Sanguine Wizard (Apath)
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Obsessed with the study of the effects of blood and bloodlines on arcane magic, sanguine wizards replicate the powers of sorcerers by consuming the blood of sorcerers and magical creatures.
Class Information
This is a prestige archetype. Sanguine wizards use their own blood as a magical laboratory.
Prestige Class: Bloatmage and the Bloatmage Initiate feat from Pathfinder Chronicles: City of Strangers.
Build Classes: Arcanist, witch, or wizard.
Role: Sanguine wizards are coldly calculating, seeking the perfect point at which to overwhelm their opposition with an unexpected blood surge.
Alignment: Any. Sanguine wizards gain their powers through careful study, but obtaining samples to study often forces them to go outside codes of ethics and law.
Hit Die: d6.
Class Features
This archetype has all normal wizard class features, except as noted.
| Creature Type | Bloodline |
| Aberration, otyugh | Otyugh MB1 |
| Aberration, flumph* | Flumph MB2 |
| Aberation, starspawn* | Starspawn MB4 |
| Aberration, other | Aberrant |
| Animal | Animal MB5 |
| Construct | Artifice MB5 |
| Dragon* | Draconic |
| Fey, gremlin* | Pugwampi MB2 |
| Fey, other* | Fey |
| Humanoid, android | Nanite PoR |
| Humanoid, aquatic | Aquatic IYB |
| Humanoid, dwarf | Deep Earth APG |
| Humanoid, giant* | Giant MB5 |
| Humanoid, giant (cyclops)* | Cyclopean MB1 |
| Humanoid, gnome* | Fey |
| Humanoid, human* | Imperious ARG |
| Humanoid, kobold* | Kobold ARG |
| Humanoid, orc* | Orc OoG |
| Humanoid, reptilian* | Serpentine APG |
| Humanoid, shapeshifter* | Shapeshifter MB5 |
| Humanoid, arcane caster* | Arcane |
| Humanoid, divine caster* | Divine MB5 |
| Humanoid, psychic caster* | Psychic OA |
| Humanoid, other* | Maestro UM |
| Magical beast, aranea* | Aranea MB3 |
| Magical beast, behemoth* | Behemoth MB3 |
| Magical beast, flail snail* | Flail Snail MB2 |
| Magical beast, phoenix* | Phoenix MB2 |
| Magical beast, sphinx* | Sphinx MB1 |
| Magical beast, stirge | Stirge MB1 |
| Magical beast, unicorn* | Unicorn MB1 |
| Magical beast, other | Destined |
| Monstroud humanoid, lamia* | Lamia MB3 |
| Monstroud humanoid, medusa* | Medusan MB1 |
| Monstrous Humanoid, other* | Accursed UM |
| Ooze | Decay MB5 |
| Outsider, asura* | Aranea MB3 |
| Outsider, elohim* | Elohim MB4 |
| Magical beast, aranea* | Aranea MB3 |
| Outsider, kami* | Kami MB3 |
| Outsider, kyton* | Kyton MB4 |
| Outsider, oni* | Oni DEP |
| Outsider, psychopomp* | Psychopomp MB4 |
| Outsider, rakshasa* | Rakshasa UM |
| Outsider, chaotic evil* | Abyssal |
| Outsider, chaotic neutral* | Protean APG |
| Outsider, elemental* | Elemental |
| Outsider, good* | Celestial |
| Outsider, neutral* | Impossible CoB |
| Outsider, lawful neutral* | Inevitable MB1 |
| Outsider, lawful evil* | Infernal |
| Outsider, neutral evil* | Daemon BoF |
| Plant, mi-go* | Mi-go MB3 |
| Plant, fungus* | Fungal MB4 |
| Plant, other | Verdant APG |
| Undead, nosferatu* | Nosferatu MB4 |
| Undead, other | Undead |
| Vermin | Insect MB5 |
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References
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Spell Focus
Sanguine wizards gain Spell Focus as a bonus feat at 1st level. This replaces consume spells for the arcanist, patron spells for the witch, and Scribe Scroll for the wizard.
Hemophilia (Ex)
Sanguine wizards are particularly susceptible to bleed effects, and the DC of any Heal check made to stop a bleed effect is 5 higher than normal. In addition, anytime a bleeding wound is inflicted on a sanguine wizard, he loses 1 blood point. This loss of blood points is cumulative for multiple bleed attacks, but not each time he takes damage from the same attack.
Blood Pool (Su)
At 2nd level, a sanguine wizard gains a pool of blood points, representing an overload of his system with excess blood to extend his arcane abilities beyond their normal level. A sanguine wizard’s normal pool of blood points is equal to half his sanguine wizard level.
Blood points can be spent at the time of casting to cast a spell without expending the prepared spell. The spell (or spell slot for an arcanist or sorcerer) is retained as if it had not been cast. Retaining a spell in this manner costs a number of blood points equal to the spell’s level, and these points must be spent at the time of casting.
In addition, the sanguine wizard may push himself via his bloodsurge ability in order to gain a number of extra blood points, but such exertion is a dangerous gamble. If the sanguine wizard’s current number of blood points is greater than half his class level but less than or equal to his class level, he gains the sickened condition. If his exertions push his blood pool beyond his class level, he immediately flies into a homicidal rage, striking out randomly with his most damaging attacks and abilities at friends and foes alike for 1d6 rounds or until his blood pool is reduced to 0 (whichever comes first). At the end of the rage, his blood points drop to 0, his hit points drop to –1, and he begins dying.
Each day, when the sanguine wizard rests to regain spells, he regains blood points up to half his class level but not beyond (so if his sanguine wizard level is 10 but he currently has 8 points, he remains at 8 until he spends the extra points).
Some sanguine wizards conduct constant rituals involving leeches or exsanguination in an attempt to regulate their systems. These rituals, which must be undertaken daily during spell preparation, give the sanguine wizard the option of subtracting 1 point from any surging rolls (see below) after the results are known, but at the price of a non-cumulative –2 penalty to Constitution. This penalty cannot be removed, save by the sanguine wizard abandoning the rituals for a day (also during spell preparation), which removes it immediately.
An arcanist bloodline wizard can spend blood points as if they were points in his arcane pool.
This replaces the the level 2, 6, 10, 14 and 18 arcane exploits for the arcanist, bloodline feats and bloodline spells for the sorcerer, the level 2, 6, 10, 14 and 18 hexes for the witch, and arcane school for the wizard.
Bloodsurge (Ex)
A sanguine wizard can exert himself as a free action to instantly gain extra blood points, but doing so puts himself at risk of a dangerous collapse. At 2nd level, the sanguine wizard can bloodsurge once per day to gain 1d4 points. At 8th, he can surge twice per day, and the die roll becomes 1d8. At 14th, he can surge three times per day, and the roll becomes 1d12. At 20th, he can bloodsurge 4 times per day. This replaces the wizard's bonus feats.
Bloatmage Initiate
At 4th level a sanguine wizard swells up, his body holing a copious amount of blood. As a side effect he us constantly under the effects of a medium load—his maximum bonus to AC from Dexterity is +3, he gains an armor check penalty of –3, and his speed decreases as appropriate (generally from 30 feet to 20 feet for a Medium creature).
The sanguine wizard casts any spell from a school in which he possesses the Spell Focus feat at +1 caster level. This bonus stacks with the bonus from Spell Focus.
Absorb Bloodline
At 6th level the sanguine wizard learns how to absorb bloodlines. By drinking 1 pint of fresh blood (which inflicts 1 point of Constitution damage on the donor and can be begun no later than 1 minute after death) from a sorcerer with the given bloodline or from a creature affiliated with that bloodline, the sanguine wizard gains limited access to that bloodline for one hour. This ability is usable once per day at sixth level and an additional time per day at level eleven and every four levels thereafter. Bloodline abilities that can only be used a limited number of times per day count separately for each absorbed bloodline, but if the same bloodline is repeatedly absorbed previous uses carry over. Drinking the blood normally requires a full minute, but sanguine wizards with the Brew Potion feat can distill the blood into a potion-sized draught that can be stored and consumed as a standard action. Making such a potion is ten minutes of work and must be begun right after the blood is tapped. Gentle repose can be used to preserve a corpse for later bloodtapping.
Though the sanguine wizard gains no physical nourishment from drinking blood, this practice is likely responsible for many of the stories linking sanguine wizards and vampires.
In addition to sorcerers of the given bloodline, Table: Creature Type to Bloodline presents examples of creatures whose blood is considered affiliated to a bloodline. There may be others who work equally well, at the GM’s discretion. The creature must be corporreal and have blood for this ability to work. Consuming the blood of summoned creatures give no benefit.
At 6th level, the sanguine wizard can access any bloodline spell of a level he can cast, at the cost of one blood point per spell level. He can access bloodline spells from any bloodline he has absorbed. The blood points are expended as a part of the action to cast the spell. Powers that grant a familiar or companion do so immediately, the companion is made out of the bloodmage's blood but other than appearance it functions normally. If the blood mage already has a familiar, his normal familiar disappears for the duration. Note that a sanguine wizard with a familiar can drink the familiar's blood to absorb its bloodline.
At 12th level, a sanguine wizard can temporarily access all of the bloodline powers of an absorbed sorcerer bloodline as if he were a sorcerer of his sanguine wizard level.
At 18th level, a sanguine wizard can temporarily access an absorbed bloodline's bloodline arcana.
Corpulence
At 10th level, a sanguine wizard becomes so massive that his rolls of fatty, blood-laden flesh grant his a +1 natural armor bonus. At 16th level, this bonus increases to +2 but reduces his speed by 10 feet. This penalty stacks with the penalty from the Bloodmage Initiate feat. This reduction in speed can never reduce the sanguine wizard’s speed below 5 feet, nor does it affect magical flying effects. A dwarf sanguine wizar4d is immune to this speed reduction.
Table: Sanguine Wizard
| Level | Base Attack Bonus | Fort Save | Ref Save | Will Save | Special | Spells per Day | |||||||||
| 0 | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | ||||||
| 1st | +0 | +0 | +0 | +2 | Arcane bond, cantrips, hemophilia, Spell Focus | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2nd | +1 | +0 | +0 | +3 | Bloodsurge (1d4 1/day) | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3rd | +1 | +1 | +1 | +3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 4th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | Bloodmage Initiate | 4 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5th | +2 | +1 | +1 | +4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 6th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | Absorb Bloodline (1/day, spells) | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 7th | +3 | +2 | +2 | +5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 8th | +4 | +2 | +2 | +6 | Bloodsurge (1d8 2/day) | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 9th | +4 | +3 | +3 | +6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | |
| 10th | +5 | +3 | +3 | +7 | Corpulence (+1 AC) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — |
| 11th | +5 | +3 | +3 | +7 | Absorb Bloodline (2/day) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
| 12th | +6/+1 | +4 | +4 | +8 | Absorb Bloodline (powers) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — |
| 13th | +6/+1 | +4 | +4 | +8 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | |
| 14th | +7/+2 | +4 | +4 | +9 | Bloodsurge (1d12 3/day) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — |
| 15th | +7/+2 | +5 | +5 | +9 | Absorb Bloodline (3/day) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — |
| 16th | +8/+3 | +5 | +5 | +10 | Corpulence (+2 AC -10 speed) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 17th | +8/+3 | +5 | +5 | +10 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| 18th | +9/+4 | +6 | +6 | +11 | Absorb Bloodline (arcana) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 19th | +9/+4 | +6 | +6 | +11 | Absorb Bloodline (4/day) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| 20th | +10/+5 | +6 | +6 | +12 | Bloodsurge (4/day) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Summary of Lost Class Abilities
These abilities of the original class are lost or modified in this archetype:
- Arcane School
- Scribe Scroll
- Bonus feats
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