Order of the Atavist

While all blood hunters use their lifeblood to fuel rites and curses, the Order of the Atavist has made the practice into an art. Atavist blood hunters coax every drop of vitality from their blood and channel it towards slaying their foes. While this burns through their lifeforce at a terrifyingly fast rate, an atavist blood hunter only becomes stronger as their life wanes — and as the blood hunter races towards the edge of death, their foes are pulled along as well.

Blood for Blood

When you choose this order at 3rd level, you can spill your own blood to drain that of your foes. When you deal damage with a weapon that bears your crimson rite, you can choose to roll your hemocraft die one more time, losing half that number of hit points (rounded down), and adding that number as extra damage dealt.

Starting at 11th level, you can roll two dice instead of one when you use this feature.

Additionally, when you deal damage to a creature, you learn if its current hit points are greater than, less than, or equal to your own.

 

Wounded Nature

Unstopping Heart. Once per turn, when losing hit points due to a blood hunter feature would reduce you to 0 hitpoints, you can choose to be instead reduced to 1. In addition, you are proficient in death saving throws.

Choose one of the following features, which remain active as long as you are below your maximum hit points:

• Alacrity. You hover in and out of a foe’s reach, stepping between it as easily as a flick of a blade. Choose either the Disengage or Dash action. You can take this action as a bonus action. You choose the action when you gain this feature.

• Beating Reflexes. Your agility and bulk are unparalleled. Whenever you make a Strength or Dexterity ability check or saving throw, you can roll your hemocraft die, lose hit points equal to half the result (rounded down), and add the result to the roll. You make this choice after you see the roll, but before the DM says whether the check or saving throw succeeds.

• Control. You finely manipulate your blood. Whenever you make an attack roll or a Constitution saving throw, you can roll your hemocraft die, lose hit points equal to half the result (rounded down), and add the result to the roll. You make this choice after you see the roll, but before the DM says whether the roll succeeds or fails.

In addition, choose one of the following features. When you fall below half your hit-point maximum (rounded up), your chosen feature activates for you, remaining active as long as you are under that threshold:

• Serrated Strike. Your blade’s edge coats and sharpens in spilled blood. When you roll the maximum number on a damage die or hemocraft die, you can add an additional 1d8 to the result for the next 3 hits with that weapon. The amount of damage, and hits you deal increases as you reach higher levels: it becomes 2d8 at level 6 (4 hits), 3d8 at 10th (5 hits), and 4d8 at 18th (6 hits).

• Thickening Humors. Once on your turn, you can activate a crimson rite, amplify a blood curse, or use your Blood for Blood feature without losing hit points.

• Unceasing Flow. Your blood runs like water. When you lose hit points due to your Blood for Blood feature, you can double the result. You lose hit points equal to half the result (rounded down) and apply double the result.

Draining Rite

 

• When you kill a creature with a weapon empowered by your crimson rite feature, you can roll two of its Hit Dice + its Constitution modifier, gaining hit points equal to double the result.

• When an attack hits you, you fail a saving throw, or you fail an ability check that requires an attack or an action, you can make a weapon attack against any creature within range as a reaction.

 

Brand of Siphoning

Beginning at 11th level, your brand leeches vitality from your enemies. Once on your turn when you deal damage to a branded creature whilst beneath half your hit point maximum, you can store a death saving throw success. Whenever you make a death saving throw and fail, you can expend a stored success to pass the saving throw. You can store a maximum of 3 death saving throw successes.

Additionally, when you fall to 0 hit points, you do not fall unconscious until you gain a second death save failure.

Bleeding Wounds

At 15th level, you can keep a creature in a damaged state, forcing wounds to open and blood to flow. You gain the Blood Curse of the Wounded for your Blood Maledict feature. This does not count against your number of blood curses known.

Call Godslayer

Beginning at 18th level, you are capable of creating a blood weapon that rivals the most powerful weapons in the multiverse. As a bonus action, you can choose one weapon you are currently wielding, that is empowered by your crimson rite feature. Roll your hemocraft die 10 times, lose hit points equal to half the amount rolled (rounded down), and add the result to damage dealt with the chosen weapon for three hits. After three hits, this effect fades.

Once you use this feature, you can’t use it again until you finish a long rest.