The tools available inDungeons & Dragonsgive players an impressive amount of freedom to craft their own characters, and DMs flexibility on crafting adventures. However, sometimes the unofficial material from fans in the formD&D’s homebrewscan make enough of an impact to give new player experiences that it might be worth exploring integrating them into the upcoming 6th Edition.
One particular homebrew that has grown in popularity among players is the Blood Hunter, a class made by voice actor Matt Mercer and given wide visibility through theDungeons & DragonsseriesCritical Role. The unique Hemocraft abilities combined with some improved fighting abilities gives an experience that would be worth integrating into the official rules as Wizards of the Coast continues development on the next version ofD&D. It should be noted that the following is speculation on the impact of including the Blood Hunter, and not an indication of where Wizards of the Coast intends to continue in development moving forward.
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The Powerful Blood Hunter
The most impressive part of the Blood Hunter is the class' use of Hemocraft, initially taking the form of being able to cast powerful blood curses to inflict different effects on the player or enemies. Not only can the effect of these blood curses run the gambit from binding targets in place to enhancing resistances after landing a kill, but each of these can also be amplified at a price. In this way, the base class is like a more magically inclined version ofD&D’s Barbarians, with the subclasses going even further to enhance the homebrew class.
At 3rd level a Blood Hunter is given the opportunity to choose their subclass, which come in the form of one of four major Blood Hunt Orders. Each of these orders offer unique features, such as expanding the use of blood curses or introducing powerful mutagens to the player’s arsenal. The Order of the Profane Soul is one of the more unique subclasses, due to its special spell slot synergy as a potential multiclass withD&D’s Warlock class.
Why Dungeons & Dragons Should Include the Blood Hunter
There are plenty of reasons for Wizards of the Coast to announce Blood Hunter as an official class, from reaching out towards the fan community ofshows likeCritical Role, to extending a connection between developer and player. That being said, one of the best things thatDungeons & Dragonscould take from the Blood Hunter is the aforementioned Order of the Profane Soul subclass. The subclass benefit unique to multiclassing adds a complexity to character creation that doesn’t often appear when trying to get the most out of the other classes.
In addition to the multiclassing, the depth that blood curses and mutagens can add to specialized types of fighting would make for a strong inspiration on other features that could set the base classes apart from each other. The blood curses specifically appear to have a similar utility to the battle maneuvers available toD&D’s Fighter class, but with more of a leaning on mental stats than physical ones. It’s a newly balanced character type that would be a welcome addition the list of classes that have already been made available across the history ofDungeons & Dragons' previous editions.
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Setting a Precedent on Community Content
In addition to the new concepts the Blood Hunter brings to players already delving into the homebrew, the adoption of this community-built class would also help close the gap between developers and players. That’s ultimately the power ofhomebrew classes inD&D, the ability to put the tools of development into the hands of the fans that keep the game thriving in the first place. To that degree, accepting content from the community, from the bigger names like Matt Mercer to smaller creators, will help with the transparency between fans and Wizards of the Coast to make sureD&D 6Eis every bit as enjoyable as5Ehas been.
Wizards of the Coast having final say on what is and isn’t accepted in official play keeps everyone on the same playing field. However, the ability to include community feedback and input into the core game is important, especially as many campaigns already rely on flexibility from players and DMs. With anyD&DDungeon Master’s rulingin the hands of individual players, giving those same fans a voice in the direction of the tabletop powerhouse could help keep it as a go-to experience for many.
Dungeons & Dragons 6Eis currently in development.
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