Lycanthropy is an ancient curse that changes those afflicted into mindless beasts with an unquenchable hunger for flesh. In order to combat these monsters, some Blood Hunters will purposefully contract this curse. These warriors willingly give their lives so that they may draw on this bestial power to rid the world of lycanthropes and other shapeshifting monsters.
When you choose this archetype at 3rd level, you gain the improved senses of a natural predator. You have advantage on Wisdom (Perception) and Wisdom (Survival) checks that rely on hearing or smell.
Also at 3rd level, you learn to control the lycanthropic curse that courses through your veins. As a bonus action, you can make a Vital Sacrifice to transform into a special hybrid form for up to 1 hour. You can speak, use equipment, and wear armor while in this form, and can revert to your normal form as a bonus action. You automatically revert to your normal form if you fall unconscious or die. While you are transformed, you gain the following features:
Feral Might. You have advantage on Strength checks and Strength saving throws, and you have a +1 bonus to melee damage rolls. This bonus increases to +2 at 11th level and to +3 at 18th level.
Resilient Hide. You gain temporary hit points equal to twice your level. You also gain resistance to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from non-silvered weapons. You can only gain these temporary hit points once per combat encounter.
Predatory Strikes. You can apply your Crimson Offering feature to your unarmed strikes, which you treat as one weapon. You can use Dexterity instead of Strength for the attack and damage rolls of your unarmed strikes, which deal 1d12 slashing damage. When your unarmed strikes are affected by your Crimson Offering, they count as magical for the purposes of overcoming resistances.
Feral Prowess. Your walking speed increases by 10 feet, and your jump distances are doubled.
Bloodlust. If you start your turn with fewer hit points than half your hit point maximum, you must succeed on a DC 12 Wisdom saving throw or move directly toward the nearest creature and use the Attack action against that creature. If you’re concentrating on a spell or are under an effect that prevents you from concentrating (such as the barbarian’s Rage feature), you automatically fail this saving throw.
At 7th level, you are able to draw out more power from your curse. All attacks you make against a creature affected by your brand are made with advantage while you are in your hybrid form.
At 13th level, your curse fuels your bloodlust and allows you to shrug off minor wounds. At the start of each of your turns while you are in Beast or Hybrid Form, you regain hit points equal to your Constitution modifier (minimum of 1), so long as you have at least 1 hit point.
At 18th level, you have achieved total mastery over the lycanthropic curse that flows in your blood. You can transform into your Hybrid Form at will, without needing to make a Vital Sacrifice to do so. Moreover, your Hybrid transformations last indefinitely.
Finally, you can take the Dash action as a bonus action on your turn, so long as you end this movement closer to a hostile creature you can see. You can make an attack with your claws if you end within 5 feet of an enemy as part of that bonus action.