The Blood-Cursed Ranger is a ranger cursed by the creatures they hunt. This curse spreads through their descendants, effectively creating a new lineage of rangers. Over time, these rangers learned how to take advantage of the curse. They undergo a ritual to gain control over their affliction and wield it as a weapon before it consumes them; some Blood-Cursed do not survive this ritual and become aberrations. Even after a ranger gains control over the curse, nothing is guaranteed  there is a constant struggle for dominance within the ranger’s soul.

The blood cursed, is a subclass that is played like an uphill battle, if you like constant threats and consequences to your character this is a perfect subclass for that. This subclass is not meant to be overpowered, at times it might seem too unforgiving, and at times really strong, and thats the point. This subclass works well for characters that want to overcome great odds, to overcome things greater than themselves, and to do the best with the bad hand they have been dealt in life.

Level 3: Blood Weapon

The Blood-Cursed Ranger learns a ritual to turn their curse into a combat advantage. Using a bonus action, the ranger performs a ritual with their own blood, gaining the ability to transform one pre-existing weapon (or more, if a technique allows it) or create a weapon made entirely of blood, taking 1d6 necrotic damage to create it. This damage cannot be reduced unless a technique states otherwise.

The weapon remains active until you finish a short or long rest, dismiss it with a free action, or the blood tether connecting it to your veins is severed. You may only have one Blood Weapon active at a time unless a Blood Technique states otherwise. There is no limit to the number of weapons you can create per day.

In addition to its normal damage, this weapon deals an extra 1d4 necrotic or poison damage and is considered magical. The weapon is always connected to the blood in your body by a blood tether extending from your veins. This tether has a range of 60 feet. Within this distance, you may retract the weapon back to yourself as a free action. Beyond 60 feet, the tether dissolves and the weapon disintegrates. The tether can also be targeted and cut by an attack.

The number of damage dice increases by one at levels 7 and 11, and the number of d6s taken to create the weapon increases as well. You may also create blood ammunition; to do so, you take damage equal to your proficiency bonus and create 1d4 pieces of ammunition.

Level 3: Blood Magic

Starting at level 3, when you gain this ability, you learn to surpass your limits by using your cursed blood to cast Blood Magic spells. These spells come from sources beyond the normal Ranger spell list. However, this drastic shift in power comes at a cost: you lose the ability to cast spells from the standard Ranger spell list and are limited to using only spells from the Blood Magic spell list.

Additionally, to access and cast these spells, the ranger takes necrotic damage, which also affects the difficulty of their concentration checks, increasing based on the level of the spell cast.

Spell Level	Damage taken	Concentration Check DC modifier by spell level
1-2	1d6	+1/+2
3	2d6	+3
4	3d6	+4
5	4d6	+5

Blood Magic Spell List: 

cantrip	Shape Water
3rd	longstrider ;Hunters mark; Blood Missile (Magic Missile); Ensnaring Strike
5th	Crown of Madness; Enhance ability; Blindness/Deafness
9th	Haste; Bestow Curse; Tidal wave
13th	Blood Sphere (Watery Sphere); Summon Elemental; Enervation
17th	Dominate Beast

Level 3: Blood Tecniques

Starting at level 3, the ranger learns to use their curse to their advantage and begins specializing in controlling both their own blood and the blood of others. At level 3, the Blood-Cursed Ranger gains two Blood Techniques. They learn an additional technique at levels 5, 7, 9, 11, 14, 17, and 20. A Blood Technique may be replaced whenever you gain a level.

Some techniques have a limit to how safely they can be used. These are known as Active Techniques, while Passive Techniques can be used indefinitely.

If you use Active Blood Techniques more times than your proficiency bonus allows, you must make a Wisdom Saving Throw (DC equal to your Spell Save DC) or transform into an aberration that seeks to attack and consume the life force of all nearby creatures. This transformation lasts for 1d4 turns, or ends early if you are reduced to 0 hit points. When you regain control of yourself, you gain one level of exhaustion.

Each time you successfully resist becoming an aberration in a single day, the DC increases by 1. The DC resets to normal after a Long Rest. Using these techniques requires the target to have blood.

You may only use one Active Blood Technique per turn.

Active Techniques

Consume Blood

During your turn, immediately after you deal damage to a creature using your Blood Weapon, you can use a bonus action to regain hit points equal to the damage dealt, up to a maximum of twice your Ranger level + your proficiency bonus.
Using this ability requires the target to have blood.

Blood Tracking

Physically touching one drop or more of a creature’s blood allows you to discern its exact location for 1 hour. You remain constantly aware of the creature’s location as long as it is on the same plane of existence as you.

If the creature is on another plane, you only know which plane it is on unless you travel there yourself. You do not perceive the creature’s surroundings, only its exact position in space.

Blood Bind

(Prerequisite: 7th level)

As an action, a creature must make a Wisdom saving throw against your Spell Save DC. On a failed save, whenever that creature deals damage to you, it takes half of the damage it inflicted, including the same damage type.

This effect lasts for 1 minute. The creature may repeat the saving throw at the start of each of its turns.

Curse-Mind

(Prerequisite: 5th level)

As a reaction, you may curse a target, causing it to suffer a −1d4 penalty to the next saving throw associated with one of your abilities or spells. This penalty may be applied to any saving throw related to that ability or spell, not just the first one.

This technique must be declared before the saving throw is rolled.

Poison Blood

(Prerequisite: Amplified Blood Weapon)

Using a bonus action, you may attempt to inflict the Poisoned condition on a creature that is Blood Mixed (see below). The creature must make a Constitution saving throw against your Spell Save DC.

Using this ability requires the target to have blood.

Bloodied Retaliation

(Prerequisite: 7th level)

If you take slashing, piercing, or bludgeoning damage from a melee attack made by a creature within 5 feet of you, you may use your reaction to immediately make one melee attack against a creature within 5 feet of you.

Passive Techniques

Blood Filled

You gain the Tough feat.

Half-Dead

While below half of your maximum hit points, you gain a +2 bonus to Constitution and Dexterity saving throws.

Double Transfusion

You may have two Blood Weapons active at the same time.

Blood Sense

For the duration, you can sense the presence and location of spilled blood within 60 feet of you. You can determine whether the blood belongs to a freshly wounded creature and identify the type of creature it came from.

This sense can penetrate most barriers, but it is blocked by 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt.

Greater Shape Blood

When using your Shape Blood cantrip, you can now manipulate up to a 10-foot cube of blood and move it up to 30 feet. Solidified blood created through this cantrip no longer returns to a liquid state after one hour.

Additionally, you may gather a 5-foot cube of blood and launch it as a single Magic Missile projectile.

Level 7: Amplified Blood Weapon

Starting at level 7, you can mix your blood with that of your target whenever you hit a creature with your Blood Weapon. When you hit with this attack, the target gains the Blood Mixed condition until the end of your next turn.

A creature affected by the Blood Mixed condition cannot regain hit points.

Using this ability requires the target to have blood.

Level 11: Blood Prison

Starting at level 11, you summon the blood of those who suffered tragic deaths to fuel a curse. You create a 60-foot spherical area of magical difficult terrain centered on yourself. Only creatures chosen by the caster are affected by this ability’s conditions.

If a creature wishes to forcibly enter or leave the area, it must use an action to make a Strength check against your Spell Save DC in order to pass through the boundary.

The ability lasts for 1 minute and requires concentration. If cast within an enclosed space smaller than 60 feet, the blood-filled area takes the shape of the surrounding space instead of forming a sphere, sealing all exits. If cast in the air, the blood remains suspended, allowing creatures to stand within the area.

Creatures chosen by the caster that attempt to use teleportation or interplanar travel must first succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against your Spell Save DC.

When the sphere is created, creatures within the area that are chosen by the caster must make a Strength saving throw or become Restrained.

Level 15: Danse Macabre

 

Starting at level 15, the first time you are reduced to 0 hit points, you may choose to let the curse take control of your body. However, your mastery over the curse allows you to retain your mind and maintain control.

Roll 1d4; the number rolled determines how many turns this ability remains active. During this time, you transform into an aberration, gaining advantage on all attack rolls, a flying speed of 30 feet, and immunity to all damage. While in this form, you do not need to make death saving throws.

When the effect ends, you fall unconscious and gain one level of exhaustion.