Bloodhammer (5e Class)

Bloodhammer

Warriors who wield the mystical power of the Bloodhammer are fierce combatants bound to semi-sentient weapons fueled by bloodlust. These weapons, often hammers, but sometimes other blunt instruments, thirst for blood and grow more potent with each life they take. Bloodhammer warriors, known as Bloodhammers, draw on the essence of their enemies, their strength and bloodlust growing as their bond with the weapon deepens.

The Bloodhammer is a force of destruction on the battlefield. With each strike, the weapon absorbs blood and becomes more lethal, allowing the Bloodhammer to deal devastating blows. However, this power comes at a cost. The more the weapon hungers for blood, the more it threatens to consume the wielder’s own soul. Whether the Bloodhammer can maintain control or succumbs to its own darkness is a constant battle for its wielders.

When creating a Bloodhammer, consider your character's bond with their weapon and the path they take in their journey of power. Below are some questions to help you develop your Bloodhammer character:

How did you come into possession of your Bloodhammer? Was it forged in battle, passed down through generations, or claimed after a fateful encounter? Perhaps it was a gift from a dark entity, or you sought it out to gain the strength needed to defeat an insurmountable foe.

How does the growing bloodlust of your weapon affect you? Do you struggle to control it, or have you embraced the madness it brings? Are you determined to maintain control over your actions, or do you revel in the violence your weapon demands?

What drives you to wield such a dangerous and cursed weapon? Do you seek to protect your people, prove your strength, or seek vengeance on those who wronged you? Perhaps you are searching for a way to rid yourself of the Bloodhammer's influence, or maybe you’re embracing its power to shape your destiny.

What does your Bloodhammer look like? Is it a brutal, spiked maul, a jagged greataxe, or a twisted weapon with veins of dark magic coursing through it? Describe how your weapon reflects your bond with it and its thirst for blood.

How does your weapon influence your behavior? Does it whisper dark thoughts to you, urging you into battle? Does it grow more violent as you gain power, or do you manage to keep its darkness at bay?

Quick Build

To create a Bloodhammer quickly, follow these suggestions: Prioritize Strength for powerful attacks and Constitution for durability. A high Strength will help you land harder hits, while Constitution increases your survivability and the number of Blood Stacks you can maintain. Consider a secondary focus on Dexterity or Wisdom for better saving throws and skills.

Choose a race that boosts Strength and Constitution, such as a Half-Orc (for additional critical hit damage) or Mountain Dwarf (for bonus hit points and resilience). Other good options might include Goliath (for added physical power) or Human (Variant) (to gain flexibility with feats at level 1).

Choose your weapon carefully, as your Bloodhammer depends on your bond with it. A Greataxe or Maul are great choices for hard-hitting melee damage. You also begin with Smith's tools, which will help in crafting or repairing your weapon throughout your journey.

Class Features

As a Bloodhammer you gain the following class features.

Hit Points

Hit Dice: 1d12 per Bloodhammer level
Hit Points at 1st Level: 12 + Constitution modifier
Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d12 (or 7) + Constitution modifier per Bloodhammer level after 1st

Proficiencies

Armor: all armor
Weapons: club, mace, hammer, greatclub, handaxe, battleaxe, greataxe, maul, morningstar
Tools: Smith's tools
Saving Throws: strength, Constitution
Skills: Choose two from Arcana, Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, Survival

Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:

• (a) Maul and a club or (b) Greataxe and a mace

Table: The Bloodhammer

Level	Proficiency Bonus	Features
1st	+2	Everlasting Bond, Bloody Frenzy
2nd	+2	Immeasurable Strength
3rd	+2	Archetype Feature
4th	+2	Ability Score Improvement
5th	+3	Extra Attack
6th	+3	Archetype Feature
7th	+3	Opportunistic Swordsman
8th	+3	Ability Score Improvement
9th	+4	Unbreakable
10th	+4	Ability Score Improvement
11th	+4	Archetype Feature
12th	+4	Ability Score Improvement
13th	+5	Improved Bonded Blade
14th	+5	Archetype Feature
15th	+5	Edged Mastery
16th	+5	Ability Score Improvement
17th	+6	Archetype Feature
18th	+6	Blade Bond Mastery
19th	+6	Ability Score Improvement, Archetype Feature
20th	+6	One With the Blade

Everlasting Bond

Starting at 1st level, when you finish a long rest, you can magically bound yourself to an axe, hammer or mace. The bond lasts until you choose to forge a bond with another weapon.

You can never be disarmed from your bound weapon and your weapon gain the property thrown (20/40). You can also use a Bonus Action or an Action to summon the weapon to your empty hand or to shun it to an extradimensional space.

Blooddrinking Hammer

Starting at 1st level, your bound weapon have a thirst for blood. Whenever you hit a creature with it and draws blood, you gain 1 blood stack, from which you can have an amount equal to your proficiency bonus. You lose 1 stack at the end of each turn you haven't hit a creature with it.

You cause additional damage with this weapon equal to the amount of stacks you currently have. In addition, the weapon scores a critical hit on a roll on the d20 equal to 20 minus your current amount of stacks. When you score a critical hit with your bound weapon, you immediately lose all current Blood Stacks. This reset occurs after the critical hit is resolved.

Blood Frenzy

At 2nd level, whenever you reach your maximum amount of stacks or drop to a number of hit points equal to your Bloodhammer level or lower, you enter a Blood Frenzy. While in a Blood Frenzy, you gain Advantage on all your attack rolls, Strength checks and Strength saving throws.

During a Frenzy, you can't gain blood stacks. The frenzy ends when you no longer have any blood stacks.

Ability Score Improvement

When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

Extra Attack

Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

Immeasurable Strength

At 5th level, you can forgo one of your attacks unleash a powerful wave forward in a line. This line has 5 feet width, and a length equal to 5 feet, plus 5 feet for each blood stack you spend. All creatures within a that area must succeed on a Constitution saving throw, or they are knocked prone and are stunned until the end of your next turn.

Menacing Aura

At 7th level, while wielding your bound weapon, you can use a Bonus Action to exude a menacing aura that make your enemies perceive you as the most threatening presence in the battlefield The aura lasts until the start of your next turn. All hostile creatures within a distance of 10 feet, plus 5 feet per blood stack you currently have gain Disadvantage on attack rolls against creatures other than you. Creatures immune to the charmed or frightened condition are immune to this effect.

Courage

At 9th level, at the start of your turn, you can spend 1 blood stack you have to gain 5 temporary hit points (no action required). While you have these temporary hit points, you gain resistance to psychic damage and are immune to the frightened condition. This doesn't end the condition currently active, only suppress it.

Unbreakable

At 11th level, while wielding your bound weapon, if you are reduced to 0 hit points you can spend 1 blood stack to be reduced to 1 hit point instead.

Devastating Critical

At 13th level, when you score a critical hit during a Frenzy, you roll one additional die of damage for each blood stack you weapon have.

Blood Drinking

At 15th level, whenever you hit a creature with your Blooddrinking weapon you can choose to, instead of gaining blood stacks, to regain hit points equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1).

Vicious Drinker

At 17th level, you gain 2 blood stacks when you hit a creature with the bound weapon, rather than 1.

Unstoppable

At 18th level, when you score a critical hit, you can make an additional attack (no action required). You can only gain one additional attack per turn this way.

Constant Frenzy

At 20th level, you can enter in frenzy at the start of your turn at any moment, as long as you have at least 1 blood stack. In addition, you can gain blood stacks during a Frenzy.

Path

Iron Awaken

The Iron Awaken path channels the arcane potential within the Bloodhammer, awakening its latent magic and fusing it with raw, physical might. As an Iron Awakened, your Bloodhammer becomes more than just a weapon—it becomes an extension of your will, infused with eldritch power that enhances both your martial prowess and magical abilities.

Awakened Hammer

Starting at 3rd level, you can awaken the magic latent in your bound weapon. The bloodhammer assume an aspect that mixes both metal and organic texture, with sometimes teeth, eyes, tongues or other body parts sprouting from it.

Sometimes the hammer will whisper eldritch secrets on your ear. You have proficiency in Arcana. The hammer is also a spellcasting focus for your spells.

Bloodhammer Magic

Also at 3rd level, you can channel magic through your Awakened Hammer. You gain access to the spellcasting trait from the Eldritch Knight, but replacing the Abjuration and Evocation schools with Transmutation and Necromancy.

Living Metal

At 6th level, whenever you cast a spell using your Bloodhammer Magic feature, you can spend 1 blood stack to make an attack with the Bloodhammer as a Bonus Action. The blood stack is spent simultaneously with the spell slot.

In addition, when you enter your Blood Frenzy, you also have Advantage on Concentration checks for your Arcane Channeling feature spells.

Magic Eater

Starting at 10th level, whenever you spend a spell slot to cast a spell, you can choose to gain a number of Arcane Stacks equal to the level of the spell. If you do so, you lose all your current blood stacks.

You also gain Arcane Stacks whenever you succeed on the saving throw of a spell. The number of stacks equals the slot used for that spell.

Your Arcane Stacks last until you lose concentration (as if concentrating on a spell), and you gain a bonus to your Spell Attack Bonus and Spell save DC equal to your current number of Arcane Stacks.

Eldritch Frenzy

At 14th level, when your Arcane Stacks reach their maximum, you can enter a state of Eldritch Frenzy. For the duration of the Frenzy, you gain the following benefits:

• You gain a flying speed equal to your movement speed.
• You gain resistance to all damage types (except psychic).
• If you cast a spell using an Action, you can make an attack with a Bonus Action without spending blood stacks.

The Lethal Hand

Lethal Hands are bloody hammers who succumb to their bound weapon bloodthirsty and voracity, and surrender themselves to the violence, allowing them to become especially lethal by fighting as one with their sentient hammer.

Bloodthirsty

At 3rd level, you start to share your weapon's relentless bloodthirst. During a Frenzy, whenever you hit a creature with the Blood Hammer, you can attack another creature within 5 feet of your target. You can spend blood stacks, targeting an additional creature within 5 feet of either target as part of the same Bonus Action.

Hunting Hammer

At 6th level, your hammer relentlessly pursue your targets. Your ranged attacks with the bloodhammer no longer have disadvantage for attacks made at long range, and you ignore three quarters and half cover with it.

In addition, if you miss an attack with the hammer during a Blood Frenzy, your target takes half damage, rather than no damage.

Bloodstorm Impact

Also at 10th level, if you haven't thrown your bloodhammer, you can fly up to 20 feet (not counting against your maximum movement). If you don't end your turn on the ground, you fall. You can't use your Bloodhammer for thrown attacks after using this feature for the rest of the turn.

Upon landing, you can spend any amount of blood stacks, forcing all creatures in a 10-foot radius to make a Strength saving throw, or be pushed 10 feet back and take 1d6 bludgeoning damage per stack spent.

Devouring Hammer

At 14th level, once per turn you damage a creature with your blood hammer while below half your maximum hit points, you can regain hit points equal to half the damage caused, instead of gaining a blood stack. You can use this feature during a Frenzy.

Multiclassing

Prerequisites. To qualify for multiclassing into the Bloodhammer class, you must meet these prerequisites:

Proficiencies. When you multiclass into the Bloodhammer class, you gain the following proficiencies:

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