Blood Magus
Class Description
Born of rare enlightenment or secret knowledge, blood magi are mages who practice the art of fueling spells with the essence of life, blood. Some are formerly deceased spellcasters who, when returned to life, gained a transcendant understanding of their blood's importance and learned to evoke magic from this vital fluid. These mages, often sorcerers or bards, speak of the renewed pulse of blood in their veins as song - the blood music, the sound of their life, warm and thick, energizing every particle of their form, flushing death and leaving life in its place.
Others, usually wizards, are tainted scholars schooled in forbidden secrets paid for at the cost of their own souls. They who looked too greedily into forbidden lore, who blasted their mind with corrupting influence from beyond mortal ability to understand. Such blood magi have scoured the Book of Vile Darkness and Kazerabet's Art of Necromancy and read deeply the writings of Xinnizer of Netheril and Khuzon Delvind Dachar of Mulhorand. Ill content with their already formidable power, these dark mages delve ever more into lost tombs and ancient libraries in search of arcane mysteries and incomprehensible secrets, and beseech gods of blood and death like Bhaal and Set for ever greater knowledge and power.
No matter the path a blood magus took to this power, a powerful blood magus is a force to be reckoned with, for they understand the deep mystical connections that exist between all life. Blood has always been indelibly linked to the supernatural. It represents fertility, strength, bonds of family and fellowship, and life, and the giving up of blood, whether voluntary or not, is a sacrifice of great potency. This magic is not necessarily evil, but it is taboo in many cultures, and even good-aligned blood magi are usually greeted with nervousness, dislike, or outright disgust. The use of blood in spellcasting is abhorrent to most, and the champions of good are natural enemies of the practice.
Blood Magic may not be performed in presence of NPC without DM oversight.
Requirements
Race: Any
Alignment: Any but Lawful Good
Skills: Concentration 4
Feats: Toughness
Spellcasting: Arcane caster level 5th.
Special: The character must have been killed and then returned to life, or have moderate or greater depravity.
Class Features
Hit Die: d6
Base Attack Bonus: Low
High Saves: Fortitude
Weapon Proficiencies: none
Armor Proficiencies: none
Skill Points: 2 + Int modifier
Class Skills: Bluff, Concentration, Disguise, Heal, Lore: Arcana, Lore: Local, Lore: The Planes, Spellcraft.
Spells per Day/Spells Known: At each level except 5th and 10th, a blood magus gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he had also gained a level in an arcane spellcasting class to which he belonged before adding the prestige class level. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained (such as the bonus feat sometimes gained by a wizard). If he had more than one arcane spellcasting class before becoming a blood magus, he must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day and spells known.
Class Progression
| Level | Features Gained |
|---|---|
| 1 | Blood Component, Stanch, Skill Focus (Concentration) |
| 2 | Scarification |
| 3 | Death Knell |
| 4 | Blood Draught |
| 5 | |
| 6 | Blood Seeking Spell |
| 7 | Thicker Than Water |
| 8 | Awaken Blood |
| 9 | Infusion (+2 Constitution) |
| 10 | Bloodwalk |
Blood Component
A blood magus can substitute a drop of his own blood for a spell's material components, if any, and in so doing increase the spell's power. The pinprick or minor knife cut to draw the requisite blood is a free action (just like using material components) that becomes a normal part of casting the spell. Using this ability deals 1 point of damage to the blood magus but raises the spell's caster level by 1. Damage reduction, if the character has any, doesn't apply to this damage. If a spell has a costly material component (greater than 1 gp), the component must still be provided. If a spell has no material component, a blood magus can still use this ability to enhance a spell if he desires. This pinprick and lack of usage of material components is noticeable by other characters or NPCs. Characters can attempt to veil the pinprick, for example by using gloves, sleight of hand, bluff, a usage of spells without somatic components (including still metamagic) or a combination.
Stanch
A blood magus automatically becomes stable when his hit points drop below 0. He still dies if he reaches -10 hit points or lower.
Scarification
Beginning at 2nd level, a blood magus can inscribe spells on his own skin for later use. This process involves deeply scratching the skin (which deals no damage but often leaves scars). Effectively, a blood magus gains the Scribe Scroll feat using an alternative medium. All rules that apply to Scribe Scroll also apply to this ability, except that it costs fewer gold pieces. Likewise, "reading" a scar follows the same rules as reading a scroll, but only a blood magus can decipher his own scars. One's own skin leaves a limited amount of room to easily inscribe and "read" magical scars. Thus, a blood magus can have only six of these scars at any one time. Scars store the blood magus' full caster level. The scars can be noticed by other characters, if skin is shown. The purpose of the scars to hold spells however is only known to the blood magus. As reading the scar requires tracing it, this attempt is noticeable by other characters or NPCs.
Creating a scar costs 10 gold pieces and 1 experience point, multiplied by the product of the scar's spell and caster levels. For example, a scar of Invisibility (level 2 spell) created with the minimum caster level of 3 would cost 60gp and 6XP.
Death Knell
At 3rd level and higher, a blood magus has the ability to use death knell as the spell twice per day.
Blood Draught
At 4th level, a blood magus learns how to store spells of up to 3rd level in his own blood. Effectively, he gains the Brew Potion feat using an alternative medium. All rules, XP costs, and expenses that apply to Brew Potion also apply to this ability, with the following exceptions. Once "brewed," a blood draught remains in circulation within a magus's body. The maximum number of draughts he can store at one time is equal to his blood magus level + his Con score, but if he is ever slain, they are all immediately ruined - even if he is subsequently returned to life. Blood draughts are never accidentally lost through major blood loss or by a blood-draining attack. To consume a draught, a blood magus pricks his skin, automatically bringing forth the desired effect. This is a standard action that provokes attacks of opportunity, like drinking a potion. Another individual can partake of a blood draught (if he or she has a strong stomach) by drinking 1 ounce of the blood magus's blood as a full-round action. The blood magus must have an open wound to share the effects of a blood draught with another creature; if he lacks one, the creature can inflict a wound that deals 1 point of damage to the blood magus as part of the action to consume the draught. A blood magus cannot store his blood in a container to share at a later time. The blood draught must be drawn fresh from his body, or it loses potency within 1 round. A blood draught in circulation is not noticeable by any other character without DM supervision. Similar to Blood Component, pricking the skin can be hidden. Feeding blood to another character is obvious.
Creating a blood draught costs 15 gold pieces and 2 experience point, multiplied by the product of the draught's spell and caster levels. For example, a draught of Invisibility (level 2 spell) created with the minimum caster level of 3 would cost 90gp and 12XP.
Bloodseeking Spell
Beginning at 6th level, a blood magus can imbue his spells with the ability to draw blood from their targets. To use this ability, a blood magus must inflict a wound on himself; this is a free action that deals 3 points of damage to the blood magus and becomes a normal part of casting the spell. Damage reduction, if a blood magus has any, doesn't apply to this damage. A bloodseeking spell fuels itself on the blood of its target, increasing its caster level by 2. Constructs, elementals, oozes, plants, undead, and any creatures without blood or a similar substance within their bodies are immune to this effect. As creating a bloodseeking spell requires a big, gashing wound, this usage of blood magic is noticeable by anyone.
Thicker than Water
At 7th level and higher, a blood magus's vital fluids are partially under his control. When a blood magus is injured, his blood withdraws from the wound, avoiding some damage that he would otherwise take. This ability gives the blood magus damage reduction 1/bludgeoning. As the blood magus has conscious control, they can pull back in parts of their blood in subtle ways, which are not noticeable without DM supervision. They can also decide to not pull the blood back into their body.
Awaken Blood
At 8th level and higher, a blood magus can bestow momentary consciousness on an opponent's blood. If he hits a foe with a ranged touch attack, the opponent's blood tries to get free of its confinement - all at once. The pressure disrupts the victim's tissues, dealing 10d10 points of damage and stunning the victim for one round unless they succeed at a Fortitude saving throw (DC 10 + blood magus's class level + blood magus's Constitution modifier). This ability is usable only once every 5 minutes, but a blood magus can try to use it again if his previous attempt failed. The effect is instantaneous. Constructs, elementals, oozes, plants, undead, and any creatures without blood or a similar substance within their bodies are immune to this effect. This ability is obvious and noticeable by anyone.
Infusion
Upon reaching 9th level, a blood magus prepares a special one-time distillation of his own blood. After partaking of the infusion, he gains a 2-point increase to his Constitution score.
Bloodwalk
At 10th level, a blood magus becomes perfectly attuned to the song of blood. He gains the supernatural ability to transport himself great distances via the blood of living creatures. Once per day as a standard action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity, he can seamlessly enter any living creature (except an elemental, ooze, plant, undead, or other creature without blood or a similar fluid) whose size equals or exceeds his own and pass any distance to another living creature on the same plane in a single round, regardless of the distance separating the two. A blood magus merely designates a direction and distance ("a living creature twenty miles due west of here"), and the bloodwalk ability transports him to a destination creature as close as possible to the desired location. He can't specify a named individual as the endpoint unless he has previously obtained a sample of that creature's blood and has it preserved in a vial that he carries. The entry and destination creatures need not be familiar to the blood magus. A blood magus can use himself as an entry creature. Entering and exiting a creature is painless unless a blood magus wishes otherwise. In most cases, though, the destination creature finds being the endpoint of a magical portal surprising and quite unsettling. If he desires, a blood magus can attempt to make a bloody exit from the destination creature. He bursts forth explosively from the creature's body, dealing 16d6 points of damage unless the creature makes a Fortitude save (DC 10 + blood magus's class level + blood magus's Con modifier). When he makes a bloody exit, a blood magus must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 15 + blood magus's class level + blood magus's Con modifier) or be stunned for 1 round. This ability is obvious and noticeable by anyone.