Unveiling the Secrets of the Blood Hunter: A Comprehensive Guide
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A Blood Hunter is a unique and versatile class in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition (though often considered homebrew), characterized by their mastery of hemocraft magic and their relentless pursuit of monstrous threats. They sacrifice their own vitality to augment their combat prowess, empower their weapons, and inflict debilitating curses upon their foes. Blood Hunters are monster hunters who use a dark, sacrificial magic to fight fire with fire. They enhance their weapons with elemental power, curse their enemies using their own blood, and even gain limited spellcasting. They are a potent blend of martial prowess and arcane manipulation, making them formidable adversaries against the creatures of the night.
The Core Abilities of a Blood Hunter
A Blood Hunter’s capabilities stem from a combination of martial skill and hemocraft magic. Here’s a breakdown of their key abilities:
- Crimson Rite: This is the Blood Hunter’s signature ability. By sacrificing a portion of their health, they imbue their weapon with elemental energy like fire, cold, or lightning. This adds extra damage to each successful attack, making them deadly in combat. The type of Rite they can use depends on their Blood Hunter Order.
- Blood Curses: These are debilitating curses that the Blood Hunter can inflict on their enemies. These curses can blind, weaken, or otherwise hinder their targets. They can even amplify a blood curse by sacrificing more of their own health, making the effects even more potent. Each order gets a unique list of blood curses.
- Hunter’s Bane: The ritual that turns someone into a Blood Hunter, imbuing them with hemocraft. This ritual changes their life’s blood and grants them control over hemocraft magic. All blood hunters who survive imbibing the Hunter’s Bane have red eyes, an effect of the unholy magics involved on the body.
- Fighting Style: Early on, Blood Hunters choose a fighting style such as Archery, Dueling, or Great Weapon Fighting, enhancing their combat effectiveness.
- Extra Attack: At 5th level, Blood Hunters gain the ability to attack twice whenever they take the Attack action, increasing their damage output.
- Grim Psychometry: Some orders gain the ability to touch an object and learn details of the creature it was taken from or last used by.
- Brand of Castigation/Sacrifice: Some orders also gain the ability to brand a creature, either dealing damage when the creature attacks someone other than the blood hunter, or when the creature is healed.
Choosing a Blood Hunter Order
A Blood Hunter’s specialization comes from choosing a specific Order at 3rd level, each granting unique abilities and flavor:
- Order of the Ghostslayer: Focuses on combating undead and spirits, gaining abilities to turn undead and manipulate ethereal energy.
- Order of the Lycan: Embraces the power of lycanthropy, allowing the Blood Hunter to transform into a hybrid werewolf form, gaining enhanced strength and senses. This can be a dangerous path, as the Blood Hunter must maintain control over their beastly instincts.
- Order of the Mutant: Experiments with alchemical mutagens to enhance their physical and mental abilities, but at a cost. They gain temporary boosts but suffer debilitating side effects.
- Order of the Profane Soul: Makes a pact with an otherworldly entity, gaining access to Warlock spells and abilities. This Order offers versatility and magical options alongside martial prowess.
- Order of the Order of the Blood Domain: Dedicated to eradicating aberrations and those tainted by their influence, this order bolsters blood rite damage against aberrations, and gains access to various rites earlier than other orders.
Making the Most of Your Blood Hunter
- Prioritize Dexterity and/or Strength, Constitution, and Intelligence: A high Dexterity (for finesse weapons and armor class) or Strength (for melee weapons) is essential for hitting targets. Constitution is critical to help you survive the constant blood sacrifices required to use your abilities. Intelligence is important for your blood curses.
- Choose a Blood Hunter Order that suits your playstyle. Experiment and choose the right subclass for your character.
- Consider multiclassing: Ranger synergizes well, especially for stacking Hunter’s Mark with Crimson Rite. A level of fighter can give you a fighting style and second wind.
- Be aware of your limitations. Blood Hunters are not the sturdiest class, so be mindful of your health and use tactics to avoid unnecessary damage.
Blood Hunters are complex and compelling characters. Mastering their abilities requires careful planning and a willingness to embrace the darkness within.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What races are best for a Blood Hunter?
While any race can be a Blood Hunter, certain races offer advantages. Variant Human is a solid choice for the bonus feat, while Hill Dwarves provide extra hit points to offset the self-inflicted damage. Wood Elves offer increased speed and Dexterity. Stout Halflings provide lucky, halving any damage rolls on a 1, and Half-Orcs offer a boost to Strength and survivability.
2. What is the best feat for a Blood Hunter?
Tough is an excellent feat, providing additional hit points to compensate for the health lost using Crimson Rite and Blood Curses. Crossbow Expert (for ranged Blood Hunters) and Great Weapon Master/Sharpshooter (depending on weapon choice) can also significantly increase damage output.
3. Can Blood Hunters cast spells?
The Order of the Profane Soul subclass grants access to Warlock spells, using Intelligence as their spellcasting ability. At third level, they learn two cantrips from the Warlock spell list and two first-level Warlock spells. Another DnD cantrip is unlocked at tenth-level, and you learn more 5e spells at seventh, ninth, 11th, 13th, 15th, 17th, and 19th level.
4. Can Blood Hunters heal?
The Order of the Profane Soul Blood Hunter can access healing spells through their Pact Magic feature, similar to the warlock class. With access to an ability equivalent to Healing Word, Lesser Restoration, and even Revivify, the Profane Soul Blood Hunter can cover nearly every healing base a player would want while maintaining the ability to dish out serious damage.
5. What weapon should a Blood Hunter use?
This depends on your build. Finesse weapons like rapiers are good for Dexterity-based Blood Hunters. Heavy weapons like greatswords work for Strength-based builds. Ranged blood hunters can make good use of Crossbow Expert. Crimson Rite boosts every one of a character’s attacks. Making a third crossbow shot as a bonus action maximizes this potential increase.
6. Is Blood Hunter legal in D&D?
Blood Hunter is considered unofficial content created by Matt Mercer. Whether or not you can play a blood hunter depends entirely on your Dungeon Master (DM). They have the final say on what content is allowed in their campaign.
7. Are Blood Hunters evil?
Not necessarily. While the class deals with dark magic and self-sacrifice, most Blood Hunters pursue good or neutral goals. However, some may fall to the dark side, using their abilities for selfish or malevolent purposes.
8. Where do Blood Hunters get their powers?
Their powers come from the Hunter’s Bane ritual, which alters their life’s blood and grants them control over hemocraft magic. This ritual is a dangerous process that not all who undergo it survive.
9. What is the most important stat for a Blood Hunter?
Dexterity or Strength should be prioritized for attack rolls, and Constitution is vital to withstand the self-inflicted damage. Intelligence affects the potency of blood curses.
10. Do Blood Hunters have red eyes?
Yes, all Blood Hunters who survive the Hunter’s Bane ritual develop red eyes as a result of the unholy magic involved.
11. What armor is best for a Blood Hunter?
Blood Hunters are proficient with medium armor, allowing them to balance protection and Dexterity. A breastplate or half plate offers good protection while allowing for some Dexterity bonus.
12. Are Blood Hunters underpowered or overpowered?
The Blood Hunter is generally considered well-balanced. It requires careful management of resources and a strategic approach to combat. Depending on how you play it, it can be underpowered or overpowered.
13. Can Blood Hunters use shields?
Yes, Blood Hunters are proficient with shields. A shield can further increase their Armor Class (AC), making them more resilient in combat.
14. Can Blood Hunters tank?
While they can be built to be somewhat tanky, Blood Hunters are primarily damage dealers. Their reliance on self-inflicted damage makes them less suited to be pure tanks.
15. Is Blood Hunter a homebrew?
Yes, Blood Hunter is considered homebrew content created by Matt Mercer, though it is widely popular and available on D&D Beyond.
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