Path of Blood, Variant (5e Subclass)
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Path of Blood[edit]
Barbarian Subclass Prerequisite: a race that has blood
No substance symbolizes the forces of Life and Death quite like blood. Barbarians of this Primal Path dedicate their lives to studying and mastering the different aspects blood for use both in and out of combat. Their practices are effective, though not for the feint of heart. Even seasoned warriors and vicious killers often recoil at the sheer volume of blood and viscera that these barbarians seem to generate wherever they go. This primal path, while previously viewed as extremely taboo, has been gradually growing in popularity over the past 50 years after the mandate of daily and post-battle bathing, although this has also earned them the moniker of "river-stainers", from their tendency to turn downstream water vermilion.
- Phlebotomy
Starting at 3rd level when you choose this path, you learn the art of bloodletting, granting you proficiency in the Medicine skill, if you do not already have it.
- Blood-soaked Blade
Also at 3rd level, you learn to enhance your attacks by sacrificing your own life force.
As you enter a rage, you can choose to give yourself a small cut, mystically transmuting your fresh blood into a viscous, caustic fluid as you smear it onto a weapon you are wielding. Doing so deals you a number of hit points of your choosing of slashing damage (minimum 1). This damage ignores any weaknesses, resistances, immunities, and temporary hit points you might have. The maximum number of hit points you can sacrifice this way is equal to your barbarian level divided by 3, plus 1. The next time you hit a creature with that weapon before your rage ends, the target creature takes additional acid damage, equaling 1d8 + twice the number of hit points you sacrificed. Once damage is dealt this way, the effect is lost. You may reactivate this ability at any time while raging as a Bonus Action, sacrificing a number of hit points of your choosing each time.
- Crimson Bounty
Starting at 6th level, when you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points, you gain temporary hit points equal to your Constitution modifier + your barbarian level (minimum of 1).
- Sanguine Infusion
At 10th level, you learn to mystically heal your allies using your own latent vitality. You have a pool of d12s that you spend to fuel this healing. The number of dice in the pool equals half your barbarian level.
As an action, you can touch a creature other than yourself and expend one die from the pool. That creature regains hit points equal to the number rolled. Alternatively, you can expend a die from the pool to cure the target of one disease or neutralize one poison affecting it.
Your pool regains all expended dice when you finish a long rest.
This feature has no effect on undead and constructs.
- Hypertension
Starting at 14th level, your mastery of your blood allows you to effortlessly transmute it the moment you're injured. When a creature within 5 feet of you hits you with a melee attack, the attacker takes 3 acid damage if you are raging, aren't incapacitated.
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