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Often feared or misunderstood, and compelled by an unending drive to destroy the wicked, blood hunters are clever, arcane warriors who have bound their essence to the dark creatures they hunt to better stalk and survive their prey. Armed with the rites of forbidden blood magic and a willingness to sacrifice their own vitality and humanity for the cause, they protect the realms from the shadows, ever vigilant to avoid becoming the same monsters they choose to hunt.
​A monster to fight monsters, they redden a finger across their wounds, drawing glowing, rub glyphs upon the air. They grip the weightless, completed sigil, twisting it to unleash dark magical energies that fire forward. 

Through careful study and practice, blood hunters have honed the rites of hemocraft into their combat prowess, forfeiting a facet of their health to infuse their weapons with powerful blood magic and summoning the elements to envelop their strikes. They can sear an arcane brand into the body of their quarry that hinders their foe’s abilities and punishes their aggression, or call blood curses upon their enemies, manipulating their bodies from the inside. Willing to suffer whatever it takes to achieve victory, these adept warriors have forged themselves into a potent force against the terrors that threaten the innocent.

The life of a blood hunter is often not an easy one. The rituals of the Hunter’s Bane regularly leave one visibly changed and prone to unsettle common folk, and the witnessing of hemocraft can invoke a superstitious fear from even the most learned scholar.  While some societies have come to accept the good deeds of the Hunter's Orders- various groups which take oath against creatures and collectively wield the Blood Hunter's craft- many blood hunters publicly hide their nature unless absolutely necessary, feeling more comfortable in the wilds and wastes of the world where the Orders commonly train. Even so, the best work a blood hunter can do usually involves the poor and defenseless on the outskirts of society, those prone to the corrupting touch of fiends and dark intension.
 

These listed abilities are for all beginner Blood Hunters. 

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1. Hunters Bane- You have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track fey, fiends, or undead, as well as on Intelligence ability checks to recall information about them. The Hunter's Bane also empowers your body to control and shape hemocraft magic, using your own blood and life essence to fuel your abilities. 

2. Blood Maledict- The ability to channel, and sometimes sacrifice, a part of your vital essence to curse and manipulate creatures through hemocraft magic. You gain one blood curse of your choice:
   -Blood Curse of the Anxious: As a bonus action, you magnify the adrenaline in the body of a creature within 30 feet of you, making them susceptible to forceful influence. Until the end of your next turn, all creatures have advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) checks directed at the target creature
   -Blood Curse of Binding: As a bonus action, you can attempt to bind a creature you can see within 30 feet of you that is no more than one size larger than you. The target must succeed on a Strength saving throw or have their speed be reduced to 0 and they can’t use reactions until the end of your next turn.
   -Blood Curse of Bloated Agony: As a bonus action, you curse a creature that you can see within 30 feet of you to painfully swell until the end of your next turn. For the duration of this curse, the creature has disadvantage on Strength and Dexterity ability checks, and suffers 1d8 necrotic damage if it makes more than one melee or ranged attack during its turn.
    

3. Adaptive Fighting - You adopt a style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can’t take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again. 
   -Archery: You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.
   -Dueling: When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.
   -Great Weapon Fighting: When you roll a 1 or 2 on a non-rite damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.
   -Two-Weapon Fighting: When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.

4. Crimson Rite -  Invoke a rite of hemocraft within your weapon at the cost of your own vitality. Choose one rite from the Primal Rites list below to learn.
   Primal Rites: 
   -Rite of the Flame. Your rite damage is fire damage.
   -Rite of the Frozen. Your rite damage is cold damage.
   -Rite of the Storm. Your rite damage is lightning damage.
   Esoteric Rites:
   -Rite of the Dead. Your rite damage is necrotic damage.
   -Rite of the Oracle. Your rite damage is psychic damage.
   -Rite of the Roar. Your rite damage is thunder damage.
   As a bonus action, you can activate a crimson rite on a single weapon with the elemental energy of a known rite of your choice that lasts until you finish a short or long rest, or if you aren’t holding the weapon at the end of your turn. When you activate a rite, you lose a number of hit points equal to one roll. For the duration, attacks from this weapon deal an additional 1d4 damage of the chosen rite’s type. A weapon can only hold a single active rite at a time.
    

5. Blood Hunter Order - Commit to an order of blood hunter martial focus: 
   -Order of the Ghostslayer- 
   +Rite of the Dawn. Your rite damage is radiant damage. While the rite is active, you gain the following benefits. Weapon sheds bright light out to a radius of 20 feet, Necrotic resistance, +1 Damage modifier against the undead
   +Curse Specialist. Can hit any target with or without blood. 
   -Order of the Profane Soul-
   -Order of the Mutant-
   -Order of the Lycan-
   +Heightened Senses. +Modifier based on level in Wisdom/perception. 
   +Hybrid Transformation. 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. 

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Once the Blood Hunter has leveled their base damage and hit a minimum of 30 Base HP, they will take their inherited knowledge and then progress into the following abilities. These are for all Adept Blood Hunters. 

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2. Blood Maledict - The ability to channel, and sometimes sacrifice, a part of your vital essence to curse and manipulate creatures through hemocraft magic. You gain an additional blood curse of your choice:
-Blood Curse of Corrosion
-Blood Curse of the Exorcist
-Blood Curse of Exposure
-Blood Curse of the Eyeless
-Blood Curse of the Fallen Puppet
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Now an expert to the craft, the Blood Hunter has leveled their base damage yet again and holds a minimum of 50 Base HP. The following abilities are for Expert Bards. 

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2. Blood Maledict - The ability to channel, and sometimes sacrifice, a part of your vital essence to curse and manipulate creatures through hemocraft magic. You gain an additional blood curse of your choice:
-Blood Curse of the Howl
-Blood Curse of the Marked
-Blood Curse of the Muddled Mind
-Blood Curse of the Soul Eater: When a creature that isn’t a construct or undead is reduced to 0 hit points within 30 feet of you, you can use your reaction to usher their soul to your patron in exchange for power. Until the end of your next turn, your weapon attacks have advantage.
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