Hemomancy (Blood Magic)

It is common knowledge that Sorcerers obtain their magical power not through study or contracts with otherworldly beings, but rather from the innate qualities of their lineage. Their magic, as they say, is in the blood.

A hemomancer is a mage who understands that concept quite literally. By focusing their studies on families with history of producing sorcerers, they have managed to identify the component in their blood that makes them special - which they then turned inward, allowing them to augment their natural talent. That comes at a heavy price, however: there is a reason why such power only naturally awakens in a select few. Tapping into that reservoir of magical might allows the hemomancer to reach heights of power usually only known to sorcerers, but at the cost of expending their own vital energy to do so.

This makes hemomancy something of a taboo in many wizardly circles. While some see it just as a shortcut, painting the user as too arrogant for proper study, others fear it and claim this knowledge is the work of fiends and should be abolished altogether. Thus, few practice the art openly - indeed, after unlocking its secrets, most leave the places of magical sutdy that raised them, in favour of the open road. Adventurers, after all, rarely are so condescending.

In their everyday life, a hemomancer will likely be little different from any other wizard. Their studies will just be more focused on records of history and genealogy, ironically making them seem more down to earth than most of their peers. When their magical prowess is needed, however, they will quickly prove just as capable, if not far more so, than any of their peers.

Power From Within

On choosing this school of magic, you learn how to augment your spellcasting with the potent power within your blood.

You gain Arcane Consumption and two metamagic options from the list below. You can use only one Metamagic option on a spell when you cast it, unless otherwise noted. Any damage dealt to the character by these class features is considered Necrotic and cannot be mitigated by Damage Resistance or Immunity.

Absorbed Spell

When a creature successfully makes a saving throw against a spell you’ve cast, you can receive 3 points of damage per level of the spell. If you do, at the beginning of the creature’s next turn, it has to make the saving throw again and if failed, is affected by the spell as normal. For spells that take partial effect if the saving throw is made, the target instead suffers that partial effect again.

Arcane Consumption

Tapping into your sanguine power, you cast a spell using your life force instead of your magical energy. The spell does not consume a slot, instead you take 5 damage per slot level that the casting would usually take. This can be higher than the spell's innate level, if you so choose.

Bloodletting Spell

When you make roll for Piercing, Slashing, Force or Necrotic damage after casting a spell, you can receive 1 point of damage per level of the spell. If you do, the spell deals extra Necrotic damage equal to the number of dice you’ve rolled.

You can use Bloodletting Spell even if you have already used a different Metamagic option during the casting of the spell.

Branding Spell

When you cast a spell that would target a single creature other than yourself, you can receive 1 point of damage per level of the spell to cast it at any range, as long as you have dealt Piercing, Slashing, Force or Necrotic damage to the target within the last 1 minute. A creature can willingly take 1 point of piercing or slashing damage from you to instead be able to be targeted by this ability for the next 24 hours.

Contagious Spell

When you cast a spell that targets only one creature and doesn’t have a range of self, you can receive 2 points of damage per level of the spell. If you do, the spell affects all creatures within 5 feet of the target. If the spell requires concentration, secondary targets are only affected until the start of your next turn.

Infused Spell

When you cast a spell that targets either a single creature or a given number of targets, you can receive 3 points of damage per level of the spell to instead infuse the creature’s blood with the spell. Either that creature or yourself (if you are within 60 ft of the target) can then spend a bonus action in the next 8 hours, activating the spell as if it was cast on them with that action. If the spell requires concentration, the effect only lasts until the start of that creature’s next turn if it used its bonus action.

Inscribed Spell

When you cast a spell that has a casting time of 1 action, can receive 2 points of damage per level of the spell. If you do, the spell’s effects don’t take place, and instead a brand forms somewhere on the character’s body. In the next 24 hours, they can take a bonus action and touch the brand to cast the spell without using verbal or somatic components. Alternately, the brand can be absorbed as an action to heal the character by three times the initial damage or 6 points per level of the spell.

The character can have a number of brands on their body equal to their Constitution modifier.

Thirsting Spell

When you cast a spell that requires an attack roll, you can receive 1 point of damage per level of the spell to gain advantage on each attack roll made by that spell this round.

Blood Ministration

You learn the Spare the Dying cantrip.

When performing a short rest, you can perform a special ritual to allow others to bolster your vitality. When expending Hit Dice, a creature can choose to grant you Temporary Hit points equal to the result instead of regaining Hit Points themselves. You can only benefit from this ritual once each short rest.

On long rest you instead gain temporary hit points equal to 6 + your Constitution modifier. You lose any of those at the beginning of your next short or long rest.

Thicker Than Water

At 6th level, the control you have over your blood increases. When receiving Piercing, Slashing or Necrotic damage, you can use your reaction to gain Resistance to that type of damage as your blood withdraws from the affected area.

Crest of Suffering

Having reached 10th level as a Hemomancer, you reach a new level of attunement with the vital force of other creatures. Whenever a creature  is dealt Piercing, Slashing, Necrotic or Force damage, it leaves a crest on the ground below it that only you can see. To your eyes, these marks pulse with vibrant light for around 10 minutes, allowing you to see them even in complete darkness or when blinded. After that, they slowly dim, only to dissipate completely after 1 hour.

Any creature dealt these types of damage leaves a trail behind it that you can follow with a succesful DC15 Intelligence (Investigation) check.

Once per long rest, you can spend a minute concentrating and performing no other actions to focus the latent energy of vibrant crests within 60 feet of you and absorb it to bolster your own vitality. Each crest absorbed in this fashion grants you 3 Temporary Hit Points that last until your next long rest.

Vital Sight

At 14th level, your attunement to the vital energies of living creatures reaches its pinnacle.

You gain blindsense out to 60 ft away.

As an action, you can focus your perception on a single creature's vitality to gauge it against yours. The DM should then inform you if the creature's vitality is:

• Faint (current hit points below 1/4 of your maximum)
• Dim (current hit points below 1/2 of your maximum)
• Pulsing (current hit points below your maximum)
• Flaring (current hit points below double your maximum)
• Blazing (current hit points below quadruple your maximum)
• Overwhelming (current hit points above quadruple your maximum)