Blood Hunter
Where other rangers learn to read tracks and call on nature's gifts, the Blood Hunter follows a more harrowing path. Through a forbidden rite, they channel their own vitality into their weapons, infusing strikes with elemental force. These hunters have traded a measure of their own well-being for the power to topple monstrous prey.
Blood Hunter Table:
| Level | Subclass Features Gained |
|---|---|
| 3rd | Crimson Rite, Hunter's Bane |
| 7th | Brand of Castigation |
| 11th | Rite Mastery |
| 15th | Sanguine Resolve |
Subclass Features
Hunter's Bane
3rd-level Blood Hunter feature
At 3rd level, you have advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to track fey, fiends, and undead, as well as on Intelligence checks to recall information about them.
Crimson Rite
3rd-level Blood Hunter feature
Also at 3rd level, you learn to invoke a rite that channels your vitality into your weapon. As a bonus action, choose one weapon you are holding and one of the following rite types. That weapon deals an extra \(1d4\) damage of the chosen type until you finish a short or long rest, until you sheathe the weapon, or until you use this feature again.
When you activate a rite, you take \(1d4\) necrotic damage that cannot be reduced or prevented. This damage increases to \(1d6\) at 7th level and \(1d8\) at 15th level.
Rite of the Flame. The weapon deals fire damage.
Rite of the Frozen. The weapon deals cold damage.
Rite of the Storm. The weapon deals lightning damage.
Rite of the Oracle. The weapon deals psychic damage. (Unlocked at 7th level.)
Rite of the Roar. The weapon deals thunder damage. (Unlocked at 11th level.)
Brand of Castigation
7th-level Blood Hunter feature
At 7th level, when you hit a creature with a weapon that has an active Crimson Rite, you can brand that creature as a bonus action. While branded, if the creature moves more than 30 feet away from you in a single turn, it takes \(2d6\) psychic damage.
You can only have one creature branded at a time. The brand lasts for 1 minute, until the creature drops to 0 hit points, or until you brand a different creature. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.
Rite Mastery
11th-level Blood Hunter feature
At 11th level, your mastery of the Crimson Rite deepens in two ways:
- The extra damage from your Crimson Rite increases to \(1d6\) (or \(1d8\) if you are wielding a two-handed weapon).
- You no longer need to sheathe a weapon to end its rite. You may have a Crimson Rite active on two weapons simultaneously, though you take the activation cost for each.
Sanguine Resolve
15th-level Blood Hunter feature
At 15th level, your threshold for enduring pain has been honed to an uncanny edge. When you activate a Crimson Rite, you can choose to push beyond normal limits: the weapon's rite damage increases by one die size for 1 minute, but you take the activation cost at the start of each of your turns for that duration.
Additionally, when you are reduced to 0 hit points while a Crimson Rite is active, you can use your reaction to make one weapon attack before falling unconscious. On a hit, you regain hit points equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1).