Where wishing fails, ancient magic can offer a heart’s desire—at least, for a time. Hexbloods are individuals infused with eldritch magic, fey energy, or mysterious witchcraft. Some who enter into bargains with hags gain their deepest wishes but eventually find themselves transformed. These changes evidence a hag’s influence: ears that split in forked points, skin in lurid shades, long hair that regrows if cut, and an irremovable living crown. Along with these marks, hexbloods manifest hag-like traits, such as darkvision, and a variety of magical methods to beguile the senses and avoid the same.
While many hexbloods gain their lineage after making a deal with a hag, others reveal their nature as they age—particularly if a hag influenced them early in life or even before their birth. Many hexbloods turn to lives of adventure, seeking to discover the mysteries of their magic, to forge a connection with their fey natures, or to avoid a hag that obsesses over them.
Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft
Heir of Hags
One way hags create more of their kind is through the creation of hexbloods. Every hexblood exhibits features suggestive of the hag whose magic inspires their powers. This includes an unusual crown, often called a eldercross or witch’s turn. This living, garland-like part of a hexblood’s body extends from their temples and wraps behind the head, serving as a visible mark of the bargain between hag and hexblood, a debt owed, or a change to come.
Hexblood Origins
A bargain with a hag or other eerie forces transformed your character into a magical being. Roll on or choose an option from the Hexblood Origins table to determine how your character gained their lineage.
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Hexblood Origins
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d8
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Origin
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1
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Seeking a child, your parent made a bargain with a hag. You are the result of that arrangement.
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2
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Fey kidnappers swapped you and your parents’ child.
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3
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A coven of hags lost one of its members. You were created to replace the lost hag.
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4
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You were cursed as a child. A deal with the spirits of the forest transformed you into a hexblood, now free of the curse.
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5
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You began life as a fey creature, but an accident changed you and forced you from your home.
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6
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A slighted druid transformed you and bound you to live only so long as a sacred tree bears fruit.
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Hexblood Traits
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Ability Score Increase.
Increase one ability score by 2 and increase a different one by 1, or increase three different ability scores by 1. If you are replacing your race with this lineage, replace any Ability Score Increase you previously had with this.
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Languages.
You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for the character. If you are replacing your race with this lineage, you retain any languages you had and gain no new languages.
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Creature Type.
You are a Fey.
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Size.
You are Medium or Small. You choose the size when you gain this lineage.
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Speed.
Your walking speed is 30 feet
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Ancestral Legacy.
If you replace a race with this lineage, you can keep the following elements of that race: any skill proficiencies you gained from it and any climbing, flying, or swimming speed you gained from it.
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If you don't keep any of those elements or you choose this lineage at character creation, you gain proficiency in two skills of your choice.
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Darkvision.
You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light. You discern colors in that darkness as shades of gray.
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Eerie Token.
As a bonus action, you can harmlessly remove a lock of your hair, one of your nails, or one of your teeth. This token is imbued with magic until you finish a long rest. While the token is imbued this way, you can take these actions:
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Telepathic Message.
As an action, you can send a telepathic message to the creature holding or carrying the token, as long as you are within 10 miles of it. The message can contain up to twenty-five words.
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Remote Viewing.
If you are within 10 miles of the token, you can enter a trance as an action. The trance lasts for 1 minute, but it ends early if you dismiss it (no action required) or are incapacitated. During this trance, you can see and hear from the token as if you were located where it is. While you are using your senses at the token's location, you are blinded and deafened in regard to your own surroundings. When the trance ends, the token is harmlessly destroyed.
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Once you create a token using this feature, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest, at which point your missing part regrows.
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Hex Magic.
You can cast the
Disguise Self
and
Hex
spells with this trait. Once you cast either of these spells with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast these spells using any spell slots you have.
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Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells (choose the ability when you gain this lineage).
Unearthed Arcana
Source: Unearthed Arcana 76 - Gothic Lineages
Heir of Hags
One way hags create more of their kind is through the creation of hexbloods. Every hexblood exhibits features suggestive of the hag whose magic inspires their powers. This includes an unusual crown, often called a “eldercross” or “witch’s turn.” This living, garland-like part of a hexblood’s body extends from their temples and wraps behind the head, serving as a visible mark of the bargain between hag and hexblood, a debt owed, or a change to come.
Becoming a Hag
Hags can undertake a ritual to irreversibly transform a hexblood they created into a new hag, either one of their own kind or that embodies the hexblood’s nature. This requires that both the hag and hexblood be in the same place and consent to the lengthy ritual— circumstances most hexbloods shun but might come to accept over the course of centuries. Once a hexblood undergoes this irreversible ritual, they emerge as a hag NPC no longer under the control of the hexblood’s player, unless the DM rules otherwise.
Hexblood Origins
A bargain with a hag or other eerie forces transformed your character into a magical being. Roll on or choose an option from the Hexblood Origins table to determine how your character gained their lineage.
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Hexblood Origins
|
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d8
|
Origin
|
|
1
|
Seeking a child, your parent made a bargain with a hag. You are the result of that arrangement.
|
|
2
|
Fey kidnappers swapped you and your parents’ child.
|
|
3
|
A coven of hags lost one of their members. You were created to replace the lost hag.
|
|
4
|
You were cursed as a child. A deal with the spirits of the forest transformed you into a hexblood, now free of the curse.
|
|
5
|
You began life as a fey creature, but an accident or crime changed you and forced you from your home.
|
|
6
|
A slighted druid transformed you and bound you to live only so long as a sacred tree bears fruit.
|
|
7
|
You made a deal with a hag, but they twisted your words and transformed you.
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8
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You are a child of the wilds. Animals and mysterious whispers were the only family you ever knew.
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Hexblood Traits
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Ability Score Increase.
Increase one ability score by 2, and increase a different one by 1.
-
Size.
Medium or Small (choose when you gain this lineage)
-
Darkvision.
You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light and in darkness as if it were dim light.
-
Fey Resilience.
You have advantage on saving throws you make to avoid or end the charmed condition on yourself.
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Hex Magic.
You can cast the
Disguise Self
and
Hex
spells with this trait. Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells (choose when you gain this lineage). Once you cast either of these spells with this trait, you can’t cast that spell with it again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast these spells using any spells slots you have.
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Magic Token.
As an action, you can harmlessly pull out one of your nails, a tooth, or a lock of hair. This token is imbued with magic until you finish a long rest. While the token is imbued in this way, you can use an action to send a telepathic message to the creature holding or carrying the token, as long as you are on the same plane of existence and are within 10 miles of it. The message can contain up to twenty-five words.
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In addition, while you are within 10 miles of the token, you can use an action to enter a trance for 1 minute, during which you can see and hear from the token as if you were located where it is. While you are using your senses at the token’s location, you are blinded and deafened in regard to your own surroundings. Afterward, the token is harmlessly destroyed.
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Once you create a token using this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a long rest, at which point your missing part regrows.
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Languages.
You can speak, read, and write Common and one other language that you and your DM agree is appropriate for the character.