Afflicted

Quick Build

You can make an afflicted quickly by following these suggestions. First, put your highest ability score in Constitution, followed by Strength. Second, choose the acolyte or hermit background. Finally, choose a longsword and shield, an explorer's pack, and scale mail.

Origin of Your Affliction

As there are many sources for an affliction, each afflicted has a different experience with how they got their curse. At your option, you can roll on or pick from the following table to decide what is the source of your character's affliction.

Unique Corruption

The blood magic wielded by the afflicted typically looks different for each person. At your option, you can roll on or pick from the following table to decide how your cursed power manifests.

Hit Points

• Hit Dice: 1d8 per afflicted level
• Hit Points at First Level: 8 + your Constitution modifier
• Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d8 (or 5) + your Constitution modifier per afflicted level after 1st

Proficiencies

• Armor: Light armor, medium armor, shields
• Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
• Tools: None
• Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution
• Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Arcana, Athletics, Intimidation, Investigation, Religion, and Survival

Starting Equipment

You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted to you by your background.

• (a) a martial weapon and a shield or (b) two martial weapons
• (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack
• (a) leather armor & 5 daggers or (b) scale mail

Alternatively, you can ignore the equipment here and in your background, and buy 3d4 x 10 gp worth of equipment from Chapter 5 of the Player's Handbook.

Multiclassing

The prerequisites for multiclassing into an afflicted are a Constitution score of 13. When you multiclass into afflicted, you gain proficiency in simple weapons, martial weapons, light armor, medium armor, and shields.

Affliction

Your blood has been corrupted by a powerful and ancient curse, known as an "affliction". Though your affliction was designed to either kill you or turn you into a monster, you have learned to exploit your cursed blood, granting you magical powers.

Choose from the Curse of the Armorbound, Curse of the Banshee, Curse of the Burned, Curse of the Frozen [NEW], Curse of the Martyr, or the Curse of the Vampire, all listed at the end of the class description. The affliction you choose grants you features at 1st level and again at 2nd, 6th, 11th, and 18th levels.

Bloody Bane

You can expunge the corrupted blood given to you by your curse and surround your weapon with it, as a bonus action.

When you do so, you expend 1d6 hit points. Until the end of your turn, whenever you hit with a melee weapon attack, you deal an additional 1d6 damage.

When you reach 5th, 11th, and 17th levels, your Bloody Bane die increases to 2d6, 3d6, and 4d6, respectively. When you use this feature, you can choose to roll a lower amount of d6s, to a minimum of 1 die, when expending hit points. If you do so, then the additional damage dealt uses the same amount of lowered dice.

Cursed Rites

Starting at 2nd level, you have learned how to use bits of blood magic, known as "cursed rites".

You gain two cursed rites of your choice. Your rite options are detailed at the end of the class description. When you gain certain afflicted levels, you gain additional rites of your choice, as shown in the Rites Known column of the Afflicted table.

Additionally, when you gain a level in this class, you can choose one of the rites you know and replace it with another rite that you could learn at that level.

If one of your cursed rites calls for a spell attack or a saving throw, you use your Constitution, as the power of your rites comes directly from your cursed blood. If any of your cursed rites casts a spell, then your spellcasting ability is your Constitution, and you do not need to provide any material components, unless they have a cost or are consumed.

Memories of Blood

Starting at 3rd level, you are attuned to the hidden knowledge blood and wounds bring. By touching blood that is less than an hour old, or a wound or scar on a creature, for at least 1 minute, you gain insight into what caused the blood to spill or the wound or scar to be formed.

You see and hear up to 6 seconds before the event that caused the blood to spill or wound or scar to form, and you perceive the event from the eyes and ears of the creature it originates from.

If you touch the wound or scar of an unwilling creature, it can make a Charisma saving throw against your rite save DC. On a successful saving throw, it is immune to this feature until after your next long rest.

Curse of the Armorbound

The curse that grants you your powers was used to seal you away, inside a suit of armor - one that you can never escape, as it is linked to your skin, much like an insect's carapace.

Some afflicted might have lost their bodies, and rather than their skin being fused with the metal of their armor, their soul is magically linked with the steel, giving them a mechanical body to pilot around, as a replacement for their once-organic form.

Armorbound and Armor Restrictions

Some player options don't seem to mix well with the armorbound, such as druids being unable to wear heavy armor, and tortles being unable to wear armor at all. For a druid, the DM could determine that the curse of the armorbound allows them to wear metal armor at the cost of being ostracized by their fellow druids, and a tortle would simply gain no benefits from the armor that it wears.

Alternatively, a DM could prevent tortles or other similar races from taking this subclass, as well as druids that choose to multiclass into the afflicted class.

Banshee Features

Deathly Wail

When you choose this affliction, at 1st level, you take on the powers of a banshee, granting you the following benefits:

• You can cause your voice to boom up to three times loud as normal.
• You are immune to being deafened.
• You can choose to deal thunder damage with your Bloody Bane, instead of the damage type of your weapon.

Banshee Rites

Beginning at 2nd level, you gain the following two cursed rites. They do not count towards your number of rites known.

Herald of Doom. When a creature within 30 feet of yourself makes a Dexterity saving throw, you can use your reaction and expend 1d6 hit points to grant that creature a bonus to its saving throw equal to the amount of hit points you expended. You must use this feature before the d20 roll.

.

Wailing Bane. When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack during your Bloody Bane, you can choose to scream, attempting to send the target flying. If the target is Large or smaller, then it must succeed on a Strength saving throw, or be pushed 5 feet away from you in a straight line.

You can use this rite once on each of your turns. At 5th, 11th, and 17th levels, the amount of feet the creature is pushed increases by 5. At 11th level, Huge or smaller creatures can be affected.

Horrifying Visage

Starting at 6th level, your screams and form make you just as terrifying as a banshee, potentially scaring your foes away from you. When a creature within 30 feet makes an attack on you, it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw, or be frightened until the end of its turn. An undead creature automatically succeed on its saving throw.

Once a creature succeeds on its saving throw, it is immune to the effects of this feature until after your next long rest.

Mournful Wailing

At 11th level, your wails cut right through the souls of others, inspiring their sadness or filling their minds with screams. You gain the following benefits:

Detect Death. You know if a humanoid creature within 300 feet dies, though you do not know the identity of the creature.

Ear-Shattering Wail. When a creature fails its saving throw against your Wailing Bane, it is deafened until the start of your next turn.

Soul Screech. When you reduce a creature to 0 hit points, you can choose to have its soul to wail in pain. Each creature within 10 feet of the target must succeed on a Constitution saving throw, or take thunder damage equal to your Bloody Bane die.

Fury of the Banshee

By 18th level, you can embody the terrifying anger of the dead by expending 5d6 hit points as a bonus action, which give you the following benefits for the next minute:

• When a creature is frightened by you, it is stunned.
• If you frighten a creature that is CR 4 or lower, it is reduced to 0 hit points.
• You are immune to necrotic damage.

After using this feature, you must take a long rest before doing so, again.

Burned Features

Heated Body

When you choose this affliction, at 1st level, your form is always coated in fire, granting you the following benefits:

• When a creature hits you with a melee attack, or makes a check to grapple you, it takes fire damage equal to your Constitution modifier (a minimum of 1).
• Your unarmed strikes can deal fire damage instead of bludgeoning.
• You are naturally adapted to hot climates, as described in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.
• You can choose to deal fire damage with your Bloody Bane, instead of the damage type of your weapon.

Burned Rites

Beginning at 2nd level, you gain the following two cursed rites. They do not count towards your number of rites known.

Burning Bane. When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack during your Bloody Bane, you can choose for flames to leap from your body, onto the creature. At the end of the creature's next turn, it takes 1d4 fire damage, unless it is doused in water or uses its action to extinguish the flames.

You can use this rite once on each of your turns. At 5th, 11th, and 17th levels, the fire damage of this rite increases by 1d4.

Exploding Veins. When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can expend hit points equal to your Bloody Bane die and forego one attack to cast the burning hands spell. When you cast this spell in this way, it deals fire damage equal to your Bloody Bane die.

When you reach 5th level, you can choose to roll a lower amount of d6s, to a minimum of 1 die, when expending hit points. If you do so, then the fire damage dealt uses the same amount of lowered dice.

Heart of Flame

Starting at 6th level, the fire in your body fuses with your blood. Fire damage that you deal with your afflicted class features ignores resistance to fire damage.

Also, when you are reduced to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to be reduced to 1 hit point instead, sending out a torrent of flames. Each creature within 10 feet of yourself must make a Dexterity saving throw against your rite save DC, or take fire damage equal to your afflicted level + your Constitution modifier (a minimum of 1).

After using this reaction, you must take a long rest before using it, again.

Bursting Fire

At 11th level, your flames become far more violent than before, though you still have great control over them. You gain the following benefits:

Bursting Bane. When you use your Bloody Bane feature and expend hit points, you can choose for your flames to explode. Each creature within 5 feet of you must make a Dexterity saving throw, or take fire damage equal to the number of hit points you expended.

Hotter Veins. You add your Constitution modifier (a minimum of +1) to the damage of your Exploding Veins feature.

Hell's Furnace

By 18th level, you have learned how to constantly billow out hellfire by expending your life. As a bonus action, you can expend 5d6 hit points to create a sphere of fire centered on yourself with a radius of 15 feet. Each creature within the sphere must make a Dexterity saving throw, or take fire damage equal to the number of hit points you expended, taking half as much damage on a successful saving throw.

At the start of each of your turns, you can choose to create the sphere of fire again, expending 5d6 hit points each time. This effect ends when you choose to stop creating the sphere (no action required), or when you are incapacitated.

Flameskin

Also, at 18th level, you gain immunity to fire damage.

Frozen Features

Heated Body

When you choose this affliction, at 1st level, your form is always coated in fire, granting you the following benefits:

• When a creature hits you with a melee attack, or makes a check to grapple you, it takes fire damage equal to your Constitution modifier (a minimum of 1).
• Your unarmed strikes can deal fire damage instead of bludgeoning.
• You are naturally adapted to hot climates, as described in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.
• You can choose to deal fire damage with your Bloody Bane, instead of the damage type of your weapon.

Burned Rites

Beginning at 2nd level, you gain the following two cursed rites. They do not count towards your number of rites known.

Burning Bane. When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack during your Bloody Bane, you can choose for flames to leap from your body, onto the creature. At the end of the creature's next turn, it takes 1d4 fire damage, unless it is doused in water or uses its action to extinguish the flames.

You can use this rite once on each of your turns. At 5th, 11th, and 17th levels, the fire damage of this rite increases by 1d4.

Exploding Veins. When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can expend hit points equal to your Bloody Bane die and forego one attack to cast the burning hands spell. When you cast this spell in this way, it deals fire damage equal to your Bloody Bane die.

When you reach 5th level, you can choose to roll a lower amount of d6s, to a minimum of 1 die, when expending hit points. If you do so, then the fire damage dealt uses the same amount of lowered dice.

Heart of Flame

Starting at 6th level, the fire in your body fuses with your blood. Fire damage that you deal with your afflicted class features ignores resistance to fire damage.

Also, when you are reduced to 0 hit points, you can use your reaction to be reduced to 1 hit point instead, sending out a torrent of flames. Each creature within 10 feet of yourself must make a Dexterity saving throw against your rite save DC, or take fire damage equal to your afflicted level + your Constitution modifier (a minimum of 1).

After using this reaction, you must take a long rest before using it, again.

Bursting Fire

At 11th level, your flames become far more violent than before, though you still have great control over them. You gain the following benefits:

Bursting Bane. When you use your Bloody Bane feature and expend hit points, you can choose for your flames to explode. Each creature within 5 feet of you must make a Dexterity saving throw, or take fire damage equal to the number of hit points you expended.

Hotter Veins. You add your Constitution modifier (a minimum of +1) to the damage of your Exploding Veins feature.

Hell's Furnace

By 18th level, you have learned how to constantly billow out hellfire by expending your life. As a bonus action, you can expend 5d6 hit points to create a sphere of fire centered on yourself with a radius of 15 feet. Each creature within the sphere must make a Dexterity saving throw, or take fire damage equal to the number of hit points you expended, taking half as much damage on a successful saving throw.

At the start of each of your turns, you can choose to create the sphere of fire again, expending 5d6 hit points each time. This effect ends when you choose to stop creating the sphere (no action required), or when you are incapacitated.

Flameskin

Also, at 18th level, you gain immunity to fire damage.

Martyr Features

Holy Spirit

When you choose this affliction, at 1st level, your body and soul become holy, granting you the following benefits:

• You are immune to disease.
• Your hit point maximum increases by 1 and increases by 1 again whenever you gain a level in this class.
• You can choose to deal radiant damage with your Bloody Bane, instead of the damage type of your weapon.

Martyr Rites

Beginning at 2nd level, you gain the following two cursed rites. They do not count towards your number of rites known.

Peaceful Bane. When you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack during your Bloody Bane, you can remove some of its will to fight, giving the next attack it makes before the start of your next turn disadvantage.

You can use this rite once on each of your turns.

Scapegoat. When a creature within 30 feet is hit with an attack, you can use your reaction to take the damage of that attack, instead of the creature.

Blood of the Martyr

At 6th level, your holy blood can heal the wounds of the innocent. When you expend hit points for an afflicted class feature, you can choose one creature within 10 feet, excluding yourself. That creature regains hit points equal to half of the hit points you expended (a minimum of 0 hit points).

You don't benefit from this feature if you expend hit points for a feature that already restores hit points to another creature, such as the Transfusion cursed rite.

Pure Body

Starting at 11th level, your form becomes holier than before, almost like an angel. You gain the following benefits:

Divine Health. You are immune to poison.

Holy Scapegoat. You can use your Scapegoat feature without using your reaction, though you can only use it once on each turn.

Angelic Avatar

By 18th level, you can become an avatar of holiness by expending 5d6 hit points as a bonus action, granting you holy powers for 1 minute, which give you the following benefits:

• You grow angelic wings that grant you a flying speed equal to your walking speed.
• At the start of each of your turns, you can grant 10 temporary hit points to any number of creatures of your choice within 30 feet of yourself.
• When you use your Scapegoat feature, you have resistance to the damage taken.

After using this feature, you must take a long rest before doing so, again.

Curse of the Vampire

The curse that grants you your powers is an ancient one, appearing in cultures all across the world: vampirism, a curse that turns you into a horrid undead creature that subsists off of the life force of living creatures.

You might have been cursed centuries ago, only to rise recently - either of your own volition, or due to a ritual conducted by the one that cursed you. Alternatively, you might've been touched by the curse recently, meaning that its powers have yet to fully take you over - or you could be a half-vampire, meaning that while corrupted vampiric blood runs through your veins, it's not powerful enough to fully turn you into a creature of unholy might.

Armorbound Quirks

Banshee Quirks

Burned Quirks

Martyr Quirks

Vampire Quirks

Abyssal Ritual

Prerequisite: 13th level

When you fail a Constitution saving throw, you can expend 2d6 hit points to reroll that saving throw. If you do so, you must use the new roll.

If the saving throw was against an effect that would poison you or inflict you with a disease, then you have advantage on the reroll.

When you use your Bloody Bane feature, you can choose to expend an additional 3d6 hit points. Until the end of your current turn, you have advantage on melee weapon attacks.

Version 1.1

• New affliction: Curse of the Frozen
• Cursed Rites now only ignore material components if they aren't consumed and have no cost; this wasn't a huge for the previous rites, but Blood Magic ignoring costly components would've been bad.
• New Cursed Rites: Among the Unholy, Blood Magic (1st-5th Level), Day of the Dead
• Sanguine Vengeance has been nerfed; now has a prerequisite of 9th level, and its cost is 3d6. I felt that it was currently too strong to get at 5th level and for only 2d6, considering you also have Extra Attack.
• Sinister Strike also nerfed; you can no longer activate it and Bloody Bane with the same bonus action. I felt that it was too good, and made it kind of "mandatory" to take, when it didn't hurt your action economy at all. Now it's actually more of a choice to use.