Bloodsworn

Rogue Subclass (Roguish Archetype)

"Death is patient. Death is personal. Death is inevitable." — Tenet of the Bloodsworn

The Bloodsworn are assassins consecrated in secret rites to Bhaal, the Lord of Murder. These rogues are not merely killers — they are devout butchers, reveling in the artistry of bloodshed and honoring the silent whispers of the god who demands a river of red. Their blades are sacred, their silence divine, and every death they deal is an offering.

Through bloodletting and sacrifice, they draw power — not arcane nor divine, but visceral. The Bloodsworn use stealth and cruelty in equal measure, empowered by the blood they spill and those they kill.

Bloodsworn are not inherently evil, but they are bound by a sacred thirst for blood and the ritual of killing. If they go too long without taking a life, they risk incurring Bhaal’s wrath. Divine punishment may come in the form of curses, visions, or creeping madness.

 

Rogue Level	Feature
3rd	Surgical Knifeplay, Crimson Rupture
9th	Backstabber
13th	Veil of Blood
17th	Bloodsworn Execution

Level 3: Surgical Knifeplay

3rd-level Bloodsworn feature

You are unmatched in the skill of killing with daggers — clean, fast, and quiet.

• You gain the weapon mastery feature with daggers if you don’t already have it.

• Your dagger attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 19–20.

Level 3: Crimson Rupture

3rd-level Bloodsworn feature

You can tap into a creature’s lifeblood to weaken and bleed them.

Once per turn, when you hit a creature with a dagger attack, you can cause it to begin Bleeding. A bleeding creature takes damage at the start of its next turn equal to your Dexterity modifier (minimum 1). Bleeding ends early if the creature is healed, receives magical restoration, or uses its action to succeed on a DC (8 + your Dexterity modifier + your Proficiency bonus) Medicine or Constitution check. If not ended early, the bleeding stops automatically after 5 rounds. If this feature is used on an already bleeding target the old effect is replaced by the new one.

While attacking a bleeding creature with a dagger, your attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 18–20.

You can use Crimson Rupture a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, regaining all expended uses after a long rest.

Starting at 9th level, your understanding of anatomy expands to those without blood. You can now use Crimson Rupture against creatures that lack traditional circulatory systems—such as constructs, elementals, and oozes. When you hit such a creature with a dagger attack and expend a use of Crimson Rupture, you rupture essential components like power cores, enchanted matrices, or internal pressure vessels. The creature is considered bleeding for all your subclass features.

Level 9: Backstabber

9th-level Bloodsworn feature

You know exactly where to strike when your enemy's guard is down.

You can Sneak Attack a creature even if you don’t have advantage, as long as you:

• Are within 5 feet of the target, and

• Are directly behind the target (on the opposite side of the next closest ally it can see. If it is unclear which tile it would be the DM can decide before the player moves).

Additionally, when attacking a creature from directly behind with a dagger, your attacks score a critical hit on a roll of 18–20.

Level 13: Veil of Blood

13th-level Bloodsworn feature

You channel the whispered will of Bhaal to walk unseen among the living—your presence fading with each sacred kill.

You can cast invisibility, targeting only yourself, as a ritual. To do so, you must perform a dark invocation:

• You must hold the head or hand of a creature slain within the past 24 hours,

• And aloud recite three of the Bloodsworn Tenets listed below, so that others at the table can hear.

• The ritual takes 1 minute to complete and consumes the hand or head as a material component.

• While invisible through this feature only creatures with Truesight can see you.

Additionally, whenever you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you may choose to become invisible until the end of your next turn. This invisibility ends early if you attack or cast a spell.

The Bloodsworn Tenets

Reciting three aloud during your ritual fulfills the requirements of Veil of Blood. Each tenet reflects your grim devotion. The DM may add to this list at their discretion:

1. "Death is patient. Death is personal. Death is inevitable."

2. "Let no scream echo louder than your silence."

3. "Each drop spilled writes your oath in red."

4. "The sacrifice does not choose — for its fate is already chosen."

5. "What lives must one day bleed."

6. "Do not hesitate; hesitation is mercy, and mercy is weakness."

7. "Blood answers all debts."

8. "The final breath belongs to Bhaal."

9. "Strike unseen, leave no trace but red."

10. "Those who fear the dark have forgotten their place in it."

Level 17: Bloodsworn Execution

17th-level Bloodsworn feature

At the pinnacle of your art, your daggers become a vessels of divine judgment, cutting not only flesh, but spirit. Your strikes leave behind nothing but ruin—of body and soul.

Once per turn, when you hit a creature with a dagger attack that qualifies for your Sneak Attack, you can choose to invoke a Bloodsworn Execution. The target must make a Constitution Saving throw DC (8 + your Dexterity modifier + your Proficiency bonus). On fail they takes an additional [Rogue level * d6] necrotic damage as your blade rends its life force from within. On success they take half damage. The final damage cannot be reduced in any way, and is not doubled on a critical hit.

If this damage reduces the creature to 0 hit points, it is instantly slain and cannot be resurrected by any means short of a wish spell unless their CR was higher than your Rogue level. You may offer the shattered remnants of its soul to Bhaal, who grants you the power to cast Power Word Kill once without expending a spell slot. You must cast the spell on your next action, or the boon is lost. You cannot cast Power Word Kill using this feature unless you have fulfilled this condition.

You can use this feature once per long rest.