PersonMan
2012-11-30, 08:01 PM
Vampires of Aurelia
Aurelia, known colloquially outside its borders as the "Land Most Vile", or Teffelland, is home to many different breeds of power-seekers who turn to magic. As a way to force one's will upon the world, it's considered by a significant portion of the population as one of the best ways to achieve the Aurelian Dream: absolute dominion over your former competition. Such a highly competitive environment has resulted in dozens of variations of even the most common magical technique as everyone, from archmages to students, looks for something to give them an edge. Much of this experimentation results in failure or, in some cases, explosive forms of the original spell, but sometimes an entirely new form of magic is created. Blood magic is one of these.
The "Vampires of Aurelia" were originally a small group that held a monopoly on blood magic, but after a mostly political scuffle between the most powerful members and the brilliant reverse engineering of some of the core principles by the now-famous Arver Rocliff blood magic has become much easier to learn. As the group collapsed, their name eventually became a general term to refer to practitioners of blood magic in Aurelia and outside of it before the name for the strange, in many ways resembling the vampires of folklore, mages that used this new power.
Designer's Note: All of the 'Vampires of Aurelia' classes work with some level of HP-based mechanics, often based on % of remaining HP or similar. If you don't like this kind of mechanic, well...I'm probably not going to remove them, so consider this as you read the class.
The Blood Mage
Prerequisites:
Skills: Concentration 8 ranks, Spellcraft 8 ranks
Spellcasting: Able to cast arcane spells of 3rd level or invocations of equivalent level
Feats: Arcane Blood (new feat, see below)
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Spellcasting
1st|
+0|
+2|
+0|
+2|Forced Donation, Blood Pool|
2nd|
+1|
+3|
+0|
+3|Tides of Blood| +1 level of existing class
3rd|
+1|
+3|
+1|
+3|Bloodied Spellcasting| +1 level of existing class
4th|
+2|
+4|
+1|
+4|Spell Healing| +1 level of existing class
5th|
+2|
+4|
+1|
+4|Crimson Reaping|
[/table]
Hit Die: d8
Skill Points per Level: 4 + Int Modifier
Class Skills: Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge (all skills, taken separately), Profession and Spellcraft
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A blood mage gains no new proficiency with weapons or armor.
Forced Donation (Su): At level 1, a blood mage can take direct control of a small portion of an enemy's blood, ripping it from them and using it to heal themselves.
As a standard action, a blood mage may use Forced Donation on a single creature with a circulatory system within 40', dealing 1d8 damage per class level and healing themselves for 2 + 4 per class level above 1st. Forced Donation is a versatile technique; against enemies without circulatory systems it can be adapted to tap directly into the positive energy in their form and can still be used as long as the target is alive.
If a blood mage would heal themselves above their maximum HP, the remainder is added to their Blood Pool, once they reach full HP.
Blood Pool (Su): A blood mage has a pool of blood gained from others, which they can use to fuel their abilities. Any time a blood mage would take damage to use an ability gained from this class, they may instead subtract the cost from their Blood Pool. Any points that are not contained in the Blood Pool are taken as damage.
For example, John the blood mage has a Blood Pool of 3 and uses Tides of Blood. Three of the four points of damage are subtracted from it, and the remaining one is taken by him as damage.
Tides of Blood (Su): At level 2, a blood mage gains a greater level of control over their blood (as well as blood appropriated from others), using it as a weapon. As a move action, a blood mage can deal 4 damage to themselves* to unleash a torret of slicing blood in all directions. All enemies within 30' (+5' per class level above 2nd) take 2d4 + the blood mage's Constitution modifier damage. A Reflex save (DC 12 + the blood mage's Constitution modifier + 1/2 their class level) halves the damage.
Each time they use Tides of Blood, a blood mage gains one Swirling Blood stack. For every Swirling Blood stack they have, the effect of any healing effect (for example, Cure Light Wounds or Fast Healing) they benefit from is increased by 25% per stack. Each stack of Swirling Blood also gives this ability an additional 1d4 points of damage, up to a maximum of 4 stacks, increasing healing effects by 100% and dealing 4d4 extra damage.
For example, John the 4th level blood mage has two Swirling Blood stacks and uses Forced Donation. He would normally heal 8 damage from this, but because of his Swirling Blood stacks the effect is increased by 50% to 12.
Starting at 5th level, a blood mage can use this ability as a swift action and can do it even while moving.
Swirling Blood stacks last one round. At the end of their turn, a blood mage loses any Swirling Blood stacks they have unless they used the ability that turn.
Bloodied Spellcasting (Su): At level 3 a blood mage learns to fully combine a spell with their blood magic. By dealing 1 point of damage to themselves, a blood mage can add their current Tides of Blood damage to the damage of any spell they cast.
Spells that do not do damage, such as Charm Person, can be modified by Bloodied Spellcasting, their base damage is considered 0 for the purpose of this ability.
If the target makes their save against the spell, the extra damage is halved.
Spell Healing (Su): At 4th level, a blood mage can rip life energy from their enemies with every spell cast, as long as their blood is involved in the casting. Whenever a blood mage deals damage with a spell modified by the Bloodied Spellcasting ability, with Tides of Blood, Crimson Reaping or Forced Donation, they heal 10% of the damage dealt. Any healing above their maximum HP is not added to their Blood Pool or gained as temporary HP.
Spells that do area damage heal only 1/2 of the normal amount (so if you hit 4 targets you still heal more than if you hit only one with a single-target spell, but only 4/2 as much and not 4x the normal value).
Crimson Reaping (Su): At 5th level, a blood mage can use an advanced version of the most basic blood magic technique to force the entirety of an enemy's blood from their body. As a full-round action, a blood mage deals 5d8 + their Constitution modifier damage to a single target within 150' (the target must be a valid target for Forced Donation).
This damage is increased by 1d8 per 10% of their maximum HP the target is missing.
If the target is killed by the damage, the blood mage is healed for [the target's Hit Dice] * 4 + their Consitution modifier.
*If this damage is reduced in any way, the ability will not function. If under the effect of, for example, Shield Other, they can choose to have the damage dealt by Tides of Blood ignore this to allow it to function.
A blood mage cannot use Tides of Blood if it would bring them below 0 HP.
---
Playing a blood mage
Combat: Early on, your fairly low HP pool, self-damaging abilities and low range puts you in a dangerous position. Balance out maximizing your damage and keeping yourself safe. In almost all situations, it's best to use Tides of Blood to gain Swirling Blood stacks before Forced Donation, to increase the amount you are healed for (or the amount your Blood Pool is increased by).
Bookkeeping: Yes, it can be fairly complex to run a blood mage. Blood Pool level, calculating how much you heal from each ability you use (remember, Swirling Blood increased healing applies to Bloodied Spellcasting!) and the precise damage of Tides of Blood can be a bit tough at first, especially if you mix it with standard spellcaster upkeep.
I'd recommend using note cards or similar to make a "Blood Statblock", keeping track of your Swirling Blood stacks, HP in Blood Pool, bonus healing, etc. that way.
New Feats
Arcane Blood
Your magic is in your blood...literally.
Prerequisite: Must be capable of casting arcane spells
Benefit: While below 2/3 of your maximum HP, your spells gain a +3 bonus to penetrating spell resistance.
While at below 1/2 of your maximum HP, your spells deal bonus damage equal to your Constitution modifier or last one round longer, at your choice (you choose this for each spell you cast. Nondamaging spells are considered to have a base damage of 0 for this feat.).
While at maximum HP, you gain a +2 bonus to initiative as your magically-empowered blood gives your muscles greater agility.
-----------------------------
Well! This is the start of a new project for me. I'll be reserving a post for my next PrC in the series and then another after that, in case I make more bonus feats, extra spells, or similar and need room.
Feel free to comment!
Aurelia, known colloquially outside its borders as the "Land Most Vile", or Teffelland, is home to many different breeds of power-seekers who turn to magic. As a way to force one's will upon the world, it's considered by a significant portion of the population as one of the best ways to achieve the Aurelian Dream: absolute dominion over your former competition. Such a highly competitive environment has resulted in dozens of variations of even the most common magical technique as everyone, from archmages to students, looks for something to give them an edge. Much of this experimentation results in failure or, in some cases, explosive forms of the original spell, but sometimes an entirely new form of magic is created. Blood magic is one of these.
The "Vampires of Aurelia" were originally a small group that held a monopoly on blood magic, but after a mostly political scuffle between the most powerful members and the brilliant reverse engineering of some of the core principles by the now-famous Arver Rocliff blood magic has become much easier to learn. As the group collapsed, their name eventually became a general term to refer to practitioners of blood magic in Aurelia and outside of it before the name for the strange, in many ways resembling the vampires of folklore, mages that used this new power.
Designer's Note: All of the 'Vampires of Aurelia' classes work with some level of HP-based mechanics, often based on % of remaining HP or similar. If you don't like this kind of mechanic, well...I'm probably not going to remove them, so consider this as you read the class.
The Blood Mage
Prerequisites:
Skills: Concentration 8 ranks, Spellcraft 8 ranks
Spellcasting: Able to cast arcane spells of 3rd level or invocations of equivalent level
Feats: Arcane Blood (new feat, see below)
{table=head]Level|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Special|Spellcasting
1st|
+0|
+2|
+0|
+2|Forced Donation, Blood Pool|
2nd|
+1|
+3|
+0|
+3|Tides of Blood| +1 level of existing class
3rd|
+1|
+3|
+1|
+3|Bloodied Spellcasting| +1 level of existing class
4th|
+2|
+4|
+1|
+4|Spell Healing| +1 level of existing class
5th|
+2|
+4|
+1|
+4|Crimson Reaping|
[/table]
Hit Die: d8
Skill Points per Level: 4 + Int Modifier
Class Skills: Bluff, Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge (all skills, taken separately), Profession and Spellcraft
Weapon and Armor Proficiency: A blood mage gains no new proficiency with weapons or armor.
Forced Donation (Su): At level 1, a blood mage can take direct control of a small portion of an enemy's blood, ripping it from them and using it to heal themselves.
As a standard action, a blood mage may use Forced Donation on a single creature with a circulatory system within 40', dealing 1d8 damage per class level and healing themselves for 2 + 4 per class level above 1st. Forced Donation is a versatile technique; against enemies without circulatory systems it can be adapted to tap directly into the positive energy in their form and can still be used as long as the target is alive.
If a blood mage would heal themselves above their maximum HP, the remainder is added to their Blood Pool, once they reach full HP.
Blood Pool (Su): A blood mage has a pool of blood gained from others, which they can use to fuel their abilities. Any time a blood mage would take damage to use an ability gained from this class, they may instead subtract the cost from their Blood Pool. Any points that are not contained in the Blood Pool are taken as damage.
For example, John the blood mage has a Blood Pool of 3 and uses Tides of Blood. Three of the four points of damage are subtracted from it, and the remaining one is taken by him as damage.
Tides of Blood (Su): At level 2, a blood mage gains a greater level of control over their blood (as well as blood appropriated from others), using it as a weapon. As a move action, a blood mage can deal 4 damage to themselves* to unleash a torret of slicing blood in all directions. All enemies within 30' (+5' per class level above 2nd) take 2d4 + the blood mage's Constitution modifier damage. A Reflex save (DC 12 + the blood mage's Constitution modifier + 1/2 their class level) halves the damage.
Each time they use Tides of Blood, a blood mage gains one Swirling Blood stack. For every Swirling Blood stack they have, the effect of any healing effect (for example, Cure Light Wounds or Fast Healing) they benefit from is increased by 25% per stack. Each stack of Swirling Blood also gives this ability an additional 1d4 points of damage, up to a maximum of 4 stacks, increasing healing effects by 100% and dealing 4d4 extra damage.
For example, John the 4th level blood mage has two Swirling Blood stacks and uses Forced Donation. He would normally heal 8 damage from this, but because of his Swirling Blood stacks the effect is increased by 50% to 12.
Starting at 5th level, a blood mage can use this ability as a swift action and can do it even while moving.
Swirling Blood stacks last one round. At the end of their turn, a blood mage loses any Swirling Blood stacks they have unless they used the ability that turn.
Bloodied Spellcasting (Su): At level 3 a blood mage learns to fully combine a spell with their blood magic. By dealing 1 point of damage to themselves, a blood mage can add their current Tides of Blood damage to the damage of any spell they cast.
Spells that do not do damage, such as Charm Person, can be modified by Bloodied Spellcasting, their base damage is considered 0 for the purpose of this ability.
If the target makes their save against the spell, the extra damage is halved.
Spell Healing (Su): At 4th level, a blood mage can rip life energy from their enemies with every spell cast, as long as their blood is involved in the casting. Whenever a blood mage deals damage with a spell modified by the Bloodied Spellcasting ability, with Tides of Blood, Crimson Reaping or Forced Donation, they heal 10% of the damage dealt. Any healing above their maximum HP is not added to their Blood Pool or gained as temporary HP.
Spells that do area damage heal only 1/2 of the normal amount (so if you hit 4 targets you still heal more than if you hit only one with a single-target spell, but only 4/2 as much and not 4x the normal value).
Crimson Reaping (Su): At 5th level, a blood mage can use an advanced version of the most basic blood magic technique to force the entirety of an enemy's blood from their body. As a full-round action, a blood mage deals 5d8 + their Constitution modifier damage to a single target within 150' (the target must be a valid target for Forced Donation).
This damage is increased by 1d8 per 10% of their maximum HP the target is missing.
If the target is killed by the damage, the blood mage is healed for [the target's Hit Dice] * 4 + their Consitution modifier.
*If this damage is reduced in any way, the ability will not function. If under the effect of, for example, Shield Other, they can choose to have the damage dealt by Tides of Blood ignore this to allow it to function.
A blood mage cannot use Tides of Blood if it would bring them below 0 HP.
---
Playing a blood mage
Combat: Early on, your fairly low HP pool, self-damaging abilities and low range puts you in a dangerous position. Balance out maximizing your damage and keeping yourself safe. In almost all situations, it's best to use Tides of Blood to gain Swirling Blood stacks before Forced Donation, to increase the amount you are healed for (or the amount your Blood Pool is increased by).
Bookkeeping: Yes, it can be fairly complex to run a blood mage. Blood Pool level, calculating how much you heal from each ability you use (remember, Swirling Blood increased healing applies to Bloodied Spellcasting!) and the precise damage of Tides of Blood can be a bit tough at first, especially if you mix it with standard spellcaster upkeep.
I'd recommend using note cards or similar to make a "Blood Statblock", keeping track of your Swirling Blood stacks, HP in Blood Pool, bonus healing, etc. that way.
New Feats
Arcane Blood
Your magic is in your blood...literally.
Prerequisite: Must be capable of casting arcane spells
Benefit: While below 2/3 of your maximum HP, your spells gain a +3 bonus to penetrating spell resistance.
While at below 1/2 of your maximum HP, your spells deal bonus damage equal to your Constitution modifier or last one round longer, at your choice (you choose this for each spell you cast. Nondamaging spells are considered to have a base damage of 0 for this feat.).
While at maximum HP, you gain a +2 bonus to initiative as your magically-empowered blood gives your muscles greater agility.
-----------------------------
Well! This is the start of a new project for me. I'll be reserving a post for my next PrC in the series and then another after that, in case I make more bonus feats, extra spells, or similar and need room.
Feel free to comment!