Order of the Witness

The Order of the Witness teaches that blood both sustains life and carries memory of its worst moments. Moreover, the order recognises that blood need not be spilled (as in the graceless displays that typify other orders) for its power to be tapped. Witnesses actively seek out and study suffering in all of its many forms, seeking insights regarding its nature, and learning how to lessen it for those around them by channelling it into themselves. They selectively bear others’ agonies on their behalf before redirecting them onto those whom they judge to be more deserving.

Anguished Blood

Starting at 3rd level, your blood magic is channelled through psychological, rather than physical, sacrifice. When you take damage as a result of rolling hemocraft dice, the damage you take is psychic instead of necrotic. Damage you take as a result of rolling hemocraft dice cannot be reduced or prevented in any way.

Level 3: Rite of Attestation

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

• When you deal damage to a creature using the weapon on which the rite is active, you may give it a glimpse of the suffering you have borne witness to, temporarily distracting it. You may roll your hemocraft die and take psychic damage equal to the result. If you do so, the creature suffers a penalty to the next saving throw it makes before the end of your next turn equal to the psychic damage you take. You may use this feature only once per creature per turn.

• You are able to reactively tune into and bear others’ burdens. When a creature with blood within 30 feet of you is forced to make an INT, WIS, or CHA saving throw, you may use your reaction to make it instead of that creature, except for you it is a saving throw using your Hemocraft ability score. If you fail, you and the creature both experience the normal result of a failure. If you succeed, you take psychic damage equal to one roll of your hemocraft die and experience no further effects (even if a creature succeeding on the saving throw normally would).

Level 3: Bear Agony

Starting at 3rd level, you are able to heal others at the expense of your own health. As a bonus action, you may roll your hemocraft die a number of times up to your Hemocraft Modifier. If you do so, you take psychic damage equal to the total of all the rolls. Other creatures with blood that you choose within 30 feet of you regain hit points equal to the damage you take this way. The maximum number of creatures that can regain hit points via a use of this feature is equal to half your Hemocraft Modifier, rounded up.

Pain Redistribution

Starting at 7th level, you learn to reflect suffering that occurs around you by channelling it through your own mind. Whenever a creature with blood within 60 feet of you takes damage, you may use your reaction to roll your hemocraft die and take psychic damage equal to the result. A number of other creatures (i.e. not you or the original creature) up to your Hemocraft Modifier that you choose within 60 feet of you take psychic damage equal to the damage you take, plus your Hemocraft Modifier.

Alternatively, when a creature with blood within 60 feet of you becomes blinded, deafened, frightened, or poisoned, you may use your reaction to roll your hemocraft die twice, and take psychic damage equal to the total. A number of other creatures (i.e. not you or the original creature) up to your Hemocraft Modifier that you choose within 60 feet of you gain the triggering condition until the end of your next turn.

Brand of Transference

Starting at 11th level, your Brand of Castigation allows you to bolster yourself using a creature’s suffering. Whenever you hit a branded creature with a weapon on which you have an active crimson rite, you may choose to gain temporary hit points equal to the damage dealt. You may use this feature a number of times equal to your Hemocraft Modifier, and regain all uses at the end of a short or long rest.

Level 11: Wretched Psychometry

Starting at 11th level, recalling or learning the sinister or tragic history of a place or object makes you more resilient. Whenever you experience visions as a result of your Grim Psychometry feature, you may roll your hemocraft die and take psychic damage equal to the result. If you do so, you gain heroic inspiration, as well as a bonus on your next INT, WIS, Or CHA saving throw equal to the damage you took.

Level 15: Blood Curse of Breaking

At 15th level you learn to impose disabling levels of suffering on your enemies. You gain the Blood Curse of Breaking detailed below) for your Blood Maledict feature. This doesn’t count against your number of blood curses known.

Blood Curse of Breaking

As an action, you attempt to open a creature’s mind to a fraction of the suffering of the world. A creature of your choice within 30 feet of you must make a WIS saving throw against your Hemocraft save DC. On a failure, its speed is reduced to 0, it is stunned, and it gains a level of exhaustion. The speed reduction and stunned condition last until the end of your next turn. On a success, the creature’s speed is halved until the end of your next turn.

Amplify. The duration of any speed reduction or stunned condition become 1 minute. At the end of each of your turns, the creature must make a WIS saving throw against your Hemocraft save DC. On a success, the curse ends. On a failure, the curse persists, and the creature suffers a further level of exhaustion.

Once a creature has 5 levels of exhaustion, it cannot gain any further levels from this blood curse. [Include this caveat if treating exhaustion as according to the 2014 rule set].

Level 18: Witness & Executioner

Starting at 18th level, your ability to redistribute pain is significantly amplified. Your first ability under ‘Pain Redistribution’ now deals damage equal to twice the psychic damage you take from rolling your Hemocraft die, plus twice your Hemocraft Modifier. If the damage that triggered this ability included psychic, this increases to three times the psychic damage you take from rolling your Hemocraft die, plus three times your Hemocraft Modifier.
Additionally, the second ability under ‘Pain Redistribution’ now also works for the incapacitated, paralyzed, petrified, and stunned conditions.