Playing a Blood Hunter 5e character means trading your own vitality for dark, supernatural power. Created by Matthew Mercer and published via Critical Role, this homebrew-turned-official-community staple sits somewhere between a fighter and a warlock. You aren't casting standard spells from a safe distance. Instead, you sacrifice your own hit points to imbue your weapons with elemental curses and track otherworldly abominations.
If you want a martial character with high risk, high reward, and a grim aesthetic, this class delivers. Let's break down how the mechanics work, which subclasses to pick, and how to survive the self-inflicted damage.
Core Mechanics: Hemocraft and Crimson Rites
The entire identity of the class rests on two central mechanics: Hemocraft Dice and Crimson Rites. Managing these resources separates a surviving blood hunter from one who kills themselves faster than the monsters do.
Crimson Rites
As a bonus action, you can activate a Crimson Rite on your weapon. This coats your blade or ammunition in elemental energy—such as fire, cold, lightning, or later, necrotic and psychic damage. While the rite is active, your weapon attacks deal extra damage of that type. Further insights into this topic are explored by Associated Press.
The catch? Activating a rite costs you hit points equal to your roll of your current Hemocraft Die. You don't get those hit points back until you finish a short or long rest. If you wield two weapons, you need a rite on each, which doubles the health tax.
Hemocraft Dice and Blood Mallets
Your Hemocraft Die starts as a d4 at level 1 and scales up to a d10 as you gain levels. You use these dice to fuel your Blood Curses. These are special tactical maneuvers used as bonus actions or reactions to hinder enemies, manipulate movement, or force disadvantage on saving throws.
You can use blood curses a set number of times per rest. However, you can amplify a curse by spending a Hemocraft Die. Amplifying adds extra effects—like dealing necrotic damage or spreading a curse to an adjacent target—at the cost of taking damage directly to your health pool.
Choosing Your Order: The Subclasses
At level 3, you choose your subclass, known as an Order. Each order changes how you approach combat and resource management.
Order of the Ghostslayer
This is the premier subclass for hunting undead, fiends, and aberrations. Ghostslayers gain the Rite of the Dawn, which deals radiant damage—a damage type that ruins incorporeal monsters like ghosts and wraiths. At higher levels, your cursed strikes pierce resistances, and you can project your soul outward to scout or fight when your physical body is compromised.
Order of the Mutant
If you like customization and min-maxing stats, choose the Mutant. You brew specialized mutagens using your hemocraft knowledge. Each mutagen grants a potent buff with a corresponding minor flaw. For example, Celerity increases your Dexterity score and maximum score cap, but lowers your Wisdom saving throws. You swap out your active mutagens whenever you finish a rest, making you incredibly adaptable.
Order of the Profane Soul
This order bridges the gap between martial combat and dark pacts by binding your blood magic to an otherworldly patron (similar to the Warlock). You gain spellcasting ability, letting you cast spells using your Intelligence modifier. You also get a modified version of the Pact Boon feature and can apply your patron's curse to enemies you strike. It's complex, demanding high stats in Strength/Dexterity, Constitution, and Intelligence, but the payoff is immense battlefield versatility.
Order of the Lycan
The Lycan turns you into a controlled werewolf hybrid. When you transform, you gain temporary hit points, bonus unarmed strike damage, resistance to non-magical physical damage, and advantage on Strength checks and saving throws. The danger lies in the Bloodlust feature: if you take too much damage, you must make a Wisdom saving throw or attack the nearest creature—friend or foe—on your next turn.
Optimal Attributes and Feat Choices
Because the class relies on multiple core statistics, building your character correctly from level 1 prevents you from falling behind.
- Primary Stats: Dexterity or Strength dictates your weapon accuracy and damage. Constitution is vital because your own class features constantly drain your hit points. Intelligence matters if you take the Order of the Profane Soul or want better save DCs for your blood curses.
- Fighting Style: Choose Archery or Two-Weapon Fighting to maximize your damage output per round, since you want to capitalize on your active Crimson Rites.
- Key Feats: Resilient (Wisdom) is almost mandatory because failed Wisdom saves against charm or fear effects can turn your lycanthropy or curses against your own party. Great Weapon Master or Sharpshooter helps scale your damage into the late game.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Players new to the class often make a few critical errors that drain their health bar before the second round of combat begins.
- Activating too many rites too early: Don't activate crimson rites on multiple weapons unless you are fighting a boss and need to drop maximum damage immediately. Taking d6 or d8 damage at level 3 for a second weapon rite will leave you unconscious after two hits from a goblin.
- Ignoring Constitution: Treating Constitution as a dump stat is suicide. If your hit point maximum is low, your own blood curses will chunk half your health away.
- Hoarding Blood Curses: Don't save your amplified curses for a theoretical "boss fight" that never comes. Use them to lock down dangerous spellcasting minions in round one so your party doesn't take unnecessary damage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Blood Hunter official D&D material?
It is not printed in the core rulebooks like the Player's Handbook. It was created by Matthew Mercer as third-party D&D content hosted on D&D Beyond, making it widely accepted at most tables, though you should always check with your Dungeon Master first.
Can you play a Blood Hunter without taking self-inflicted damage?
No. The core identity of the class is blood magic. Activating your Crimson Rites and amplifying your Blood Curses inherently costs hit points. If you want a martial character that doesn't damage themselves, play a Fighter or Paladin.
What is the best subclass for beginners?
The Order of the Ghostslayer is the most straightforward. Its features are intuitive, its radiant damage bypasses common resistances, and it doesn't require managing complex spell slots or tracking mutagens.
How does multiclassing work with Blood Hunter?
Blood Hunters scale well with classes that boost weapon attacks. Multiclassing into Rogue grants Sneak Attack dice that pair nicely with your crimson-rite-infused weapons, while Fighter dips provide action surges and extra fighting styles. Keep your Intelligence requirements in mind if you choose the Profane Soul subclass.
