Alternate Blood Hunter v.2.0 is Here!

Hello everyone! Ringing in this beautiful summer with some dark and edgy homebrew content - an update for my Alternate Blood Hunter Class!

This Alternate Class is my homage to the delightfully dark Blood Hunter originally designed by Matthew Mercer, and while I love the original, this Alternate Class will hopefully bring it more into line with official 5e content!

As always, let me know what you think of the update in the comments!

~laserllama

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ALTERNATE BLOOD HUNTER v2.0

Hunter’s Bane:
What was once a flavorful enhancement to (really) specific skill checks now gives you a way to analyze the monsters you have sworn to fight! Discover their weaknesses, strengths, and other abilities - I encourage DM’s to go wild with this feature! Each **Occult Order** also gets unique ways to interact with this feature.

Fighting Styles:
Much like my series of half-casters (Paladin, Ranger, and Magus), I have moved the Blood Hunter’s Fighting Style feature down to 1st level. You are a warrior first and foremost, so you should feel like it from level 1 (in my opinion). I’ve also updated the Fighting Styles to the latest versions of my take on each concept.

Blood Rites: 
Moved back to 2nd level (to match the Spellcasting of the aforementioned half-casters), and the Blood Rite options have been greatly expanded - there are EIGHT new Rites this time around. Greatly expanding the Blood Hunter’s arsenal with options for Ritual Spellcasting, Enthralling Beasts and Humanoids, Forming Blood Bonds, Healing, and Raising the Dead!

Order of Alchemists: 
This Occult Order received the most TLC this time around. Some clarifications to Aberrant Alchemy, buffs for Noxious Strike, and a heavy rework/expansion of the available Mutagens with SEVEN new options!

Order of Heretics: 
This NEW Occult Order takes the Cleric class and gives it an edgy twist, covered in blood magic!

Order of the Pale Moon: 
The biggest changes here are at 3rd level. You now retain your hit points when you shift into your Beast Form  and the Hybrid Form has been reworked to give your claws/fangs the Light property. 

Order of Salt & Iron: 
Mostly unchanged. Spectral Nature now can be used CON Mod times per long rest though!

Undying Thirst: 
Slightly reworked to minimize some problematic interactions with infinite hit points, your fangs now deal piercing damage and Essence Drain is now connected to that piercing damage (and not necrotic damage). The True Vampirism optional rule has also been given an additional downside if you already have Sunlight Sensitivity (I see you Drow vampires!)

Witch Knights: 
Another mostly unchanged Occult Order, with the only adjustment being the removal of the “Bladesinger Extra Attack" in favor of a more balanced Sanguine Warrior feature.

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CHANGELOG v1.0 -> v2.0

Base Class

• Art/formatting updates and various grammar, spelling, and phrasing fixes.

• Hunter’s Bane // Reworked around analyzing specific creature types.

• Fighting Styles // Moved down to 1st level.

• Fighting Style // Updated // Dual Wielding, Great Weapon Fighting, Featherweight Fighting, Thrown Weapon Fighting, Versatile Fighting.

• Blood Rites // Moved back to 2nd level.

• Crimson Offering // Now only usable with melee weapons.

• Esoteric Orders // Added the NEW Order of Heretics!

• Crimson Brand // Now comes with a free use of Crimson Offering 1/rest.

• Crimson Brand // Second bullet point range increased to 15 feet.

• Vital Control // Free Crimson Offering use 1/rest moved to 6th level.

• Crimson Anchor // Clarified, changed to a Charisma saving throw.

Order of Alchemists:

• Aberrant Alchemy // Renamed “Latent Mutagens” and clarified they work.

• Monstrous Awareness // NEW feature that interacts with Hunter’s Bane.

• Noxious Strike // Buffed/reworked this feature.

• Mutagens // NEW // Knotted Flesh, Dislocated Reach, Engorged Physique, Toxic Symbiosis, Accelerated Physiology, Alchemical Intellect, Hideous Regeneration.

• Mutagens // CUT // Elemental Resistance, Toxic Vitality

• Mutagens // Enchanted Movement // Reworked to be a bonus action Dash.

• Mutagens // Grappling Appendage // Removed level prerequisite (but it scales at 13th level). Reworked around unarmed strikes, shoves, and grappling.

• Mutagens // Monstrous Glide // Renamed (Deviant Glide). No more wave dash.

• Mutagens // Oozing Form // Clarified what does (and doesn’t) ooze with you.

• Mutagens // Corrosive Blood // Renamed (Corrosive Secretions).

• Mutagens // Inoculated Vigor // Added immunity to Poison/disease.

• Mutagens // Viscous Grip // Added a buff to your grapples.

• Mutagens // Monstrous Flight // Renamed (Perverted Flight).

• Mutagens // Synthetic Carapace // Reworked.

Order of the Pale Moon:

• Beast Form // Reworked - you keep your current/maximum hit points.

• Hybrid Form // Claws/Teeth now Light, reduced damage.

• Feral Senses // Added thematic Hunter’s Rite buffs.

• Lycanthropic Master // Renamed (Transformation Mastery).

Order of Salt & Iron

• Spectral Nature // Now has Con mod uses per long rest.

• Warrior of the Dawn // Added bonus to Hunter’s Rite checks.

• Spectral Mastery // Clarified how long resting works with this.

Order of Undying Thirst

• Vampiric Nature // Your fangs are special piercing unarmed strikes.

• Essence Drain // Piercing damage for MHP regen. Your fangs count as magical.

• Sinister Resilience // Temp hit points gained halved.

• Undying Thirst // True Vampirism // If you already have sunlight sensitivity you instead gain vulnerability to radiant damage.

Order of Witch Knights

• Sanguine Warrior // Completely reworked.

• Profane Sacrifice // Limited to once per short/long rest (no more Vital Sacrifice + bag of rats to get infinite spell slots).

• Spell List // Added detect evil & good and phantasmal killer.

Blood Rites

• NEW // Rites of Knowledge, Beast, Bonding, Aggression, Open Grave, Thralldom, Reaping, Rejuvenation.

• Confusion // Reworked to be an instant WIS save.

• Revelation // Reworked around the new Hunter’s Bane analysis.

• Marking // Empowered now a Rite Die bonus to attack rolls.

• Puppet // Movement moved to the base Rite.

• Senseless // Now you repeat the save at the end of each turn.

• Exsanguination // Limited to once per short/long rest.