn.

Amplify. The cursed creature has disadvantage on all Constitution saving throws made to maintain concentration until the end of your next turn.

Blood Curse of the Soul Eater

When a creature that isn’t a construct or undead is reduced to 0 hit points within 30 feet of you, you can use your reaction to offer their life energy to your patron in exchange for power. Until the end of your next turn, you make attacks with advantage and you have resistance to all damage.

Amplify. Additionally, you regain an expended warlock spell slot. Once you’ve amplified this blood curse, you must finish a long rest before you can amplify it again.

Crimson Rite

At 3rd level, you learn to invoke a rite of hemocraft that infuses your weapon strikes with elemental energy. As a bonus action, you can activate any rite you know on one weapon you’re holding. The effect of the rite lasts until you finish a short or long rest. When you activate a rite, you take necrotic damage equal to one roll of your hemocraft die. This damage can’t be reduced in any way.

While the rite is in effect, attacks you make with this weapon are magical, and deal extra damage equal to your hemocraft die of the type determined by the chosen rite. A weapon can hold only one active rite at a time. Other creatures can’t gain the benefit of your rite.

You choose one rite from the crimson rites below when you first gain this feature. You learn an additional crimson rite at 7th level, and again at 14th level.

Rite of the Dead

The extra damage dealt by your rite is necrotic damage.

Rite of the Flame

The extra damage dealt by your rite is fire damage.

Rite of the Frozen

The extra damage dealt by your rite is cold damage.

Rite of the Oracle

The extra damage dealt by your rite is psychic damage.

Rite of the Roar

The extra damage dealt by your rite is thunder damage.

Rite of the Storm

The extra damage dealt by your rite is lightning damage.

Blood Hunter Order

At 3rd level, you commit to an order of blood hunters whose philosophy will guide you throughout your life: the Order of the Ghostslayer, the Order of the Lycan, the Order of the Mutant, or the Order of the Profane Soul, each of which is detailed at the end of the class description. Your choice grants you features at 7th level and again at 11th, 15th, and 18th level.

Order of the Ghostslayer

The Order of the Ghostslayer is the oldest of the blood hunter orders, its members having originally rediscovered the secrets of hemocraft and refined them for combat against the scourge of undeath. Ghostslayers seek out and study the moment of death, obsessing over the mystery of the transition from life, and the unholy power that can cause the dead to rise once more. These zealous blood hunters make it their life’s work to destroy the scourge of undeath wherever it is found, tuning their abilities to engage undead creatures and those who manipulate the necromancy that creates them.

Order of the Lycan

The ancient curse of lycanthropy is feared by nearly all peoples and cultures, passed through blood and seeding a host with the savage strength and hunger for violence of a wicked beast. The Order of the Lycan is a proud group of blood hunters who undergo “the Taming”—the ceremonial infliction of lycanthropy by a senior member of the order, for those who do not already carry the curse before seeking this path. These hunters then use the magic of their blood to harness the power of the monster they harbor, without losing themselves to it. Using intense will and secret blood magic rituals, members of the Order of the Lycan learn to control and unleash their hybrid forms 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 their own hunger.

Order of the Mutant

The process of undertaking the Hunter’s Bane ritual is a painful, scarring, and sometimes fatal experience. Those who survive are irrevocably changed—and not always for the better. Over generations of experimentation, a splinter order of blood hunters honed the way in which hemocraft alters the body, using corrupted alchemy and toxic elixirs to alter their blood even further. Over time, they have modified their capabilities in battle, becoming something beyond what they once were. Calling themselves the Order of the Mutant, these blood hunters now specialize in assessing the strengths and weaknesses of their foes, altering their biology to be best prepared for any conflict.

Order of the Profane Soul

Blood hunters belonging to the Order of the Profane Soul have pushed the limits of hemocraft for use against some of the most terrifying creatures corrupting the world. Ancient fiends and cruel magic-users have long counted on their ability to meld into the background and escape those who hunt them, vanishing into noble courts without a trace, or bending the minds of the most stalwart warriors with but a glance. So the blood hunters who founded this order trusted to their resilience as they delved into the same well of corrupting arcane knowledge, making pacts with lesser evils to better combat the greater threats. And though they might have traded a part of themselves for their power, the members of this order know the benefits of that power far outweigh the price.

3rd level Blood Hunter Order Features

At 3th level you gain two features based on the Bloodhunter Order chosen.

• Order of the Ghostslayer: Rite of the Dawn, Curse Specialist
• Order of the Lycan: Heightened Senses, Hybrid Transformation
• Order of the Mutant: Mutagencraft, Formulas

Curse Specialist

Starting at 3rd level, you learn to master 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.

Formulas

The number of mutagens you can concoct when you finish a rest, and the number of formulas you know, increases as you gain levels in the blood hunter class, as shown on the Mutagencraft table above. Additionally, when you learn a new mutagen formula, you can replace one formula you already know with a new mutagen formula. You choose four mutagen formulas to learn from the options detailed at the end of this subclass description, and you can concoct one mutagen when you finish a short or long rest.

Heightened Senses

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain the improved senses of a natural predator. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on hearing or smell.

Hybrid Transformation

Also at 3rd level, you learn to control the lycanthropic curse that courses through your veins. As a bonus action, you transform into a special hybrid form for up to 1 hour. You can speak, use equipment, and wear armor while in this form, and can revert to your normal form as a bonus action. You automatically revert to your normal form if you fall unconscious or die.

This feature replaces the rules for lycanthropy in the Monster Manual. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.

Hybrid Transformation Features

While you are transformed, you gain the following benefits and drawbacks:

Feral Might. You have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws, and you have a +1 bonus to melee damage rolls. This bonus increases to +2 at 11th level and to +3 at 18th level.

Resilient Hide. You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks not made with silvered weapons. Additionally, while you are not wearing heavy armor, you have a +1 bonus to AC.

Predatory Strikes. You can apply your Crimson Rite feature to your unarmed strikes, which you treat as one weapon. You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes, which deal 1d6 bludgeoning or slashing damage (your choice). This damage increases to 1d8 at 11th level.

Additionally, when you use the Attack action to make an unarmed strike, you can make one additional unarmed strike as a bonus action.

Bloodlust. If you start your turn with fewer hit points than half your hit point maximum, you must succeed on a DC 8 Wisdom saving throw or move directly toward the nearest creature and use the Attack action against that creature. If you’re concentrating on a spell or are under an effect that prevents you from concentrating (such as the barbarian’s Rage feature), you automatically fail this saving throw.

If you have your Extra Attack feature, you can choose whether to use it for this frenzied attack. If more than one creature is equally near to you, roll randomly to determine your target. Once your attack is resolved, you regain control of yourself.

Mutagencraft

When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you learn to master forbidden alchemical formulas—known as mutagens—that can temporarily alter your mental and physical abilities.

As a bonus action, you consume a mutagen, whose 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 all mutagens from your system, ending their effects and side effects.

Mutagens are designed for the specific biology of the character who concocted them, and your mutagens 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.

Mutagencraft

Rite of the Dawn

When you join this order at 3rd level, you learn the Rite of the Dawn as part of your Crimson Rite feature. When you activate the Rite of the Dawn, the extra damage dealt by your rite is radiant damage. Additionally, while that rite is active on your weapon, you gain the following benefits:

• Your weapon sheds bright light out to a range of 20 feet.
• You have resistance to necrotic damage.
• When you hit an undead creature with a weapon for which the Rite of the Dawn is active, you roll an additional hemocraft die when determining the extra damage from the rite.

7th level Order Features

At 7th level you gain the feature Brand of Castigation and one feature based on the Bloodhunter Order chosen.

• Order of the Ghostslayer: Aether Walk
• Order of the Lycan: Stalker's Prowess
• Order of the Mutant: Strange Metabolism

Aether Walk

Upon reaching 7th level, at the start of your turn, you can magically step into the veil between the planes as long as you aren’t incapacitated. 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.

This feature lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Hemocraft modifier (minimum of 1 round). If you are inside an object when it ends, you are immediately shunted to the nearest unoccupied space and you take force damage equal to twice the number of feet you moved.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again. You can use Aether Walk twice between rests starting at 15th level.

Brand of Castigation

At 7th level, when you damage a creature with a weapon for which you have an active crimson rite, you can channel hemocraft magic to sear an arcane brand into that creature (no action required). You always know the direction to the branded creature as long as it’s on the same plane as you. Further, each time the branded creature deals damage to you or a creature you can see within 5 feet of you, the branded creature takes psychic damage equal to your Hemocraft modifier (minimum of 1).

Your brand lasts until you dismiss it or until you use this feature to apply a brand to another creature. Your brand can be dispelled with dispel magic, and is treated as a spell with a level equal to half your blood hunter level (maximum 9th level).

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a short or long rest.

Stalker's Prowess

At 7th level, your speed increases by 10 feet, and you add 10 feet to your long jump distance and 3 feet to your high jump distance. Your hybrid form also gains the following additional benefit.

Improved Predatory Strikes. You have a +1 bonus to attack rolls made with your unarmed strike. This bonus increases to +2 at 11th level and to +3 at 18th level. Additionally, when you have an active crimson rite on your unarmed strike while in your hybrid form, your unarmed strikes are considered magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.

Strange Metabolism

When you reach 7th level, your body begins to adapt to toxins and venoms, ignoring their corrupting effects. You gain immunity to poison damage and the poisoned condition.

Additionally, you can trigger a burst of adrenaline that lets you temporarily resist the negative effects of a mutagen. As a bonus action, you can ignore the negative side effect of one mutagen affecting you for 1 minute. Once you do so, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.

10th level Order Feature

At 10th level you gain one feature based on the Bloodhunter Order chosen.

• Order of the Ghostslayer: Brand of Sundering
• Order of the Lycan: Advanced Transformation
• Order of the Mutant: Brand of Axiom

Advanced Transformation

At 10th 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. Your hybrid form also gains the following additional benefit.

Lycan Regeneration. At the start of each of your turns when you have at least 1 hit point but fewer hit points than half your hit point maximum, you gain hit points equal to 1 + your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1). If you are in hybrid form, you gain these hit points before you must make the saving throw for your bloodlust.

Brand of Axiom

At 10th level, your mutagenic hemocraft lets your Brand of Castigation reveal a foe’s true nature. Any illusion or invisibility in effect on a creature when you brand it ends, and the creature can’t benefit from invisibility or illusion effects while branded by you. If a creature branded by you is in an alternative form (by way of the polymorph spell, the Change Shape action or Shapechanger trait, the Wild Shape feature, and similar effects), it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or revert to its true form and be stunned until the end of your next turn. Whenever a branded creature attempts to alter its form, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or have the attempt fail, and it is stunned until the end of your next turn.

Brand of Sundering

Starting at 10th level, your Brand of Castigation exposes a fragment of your foe’s essence, leaving them vulnerable to your Crimson Rite feature. Whenever you hit a creature with a weapon for which you have an active crimson rite, you roll an additional hemocraft die when determining the extra damage from the rite. Additionally, if a branded creature has the Incorporeal Movement trait or a similar feature, it can’t move through creatures or objects while branded.

15th level Order Feature

At 15th level you gain one feature based on the Bloodhunter Order chosen.

• Order of the Ghostslayer: Blood Curse of the Exorcist
• Order of the Lycan: Brand of the Voracious
• Order of the Mutant: Blood Curse of Corrosion

Blood Curse of Corrosion

Starting at 15th level, your blood curse can infuse a creature’s body with terrible toxins. You gain the Blood Curse of Corrosion for your Blood Maledict feature. This doesn’t count against your number of blood curses known.

Blood Curse of Corrosion

Prerequisite: 15th level, Order of the Mutant

As a bonus action, you cause a creature within 30 feet of you to become poisoned. The cursed creature can make a Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the curse on itself on a success.

Amplify. The cursed creature takes 4d6 necrotic damage when you inflict this curse, and it takes this damage again each time it fails a Constitution saving throw to end the curse.

Blood Curse of the Exorcist

At 15th level, you hone your hemocraft to tear corruption from the minds and bodies of your allies—and to punish those responsible for it. You gain the Blood Curse of the Exorcist for your Blood Maledict feature. This doesn’t count against your number of blood curses known.

Blood Curse of the Exorcist

Prerequisite: 15th level, Order of the Ghostslayer

As a bonus action, you choose one creature you can see within 30 feet of you that is charmed or frightened, or which is under a possession effect. The target creature is no longer charmed, frightened, or possessed.

Amplify. A creature that charmed, frightened, or possessed the target of your curse takes 3d6 psychic damage and must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be stunned until the end of your next turn.

Brand of the Voracious

Starting at 15th level, you have advantage on the saving throw for your bloodlust while in hybrid form. Additionally, your Brand of Castigation can now bind a foe to your hunter’s ferocity. While in your hybrid form, you have advantage on attack rolls against a creature branded by you.

18th level Order Feature

At 18th level you gain one feature based on the Bloodhunter Order chosen.

• Order of the Ghostslayer: Rite Revival
• Order of the Lycan: Hybrid Transformation Mastery
• Order of the Mutant: Exalted Mutation

Exalted Mutation

At 18th level, your body has adapted to produce mutagens naturally in a moment of need. As a bonus action, choose one mutagen currently affecting you. Its effects and side effects end, and you can 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 Hemocraft modifier (minimum of once). You regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Hybrid Transformation Mastery

At 18th level, you have mastered your inner predator. You can use your Hybrid Transformation feature an unlimited number of times, and your hybrid form lasts until you revert to your normal form, fall unconscious, or die.

You also gain the Blood Curse of the Howl for your Blood Maledict feature. This doesn’t count against your number of blood curses known.

Blood Curse of the Howl

Prerequisite: 18th level, Order of the Lycan

As an action, you unleash a bloodcurdling howl. Each creature within 30 feet of you that can hear you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or become frightened of you until the end of your next turn. If a creature fails its saving throw by 5 or more, it is stunned while frightened in this way. A creature that succeeds on its saving throw is immune to this blood curse for the next 24 hours.

You can choose any number of creatures you can see to be unaffected by the howl.

Rite Revival

Upon reaching 18th level, you learn to protect your fading life by reabsorbing the energy you feed to your weapons. If you have one or more crimson rites active and you are reduced to 0 hit points but don’t die outright, you can choose to have all your active crimson rites end and drop to 1 hit point instead.