I really like the bloodline concept for the Sorcerer, but it feels a little tacked on.
The sorcerer now gets a few extra abilities and some added flavor, which helps to separate him from the wizard, but he's still primarily a magic user.
I'd really like an option that feels more integral to the development of the character and offers more playability options.
Here's my suggestion:
A "halfblood" race/class.
It's important to note that this would be a race AND a class.
At character creation, the player chooses a bloodline.
There could be separate stat blocks and powers for each bloodline.
Some bloodlines could offer a better spell progression while other bloodlines could offer a higher BAB progression.
This way, players aren't automatically pigeonholed into being a magic user.
This new option would give you the option of creating a magic user, a tough fighter or a nimble rogue, etc.
Like the sorcerer, the halfblood would be a mix of human and otherworldly ancestry.
Maybe werewolf, vampire, dragon, goblin, demon, etc.
Unlike the Sorcerer, you might choose a bloodline that doesn't have a magical bone in it's body.
Templates would probably be the best way to go.
The only downside to this would be the sheer number of pages that it would take for all these charts and ability lists.
I'm thinking about a separate book, maybe 40 pages in length.
Thoughts?
Are you considering this just for the sorcerer, or as a part of character creation for all classes? If it's just for sorcerer, what happens when my third level halfling rogue wants to multiclass into sorcerer? Does he suddenly gain a bloodline?
No disrespect, but that idea doesn't sound very cool.
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It's important to note that this would be a race AND a class.
To clarify, to be like a sorcerer I might play a halfblood of the dragon bloodline, giving me spontaneous casting, good spellcasting progression, etc. Another character might play a half goblin to gain roguish abilities. Am I understanding your idea?
I can understand the notion that if bloodline X gives a sorc these spiffy powers, bloodline Y might give different powers that aren't necessarily related to spellcasting. Unfortunately, the idea as presented kind of rewrites the race/class rules and takes you out onto the dangerous ground of balance issues.
I think you might get more mileage out of writing up alternate bloodlines for the sorcerer class. For example, one might make a warlock-like blaster, with an at-will ranged magic attack which scales with class level but only has the spellcasting progression of a bard (keeping the sorcerer spell list). I think the danger would be spending a lot of time writing up bloodlines which in the end turn out to be functionally indistinguishable from the other base classes they emulate.
Are you considering this just for the sorcerer, or as a part of character creation for all classes? If it's just for sorcerer, what happens when my third level halfling rogue wants to multiclass into sorcerer? Does he suddenly gain a bloodline?
I'm pretty sure that's how it works with the sorcerer right now. When you create a sorc or multiclass as a sorc, you gain a bloodline.
To clarify, to be like a sorcerer I might play a halfblood of the dragon bloodline, giving me spontaneous casting, good spellcasting progression, etc. Another character might play a half goblin to gain roguish abilities. Am I understanding your idea?
Yup! You nailed it!
I can understand the notion that if bloodline X gives a sorc these spiffy powers, bloodline Y might give different powers that aren't necessarily related to spellcasting. Unfortunately, the idea as presented kind of rewrites the race/class rules and takes you out onto the dangerous ground of balance issues.I think you might get more mileage out of writing up alternate bloodlines for the sorcerer class. For example, one might make a warlock-like blaster, with an at-will ranged magic attack which scales with class level but only has the spellcasting progression of a bard (keeping the sorcerer spell list). I think the danger would be spending a lot of time writing up bloodlines which in the end turn out to be functionally indistinguishable from the other base classes they emulate.
I'll be the first to admit that I definitely do not have the experience necessary to create a balanced bloodline. :(
The problem with making a new bloodline for the sorcerer is that you STILL end up being a magic user.A few of the current bloodline options allow a sorcerer to have claws, but with the worst BAB progression in the game, the claws don't do much good.
We already have half orcs and half elves, right? So why not more halfblood races? It would be impossible to list every possible combination, so some different templates would probably be best. The Ranger's favored enemy list and the Sorcerer's bloodlines provide some good starting points for possible halfblood options.
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Are you considering this just for the sorcerer, or as a part of character creation for all classes? If it's just for sorcerer, what happens when my third level halfling rogue wants to multiclass into sorcerer? Does he suddenly gain a bloodline?
Well, in the new sorcerer, your third level halfling already finds out that he's not REALLY a halfling. The PFRPG sorcerer is already a race/class combined.
There is no bloodline for pure strain halfling, dwarf, human, etc. You can be 19th level rogue and then find out you were never really a halfling by taking 1 level of sorcerer.
So, it doesn't matter cause Paizo has already combined race and class into one thing.
Well, in the new sorcerer, your third level halfling already finds out that he's not REALLY a halfling. The PFRPG sorcerer is already a race/class combined.
It's not that the character isn't really a halfling, it's that he's a halfling that discovers he has mixed blood somewhere in his ancestry. He's still a halfling, but the powers in his mixed blood manifest when you multiclass as a sorcerer.
I think the kinda thing you might be going for might work better if you have races kinda like "Gestalt" classes i.g. The elves natural abilities improves with more class levels on top of class features etc, but with the options of swapping some abilities out to account for other possible heritage.
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It's not that the character isn't really a halfling, it's that he's a halfling that discovers he has mixed blood somewhere in his ancestry. He's still a halfling, but the powers in his mixed blood manifest when you multiclass as a sorcerer.Well, in the new sorcerer, your third level halfling already finds out that he's not REALLY a halfling. The PFRPG sorcerer is already a race/class combined.
ummm right, you find out your race (your blood) wasn't actually what you thought it was all along when you take a class.
We could say that for Fighters they have more dwarven blood in the ancestry, wizards have elven blood in their ancestry... See this explains why when you multiclass you don't have to spend those pesky years training it was all in your blood...
let's look at the Tiefling race... say human/devil... you were raised all along as a human, then some day somebody comes up and tells you you're part devil as well... doesn't change your race... always was...
Same with sorcerer, well you lived your life believing you were a certain race and found out your blood isn't that race afterall, it is a mixed blood...
Abyssal bloodline= tiefling
Celestial bloodline= aasimar
Infernal bloodline= tiefling
Undead bloodline= just plain weird and sick dude!
Fey bloodline= gnome lol
and if race doesn't have anything to do with your blood, the races of your ancestors, what exactly is race then?
I think the kinda thing you might be going for might work better if you have races kinda like "Gestalt" classes i.g. The elves natural abilities improves with more class levels on top of class features etc, but with the options of swapping some abilities out to account for other possible heritage.
I see what you mean.
I've been working on a homebrew campaign for my next Pathfinder game. One thing I noticed about characters is they get a feat every odd level (1, 3, 5, etc.) and an ability boost every 4 levels (4, 8, 12, 16, 20), but they don't get any non-class abilities at levels 2, 6, 10, 14, and 18. I think those would be great levels for race-based (or bloodline-based) abilities.
For example, I see humans as extremely lucky and versatile. That's one of the reasons they run the (fantasy) world. So they would get to choose a bonus Luck feat from Complete Scoundrel, a bonus Skill Trick from Complete Scoundrel, or a new class skill at levels 2, 6, 10, 14, and 18.
Dwarves might get racial talents like DR, extra hit points, extra saves or resistances against poison and magic, and/or extra darkvision.
Elves might get racial talents that boost magic, sensory stuff, and woodland grace.
A dragon bloodline might give out breath weapons, spell-like abilities, energy resistances, natural armor, and/or natural weapons. A giant blood line might give out great strength, powerful build, a faster land speed, and maybe eventually an actual increase in size. A lycanthrope bloodline might give some DR/silver, minor shapeshifting, and maybe eventual shapeshifting.
I've been working on a homebrew campaign for my next Pathfinder game. One thing I noticed about characters is they get a feat every odd level (1, 3, 5, etc.) and an ability boost every 4 levels (4, 8, 12, 16, 20), but they don't get any non-class abilities at levels 2, 6, 10, 14, and 18. I think those would be great levels for race-based (or bloodline-based) abilities.
For example, I see humans as extremely lucky and versatile. That's one of the reasons they run the (fantasy) world. So they would get to choose a bonus Luck feat from Complete Scoundrel, a bonus Skill Trick from Complete Scoundrel, or a new class skill at levels 2, 6, 10, 14, and 18.
Dwarves might get racial talents like DR, extra hit points, extra saves or resistances against poison and magic, and/or extra darkvision.
Elves might get racial talents that boost magic, sensory stuff, and woodland grace.
A dragon bloodline might give out breath weapons, spell-like abilities, energy resistances, natural armor, and/or natural weapons. A giant blood line might give out great strength, powerful build, a faster land speed, and maybe eventually an actual increase in size. A lycanthrope bloodline might give some DR/silver, minor shapeshifting, and maybe eventual shapeshifting.
That sounds awesome. I'd be interested to see what you finally come up with.