Bloodhunter (5e Race)
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This page is incomplete and/or lacking flavor. Reason: A race page is almost never complete when first created. For guidance, see the 5e Race Design Guide.
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Bloodhunter[edit]
Bloodhunter is meant as an addon race to be layered on top of the initial race from birth. Use of Bloodhunter will cause you to lose previous race features except for languages in place of Bloodhunter Race features.
Physical Description[edit]
Bloodhunters are a diverse group of warriors, bound by a sacred yet gruesome pact that grants them enhanced strength, resilience, and supernatural abilities. Due to the nature of their trials, most Bloodhunters bear numerous scars, some ritualistic and others earned in battle. Their bodies are marked with crimson tattoos or runic carvings, glowing faintly when they call upon their abilities. Prolonged exposure to the Blood Pact alters their physiology—giving them unnaturally sharp eyes, heightened reflexes, and a predatory aura that sets them apart from normal warriors.
Their attire is practical yet menacing, often composed of dark, reinforced leather and segmented armor, allowing them both agility and protection. Many wear long, tattered cloaks or coats that conceal their weapons. Some Bloodhunters integrate trophies from their hunts—fangs, claws, or bones of slain creatures—into their armor, signifying their experience and victories.
History[edit]
The Bloodhunters trace their origins back to an ancient warrior order that sought to combat the ever-growing threat of monsters, dark sorcery, and supernatural horrors. However, facing insurmountable odds, they turned to a forbidden ritual known as the Crimson Oath—a blood-binding pact that enhanced their bodies beyond human limitations at the cost of their humanity.
Throughout history, the Bloodhunters have been both revered and feared. Some kingdoms and noble houses hired them to eliminate monstrous threats, while others sought to eradicate them, believing their blood rituals to be heretical and dangerous. Over time, the Bloodhunters became nomadic, forming tightly-knit guilds that operated in secrecy, only revealing themselves when duty called.
The most infamous of these guilds is the Bloodhunters’ Guild, where only the strongest and most determined survive its brutal initiation. Those who fail the trials either perish or are driven insane by the corruption within their veins. Among its ranks are warriors, former knights, mercenaries, and outcasts who have sworn loyalty to the Guild above all else.
Society[edit]
Bloodhunters live by a strict code of survival, discipline, and brotherhood. They believe that their power is both a gift and a curse, one that requires unwavering resolve to control. Their ranks are structured into three main groups:
- Fledglings – New recruits who have undergone the initial Blood Pact. They are still learning to harness their abilities while enduring grueling training.
- Crimson Blades – Full-fledged Bloodhunters who have completed their first major hunt. These warriors form the backbone of the guild, undertaking contracts and missions.
- Elders/Bloodlords – Veteran Bloodhunters who have mastered the Crimson Oath. They oversee the guild’s operations, enforce its laws, and guide younger members.
Despite their strength, Bloodhunters face constant struggles. The power of the Crimson Oath comes at a cost—many succumb to Bloodrage, a condition where their bodies crave violence, leading to uncontrollable frenzies. Others begin to lose their sense of self, their minds deteriorating as the blood magic warps them. To combat this, Bloodhunters rely on meditation, discipline, and rituals to maintain their sanity.
Though they work in secrecy, some Bloodhunters form uneasy alliances with kingdoms, offering their services in exchange for resources. However, most of society views them with suspicion, fearing their blood-forged abilities and the monstrous nature of their existence.
To be a Bloodhunter is to walk the edge of darkness, fighting not only external threats but also the beast within.
Bloodhunter Traits[edit]
Bloodhunters are feared warriors bound by the Crimson Oath, gaining supernatural strength to hunt monsters and dark forces while battling the relentless curse of their own blood magic.
Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 2 and choose either Strength or Dexterity score to increase by 1.
Age. Bloodhunters mature at the same rate as humans but can live up to an unknown number of years.
Alignment. Bloodhunters tend to live a life of Chaotic Evil alignment
Size. Bloodhunters vary widely in height and build, from barely 5 feet to well over 6 feet tall. Your size is Medium.
Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
Blood Manipulation. You can manipulate your blood as a weapon. When you take damage that reduces your hit points, you can use a bonus action to empower your next attack or ability. The damage type of the empowered attack becomes necrotic, and it deals additional damage equal to your proficiency bonus.
You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1). You regain all uses after a long rest.
Crimson Resilience. You can draw upon your life force to cast spells. You know the Chill Touch cantrip. Starting at 3rd level, you can cast hex once per day without expending a spell slot. At 5th level, you can cast Vampiric Touch once per day. Constitution is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Hemocraft (Blood Magic).
Sanguine Fury. When you are reduced to half your hit points or less, your attacks become more savage. Once per turn, you can add an extra 1d6 damage to a weapon attack you make. This increases to 2d6 at level 10.
Ritual Vulnerability. The Bloodhunter’s power comes at a cost. When you are targeted by divination spells or abilities, you cannot hide your location or true nature unless you are on another plane of existence. Creatures can sense your presence within 120 feet if they concentrate on your blood magic for 1 minute.
Bloodsense. (Level 15 Feature)
Your attunement to the flow of blood grants you the ability to sense and track living creatures with unparalleled precision. This heightened sense enables you to locate specific individuals or creatures by their unique blood flow.
- Locate Individual: As an action, you can focus on the memory of a creature you have encountered within the last month. For the next hour, you gain the ability to sense that creature's blood flow if it is within 1 mile of you. This sense bypasses barriers, such as walls or magical illusions, unless the creature is under the effects of nondetection or similar magic.
- Blood Flow Awareness: You can detect all creatures with blood within 60 feet of you. You are aware of their general location, even if they are invisible or behind total cover, provided they are not protected by magic that blocks divination.
- Hindered Stealth: Creatures with blood cannot benefit from bonuses to stealth checks to hide from you unless they are protected by magic.
Once you use the Locate Individual feature, you cannot do so again until you complete a long rest.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common.
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