Intro

Welcome to the Blood Hunter class guide. This class is unofficial material which means that you won’t be able to use this class in organized play. This is Critical Role content. In this guide, we’ll take a look at Ability Scores for the Fighter, Races, Weapons, Subclasses, Skills, etc.

As a Blood Hunter, you’ll be using your blood aka hit points to use abilities so having a high constitution score goes a long way. There are three different ways to play a Blood Hunter. First you have your melee focus where you’re going to be up close and personal which means your strength score has to be high. Then you have your archery/finesse focus where your dexterity score must be high. Lastly, you have your blood curse/mystical power focus where you need your intelligence score to be high.
Note that the races below will have tags next to them referring to the play focus they’ll be useful for. E.g. melee focus, archery/finesse focus, etc.  

Epic

Good

Meh

Bad

Ability Scores

STR This should be your highest if you’re going to focus on melee weapons.

DEX This should be your highest if you’re going to focus on archery/finesse weapons.

CON This should be another high stat for the extra hit points to burn.

INT This should be a high stat if you’re going to focus on blood curses/ mystical power. Some abilities has you add your INT modifier. 

WIS dump

CHA dump

Races

Aarakocra – You get a DEX boost. Good to have if you’re focusing on archery/finesse weapons. 

Aasimar You get a plus 2 to Charisma.

–Protector Nothing good for Blood Hunter.

–Scourge This gives you a boost to CON. Good for more hit points.

–Fallen  Strength score increases by 1. Good for melee focus.

Bugbear This gives you a boost to CON and STR. Good for more hit points and for melee focus.

Centaur Boost to STR and WIS. Good option for melee focus.

Changeling Nothing good for Blood Hunter.

Dragonborn Boost to STR and CHAR. Good option for melee focus.

Dwarf – This gives you a boost to CON. Good for more hit points.

–Hill Nothing good for Blood Hunter.

–Mountain Boost to STR. Good option for melee focus. 

–Duergar Boost to STR. Good option for melee focus. 

Elf You get a +2 to DEX. Good option for finesse focus.

–Drow Nothing good for Blood Hunter.

–Eladrin Nothing good for Blood Hunter.

–High You get a boost to INT.  Good if you’re focusing on blood curses/ mystical power.

–Wood Nothing good for Blood Hunter.

–Sea This gives you a boost to CON. Good for more hit points.

–Shadar-kai This gives you a boost to CON. Good for more hit points.

Firbolg WIS and STR. Good option for melee focus.

Genasi CON boost

–Air DEX boost. Good option for finesse focus.

–Earth This gives you a boost to CON. Good for more hit points.

–Fire Boost to INT. Good if you’re focusing on blood curses/ mystical power.

–Water Nothing good for Blood Hunter.

Gith You get a boost to INT. Good if you’re focusing on blood curses/ mystical power.

–Githyanki Boost to STR. Good option for melee focus. 

–Githzerai Nothing good for Blood Hunter.

Gnome You get a boost to INT. Good if you’re focusing on blood curses/ mystical power.

–Deep You get a DEX boost. Good to have if you’re focusing on archery/finesse weapons. 

–Forest You get a DEX boost. Good to have if you’re focusing on archery/finesse weapons. 

–Rock This gives you a boost to CON. Good for more hit points.

Goblin This gives you a boost to DEX and CON. Good for more hit points and for finesse focus.

Goliath This gives you a boost to CON and STR. Good for more hit points and for melee focus. 

Half-Elf 2 ability scores can be increased by 1 and +2 to CHAR.

Half-Orc This gives you a boost to CON and STR. Good for more hit points and for melee focus. 

Halfling Boost to DEX. Good option for finesse focus.

–Lightfoot Nothing good for Blood Hunter.

–Stout This gives you a boost to CON. Good for more hit points.

Hobgoblin This gives you a boost to CON and INT. Good for more hit points and if you’re focusing on blood curses/ mystical power. 

Human +1 to all stats and a feat. 

Kalashtar Nothing good for Blood Hunter.

Kenku Boost to DEX and WIS. Good option for finesse focus.

Kobold Boost to DEX and STR. Good option for finesse and melee focus.

Leonin This gives you a boost to CON and STR. Good for more hit points and for melee focus.

Lizardfolk This gives you a boost to CON and WIS. Good for more hit points but you don’t need WIS.

Loxodon This gives you a boost to CON and WIS. Good for more hit points but WIS not needed.

Minotaur This gives you a boost to CON and STR. Good for more hit points and for melee focus.

Satyr Boost to CHAR and DEX. Good option for finesse focus.

Shifter 

–Beasthide This gives you a boost to CON and STR. Good for more hit points and for melee focus.

–Longtooth Boost to CON and DEX. Good for more hit points and for finesse focus.

–Swiftstride Boost to DEX and CHAR. Good for finesse focus.

–Wildhunt Boost to DEX and WIS. Good for finesse focus.

Simic Hybrid This gives you a boost to CON and +1 to another stat. Good for more hit points.

Tabaxi DEX and CHAR.  Good for finesse focus.

Triton This gives you a boost to CON, STR, and CHAR boost. Good for hit points and melee focus. CHAR isn’t needed.

Tiefling CHAR boost.

–Asmodeus Boost to CHAR and INT. More CHAR than INT. Decent  if you’re focusing on blood curses/ mystical power. Charisma isn’t needed.

–Baalzebul Boost to CHAR and INT. More CHAR than INT. Decent if you’re focusing on blood curses/ mystical power. Charisma isn’t needed.

–Dispatcher Boost to CHAR and DEX; more CHAR than DEX. Decent for finesse focus.

–Fierna Nothing good for Blood Hunter. 

–Glasya Boost to CHAR and DEX; more CHAR than DEX. Decent for finesse focus.

–Levistus Boost to CHAR and CON; more CHAR than CON. Decent for more hit points.

–Mammon Boost to CHAR and INT. More CHAR than INT. Decent if you’re focusing on blood curses/ mystical power.  Charisma isn’t needed. 

–Mephistopheles Boost to CHAR and INT. More CHAR than INT. Decent if you’re focusing on blood curses/ mystical power. Charisma isn’t needed.

–Zariel Boost to CHAR and STR. More CHAR than STR. Decent for melee focus.

–Feral You get a boost to INT and DEX. Good if you’re focusing on blood curses/ mystical power and/or finesse.

Tortle Boost to STR and WIS. Good for melee focus.

Warforged CON and +1 to another stat. Good for extra hit points.

Yuan-Ti Pureblood Boost to CHAR and INT. Good if you’re focusing on blood curses/ mystical power and/or finesse.

Class Features

Hit points: 1d10

Armor: light and medium armor, shields

Weapons: simple and martial weapons

Tools: Alchemist supplies

Hunter’s Bane – You can power and use Hemocraft magic. 

Blood Maledict – You get your blood curses and a curse to invoke when you use it. You can empower your curse while using your hit points.

Fighting Style –  You choose from archery, dueling, great weapon fighting, and two-weapon fighting much like a fighter. 

Crimson Rite – you can place a crimson rite on your weapon. Choose from the following:

• Primal – fire, cold, or lighting damage on your weapon
• Esoteric Rites – necrotic, psychic, or thunder damage on your weapon

Brand of Castigation – you brand an enemy and they take psychic damage if they deal damage to you or a creature within 5ft of you using your INT modifier.

Grim Psychometry – You get advantage on History checks when searching for information on objects or places evil has touched.

Dark Augmentation – speed increase by 5 and you add your INT modifier to STR, DEX, or CON saves.

Brand of Tethering – your psychic damage from Brand of Castigation increases using your INT modifier x2. Additional effects occur. 

Hardened Soul – advantage on saving throws against being charmed or frightened.

Sanguine Mastery – you can reroll your hemocraft die and choose which result to use. On a critical hit while using a Crimson Rite on your weapon, you can regain a use of your Blood Maledict. 

Subclasses

Order of the Ghostslayer – you’re a ghost and undead hunter 

Order of Lycan – you’re a were-creature and use the abilities of a werecreature

Order of Mutant – you’re basically a Witcher and use mutagens. 

Order of Profane Soul – you’re a warlock without being a warlock

Skills

Acrobatics DEX based. You can wiggle out of things or do parkour. 

Animal Handling WIS based. Very situational.

Arcana INT based. You know magic and study it.

Athletics STR based. Can carry or break things.

Deception CHAR based. Used when you want to lie. 

History INT based. Very situational. 

Insight WIS based. You want to judge people’s intentions. 

Intimidation CHAR/STR based. You try to intimidate people.

Investigation INT based. 

Medicine WIS based. Very situational. 

Nature INT based. 

Perception WIS based. How well you can see things.

Performance CHAR based. Situational based. Mostly for bards.

Persuasion CHAR based. If you want to persuade someone. 

Religion INT based. Very situational. 

Sleight of Hand DEX based. May or may not be useful. Usually left for rogues. 

Stealth DEX based. Useful to have if you’re going to be sneaking.

Survival WIS based. Useful if you’re tracking or wandering in the wilderness. 

Top 3 Backgrounds

Urchin – skill proficiencies in sleight of hand and stealth, toll proficiencies disguise kit, thieves’ tool

Soldier – skill proficiencies in athletics and survival, one type of gaming set and vehicles (land)

Outlander – skill proficiencies in athletics and survival, one type of musical instrument, and an extra language.

Top 3 Weapons

Light crossbow is an option even if you’re not an archery/finesse focus. For range, you can also choose a shortbow. As for melee focus, you can choose a longsword from the marital weapons list or you can choose two simple melee weapons like handaxe or a mace.

Armor

You can choose from studded leather armor or scale mail but that gives you disadvantage on stealth. 

Top 5 Feats

Tough – you need all the hit points.

Crossbow Expert – ignore reloading property and, most importantly, you don’t get disadvantage on range attacks if you’re within 5ft of an enemy. Good for archery focus. 

Athlete – gives you a +1 to STR or DEX stat.

Durable – gives you +1 to CON. Great help with hit points.

Sharpshooter – range attacks ignore half-cover, long range attacks don’t impose disadvantage. Good for archery focus.

Multiclass options

If you want to multiclass into a Blood Hunter, your Strength or Dexterity must be at a 13 and your Intelligence must be at a 13.

You can multiclass into a warlock  while playing as the Order of Profane Soul. However, your charisma score must be at a 13. 

You can also multiclass into a wizard but your intelligence should be at a 13. 

Barbarian and fighter are also options. Your strength must be at a 13. For a fighter, your dexterity can be at a 13 too. Both of these classes are viable options to give you more damage and give you boosts to range attacks too as a fighter.