Xanathar's Blurb to Blood Hunters: Roleplaying Tables

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# Blood Hunters
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*"There are things you need not know of, though you live and die."*
— Mollymauk Tealeaf, Order of the Ghostslayer
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In worlds filled with monstrosities, Blood Hunters sacrifice part of themselves to become a monstrosity to fight that creeping darkness the world contains.

Where Paladins uphold an oath, Blood Hunters uphold no code that would prevent them from snuffing out the horrors that would consume the world. Unlike wizards or sages, heeding caution, Blood Hunters delve readily into the macabre and reckless magic of hemocraft. Blood Hunters vigilantly fashion sword and sorcery into tools against the insidious foes that crawl the shadows of the earth.
___
Blood Hunters are shaped by their drive to become a Blood Hunter and the Order they choose. The Orders may appear differently on many worlds, in some they may be many disparate factions, in others they be more unified, and even then they may be even rarer in some. Often times, a Blood Hunter may have a strange relationship with their Order and those in it.

The sections that follow provide ways to give depth and flesh out a Blood Hunter character that could generate some engaging story and roleplaying opportunities.
___
*"You're devoted to fighting evil? Sounds like a paladin."*

— Xanathar

## Order
Most Blood Hunters are a part of an Order that has devoted itself to the task of dealing with certain kinds of monstrosities in the world. Often times, these Orders will train their followers to undergo a trail called a "Hunter's Bane" that irrevocably changes the participant — the  final step to becoming a true Blood Hunter.

Some Orders station their halls in the wastes and wilderness of the world to be more attuned to the conditions and creatures they face, others might have arisen in large cities as a necessary service to abate the troubles of its denizens. What is noteworthy about the Order you were trained at?

##### Order

| d6  | Order |
|:---:|:-----------|
|  1  | You trained in a Order that guarded a prison filled with strange, nameless creatures from countless millenia. |
|  2  | The Order you were inducted into was built atop ancient locus of natural power in an extreme climate.|
|  3  | Each initiate and acolyte of your Order was magically branded with its sigil and it can never be removed. |
|  4  | Your Order was the honor guard of a great city, its renown is legendary despite its  grisly work.  |
|  5  | In the depths of the ocean, your Order trained to fight horrors unimagined and inconceivable to most. |
|  6  | The clothing and trappings of your Order are sacred, they are the last and only pieces of clothing you need.|

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## Hunter's Bane

Each Order of Blood Hunters has an ancient, closely guarded secret ritual that alters whoever under takes it. It warps the blood and scars the mind, binding its entrant to the darkness, honing their senses, and allowing them to use hemocraft magic. Not all the entrants of the Hunter's Bane survive and many do perish at its perils and pain.

How did your Hunter's Bane leave you? Were you scarred for life? How did it makes you feel about your Order and those in it? Here's some options that you could use.

##### Hunter's Bane

| d6  | Hunter's Bane |
|:---:|:-----------|
|  1  | The trial left my body and mind scarred beyond repair, it was miracle I survived. I never forgave my Order. |
|  2  | I have nightmares when I sleep, sometimes it reminds me why I fight — at other times, it is the reason I cry. |
|  3  | Whenever I fight, my muscles and mind remember the trials and I am empowered by my painful tribulations. |
|  4  | My eyes  were changed permanently by the ritual. |
|  5  | After the ritual, I felt ecstatic until I realized my fellow trainees were not beside me. I wonder why I survived. |
|  6  | My body was mutated beyond recognition; my extremities and senses adapted to be monstrous.  |

## Fear

In each Blood Hunter there is a fear. That fear guides them, protects them, and shapes their world. It is why Blood Hunter Orders exist, it is the fearful choosing to be brave in the face of horror.

It could be the fear of becoming a monster. The fear of abandoning their work and letting innocents suffer. The fear of losing their loved ones. Perhaps they fear their own Order? What will be your fear?  When rolling or choosing a fear, think why this influenced them to become a Blood Hunter and whether or not it still haunts them.

##### Fear

| d6  | Fear |
|:---:|:-----------|
|  1  | I fear my old age, when my bones begin to slow and my reactions are no longer enough to fight the dark. |
|  2  | The brave foolhardiness, hubris, and recklessness with hemocraft magic will be my downfall. |
|  3  | When I look at the state of my Order, the decay is apparent. I fear I might have fought for a dying cause. |
|  4  | Ignorant people who misunderstand my Order and see me as a monster frighten me more than monsters. |
|  5  | I fear I've become lazy, the temptations of flesh distract me far too often for my own good. |
|  6  | The wealthy wish to use my Order for political gain and we aren't able to fight against the darkness. |