User:Zhenra-Khal/Cardinal (5e Class)/The Forbidden

The Sin of the Forbidden represents forbidden knowledge, ancient taboos committed to empower your blood magic. To you, there is no boundary you would not cross to increase your power.

Sacrificial Arcana

Beginning at 1st level, you may Minor Rend when you make an Arcana check, and add the Rend Bonus to the result of the check. If you can already Rend to this type of roll (Such as from the Birth of the Ephemeral or Mantle of Sin features), you instead gain advantage on that type of roll when you Rend.

Forbidden Rituals

At 1st level, you gain a Ritual Book, containing forbidden knowledge. Upon study of your ritual book, it reveals knowledge of two 1st-level spells with the Ritual tag; Each time you gain a level in a class, you can add 1 spell with the Ritual tag to your ritual book for free. These rituals can be from any class list, but must be of a level you have access to, as determined by your Cardinal level and the table below:

Ritual Level	Minimum Cardinal Level
1st	1st
2nd	5th
3rd	9th
4th	13th
5th	17th

You can cast spells inscribed in your Ritual Book as rituals; You cannot cast them except as rituals, unless you know them by other means.

If you come across a spell in written form, such as a magical spell scroll or a wizard's spellbook, you might be able to add it to your ritual book; The spell must have the ritual tag. The process of copying the spell into your ritual book takes 2 hours per level of the spell, and costs 50 gp per spell level. The cost represents the material components you expend as you experiment with the spell to master it, as well as the fine inks you need to record it.

Spellcasting

As a dabbler in forbidden arts, you learn to cast a handful of spells.

Table: Forbidden Spellcasting

Level	Cantrips Known	Spells Known	Spell Slots per Spell Level				Maximum Sacrifice Points
			1st	2nd	3rd	4th
3rd	2	3	1	-	-	-	2
4th	2	4	2	-	-	-	3
5th	2	4	2	-	-	-	3
6th	2	4	3	-	-	-	4
7th	2	5	3	0*	-	-	5
8th	2	6	3	1	-	-	6
9th	2	6	3	1	-	-	6
10th	3	7	3	2	-	-	7
11th	3	8	3	2	-	-	8
12th	3	8	3	2	-	-	9
13th	3	9	3	2	0*	-	10
14th	3	10	3	2	1	-	11
15th	3	10	3	2	1	-	12
16th	3	11	3	2	2	-	13
17th	3	11	3	2	2	-	14
18th	3	11	3	2	2	-	15
19th	3	12	3	2	2	0*	16
20th	3	13	3	2	2	0*	16

Forbidden Affinity

The spells you learn to cast via the Sin of the Forbidden are selected from the Sorcerer spell list, but each Cardinal has a different affinity that slightly varies the spells they can learn. At 3rd level, select one of the following classes: Artificer, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Ranger, Warlock, Wizard. Then, select 2 of the following schools of magic: Abjuration, Conjuration, Divination, Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion, Necromancy, Transmutation. Once selected, these selections cannot be changed.

Whenever you learn a Restricted Spell, it may be from the Sorcerer spell list, or from the spell list of the class you selected for this feature; It must also belong to one of the two schools of magic you selected for this feature. Whenever you replace a Restricted Spell, the spell you replace it with must also be a Restricted Spell, obeying the same restrictions you selected.

Cantrips

At 3rd level, you learn 2 cantrips of your choice; One of these cantrips must fit your Restricted Spell parameters, and the other must be a Sorcerer cantrip from any school of magic. You learn another Restricted cantrip of your choice at 10th level.

Each time you gain the Crimson Versatility, instead of the feature's other benefits, you can choose to replace one Forbidden Cantrip you know with another cantrip of your choice that fits the same parameters as the cantrip you're replacing.

Spell Slots

The Forbidden Spellcasting table shows how many spell slots you have to cast your spells of 1st level and higher. To cast one of these spells, you must expend a slot of the spell's level or higher. You regain all expended spell slots when you finish a long rest.

You can also cast spells using Sacrifice Points (See below). Wherever an entry on the Forbidden Spellcasting table above denotes 0* spell slots, at that class level, you can learn spells of that level, but gain no spell slots; You can only cast spells of these levels using Sacrifice Points (See below).

For example, if you know the 1st-level spell Charm Person and have a 1st-level and a 2nd-level spell slot available, you can cast Charm Person using either slot.

Spells Known of 1st Level and Higher

You know three 1st-level spells of your choice. One of these spells can be any 1st-level Sorcerer spell; the other two are Restricted Spells, which must fit the parameters you chose within your Forbidden Affinity feature.

The Spells Known column of the Forbidden Spellcasting table shows when you learn more spells of 1st level or higher. Each of these spells must be Restricted Spell, and thus conform to the corresponding parameters; These spells must be of a level for which you have at least 0* spell slots. For instance, when you reach 7th level in this class, you can learn one new spell of 1st or 2nd level.

The spells you learn at 8th, 14th, and 20th level can come from any school of magic, and are selected from the Sorcerer spell list.

Whenever you gain a level in this class, you can replace one of the spells you know with another spell of your choice; The new spell must be of a level for which you have at least 0* spell slots, and it must fit your chosen Restricted Spell parameters, unless you're replacing the spell you gained at 3rd, 8th, 14th, or 20th level - These spells may be replaced with a Sorcerer spell from any school of magic.

Spellcasting Ability

Your Hemocraft relies on a combination or physical endurance, pain tolerance, and sheer strength of life force; Thus, Constitution is the ability you use for your Cardinal Hemocraft. You use your Constitution whenever an ability refer to your Hemocraft ability. In addition, you use your Constitution modifier when setting the saving throw DC for a Hemocraft ability you use, and when making an attack roll with one.

Spell save DC = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier

Spell attack modifier = your proficiency bonus + your Constitution modifier

Blood Focus

When you cast spells that require a material component, you can choose to lose 1 hit point in order to ignore that component, unless it has a monetary value greater than 1 gp, such as the diamond dust worth 100 gp for the Greater Restoration spell, in which case the components are required.

Well of Sacrifice

At 3rd level, you learn to convert your life force into raw magical energy. This life force is represented by Sacrifice Points, which allow you to create a variety of magical effects.

• Sacrifice Points: You have 2 Sacrifice Points, and you gain more as you reach higher levels, as shown in the Sacrifice Points column of the Forbidden table. You can never have more Sacrifice Points than shown on the table for your level. You regain all expended Sacrifice Points when you finish a long rest. When you expend one or more Sacrifice Points, for each point you spend, you lose hit points equal to one roll of your Hemocraft die. Additionally, upon expending one or more Sacrifice Points, you suffer the effects of Crimson Enervation until the beginning of your next turn, and from the effects of Crimson Decay for 1 minute.

• Sacrificial Rending: When you Rend yourself, you can choose to expend one Sacrifice Point. In doing so, you roll your Hemocraft die one additional time for that Rend, adding the result to both the Rend Bonus and to the number of hit points you lose, in place of the normal hit point loss incurred by expending a Sacrifice Point.

• Sacrificial Casting: When you cast a spell, you may choose to cast it by expending a requisite amount of Sacrifice Points, instead of expending a spell slot. When you spend the requisite number of Sacrifice Points, the spell is cast as if from a spell slot of the corresponding level, as shown on the table below. You cannot use Sacrificial Casting to cast a spell as if from a spell slot of 5th level or higher, and you can only cast a spell as if from a spell slot of a level for which you possess at least 0* spell slots; For example, you can only replicate a 3rd-level spell slot if you possess at least 0* 3rd-level slots.

Spell Slot Level	Sacrifice Point Cost
1st	2
2nd	3
3rd	5
4th	6

Crimson Metamagic

At 7th level, you learn 2 Metamagic Options from among those available to Sorcerers. You learn an additional Metamagic Option when you reach 15th level in this class. Each time you gain the Crimson Versatility feature, instead of the feature's other benefits, you can choose to replace one Metamagic Option you know with another Metamagic Option of your choice.

Instead of expending Sorcery Points to utilize your Crimson Metamagic, you must expend an equal number of Sacrifice Points, suffering the resulting consequences in order to bend your magic to your will. You can use only one Metamagic Option on a spell when you cast it, unless otherwise noted.

Crimson Blade Magic

Beginning at 7th level, whenever you take the Attack action, in place of the Sign, Benediction or Malison that you can ordinarily replace an attack with, you can replace that attack with a Cantrip with a casting time of 1 Action. You cannot replace more than one attack per round.

No Cost Too Great

At 11th level, when you finish a short rest, you can choose to activate this feature. In doing so, you must Minor Rend; You regain a number of Sacrifice points equal to the Rend Bonus of that Minor Rend.

Once you use this feature, you cannot do so again until you finish a Long Rest.

Primeval Technique

At 11th level, you learn an ancient technique that allows you to further alter your blood sorcery. When you activate a Sign, Benediction or Malison, you can apply Metamagic effects to it, as if it were a spell.

Sacrificial Lamb

Beginning at 15th level, when a creature you can see or hear dies within your Corpse Magic range, you can use your reaction to harvest its magical essence for yourself; You can also use your action to harvest from a creature that has been dead no more than 1 minute.

Harvesting essence from a creature causes you to regain one Temporary Sacrifice Point; When you expend a Temporary Sacrifice Point, you do not lose hit points for expending it, nor do you suffer from Crimson Enervation or Crimson Decay from expending it. You can possess a number of Temporary Sacrifice Points at one time up to your Constitution bonus (Min 1), and any unspent Temporary Sacrifice Points are lose when you finish a Long Rest.

Sacrificial Lamb only grants you a Temporary Sacrifice Point if the creature is eligible to be harvested, as noted in the Corpse Magic section of the Cardinal class description.

Everdeep Well

Beginning at 17th level, if you roll initiative and have no Sacrifice Points remaining, you regain one Sacrifice Point.

Additionally, when you lose hit points due to expending one or more Sacrifice Points, for each Sacrifice Point spend, you can roll the corresponding Hemocraft die twice, and lose the lower number of hit points.