Coven of the Thousand Blades (5e Subclass)

Author: Zhenra-Khal (talk) Date Created: 1/12/2020 Status: In Progress; Pending Bonus Spells Editing: Clarity edits only please

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Coven of the Thousand Blades is a witchblade coven of the Witchblade class.

The Coven of the Thousand Blades is a Witchblade Coven that focuses on martial combat even more than the class itself does, flying into bloodsoaked rages and using their own pain to fuel their magic. Thousand-Blade Initiates enjoy pain, both their own and that of others, and they tend to seek out battle as a form of sport, disregarding their own safety in the process.  

Expanded Spell List

The following spells are added to your Witchblade spell list:

Cantrips:

1st Level:

2nd Level:

3rd Level:

4th Level:

5th Level: 

Fighting Style

You learn a Fighting Style from among those available to Fighters, listed here. 

Crimson Rage

At 3rd level, you learn a special technique to infuse your blood with magic while it's still in your veins, allowing you to ignore outside damage for a time, at the expense. On your turn, you can spend 1 Blood Point to enter a Crimson Rage as a bonus action.

While raging, you gain the following benefits, if you aren't wearing heavy armor:

• You have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws.
• When you make a melee weapon attack using Strength, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll.
• You have resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.

Unlike a Barbarian's Rage, Crimson Rage does not interfere with your ability to cast or concentrate on Witchblade spells, but Crimson Rage prevents you from casting or concentrating on spells from other sources.

Your Crimson Rage lasts for 1 minute. It ends early if you are knocked unconscious or if your turn ends and you haven't attacked a hostile creature since your last turn or taken damage since then. You can also end your rage on your turn as a bonus action.

At the end of your turn each round during your Crimson Rage, you take damage equal to your Crimson Rite damage (See below), which cannot be mitigated or reduced in any way. Additionally, at the end of your Crimson Rage, you suffer one level of exhaustion. 

Crimson Rite

At 3rd level, you learn to invoke a rite of blood magic within your weapon at the cost of your own vitality. Choose to learn one Primal Rite - Rite of the Flame, Rite of the Frozen, or Rite of the Storm. You cannot change this choice.

As a bonus action, you imbue a single weapon with the elemental energy of a known rite until your next short or long rest. While active, attacks from this weapon deal an additional 1d4 rite damage of the chosen elemental type. Rite damage is considered magical. At 10th level, this damage increases to 1d6, and at 18th level, it increases to 1d8. Should your weapon leave your grip, the rite fades immediately. An active rite on a weapon thrown fades directly after the attack is complete.

When a crimson rite is activated, you suffer damage equal to your character level, and you reduce your maximum hit points by an amount equal to your character level. These lost maximum hit points return once the rite fades and cannot be restored otherwise. When a rite fades, no hit points are regained as part of the restoring of maximum hit points.

Crimson rite can be used on multiple weapons, costing additional hit point loss. Most weapons can only be subject to a single rite at any given time. Each end of a polearm or quarterstaff is treated as a separate weapon for the purposes of this feature. A rite can be allowed to fade at any time (no action required).

At 10th and 18th levels, you gain access to an additional Primal Rite. If you already know all Primal Rites, such as from levels in the Blood Hunter class, you may instead choose to permanently increase your hit point maximum by +5.

• Rite of the Flame: Your rite damage is Fire type.
• Rite of the Frozen: Your rite damage is Cold type.
• Rite of the Storm: Your rite damage is Lightning type. 

Blood Maledict

At 7th level, you gain the knowledge to further channel, and sacrifice, a part of your vital essence to curse and manipulate your enemies. You gain one blood curse of your choice, detailed in the list below. At 10th and 18th levels, you learn one additional blood curse of your choice, and you can choose one of the blood curses you know and replace it with another blood curse.

When you use your Blood Maledict, you choose which curse to invoke. While invoking a blood curse, but before it affects the target, you may choose to amplify the curse by suffering damage equal to a roll of your crimson rite damage die. An amplified curse gains an additional effect, noted in the curse’s description. Creatures that do not have blood in their bodies are immune to blood curses (DM’s discretion).

You can use this feature once. You regain expended uses when you finish a short or long rest. 

Storm of Blades

At 10th level, you can choose to enter a frenzied state, putting yourself at risk and challenging enemies to hit you, in return for being able to launch deadly counterstrikes. As a bonus action, you can activate Storm of Blades, causing all attack rolls against you to have advantage, until the beginning of your next turn. However, during this time, every enemy that misses you in melee provokes an attack of opportunity from you, and you can make an attack of opportunity without consuming your reaction by spending 1 Blood Point. You can make a number of attacks of opportunity in this manner up to your Intelligence modifier (Minimum 1). 

Crimson Masochism

At 15th level, you learn to derive power and pleasure from your own injuries. Whenever an enemy successfully scores a critical hit against you, or successfully scores an attack against you while they have advantage on the attack roll, you gain 1 Blood Point. 

Red Tide

At 17th level, you learn a special technique to keep the slaughter rolling. Whenever you kill a creature with a blow from a melee weapon bearing your Crimson Rite, you automatically harvest Blood Points from it, and may spend 1 Blood Point to make another melee attack with that weapon against another target within reach. This can trigger an unlimited number of times per round, allowing for the quick slaughter of weak foes.

Blood Curses

The blood curses are presented in alphabetical order.

Blood Curse of Binding

As a bonus action, you can attempt to bind an enemy no more than one size larger than you within 30 feet. The target must succeed on a Strength saving throw (DC equal to 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Wisdom modifier) or have their speed be reduced to 0 until the end of your next turn.

Amplify. This curse becomes ongoing, and can affect a creature regardless of their size category. At the end of each of its turns, the cursed can make another Strength saving throw. On a success, this curse ends. You can end the curse whenever you like (no action required).

Blood Curse of Mutual Suffering

As a bonus action, you can link to a creature within 30 feet for up to a minute, forcing them to share in the pain they inflict upon you. The next time the cursed creature damages you with a weapon attack, this curse deals necrotic damage to the cursed creature equal to half of the damage you suffered. This curse then ends.

Amplify. This curse instead deals damage equal to the damage you suffered, and it ignores necrotic resistance.

Blood Curse of Purgation

As a bonus action, you can manipulate the vitality of a creature within 60 feet to expunge a corruption in their blood. The target creature can immediately make a saving throw against a poisoned condition afflicting it.

Amplify. Your target can instead immediately make a saving throw against one other condition afflicting it. This condition can be blinded, deafened, or paralyzed.

Blood Curse of Spell Sunder

When an enemy casts a spell within 60 feet that requires a spell attack roll and targets you, you can use your reaction to rend the spell from the air, imposing disadvantage on the spell attack roll.

Amplify. You make a Wisdom ability check. The DC equals 10 + the spell’s level. On a success, the creature’s spell misses you automatically.

Blood Curse of the Eyeless

When an enemy who is not immune to blindness within 60 feet makes a weapon attack, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll.

Amplify. Following the triggering attack, the affected enemy has disadvantage on the next attack roll they make.

Blood Curse of the Fallen Puppet

The moment a creature falls unconscious or dies within 30 feet of you, you can use your reaction to give that creature a final act of aggression. That creature immediately makes a single weapon attack against a target of your choice within its attack range. After the attack, the creature returns to being unconscious or dead.

Amplify. You grant a bonus to the attack roll and damage roll of the cursed creature’s attack equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1).

Blood Curse of the Fending Rite

When an enemy casts a spell that requires a Dexterity saving throw, you can use your reaction to deflect the spell with your crimson rite. You gain a bonus to the initial saving throw against that spell equal to your Wisdom modifier (minimum of 1). This curse is invoked before the saving throw is rolled.

Amplify. You grant all allies within 5 feet of you this bonus to their saving throw against the triggering spell as well.

Blood Curse of the Marked

As a bonus action, you can mark an enemy within 60 feet. Until the end of your turn, all crimson rite damage you deal to the target is doubled.

Amplify. You cause the marked target to also lose resistance to your rite damage type until the beginning of your next turn.

Special Feat

This feat is only available to Witchblades 7th level or higher who chose the Coven of the Thousand Blades.

Name: Crimson Rejuvenation

Summary: You can recover from exhaustion more quickly, at the cost of ignoring your wounds.

Prerequisites: Witchblade level 7, Coven of the Thousand Blades class feature, Blood Maledict class feature

Benefit: When you take a short rest, you can remove 1 level of exhaustion. However, in doing so, you must expend a number of hit dice equal to half your character level (Min 1). These spent hit dice will be regained at the end of your next long rest, as normal.

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