The Blood Machine | An Ultrakill-Inspired Homebrew Class

# The Blood Machine
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## *Notice*
As of writing this notice (11/6/22) none of this material has been playtested yet, so anything you see here is subject to change. With that being said, I hope I did the inspiration justice, and that you enjoy this homebrew class!

May your rolls be 20s, and your 1s few.

## Insatiable Metal
When all of man will have fallen, there will be but one being left standing, atop the corpses of an entire world: The Blood Machine - for it will have been machines' crimes against humanity that cause their downfall. An unstoppable force with an insatiable lust for blood, its sole fuel source, and violence, its preferred tool for acquiring such, so great is their gluttony that the hells themselves tremble - for they know that one day only three truths will remain: Manknd is dead. Blood is fuel. Hell is full.

## Glistening Gore
Blood is fuel for every living creature in a manner of speaking. That manner, for the Blood Machine, is very literal. The Machine specializes in fast, frantic, and brutal combat to siphon the very life essence from their foes, knowing that the more gore that glistens over their hardened body, the more life they have to live.

## Creating a Blood Machine
When creating a Blood Machine, body and machine become closer than ever before. Ask yourself to what extent this relationship goes: is it akin to equipping a suit of armor that does the work for you? Or is it your entire being the machine? How much of you remains as flesh? Was any of you ever?

Also consider how your Blood Machine feels to be partaking in such a role. How do you regard the grim task of feeding on the blood you beat and maim others for? With great displeasure in indulging such a gruesome act? Stoic solemnity accepting what needs to be done for your own survival? Frenzied glee with hardly contained excitement at the next opportunity to bathe in the blood of your enemies? Or perhaps it doesn't matter, and you'll go on with your life all the same?

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Concept art of V1 from Ultrakill, @jericho_rus
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You must have a Dexterity of 13 or higher in order to multiclass in or out of this class.
### The Blood Machine
| **Level** | **Proficiency Bonus** | **Features** 
|:---:|:---:|:---:|
|1st|+2| Machine Form, Blood is Fuel
|2nd|+2| Fighting Style, Jab
|3rd|+2| Blood Machine's Armaments, Moving Target
|4th|+2| Ability Score Improvement, Ground Slam
|5th|+3| Extra Attack, False Wings
|6th|+3| Armament Feature
|7th|+3| Elusive Target
|8th|+3| Ability Score Improvement
|9th|+4| Improved Siphoning System
|10th|+4| Unyielding Steel
|11th|+4| Armament Feature
|12th|+4| Ability Score Improvement
|13th|+5| Impossible Target
|14th|+5| Ground Smash
|15th|+5| False Flight
|16th|+5| Ability Score Improvement
|17th|+6| Armament Feature
|18th|+6| Machine Embodiment
|19th|+6| Ability Score Improvement
|20th|+6| Insatiable

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## Class Features
As a Blood Machine, you gain the following class features:

### Hit Points
* Hit Dice: 1d6 per Blood Machine level
* Hit Points at 1st Level: 6 + your Constitution modifier
* Hit Points at Higher Levels: 1d6 (or 4) + your Constitution modifier per Blood Machine level after 1st

### Proficiencies
* Armor: None
* Weapons: Simple weapons, martial weapons
* Tools: None
* Saving Throws: Dexterity, Strength
* Skills: Choose two from Acrobatics, Athletics, Intimidation, Perception, Performance, Religion, and Sleight of Hand

### Equipment
You start with the following equipment, in addition to the equipment granted by your background:
* any martial melee weapon

* a light crossbow and 20 bolts
* 2 daggers
* (a) a dungeoneer's pack or (b) an explorer's pack

### Machine Form
At 1st level, you gain the ability to don the Machine Form, transforming your body at will into a visage of metal. You can transform at any time, and you must be in Machine Form to use any of the features of this class. Your transformation only ends when you would wish for it to end, regardless of whether or not you become incapacitated.
 
While in Machine Form, you gain the following features:

* You are not affected by any effect that would cause you to regain hit points if that effect specifies that it does not affect constructs.
* Your Armor Class becomes 12 + your Dexterity modifier, ignoring any armor you may have been wearing before transforming.
* Your speed increases by 10 feet. 
* You can use your Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes.
* You can roll a d4 in place of the normal damage of your unarmed strike.

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* Some features will require your target to make a saving throw to resist the feature's effects. The saving throw for those features is calculated as follows: Feature Saving Throw = 8 + your proficiency bonus + your Dexterity modifier

### Blood is Fuel
Starting at 1st level, you have the ability to siphon off the life essence of your foes any time they suffer damage.

As a reaction, whenever any creature other than yourself is within 5 feet of you and suffers damage from any source, you may use this feature to restore an amount of hit points equal to the damage that creature suffered.
 
You may use this feature an amount of times equal to your Blood Machine level. You regain all uses upon completing a long rest.

### Fighting Style
Starting at 2nd level, you adopt a particular style of fighting as your specialty. Choose one of the following options. You can't take a Fighting Style option more than once, even if you later get to choose again.

* Archery. You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.
* Dueling. When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.
* Great Weapon Fighting. When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you make with a melee weapon that you are wielding with two hands, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll, even if the new roll is a 1 or a 2. The weapon must have the two-handed or versatile property for you to gain this benefit.
* Thrown Weapon Fighting. You can draw a weapon that has the thrown property as part of the attack you make with the weapon. In addition, when you hit with a ranged attack using a thrown weapon, you gain a +2 bonus to the damage roll.
* Two-Weapon Fighting. When you engage in two-weapon fighting, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the second attack.
* Unarmed Fighting. Your unarmed strikes can deal bludgeoning damage equal to 1d6 + your Strength modifier on a hit. If you aren't wielding any weapons or a shield when you make the attack roll, the d6 becomes a d8. At the start of each of your turns, you can deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage to one creature grappled by you.
* Close Quarters Shooter (UA). When making a ranged attack while you are within 5 feet of a hostile creature, you do not have disadvantage on the attack roll. Your ranged attacks ignore half cover and three-quarters cover against targets within 30 feet of you. You have a +1 bonus to attack rolls on ranged attacks.

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### Jab
Starting at 2nd level, immediately after you take the Attack action on your turn, you may make an unarmed strike as a bonus action.

### Blood Machine's Armaments
Starting at 3rd level, you select a designated armament to add to your arsenal, expanding your capabilities. Your armament grants you features at 3rd level, and again at 6th, 11th, and 17th level. You can view detailed descriptions of each Armament and their features at the end of this class description.

### Moving Target
Beginning at 3rd level, you can rely on your sheer agility to evade incoming attacks. When you are hit by an attack, you may use your reaction to make a Dexterity saving throw against a DC equal to the attack roll of the incoming attack. On a success, you take half as much damage as the attack would have inflicted, then move yourself 5 feet in a direction of your choosing. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

### Ability Score Improvement
When you reach 4th level, and again at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 19th level, you can increase one ability score of your choice by 2, or you can increase two ability scores of your choice by 1. As normal, you can't increase an ability score above 20 using this feature.

### Ground Slam
Beginning at 4th level, you can use your reaction when you fall to immediately plummet to the ground and redirect the force of the impact into a powerful slam. Upon doing so, you instantly fall to the ground and take half as much damage as you would have from the fall, and are not knocked prone. Any creature within 10 feet of you must make a Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, they take 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet you fell and are knocked prone. On a successful save, they take half as much damage and are not knocked prone.

Any creature that is directly underneath you when you use this feature takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage in addition to the initial damage of your impact, and has disadvantage on the saving throw. If the creature is of a size Medium or smaller, it is pushed to an adjacent space regardless of whether they succeed on the save. If the creature is of a size Large or greater, you move to an adjacent space instead.

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### Extra Attack
Beginning at 5th level, you can attack twice, instead of once, whenever you take the Attack action on your turn.

### False Wings
At 5th level, any time you enter your Machine Form, you don a set of wings that grant the following traits:

* You are not required to move the 10 feet needed for the full distance of a Long Jump or High Jump.
* You always land on your feet when landing in difficult terrain after jumping.
* Your total jump distance with High Jump increases by 10 feet.
* When you roll for initiative, you may add your proficiency bonus to the roll.

### Elusive Target
Starting 7th level, you avoid attacks with more ease and speed than ever before. When you use your Moving Target feature to make a Dexterity saving throw against an incoming attack, you avoid all damage on a success, rather than taking half damage. The distance you can move is also increased, allowing you to move up to 10 feet.

Additionally, when you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take half damage, you may use the Moving Target feature to potentially dodge the effect by moving out of harm's way. For example, if you would find yourself on the edge of a fireball's radius, you may use your reaction to use the Moving Target feature to move yourself up to 10 feet, placing yourself outside of the radius and avoiding the damage.

### Advanced Siphoning System
Beginning at 9th level, your ability to absorb blood grows stronger in conjunction with your increased bloodlust. Once per turn, when you hit a creature with a melee weapon attack or unarmed strike, you may immediately use the Blood is Fuel feature without using your reaction. This still expends a use of the feature.

Additionally, the range of the Blood is Fuel feature increases to 10 feet.

Additionally still, when you use the Ground Slam feature, you may use the Blood is Fuel feature as part of the same reaction on an amount of creatures equal to half your proficiency modifier, rounded up. This still expends uses of the feature.

### Unyielding Steel
Starting at 10th level, your iron will supersedes the setbacks that any wound might force upon you. When you would take damage that reduces you to 0 hit points or lower, you instead remain at 1 hit point and can immediately take an action.

Once you use this feature, you must finish a long rest before you can use it again.

### Impossible Target
At 13th level, you become a blur on the battlefield, unmatchable in speed and agility. After you use the Moving Target feature to make a Dexterity Saving throw against an attack, your armor class is increased by an amount equal to your proficiency bonus until the start of your next turn, regardless of whether or not you succeeded on the save. The distance you can move increases yet again, allowing you to move up to 15 feet.

Additionally, when you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take half damage, you may use the Moving Target feature to double your proficiency bonus for the roll.

### Ground Smash
Beginning at 14th level, the impact of your plummet is comparable to a meteor. The damage of the Ground Slam feature increases to 2d6 bludgeoning damage for each 10 feet you fall, and the radius increases to any creature within 15 feet of you. Additionally, creatures of a size Medium or smaller are knocked 10 feet into the air on a failed save.

The additional damage taken by creatures directly underneath you increases to 3d6 bludgeoning damage.

### False Flight
At 15th level, your false wings grow stronger, shrinking the gap between your capabilities and true flight ever so slightly.

* If you are in the air, you may choose to remain in the air until the start of your next turn. While in the air, you gain a +2 to your Armor Class. At the start of your next turn, you begin falling immediately.
* When you use the Ground Slam feature, you no longer take the falling damage.
* Your total jump distance with High Jump increases by another 10 feet.

### Machine Embodiment
Beginning at 18th level, it becomes impossible to tell if you were ever organic underneath the layers of metal coated in glistening gore. While you are in Machine Form, you gain these features in addition to the previously listed features:

* You do not require food or water.
* You are immune to disease and poison.
* Your creature type is Construct, rather than humanoid.
* Your speed increases by an additional 10 feet.

### Insatiable
Starting at 20th level, your appetite can only be described as ungodly, and you will stop at nothing to satiate your insatiable thirst.
 
You may use the Blood is Fuel feature an indefinite amount of times.

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## Blood Machine's Armaments
There are a variety of options to choose from in a Blood Machine's expansive arsenal, each of them making modifications and adding special abilities to your unarmed strikes. Here are the Armament options you can choose from at 3rd level.

### Feedbacker
The Feedbacker Armament is for those that enjoy making fools of their enemies, turning an attacker's advances onto themself and making them into unwilling coconspirators in their own demise. With a deft parry, your opponents will quickly learn that they are their own worst enemies.

#### Parrying Fist
Beginning at 3rd level, when you are hit by an attack you may use your reaction to roll 1d10 + your Dexterity modifier + your Blood Machine level. If your roll is equal to or higher than the damage you would have taken, you successfully parry the attack. When you successfully parry an attack, you avoid taking the damage, and the creature who targeted you with the attack takes the damage instead.

#### Projectile Boost
At 6th level, you can increase the impact force of your own ranged attacks - by punching them. When you make a ranged attack against a creature, you may use your reaction to quickly strike the projectile with your fist, doubling your proficiency bonus for the attack roll, and adding 1d8 force damage to the damage roll.

#### Volatile Counter
Beginning at 11th level, when you use the Parrying Fist feature to successfully parry an attack, the parry has additional effects that happen alongside the reflected damage.

If you parried a melee attack, in addition to taking the reflected damage like normal, the creature that targeted you with the attack must succeed a Constitution saving throw against or be stunned until the end of your next turn.

If you parried a ranged attack, you send the projectile back at the creature that targeted you with the attack with explosive force. In addition to taking the reflected damage like normal, that creature, as well as any creature within 10 feet of it, must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 1d8 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.

Additionally, the Projectile Boost feature now grants your boosted projectiles a similar level of explosive force. When you use the Projectile Boost feature, the projectile, in addition to the normal effects granted by the feature, also explodes, causing the targeted creature, as well as any creature within 10 feet of it, to make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 1d8 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful one.

#### Recursive Defense
Starting at 17th level, when you successfully parry an attack using the Parrying Fist feature, you may continue to use the Parrying Fist feature without using your reaction until you fail to parry an attack.

### Knuckleblaster
The Kunckleblaster Armament offers the boon of adding sheer force and impact to your unarmed strikes, blasting foes away with a violent outburst of kinetic energy delivered straight from your knuckles. With a deafening boom, all will fall before the ringing in your ears has time to subside.

#### Blasting Fist
At 3rd level, when you make an unarmed strike, you may use your reaction to trigger the blasting mechanism embedded in your fist. Upon doing so, you release a wave of energy in a 10-foot cone. Creatures within the cone must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 2d6 force damage and being pushed 10 feet away from you on a failed save. On a successful save, they take half as much damage and are not pushed. Creatures that are within 5 feet of you when you use this feature have disadvantage on the saving throw.

You must use a bonus action to recharge your blaster before you can use this feature again.

#### Deflector Blast
Starting at 6th level, you can use a well-timed blast to redirect incoming attacks, albeit not as efficiently as the Knuckleblaster's sibling. When you are hit by a ranged attack, you may use your reaction to use the Blasting Fist feature and reduce the damage you would have taken by the damage you roll. If you reduce the damage to 0, the projectile is deflected back to the creature that attacked you, and it takes the damage instead of you.

Additionally, the damage of the Blasting Fist feature increases to 3d6 force damage.

#### Quick Loader
At 11th level, when you use your reaction to use the Blasting Fist feature, you recharge the blaster as part of the same reaction, allowing much more frequent use.

#### Deafening Boom
Beginning at 17th level, the blast from Blasting Fist becomes more powerful, dealing an additional 1d8 thunder damage, increasing its range to a 15-foot cone, and increasing the push distance to 15 feet. The effect also extends to a 5-foot radius around you, in conjunction with the cone.

Additionally, creatures that fail the saving throw are deafened, and have a -5 penalty to attack rolls and saving throws until the start of your next turn as they find their senses assaulted and focus disrupted. Creatures that succeed on the saving throw are not deafened, but still suffer a -2 penalty to their attack rolls and saving throws.

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### Whiplash
The Whiplash Armament ensnares enemies with a piercing projectile attached to a tether, ruining any opponent's hopes for strategic positioning by letting you decide how far apart the two of you should be. With a defiant insistence, they will simply have no choice but to get to know you up close and personal.

#### Snaring Fist
Starting at 3rd level, when you make an unarmed strike, you may choose to use Whiplash in place of the normal strike. Whiplash has a range of 30 feet, and deals 1d8 piercing damage. Upon hitting a creature, that creature must make a Strength saving throw or be restrained until the start of your next turn. When a creature is restrained in this manner, you may use your reaction to activate the winch within Whiplash and begin reeling in the tether. Creatures of a size Medium or smaller are pulled directly to you. If the targeted creature is of a size Large or greater, you are pulled to it instead.

Additionally, Whiplash may be used to interact with objects from a distance, such as activating a lever from the other side of a room, or picking up a potion just lying out of reach.

Additionally still, Whiplash can be used to grapple onto solid surfaces, allowing you to zip across the battlefield or easily scale up a wall.

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#### Follow Through
Beginning at 6th level, when you use your reaction to activate Whiplash's winch to pull a creature towards you, or pull yourself towards a creature, you may immediately make an attack against that creature as part of the same reaction. If you successfully hit the creature with this attack and it is holding a weapon, it drops the weapon. After attacking the creature in this manner, it is no longer restrained.

#### Lasso of Flame
Starting at 11th level, Large creatures can now be pulled towards you if you so choose. Additionally, Medium or smaller creatures have disadvantage on the Strength saving throw against being restrained by the Whiplash.
 
Whiplash now deals an additional 2d6 fire damage.

#### Vulnerability Exploit
At 17th level, when you use your reaction to activate Whiplash's winch to pull a creature towards you, or pull yourself towards a creature, until the end of your next turn, all attacks against that creature deal an additional 1d8 damage and critically strike on a roll of 19 or 20.

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