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View Full Version : Magic from Blood, and Blood from Magic...[3.5, Another PRC Redux]



TheGeckoKing
2011-10-24, 11:04 AM
I seem to be having a fixing binge for whatever reason. This one is the latest after much procrastination. This one has been gutted out and had its class features replaced with stuff I think is more "Blood Mage"-y. Kept the name though. The name is cool.

Blood Magus

http://i636.photobucket.com/albums/uu89/Gecko-King/The_Blood_Mage_by_Zatransis-1.jpg?t=1319465312
[Picture Source (http://browse.deviantart.com/?q=blood%20mage&order=9&offset=96#/du1l8f)]

The only thing evil about Blood Magic is how much of a pain it is to wash blood out of your robes - Andrew Miller, Blood Magus

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Race: Must have blood, or an internal fluid with a similar function.
Skills: Concentration 4 Ranks, Heal 4 Ranks
Feats: Any one metamagic feat
Spellcasting: Must be able to cast 3rd level arcane spells
Special: Must of had a near-death experience at least once in their life.

Class Skills
The blood magus’s class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Bluff (Cha), Concentration (Con), Craft (Int), Heal (Wis), and Spellcraft (Int).
Skills Points at Each Level: 2 + int

Hit Dice: d6

The Blood Magus
{table=head]Level|BaB|Fort|Ref|Will|Special|Spells

1st|
+0|
+2|
+0|
+2|Blood Well, Blood Component|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

2nd|
+1|
+3|
+0|
+3|Durable Casting, Stanch|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

3rd|
+1|
+3|
+1|
+3|Bloodseeking Spell|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

4th|
+2|
+4|
+1|
+4|Homunculus Familiar|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

5th|
+2|
+4|
+1|
+4|Bloody Metamagic|
---

6th|
+3|
+5|
+2|
+5|Thicker than Water|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

7th|
+3|
+5|
+2|
+5|Infusion|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

8th|
+4|
+6|
+2|
+6|Summon Blood Elemental|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

9th|
+4|
+6|
+3|
+6|From Blood to Power|+1 level of existing spellcasting class

10th|
+5|
+6|
+3|
+7|Bloodwalker|+1 level of existing spellcasting class [/table]

Blood Points Per Level
{table="head"]Level|Blood Points
1st|3
2nd|5
3rd|7
4th|9
5th|11
6th|13
7th|15
8th|17
9th|19
10th|21
[/table]

Class Features

Proficiencies: A Blood Magus gains no new proficiencies.

Spells per Day/Spells Known: When a new Blood Magus level is gained except 5th level, the character gains new spells per day (and spells known, if applicable) as if he had also gained a level in whatever arcane spellcasting class the Blood Magus has that can cast 3rd level arcane spells. He does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If a character had more than one arcane spellcasting class that can cast 3rd level arcane spells, he must decide to which class he adds each level of Blood Magus for the purpose of determining spells per day.

Blood Well (Ex): At 1st level, the Blood Magus gains the ability to collect up reserves of his own blood for further use in his mystical powers. The Blood Magus gains a number of Blood Points (see table above), which can be used for a variety of the Blood Magus' class skills (see below). Additionally, instead of spending a Blood Point(s), a Blood Magus can take 1 point of Con Burn for every 2 Blood Points otherwise spent for the same effect. Spending a Blood Point(s) is a free action unless otherwise stated. Lastly, these Blood Points refresh after 8 hours of calm rest, akin to the rest a spellcaster needs to regain spells. Upon becoming a Blood Magus, the Blood Magus seems to bleed cups full of blood at the slightest nick or gash (this has no effect game-wise).

Blood Component (Su): At 1st level, when the Blood Magus casts a spell, the Blood Magus may spend 1 Blood Point (normally biting their finger as part of the somatic component) to increase the caster level of the spell by +1. This ability is activated as part of the action to cast the spell. At 5th level, this caster level increase becomes +2 instead.

Durable Casting (Ex): At 2nd level, when the Blood Magus would be forced to make a Concentration check while casting a spell because of damage, the the Blood Magus may spend a Blood Point as an immediate action to gain a +20 Circumstance bonus on that particular Concentration roll.

Stanch (Ex): At 2nd level, the Blood Magus may spend 1 Blood Point to gain Fast Healing equal to their Blood Magus levels for two rounds. This ability does not stack with itself, but does with any other source of Fast Healing. At 5th level, this ability grants double the amount of Fast Healing it normally would.

Bloodseeking Spell (Su): At 3rd level, when the Blood Magus casts a spell that would inflict damage, they may spend 1 Blood Point to add two extra dice of damage, ignoring any damage caps. For example, a Fireball cast by Wizard 5/Blood Magus 3 with this ability would deal 10d6 damage instead of 8d6 damage. At 6th level, the Blood Magus may instead spend as many Blood Points as they like up to a maximum of 1/2 their Blood Magus levels, adding two dice worth of damage for each Blood Point spent.

Homunculus Familiar (Ex): At 4th level, the Blood Magus gains a Homunculus (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/homunculus.htm). The Blood Magus does not need to go through the normal costs and processes that other mages go though when gaining a Homunculus familiar. The Blood Magus determines the Homunculus' benefits of being a familiar as a Wizard equal to the Blood Magus's spellcaster level, and the Homunculus has a number of Hit Dice equal to it's master (gaining all benefits of these additional HD). This ability does not replace the Blood Magus' previous familiar(s), although their abilities are calculated separately.

Bloody Metamagic (Su): At 5th level, when a Blood Magus would cast a spell, they may add the effects of any metamagic feat they have by spending two Blood Points for every spell level the metamagic feat would otherwise increase the spell level by. This ability does not increase the spell's actual level or the spell's casting time. This ability can only be used to add the effects of one metamagic feat to the chosen spell.

Thicker than Water (Ex): At 6th level, the Blood Magus becomes a patchwork of scars. Even if they have been using magic or medicine to prevent the inevitable scarring, the blood reserves in their body have had a lasting effect on the Blood Magus' body. The Blood Magus gains DR 10/Bludgeoning.

Infusion (Ex): At 7th level, holding reserves of blood in their body has toughened them beyond a normal specimen of their race. At 7th level the Blood Magus gains a one time +2 untyped increase to their Constitution score.

Summon Blood Elemental (Su): At 8th level, the Blood Magus can rip blood from corpses and animate it as a puppet to their will. When a Blood Magus kills a creature that has blood (or a similar bodily fluid) with one of their spells, as an immediate action costing 4 Blood Points they may detonate the corpse (destroying it utterly) and animate two Blood Elementals (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20030208a) adjacent to the dead creature's square. The summoning functions like a Summon Blood Elemental spell cast by the Blood Magus, only that the Blood Magus can communicate telepathically with the Blood Elementals out 1000ft and the Blood Magus can dismiss the Blood Elementals separately or jointly, reducing either one/both of them to a puddle of blood.

From Blood to Power (Su): At 9th level, the Blood Magus can ingest the blood of other creatures to fuel his own power. A number of times per day equal to 1/2 his Con Modifier, the Blood Magus may spend a full round action over a dead creature with blood still in its body drinking the dead creature's blood. If they do, they gain a number of Blood Points equal to the dead creature's old Con Modifier, up to 1/2 the maximum Blood Points of the Blood Magus' level.

Bloodwalker (Su): At 10th level, as a Move Action costing 4 Blood Points, if the Blood Magus is adjacent to a living creature with blood or a similar fluid they may teleport to any chosen location within the same plane of existance, appearing adjacent to the living creature with blood/similar fluid closest to the chosen location. The Blood Magus can be as vague as they wish when determining the location, but they must designate a set distance to travel. At the Blood Magus' option, immediately after using this ability the Blood Magus can induce a bloody explosion in either/both creature(s) involved in this ability. This deals 10d6 damage to the creature(s), with a Fortitude Save for half damage. The Save DC is 10 + Blood Magus levels + Cha Modifier.

Cieyrin
2011-10-25, 10:20 AM
Interesting take on the Blood Magus, though I think it needs some tweaking. For one, unlike the original's coming back from the dead, what exactly is a 'near-death experience'? Do you have to be knocked into negatives? Do you have to be at -9 and stable? Seems like something that can be fixed with a bleed effect like Arterial Strike or some such.

Stanch and Bloodseeking Spell are a bit expensive for what they do, I think. Costing 1 blood point should be adequate. Also, Bloodseeking Spell is misleading, as it says you get 2 extra dice of damage, yet the example only boosts it 1 dice. Why would I use that when I could just use Blood Component and have the same effect? I'd also remove the cap or at least let the bonus damage bypass the cap. I'd also allow you to the option to spend more blood points on both abilities, capped at half your class level, for extra effect. So if I spend 2 points as 4th level Blood Magus, I can get Fast Healing 4 or add 4 dice, etc.

Summon Blood Elemental is really weak for when you get it. A CR 6 from a corpse at ECL 14? Please. I'd heavily recommend basing it off of Extract Water Elemental and homebrew the Blood Elemental to have sizes so that bigger creatures produce more powerful Blood Elementals.

Blood Walker is really expensive for what it does. It's a Greater Teleport with the option to hurt people, I'd curb it back to a 4 point cost.

A final note on Blood Well, I'd recommend making the Con damage for after you run out of Blood points into Con Burn, not Con Damage, as you'll be running into the same situation as Hellfire Warlocks have in getting around ability damage costs. Spending your lifeblood to power your magic should not be so easily overcome.

Otherwise, it looks really good, especially the ability to replenish the Blood Well. Needs some refinement and polish but it's well on its way to being better than what it was.

TheGeckoKing
2011-10-25, 10:38 AM
Interesting take on the Blood Magus, though I think it needs some tweaking. For one, unlike the original's coming back from the dead, what exactly is a 'near-death experience'? Do you have to be knocked into negatives? Do you have to be at -9 and stable? Seems like something that can be fixed with a bleed effect like Arterial Strike or some such.

It was purposefully vague. Just some fluffy thing you can put into your backstory as to why you chose Blood Magic, rather the the previous "U gotta loose a lvl lol" rubbish.


Stanch and Bloodseeking Spell are a bit expensive for what they do, I think. Costing 1 blood point should be adequate. Also, Bloodseeking Spell is misleading, as it says you get 2 extra dice of damage, yet the example only boosts it 1 dice. Why would I use that when I could just use Blood Component and have the same effect? I'd also remove the cap or at least let the bonus damage bypass the cap. I'd also allow you to the option to spend more blood points on both abilities, capped at half your class level, for extra effect. So if I spend 2 points as 4th level Blood Magus, I can get Fast Healing 4 or add 4 dice, etc.

I'm not exactly sure what you're saying, but I am getting "Buff it!" vibes, so I'll get to that.


Summon Blood Elemental is really weak for when you get it. A CR 6 from a corpse at ECL 14? Please. I'd heavily recommend basing it off of Extract Water Elemental and homebrew the Blood Elemental to have sizes so that bigger creatures produce more powerful Blood Elementals.

Eh. It can summon two instead of one then.


Blood Walker is really expensive for what it does. It's a Greater Teleport with the option to hurt people, I'd curb it back to a 4 point cost.

Gotcha.


A final note on Blood Well, I'd recommend making the Con damage for after you run out of Blood points into Con Burn, not Con Damage, as you'll be running into the same situation as Hellfire Warlocks have in getting around ability damage costs. Spending your lifeblood to power your magic should not be so easily overcome.

Problem is, Con Burn is a bit too annoying to get rid of. I'll have to adjust the costs.


Otherwise, it looks really good, especially the ability to replenish the Blood Well. Needs some refinement and polish but it's well on its way to being better than what it was.

Gotcha. :smallsmile: