The Strain of Passion

You're so pale... have you not felt this? Would you like to?

Stemming from The Sanguine Legion, in the time of Expedition Demeter, the strain of passion is often the first strain a blood mage learns. Many of its powers are required to learn other strains and its quite easy to learn. The strain focuses heavily on The Scarlet Rapture and The Passion it becomes when the genre is learned. Mages learn to feel the blood around them and can connect with it in a sense. When they enter The Passion, they often seem unhinged. They feel every glorious death, every drop of adrenaline, and every victorious high as they roam the field of battle. They channel these things, harvest them, and as they do, the blood begins to flow to them like a magnet. This is the base strain and is required for all other strains.

Harvest

The key ability a mage must have to be able to do any spell in Arcana Sanguis is Harvest. It allows any blood mage to gather the blood they use to power their spells. They can gather it from themselves or others, some even bottle rare blood they come across.

Linked Veins

A blood mage can literally link their veins with others. The process is metaphorical but does have literal effects. Doing so allows them to feel everything those they link with feel. They are overwhelmed by the complexity of so many emotions and use this to enter The Passion so they may affect the blood of others as well as their own.

System Rules

As a bonus action, The character enters a meditative state and connects with every source of blood in the area. This can be used to seek out specific individuals and bypass stealth and magic designed to hide ones presence like invisibility.

Brutality

Blood can be sacrificed by the caster and their allies and then used to assail their foes but all blood can be used and more often then not, stripping an enemy of their blood can be much more powerful. Seeing every drop of blood ripped through the pours in a single instance of red mist is a sight of brutal terror and many blood mages have sent enemies fleeing in fear at the sight.

System Rules

Harvesting from a living being, whether friend or foe, takes one action and is considered an attack. It forces all enemies within sight of the event to make a Terror Check. If failed, they must take the next turn running from the mage. The harvest deals X damage and gives X resources to a limit of 7. X= Power Points used.

Carnage

The more blood that is spilled, the more power a blood mage has. As battles rage on, mages on the field admire the sight. They take it in and often capitalize on the horror of it. In the face of all the carnage their powers are more effective, their passion more refined.

System Rules

A caster may bank or retain any number of blood resources in multiples of 10 as a free action. Blood retained cannot be used but can be cashed out in multiples of ten as a free action as well, cancelling the effects.
for every ten resources retained, the action increases all non blood magic damage by one and all effects of blood magic are multiplied by every ten resources retained. IE: 30=x3

Blood on the Blade

Blood mages have long been able to alter the qualities of blood. They can make it boil, make it toxic, even set it ablaze. It was only a matter if time before mages realized they could give these unique qualities to their weapons and the weapons of their allies.

System Rules

Character can cover a weapon in blood and give the blood one of 5 qualities:
Boiling: +2 dmg per attack
Toxic: on successful hit, 1 dmg per turn over 5 turns. Stacks to 5.
Burning: plus 1 dmg per hit and 2 dmg per round over 3 rounds. does not stack.
Leeching: Every point of damage dealt is restored to the wielder.
Harvest: blood spilled is immediately harvested by the wielder. 1 resource for every 1 damage.

The Addiction

All blood mages are addicted to blood in one form or another. Some consume it and fall into the addiction through the unique power this consumption grants them. Others are addicted to the power of the spells and the sensations brought about by linking themselves with the blood split in battle. Others are simply addicted to the kill and the pain that proceeds it.

Regardless of why, the addiction is there, and every practitioner risks falling into a downward spiral as they lose control of their passions. Every amount of blood harvested, every spell cast, every trait used brings them closer to this madness. It is important for a blood mage to take great care. They must use these gifts in moderation lest they become uncontrollable, taint the blood, or kill themselves as much of Arcana Sanguis involves using ones own blood, and the high can cloud their judgement as they go to far in a fit of passion.

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Every action involving blood is counted and for every 5 actions in a single encounter, The mage must roll a d6 on this table.

Dice Roll	Effect
1	Character enters a rage state and is no longer effected by pains or terror but suffers 1 DMG per turn. This effect last until the end of the encounter unless the character can make a successful composure roll.
2	Character makes a critical error in their excitement, usually severing their own arteries. take 10 points of dmg
3	All blood the character harvests this encounter is tainted.
4	Character makes a terror roll at their own brutality.
5	Character gains 10 blood resources as the blood flows quicker.
6	Character summons a creature from The Wetworks and can control this creature, provided they have not lost control.

The Blood Afflicted

Tainted blood is any kind of blood that is diseased or impure in some way. The addiction can taint the blood due to a lack of care in handling the blood, or simply the addiction itself. The reckless and violent mind at play tainted the blood and makes it impure.

Scarlet Fever

A play on a commonly known ailment, in the context of Arcana Sanguis, Scarlet Fever is the official term for the effect of the addiction taking hold. It clouds the casters judgement, makes them uncontrollable, and taint the blood they use. It should be no surprise that some blood mages actually try to enter this state. The practitioners of The Strain of Profanity need it to ensure that they have plenty of tainted blood.

Type

Metaphysical, Arcane