Bloodmage (Apath)

Unofficial rules compendium

Bloodmages are arcanists who believe there’s literal truth to the old aphorism that “magic runs in the blood”. Bloodmages are consummate spellcasters, often operating as heavy artillery in battle, but their potential to run amok when strained can make them nearly as dangerous to their friends as to their enemies.

Class Information

This is a prestige archetype. Bloodmages are sorcerers who master their own blood.

Prestige Class: Bloatmage and the Bloatmage Initiate from Pathfinder Chronicles: City of Strangers.

Build Classes: Sorcerer.

Role: Bloodmages are untiring as log as they handle their abilities very, very carefully. If they fail to do so, they are explosively volatile. Theoretically, this makes them good at careful sustained spellcasting, but in practice most bloodmages are as explosive as their blood.

Alignment: Any. While bloodmages are even more chaotic and short-fused than most sorcerers, the most undisciplined ones are quickly culled.

Hit Die: d6.

Class Skills

The bloodmage's class skills (and the key ability for each skill) are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Fly (Dex), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (all) (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha).

Skill Ranks at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Class Features

Table: Creature Type to Bloodline

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
References APG = Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Advanced Player’s Guide ARG = Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Advanced Race Guide BM = Monstrous Bloodlines for Sorcerers 1-4 © Purple Duck Games DM = Deep Magic © 2014 Open Design LLC. UM = Pathfinder Roleplaying Game: Ultimate Magic OoG = Orcs of Golarion IYB = In your blood BoF = Blood of Fiends P029 = Pathfinder 29: Mother of Flies. Copyright 2010, Paizo Publishing, LLC; PoR = People of the River * = Usually intelligent and an evil act to kill for power gain.

This archetype has all normal sorcerer class features, except as noted.

Bloodline

Each bloodmage has a source of magic somewhere in her heritage that grants her an additional class skill, bloodline arcana, and special bloodline abilities. These abilities and the selection of bloodlines are the same as the same of the sorcerer, but the bloodmage never gains any bloodline feats and does not learn bloodline spells, tough she can accesses bloodline spells through the absorb bloodline ability.

Hemophilia (Ex)

Bloodmages 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 bloodmage of level 2 or higher, she loses 1 blood point from her blood pool ability. This loss of blood points is cumulative for multiple bleed attacks, but not each time she takes damage from the same attack.

Spell Focus

Bloodmages gain Spell Focus as a bonus feat at 1st level.

Blood Pool (Su)

At 2nd level, a bloodmage gains a pool of blood points, representing an overload of her system with excess blood to extend her arcane abilities beyond their normal level. A bloodmage’s normal pool of blood points is equal to half her bloodmage level. Blood points can be spent at the time of casting to cast a spell without using that spell’s spell slot. The spell slot remains unused as if it had not been cast. Retaining a spell slot 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 bloodmage may push herself via her bloodsurge ability in order to gain a number of extra blood points, but such exertion is a dangerous gamble. If the bloodmage’s current number of blood points is greater than half her class level but less than or equal to her class level, she gains the sickened condition. If her exertions push her beyond her normal class level, she immediately flies into a homicidal rage, striking out randomly with her most damaging attacks and abilities at friends and foes alike for 1d6 rounds or until her blood pool is reduced to 0 (whichever comes first). At the end of the rage, her blood points drop to 0, her hit points drop to –1, and she begins dying.

Each day, when the bloodmage rests to regain spells, she regains blood points up to half her class level but not beyond (so if her bloodmage level is 10 but she currently has 8 points, she remains at 8 until she spends the extra points).

Some bloodmages 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 bloodmage 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 bloodmage abandoning the rituals for a day (also during spell preparation), which removes it immediately.

Bloodsurge (Ex)

A bloodmage can exert herself as a free action to instantly gain extra blood points, but doing so puts her at risk of a dangerous collapse. At 2nd level, the bloodmage can bloodsurge once per day to gain 1d4 points. At 8th, she can surge twice per day, and the die roll becomes 1d8. At 14th, she can surge three times per day, and the roll becomes 1d12. At 20th, she can bloodsurge 4 times per day.

Bloatmage Initiate

At 4th level a bloodmage 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 bloodmage 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 bloodmage 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 bloodmage gains limited access to that bloodline until she next prepares spells. This ability is usable once per day (recharging when she prepares spells) and drinking the blood normally requires a full minute, but bloodmages 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.

Any bloodlines absorbed are in addition to the original bloodline of a bloodmage. Though the bloodmage gains no physical nourishment from drinking blood, this practice is likely responsible for many of the stories linking bloodmages and vampires.

In addition to sorcerers of the given bloodline, the Creature Type to Bloodline list presents a few 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 corporeal and have blood for this ability to work.

At 6th level, the bloodmage can access any bloodline spell of a level she can cast, at the cost of one blood point per spell level. She can access bloodline spells from her own bloodline and from that of any bloodline she has absorbed. The blood points are expended as a part of the action to cast the spells.

At 12th level, a bloodmage can temporarily access all of the bloodline powers of an absorbed bloodline as if she were a sorcerer of her bloodmage level.

At 18th level, a bloodmage can temporarily access an absorbed bloodline's bloodline arcana.

Corpulence

At 10th level, a bloodmage becomes so massive that her rolls of fatty, blood-laden flesh grant her a +1 natural armor bonus. At 16th level, this bonus increases to +2 but reduces her speed by 10 feet. This penalty stacks with the penalty from the Bloodmage Initiate feat. This reduction in speed can never reduce the bloodmage’s speed below 5 feet, nor does it affect magical flying effects. A dwarf bloodmage is immune to this loss of speed.

Table: Bloodmage

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special	Spells per Day
						1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
1st	+0	+0	+0	+2	Bloodline power, cantrips, Eschew Materials, hemophilia, Spell Focus	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2nd	+1	+0	+0	+3	Blood pool, bloodsurge (1/day, 1d4)	4	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
3rd	+1	+1	+1	+3	Bloodline power,	5	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
4th	+2	+1	+1	+4	Bloodmage Initiate	6	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
5th	+2	+1	+1	+4	—	6	4	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
6th	+3	+2	+2	+5	Absorb bloodline (spell)	6	5	3	—	—	—	—	—	—
7th	+3	+2	+2	+5	—	6	6	4	—	—	—	—	—	—
8th	+4	+2	+2	+6	Bloodsurge (2/day, 1d8)	6	6	5	3	—	—	—	—	—
9th	+4	+3	+3	+6	Bloodline power	6	6	6	4	—	—	—	—	—
10th	+5	+3	+3	+7	Corpulence (+1 AC)	6	6	6	5	3	—	—	—	—
11th	+5	+3	+3	+7	—	6	6	6	6	4	—	—	—	—
12th	+6/+1	+4	+4	+8	Absorb bloodline (powers)	6	6	6	6	5	3	—	—	—
13th	+6/+1	+4	+4	+8	—	6	6	6	6	6	4	—	—	—
14th	+7/+2	+4	+4	+9	Bloodsurge (3/day, 1d12)	6	6	6	6	6	5	3	—	—
15th	+7/+2	+5	+5	+9	Bloodline power	6	6	6	6	6	6	4	—	—
16th	+8/+3	+5	+5	+10	Corpulence (+2 AC, -10 speed)	6	6	6	6	6	6	5	3	—
17th	+8/+3	+5	+5	+10	—	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	4	—
18th	+9/+4	+6	+6	+11	Absorb bloodline (arcana)	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	5	3
19th	+9/+4	+6	+6	+11	—	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	4
20th	+10/+5	+6	+6	+12	Bloodline power, bloodsurge (4/day)	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6

Summary of Lost Class Abilities

These abilities of the original class are lost or modified in this archetype:

• Bloodline feats
• Bloodline spells

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