Hybrid Races and Sorcerers

[Courrain]

After looking through another thread regarding Sorcerers and Bloodlines, I have to wonder if hybrid races such Half-Dragons, Half-Celestials, Half-Fiends and Half-Elementals are shoe-horned into taking the bloodlines related to them. I mean, if I was to create a Half-Dragon sorcerer for a particular adventure, would I only be able to use the Draconic Bloodline for my character? Or would I be to take any of the other bloodlines for my Half-Dragon sorcerer to make him something truly unique?

If the former was the only option available to me, would the bloodline really work for my Half-Dragon sorcerer? As he would already have most of the benefits of being draconic right from the start. He would already have the claws, the breath weapon, the natural armor, the immunities to sleep, paralysis and a particular energy type and the benefits of the Dragon type. The only real good things that he would get from the Bloodline would be wings (if he wasn't already a size Large Half-Dragon to begin with) and adding energy damage to the damage inflicted by his natural weapons.

However, if the latter were possible, think of the possibilities! :D

So what is the story here? *curious*

[Majuba]

Courrain wrote:

After looking through another thread regarding Sorcerers and Bloodlines, I have to wonder if hybrid races such Half-Dragons, Half-Celestials, Half-Fiends and Half-Elementals are shoe-horned into taking the bloodlines related to them. I mean, if I was to create a Half-Dragon sorcerer for a particular adventure, would I only be able to use the Draconic Bloodline for my character? Or would I be to take any of the other bloodlines for my Half-Dragon sorcerer to make him something truly unique?

So what is the story here? *curious*

I see no *particular* reason why you would have to take that bloodline [DM may rule otherwise of course].

Certainly no official word on this, but any "half-X" could have blood of whichever bloodline you choose in the other half. For instance, a human with demonic blood could have a half-dragon child, who could still have a demonic bloodline.

I *can* see a DM ruling that the "Half" bloodline is too strong to overcome, and that might be a good reason to choose the Arcane bloodline (nifty powers too).

[JoelF847]

I'd say that since the arcane bloodline is the 'default' that any creature can take it if they are a sorcerer. Furthermore, it doesn't make a lot of sense to let a dragon take the draconic, efreet take the fire elemental, etc. since they are already of that bloodline, and the powers from the sorcerer don't really stack. The same could be true for half-breeds. The DM may want to limit other bloodlines for non-humanoids as well. There's nothing stopping an efreet for example having a bit of dragon bloodline and taking that as their sorcerer bloodline. Having the efreet take water elemental might be disallowed by the DM though.

My question is do monsters that cast spells as a sorcerer, but don't actually have sorcerer levels, get to pick a bloodline at all? This would include nagas, dragons, etc.

[Dorje Sylas]

JoelF847, in many of the cases the abilities that sorcerer of a given blood line gets will grow beyond those of this base race and type. For example a Half-Dragon with Dragon Blood line will end up with claw attacks that do 1d8 + 1d6 elemental(type) instead of the normal flat 1d4. It is not necessarily 'optimal' but is isn't a complete waist.

There is another way of looking at the bloodline powers aside from 'breeding'. Taint could also be used. A Half-Celestial cursed by a fiend at birth may learn(levels) how to twist that into a power for good. Its more about the source of the sorcerers power then their detailed linage.

On the monsters that cast as sorcerers, I'd say no. They never got access to the sorcerers familiar or weapon proficiencies. Why should they now gain access to these new class features? Turn that around, what if you had a monster that could cast spells as a wizard? It likely wouldn't have gained access to the wizards bonus feats in 3.5.