Blood Hunter Orders

---

---

Subclass Options

Order of the Ghostslayer

  The Order of the Ghostslayer is the oldest of the orders, having originally rediscovered the secrets of blood magic and refined them for combat against the scourge of undeath. Ghostslayers seek out and study the moment of death, obsessing over the mysteries of the transition and how it can become corrupted by unholy powers to rise once more. Tuning their abilities to annihilate such abominations, these zealous blood hunters seek out the sources of such necromantic energies, intent to destroy them wherever they arise.  

Rite of the Dawn

When you join this order at 3rd level, you learn the Rite of the Dawn esoteric rite.   Rite of the Dawn. Your rite damage is radiant damage.   While the rite is active, you gain the following benefits:   • Your weapon sheds bright light out to a radius of 20 feet. • You have resistance to necrotic damage. • Your weapon deals one additional hemocraft die of rite damage when you hit an undead.  

Curse Specialist

Beginning at 3rd level, your ancient order teaches advanced mastery over blood curses. You gain an additional use of your Blood Maledict feature. In addition, your blood curses can target any creature, whether it has blood or not.  

Ethereal Step

Upon reaching 7th level, at the start of your turn, if you aren’t incapacitated, you can choose to magically step into the veil between the planes. You can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain, as well as see and affect creatures and objects on the Ethereal Plane. You take 1d10 force damage if you end your turn inside an object. If you are inside an object when this feature ends, you are immediately shunted to the nearest unoccupied space that you can occupy and take force damage equal to twice the number of feet you moved. This feature lasts for a number of rounds equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1 round).   You can use this feature once. Beginning at 15th level, you can use your Ethereal Step feature twice between rests. You regain all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest.  

Brand of Sundering

Beginning at 11th level, your Brand of Castigation now exposes a fragment of your foe’s essence, leaving them vulnerable to your Crimson Rite. Whenever you damage a branded creature with your Crimson Rite, your weapon deals one additional hemocraft die of rite damage. In addition, the branded creature can’t move through creatures or objects.  

Blood Curse of the Exorcist

At 15th level, you’ve honed your hemocraft to tear wicked influence from your allies, punishing those who would infiltrate their body and mind. You gain the Blood Curse of the Exorcist for your Blood Maledict feature. This doesn’t count against your number of blood curses known.  

Rite Revival

Upon reaching 18th level, you learn to protect your fading life by absorbing your blood rite. When you are reduced to 0 hit points while you have an active Crimson Rite, but don’t die outright, the rite ends and you drop to 1 hit point instead. If you have rites active on multiple weapons, you choose which one ends.    

Order of the Lycan

  Of the many terrible curses that plague the realm, few are as ancient or as feared as Lycanthropy. Passed through blood, this affliction seeds a host with the savage strength and hunger for violence of a wicked beast. The Order of the Lycan is a proud order of blood hunters who undergo “The Taming,” a ceremonial inflicting of lycanthropy from a senior member. These hunters then use their abilities to harness the power of the monster they harbor without losing themselves to it. Through intense honing of one’s own willpower, combined with the secrets of the order’s blood magic rituals, members learn to control and unleash their hybrid form for short periods of time. Enhanced physical prowess, unnatural resilience, and razor sharp claws make these warriors a terrible foe to any evil that crosses their path. Yet, no training is perfect, and without care and complete focus, even the greatest of blood hunters can temporarily lose themselves to the bloodlust.  

Hybrid Transformation

    Upon choosing this archetype at 3rd level, you begin to learn to control the lycanthropic curse that now lives in your blood. As a bonus action, you can transform into your hybrid form for up to 1 hour. You can speak, use equipment, and wear armor in this form. You can revert to your normal form earlier as a bonus action. You automatically revert to your normal form if you fall unconscious, drop to 0 hit points, or die. This feature replaces the rules for Lycanthropy within the Monster’s Manual.   Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again. While you are transformed, you gain the following features:   Feral Might. You gain a +1 to melee damage rolls. This bonus increases by 1 at 11th level (+2) and 18th level (+3). You also have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.   Resilient Hide. You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks not made with silver weapons. While you are not wearing heavy armor, you gain a +1 bonus to your AC.   Predatory Strikes. You can apply your Crimson Rite feature to your unarmed strikes as single weapon. You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolIs of your unarmed strikes. When you use the Attack action with an unarmed strike, you can make one unarmed strike as a bonus action.   Your unarmed strikes deal 1d6 slashing damage. The damage increases to 1d8 at 11th level.   Bloodlust. If you begin your turn with no more than half of your maximum hit points, you must succeed on a DC 8 Wisdom saving throw or move directly towards the nearest creature to you and use the Attack action against that creature. You can choose whether or not to use your Extra Attack feature for this frenzied attack. If there is more than one possible target, roll to randomly determine the target. You then regain control for the remainder of your turn.   If you are under an effect that prevents you from concentrating (like the barbarian’s Rage feature), you automatically fail this saving throw.  

Stalker's Prowess

At 7th level, your speed increases by 10 feet. You also can add 10 feet to your long jump distance and 3 feet to your high jump distance. In addition, your hybrid form gains the Improved Predatory Strikes feature.   Improved Predatory Strikes. You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls made with your unarmed strikes. This bonus increases by 1 at 11th level (+2) and 18th level (+3). In addition, when you have an active Crimson Rite while in your hybrid form, your unarmed strikes are considered magical for the purpose of overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage.  

Advanced Transformation

Starting at 11th level, you learn to unleash and control more of the beast within. You can use your Hybrid Transformation feature twice, regaining all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest. In addition, your hybrid form gains the Lycan Regeneration feature.   Lycan Regeneration. At the start of each of your turns, before you roll for bloodlust, you regain hit points equal to 1 + your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1) if you have at least 1 hit point and no more than half of your hit points left.  

Brand of the Voracious

At 15th level, you have advantage on your Wisdom saving throws to maintain control of your bloodlust in hybrid form. In addition, your Brand of Castigation now binds your foe to your hunter’s thirst for savagery. While in your hybrid form, your attacks have advantage against a creature branded by you.  

Hybrid Transformation Mastery

At 18th level, you have wrestled your inner predator and mastered it. You can use your Hybrid Transformation feature an unlimited number of times, and your hybrid form can now last indefinitely.   You also gain the Blood Curse of the Howl for your Blood Maledict feature. This does not count against your number of blood curses known.        

Order of the Mutant

The process of the Hunter’s Bane is a painful, scarring, and sometimes fatal experience. Those that survive find themselves irrevocably changed, enhanced. Some found this experience exalting, embracing the ability to alter one’s own physiology through a combination of hemocraft and corrupted alchemy. Over generations of experimentation, a splinter order of blood hunters began to emerge, one that focused on brewing toxic elixirs to modify their capabilities in battle, altering their blood and, over time, become something beyond what they once were. They called themselves the Order of the Mutant. Researching their targets to know their strengths and weaknesses, these blood hunters can alter their biology to be best prepared for the coming conflict.  

Formulas

You begin to uncover forbidden alchemical formulas that temporarily alter your mental and physical abilities.   Beginning at 3rd level, you choose to learn four Mutagen formulas. Your formula options are detailed at the end of this order description. You gain an additional formula at 7th level, 11th level, 15th level, and 18th level.   Additionally, when you gain a new mutagen formula, you can choose one of the formulas you already know and replace it with a new mutagen formula.  

Mutagencraft

At 3rd level, you can concoct a single mutagen when you finish a short or long rest. Starting at 7th level, the number of mutagens you can create when you finish a rest increases to two, and you can create three mutagens at 15th level.   As a bonus action you can consume a single mutagen, and the effects and side effects last until you finish a short or long rest, unless otherwise specified. While one or more mutagens are affecting you, you can use an action to focus and flush the toxins from your system, ending the effects and side effects of all mutagens.   Mutagens are designed for your biology and have no effect on other creatures. They are also unstable by nature, losing their potency over time and becoming inert if not used before you finish your next short or long rest.  

Strange Metabolism

Beginning at 7th level, your body has begun to adapt to toxins and venoms, ignoring their corroding effects. You gain immunity to poison damage and the poisoned condition.   In addition, you can instill a burst of adrenaline to temporarily resist the negative effects of a mutagen. As a bonus action, you can choose to ignore the side effect of a mutagen affecting you for 1 minute.   Once you use this feature to resist side effects, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.  

Brand of Axiom

At 11th level, your hemocraft has altered your Brand of Castigation to enforce a foe’s true nature. Any illusions disguising or making a creature invisible when you brand them end, and they can’t benefit from such illusions while branded. If a creature branded by you is polymorphed or has changed shape, they must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or revert to their true form and be stunned until the end of your next turn. Whenever a branded creature attempts to polymorph or change shape, they must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or the attempt fails, and they are stunned until the end of your next turn.  

Blood Curse of Corrosion

Starting at 15th level, your blood curse can wrack a creature’s body with terrible toxins. You gain the Blood Curse of Corrosion for your Blood Maledict feature. This does not count against your number of blood curses known.  

Exalted Mutation

At 18th level, your body has adapted to produce your toxins naturally in a moment of need. As a bonus action, you can choose one mutagen currently affecting you to flush from your system and end, then immediately have a mutagen you know the formula for take effect in its place.   You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1). You regain all uses of this feature after you finish a long rest.      

Order of the Profane Soul

Those who have taken to the Order of the Profane Soul have seen the limits of hemocraft against some of the most ancient and cruel fiends and terrors of the world. Unable to pursue beings of such power, creatures able to vanish amongst the nobles without a trace, or bend the mind of the most stalwart warrior with but a glance, this order trusted in their resilience and delved into this same well of corrupting arcane knowledge, making pacts with lesser evils to better combat the greater. While they may have traded a part of themselves, members of this order believe the power gained far outweighs the price, for even devils now quake when they know they’ve drawn the attention of the Order of the Profane Soul.  

Otherworldly Patron

When you reach 3rd level, you strike a bargain with an otherworldly being of your choice: the Archfey, the Fiend, or the Great Old One, each detailed in the Player’s Handbook, the Undying within the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide, and the Celestial or Hexblade in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything. Your choice augments some of your order features.  

Pact Magic

When you reach 3rd level, you can augment your combat techniques with the ability to cast spells. See chapter 10 of the Player’s Handbook for the general rules of spellcasting and chapter 11 of the Player’s Handbook for the Warlock spell list.   Cantrips. You learn two cantrips of your choice from the warlock spell list. You learn an additional warlock cantrip of your choice at 10th level.   Spell Slots. The Profane Soul Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have. The table also shows what the level of those slots is; all of your spell slots are the same level. To cast one of your warlock spells of 1st level or higher, you must expend a spell slot. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a short or long rest.   For example, when you are 8th level, you have two 2nd-level spell slots. To cast the 1st-level spell witch bolt, you must spend one of those slots, and you cast it as a 2nd-level spell.   Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher. At 3rd level, you know two 1st-level spells of your choice from the warlock spell list.   The Spells Known column of the Profane Soul table shows when you learn more warlock spells of your choice of 1st level and higher. A spell you choose must be of a level no higher than what’s shown in the table’s Slot Level column for your level. When you reach 11th level, for example, you learn a new warlock spell, which can be 1st, 2nd, or 3rd level.   Additionally, when you gain a level in this class and order, you can choose one of the warlock spells you know and replace it with another spell from the warlock spell list, which also must be of a level for which you have spell slots.   Spellcasting Ability. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for your warlock spells, so you use your Intelligence whenever a spell refers to your spellcasting ability. In addition, you use your Intelligence modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a warlock spell you cast and when making an attack roll with one.   Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier. Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Intelligence modifier.  

Rite Focus

Beginning at 3rd level, your weapon becomes a core to your pact with your chosen dark patron. While you have an active Crimson Rite, you can use your weapon as a spellcasting focus (found in chapter 5 of the Player’s Handbook) for your warlock spells, and you gain a specific benefit based on your chosen pact (outlined below).   The Archfey. When you deal rite damage to a creature, it glows with faint light until the end of your next turn. For the duration, the creature can’t benefit from half cover, three-quarters cover, or being invisible.   The Fiend. When you hit a creature with your Rite of the Flame, if you roll a 1 or 2 on your hemocraft die, you can reroll the die and choose which roll to use.   The Great Old One. When you score a critical hit against a creature while using the weapon, that creature is frightened of you until the end of your next turn.   The Undying. Whenever you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points using a weapon, you regain a number of hit points equal to one roll of your hemocraft die.   The Celestial. You can expend a use of your Blood Maledict feature as a bonus action to heal one creature that you can see within 60 feet of you. They regain a number of hit points equal to one roll of your hemocraft damage die + your Intelligence modifier (minimum of 1).   The Hexblade. Whenever you target a creature with a blood curse, your next attack against the cursed creature deals additional damage equal to your proficiency modifier.  

Mystic Frenzy

Starting at 7th level, when you use your action to cast a cantrip, you can immediately make one weapon attack as a bonus action.  

Revealed Arcana

At 7th level, your dark patron grants you the rare use of a dangerous arcane spell based on your pact.   The Archfey. You can cast blur once using a pact magic spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.   The Fiend. You can cast scorching ray once using a pact magic spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.   The Great Old One. You can cast detect thoughts once using a pact magic spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.   The Undying. You can cast blindness/deafness once using a pact magic spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.   The Celestial. You can cast lesser restoration once using a pact magic spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.   The Hexblade. You can cast branding smite once using a pact magic spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.  

Brand of the Sapping Scar

Upon reaching 11th level, your Brand of Castigation feature now digs dark, arcane scars into your target, leaving them vulnerable to your magic. A creature branded by you has disadvantage on their saving throws against your warlock spells.  

Unsealed Arcana

At 15th level, your patron grants you the rare use of an additional arcane spell based on your pact.   The Archfey. You can cast slow once without expending a spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.   The Fiend. You can cast fireball once without expending a spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.   The Great Old One. You can cast haste once without expending a spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.   The Undying. You can cast bestow curse once without expending a spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.   The Celestial. You can cast revivify once without expending a spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.   The Hexblade. You can cast blink once without expending a spell slot. You can’t do so again until you finish a long rest.        

Order of the Poisoned Blade

  “I don't fear death, nor do I fear life.”

Jubel Dragoneater

Blood Hunters willing turn their blood into a weapon and sacrifice themselves to rites to defeat their foes. The methods they're willing to employ are considered by many as profane and in a way they taint their own blood to acheive increased potential.   The Hunter's Bane changes you into a carrier of a deadly magical poison capable of felling even the sturdiest of creatures.  

Bonus Proficiencies

When you join this order at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with the Stealth skill and the poisoner’s kit.  

Rite of the Fang

When you join this order at 3rd level, you learn the primal rite Rite of the Fang (detailed below). Rite of the Fang. Your rite damage is poison type. While this rite is active, you gain the following benefits: • If you hit a creature that resists poison damage with your Rite of the Fang, your rite damage ignores this resistance. • If you use a dagger with this rite, any creature you hit that is not resistant or immune to poison damage suffers additional poison damage equal to your Intelligence modifier • Upon reaching 11th level, when you hit a creature that is immune to poison damage with your Rite of the Fang, your poison damage ignores this immunity and the damaged is halved as if the creature had resistance instead.  

Poison-Blooded

Beginning at 7th level, you gain immunity to poison damage and the poisoned condition. Additionally, when you activate your Rite of the Fang, you can expend a single hit dice and roll 1d10. You take an amount of damage equal to the roll's result against your maximum hit points instead of an amount equal to your level.  

Speciality Poison

Beginning at 11th level, you can create a single dose of special poison at the end of a long rest. This single dose lasts until it is used or until you take another long rest. You can apply your speciality poison to a dagger as a bonus action. Eyebite Poison. A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. The creature is also blinded while poisoned in this way. Sleeping Toxin. A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. If the saving throw fails by 5 or more, the creature is also unconscious while poisoned in this way. The creature wakes up if it takes damage or if another creature takes an action to shake it awake. Serpent Venom. A creature subjected to this poison must succeed on a Constitution saving throw, taking a number of d6 equal to half your level poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.  

Creeping in the Dark

Beginning at 15th level, Wisdom (Perception) checks made to see you while you are in dim light or darkness have disadvantage and you have advantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks made to hide while in dim light or darkness. Additionally, while in dim light or darkness, your speed increases by 10 feet, and attacks of opportunity made against you have disadvantage.  

Potent Blood

At 18th level, your Rite of the Fang damage and Speciality Poison ignore both resistance and immunity      

Order of the Warmonger

Blood hunters, as you know, surrender parts of themselves to bet- ter combat the otherworldly or wicked. Most focus on harnessing blood magic to empower their weapons, however these warmongers use blood magic further to also infuse the armor they wear. What's more, their carelessness for their own well-being allows them to en- ter into a blood fury, transforming them into warriors of pure ha- tred and destruction. They have even concocted curses which allows them to spread this blood fury to others. While I have yet to perform research on this phenomenon first hand, I also don’t find myself in a hurry to seek a warmonger out to do so.  

Warmonger Rite

Starting when you join this Order at 3rd level, you can imbue the armor you wear with your Crimson Rite feature in the same manner as you would a weapon. While active, a creature takes 1d4 rite damage of the chosen elemental type whenever it touches you or hits you with a melee attack while within 5 feet of you. The rite damage die changes as you gain blood hunter levels, as shown in the crimson rite damage die column of the blood hunter table. Should you doff your armor, the rite fades immediately.  

Blood Fury

At 7th level, you learn to fuel your bloodlust through your blood magic. Using a bonus action, you take damage equal to your rite damage die and you enter a furious bloodlust for 1 minute. For the duration, your speed can't be reduced by nonmagical means unless you are restrained and you can make a single melee weapon attack as a bonus action on each of your turns after this one, but you take damage equal to your rite damage die at the start of each of your turns. The effect ends early if you drop to 0 hit points or die, or if you end it on your turn (no action required). Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again. Starting at 18th level, you can use it twice before a rest.  

Battle Rites

Starting at 11th level, your crimson rites become more reliable. When you roll a 1 or 2 for your Crimson Rite damage, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2.  

Burst of Adrenaline

Beginning at 15th level, your will and physical prowess allow you to push yourself past mortal limits. When you use your action to take the Dash, Disengage, or Dodge action, you can also use your bonus action to take the Dash, Disengage, or Dodge action. Once you use this feature, you must finish a short or long rest before you can use it again.  

War Never Changes

At 18th level, you gain the Blood Curse of War for your Blood Maledict feature. This does not count against your blood curses known. Blood Curse of War. As an action, you infect a creature that you can see within 60 feet of you with your Blood Fury. An unwilling target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier) to avoid the effect. An unwilling target that fails the saving throw can't end the effect on its turns but you can end it on your turn (no action required). A creature that succeeds on this saving throw is immune to this blood curse for the next 24 hours. Amplify. The target can make two melee weapon attacks as a bonus action on each of its turns and takes twice your rite damage at the start of each of its turns.

---