Hemomancy

Hemomancy, or blood magic, is a feared type of magic that gives the user (also known as a hemomancer) the ability to manipulate blood, both within and out of the body.

Effect

By controlling the blood within another being's body, the hemomancer can force the victim to take any physical action the hemomancer sees fit, within certain limitations. The hemomancer cannot force the victim to take any actions that are strictly mental or have a significant mental component, such as spellcasting. Also, the target cannot be forced to do anything that requires a lot of precision, such a gestures for spells, lockpicking, sleight of hand, or even speech (although they can be kept from talking). However, more powerful hemomancers have been known to overcome this physical limitation by learning how to finely manipulate the blood in a victim.

Side/Secondary Effects

Control of a target's blood give the hemomancer a number of other useful abilities, only some of which are listed below:
Hypotension: The hemomancer causes a rapid, massive drop in a target's blood pressure, causing them to pass out.
Hemostatic Explosion: The hemomancer can attempt to cause the victim's blood to burst forth from their body, causing the victim to be flayed as its blood violently bursts from its veins, arteries and capillaries, bursting eyes and leaving the body in a horrific state, with only ragged strips of flesh left intact.
Burning Blood: A hemomancer can cause the blood in a target's veins to burn, inflicting fire damage. Even when the power is no longer maintained, the heat of the blood will continue to cause damage for a time after, as it cools.
Blood Homonculus: A blood sorcerer can sacrifice a portion of their blood and animate it to create a servant. The specifics of the construct (whch are not truly alive) are different for each hemomancer and can be reshaped each time the power is used.
The hemomancer must spill a sizable quantity of blood, which usually leaves them fatigued for a time.
Some more skilled hemomancers have learned to give the homonculus the a semblence of sentience. This is not true sentience however, as the hemomancer places a small portion of their own psyche into the construct.
Blood Walk: Powerful hemomancers are able to touch a source of open blood and move instantly to another location of open blood they can accurately perceive without crossing the distance inbetween.
A hemomancer can also attempt to blood walk to another individual's location whose blood they have perceived using the Smell the Blood power (see below). The less familiar the hemomancer is with the target the more difficult it will be to blood walk to them. However, keeping a sample of their blood makes this much easier. The target must have a bloody wound to which to blood walk.
Many hemomancers use their own blood to boost some their own abilities. Examples include:
Blood Sacrifice: A hemomancer may sacrifice a portion of their own blood to empower their own abilities beyond their normal limits. The more blood that is sacrificed, the more powerful the effect. It is possible for a hemomancer to completely exsanguinate themself using this power for greatly boosted abilities.
Smell of the Blood: The blood sorcerer can sniff out the presence of blood (including within creatures). This sense is acute enough to distinguish between individuals solely by the way their blood smells. While the blood magus cannot use their sense of smell to pinpoint a target’s location, they can use it to track.
Stanch: The hemomancer can reduce and even eliminated the amount of blood flowing from his wounds.
Thicker than Water: By pooling blood in certain areas and reducing blood flow from others, a hemomancer may make himself resistant to some minor amount of damage.

Manifestation

Blood magic can affect any target that the hemomancer can accurately perceive. Usually, there is some form of physical manifestation of the magic, depending on the magus, the most common being the eyes of the hemomancer and target become bright crmson, filled with blood, and a strong copper smell permeates the air. A number of hemomancers have learned to suppress these manifestations, allowing for a more subtle use.

Source

Most hemomancers are taught by another. Rarely, a sorcerer may be born with this power.

Discovery

Although the discovery of blood magic has been lost to time, it is often attributed to vampires, some of whom are among its most powerful practitioners.

Gestures & Ritual

Generally speaking, neither gestures nor rituals are required for the use of blood magic although they may enhance it.

Related School

Necromancy

Range

Perception

Applied Restriction

By definition, the target must have blood, whether the victim or the hemomancer themself.