Z's Blood Magic (5e Sourcebook)/Magic/Bloodborne Sacraments/Sacrament of the Mind

Sacrament of the Mind

Learning the Sacrament of the Mind connects you to the primal power of the mind - Reaching deeper insights and shattering the psyche of your foes.

• Rite Damage: Rite damage dealt by the Sacrament of the Mind is Psychic damage.

• Rite Effect (Amplify, Critical): The target's mind is filled with hallucinations; The creature is Frightened of all creatures within 30ft of it until the start of your next turn.

• Bonus Rites: Upon gaining the Sacrament of the Mind, you automatically learn the Will of the Archivist and Sign of Madness Rites. These bonus Rites do not count against your number of Rites Known, and cannot be replaced when you gain a level, unless it is a level for which you gain the Crimson Versatility feature and choose to exchange the Sacrament of the Mind for another Sacrament.

Will of the Archivist

Rite Type: Will

Upon being blessed with the Sacrament of the Mind you gain special ability to draw your thoughts into physical form. The Will that belongs to the Rite of the Mind is the Encode Thoughts cantrip.

Sign of Madness

Rite Type: Sign

The Sign of Madness forces the target to make a Constitution saving throw, as you force their blood to crush their brain. A target that critically fails their saving throw suffers this Sacrament's Critical Rite Effect, if eligible.

If the Sign is Amplified, a target that fails their saving throw suffers this Sacrament's Amplify Rite Effect, if eligible.

Lore of Minor Cerebral Arcana

Rite Type: Mercy

You learn secrets of the mind and its weaknesses. You learn the Vicious Mockery cantrip as a Will, and you learn the Dissonant Whispers and Silvery Barbs spells; Your Hemocraft Ability is your spellcasting ability for these spells. You may cast either of these using any spell slots you possess, or by spending 1 Sacrifice Point.

Initiate of the Mind

Rite Type: Mercy; Benediction, Malison

Upon learning this Rite, you learn both the Blessing of the Psion Benediction and the Hex of Stupor Malison. These bonus Rites do not count against your number of Rites Known.

Blessing of the Psion

Rite Type: Benediction

As an action, you can grant protection from mental assault to willing targets you can see within 30ft, up to a number of targets not exceeding your Proficiency Bonus; This protection lasts for 1 minute, but it requires your concentration to maintain. For the duration, whenever a target would suffer Psychic damage, the damage is reduced by an amount equal to your Constitution modifier, plus one roll of your Hemocraft die. This mitigation increases to 2 rolls of your Hemocraft dice whenever you are Bloodied, to 3 dice whenever you are Injured, and to 4 dice whenever you are Critical.

Amplify: If you Amplify this Benediction, you add the Bonus of your Minor Rend to the total amount of damage subtracted each time a target suffers Psychic damage.

Hex of Stupor

Rite Type: Malison

As an action, you force targets you can see within 30ft to make a Charisma saving throw, up to a number of targets not exceeding your Proficiency Bonus. On a failed save, each target is cursed with weakened mental power for 1 minute, but this hex requires your concentration to maintain. When a target deals Psychic damage while under this curse, that damage is reduced by half; If a target possesses any ability that deals Psychic damage and allows a saving throw against the ability to take only half damage, while the target is under this curse, creatures succeeding their save against that ability(s) take no damage.

Amplify: If you Amplify this Malison, you can prevent each target from dealing Psychic damage at all for 1 round for each point of bonus granted by your Minor Rend.

Torment of the Mind

Prerequisite: Hemocraft level 2

Rite Type: Torment

While this Torment is active on a weapon, the weapon deals additional Rite damage equal to the user's Hemocraft abilities modifier (Min 1). Any target critically hit by a weapon bearing this Torment also suffers this Sacrament's Critical Rite Effect, if eligible.

Additionally, this Torment changes the additional damage dealt by Blade of Blood strikes made with that weapon to Rite damage. A target damaged by a Blade of Blood attack that is bearing this Torment suffers this Sacrament's Amplify Rite Effect, if eligible.

Lore of Improved Cerebral Arcana

Prerequisite: Hemocraft level 5th; Must know Lore of Minor Cerebral Arcana

Rite Type: Mercy

You learn the Augury and Detect Thoughts spells; Your Hemocraft Ability is your spellcasting ability for these spells. You may cast either of these using any spell slots you possess, or by spending 2 Sacrifice Points.

Master of the Mind

Prerequisite: Hemocraft level 5

Rite Type: Mercy; Benediction, Malison

Upon learning this Rite, you learn both the Benediction of the Oracle Benediction and the Malison of Painful Comprehension Malison. These bonus Rites do not count against your number of Rites Known.

Benediction of the Oracle

Prerequisite: Hemocraft level 5

Rite Type: Benediction

As an action, you grant cerebral power to willing targets you can see within 30ft, up to a number of targets not exceeding your Proficiency Bonus; This blessing lasts for 1 minute, but requires your concentration to maintain. For the duration, each time a target deals Psychic damage, or strikes a creature or object with a weapon attack, unarmed strike, or natural weapon, they deal additional Psychic damage equal to one roll of your Hemocraft die.

Amplify: If you Amplify this Benediction, you cause creatures that suffer this additional Psychic damage to be assailed with a migraine for the duration; At the start of their turns each round while this Benediction persists, the creature must make a Constitution saving throw - If the save fails, they suffer Psychic damage equal to the Rend bonus of that Minor Rend. If they succeed, they suffer only half as much damage and the migraine dulls, ending the condition on themselves.

Malison of Painful Comprehension

Prerequisite: Hemocraft level 5

Rite Type: Malison

As an action, you force targets you can see within 30ft to make a Wisdom saving throw, up to a number of targets not exceeding your Proficiency Bonus. On a failed save, each target is cursed with vulnerability to mental assault for 1 minute, but this hex requires your concentration to maintain.

• If a target is immune to Psychic damage, that immunity is replaced with Resistance to Psychic damage for the duration;
• If a target has Resistance to Psychic damage, that Resistance is stripped away for the duration;
• And if a target is neither Immune, Resistant or Vulnerable to Psychic damage, they suffer Vulnerability to Psychic damage for the duration or until they suffer Psychic damage.

Amplify: If you Amplify this Malison, you grant yourself the ability to use your bonus action, for the duration, to wither the target. Each time you do so, the target is entitled a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, you deal Psychic damage to the target equal to one roll of your Hemocraft die, plus the Rend Bonus of that Minor Rend; On a successful save, they suffer half as much damage.

Born of the Mind

Prerequisite: Hemocraft level 5

Rite Type: Mercy

While you are not Uninjured, you gain resistance to Psychic damage. Furthermore, when you suffer Psychic damage while not Uninjured, you may use your reaction to dissipate the cerebral energy around you in a 10ft radius, as a field of mental distortion. Until the beginning of your next turn, the area is lightly obscured to creatures other than you, and any number of creatures of your choice within the radius must make a Wisdom saving throw; On a failed save, the creature suffers Psychic damage equal to the Psychic damage you suffered. If a creature critically fails their saving throw, they suffer this Sacrament's Critical Rite Effect.

Whenever you are Critical, this Mercy improves, making you immune to Psychic damage. When you use your reaction to dissipate Psychic damage while Critical, the damage is instead equal to the amount of damage you would have suffered if your immunity had not prevented it, and creatures in the area suffer half as much damage on a successful saving throw.

Brand of Dreadful Knowledge

Prerequisite: Hemocraft level 6

Rite Type: Brand

A target marked by this Brand is plagued with unsettling truths about existence that cloud its mind. For the duration, the target cannot concentrate on spells, cannot be immune to the Frightened condition, and has disadvantage on saving throws against the Frightened condition. A creature with an Injtelligence of 2 or less is unaffected.

Lore of Greater Cerebral Arcana

Prerequisite: Hemocraft level 9th; Must know Lore of Improved Cerebral Arcana

Rite Type: Mercy

You learn the Clairvoyance and Enemies Abound spells; Your Hemocraft Ability is your spellcasting ability for these spells. You may cast either of these using any spell slots you possess, or by spending 3 Sacrifice Points.

Lore of Ancient Cerebral Arcana

Prerequisite: Hemocraft level 13th; Must know Lore of Greater Cerebral Arcana

Rite Type: Mercy

You learn the Divination and Raulothim's Psychic Lance spells; Your Hemocraft Ability is your spellcasting ability for these spells. You may cast either of these using any spell slots you possess, or by spending 4 Sacrifice Points.

Lore of Final Cerebral Arcana

Prerequisite: Hemocraft level 17th; Must know Lore of Ancient Cerebral Arcana

Rite Type: Mercy

You learn the Modify Memory and Rary's Telepathic Bond spells; Your Hemocraft Ability is your spellcasting ability for these spells. You may cast either of these using any spell slots you possess, or by spending 5 Sacrifice Points.