Blood Hunters, a dark class in the game, are skilled warriors with an unending determination to destroy evils. They are equipped with rites of secretive blood magic and can learn two cantrips from the Warlock spell list and two first-level warlock spells. At tenth-level, they gain more 5e spells at seven, ninth, 11th, 13th, 15th, 17th, and 19th levels. If their blood hunter is part of the Order of the Profane Soul and has warlock levels, they can add one-third of their blood hunter levels (rounded down) to their warlock level and consult the warlock progression table.
The core flavor of Blood Hunters is the arcane magic of “Hemocraft”, using blood rituals and rites to perform magical spells that make them effective at their job. Hemocraft allows players to cast spells from the warlock spell list to a limited degree. Blood Hunters cannot cast spells unless they take the Order of the Profane Soul subclass.
When reaching 3rd level, Blood Hunters can augment their combat techniques with the ability to cast spells. The spells they can learn can be found on the Warlock spell list. Blood Maledict, a spell-less ranger, is not very good and doesn’t stand up to the quality of the 2014 PHB ranger with no Tasha’s upgrades. They gain half as many warlock spells at half the rate, and all bonus abilities are tied to their choice of warlock patron.
In summary, Blood Hunters are skilled warriors with a strong focus on sacrifice, knowledge, and fear. They can learn various spells and abilities, but their spellcasting abilities may not be suitable for those who find spellcasters difficult to play.
📹 Blood Hunter Class Guide for Dungeons and Dragons 5e
TIME STAMPS Please note this video contains spoilers for Critical Role Season 2, Episode 26. 0:00 – Opening 2:05 – Inspiring a …
Do blood hunters have red eyes?
Blood hunters are professional monster hunters in Aerlon who undergo a dangerous rite by consuming an alchemical concoction called the Hunter’s Bane. This allows them to absorb and channel sangromantic powers, and they are feared by the general populace for their ability to kill evil. Surviving blood hunters have red eyes due to the unholy magics involved. The blood hunter order consists of three institutes: Schule Seele, Schule Verstund, and Schule Körpe, each specialized in different magical techniques and fighting styles. Despite sometimes finding themselves at odds, they are all members of the same family, tracing their origins back to the three brothers who created the Hunter’s Bane centuries ago.
What is the blood curse ability?
Blood Curse of the Marked is a bonus action that allows you to mark a creature within 30 feet of you, dealing an additional hemocraft die of rite damage. This effect is amplified when you make an attack roll against the target before the end of your turn. Blood Curse of Anti-Magic makes one creature “Marked”, making them weak to all damage done by spells. This effect is amplified when all creatures within 30 feet of the marked creature suffer the same effects.
Blood Curse of the Anxious magnifies adrenaline in a creature’s body, making them susceptible to forceful influence. This effect gives all creatures an advantage on Charisma (Intimidation) checks directed at the target creature.
What powers does the eye of Vecna have?
The Eye of Vecna is a powerful and evil artifact that grants truesight and the ability to see through solid objects, similar to a ring of X-ray vision. It was bloodshot and appeared to have been forcefully torn from its socket. To use its powers, the wielder must remove an eye and place the artifact into the empty socket. The item magically grafts onto the wearer’s head, assuming a golden coloration and a vertical pupil similar to a cat’s.
Removing the Eye of Vecna invariably kills the wearer. The creature’s worldview changed towards a neutral evil disposition once attuned to the Eye of Vecna. The artifact also carries the risk of exhaustion in case of repeated activations.
How do blood hunter curses work?
The Blood Curse of the Marked is a bonus action that allows the player to mark a creature within a radius of 30 feet. Upon striking the creature with a weapon bearing an active crimson rite, an additional hemocraft die is rolled. It should be noted that this effect is only available when JavaScript is disabled or blocked by an extension.
What powers does a bloodhunter have?
Blood hunters can invoke blood curses, impairing enemies through blindness or unconscious attacks. They can amplify a blood curse by drawing their own blood, making it more powerful. Blood hunters can also use hemocraft to empower their weapons with elemental energy, such as fire, ice, or lightning. Each blood hunter subclass is named after one of the Claret Orders, but a character from any subclass is not necessarily a member of the corresponding Claret Order.
Do blood hunters have patrons?
The Blood Hunter has introduced three new patrons, The Fathomless, The Genie, and The Undead, and allows players to choose between Intelligence and Wisdom as their Blood Maledict stat. Wisdom is preferred unless multiclassing into artificer or wizard. The text has been reworded for clarity, with wording around effects triggered from Crimson Rite damage updated to read “whenever you hit a creature with a weapon for which you have an active crimson rite”. Minor rules tweaks have been made, such as Blood Curse of Binding now affecting Large or smaller creatures, instead of cold Enlarge yourself to target larger enemies.
How long do blood curses last?
The Blood Curse of Binding is a bonus action that allows you to bind a creature within 30 feet of you, requiring a Strength saving throw or a reduction in speed. This curse lasts for 1 minute and can affect any creature. The creature can make another Strength saving throw at the end of each turn. The Blood Curse of Bloated Agony is a bonus action that causes a creature within 30 feet to swell until the end of your next turn.
This curse disadvantages the creature on Strength and Dexterity ability checks and suffers 1d8 necrotic damage if it makes multiple melee or ranged attacks. The curse lasts for 1 minute and the creature can make a Constitution saving throw at the end of each turn.
Are blood hunters spell casters?
A review of the Blood Hunter class page on D&D Beyond reveals that blood hunters of the Order of the Profane Soul are capable of casting warlock spells. However, the number of individuals who possess this ability is limited.
Can blood Hunter use spells?
Blood Hunters at third-level gain access to Pact Magic, which allows them to learn two cantrips from the Warlock spell list and two first-level spells. Additional DnD cantrips are unlocked at tenth-level, and more 5e spells are learned at various levels. From seventh to 19th level, they can learn second-level Warlock spells, third-level spells, and fourth-level spells. They can also use their hemocraft ability to cast spells and Rite Focus to gain extra benefits, depending on their chosen patron.
What is the best blood hunter subclass?
The Order of the Lycan is a formidable Blood Hunter subclass that provides enhanced mobility and the capacity to transform unarmed strikes into +1 magical weapons. As the character gains levels, the damage and hit bonus increase. This subclass is more powerful than other Blood Hunter options, with the exception of the Ghostslayer, which is particularly effective in undead-based campaigns.
What race is best for a blood hunter?
For those who rely on their Strength and Conquer (STR) and Intelligence (CON) for their Blood Hunter character, it is recommended to choose beefier races like the Mountain Dwarf 5e, the Half-Orc, or the Goliath 5e. These races offer +2 STR and +1 CON, while Mountain Dwarves have +2 for both DnD stats. The Half-Orcs’ Relentless Endurance can be useful when sacrificing HP for hemocraft. For those who prefer Dexterity and Intelligence, a High DnD Elf gets +1 INT and standard elven +2 to DEX.
A Stout DnD Halfling has +1 to CON and standard +2 DEX, while the Genasi get a natural +2 to CON and Air Genasi can boost their DEX slightly. To roll up a Blood Hunter character for your next campaign, start getting moody and unleashing the gory powers of hemocraft on your enemies.
📹 Blood Hunter is Broken | Dungeons and Dragons 5e Guide
Matt Mercer’s Blood Hunter stands alone as the ONLY homebrew class for DND 5e that is fully integrated on DNDBeyond and …
Slight thing i wanted to ask regarding the lycans bloodlust, where did you get that they loose concentration? I’m asking genuinely cause Im playing a blood hunter lycan sorcerer rn and the only thing I remember it saying about concentration spells is that if you are concentrating on a spell, then you fail the save for blood lust.
I just wanna point out that the newest version of the Blood Hunter’s Crimson Rite feature doesn’t require you to be holding the weapon for the Rite to remain active. Instead, the Crimson Rite states that it remains active on the weapon until you finish a short or long rest, but other creatures cannot benefit from the Rite. This means that now Crimson Rites can actually work on thrown weapons, and you can don’t have to worry about keeping hold of the weapon to maintain the Rite, allowing you to activate a Crimson Rite at the beggining of the day and safely sheathe the weapon until you need to use it. That also means that Two-Weapon Fighting is more viable for Blood Hunters, since they don’t have to spend two turns prepping their weapons before they can actually use their bonus action attack, instead preemptively activating Rites on both weapons immediately after resting.
I’ve had to change up the Profane Soul’s abilities a bit. It needed some eldritch envocations so I made a couple homebrew ones. I also made it so that you could choose each patron ability as opposed to being locked into one. I treat the subclass like someone who makes many deals with different patrons for different favors like a Constantine or Dresden type character. The envocations were things like adding your hemocraft modifier to cantrip damage, allowing you to increase a cantrip like Booming blade instead of Eldritch blast.
I know some people rag on the Profane Soul subclass, and maybe rightfully so, but I did recently create one of my favorite villains I’ve ever made, and I did it with the help of the Profane Soul. In my Eberron campaign I’ve added some homebrew lore to implement Blood Hunter orders, and that led me to create a villain who made a pact with Bel Shalor (sort of). Essentially he’s a Hobgoblin, Forge Adept Artificer lvl.4 (from Kieth Baker’s 3rd party book Exploring Eberron), multiclassed with a Profane Soul Blood Hunter lvl.6 (Fiend Patron), and wielding a Flame Tongue Greatsword as his “Ghall’Shaarat” (Goblin for “Mighty Blade”, gives it a +1). With the Rite of Flame active on his Flame Tongue, he does 5d6+5 damage on a hit and can reroll 1’s and 2’s on any of those dice. Should be fun for the party to eventually meet him. XD
I kinda feel bad for Tallesin Jaffe who played Mollymauk Tealeaf(Ghostslayer) in campaign two of Critical Role!! He got to level 6 before a Blood Maledict knocked him unconscious and a boss character promptly killed him outright!! I think that it would have been interesting to see how far it would have gone!!
Slight correction, regarding the Bloodlust of the Lycan subclass. In the article, you said “if you start your turn without maximum hit points”, but the text on your screen (and on D&DBeyond) says “If you start your turn with fewer hit points than half your hit point maximum” which is considerably different. 🙂 Otherwise, a wonderful article! Keep up the great work!
Nice break down. People need to remember that the reason a lot of MM’s classes/subclasses are so broken or unbalanced is because he designs them with his players in mind: either to go up against them or else help further the character they’re putting together. Keeping that in mind explains a lot of the design choices. The order of the mutant, for example, is literally designed to allow players to play as a Witcher…with all the pluses and minuses that entails. Definitely agree though…not a class for a new player at all because there is a lot to keep track of. I do wish that it would get updated to simplify things a bit though because it’s a really cool concept.
I love that 9th level ability as a ribbon. I don’t love it as the only thing a blood hunter gets. It’s terribly weak. Tenth level is awesome tho and it sets my character up as a saving throw nightmare for the DM when I multiclass war mage. With shield master my dex saves will have a +18 bonus. Not bad for a 12 score in dex
I have a character concept for a Warforged Profane Soul using Fiend Patron, it was originally created by a cult as an offering to some fiendish lord to be used in the Blood War. However something went wrong with the ritual to activate the construct, though it does not remember the details of exactly how it became self-aware or escaped its creators. I picture a fiendish looking design with red metal plates and black horns, with a scent of burnt citronella. I would play the hemocraft stuff as if the blood was more like fuel for the rite of flame and such. I even took Armor of Agathys as a ‘coolant’ to provide temp hp to absorb the ritual 😀
As a little nitpick as someone who is playing a Blood Hunter rn, you can target creatures with a Blood Curses without Blood as long as you amplify it’s effect, meaning you can go any of the Subclasses and be effective against anyone with different Blood Curses. Plus, Blood Curse of Binding is the GOAT, cause if you have someone who can just shove someone affected with it, they become prone with 0 movement and no reactions. Easiest combo to do with a group to just start making enemies into chunks of meat.
One of my repeat side story characters in a friend’s custom world is a Mutagen Hunter. I hand-rolled stats (of course) and got a LOT of min-max potential, with some good rolls and some very low rolls. So I considered my options, thought about what would be the most fun, and decided to go with even more min-maxed, extreme polar opposite stats. In the end, I made him a bestial Cajun mutant, a deceptively sharp and cunning alchemist from a big swamp family of mad scientists who, himself, also happened to be a big semi-aquatic muscle monster who could breathe underwater, climb like a monkey, and wielded a massive curved chef’s cleaver. He also had armor just bolted onto him, because why not. Pretty fun class; the build was fairly OP, but I really leaned into both my strengths and weaknesses, so definitely not unbalanced.
Order of Mutant is extremely underrated because the downsides are not difficult to mitigate. For example, going a Dex Mutant, you can get Lucky and you save one charge for if you are forced to make a Wis save and it will turn that Disadvantage into Elven Accuracy super advantage. You can also go Resilient: Wis later as a later tier feat choice.
Played a lycan blood hunter all the way to lvl 20, while i love the character i was playing with a previous version of the subclass that required both int and wis so depending if u went str or dex, you needed 4 stats to be decent bc u couldnt ignore con bc of the self harm mechanics, and no one wants to mollymauk themselves… that might not be a problem if ur rolling stats but if ur using standard or point buy u then become spread out too thin and are mediocre at everything. The newer version that lets u pick either or is so much better, and I’d love another go at it down the line, bc the flavor of being a werecreature is as they say my jam, lol. In the werewolves vs vampires argument I always pick I werewolves :))) Edit: i also believe that the hemocraft di should go.all the way to a d12, in my game my dm let me advance it to a d10 instead of d8 and it still felt less than Edit 2: it was also a very item starved campaign so i was pretty bare bones at lvl 20 with only a +1 breastplate armor and my claws and a mask that let me go invis once a day i got at like lvl 6, granted, if better items were in the campaign it might not have felt so soft, but being bare bones it sure did… Long story short, I still had fun despite the jank and item stingyness from the dm, the potential is there to be great!
Speaking of all the awesome multiclass potential at the end. If you go with intelligence as the hemocraft modifier, and multiclass with artificer, there are some pretty cool things you can pull off. Currently toying with either a 17 or 18 lv BH Ghostslayer with a 2 or 3 level artificer (depends whether the 18th level Ghost Slayer feature or the artificer subclass is more important to you). Ultimately creates a Van Helsing type character in my mind. Especially with the artificer dip allowing for a repeating crossbow, or potentially some kind of firearm dealing radiant damage from the blood maledict.
Blood Hunter is one of the few CR creations that I think is mostly fine. It does fall into the common homebrew trap of being extremely feature-dense, but none of the features are honestly too crazy. I think one of the biggest oversights is the fact that blood rite doesn’t have a real duration or end when the weapon is stowed similar to a Flame Tongue weapon, so you can activate them first thing after a rest while you’re safe which feels antithetical to the risk-reward structure of the class. Especially if you’re just dipping 1-3 levels into Blood Hunter the self-damage from Crimson Rite is basically negligible. Lycan and Ghostslayer are easily the two best subclasses. Even if you’re not in an undead-heavy campaign, the ability for Ghostslayer to do Radiant damage to overcome the common Fire/Cold/Lightning resistances, Necrotic damage resistance, and the ability to use blood curses on creatures that don’t have blood is already very good. Mutant is a subclass I wish so much was better. So many of the Mutagens don’t actually add as much as Mercer probably thinks they did. In my opinion the 18th-level feature that allows you to hot-swap mutagens should have been baked in to the core mechanics of the subclass at level 3. I could have sworn I typed up a rework of the subclass once but I must have deleted it or forgot to save. Profane Soul is probably the most balanced as it’s effectively a Warlock version of an Eldritch Knight Fighter.
Eh. It’s really not as great of a class as you make it out to be, especially at lower levels where losing HP for any reason is a big deal – even one of the Critical Role’s players have shown this. It’s also very mechanically clunky by 5e design standards, it feels like a Pathfinder class or something.
Playing Profane Soul BH for more than 2 years. Fey Patron is a supreme pick for range-build blood hunter, especially when your DM loves invisibility and actively uses cover. On lvl 3 one gets the ability to highlight target and outright deny it advantage of cover for your whole team to gun them down. Lvl 7 – Blur spell, and that one saved my halfling’s neck more than once. Crossbow expert + hand crossbow + crimson rite + hex damage = major burst damage, just make sure to start the crimson rite up before battle when possible. Access to warlock spells really helps to mitigate some drawbacks this class faces, so it’s not all about Hex – for example, I really love using Borrowed Knowledge, making character a bit more successful in their daily life outside combat 🙂 The previous patron was Celestial. Healing with a hemocraft die is very helpful during early levels, when dropping into 0 HP is very common. And during lower levels your Save DC for blood maledict abilities is probably pretty low, so in most cases it’s a better trade-off to rise someone from unconsciousness, than gamble at cursing your opponent. As both a player and a DM I sincerely don’t feel this class being broken. It’s niche and requires proper tuning to squeeze the right output.
I played an order of the lycan bloodhunter/bear totem barbarian that was a tortle and themed the hybrid transformation as a psuedo-dragonturtle. I didn’t even use weapons, just unarmed strikes, crimson rite, and brute strength. The character was nigh unkillable and, at one point, even got into a boxing match with one of the demon princes. I ended up retiring the character because it was giving my DM too much trouble.