Blood Magus (3.5e Class)

mana-based spellcasting variant rule.]] Length::20 Minimum Level::1 Base Attack Bonus Progression::Poor Fortitude Save Progression::Poor Reflex Save Progression::Poor Will Save Progression::Good Class Ability::Spontaneous Arcane Spellcasting Class Ability Progression::Full

Allowed Alignments::Lawful Good Allowed Alignments::Lawful Neutral Allowed Alignments::Lawful Evil Allowed Alignments::Neutral Good Allowed Alignments::Neutral Allowed Alignments::Neutral Evil Allowed Alignments::Chaotic Good Allowed Alignments::Chaotic Neutral Allowed Alignments::Chaotic Evil

Blood Magus
Taught in the shadow, blood magi practice the art of fueling spells with the essence of life, blood. A blood Magus is powerful individual, schooled in the profane and knowledgeable of the darkest secrets of magic. A powerful Blood Magus is capable of extending her life, sacrifice her lifeforce or the lifeforce of others to power her spells and an array of bloody rituals.

Making a Blood Magus
A blood magus has spell known, similarly to sorcerers but with a wizard's strain tolerance. To balance, a blood magus possess a great array of unique and powerful abilities.

Abilities: The blood magus rely on both intelligence and Constitution, the former to cast her spells and make them more effective and the later for special abilities and increase her much needed hit points.

Races: Any races can become blood mages, a race with high int and con would be at an advantage however.

Alignment: Lawful Good creatures cannot be Blood Magus, and most good creatures would never become one. Evil blood magus are common, but quite a few neutral and rare good blood magi also exist.

Starting Gold: As wizard.

Starting Age: Complex.

Class Features
All of the following are class features of the Blood Magus.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Blood Magi are proficient with all simple weapons. They are not proficient with any type of armor or shield. Armor of any type interferes with a blood magus’s gestures, which can cause her spells with somatic components to fail.

She can cast any spell he knows without readying it ahead of time, the way a wizard or a cleric must (see below).

To learn or cast a spell, a blood magus must have a Intelligence score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a blood magus’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the blood magus’s Intelligence modifier.

A blood magus’s selection of spells is extremely limited. A blood magus begins play 3 spells which level cannot exceed 1st, at each level thereafter the sorcerer gain new spells known (see The Blood Magus Table). These new spells can be common spells chosen from the sorcerer/wizard spell list, or they can be unusual spells that the blood magus has gained some understanding of by study. The sorcerer can’t use this method of spell acquisition to learn spells at a faster rate, however.

Upon reaching 3rd level, and at every blood magus level after that), a blood magus can choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows. In effect, the blood magus “loses” the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least a levels lower than the highest-level blood magus spell the blood magus can cast. A blood magus may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that he gains new spells known for the level.

A blood magus also gain addition Strain Tolerance equal to ½ her level in spellcasting classes and prestige classes that add to her blood magus caster level.

 : Instead of spending her strain for casting spells, a blood magus may instead use her own blood as a component. Instead of gainning strain, the Blood Magus take 1d6+1 damage time the spell level of the spell he cast. This damage cannot be healed in any ways until the Blood Magus recovered all her strain then rest for 8 hours.

A Blood Magus gain a single bonus metamagic or willing deformity feat she meet the prerequisites of and gain a +4 profane bonus on Knowledge (the planes) and Knowledge (arcana) skill check. A blood magus which multiclassed before taking her first level in blood magi does not benefit from this class feature.

 : A Blood Magus may use a drop of blood instead of any material components by dealing one damage/10 gp to herself or to a adjacent willing or helpless creatures. Note that a blood magus (or other creatures) cannot expend more hit point than it have, if the blood magus or creature die (or goes below 0) of the hit point damage before the entire value of the expensive material component is covered, the spell fail.

 : A 2nd level Blood Magus may add her constitution modifier to her strain tolerance.

She may only select metamagic feat, skill focus (any knowledge skill), willing deformity feats or crafting feats.

 : At 4th level, the taint of her dark teaching start to stain the blood magus's very blood, this grant her greater resilience. A blood magus has a damage reduction/good equal to half her character level.

 : At 5th level, a blood magus started to develop incredible potent magic affecting her body and soul. She become able to scent blood or bloodied creature.. Additionally she may "mark" a creature through a 1 hours long ritual. She must expend 500 gp worth of materials and make a caster level check DC 10 + creature's CR or fail her ritual. If the ritual is a success she is able to track the marked creature as if it has a find the path spell permanently on it.

 : At 7th level, a blood magus become able to sacrifice a creature to power her own spells. As a full-round action, she may attempt a coup de grace on an helpless creature. Should the creature die as a reult of this, her next spell strain cost will be lowered by the sacrified creature's CR (minimum of 0).

 : A 8th level blood magus is able to fuse her soul partly with her blood. Once per day she may cast a spell without taking any strain. However she must make a fortitude save equal to the spell DC or take 1d6 constitution drain and make a will save equal to the spell DC or take 1d6 wisdom drain.

 : : A 10th level Blood Magus unlocked the secret of the art. She may add the [evil] suptype to all spells she cast by doing 1 damage/spell-level to herself during the casting.

 : At 11th level the blood magus unlocked the secret of creating Blood-Tainted items. Any weapons she craft recieve the wounding property for free. Any scrolls are wand she craft add the [evil] subtype it it spell and any armor she craft is stained by crimson red reflects, it wearer gain an aura of despair.

 : A 13th level Blood Magus discovered that ingesting specially treated flesh of humanoid creatures can significantly lengthen their life and make them much more resistant to mundane hazards. A Blood Magus can take a special regime consiting of humanoid flesh, the blood magus gain immunity to poison, disease and her damage reduction/good increase by +2 as long as she maintain her regime.

 : A 14th level Blood Magus may sacrifice a good-aligned sentient creature to lengthen her lifespan. She immeditaly return to her young adult apparence (hidding all abominable grafts, hideous deformities and signs of ages) as well as supressing the negative effects of old ages. This effect for a set number of time before reverting to her old self.
 * Base: 1 weeks
 * .....is a humanoid: +3 days.
 * .....of the same race as the magus: +4 days.
 * .....a virgin (humanoid only): +1 week.
 * .....a creature with the Good subtype: +2 weeks
 * .....a Unicorn: +3 weeks.

 :  A 16th level Blood Magus amy attempt to make a target explode in a shower of blood and gore. She may atregt any creature with blood within medium range as a full-round. The creature must make a fortitude save or be destroyed. A successful save cause the creature to be stunned with pain until the end of it next turn. The Blood Magus may use this ability once per day.

If the creature died as a result of this attack, battlefield is showered with red paste for 1d4+1 round. Any creature hostile to the blood magus take a -2 penalty to will save as long as long as the blood rain. This is a fear effect and mind-affecting effect.

 : A 17th level Blood Magus know the secrets of the powerful and shadowy Ritual of the Seven Sanguine Mysteries. The ritual take 10 minutes to prepare and one hour without interruption to successfuly execute. It require 1000 gp worth of exotic components, and seven sentient creatures whose total CR equal your own.

For 7 weeks, any attempts to scry, detect or otherwise affect the blood magus with any spells and spell-like abilities of the diviation school on the blood magus automatically fail. The Blood Magus is are for all intent and purpose completely undetectable.

 : A 19th level Blood Magus understood the dreaded secret of the Sanguine Elixir. At the permanent cost of 10 hit points (cannot be recovered by any mean, even a wish) the blood magus can prepare a powerful elixir. Mixed with 5000 gp worth of exotic components with her own blood, she can create a powerful if deadly mixture. The elixir has enough liquid for 3 portions. The ritual take 24 hours to complete.

Any creature other than the blood magus consuming a portion gain a permanent +6 profane constitution bonus and become immune to pain, however it fail every saving throw against the particular blood magus abilities and spells. A creature that drink 2 portion must make a DC 30 fort save or die. A creature consumming 3 portions is slain outright.

If the blood magus consume a portion of the elixir herself she cease to age and gain an immunity to pain (but does not revert to an earlier age). Consuming aother portion has no effects (except tasting vile).

The elixir can be used as a throwing weapon, counting as an flask of acid, except that it ignore immunities and resistance and deal 10d6 extra vile damages per portions left.

 : A 20th level Blood Magus discovered one of the most dreaded secret of blood magic. She is able to fuse her blood with her soul completly. As the blood magus die, she may target any creature with blood within medium range as long as she have a line of sight. Her very own blood lash out at the creature and attempt to enter it bloodstream. The cretaure take 20d6 damage, if it survive it must make a will save. For each size category bigger than the blood magus, target creature gain a +4 bonus to it will save.

If the will save fail, or the creature is killed by the damages the Blood Magus immeditaly possess the body (as magic jar). If the blood magus fail to possess the creature she die immediately (although she can be resurrected). If the blood magus had any grafts or willing deformities they regrow on her new body in 24 hours, she however lose the effects of the Sanguine Elixir should she drank it in her original body (although she can sacrifice some of her host HP to make new elixirs). The possessed creature does not keep the effect of the Sanguine Elixir either and is only animated by the blood magus lifeforce, if the Blood Magus leave the body or is somehow expulsed the creature immediately die (it cannot be resurrected while possessed however).

The Blood Magus may regrow her original body with a clone spell and may possess that body without risk of failure (returning to her previous body without level loss).