Does anyone out there (or Paizo staff) have any thoughts as to the mechanics for running a Bloatmage?
Just wondering if anyone has already put something together or if we should expect an "official" write-up.
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From the short description they get in PF#3 they could be members of the Ultimate Magus prestige class from Complete Mage.
The Blood Witch Prestige Class from Relics and Rituals could be a snug fit, with some minor tweaking (mainly in the removal of damage from blood drainage, since there's an excess anyway). If I remember correctly, they use this blood to enhance the potency of their castings.
Seems to tie in quite well with Blood Magus (from Tome and Blood & Complete Arcane).
That's all fine and candy, but I was curious about the bloatmage baby with leeches. Are bloatmages born that way, or was the baby some sort of clone/ experiment?
That's all fine and candy, but I was curious about the bloatmage baby with leeches. Are bloatmages born that way, or was the baby some sort of clone/ experiment?
I'm hoping it wasn't natural procreation, because that's just nasty. It means that freak did something with someone that I don't even want to think about.
I really get the impression that the ritual process involved to make one a bloatmage is something parents do to their children at a young age--partly I have to imagine because it's unpleasant. Like other things such as ear piercing, vaccinations and circumcision--it's better to do when they won't remember it. Thus the three year old probably has been a bloatmage since long before they were walking and probably plays in dad's bottle of leeches the same way kids play with their dad's razor or their mom's make up. I don't think it's something where they're that way from birth.
Though I do have to say, one of my players only had to see the picture and right away was like "...dude I HAVE to play one of those!!"
Interesting. I just started a face-to-face RotRL game (finally), and one of my characters is a heavyset mage . . . I immediately began wondering if I should drawing up a PrC for Bloatmage in case he was interested. Now, I am thinking I can just tweak some existing PrCs (blood magus, blood witch).
Somewhere I read a rule that talks about being able to sacrifice hitpoints to add power to a spell. I think it was a feat somewhere. If you had something like this--but compensated for it with a regeneration ability that began the process of strangulation (useful mechanic to pattern what happens) once the character gains temporary hitpoints equal to his total hit points.
I think those together would model the effect of being a bloatmage. Wrap that up in a greasy cheeseburger wrapper and pull together some prestige class stats and I'd call it good.
Grimcleaver, the feat you're thinking of is in the WotC Heroes of Horror book. Nasty, creepy great stuff in that book. ^_^
Other feats and spells that require the Initiate feat come to mind.
Cause you targets' blood to start to burn their body.
When you are hit with an attack, the blood released from your body releases its magical energy causing damage to the enemy that hit you.
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Given their interest in "mixing wizardry with sorcery" I think they sound like Ulimate Magi. or, one could think of them as wizards who want to be sorcerors, but arent, so they have to resort to pretty drastic measures.
Perhaps the additional bloatmage feats should grant things like spontaneous spellcasting, maybe access to a special sorceror bloodline.
There is a bloatmage feat in the new campign setting book
Creative Director
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The basic idea for the Bloatmage Initiate feat is that it's a prereq feat for a Bloatmage prestige class that we may someday in the future build. There could certainly be more bloatmagic feats building off this one, but for official Pathifnder stuff you can expect, some day, to see a bloatmage prestige class that utilizes the feat as a prerequisite.
When that prestige class might come along? I'm not yet at liberty to say.
Argh. The waiting is the hardest part...The basic idea for the Bloatmage Initiate feat is that it's a prereq feat for a Bloatmage prestige class that we may someday in the future build. There could certainly be more bloatmagic feats building off this one, but for official Pathifnder stuff you can expect, some day, to see a bloatmage prestige class that utilizes the feat as a prerequisite.
When that prestige class might come along? I'm not yet at liberty to say.