Most of the materials associated with the Dungeons & Dragons franchise are public domain, which means players and fans are free to use the materials to create their own unique settings, characters, and adventures. That’s when classes like the fearsome and deeply compelling Blood Hunter emerge from the pages of some ambitious homebrew.
This is not an official D&D class, which means it’s not endorsed by the Wizards of the Coast. It has its roots in Critical Role, not the Player’s Handbook, and it’s a class that delves into dark and forbidden magic. Only players with some experience should take on a Blood Hunter, and even then only with the guidance and blessing of your DM.
Updated December 8, 2021 by Kristy Ambrose: Homebrew creations have been a thing since the first tabletop RPG game, and the current variety of D&D-related resource materials means the practice is thriving now more than ever. Blood hunter guides for 5e are showing up more often as players and Dungeon Masters get to know this D&D homebrew class. They blend magic with combat, a popular combination in role-playing games when it’s time for a Blood Hunter multi- or dual-class. Players like Blood Hunters because of their compelling lore along with their exciting if gruesome abilities connected to the power and magic of Hemocraft.
14 What Is A Blood Hunter?
A Blood Hunter is a spell caster and a fighter, with armor proficiencies similar to Thieves and the ability to cast spells. Their school of magic is called Hemocraft, and it’s related to blood, hence the name of the class.
As for the Hunter part, this is a class that has dedicated their entire life to fighting a certain type of monster. This can range from a wider array of creatures like the undead to specific enemies like vampires. Exactly what they fight and where they gained their powers depends on their past history.
13 The Origins Of Hemomacy
Although the Blood Hunter’s power relies on Intelligence, Hemomacy began as an intuitive type of magic. Humans living in the dangerous jungles of Chult discovered and developed this power out of a need for survival as opposed to something that an archmage concocted in a lab.
Blood Hunters were responsible for protecting the fledgling human settlements from the merciless jungle surrounding them. Even though the art was widely taught, even then it was a dark and profane knowledge that was kept quiet in the shadows.
12 The History Of The Bloodhunter
Mezro was the city where most of the Blood Hunter recruiting and training took place, and this is also where the Four Orders originated. These are the Bood Hunter subclasses, and they were developed to make the Blood Hunters more efficient protectors, seekers, and killers.
Naturally, other warriors and leaders came to Chult and Mezro seeking out the Blood Hunters and their secrets. Foreigners were welcome in the Orders, and many of them returned to their homelands to pass the knowledge on to their own countryfolk.
11 Racial Choices For Blood Hunters
A Blood Hunter build needs a high score in both Dexterity and Intelligence, and there are a few races that either fit that bill or can be fitted with some proficiency scores that can be. Strength and Constitution are also important, as this is primarily a martial class.
10 Create A Unique Backstory
The path of the Blood Hunter is a dark one, fraught with tragedy and sacrifice, and those characters who are driven to walk it have made a deeply personal choice. This can also depend on the module you’re using as well, so make sure you ask your DM for guidance.
Their class is often driven by a secret obsession, perhaps a thirst for vengeance or lust for power. Their determination might be connected to what drove them to be Blood Hunters in the first place or revealed to them through the Hunter’s Bane.
9 What Is The Hunter’s Bane?
Every Blood Hunter has to endure and survive a brutal initiation ritual when they first choose their class. The details of this ritual are determined by the Blood Hunter Order that administers them. Some are a secret, while others are obvious, even part of the Order’s public image.
The Order of Lycan is one example. Their Hunter’s Bane consists of a senior member deliberately infecting the hopeful member with lycanthropy, a prerequisite to joining the order. Should the acolyte survive, they’ll learn how to control their affliction and use it to their advantage.
8 The Crimson Rite
One of the unique powers of the Blood Hunter class is the Crimson Rite, a ritual the class uses to imbue their weapon with extra power at the expense of their own vitality. That means the character temporarily loses a few hit points as long as the Rite lasts. The Rites are various abilities granted to the Blood Hunter at certain levels. The Crimson Rite, for example, is granted at level 2 and allows the player to invoke the rite of Hemocraft within their weapon.
These extra powers are either Primal Rites or Esoteric Rites. Primal Rites give your weapon the ability to do extra fire, frost, or lightning damage. Esoteric Rites provide you with necrotic, thunder, or psychic damage.
7 Understanding Blood Curses
Blood Curses are the spells from the school of Hemocraft or the magic of blood. They are difficult to cast, use dark and malevolent forces, and take a heavy toll on the caster. Blood Hunters only know one Blood Curse until level 6, when they can learn a second. These are comparable to the Crimson Rite as one of the abilities unique to the Blood Hunter class that costs vitality in exchange for a powerful combat buff.
6 Make Wise Skill Choices
There are several Skills available to customize the Blood Hunter build, but they can only choose three. Some of these choices are easier than others. The class already has a Survival bonus, for example, which is connected to their heightened sense of Wisdom. Any Skills that give you an advantage when it comes to weapon proficiency, like Athletics, would also be ideal.
5 The Blood Hunter Orders
The type of Hunter’s Bane Rite that your character has to endure depends on the Blood Hunter Order that they choose to join. Each Order takes its adherents down a different path, with some dedicated to fighting certain kinds of supernatural monsters, and others teaching a certain philosophy or lifestyle. There are only a few Orders but they are vastly different, so do your research before making this permanent choice for your Blood Hunter build.
4 Dexterity Is Your Most Important Stat
You’re a spellcaster, but you also need some serious attack power and weapon proficiency, and a successful Blood Hunter finds a way to balance these concepts. Dexterity compliments both, which is why you need a high score in this stat. As a caster, you also have a hit rating to worry about, and this is also governed by Dexterity. Considering the medium armor class. Blood Hunters also need to be able to dodge and weave in battle, abilities also governed by Dexterity.
3 Higher Intelligence Means Better Spellcasting
Blood Hunters have their own school of magic and a selection of spells, which means they also need the keen mind required to learn, memorize, and cast them. The main source of the Blood Hunter’s power is the Blood Curse, one of their distinctive class abilities, and you get your first at level 1.
The higher your Intelligence stat, the better chance your character has at being successful when casting a spell. Intelligence is one of the Blood Hunter’s saving throws so it helps to have this stat as high as possible.
2 Blood Hunters Need A High Constitution
The magic of Hemocraft takes a lot out of you, in a literal sense, and you have to possess a strong Constitution to make a successful attack along with surviving one. This isn’t one of the prerequisites needed to roll the class, as these rely on Dexterity and Intelligence instead.
You have the option of having a lower score here that you can buff up in other ways, or play a character that relies more on their fighting prowess and only uses their Blood Curse under certain circumstances.
1 Multiclass Options And The Blood Hunter Class
The path of the Blood Hunter has been compared to other classes that have a similar dark background, and these are the ideal choices when choosing a multiclass. A player that wants to RP an evil alignment can choose an “Anti-Paladin” or another homebrew-type character to add to the mix.
Sorcerers and Mages are also obvious choices, and these characters can be of any alignment, but the Warlock is usually the first class that comes to mind when thinking about classes that walk on the dark side. Players that want a more tanky Blood Hunter can think about Barbarians or Fighters along with their various subclass possibilities.
NEXT: Dungeons and Dragons: What Cleric Domain Are You Based on Your Zodiac Sign?
