Way of the Vein

Monks of the Crimson Vein have learned to weaponize their own life force. They channel the vitality coursing through their veins into martial power, transforming blood into both offense and defense. Every heartbeat fuels precision strikes, uncanny agility, and subtle hemomantic techniques that can overwhelm or evade foes.

Upon taking this path at 3rd level, you gain the Vital Reservoir, a personal pool of life energy you can spend to empower your unarmed strikes, activate hemomantic techniques, or substitute for Ki in select abilities. Your mastery of blood allows you to infuse attacks with necrotic force, create illusions of yourself, lash out with whip-like tendrils of blood, and leap or vanish with unnatural agility.

As you progress, you learn to fortify your body with blood-hardened resilience, reducing incoming damage and gaining temporary durability. By 11th level, you can teleport short distances through shadows and blood mist, striking unpredictably or vanishing from sight. At 17th level, your mastery reaches its pinnacle: Crimson Ascendance merges your offensive and defensive techniques, granting increased damage, temporary resilience, and the ability to survive even when struck down.

Your path is not without risk. To wield these powers, you must sacrifice vitality and carefully manage your Vital Reservoir. Yet in doing so, you become a striking embodiment of danger and control, capable of manipulating your own blood to bend the battlefield to your will.

Monks of the Crimson Vein excel in both combat and subtle manipulation. Their movements are precise, their strikes devastating, and their presence commanding. Few who face them can endure the crimson dance of flesh, blood, and willpower that defines this unique hemomantic discipline.

Key Features:

• Vital Reservoir: Spend points to fuel hemomantic techniques.

• Blood Fist, Hemorrhage Burst, Crimson Mirage, Sanguine Lash, Hemorrhagic Leap, Crimson Focus: A suite of blood-based martial techniques.

• Sanguine Fortification: Harden your body to resist harm.

• Crimson Step: Teleport through shadows and blood mist.

• Crimson Ascendance: Ultimate fusion of offense, defense, and survival at 17th level.

Level 3: Vital Reservoir

You gain a Vital Reservoir equal to half your Monk level (rounded up) + your Constitution modifier.
You can restore Vital Reservoir points by:

• Sacrificing 5 HP (Reaction or Bonus Action) → 1 Vital in Reservoir

• Spend 1 Ki Point → 2 Vital (Bonus action)

• Spend 4 Vital → 1 Ki Point (Bonus action)

You can spend Vital Reservoir on subclass abilities and techniques. All points are restored after a 

Level 3: Blood fist

Bonus Action  Cost: 1 Vital Reservoir or 1 Ki Point

You harden the blood in your arm into a crimson gauntlet.
Your next unarmed strike before the end of this turn deals an extra Martial Arts die of force or necrotic damage (your choice).

This bonus lasts until the end of your current turn.
The damage increases to 2d8 at 11th level and 3d8 at 17th level.
You can use this feature only once per turn.

On a hit, the target must succeed on a Strength save (DC = Monk save DC) or be pushed 10 ft away.
If you score a critical hit (19-20 accepted) while Blood Fist is active, regain 1 Vital Reservoir.

Level 3: Hemorrhage Burst

Action  Cost: 2 Vital Reservoir or 1 Ki Point

You release a concussive pulse of blood magic. Each creature of your choice within 10 ft must make a Constitution save.
On a failure: take 2d8 necrotic damage and are pushed 5 ft away.
On a success: half damage, not pushed.
For each creature that takes full damage, you gain 1 temporary HP.

Scale
Level 11 → 3d8     Level 17 → 4d8

Level 3: Crimson Mirage

Bonus Action
Cost: 2 Vital Reservoir or 1 Ki Point

Create a flickering afterimage of yourself from blood mist.
• Until the start of your next turn, attacks against you have disadvantage.
• If an attacker hits with a melee attack, the illusion bursts, dealing 1d6 necrotic damage.

Scale
Level 6 → 2d6     Level 11 → 3d6      Level 17 → 4d6

Level 3: Sanguine Lash

Action
Cost: 2 Vital Reservoir

Extend a whip-like tendril of blood up to 20ft. Make a ranged melee attack (Dex or Con)
On hit: 1d6 slashing damage and pull target 15ft closer 
OR you can choose to grapple (Athletics against Monk DC) the target and deal 2d6 slashing damage 

Scale
Level 11 → 2d6 for pulling and 3d6 for grapple     Level 17 → 3d6 for pulling and 4d6 for grapple

Hemorrahgic Leap

Movement / Bonus Action 
Cost: 1 Vital Reservoir

Flood your legs with blood pressure and leap up to half your movement speed in any direction.
 You avoid opportunity attacks.
 If you land adjacent to a creature. Make one unarmed strike as part of the same action.

Crimson Focus

Bonus Action
Cost 1 Vital Reservoir

Enter a predatory trance where you gain advantage on your next attack roll or Dexterity (Stealth) check
If you deal damage while focused, you regain the vital spent for this bonus action.

Level 6: Sanguine Fortification

Bonus Action - Concentration
Cost 2 vital OR Ki point

Activate blood-hearded fortification for 1 minute
Gain resistance to bludgeoning, necrotic, piercing and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks.
For each first attack, each turn, the damage you take is reduced by 1d4 + Con modifier per attack
You must make a concentration saving throw for each attack.

When the effect ends, take 1d8 necrotic damage per round it was active.

 

Crimson Stepping

Bonus Action
Cost 2 Vital or 1 Ki point

The teleportation range is 30ft by 30ft square. The middle point will be where the character entered the pool.

You can enter blood pools as if they were a pocket dimension.
While in the pool, you are untargetable. You cannot take any actions or bonus actions.

To leave this pool, you must use 10 feet of movement. Roll 2d6 to decide where you come out of. One die to determine each the height and the length of the 30ft by 30ft teleportation square. You have your full turn available once you exit the pool. You come out of the ground, where another pool of blood resides.

If you end your turn in the pool, you absorb the blood and heal yourself 3d6.
If you choose to end a second round in this pool, heal yourself for 2d4 and roll a D20 on the blood echo table.

Level 17: Crimson Ascendance

When you activate Sanguine Fortification, you may merge it with Crimson Chanelling

Unarmed strikes deal extra necrotic damage based on your Constitution modifier.
You gain temporary hit points, equal to your Monk level, after the first hit you receive on each turn.
You may spend 1 Vital as a Reaction to reduce any damage taken by 1d10 + Con modifier.

Once per long rest, when you're reduced to 0HP, you drop instead to 1HP and regain Vitals equivalent to your Con modifier + half your Monk Level

As passive
Once per turn, if your vital reservoir is greater than 2, you may move without provoking opportunity attacks.
If your vital reservoir is greater than 2, you may increase your Dexterity and Strength saves by 1