Order of the First Hunters

Ancient archives tell tales of hunters old that prowled the streets to slay beasts in pursuit of eldritch and forbidden knowledge. These hunters once sought this knowledge at far greater lengths than what most nowadays would go to the lengths to obtain, and thus many went mad with unspeakable insight. The Order of the First Hunters seeks to reclaim the knowledge that those who started at their order once had, even to the detriment of their sanity.

Forbidden Knowledge and Insight

Modern Blood Hunters have cast away knowledge over time of both elder beings far beyond the reaches of the realm of understanding, and monstrosities always lingering in the dark. Those that follow the first Hunters practices retain a larger array of that lost knowledge. Starting a 3rd level, your Hunter's Bane increases to allow for Beast, Monstrosity, and Aberration Creature types.

Old Hunter Tools

Going through the old teaching of the first Hunters, you come to find simple yet effective tools used to keep their prey always on their toes. Starting at 3rd level, you gain a number of points equal to twice your proficiency bonus called Hunter Points. At the end of a long rest, you can spend your Hunter Points to create various Hunter Tools you keep attached at your waist. Some of your tools require your target to make a saving throw to resist the tool's effects, which uses your Hemocraft Save DC. Other tools require a dice represented by your Hemocraft die.

• Pebble. As an action, you can throw a pebble at a creature within range. The pebble has the thrown (20/60 ft.) and finesse properties, and deals your Hemocraft die + your Hemocraft modifier of bludgeoning damage on a hit. If the target creature is currently flying or climbing and is Large or smaller, it must make a Strength saving throw or be knocked prone. At level 7, your pebble is considered magical for the purposes of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. (1 Hunter Point)
• Molotov Cocktail. As an action, you can throw a prepared flammable bottle at a location you can see within 30 feet. Any creature within 10 feet of where it lands must make a Dexterity saving throw. A target takes your Hemocraft die + Hemocraft modifier in fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. This tool's damage increases by one Hemocraft die when you reach 5th level (2 Hemocraft Die), 11th level (3 Hemocraft Die), and 17th level (4 Hemocraft Die). (1 Hunter Point)
• Blood Vial. As an action you inject yourself or another creature within 5 ft of you with a small vial of blood, regaining your Hemocraft die + your proficiency bonus hit points when you consume this potion. This vial has no effect on undead or constructs (1 Hunter Point)

Once a Hunter Tool Item has been used it cannot be used again, requiring you to craft more on your next rest or use the other tools at your disposal. Hunter tools are simplistic in design, and as such can be handed off or administered to allies for more versatility. These tools only last for 8 hours, or until the end of your next long rest, causing any extra tools to become unusable.

Forbidden Hunter Tools (Improved Hunter Tools)

Delving deeper into the madness of lost knowledge, you discover rituals and formulas to create darker tools that were almost lost to time... until you recovered them, that is, incorporating them into your day-to-day tools. Starting at 7th level, you gain additional options to spend your Hunter Points on at the end of a long rest.

• Antidote. As an action, a creature with an Antidote downs a small dosage of pills, curing them of one disease or condition. The condition can be blinded, deafened, paralyzed, or poisoned. (1 Hunter Point)
• Bone Marrow Ash. As a bonus action, you sprinkle the ash of beasts over a mundane bundle (20) of arrows, bolts, or ammunition of your choice. For one hour, the chosen bundle contents gain a +1 bonus to their to hit and damage rolls. (1 Hunter Point)
• Vermillion Paper. When creating Vermillion Paper, you choose one of the  Crimson Rites that you know, imbuing your Hemomancy into the material and storing it for later use. As a bonus action, you can smear the Paper across a melee weapon, causing the weapon to ignite with whatever Rite you chose the Paper to have. Using a Vermillion Paper counts as having applied a Rite to your weapon. This weapon effect lasts for 1 minute, or until you use a bonus action to douse the energy. Vermillion Paper deals additional damage equal to your Hemocraft die, and its damage type is associated with whatever rite you imbued into the paper. (1 Hunter Point)
• Beast Blood Pellet. As a bonus action, you can consume a small pellet crafted from the blood of the beasts you have slain, lowering ones defenses but strengthening their blows. When the Pellet is consumed, you gain a -2 reduction to your AC, but deal extra weapon damage equal to a roll of your Hemocraft Die. This effect lasts for one minute or until the user dies. (2 Hunter Points)

Much like your simple Hunter Tools, you can distribute Forbidden Tools to allies, though be warned, their blood is not like yours and may suffer drawbacks from their use. Whenever an ally uses a Forbidden Tool they must first make a constitution saving throw against your Hemocraft Save DC. On a success, the Tool's effects work as normal. On a failure, the user takes your Hemocraft Die + your Hemocraft Modifier in acid damage and becomes poisoned for 1 hour, and usage of the Tool fails. These Tools only last for 8 hours, or until the end of your next long rest, causing any remaining tools to become unusable. Once a Hunter Tool has been used it cannot be used again, requiring you to craft more on your next rest or use your other remaining tools at your disposal.

Brand of the Hunter's Mark

Even when your prey escapes your grasp the mark you leave behind on them links you to their location, leaving no room for escape. Starting at 11th level, whenever you brand a creature you gain an additional 1d4 to skills and checks made to track that creature.

Additionally, you know the exact location of a branded creature so long as they are on the same plane of existence as you.

Hunter's Safehaven

Your knowledge of the old hunters grows every day, leading you to deeper discoveries of rituals and rites thought to have been long gone. At 15th level, you can cast the Demiplane spell once per day, spending 10 minutes to ritually casting the spell. In addition, this version of the spell has the following specifications:

• The demiplane is not an enclosed space; rather, it is an island on an endless, impassable plane, such as an ocean, a sea of fog or a bottomless void.
• The demiplane may extend 100 feet in each dimension and can manifest structures, objects, decorations and weather of your choice. Anything created by the demiplane dissipates into smoke if it is removed from the plane.
• Only you and up to 3 other creatures of your choice can fit into this demiplane at one time.
• A hunter can only have one Safehaven at a time, and creating a new one (decided upon when casting the spell) destroys the old one, leaving any equipment stored in the demiplane lost forever. This demiplane cannot connect to other demiplanes, and does not have the ability to store spells, glyphs, or anything similar inside of it.
• If inside the Demiplane when the spell ends, any creatures inside can use an action to exit the demiplane to where they were before they entered the demiplane, or the nearest unoccupied space if unable to return to their original space.

Blood Curse of the Old Blood

You have read every book, page, scroll, and text within the archives entailed about the First Hunters. Now, you now stand as a new generation of the old and have mastered its techniques. Starting at 18th level, you gain the Blood Curse of the Old Blood for your Blood Maledict feature. This doesn’t count against your number of blood curses known.

Blood Curse of the Old Blood

As a bonus action, you learn to self-rejuvenate from the strikes you make towards your enemies, every blow causing you to regain lost blood. For one minute, whenever you take damage, and until the end of your next turn your strikes steal the life of the enemies to fuel you further. When you damage a creature you can restore hit points up to 1/4 (rounded up) of the damage you dealt. This healing can not exceed the damage you have taken since the end of your last turn.

Amplify. When you damage a creature you can heal an amount of hit points equal to 1/2 (rounded up) of the damage you dealt, but you cannot gain more hit points than the damage you have taken since the end of your last turn.

This feature lasts for 1 minute, and cannot be used again until you complete a short or long rest.