GrimoireExCruor Veneficus

DescriptionThis tome is several hundred old, yet incredibly fine parchment pages, bound together with an odd pale leather. The text inside is written in adark red ink, The whole book reeks of a rot.

UseageThe Grimoire is full of the secrets of blood magic, containing many techniques to train one to use their blood as a weapon. While powerful, this practice is dangerous, and is looked down upon in many societies. To learn the secrets, one needs to study the book and make use of the exercises described therein. This takes 2 hours a day, for two weeks. After which the reader must make a DC 25 Intelligence check. Success means that the reader understood the process and may start gaining blood motes. Failure results in a lack of understanding and the reader may try again after he gains a level.

Blood MagicBlood magic, unlike other spells, does not require spell slots or preparation in advance. A blood mage simply knows their blood magic abilities and may use them provided he has sufficient blood motes to activate it. While some blood magic may be similar to spells, they are not and thus are not affected by spell resistance or spell failure.

Acquiring Blood MotesBlood motes are required to useblood magic abilities. Blood motes are gained directly from blood, normally the blood mage's. Whenever the blood mage takes damage equal or greater than their level, or at least receives a -2 penalty from a pain effect, the blood mage gains one blood mote. These blood motes remain until used or until the blood mage rests for eight hours. In addition, every time the blood mage receives magical healing, he loses one blood mote. The blood mage may have a maximum number ofblood motes equal to their level.

Blood Magic ArcanaThe abilities of blood magic are called arcana. A blood mage may know a number of arcana equal to his constitution modifier. This can be increased by taking the Expanded Arcana feat. Temporary bonusesto constitution, such as from the Bear's Endurance spell, will not grant additional arcana. The available arcana are as follows.

Bloody BladesCost:1 blood motePrerequisites:noneActivation Time:1 move actionDuration:1 round/levelEffect:You cause a pair of single edged blades, composed of blood, to sprout from your hands. These blades deal 1d6 damage, with a critical threat range of 18-20/x2. You attack with both blades as if they were lightweapons and you had the Two-Weapon Fighting feat.

Bloody KnucklesCost:1 blood motePrerequisite:NoneActivation Time:1 move actionDuration:1 round/level or until dischargedEffect:Blood surrounds your fists, gathering into the form of a cestus or brass knuckles or similar weapon. For the duration of the arcana, your unarmed strikes deal lethal damage and do not provoke attacks of opportunity. In addition, you may discharge this arcana to automatically confirm a critical threat you make against an opponent. You must roll the critical threat normally.

Sanguine MissileCost:1 blood motePrerequisites:NoneActivation Time:1 standard actionRange:Close (25 feet + 5 feet/level)Duration:InstantaneousEffect:You gather blood into a small ball, which you then throw at an opponent. You make a ranged touch attack that deals 1d6+1/level of magical bludgeoning damage to an enemy.

Sanguine RayCost:3 blood motesPrerequisites:Sanguine MissileActivation Time:1 standard actionRange:Close (25 feet + 5 feet/level)Duration:InstantaneousEffect:You create a ray made of supernaturally hard blood. You mayfire one ray, plus an additional ray for every four levels beyond 3rd, to a maximum of three rays at 11thlevel. Each ray is a ranged touch attack that deal 4d6 points of magical piercing to an enemy. Each ray can target multiple enemies, but each enemy must be within 30 feet of each other and all rays must be fired simultaneously.

Sanguine BlastCost:5+ blood motesPrerequisites:Sanguine RayActivation Time:1 standard actionRange:120 ftArea:120 ft lineDuration:InstantaneousEffect:You generateand fire a massive blast of superheated blood. Those caught in the attack take 1d6 points of fire damage, plus an additional 1d6 points of fire damage per level, to a maximum of 10d6. Affected creatures may make a reflex save (DC 13+con modifier) for halfdamage. For an additional 2 blood motes, creatures caught in the area must make an additional reflex save, or be blasted to the end of the line, taking an additional 1d6 damage per 10 feet moved and be knocked prone.

Blood CrystalsCost:5+ blood motesPrerequisites:NoneActivation Time:1 standard actionRange:20 feetArea:Cone shaped burstDuration:InstantaneousEffect:You cause droplets of blood to harden and crystallize, before spraying out at your foes. Creatures caught in the area take 1d6points of slashing and piercing damage per level, to a maximumof 10d6 damage. Affected creatures may make a reflex save (DC 13+con modifier) for half damage. In addition, affected creatures must make a fortitude save or become sickened for one round. Foran additional 3 blood motes, you may have them take 1d6 points of bleed damage for a number of round equal to double your constitution modifier instead of being sickened.

StigmataCost:6+ blood motesPrerequisites:NoneActivation Time:1 standard actionDuration:InstantaneousEffect:By spending the requisite blood motes, you cause blood to well up from a location on your body, usually your wrists. By feeding this blood to a target, they heal 1d8 damage, plus an additional 1d8 per two levels you possess. For an additional 3 blood motes, the target also gets to make another fortitude save against any ongoing physical effects, such as poison or disease.

Summon Blood ElementalCost:9 blood motesPrerequisites:NoneActivation Time:1 full round actionRange:Close (25 feet+5 feet/level)Duration:1 round/levelEffect:You summon an elemental composed of blood, thought to be related to a water elemental by some. The blood elemental appears in the square you designate and act immediately on your turn. Itattacks anyone you designate, but it is incapable of communication, via verbal or supernatural means. Due to the extremely violent nature of blood elementals, when the spell's duration is over, there is a 25% chance that it go berserk and remain to attackany creature it can perceive until it is destroyed.

Blood Magic Feats

Bloody SacrificeRather than using your own blood, you prefer to use the blood of others, willing or not.Benefit:You can acquire blood motes from others. To do so, you must deal damage equal to one and a half times your level to the target. You gain one blood mote each time you do this. If the target is not willing, they must be rendered helpless before you use this feat.

Self-SacrificeIn emergencies, you can pull even greater powerfrom your blood, at the cost of yourhealth.Benefit:You can pull more blood motes from your blood, but at a great cost. As a standard action you may willingly inflict constitution damage to yourself in order to gain blood motes. For every 2 points of constitution damage you take, you gain 3 blood motes. You recover this constitution damage as normal.

Expanded ArcanaYou know more arcana than normal.Prerequisites:Constitution 14+Benefit:Your known arcana capacity increases by two. You still must takethe time to learn arcana normally.Special:This feat may be taken multiple times. Each time you take it, increase the constitution score prerequisite by two. EG taking this feat a second time requires 16 constitution, 18 for a third and so on.

New Monsters

Blood Elemental CR6XP 2,400NE Medium OutsiderInit+1Senses:Darkvision 60 feet

DefenseAC20 (+9 natural) Touch 11, Flat-Footed 19HP42 (5d10+15)Fort+7Ref+2Will+4

OffenseSpeed20 feet, Swim 90 feetMeleeSlam +8 1d8+3

StatisticsStr17Dex12Con17Wis11Int10Cha19Base Atk+5CMB+8CMD19FeatsPower Attack, CleaveSkillsPerception +8, Swim +18*, Stealth +9

Special AbilitiesBloodbath (Ex):With a successful grapple check (grapple bonus +12, including a +5 racial bonus on grapple checks), a blood elemental may engulf a creature of up to its own size category. An engulfed creature is subject to drowning. The elemental may eject the engulfedcreature at any time. A victim that is still alive when it emerges from the blood elemental's body (whether by escaping the monster's hold or by being ejected) takes 1d6 points of Wisdom damage because of the strain on its sanity that the sensation of drowning in blood produced. Furthermore, the victim creature must make a successful Fortitude save (DC 15) on emerging or be nauseated for 2d6 rounds.Cause Insanity (Su):Once per day, a blood elemental can produce an effect identical to that of theinsanityspell (caster level 13th; save DC 16).Immunities(Ex):The blood elemental's alien psychology and physiology make it immune to critical hits, mind-affecting effects, stunning.Incomprehensible (Ex):Because of its alien mentality, a blood elemental does not understand verbal communication of any sort, nor can its own gurgling language be understood by any creature except its own kind. A blood elemental is immune to all language-dependent spells and effects, and no mundane or magical effect that usually allows verbal communication (including atonguesspell or a monk's tongue of the sun and moon ability) functions with respect to it.