Sun school. Steel school. Moon school.
The Blood of Dawnwalker Skill Trees
The Blood of Dawnwalker skill trees are three columns with a shared spine. Witchcraft empowers the human day: hexes, investigation magic, the ugly little miracles that need carved skin. Vampirism empowers the night: blink, walls, bite, wolf. Swordmastery is the always-on martial line — and the only school you can honestly park on both quick bars. Perks in a line can also cut stamina costs or hex taxes. Actives are what you press. Perks are why the press is cheaper.
Unlocking is not a single currency. Coverage describes XP (sun/moon icons in some UIs), time slots (hourglass), and occasionally a Manual for martial techniques. That mix is why this page sits under builds instead of under abilities. An ability list tells you what a button does. A tree tells you what the button costs in remaining family-days.
Witchcraft
Day-only actives. Burning Blood, Ravenous Flock, Compel Soul, Life Lock, Soul Reaping, Mercurial Fervour. Investigative hexes make this the detective school, not only the DPS school. If your run is rumours, corpses, and lawful-looking murders, this column is the one that pays. If your run is roofs, leave it thin and steal two Swordmastery buttons for noon fights.
Swordmastery
Acrid Dust, Broadswing, Charge, Artery Strike. Perks for stamina, damage, crit, counter windows. Manuals appear here more than in the monster schools. Weapon families — short, long, great, plus axes in later talk — change the tempo this tree is fencing on. Read weapons before you buy a great-sword node with a short-sword soul.
Vampirism
Shadowstep, Planeshift, bite, shriek, wolf, claw-ride. This is how to find geography the map drew above your jump height. It is also how bloodthirst becomes a combat engine instead of a shame meter. Sanguine Renewal (bite resets cooldowns) is the headline perk for a Predator. Take it only if you already have a hunting loop that does not start in a church queue.
Four and four
Day slots: Witchcraft + Swordmastery. Night slots: Vampirism + Swordmastery. Purple/red/grey icon talk in roundups is a UI colour language, not a moral language. If a hex is on the night bar in your head, your head is wrong. Confirm on the build planner before a shrine hourglass.
Frequently asked questions
Do shared perks work in both forms?
The shared / Swordmastery spine is the one previewed as always-on. Witchcraft perks that reduce hex cost do nothing at night because hexes are sealed.
Should I save manuals?
If a node lists a Manual, it is a gate, not flavour. Do not vendor unread books because they look like junk items.