Blood Hunters, it should be noted, are not official classes. They are a product of the famous Matthew Mercer, available on D&D Beyond and the DM’s Guild. Blood Hunters are designed to be incredibly versatile, and it’s worth fully looking over what sort of Blood Hunter you want to play before you allocate stats.

The Blood Hunter class is found in the Dungeon Master’s Guild. Click here to pick up your own copy of the Blood Hunter Class!

The Elf race can be found in the Player’s Handbook. Click here to pick up your own copy of The Player’s Handbook!

How to Make an Elf Blood Hunter

The slender, graceful elf is typically the most easily recognizable fantasy race, not to be confused with the short, almost gnomelike elves that supposedly work in Santa’s workshop. The reality is that the elves of D&D don’t have to be either of these. High elves may be closer to that first description, but D&D also features Wood Elves, who are closer to nature, Drow/Dark Elves, who generally live in the Underdark (and are mostly evil in the Forgotten Realms), Eladrin (closer to fey), Sea Elves, and more, so be sure to settle on whichever subsection’s statistics and history best suits the character you want to build. Most however share slow aging, darkvision, and the ability to enter a 4-hour trance in place of sleep.

You’ll likely be relying on weapons over spells for damage, and this means you’ll either be prioritizing strength or dexterity as your main stat. You’ll be using HP to power some of your abilities by damaging yourself, so it helps to have a higher constitution to deal with that. Other features and spellcasting if taken, will rely on your intelligence.

For these reasons, you might find yourself having to spread the character rather thin, so consider stat bonuses over feats, unless you take a feat such as tough, which gives you plenty of HP to play with. Stats after these aforementioned, are up to you.

How to Play an Elf Blood Hunter

As for what a Blood Hunter is, and how they function, this is best defined by their Order (subclass). Those orders are the order of the Lycan, Ghostslayer, Mutant, and Profane Soul. The Lycan focuses on frontline combat, dealing heavy hits in melee and resisting damage. Ghostslayer is more versatile, focusing on mobility, and can also perform at range. The Mutant order is designed to replicate a Witcher from the popular video game and Netflix series, The Witcher, and the Profane Soul is a warlock-themed subclass involving a patron.

As an elf, your subrace will help determine which of these Orders is most effective in combat. A Drow, for example, can drop a globe of magical darkness in an area. A Ghostslayer might see hiding in such a place, and leaving to strike before retreating into the darkness as an effective tactic.

How to Roleplay as an Elf Blood Hunter

Roleplay as a Blood Hunter will be a fun time. If you belong to the Order of the Mutant, it can be tempting to simply play as Geralt from the Witcher series, but consider how you might make the character your own, especially considering how the dark nature of a Blood Hunter might contrast with your particular elven heritage. The Lycan order is a good chance to roleplay an almost bestial instinct and rage, given that players seldom get the chance to play as actual lycanthropes. 

Try to write your background in a way to account for your Blood Hunter training as well.