Blood Mage (Warlock Archetype)

*The Old Blood's taint carries many strains, twisting and writhing within the veins of all who partake of it. While Yharnam bears many whose blood sings with its corruption, there are some beyond the city who have learned to bend this taint to their will. The blood mages of Cainhurst are often feared and despised by the common folk, and rightly so. Their black arts of twisting the very blood of willing and unwilling participants alike is terrifying to behold. And even more terrible to be subjected to.*

## It’s In My Blood

The tainted power of the Vilebloods runs thick through the veins of Blood Mages. A blood mage uses her Constitution in place of Charisma for all warlock class features.

*This alters the warlock’s key ability score.*

## Blood Pact

The pact that a blood mage makes with her patron not only requires her to frequently spend time gathering blood to further her queen’s terrible agenda (as the service pact), but it also forever taints her soul (as the soul pact).

*This ability alters pact.*

## Vileblood Patron

Annalise, Queen of the Vilebloods and the nobles of Cainhurst received a foul strain of blood discovered in the Pthumerian ruins beneath Yharnam.  With this they learned the practice of heretical blood magic. For this they were hunted down by the Executioners of the Healing Church. Being the most powerful of the Vilebloods, Analise is immortal. Through her, mages can partake of the tainted blood gaining great and terrible power.

A blood mage must select the Vilebloods as her patron.

*This alters patron.*

## Bleed (Ex)

At 1st level, a blood mage can overexert herself to channel more power than normal, pushing past the limit of what is safe for her body by accepting bleed. A blood mage uses her own life force to empower her invocations and blasts. For each point of bleed she accepts, a blood mage takes 1 point of nonlethal damage per character level. This damage can’t be healed by any means other than getting a full night’s rest, which removes all bleed and associated nonlethal damage. Nonlethal damage from bleed can’t be reduced or redirected, and a blood mage incapable of taking nonlethal damage can’t accept bleed. A blood mage can only accept one point of bleed per round. This limit rises to 2 points of bleed at 6th level, and rises by 1 point for every 3 levels thereafter. A blood mage can’t choose to accept bleed if it would put her total number of points of bleed higher than 3 + her Constitution modifier (though she can be forced to accept more bleed from a source outside her control). A blood mage who has accepted bleed never benefits from abilities that allow her to ignore or alter the effects she receives from nonlethal damage.

This ability replaces the magical item intuition, deceive item, and the imbue item class features.

## Cauterize (Su)

If she has both hands free (or all of her prehensile appendages free, for unusual blood mages), a blood mage can moderate her blood flow as a move action. Cauterizing in this way allows the blood mage to reduce the total bleed cost of a blood infusion she uses in the same round by 1 point. The blood mage can instead cauterize for 1 full round in order to reduce the total bleed cost of a blood infusion used on her next turn by 2 points (to a minimum of 0 points). If she does so, she can also cauterize as a move action on her next turn to reduce the bleed cost by a total of 3 points. If the blood mage takes damage during tor after cauterizing and before using the invocation or blast that releases it, she must succeed at a concentration check (DC = 10 + damage taken + effective spell level of her invocation or blast) or lose the energy in backlash that forces her to accept a number of points of bleed equal to the number of points by which cauterize would have reduced the bleed cost. This ability can never reduce the bleed cost of a blood infusion below 0 points.

At 11th level, when using cauterize as a move action, a blood mage can reduce the total bleed cost of a blood infusion by 2 points instead of 1. When using cauterize for a full round, she can reduce the bleed cost by 3 points instead of 2.

## Scarified (Su)

At 2nd level, a blood mage’s constant exposure to wounds and bleeding has left her skin mutilated by years of scaring. She can accept 1 point of bleed to gain DR/slashing equal to half her blood mage level until the next time her bleed is removed. Furthermore, at level 14 she gains a natural armor bonus to her AC equal to her Constitution modifier while unarmored.

*This ability replaces eldritch defenses.*

## Deathwatch (Sp)

At 2nd level, a blood mage is instinctively aware of the health of those around her. This is an extra invocation that allows her to use deathwatch at will as a spell-like ability.

*This ability replaces see magic.*

## Blood Infusion (Su)

With the tainted blood of the Pthumerian Queen, blood mages can learn forbidden paths to greater power. At 2nd level, a blood mage gains a blood infusion. At level 4 onward, the blood mage can select additional blood infusions in place of invocations. Blood infusions that apply to an eldritch blast stack with both shape and essence invocations unless otherwise noted. A blood infusion that allows a save has the same DC as the invocation or eldritch blast it is applied to. A blood mage can only take a blood infusion if her level is at least double the level of the blood infusion.

In addition, a blood mage can increase the potency of her invocations and eldritch blasts by infusing them with her blood. The blood mage can accept 1 point of bleed as a free action whenever she uses eldritch blast or an invocation. If she does so, she can choose to increase the caster level by 1 or increase the DC by 1. She can accept no more than 1 point of bleed per round in this way.

### Blood Blade (Su)

Taking the forgotten techniques of Yharnam, Pthumerian Queen, a blood mage can crystalize her own blood into a potent weapon.  As a swift action, a blood mage can accept 1 point of bleed to create a melee weapon out of crystalized blood. A blood blade can take the shape of any melee weapon, but its critical range and modifier, damage dice, and damage type is that of the blood mage’s eldritch blast. If the blood mage has proficiency in the weapon she shapes her blood blade after, she gains that weapon’s reach and any special properties it may have (with the exception of the double weapon property), and can use it with class features that call for specific weapons. Otherwise, the blade has a 5 foot reach and no special properties. A blood blade cannot be used with flurry of blows or brawler’s flurry.

The blood mage adds her Constitution modifier to the damage roll of her blood blade, in place of her Strength. Unlike an eldritch blast, this weapon targets AC and is subject to weapon feats (such as Power Attack). Only feats appropriate to the blood blade are applied, for example a blood blade with the shape of a greatsword could not qualify for Weapon Finesse. A blood blade cannot be used with Vital Strike.

A blood mage can use her cauterize class feature even while holding her blood blade.

The weapon lasts for one minute per warlock level and dissipates if it leaves the blood mage’s hand for more than 1 round or the blood mage attempts to create a new blood blade.

The blade can be created with any essence invocation that can be placed on a typical eldritch blast, but cannot be combined with any shape invocation. The blood mage can also apply blood infusions to the blade, paying the appropriate bleed cost for each use (when determining what a “use” is, treat full-round attacks made by the blade in the same way you would an eldritch blast with the eldritch destruction shape invocation).

By accepting an additional point of bleed, the weapon gains a +1 enhancement bonus for 1 minute. For every four levels beyond 1st, the weapon gains another +1 enhancement bonus to a maximum of +5 at 17th level. Multiple uses of this ability do not stack with itself, however the duration can be extended or restarted by accepting another point of bleed.

This is a level 1 blood infusion.

### Potent Magic (Su)

Whenever the blood mage accepts 1 point of bleed to increase the caster level of her invocations or eldritch blasts, the caster level increases by 2 instead of 1. Whenever she accepts 1 point of bleed to increase the DC of an invocation or eldritch blast, it increases by 2 instead of 1.

This is a level 1 blood infusion.

### Cruel Cuts (Su)

A blood mage can accept 1 point of bleed to cause her eldritch blast to deal an additional 1 bleed damage and cause the creature to become sickened for a number of rounds equal to the number of dice rolled for her eldritch blast. This is a level 2 blood infusion.

### Metamagic (Su)

By accepting 2 points of bleed, a blood mage can empower her invocations and eldritch blasts as if using Empower Spell. At 9th level, by accepting 3 points of bleed, she can maximize her invocations and eldritch blasts as if using Maximize Spell. At 13th level, by accepting 4 points of bleed she can quicken her invocations and eldritch blast as if using Quicken Spell (she cannot quicken an eldritch blast modified by the eldritch destruction shape invocation).

This is a level 3 blood infusion.

### Full-Bodied Wine (Su)

By accepting 1 point of bleed as a standard action, the blood mage can increase the maximum number of temporary hit points provided by the unnatural vigor invocation by half her blood mage level until the next time her bleed is removed. If she uses this ability multiple times, the increases stack. For every 2 points of bleed she accepts in this way, her unnatural vigor’s rate of regeneration increases by 1 hit point per minute. This is a level 4 blood infusion.

The warlock must have the Unnatural Vigor infusion before selecting this.

### Exsanguinate (Su)

By accepting 1 point of bleed, the blood mage can apply the wounding weapon property to her eldritch blasts for 1 round. A blood mage can extend this duration to 1 minute by accepting an additional point of bleed. This is a level 5 blood infusion.

### Vampiric Transfusion (Su)

A blood mage can drain the vitality from her enemy’s blood to restore her own. If her eldritch blast hits (or the enemy fails their saving throw against a blast without an attack roll) the blood mage gains a number of temporary hit points equal to half the damage dealt to a single target. These temporary hit points stack with themselves and last for 1 minute. This costs 3 points of bleed and is a level 7 blood infusion.

### Blood Drain (Su)

Your Eldritch Blast carries the promise of death.  Your blast deals an additional 1d4 points of Constitution damage per 2 dice of damage that your Eldritch Blast normally deals.  A successful fortitude save halves this damage. This costs 2 points of bleed and is a level 9 blood infusion.

## Hemorrhage (Ex)

At 3rd level, a blood mage’s body surges with energy from her patron whenever she accepts bleed, causing her eyes to weep blood, her dress to become stained with the sign of a foul procedure, or some other thematic effect. In addition, she receives a bonus on her attack rolls with eldritch blast and any invocation with an attack roll equal to the total number of points of bleed she currently has, to a maximum of +1 for every 3 blood mage levels she possesses. She also receives a bonus on damage rolls with her eldritch blast equal to double the bonus on attack rolls. The blood mage can suppress the visual effect of hemorrhage by concentrating for 1 full round, but doing so suppresses all of this ability’s other benefits, as well. The next time the blood mage uses any invocation, blood infusion, or her eldritch blast, the visual effects and benefits return instantly.

As a blood mage’s body becomes more and more infused with blood, she begins to gain more powerful benefits. Starting at 6th level, whenever she has at least 3 points of bleed, the blood mage gains a +2 size bonus to two physical ability scores of her choice. She also gains fast healing equal to her current number of points of bleed. At 11th level, whenever the blood mage has at least 5 points of bleed, these bonuses increase to a +4 size bonus to one ability score of her choice and a +2 size bonus to each of her other two physical ability scores. At 16th level, whenever the blood mage has at least 7 points of bleed, these bonuses increase to a +6 size bonus to one physical ability score of her choice, a +4 size bonus to a second physical ability score of her choice, and a +2 size bonus to the remaining physical ability score.

## Bleed for Me (Su)

The lifeblood of others calls out to the blood mage and she can tap into it in return. At 6th level, a blood mage can force a nearby bleeding, dying, or dead target to accept 1 point of bleed on her behalf as part of her casting or attack action. A living target takes 1 nonlethal damage per level of the blood mage. Just like with the blood mage, this nonlethal damage can only be healed by getting a full night’s rest. A dead target must have been dead for no more than a number of rounds equal to the blood mage’s level.

For every six levels beyond 6th the blood mage has, she can target an additional creature, to a maximum of 3 at level eighteen. A single creature can only be targeted once per round.

## Blood Recruitment (Sp)

When a blood mage recruits for the Vilebloods, she must share some of the tainted blood she has imbibed. She must take 1 point of bleed when casting atonement through her recruitment feature. This point of bleed cannot be mitigated with any ability that would reduce the amount of bleed the blood mage takes.

*This alters recruitment.*