It is unknown how Bloodmages obtained their powers. Some theorise they were the failed result of trying to infuse a being with a vampire's power without being undead and some say a mage in ancient times became corrupted by a dark power that is passed on to future generations. Others say, as they often do, it was just a magic ritual. All that is known for certain is that a very few individuals are born with a bloodstained soul. This grants them sorcerous powers to control and manipulate blood and even the weave of magic.

Bloodmages, also known as Haemomancers, are usually feared for their gifts. After all, how does one trust such a mage knowing that their best weapon against you is inside your veins? Sometimes they are even mistaken for vampires or believed to be the cause of vampirism. Indeed many such mages fall to the temptation of dark deeds to obtain more blood and more power or willingly become vampires for vampirism and blood magic do go hand in hand. However, not all bloodmages are evil and some use their gifts to heal and aid others.

You are such a being; born with a soul stained by blood. How will you use your gifts? Will you drain the populace dry to feed your magic or use your own life's blood to heal them?

Blood Magic

Your blood magic allows you to infuse your innate magic into the blood of creatures to control that blood - moving, shaping and changing it as you see fit. Only creatures that have a natural bloodflow have blood you can use. In this Sorcererous Origin such a creature will be called a 'living creature' but will specifically refer to a creature that is alive, has blood and is not undead, a construct, an ooze, an elemental, or a plant. You will be able to sense if any creature you can see has such blood and is therefore susceptible to your blood magic.

Hit Dice

Your blood magic is fuelled by hit dice, be it your own or another creature's. When a feature requires you to expend a hit die you may expend one of your own hit die or any other hit die you have gained from another source. Hit dice you have gained that is not your own are called additional hit dice. The maximum number of additional hit dice you can have at any time is equal to your Sorcerer level. When not in use these additional hit dice - representing blood you are controlling - may be shown as blood swirling around you or stored in vials or as stones of solid blood. You lose any additional hit dice when you complete a long rest.

Blood Shield

When you are targeted for an attack you can see you may use your reaction and expend one hit die to create a shield of blood to protect you. Roll the expended hit die. The shield has hit points (HP) equal to what you rolled on the expended hit die plus your Charisma modifier. The shield has an Armor Class (AC) equal to 10 + your Charisma modifier. The attack, and any other attacks that target you while the Blood Shield is active, will be redirected against the Blood Shield. The Blood Shield is destroyed and disappears when it is reduced to 0 HP - excess damage is not transferred over to you. The Blood Shield lasts until it is destroyed, you dismiss it as a bonus action, or until 1 minute has passed. Attacks that fail to hit the Blood Shield also fail to hit you. The Blood Shield is immune to psychic damage and has resistance to nonmagical bludgeoning, piercing and slashing damage but is vulnerable to necrotic damage.

You may also create the Blood Shield as an action in the same way. You can only have one Blood Shield active at any time. Once the Blood Shield has ended, by being destroyed, dismissed or because the duration expired, you cannot create another one for one minute.

Any spell or effect that can increase the AC of a creature or a shield can be applied to the Blood Shield (such as Shield of Faith spell for example). Any bonuses or protections applied to you directly does not confer to the Blood Shield.

Blood Drain

You siphon blood from a living creature. As an action you can target a living creature you can see within 60 ft of you. That creature must succeed on a Constitution saving throw against your Spell Save DC or lose one of its hit die and you gain an additional hit die of the same type. If the creature has more than one type of hit die it loses the largest type (e.g. if the creature had both a d8 and a d10 it would lose the d10 and you gain a d10). When a creature loses a hit die from this effect roll that hit die - it takes necrotic damage equal to the amount rolled, this damage bypasses Necrotic resistance. Creatures that are resistant to Necrotic damage have advantage on the saving throw and creatures immune to Necrotic damage succeed automatically. Whether the creature succeeds or fails the saving throw it is immune to this feature until the end of your next turn.

Flow of Vitality

Upon becoming 6th level you have learned to use your blood magic to heal. As an action you can touch one living creature and expend one hit die. Roll the expended hit die; the target heals Hit Points equal to the amount rolled plus the target's Constitution modifier.

Bloody Needles

On reaching 6th level you have learned to use the blood as a weapon. As an action you can expend one hit die and roll it. You create an amount of blood needles equal to the amount rolled. The needles are thin, sharp and about 1 foot in length and are made of blood turned solid. You may target any number of creatures or objects you can see within 120 feet of you. For each target choose the number of needles you will use against that target then make a ranged spell attack. On a hit you deal magical piercing damage to the target equal to double the number of needles you chose for that target. At the end of your turn the needles liquify then evaporate into a bloody mist then disappears.

Blood Surge

After reaching 14th level you have learned to use the blood to assist you in many ways. When you make an attack, ability check or saving throw you can expend one hit die and roll it. You add half the rolled value, rounded up, to that roll.

Enhanced Blood

On reaching 14th level your power of the blood has enhanced the potency of your own blood and vitality. Your hit dice granted by your Sorcerer class now become d10s. This change does not affect your maximum hit points of the previous 13 class levels but will apply to this 14th level and any future levels in this class. In addition your maximum hit points are increased by 26. Whenever you roll hit dice to regain hit points on a short rest you treat the hit dice as having rolled their maximum value.

Also, when you use your Blood Shield feature you can expend two hit dice instead of one when creating it.

(Note: if you are using Fixed HP in the character builder your future HP will be using the wrong average. It is recommended you switch to manual HP. Unfortunately, there is no way to change the hit dice reflected on the character sheet, so please make a note to use d10s instead of d8s.)

Feast of Blood

When you reach 18th level your ability to drain the blood of your enemies has increased significantly. You can use an action to use your Blood Drain feature on all living creatures of your choice that you can see within 90 feet of you. Once you have used this feature you cannot do so again until you complete a long rest.

Power From Blood

After becoming 18th level you have learned to turn the blood into raw sorcerous power. As an action you can expend one hit die and gain a number of Sorcery Points equal to the amount rolled. This cannot take you above the maximum amount of Sorcery Points you can have (see the Sorcerer class table). Once you have used this feature you cannot do so again until you have completed a short or long rest.