Blood Mage

By sacrificing their health, they can achieve great acts of magic. The methods employed in blood magic are superficially similar to other systems, but all share one thing: health point cost and spell fatigue.

All blood magic spells cost some amount of health, subtracted from a particular character's current hit points. If a spell renders a character unconscious as part of the casting, they fall unconscious before the spell can be completed. Hit points may be restored in any usual manner.

 

Spell fatigue builds up as you cast, preventing blood magic users from casting indefinitely. When the spell fatigue exceeds the maximum allowed for the character, they cannot cast that blood spell. Spell fatigue is removed through the usual 8 hours of rest required by most spellcasters. Besides hp loss and spell fatigue, all other properties of blood magic function identically to traditional spellcasting.
Blood magic is also versatile. Quick sacrifices provide rapid results, but a sacrifice can be drawn out, often involving longer casting times, additional components, additional fatigue or hit point loss, or experience loss. These "ritual" versions of the spell are usually more powerful but ill-suited for tense situations. Any differences between the standard and ritual casting of a blood magic spell are noted in the spell description, with ritual differences noted in parenthesis.

Empowered by blood

At 1 level, you are able to tap into the life essence of your blood and sacrifice a number of HD from your Hit Dice pool to gain extra power on spells that deal damage. For every HD spent, add 1D4 damage to that spell. (Cannot sacrifice more HD than the caster’s level)

Power of Blood

At 6 level, you have the ability to regain expended spell slots by pulling the energy out of blood. This can be accomplished in one of two ways:
     1 – By cutting on your own flesh with a ceremonial dagger you regain 1D6 spells back, but take that same amount as damage.
     2- You can attempt to pull the blood out of another target. The designated target must succeed a Constitution save (DC15). If the target succeeds, you are unable to regain any spells back. If the target fails, you regain 2D6 spells back and the target takes 3D6 damage. You must take a long rest before you are able to use this ability again.

Metabolic Weakening

at 14 level you are now able to affect the blood of others.

A designated target within 30’ of you must succeed a constitution based save (Spell save DC) or suffer disadvantage on all physical rolls until they take a long rest. The affected target’s body becomes sluggish and they move at half speed. A sorcerer can spend an additional spell slot to cause an affected target to develop hemophilia (must be level 3 or higher spell). Any slashing or piercing damage deals extra 1D4 damage per round (this stacks with multiple attacks).

Blood Walk

At the 18 level, you can jump into a living creature and use its blood to transport you anywhere in the same realm you have previously visited, no matter the distance. You must emerge at your desired location through another living creature. Both creatures must be living, have red blood, and be of medium or large size.

Jumping into a target is a reaction, and the blood mage must succeed in a touch attack (if the target is unwilling). You emerge at your desired location the next round, no matter the distance. You can choose to emerge from a target violently, bursting forth from their body. Should you decide to appear violently, the target must succeed in a constitution save or duffer 10D6 damage. If the target succeeds, they suffer no damage, and you must make a constitution save or be stunned for 1D3 rounds, suffering a disadvantage on all physical type rolls. You must take a long rest before you can attempt to blood walk again.

Blood Mage Spells

in alphabetical order:

Aerobic Step -Temporarily relieve fatigue, or allow the target(s) to hustle for long distances.
Aggravate Wound-  Cause exponential damage over time.
Bleed- You make sure that the dying finish their journey, opening up wounds that have healed.
Life Spark - Release the positive energy hidden inside cells in the blood, turning it into a weapon against the (un)dead.
Light Drop - Utilize the power within blood to become a source of light.
Sharp Blood - Cause exponential damage over time as their blood cells turn into blades.
Staunch - Rapidly clot wounds, preventing the target from bleeding to death.