Blood Elf, Variant (5e Subrace)

Elf Subrace

This blood elf is an unfortunate victim of a mad vampire who took and spirited away many elves into his planar lair. There, he subjected them to cruel torture as he slowly changed them into vampiric beings. The shadow power of vampires affected elves differently than humans. Whilst these elves suffered, the vampire was eventually killed by a group of adventurers who came upon his lair. Upon his death, his madness lived on in the elven prisoners through his blood fed to them. They became pale with red eyes and fangs like vampires. Their blood became a conduit for them to manipulate and use as magic, and they gained a fear of the sun. However, their strong minds resisted total madness, and the adventurers thus could not kill them in good conscience. They were released, tainted, back into the world.

Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score raises by 1.
Elf Weapon Training. You have proficiency with the longsword, shortsword, shortbow, and longbow.
Superior Darkvision. You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Sunlight Sensitivity. You have disadvantage on any attack rolls and ability checks when in direct sunlight.
Vampiric Fangs. If a willing, paralyzed, charmed, incapacitated, restrained, or grappled, creature within 5 feet of you has blood, you may use your bonus action to bite them, dealing 1d6 piercing damage and draining their blood dealing, additional necrotic damage equal to your Constitution modifier. You regain hit points equal to the amount of damage dealt, but you cannot regain hit points over your maximum with this trait.

Racial Feats

When you would gain a feat, you can instead take one of the following racial feats.

Blood Magic

Prerequisites: Blood elf, variant subrace
A magic unique to the blood elves as it’s derived from their accursed blood. By sacrificing portions of their blood they are able to cast special blood spells. You gain the following benefits:

• You learn two Blood Spells from the list below. If the spell requires a saving throw, the DC is equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier.
• You gain 1 blood die, a d6. This die is used to fuel your blood spells. To use a blood spell, you must choose to lose a number of hit points equal to a blood die roll. The die is expended when you use it, and is regained when you finish a short or long rest.

Blood Spells

These horrific bloody arts were created by the mad vampire Vladius. They live on in his captives who are now free in body, but their minds remain prisoner of the trauma. They require no components, instead using the blood of the caster, as represented by the hit points lost on the blood die.

Blood Frenzy

Cast time: 1 bonus action
Range: Self
Duration: Instantaneous
Using your feral vampiric instinct, you speed up your movements. Immediately after casting this spell, you can make an attack with your Attack action and attack twice, instead of once. If you have a feature that allows you to attack multiple times, you instead gain one additional attack.

Blood Armor

Cast time: 1 reaction
Range: Self
Duration: 1 round
Your blood hardens in response to harm and protects you. Until the start of your next turn, you gain a bonus to your AC equal to your blood die roll.

Blood Lust

Cast time: 1 bonus action
Range: Self
Duration: 1 round
Using your blood, you sharpen the edge of your weapons, hardening it into a black metal. Until the end of your next turn, all your weapon attacks deal additional damage equal to the amount of hit points you expend on the blood die roll. The damage type of this damage is the same as the weapon's.

Blood Draw

Cast time: 1 action
Range: Touch
Duration: Instantaneous
You choose a creature within range and draw blood from them, replenishing yourself. The target creature loses hit points equal to 1d6 + your Constitution modifier, and you receive hit points equal to the total lost. The target does not need to be a willing creature, and may make a Constitution saving throw to resist the effects of the blood spell. On a successful throw, the spell is ineffective. Undead, constructs, and creatures that do not have blood are immune to this spell.

Blood Manipulation

Prerequisites: Blood elf, variant subrace
You can manipulate your blood to form objects as well as weapons. As a bonus action, you create an object or weapon within your hand with your blood. Since it is made of blood, this item will be black and smell like iron. If you make an object, it can be any nonmagical trinket that fits in your hand. If you make a weapon, it can only be a simple melee weapon of your choice. It has the same statistics as the weapon it is modeled after. You can dispel this object with a bonus action. You can only make one such object at a time, and if the object leaves your hand, it turns back into liquid blood.

Racial Background: Vampiric Victim

When making your blood elf, variant character, you can use this background instead.

You were or are a descendant from the tortured victims of the mad vampire Vladius vom Stromturg. As a result, you bear scars on you from his mad experiments and torturous schemes. Vladius kept his victims often chained and hooked to strange apparatuses that subjected them to excruciating pain. Sometimes, he would bleed out a victim until near dead, only to restore them to do it all over again. Others he would prick incessantly so their bodies bled in multiple places. When old spots healed, he opened new wounds. Such was the fate of the elves held in his planar lair. Ultimately, the experience ended up changing you into something else. You inherited a shard of Vladius' undying madness, and his blood was infused into you. You are no longer simply an elf.

Consider the following questions when you make a vampiric victim: Were you a direct victim of Vladius, or the offspring of one? Vladius' blood is known to be hereditary, and so even the young of blood elves cannot escape his curse. Do you have nightmares from the experience, perhaps those which end with you screaming through the night? Do you see yourself as a monster or choose to embrace this change? How do others treat you in your former community? Did they welcome you upon return, or did they rally against you, believing you dead? Do you hate them for any discrimination, or do you understand their fear? Are you afraid of what you might do, such that you flee into seclusion? Or do you perhaps take up a new life entirely, declaring your former self dead?

Skill Proficiencies: Religion, Medicine

Languages: Abyssal

Equipment: A blood-red gem on a piece of jewelry worth 10 gp, a set of worn traveler's clothes and a belt pouch with 5 gp.

Trauma

Vladius' cruelty marked his victims in a variety of ways. Upon his death, his madness made a lasting impression that is notable even in descendants.

d6	Trauma Curse
1	I am plagued nightly with nightmares so I never sleep well.
2	I have incessant insomnia that keeps me wide awake with lurid thoughts of blood.
3	There are many scars on my body where I was prodded like an animal.
4	A birthmark like a handprint is permanently plastered on a part of my skin.
5	One of my eyes is pitch black in sclera and iris.
6	One of my ears is clipped.

Feature: Vampiric Mark

You are highly attuned to the occult energies of the world and its influences after your harrowing experience. Vladius has permanently marked your being and exposed you to the darker side of the world. Underground sources like cults and such will likely recognize your scars and eyes as signs of experience with dark magic. They may target you for information or even induction into their circles. As such, if you can get into that mindset, you might be able to utilize what resources they hold for your own gain. But beware that you remain only an opportunity for them and nothing more.

Suggested Characteristics

While you have come out alive from Vladius' basement, you arose a changed elf. Being exposed to such savage cruelty may have tainted your former worldview and changed it for better or worse.

d8	Personality Trait
1	I hate to be around people, and I vehemently make this clear.
2	I like to tell everyone of my plight so they pity me.
3	I don't like to talk, always seemingly never listening, but always watching.
4	I find myself often apologizing profusely even if I am not at fault.
5	I get angry out of turn for no reason sometimes.
6	My face is in a constant glare I no longer can change.
7	I love material pleasures and indulging in them.
8	I only do things if there is something in it for me.

d6	Ideal
1	Hedon. I want only the pleasure of my senses. Everything else is pointless. (Chaotic)
2	Virtue. Despite what happened to me, I will grow from it and help others so they do not fall fate to the same. (Good)
3	Blood. I'm no better than a crazed monster, so I'll act and kill like one. (Evil)
4	Cure. This is not who I am. I need to find a way to reverse it. (Lawful)
5	Fate. Maybe this is what was meant to happen to me. But for what purpose? I want to know... (Neutral)
6	Future. I am no longer who I once was. I will forge a new identity and future for myself. (Any)

d6	Bond
1	I want to return to my family and resume life as it was!
2	I want to be free of these horrors my ancestor went through.
3	I hate vampires and undead and I will kill them on sight.
4	I lost my faith through this ordeal and now scorn those of faith too.
5	I blame everyone and everything for my misfortune.
6	There are a few people who I can trust as they haven't turned me away.

d6	Flaw
1	I am unable to focus on anything for long periods of time.
2	I hate to do anything I'm told.
3	I care more for material possessions than my own safety.
4	I don't play nice. I do dirty. Anything it takes to win.
5	I have no self control over my wants for indulgence.
6	I will lash out at even friends when I am mad.

5.00

(one vote)

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