New discipline: Blood Mage

[Darculius]

this is my meager attempt at creating a new discipline: the blood mage. Before I get into it, I have not playtested it, and I love feedback (good or bad). I've always liked the idea of the tattooed monk from Forgotten Realms, and I tried to recreate it.

Important Attributes: Willpower, Perception
Karma Ritual: The adept cuts his hand and drains blood into a container. The adept then meditates on the blood and its reaction to its surroundings, performing a number of simple tests with it or dropping objects into the container. The ritual is complete after a half hour when the adept presses the wound created to the blood and absorbs it, sealing and erasing the wound.
Artisan Skills Tattooing, Bone Carving
Half Magic Adept may use half magic for detection and general purpose of blood charms and if a target has ever performed death magic.
Description Part warrior part caster, the Blood Mage draws power from all disciplines to harness the magic within blood. Often reviled, Blood Mages are uncommon in most places of Barsaive. In some places, like Iopos and Thera they are more accepted, but still feared. Unlike Nethermancers, their close counterpart in misunderstood disciplines, you can't easily spot a Blood Mage adept. The Blood Mage rarely advertises his profession, allowing him to move more freely among a wider selection of sources.

Special Rules The adept may not wear armor, as he needs access to his tattoos. He need not touch them to cast spells through them, but they must be visible.
Tattoo Matrix As per spell matrix with the following exceptions: A tattoo has a daily charge. The charge is the rank of the talent of a particular matrix plus the difference of the residing spell level and the matrix level {ex: Level 5 matrix holding a level 1 spell. 9. 5 (matrix) + [5 (matrix) - 1 (spell level)]} The matrix may hold a larger spell than that of a matrix level, but the number of daily casts is obviously reduced. {ex: 5 (matrix) + [5 (matrix) - 6 (spell level)]= 4}. The adept also takes strain damage of the difference between the spell level and the matrix level if the spell level is higher than that of the matrix. This is in addition to any strain for the threads of a spell.
Spellcasting If a spell has threads, the adept takes strain upon casting damage equal to the number of threads plus spell level.
Reattune on the Fly Use the reattune difficulty number of the spell and consult the value/step chart. The adept takes strain damage equal to the step of the appropriate value number. (ex: Bone Dance 7/15, Value 15 is step 6...Adept takes 6 strain). Note: after reattuning a matrix, the charge of the matrix may increase or decrease. So putting in a higher level spell you may not be able to cast it.
Spells A Blood Mage does not receive spells as normal. He cannot read/write magic, he must either study with an adept who has these spells (any discipline), or "study" an adept with those spells. The latter is obviously not as well received in polite society. Once a Blood Mage is known, however, more than a few magicians make deals with the Blood Mage to retrieve something in exchange for knowledge. Adepts start 1st Circle knowing 3 1st Circle spells on their list.
Grimoire A Blood Mage has no grimoire. He may still cast through it, as per Raw Magic casting rules, but the grimoire is not a tangible thing the adept can lose. When a new spell is learned, the Blood Mage takes 2 strain as the spell is imprinted in his pattern. A mage from another discipline may view his pattern with the necessary spells/talents, and Read Magic to copy a desired spell, but Blood Mages may only learn spells through interpersonal study or ingestion of a mages true pattern via blood.

Initiate
Talent Options Inner Strength, Steel Thought, Tattoo Matrix, Tattoo Matrix, Wood Skin
First Circle Discipline Talents Avoid Blow, Fireblood, Karma Ritual, Spellcasting, Unarmed Combat

Novice
Options Anticipate Blow, Close In, Creature Analysis, Durability 6/5, Sense Danger, Tattoo Matrix, Tattoo Matrix, Wound Balance
Second Circle
Defense: Add +1 to Spell Defense
DTalent: Blood Share
Third Circle
DTalent: Embrace of the Phoenix
Fourth
Karma: May spend 1 Karma point on Willpower Only tests
DTalent: Threadweaving (Blood Weaving)

Journeyman
Options: Disarm, Joint Lock, Second Attack, Takedown, Tattoo Matrix, Temper Other, Temper Self, Willforce
Fifth
Fearsome Blood: The adept chooses any number of enemies. The adept takes 2 strain and makes a Charisma test versus the highest Social Defense of the group. If the test is passed, any of the targets will be harried for 1 round if they engage the adept in melee combat
DTalent: Fireheal
Sixth
Karma: May spend 1 Karma point on Perception Only tests
DTalent: Lifecheck
Seventh
Karma: May spend 1 Karma on an ally's Recovery Test. Adept must participate in the healing process with mundane or magical means.
DTalent: Touch of the Phoenix
Eighth
Defense: Add +1 to Spell Defense
DTalent: Counteract

Warden
Options: Critical Hit, Defense, Momentum Attack, Pin, Power Mask, Spirit Strike, Tattoo Matrix, Vitality
Ninth
Blood Renewal: For 2 strain per tattoo, the adept may add one use to every tattoo he takes damage for. If, by the end of the day this extra charge is not used, it is gone and the tattoo functions as normal for the next day.
Karma: Adept may spend 1 Karma on Recovery Tests
DTalent: Lifesight
Tenth
Defense: +1 to Spell Defense
Recovery: +1 Recovery Test per day
DTalent: Resist Pain
Eleventh
Defense: +1 Physical and +1 Social Defense
Initiative: +1 to Initiative Step
DTalent: Enduring Art
Twelfth
Defense: +1 to Spell Defense and +1 Physical Def
DTalent: Wound Transfer

Master
Options: Aura Armor, Blood Guilt Weapon, Earth Armor, Multistrike, Shared Tattoo Matrix, Stone Skin
Thirteenth
Karma: +1 to Karma step
Recovery: +1 Recovery Tests per day
Lifelink: For 4 Blood Magic Damage, the adept rolls a Willpower Test versus an opponents Spell Defense. It may be applied to a willing character with no roll. Then, any time either member of the lifelink takes or heals damage, the other member takes or heals the same amount. Lifelink lasts until the end of the encounter. Adept may take 4 strain to extend it to a year and a day
DTalent: Vital Strike
Fourteenth
Defense: +1 to Spell Defense and +1 Physical Def
DTalent: Effect Pattern
Fifteenth
Defense: +1 Social Def
DTalent: Dragonscales

Spell List
1
Bone Dance, Cobra Charms the Weasel, Crunch Climb, Dragon Blows out Flame, Iron Hand, Monkey Pretends to be Tiger, Spirit Grip
2
And His Money, Dodge Boost, Gills, The Thousand Faces of Cheung, Weather Cloak
3
Combat Fury, Death Trance, Death's Head, Grounding, Healing Sleep, Ork Stoke, Pain, Quicken Pace
4
Bleeding Edge, Buoyancy, Icy Protection, Last Chance, Lightning Step, Relax, Touch of Winter
5
Awaken, Blind, Inflame Self, Invigorate, Pan Seals the Lips, Slow, Wither Limb
6
Blood Lost, Bone Puppet, Fireweave, Recovery, Snake Strikes Swiftly
7
Blood Boil, Bone Pudding, Constrict Heart, Damage Shift, Drunken Stagger, Rebel Limb, Reverse Withering, Steal Strength
8
Control Being, Peacebond, Tiger Pounces Mightily, Wither Away, Wound Mask
9
Create Life, Draining Eye, Reattach Limb, Shift Skin, Walking Dead
10
Animate Dead, Damage Transfer, Draw and Quarter, Onion Blood, Petrify, Warrior Raises His Shield
11
Alter Life, Unnatural Life
13
Eternal Youth
14
Lao Curses the Emperor

[Kasbak]

On an initial read through, I would recommend:

1. Swap positions for Fireheal and Fireblood. Getting Fireblood at First Circle would be a bit cheap, especially since this Discipline seems to be focused around fueling abilities with damage, so there is less decision making involved (not to mention the cheaper advancement cost). Also, you would need Fireheal higher anyway to gain more recovery tests.
2. Specify blood renewal can only be done once per day (I think that was the intent, but it's not stated). I would even go further to put a restriction that it must be done at the beginning of the day, such as within the first hour of daylight or within the first hour of the adept waking.
3. You may want to include permanent damage on the other special abilities, to stick with the theme and put sone further limitation on them.
4. I would seriously consider lowering the Durability gain, as that does seem high. To compensate a bit, and to get rid of a bit of bookkeeping, I would lower some of the strain costs on casting spells, as there is a lot to keep track of there.

[Darculius]

thanks for the readthrough.
1. I originally had Fireheal for 2nd Circle discipline talent, but Blood Share got in the way. I also wanted the adept to have early access to not get his ass kicked (terribly) to a extra healing mechanism. But now that I think more, outside of combat would be nice and when the adept gains more world experience he figures out how to do it mid battle...
2. It was intended. oops. Thanks for finding that. Maybe not the beginning of the day? I like it to be any time, as the adrenaline rushes in and gives you a second wind.
3. Permanent damage? maybe for the 13th Circle Lifelink, but only for the year and a day part. Not really sure how often people will willingly take a point of permanent damage to harry some opponents for a round.
4. I have scratched that out and rewrote it many many times. The lowest I would think would be 6/5. I'd like to keep the strain costs on for casting spells, to keep one from solely going caster or melee. With the added pain of not wearing any armor, hit point juggling will be difficult. And like I said, I haven't play tested it (my group is too afraid)...7/6 does sound high, doesn't it. It's a specialty discipline, like a scout. 6/5 is nice

[Flagg]

Hey there. If you'd like, you can submit this to the Exalted Compendium.

http://www.earthdawncompendium.com/disciplines/list