Darksol the Painbringer |
4 people marked this as FAQ candidate. |
As the title.
Working on my blaster guide, and Blood Havoc has been brought up repeatedly. I'm looking at it and wondering if it would even be applicable to a Blood Arcanist as a Bloodline Mutation, most specifically Blood Havoc. If it is, that's a major damage boost that I would greatly appreciate (and it makes blasting a much stronger option). If it isn't, then that's an opportunity missed (and really only helps Sorcerers not suck so bad).
Without further ado, here's the relevant rules wording.
Whenever you cast a bloodrager or sorcerer spell that deals damage, add 1 point of damage per die rolled. This benefit applies only to damaging spells that belong to schools you have selected with Spell Focus or that are bloodline spells for your bloodline.
Although heirs to similar arcane bloodlines may share commonalities, the unique circumstances in which a bloodline enters a bloodrager or sorcerer's lineage can result in the manifestation of particularly strange or unusual bloodline powers known as mutations. Whenever a bloodrager or a sorcerer gains a new bloodline power, she can swap her bloodline power for a bloodline mutation whose prerequisites she meets. Once this choice is made, it cannot be changed, and a bloodrager or sorcerer cannot swap a bloodline power that she has altered or replaced with an archetype for a bloodline mutation. A bloodrager need not be in a bloodrage to use her bloodline mutation powers. Alternatively, a bloodrager or sorcerer can select a bloodline mutation in place of a bloodline bonus feat, provided her class level is at least equal to the level of the bloodline ability the mutation normally replaces.
A blood arcanist selects one bloodline from those available through the sorcerer bloodline class feature. The blood arcanist gains the bloodline arcana and bloodline powers of that bloodline, treating her arcanist level as her sorcerer level. The blood arcanist does not gain the class skill, bonus feats, or bonus spells from her bloodline.
If the blood arcanist takes levels in another class that grants a bloodline, the bloodlines must be of the same type, even if that means that the bloodline of one of her classes must change. Subject to GM approval, the blood arcanist can change her previous bloodline to make them conform.
The bolded parts provide the most concern, and from those, leave me with ~3 interpretations:
1. You can take the Bloodline Mutation as a Blood Arcanist, since you have the Bloodline class feature as a Sorcerer (which Bloodline Mutations alter), and it functions as normal for you.
2. You cannot take the Bloodline Mutation, as only Sorcerers and Bloodragers can take it.
3. You can take the Bloodline Mutation as a Blood Arcanist, since you have the Sorcerer Bloodline class feature (which Bloodline Mutations alter), but it does not function for you because you do not cast Sorcerer or Bloodrager spells.
I'd personally like it to be 1, so that I can make the blaster build even stronger, but I have a feeling that it's going to be 2 or 3. There could even be a 4th interpretation that I haven't concluded yet, I don't know.
I wonder what the community's thoughts are on the matter; I'd also appreciate it if you FAQ this post if you'd like an official answer on the matter, because this seems pretty confusing to me, and I would like an answer so that I can get my guide started on its "1.0" debut.
**EDIT**
For the FAQ, the question is: Blood Arcanists: Does the Bloodline class feature count as having a Sorcerer Bloodline for abilities and effects related to Sorcerer Bloodlines?
Darksol the Painbringer |
FAQ'd, but I think it's pretty obviously 2. Mutations are explicitly available to Bloodragers and Sorcerers and Arcanists are neither of those things.
To be fair, those are the only classes which standardly have Bloodlines as class features.
Blood Arcanists do have Bloodlines, as the Sorcerer class feature, according to the archetype entry.
I'd rather just make sure that it's a selection made purely for the classes, or if they're simply cited because they normally have bloodlines (which makes anything that has bloodlines be eligible for this).
Unfortunately, this is from a splatbook, so I'm really raising false hope for there to be an official answer (though a dev chiming in would be equally appreciated and accepted).
As a related question, I'm confused as to what constitutes "a Sorcerer spell." Is it a spell that a Sorcerer casts through his class feature? Is it a spell that's on the Sorcerer class list? Is it a spell that is both on the Sorcerer's list and that he casts through his class feature? It's not 100% defined, and if it's the second (i.e. just a spell on his class list), then a Blood Arcanist may be eligible for the Blood Havoc benefit.
Chess Pwn |
Alexander Augunas the writer of the ability says no
Sorcerer spells are spells cast using sorcerer spell slots.
James Risner Owner - D20 Hobbies |
Ridiculon |
I think a clearer way to phrase the FAQ would be: Is Bloodline Mutation a standalone class feature or is it part of the Bloodline Power class feature?
If it is standalone your Arcanist is SOL, but if it is in fact part of the Bloodline Power class feature your Arcanist can use it since she has gained the class feature.
It is probably its own class feature, in order to keep it a sorc only power.
Darksol the Painbringer |
Is the guide out? I thought it's didn't work because you didn't get the arcana?
With Blood Arcanist, you can get a Bloodline Arcana. It takes up 4 Exploits and your Capstone, but the Capstone was crappy anyway, and you still have enough exploits for the absolutely necessary things.
@ Ridiculon: I would normally phrase it in direct relation to Bloodline Mutations, but since they're from a splatbook, they won't throw out a FAQ/Errata for it. That's why I phrased it in relation to how it functions.
@ Chess Pwn: Thanks for the designer's intent post. A shame, but it's a start. With that in mind, I'll still hope for an official answer that allows a Blood Arcanist to select Bloodline Mutations, and until I get that (or until it's official that it won't happen), I'll just put a question in my guide's FAQ section in relation to this, because I have a feeling there will be quite a few questions about it in the discussion thread I plan to make.