Hemopriest (5e Class)

## **The Hemopriest**

Blood and Healing. Wounds and Reversal. Bring harm to others at the cost of harm to yourself. These are phrases to describe a Hemopriest's everyday job: Healing and harming using the blood of yourself, and the blood of others. Benevolent, or Malevolent, they are a force to be reckoned with, and work with perfect symphony with classes based on harming themselves, like a Dark Knight.

## **Playing a Hemopriest**

As a Hemopriest, you must focus on a balance between keeping yourself alive, and your allies alive. You'll be spending your own vitality for many of your spells, or for a few, the lifeblood that flows through your enemies, as your allies cut it out of them.

#### **Quick Build**

To quickly make a Hemopriest, follow these guidelines. First off, make Charisma your highest stat, followed by Constitution. Second off, choose either the Acolyte or Hermit background, depending on whichever would suit your character more. Finally, take a dagger, an adventurer's pack, and a poisoner's kit.

## **Creating a Hemopriest**

### **Requirements**

**Alignment:** Any

**Starting Age:** Moderate

**Race:** A Hemopriest requires a race to actually have to have blood, to be able to study the magic. If a race does not have a blood or a blood substitute (e.g. scarecrow), then almost all Hemopriest skills are impossible to use.

### **Class Features**

As a Hemopriest you gain the following class features.

Hit Points
**Hit Dice:** 1d8 per Hemopriest level

**Hit Points at 1st Level:** 8 + Constitution modifier

**Hit Points at Higher Levels:** 1d8 (or 5) + Constitution modifier per Hemopriest level after 1st

Proficiencies
**Armor:** Light armor and shields

**Weapons:** Simple Weapons

**Tools:** One Artisan's Tools or Poisoner's Kit

**Saving Throws:** Constitution, Charisma

**Skills:** Choose 2 from Arcana, Deception, Intimidation, Medicine, Perception.

Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

* (*a*) a Dagger or (*b*) 20 Darts or (*c)* Rapier (if proficient)
* (*a*) a set of Artisan's Tools or (*b)* Poisoner's Kit
* (*a*) Studded Leather or (*b)* Padded Leather & shield
* 4d5 (12) gold

### **Spells and Whatnot**

#### **Blood Pool**

You do not have a limit on any features here, unless listed otherwise. Instead, they cost Blood, which is gained from damaging yourself for up to half of your max hp in necrotic damage. The cap of the pool is equal to 5 x your level. At 20th level, this is instead changed to 10 x your level. After 8 hours, or a short/long rest, depending on which is shorter, your blood pool loses all of it's contents.

##### **Blood Damage Type**

Any attacks classified as 'blood damage' are the same as necrotic damage, however necrotic immunity is treated as resistance, and necrotic resistance is ignored entirely. However, necrotic vulnerability only deals 1.5x damage, instead of 2x.

#### **Acupuncture**

You can spend 1d4 Blood to summon a 15 ft. spike out of your hand, made of blood, to stab a target for 1d6 + your Charisma modifier blood damage. At 5th level, this damage is increased to 2d6. At 10th level, this damage is increased to 3d4.

#### **Inject**

Beginning at 2nd level, you can heal a target within touch range for up to half of your Blood Pool, spending it to heal them. At 6th level, you are given an additional healing pool, equal to 3 x your Charisma modifier. At 13th level, this pool is equal to 6 x your Charisma modifier. At 20th level, this pool is equal to 12 x your Charisma modifier. The healing pools regenerate after a long rest.

#### **Arts of Blood**

Beginning at 3rd level, you can choose an archetype from the two arts of blood; Vampirism, and Bloodletting.

#### **Ability Score Increase**

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

#### **Rapid Transfer**

Starting at 5th level, whenever a hostile target within 30 ft. of you takes damage, you can use your reaction to heal a target within 30 ft. of the target for 1d4 + your Charisma modifier hit points. At 11th level, this is increased to 3d4 hit points.

#### **Trois Lashes**

Beginning at 6th level, for 1d10 Blood, you can hit a target 3 times, with each hit dealing 1d4 + your Charisma modifier blood damage. At 9th level, this increases to 6 times. At 12th level, this increases to 9 times. At 18th level, if the target fails a DC (8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) Constitution saving throw, they take an additional 2d10 + your Charisma modifier poison damage.

#### **Charming Vitality**

At 8th level, your maximum hit points increase by 5 x your Charisma modifier.

#### **Bleeding Shield**

Starting at 10th level, you can damage an allied target within 15 ft. of you for up to (2x your level + Charisma modifier) damage, and shield them for twice that amount, for 5 minutes. This cannot do enough damage to lower a target below 1 hit point.

#### **Crimson Pact**

At 13th level, you can spend 1 hour and 30 Blood to form a Crimson Pact with one target. If a target has a Crimson Pact with you, you can draw blood from them for your Blood Pool. Additionally, you and the target may telepathically communicate simple thoughts, such as emotions, if you are within 60 ft. of each other, with complex thoughts requiring touch. Finally, half of the damage that the target takes from any source is added to your blood pool.

#### **Cruentaque Diaboli**

At 14th level, half of the blood damage you deal is added to your blood pool. Additionally, all of your attacks are considered magical, and deal blood damage.

#### **Blood for the Blood God**

Starting at 17th level, you may spend an hour and 50 Blood, to sacrifice an animal to any blood god (e.g. Feylia), receiving a weapon made of blood, with the appearance of the god's signature weapon, or symbol if they don't have one. (e.g. Feylia has a greatsword) You have proficiency with this weapon, and deal 3d6 + your Charisma modifier blood damage with this weapon. If you lose the weapon, you may spend 10 Blood to instantly summon it to your hand, and nobody else can wield it.

#### **Sanguine Sacrifice**

At 20th level, you may channel the energy of any blood god, once per long rest, at the cost of 25 Blood per round. While channeling the god's energy, your ability scores are temporarily increased to 26, if they weren't before, and any features that would add blood to your pool only add half of the regular amount. Additionally, your AC is increased to 16 if it was lower than that, and your blood god's weapon reach is increased from 5 ft. to 15 ft, and you may attack twice with it in a turn. Finally, you may dispel it at the end of any of your turns, as a free action. If you run out of blood during the channel, you can either spend 25 hit points per round to keep channelling, or cancel it. Be warned, however: If you reach 0 hit points this way, you are instantly killed, and the blood god will keep your soul, requiring either a counsel with them or a *wish* spell to revive yourself.

## **Art of Vampirism**

For those who choose this art to practice, just using blood isn't enough. They focus more on draining blood from their enemies, to heal themselves and deal more damage.

#### **Transfusion**

Starting at 3rd level, when you choose this archetype, 1/2 your level + your Charisma modifier times per day, you can drain a target within 10 ft. of you for 3d4 + your Charisma modifier blood damage, healing you for the amount of damage you do.

#### **Crimson Cloud**

At 7th level, you can turn into a cloud of blood mist, costing 15 Blood per round to maintain. While you are in this form, you can float up to 5 feet off of the ground, a size of Large, and 20 ft. movement speed. If a target enters the mist, or starts their turn in it, they take 1d8 + your Constitution modifier blood damage, with you healing half of the damage done. At 11th level, this damage increases to 1d12, and uses both your Constitution and Charisma modifiers. During this mist form, you can only be hurt by AoE attacks, and you take half-damage from those.

#### **Sanguine Might**

At 11th level, when a feature asks for you to use your Charisma modifier, you may also use your Constitution modifier. This does not count for Charming Vitality.

#### **Blood Rot**

Starting at 15th level, for 50 Blood, you can target a 20 ft. area, centered on a point. Any targets in the area must make a DC (8 + your proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) Constitution saving throw, or take 4d10 blood damage, and be afflicted by Blood Rot. Targets afflicted by Blood Rot take an additional 2d10 blood damage when they are attacked by any target. Blood Rot lasts for 1d4+1 rounds. At 20th level, Blood Rot lasts for 2d4+1 rounds.

## **Art of Bloodletting**

For those who choose this art to practice, Blood Magic is more about healing your allies and buffing them, compared to dealing damage to enemies.

#### **Scarlet Strength**

Starting at 3rd level, for the cost of 10 Blood, you can increase a target's ability score of your choice by 1, for an hour. This caps at an increase of 4 per ability score, and a max of 2 different ability scores.

#### **Blood Boiling**

At 7th level, for the cost of 30 Blood, you can cause a target to enter a Barbarian's rage. If the target resists, then they must make a DC (8 + your Proficiency bonus + your Charisma modifier) Wisdom saving throw. If they succeed, they are not sent into a rage, and half of the Blood cost is restored. If they fail, they are forced into the rage anyways.

#### **Sonic Sanguine Speed**

Beginning at 11th level, for twice the Blood cost, you can cast any of your Blood features as a bonus action. If they take time, (e.g. Crimson Pact), you can spend twice the Blood cost to half the time, instead.

#### **Platelet Plate**

At 15th level, your AC increases by 2, and you reduce all physical damage taken by your Constitution modifier +1. You can give this bonus to an ally, costing 15 Blood per round.