Blood Damage (5e Variant Rule)

Blood Damage

Blood Damage represents the hit point loss a creature incurs by losing its vital circulatory fluids. Any source of damage that incurs hemorrhaging, either exterior or interior, will inflict blood damage. Blood damage can also come from more supernatural or esoteric sources, such as dark magics affiliated with blood, or an attack that literally flings blood at a creature in order to deal damage.

A damage source must meet at least one of the following requirements to be considered blood damage:

• The damage source causes a creature to bleed externally.
• The damage source causes internal hemorrhaging.
• The damage source is infused with blood as an element.
• The damage source comes from an attack using literal blood as a weapon.
• The damage source inflicts bleeding or a similar condition or on-going effect.

A creature that does not have circulatory fluid, such as most constructs, elementals or oozes, is by common sense immune to blood damage. Creatures that have robust circulatory systems that are difficult to disrupt or damage, or are physically able to function in spite of significant fluid loss, are usually resistant to blood damage.

Substituting for Blood Damage

If you want to use a spell, attack, or other feature that uses blood damage, but want to use a vanilla damage type, the alternative damage type will usually be given by that feature's rules text. If no alternative damage type is specified, the damage type you replace blood damage with can be either slashing, piercing, poison, or necrotic, depending on the context of what source dealt the damage. Consult your DM for which damage type is the correct type to use.

It is recommended to put this design note at the top of a page when using this variant rule:

Design Note: This [spell/equipment/class/other content type here] uses blood damage. If you are not using blood damage, see the footnote(s) below for alternatives.

If you do use this design note, be sure to use a footnote suggesting which alternative damage types to use.

Spells that Can Deal Blood Damage

Non-Homebrew

• chromatic orb — You can choose Blood as a possible damage type for this spell.
• inflict wounds

• vampiric touch

• blight

• cloudkill
• insect plague

• harm

Homebrew

• briars of sanguar
• hemorrhage

3.00

(one vote)

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