What is a Blood Hunter in D&D?

A Blood Hunter is a martial monster-hunter who deliberately uses dangerous supernatural techniques against dangerous supernatural creatures. The class's defining idea is sacrifice for power. Blood Hunters use hemocraft, a form of magic tied to blood and life essence, to empower weapons, curse enemies, brand prey, and strengthen their ability to hunt monsters. Mechanically, the current class combines a d10 Hit Die, martial weapons, medium armor, Fighting Style, Extra Attack, Crimson Rite, Blood Maledict, and a Blood Hunter Order.

Core class profile

The current Blood Hunter uses a d10 Hit Die.

Its weapon offense normally uses either Strength or Dexterity. The class's Hemocraft modifier is based on Intelligence or Wisdom in the current version, with that choice affecting several Blood Hunter features.

Saving throw proficiencies are Dexterity and Intelligence.

The base class has access to light armor, medium armor, shields, simple weapons, and martial weapons.

This makes the Blood Hunter a genuine martial character rather than a fragile occult caster.

Hunter's Bane

At 1st level, Hunter's Bane establishes the class's monster-hunting identity.

It improves the Blood Hunter's ability to track and recall information about certain supernatural creature types, including fey, fiends, and undead. It also establishes the Hemocraft save DC used by class features.

The practical point is that a Blood Hunter is intended to investigate monsters as well as fight them. Knowledge about a creature can affect preparation, target priority, equipment, and tactics before initiative begins.

Blood Maledict

Blood Maledict grants blood curses.

The Blood Hunter learns a limited number of curses and gains additional choices and uses at later levels. A curse can be used normally or amplified.

Amplifying a blood curse causes the Blood Hunter to take necrotic damage based on the Hemocraft die, and the amplified version gains the additional effect described by that curse.

The self-damage is a real cost. The Blood Hunter is trading personal durability for a stronger supernatural effect.

Blood Maledict uses return after a short or long rest.

Crimson Rite

At 2nd level, Crimson Rite allows the Blood Hunter to empower a weapon with a chosen rite.

Activating the rite costs the Blood Hunter necrotic damage based on the Hemocraft die. While the rite remains active, attacks with that weapon deal additional rite damage and count as magical for the relevant resistance and immunity interactions.

Additional rites and rite improvements become available as the class advances.

Crimson Rite is one of the class's most reliable damage features because it remains tied to ordinary weapon attacks rather than functioning as a separate spellcasting system.

Blood Hunter Order

At 3rd level, the Blood Hunter joins an Order.

The four Orders in the current class are:

Order of the Ghostslayer;
Order of the Lycan;
Order of the Mutant;
Order of the Profane Soul.

Ghostslayer specialises in undead and improves hemocraft interactions.

Lycan introduces a controlled hybrid transformation.

Mutant uses alchemical mutagens that grant benefits with deliberate drawbacks.

Profane Soul adds limited pact-style spellcasting and an otherworldly patron relationship.

Later hunting features

At 6th level, Brand of Castigation lets the Blood Hunter mark a creature damaged through Crimson Rite and punish certain hostile actions by that branded creature.

Brand of Tethering later strengthens that control and interferes with Dash, teleportation, or planar escape under the feature rules.

Grim Psychometry improves the Blood Hunter's ability to uncover sinister or tragic history connected to objects and locations.

Dark Augmentation improves movement and physical saving throws through the Hemocraft modifier.

Hardened Soul improves resistance to charm and fear.

At 20th level, Sanguine Mastery improves Hemocraft-die reliability and creates a way for critical hits with an active Crimson Rite to restore Blood Maledict uses.

Party role

A Blood Hunter can function as:

melee or ranged martial damage;
supernatural monster specialist;
tracker;
investigator;
debuffer through blood curses;
target-control character through Brands;
subclass-specific spellcaster or shapeshifter.

The class is strongest when the player understands both the enemy and the cost of their own abilities.

In short

A Blood Hunter is a martial class that accepts controlled self-harm in exchange for supernatural hunting tools.

Crimson Rite improves weapon pressure. Blood Maledict supplies curses. Brands make important prey harder to escape from. The Blood Hunter Order determines the deeper specialisation.