Path of the Crimson Ink

Barbarians who have decided to go down the Path of the Crimson Ink have stepped into a long tradition that mixes art, battle, and blood magic. This tradition began with the goliaths, but the techniques have been spread far and wide.

Barbarians of the Crimson Ink learn to use a tattooer's kit to enchant their own bodies, giving them magical abilities related to the tattoos they give themselves. At the same time, they learn some basic hemomancy, enhancing their own blood to heal themselves and to empower their attacks. The tattoos they give themselves can take any form or image. Some barbarians cover their entire bodies, some keep the tattoos to their limbs. Some depict the enemies they defeated, some create much more abstract designs; the choice is up to the user.

Bloodied Frenzy

Starting at 3rd level, you deal more damage the more damage you’ve taken.

When you are at half of your maximum health or less, the damage bonus from your rage increases by 1. Temporary hit points do not affect this (ex: if you have 30 maximum health, 14 current health, and 5 temporary hit points, you do gain the increase.)

Primal Tattoos

Starting at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with the tattooer’s kit. Additionally, you learn two tattoos from the list of Crimson Ink Tattoos and put them somewhere on your body. The DC for the saving throw of any of the tattoos equals 8 + your Constitution modifier + your proficiency bonus.

Crimson Ink Tattoos

This is the list of Crimson Tattoos which you can choose from whenever another subclass feature tells you to.

Bugbear's Arms

While you have this tattoo on your person, you have a natural reach of 10ft, instead of the 5ft which is normal for a medium or small creature.

Eyes of the Devil

While you have this tattoo on your person, you gain darkvision of 120ft and can see through magical or nonmagical darkness.

Ghoulish Bite

When you hit with a melee attack, you can activate this tattoo. The target must make a Constitution saving throw or take 1d8 necrotic damage and be poisoned. It can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself as a success. You can use this ability once per short or long rest.

Manticore's Roar

You can activate this tattoo as an action to lead out an earth-shattering roar. Every creature within 20ft of you that can hear you must make a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn.

Stoneskin Basilisk

You can activate this tattoo as a bonus action to gain temporary hit points equal to 1d12 + your level in this class. You can only use this ability once per short or long rest.

Vampire's Thirst

Whenever you hit with a melee attack, you can activate this tattoo. That attack's damage becomes necrotic, and you are healed for half of the damage you deal. You can only activate this ability once per short or long rest.

Wyvern's Dash

You can activate this tattoo as a bonus action to gain the benefits of the Dash and Disengage actions. You can only use this ability once per short or long rest.

Bloodhound

 Starting at 6th level, your smell for blood has grown to an incredible level.

You have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track creatures. Additionally, you can taste blood and tell what creature type it came from (humanoid, orc, fiend, monstrosity, etc.) If you have fought the creature the blood came from within the last 24 hours, you can also recognize it as that specific monster.

Additionally, you learn another Crimson Ink Tattoo.

Supernatural Recovery

Starting at 6th level, whenever you roll a 6 or lower when rolling hit dice, you treat it as if you’d rolled a 6.

Share the Pain

Starting at 10th level, you have the ability to curse the blood of those who attack you.

When you are hit with an attack or spell by a creature within 30ft of you, as a reaction you can cause that creature to take half of the damage they just dealt to you as necrotic damage (rounded up). If they succeed on a saving throw with a DC equal to that of your Crimson Ink Tattoos, they only take one quarter of the damage they dealt (rounded up).

You can use this ability once, and you regain all uses of it on a short or long rest.

Additionally, you learn another Crimson Ink Tattoo.

Crimson Rager

Starting at 14th level, your bloodied frenzy grows even stronger.

The damage bonus given by your Bloodied Frenzy feature increases to 2 instead of 1.

Additionally, if you have had 0 hit points within the last minute, you can attack an additional time whenever you take the attack action.

Additionally, you learn another Crimson Ink Tattoo.