Dear Jason and Erik,
I love what you’re doing with keeping the OGL alive and I love almost all of the changes to the classes. Thank you so much. The following is a concern of mine.
Okay, so sorcerer bloodlines. There are some balance issues. I’m not writing to post about more/better spells, role-playing needed for the different bloodlines or the whole prepared versus spontaneous thing. I’m writing to address what I feel are inadequacies between the bloodlines. While some bloodlines are wonderfully done in terms of both flavor and mechanics, others are either blasé or just plain too poor to use.
The following will be some of my thoughts on each line, with some ideas which I think might be used to fix em.
Aberrant: Weird extra spells, weird, useful bloodline stuff (ray and limbs are pretty neat, especially if you get a flank when you use a touch from afar.)
Overall? Weird. Lots of utility that will go far in a party.
Abyssal: Mean, some offense, some demonic in the dirt stuff. Claws, resistances and strength bonuses planning up as you gain strength is real nice and adds flavor to the more “dead” levels
Overall: Pretty cool and flavored right.
Arcane? Riiiiiiiight... I like the identify and the magic staple flavors, but the bloodline stuff? Snore... Metamagic adept, new arcane and the school power didn’t impress me at all.
Overall: I would never play this class. Almost no level scaling and poor bloodline powers compared to others. Bonded item extra spell is cool, but overall, a bit of a clunker.
Celestial: Decent spells (bless is really cool. Do more of this crosslist stuff.) Heavenly fire is great if your party is good and you fight a lot of evil, but is useless in many situations. Scaling resistances are okay, but you run into fire so much more often that they’re likely less useful than demonic resistances. Flight ought to scale up as a permanent thing at 15th, much like the other flying bloodlines. Conviction… Meh, I'm not impressed.
Overall: Some are okay... Like the bless thing, but the general offensive weakness of this bloodline is obvious compared to other lines, as is the gap in the bloodline skills. Good guys always get the shaft, here is no different. I might play this bloodline for a crusader-type adventure, but otherwise, forget it.
Destined: The way I see it, this one is a pale imitator of the old luck domain. Powers are bardish, but not nearly as good as a bard. Extra spells are okay, with some exceptions (alarm…). Fated bonuses should scale and apply at all times, not just during the surprise round. The later bloodline powers just do not compare with the upper level powers of the other bloodlines. I look at the old luck domain compared to this class and want to play a cleric instead...
Overall: I would not ever play this bloodline, due to its obvious lack of power compared to other bloodlines.
Draconic: Strong defense, strong offense, good spells, solid.
Overall: What I would expect from a dragon relative.
Elemental: Crazy offensive outpouring and typed resistances. The movement is a nice bit of flavor for the bloodline.
Overall: Fun, weird, solid.
Fey: Laughing touch is weak, but still has utility. It could easily be a 30’ ranged thing and be a bit stronger. Bloodline powers don't scale like others do though. Weak in bloodline powers, but toolboxy enough to help a party along in general.
Overall: Flavor is right, even if some of the powers in general could use a tweak or two. I’d play it.
Infernal? Manipulative, good offense, touch attack again, but at least it scales well and gives some sort of synergy with the class spells. Touch and then back up and throw in a suggestion or two. Sounds devilish to me. Upper level powers are pretty cool too.
Overall: Flavor is right, nice extra spells. Solid.
Undead: Weak touch that scales poorly. This could easily become a drain attack at higher levels and be pretty cool or be ranged and much more useful. Death’s gift is fine on cold, but when, other than in a forced march do you run into non-lethal damage? Skeletal arms with your CON modifier? I’m imagining this is a typo. Incorporeal form would be more useful if you could break it up into smaller increments but not being able to use your spells is a little absurd. One of Us is pretty cool. With Grave Touch what it is, chill touch is a useless extra spell.
Overall: Making all of the bonus spells necromantic doesn’t make them appropriate (like everything but chill touch, to be honest). Looking at the animal domain, what about an undead companion, something like the shadowdancer’s shade or a skeletal companion or how about an option to hate undead, rather than raise and control them? As is I would not play this bloodline.
What do you all think?
