|
I’d like to ask for a little advice on expanding the bloodline-feats from Dragon #311 and #325.
I really like the idea of gaining further abilities because of unusual anchestors.
In my campaign world, many nations were ruled by monstrous races in the past and the inclusion of the bloodlines would make this more clearly.
As described these bloodlines are for sorcerers and other spontaneous casters and they are gaining an additional known spell on each level.
I’d like to expand this idea a little further. I want to change it so, that it doesn’t only grant an additional known spell but the mentioned spell as a spell-like ability. It wouldn’t be avaiable only to sorcerers etc. but to every class. This would be far too powerful in relation to other feats so I’d like to add drawbacks to it so that it would turn out a little more balanced.
First, the feat can only be taken at 1st level. In addition, the character could only make use of one spell-like ability per day, regardless of how many he actually knows.
And I’m thinking about including drawbacks like, for example, a -4 malus on CHA for a character with the necromantic bloodline or light sensivity for a drow bloodline (I can’t remember if a drow bloodline even exists) and similar things.
Do you think this would balance the benefits a little more?
What kind of drawbacks or limitations would you add to make this work?
Should the caster-level be equal to the character level or how should this be figured out?
If you have access to Unearthed Arcana, you can avoid reinventing the wheel. UAs version costs you one or more levels, depending on the power of the Bloodline. For example, a minor Bloodline requires you to spend one level no later than 12th level on your Bloodline. This spent level is a lot like LA - you don't get BAB, Saves, etc. It's just there to balance off the cool abilities you've been getting.
|
|
Thanks, Zherog, I looked the bloodlines up in UA and considered them nearly perfect for my needs. What I didn't really understand is, how a character progresses further after he took a bloodline-level. For example, a 4th level fighter takes a bloodline-level when he'd advance to 5th to fulfill the requirements for a minor bloodline. He doesn't get BAB-progression etc., only the benefit, if any, from the bloodline. What happens, when he advances after that as a fighter? I assume he progresses as 5th level fighter, even if he is, in fact, a 6th level character. This isn't stated clearly in the description...
Yep. That's exactly it. It's essentially creating an "on the fly" level adjustment for the character. So once they take their bloodline level for the minor, they essentially have an LA +1. So a 5th level fighter who uses his 6th level for a minor bloodline has the XP of a 6th level character. When he reaches enough XP to gain level 7, he can take his 6th level of fighter (or multiclass as normal). He's now in all ways considered a 7th level character. And so on.
Another option to consider is that, if every PC gets a bloodline, then you don't need to apply offsetting penalties for the bloodlines, or even charge a feat for them, if you don't want to. I believe Sean K Reynolds is (or was) doing this with his home campaign, and so long as the various bloodlines are balanced with each other, it should work fine. You might want to make sure that major NPCs also get bloodlines, of course...
And don’t forget to use the bloodline from the Aquatic Fey Kin article in Dragon issue 335 as well. It was a Sorcerer Class Act from some really cool author. I can’t remember his name, but I heard he was cool. ;) Yeah…
I definitely dig bloodline feets, though I stick to them as written--I figure the genes only manifest in those who already have a sorcerous talent. Sometimes the blood runs true, sometimes it doesn't.
Thanks for turning me on to the Aquatic Fey bloodline stuff in 335, which I seem to have overlooked earlier. (Not everything in "Class Acts" does it for me.)
And don’t forget to use the bloodline from the Aquatic Fey Kin article in Dragon issue 335 as well. It was a Sorcerer Class Act from some really cool author. I can’t remember his name, but I heard he was cool. ;) Yeah…
You're mistaken. I didn't write that one.
:D :P :D
And don’t forget to use the bloodline from the Aquatic Fey Kin article in Dragon issue 335 as well. It was a Sorcerer Class Act from some really cool author. I can’t remember his name, but I heard he was cool. ;) Yeah…You're mistaken. I didn't write that one.
:D :P :D
Cool, Zherog. I said it was from a COOL author. :D
I was thinking that maybe it was Amber, but then I had this strange recollection of being at the keyboard for that one. ;)
Thanks for turning me on to the Aquatic Fey bloodline stuff in 335, which I seem to have overlooked earlier. (Not everything in "Class Acts" does it for me.)
Yeah, the old Class Acts have a tendency to get overlooked unfortunately. :( There really is some neat stuff in there though, and much of it is worth a second look. I love the new format—it makes for better reading, and writing the extended articles is a hell of a lot more fun than trying to write for a single page.