The luckier wielders of the arcane arts forgo the years of studying ancient tombs and mastering subtle finger flicks and exact annunciation. They are born tapped into the unknown from which magic is generated. These spontaneous casters often credit their bloodline with this innate gift. Blood casters believe that it is the blood itself that holds the power.

Blood casters do not just feel magic within their veins, they channel it. Sometimes called sanguinists or sanguinomancers, these masochist mages are willing to drain their own life energy, converting it into magic. Particularly skilled blood casters can even sacrifice spells to heal their wounds. Teamed with an attentive healer, a blood caster can cast a nearly unlimited number of spells.

Sorcerers make up almost all blood casters. No other spontaneous arcanists have the same depth of spells available to them and therefore the risks to body and mental stability are too great. Sorcerer/clerics, particularly those who worship gods with the magic domain, sacrifice their higher level sorcerer spells in favor of even more access to lower level sorcerer spells.

Role: Although the source of their magic is unusual, a blood caster still feels the role of an arcanist, and serves a party as any wizard or sorcerer would.

Alignment: The dangers inherent in turning one’s own blood to magic scare off most rational adventurers. Blood casters tend to be chaotic, with a large portion of them chaotic neutral.

Hit Die: d6

Requirements

To qualify to become a blood caster, a character must fulfill all of the following criteria:

Feats: Toughness.

Spells: Able to spontaneously cast 3rd level arcane spells.

Class Skills

The blood caster’s class skills (and the key ability for each) are Appraise (Int), Bluff (Cha), Craft (Int), Fly (Dex), Heal (Wis), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (arcana) (Int), Profession (Wis), Spellcraft (Int), and Use Magic Device (Cha). 

Skill Points at Each Level: 2 + Int modifier.

Table: Blood Caster

Class Features

The following are class features of the blood caster prestige class

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Blood casters are proficient with all simple weapons. They are not proficient with any type of armor or shield. Armor of any type interferes with a blood caster’s gestures, which can cause their spells with somatic components to fail.

Spells per Day

At each level above 1st except 5th and 7th, a blood caster gains new spells per day, spells known, and an increase in caster level as if she had also gained a level in whatever arcane spellcasting class she belonged to before adding the prestige class. She does not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If she had more than one arcane spellcasting class before becoming a blood caster, she must decide to which class to add each level of blood caster for the purpose of determining spells per day.

Blood to Magic (Su)

A blood caster can sacrifice hit points to gain new spells per day. For every hit point sacrificed, she gains a blood point. Sacrificing hit points for blood points is a move action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Blood points last 1 round/class level. Any number of hit points up to her Constitution score can be sacrificed each day. Blood points can be spent to cast additional spells per day. The cost in blood points of casting a spell depends on the spell’s level (see Table: Blood Points Cost by Spell Level). A blood caster cannot use blood points to cast a spell of higher level than she can normally cast, nor can she use blood points to cast spells she does not know.

Blood Siphon (Su)

The blood of a blood caster is not the only blood that can be turned into magic. Beginning at 2nd level, a blood caster can deliver a touch attack that drains hit points equal to her class level. These hit points are instantly converted into blood points. If the target is not a spontaneous arcane spellcaster, its blood is less potent and the blood points only last until the end of the blood caster’s next turn.

Patch Light Wounds (Sp)

Because blood casters have a better understanding of how the body works, they have access to some spells that elude most arcane casters. Beginning at 3rd level, once per day a blood caster can sacrifice a spell slot of 1st level or higher to cast cure light wounds on herself.

Magic to Blood (Su)

Beginning at 4th level, a blood caster can sacrifice spell slots to heal lost hit points. Sacrificing a spell slot is an immediate action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. A sacrificed spell slot heals a number of hit points equal to the level of the spell slot sacrificed.

Damage Reduction (Ex)

Sacrificing blood for magic is an unnatural process. The body reacts to it in the only way it knows how: scabbing. This magic-based scabbing makes the body tougher, allowing blood casters to absorb more damage than usual. Beginning at 5th level, a blood caster gains DR 5/-. This increases to DR 10/- at 10th level.

Patch Moderate Wounds (Sp)

Beginning at 6th level, once per day a blood caster can sacrifice a spell slot of 3rd level or higher to cast cure moderate wounds on herself. Patch moderate wounds does not replace patch light wounds, it is in addition to it.

Tenacity (Ex)

Regular sacrifice of blood is hard on a body, and that body gets harder as a result. Beginning at 7th level, a blood caster can inflict nonlethal damage on herself to create bruise points. Bruise points work like blood points but they are far less effective. Suffering nonlethal damage for bruise points is a move action that does not provoke attacks of opportunity. Any number of nonlethal damage up to the blood caster’s Constitution score can be suffered each day. Bruise points last 1 round. The cost of casting a spell with bruise points is twice the cost in blood points found in Table: Blood Points Cost by Spell Level. A blood caster can only use bruise points to cast a spell five levels lower than the highest level spell she can cast.

Spell Siphon (Su)

A blood caster can sacrifice the spells of another arcane caster to heal lost hit points. Beginning at 8th level, once per day a blood caster can deliver a touch attack that drains a spell from a target arcane spellcaster. On a successful touch attack, roll 1d6. This is the level of spell drained. A siphoned spell or spell slot heals a number of hit points equal to twice the level of the spell siphoned. If the target is not a spontaneous caster, randomly determine the spell the caster loses. If the target is not a caster or is a caster who does not have a spell of the appropriate level left to cast, spell siphon has no effect.

Patch Serious Wounds (Sp)

Beginning at 9th level, once per day a blood caster can sacrifice a spell slot of 6th level or higher to cast cure serious wounds upon herself. Patch serious wounds does not replace patch light wounds or patch moderate wounds, it is in addition to them.