Roguish Archetype: Bloodbound

There are whispers of those who walk the knife’s edge between predator and prey—not vampires, yet undeniably touched by the same dark forces. They are the Bloodbound.

No one chooses the Bloodcurse. It is a brand left behind by rituals interrupted, vampiric bites that never completed their transformation, or cursed relics that sank too deep into the soul. Those afflicted do not die, but they do not remain whole either. They are forever changed—haunted by hunger, stalked by shadows, and driven by an instinct they dare not trust.

The Bloodbound learn to twist this curse to their advantage, drawing power from their own blood and that of their victims. Each cut is a spell, each heartbeat a whisper of magic. But every use of the curse feeds the darkness within. To walk this path is to sacrifice certainty for survival, identity for influence.

Some hide their affliction behind veils and masks. Others embrace the legend, letting villages fear them as monsters. Whether thief, assassin, or reluctant champion, a Bloodbound walks alone—torn between their humanity and the predator clawing behind their eyes.

Curse of the Bloodbound

You are afflicted by a vampiric curse—a lingering infection of dark magic that changes your physiology. You gain the following features:

Sanguine Edge. When you deal Sneak Attack damage, you can draw on your curse to inflict bleeding. The target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw (DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier) or take 1d4 necrotic damage at the start of each of its turns for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on a success. This effect doesn’t stack with itself.

Crimson Tithe. When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you regain hit points equal to your Intelligence modifier + half your rogue level (rounded down). You may only benefit from this once per turn.

Blood Curse Sense. You gain darkvision out to 60 feet. If you already have darkvision, its range increases by 30 feet. Additionally, you can sense the presence of any creature with blood within 10 feet of you, even if you can’t see them.

Ravaging Hunger

The curse claws at your will when you are wounded or desperate, demanding release.

Blood Frenzy. While you are below half your maximum hit points, your movement speed increases by 10 feet. Once per turn, you can reroll one Sneak Attack damage die.

Hemovision. You can see through magical darkness, and you gain advantage on Perception checks made to locate creatures that are bleeding or below half their maximum hit points.

Blood Charges. When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you can extract its essence and store it as a Blood Charge. You can hold a number of Blood Charges equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum 1). You may expend these charges to activate special features gained at higher levels. Blood Charges last until your next long rest.

Curse Surge

You can now call upon the curse’s power more directly—though each use strains your soul.

Blood Mirage. As a bonus action, you may spend 1 Blood Charge to become semi-corporeal for 1 minute. While active:

• Opportunity attacks against you are made with disadvantage.
• You can move through hostile creatures’ spaces (but not walls or objects) as difficult terrain.
• Once per turn, if you miss a melee weapon attack, you can instead deal half your Sneak Attack damage as necrotic damage.

Sin-Eater. When a creature dies within 30 feet of you, you may use your reaction to consume its fading essence. You regain 1 Blood Charge and one expended use of a subclass feature.

Avatar of the Curse

You are no longer just cursed—you are its master, and its vessel.

Bloodbound Ascension. As a bonus action, you may unleash the full strength of your curse for 1 minute. This can be done once per long rest. While active:

• You gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical weapons.
• Your Sneak Attack can trigger once per turn, not just once per round.
• When you deal Sneak Attack damage, you may spend 1 Blood Charge to teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see and make another melee weapon attack as part of the same action.

Blood for Power. You can expend Hit Dice as a reaction to gain temporary Blood Charges (1 per Hit Die spent). These temporary charges last for 1 minute.