Homebrew Base Class - The Haemomancer
The Haemomancer
The Haemomancer is a master of a very dark art. Necromancers manipulate life force, binding the living and the dead to their will, but the magic of blood could be considered a yet darker force. Haemomancers control the very blood flowing through the veins of creatures, and with but a twist of their wrist can stop it in its tracks.
Blood magic is not overtly powerful and flashy like much of the magic of wizards, sorcerers and warmages. Its root lies in the source of all beings, and whilst it is difficult to master, it gives great power to those who master it.
Haemomancy is a silent art, and its most powerful servants are often to be found on the shoulders of kings, lightly armed and armoured, looking for all the world like little more than an advisor to the crown.
Until bodies begin bursting.
Haemomancers tend towards the neutrality inherent in the blood coursing through the veins of every living creature, although it is very easy for a haemomancer to stumble onto the path of evil. The powers they deal in are dark at the best of times, and at the worst, downright evil.
Paladins and clerics of good deities tend not to get on with Haemomancers, viewing them as abhorrent, and generally evil, and bards are distrustful of their silent magic. Barbarians generally do not understand them, but monks often appreciate their devotion to a higher art. Wizards tend to view them as jumped-up necromancers with no respect for the purer arts of magic, and sorcerers often envy their power.
Blood magic is not overtly powerful and flashy like much of the magic of wizards, sorcerers and warmages. Its root lies in the source of all beings, and whilst it is difficult to master, it gives great power to those who master it.
Haemomancy is a silent art, and its most powerful servants are often to be found on the shoulders of kings, lightly armed and armoured, looking for all the world like little more than an advisor to the crown.
Until bodies begin bursting.
Haemomancers tend towards the neutrality inherent in the blood coursing through the veins of every living creature, although it is very easy for a haemomancer to stumble onto the path of evil. The powers they deal in are dark at the best of times, and at the worst, downright evil.
Paladins and clerics of good deities tend not to get on with Haemomancers, viewing them as abhorrent, and generally evil, and bards are distrustful of their silent magic. Barbarians generally do not understand them, but monks often appreciate their devotion to a higher art. Wizards tend to view them as jumped-up necromancers with no respect for the purer arts of magic, and sorcerers often envy their power.
Hit die: d6
Alignment: Any other than lawful good. Rarely good.
Skill points: 2+INT modifier, x4 at 1st level
Class skills: Craft, Concentration, Heal, Intimidate, Knowledge (arcana), Knowledge (religion), Profession, Sense Motive, Spellcraft
Age: As Wizard
Starting gold: As Wizard
Weapon and armour proficiencies: The Haemomancer is proficient with all simple weapons as well as the whip and bolas. The Haemomancer is proficient with light armour, but not with any shields.
Spells: The Haemomancer may cast arcane spells like a wizard or sorcerer. As such, it is difficult for them to cast in armour, or whilst using a shield.
To learn or cast a spell, a Haemomancer must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level. The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a Haemomancer’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the Haemomancer’s Charisma modifier.
Like other spellcasters, a Haemomancer can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table: The Haemomancer. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Charisma score.
The Haemomancer may cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time the way a cleric or wizard must. When a Haemomancer gains access to a new level of spells, he automatically knows all of the spells for that level listed on the Haemomancer spell list. Effectively, his spell list is the same as his spells known list.
Blood Magic: A haemomancer is a master of one of the more sinister, silent, and deadly types of magic. Any material components, which do not have a specific cost, are immediately changed to a single drop of blood. This blood does not necessarily have to be the haemomancer's and the Haemomancer can fill a vial of blood with the blood of a fallen enemy using a full-round action that provokes attacks of opportunity. Expensive material components must still be bought as usual. Blood magic does not use verbal components, so spells with no somatic and only verbal components use only somatic components.
All haemomancer spells have a somatic component.
Armoured Mage (Ex): Normally, armour of any kind interferes with an arcane caster’s gestures, which can cause spells to fail if the have a somatic component. A Haemomancer, however, due to his limited focus and specialised training allow him to, from 3rd level onwards, ignore the spell failure chance of light armour. This does not extend to any other forms of armour.
Blood Component (Su): A Haemomancer, when casting a spell, can give some of his own blood to empower it. If a Haemomancer substitutes the regular blood component of one of his spells for a drop of his own blood, he may add his own life force to the spell’s casting.
The pinprick or minor cut required to draw the blood is a free action and deals 1 point of damage to the Haemomancer, but increases the spell’s caster level by 1. It cannot raise the Haemomancer's effective caster level by more than one. Damage reduction, if the player has any, does not apply to this damage.
If a spell has no material component, he may still use his own blood to empower the spell.
Tough Caster (Ex): At 5th level, a Haemomancer has increased his control over his body so that pain has less of an effect upon his ability to cast. A Haemomancer gains a +4 bonus on concentration checks to cast spells after taking damage.
Craft Homunculus (Su): From 7th level on, a Haemomancer may use his blood to give life to a new creature – a homunculus (see page 154 of the monster manual). A Haemomancer need not meet any of the given prerequisites to create the homunculus; however, a Haemomancer must permanently sacrifice 1HP per current hit dice as part of the creation process.
A homunculus advances by one hit die at every odd-numbered Haemomancer level after 7th, to a maximum of 6HD at 15th level. This gives all normal bonuses to the homunculus, e.g. skill points, feats, save bonuses, etc.
Staunch (Ex): From 10th level onwards, a Haemomancer has sufficient control over his body fluids to immediately stabilise should his hit points drop below 0. He still dies if they reach below -10.
Blood Control(Ex): From 13th level onwards, a Haemomancer has sufficient control over his circulatory system so that he gains immunity to any injury or contact-delivery poisons, and a +4 circumstance bonus on fortitude saves against other forms of poison.
Bloodspeak (Su): At 16th level, a Haemomancer is capable of forming a very special link with the blood of living creatures. After a ritual lasting 24 hours, the Haemomancer cuts his own tongue out, dealing 3 points of permanent hit point damage. However, it confers the telepathy special ability on him permanently, with a range of 150 feet. He may use this to communicate with any living creature with a functioning circulatory system, as well as vampires and other similar creatures. This does not function on oozes.
The Haemomancer Spell list
0-level
Daze, Detect Poison, Resistance, Touch of Fatigue, Virtue (5)
1st level
Blade of Blood, Cause fear, Chill Touch, Detect Undead, Hypnotism, Jump, Ray of Enfeeblement, Sleep (8)
2nd level
Bear’s Endurance, Blindness/deafness, Bull’s Strength, Cure light wounds, Death Knell, Delay Poison, False life, Ghoul Touch, Inflict Light Wounds, Scare, Steel Veins* (11)
3rd level
Contagion, Hold Person, Neutralise Poison, Poison, Rage, Ray of Exhaustion, Remove Blindness/Deafness Remove Disease, Vampiric Touch, Water Breathing (10)
4th Level
Boil Blood*, Charm monster, Cure moderate wounds, Crushing Despair, Enervation, Fear, Haste, Inflict moderate wounds, Slow (9)
5th level
Cure Serious Wounds, Death Ward, Dominate Person, Hold Monster, Feeblemind, Inflict serious wounds, Slay living, Symbol of Pain, Waves of fatigue (9)
6th level
Acid Blood*, Bear’s Endurance, mass, Bull’s Strength, mass, Cure critical Wounds, Eyebite, Flesh to Stone, Inflict Critical Wounds, Symbol of Fear, Undeath to death (9)
7th level
Cure light wounds, mass, Finger of Death, Hold person, mass Inflict light wounds, mass, Insanity, Palm of Blindness**, Symbol of Stunning, Symbol of Weakness, Waves of Exhaustion (9)
8th level
Cure moderate wounds, mass, Destruction, Inflict moderate wounds, mass, Palm of stunning, Remove Circulation*, Symbol of Death, Symbol of insanity (7)
9th level
Cure serious wounds, mass, Dominate monster, Energy Drain, Hold monster, mass, Inflict serious wounds, mass, Palm of Death, Regenerate (7)
*Homebrew spell
**As equivalent Power word, but replace verbal component with somatic
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Your thoughts? The initial aim was to create a class similar to the Blood Magus, but a base class. I've left a few of their features out, e.g. Bloodwalk, to make the Blood Magi special and unique.
Their spell list is based on the Blood Domain from the "A Tail Beyond" Setting, which can be found here.