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Dr Verdugo
2015-08-30, 12:42 AM
Hey there, it's my first time posting here.

Well, let's get right to it.

I wanted to create a school of magic for spellcasters that didn't rely on spell level or have any spell slots, but instead went by removing hitpoints that cannot be healed unless done so by a long rest.

Blood Coiling
As a bonus action, deal 3d4 damage to yourself that cannot be healed unless by a long rest, or incur one level of exhaustion, you increase you or an ally's attack, spell attack or spell save DC by a quarter of that amount, a minimum of +1. This does not stack, and lasts until the end of the target's next turn.

Blood Casting
Regain a 1st Level Spell Slot, deal 1d6 Damage (2d6 for a 2nd level spell slot, 3d6 for a 3rd level spell slot, etc.) to yourself that cannot be healed unless by a long rest. This can be done as many times as you want until you fall unconscious.

Blood Rage
You use Blood Magic to make someone fly into a frenzy, attacking everything they see. Deal 1d10 damage to youself that cannot be healed unless by a long rest. Target must make a Wisdom Saving Throw that beats your spellsave dc. On a failed save, the target is enraged for as many rounds as the amount of damage that was deat to yourself (IE: A roll of 4 would cause the rage to last for 4 rounds, it cannot end early unless done so by a wisdom saving throw that beats your spellcasting dc.)

The Blood Rage acts as the Barbarian Rage.

Blood Boil
You use your abilities to make the blood of your enemy boil.
The caster deals 1d6 damage to him or herself that cannot be healed and the target makes a con saving throw at your spellcasting DC, taking half damage with a successful save. The caster can intensify the damage, but will be required to use more blood.

Yourself - Target
1d6 - 2d10
2d6 - 3d10
3d6 - 4d10
4d6 - 5d10
5d6 - 6d10
6d6 - 7d10
7d6 - 8d10
8d6 - 9d10
9d6 - 10d10

I don't feel like this is as good as it can be, and I would appreciate assistance in making it as balanced and fun as possible.

Prince Zahn
2015-08-30, 02:54 AM
Blood magic on paper seems like a great idea, very thematic. My only issue with it, however, is fundamental: can the wizard afford to lose hit points to power these abilities, given he has the lowest hit dice in the game? It adds salt to injury that he cannot simply heal this damage with neither magic nor short rests. This is a mage that will die very quickly, my friend.
I do hope that you could get it to work somehow, however. As blood magic is insanely awesome. Best of luck!

Dr Verdugo
2015-08-30, 03:22 AM
So would it be safer for the Wizard if the damage was lessened, or if the damage done could be healed?

Prince Zahn
2015-08-30, 04:11 AM
So would it be safer for the Wizard if the damage was lessened, or if the damage done could be healed?

Perhaps, or you can try using your hit dice to power it instead of hit points. Like, this ability costing a 1d6 from hit die, which you roll and this happens.
It won't directly lower the Wizard's hit points, but it would cost him from the total he can recover from short rests during the day. Keep costs low and the effects tempting, otherwise people might start getting hesitant to use your class when other traditions offer something for nothing.

faustin
2015-08-30, 08:29 AM
The problem about blood magic is, either It's too costly or weak (if the character draws the blood of himself) or too powerful (if he draws it from someone else... or a lot of "someones ").

Ninja_Prawn
2015-08-31, 08:05 AM
Maybe the best approach to this is as a sorcerous origin... with a feature that allows you to regain sorcery points by spending hit dice, an additional (unique) metamagic that supercharges spells by burning hit points, a feature that only activates when the sorcerer is wounded (giving them easier access to their blood, as in the Kingkiller Chronicle books) and maybe a capstone that allows them to regain sorcery points when they kill something other than a construct or undead?

I don't know, I'm just throwing ideas out there.

Molemanking
2015-09-01, 09:36 PM
What if taking damage makes your magic stronger? You could make a class feature that says something like: "Once per turn, whenever you take damage from an attack made by a creature, you add half the damage taken to the damage of your next attack against the creature that attacked you."

As an example, lets say a goblin slices at a Blood Mage for 6 slashing damages. The Blood Mage uses the pain from the strike to fuel his casting as he launches a Fire Bolt at his foe. The Firebolt will do 1d10 + 3 Fire damage because of the goblin's initial attack.

If that's too strong, you could make it something that recharges at a short rest.

Groggen
2015-09-27, 03:52 PM
Hi. Hope you don't mind, but I made a magic dagger from your ideas to use in my campaign.

Bloodthirsty dagger or some cooler name :smallsmile:
Rare (requires attunement by a spellcaster)
To attune to this item requires taking 2d4 damage that will not heal for 24 hours and giving up one spell slot for the same duration.

As long as you have below maximum Hit Points you have advantage on Arcana checks.

You can use a bonus action to cut yourself with the dagger to activate 1 of the 2 abilities:
Blood coiling: This deals 3d4 damage to you that cannot be healed except by a long rest and increases your spell attack or spell save DC with 1/3 the amount of damage dealt this way. This lasts until the end of your next turn.
Blood casting: This deals 2d6 damage to you and restores a level 1 spell slot. You may increase the level of the spell slot by taking 1d6 extra damage per level.

We have a druid, a cleric and a paladin so hopefully this version can be put to good use by them. Or perhaps too good use?

JNAProductions
2015-09-27, 04:04 PM
Blood Coiling seems a little strong. Potential +4 to Save DC.

Groggen
2015-09-27, 04:46 PM
Blood Coiling seems a little strong. Potential +4 to Save DC.

Yeah, so I'll probably change it so that it deals 3d4-1 and 1/3 (rounded down), which gives a distribution of ca 30% +1, 53% +2 and 15% +3. Maybe change the duration to "until the end of your turn" so that they'll only get to fuel one spell with it too. Does that sound better? Which level would this be suitable for roughly (read: not broken)?

JNAProductions
2015-09-27, 04:48 PM
I'd just make it 2d4 damage and a flat +1. Bit simpler too.

Amechra
2015-09-27, 04:54 PM
Maybe go with a Sorcerer, and let them take 3 damage that can't be resisted or healed except through a Long Rest in place of spending Sorcery points?