I have been considering this idea for a little while now. What would the general thoughts be for some race specific bloodlines? The thought hit me while considering my own options for an Eberron conversion. I saw the Sorcerer Bloodline: Martial Spirit over at the Pathfinder Database website. While the bloodline may not be perfect, the idea fits extremely well with the Valenar elves. I was thinking that, in some cases, you could warrant the inclusion of sorcerer bloodlines that show up only in certain races. In Eberron, this could even be a product of Dragonmarks, where certain bloodlines are specific to a particular house.
this is a good idea. though I'm not sure I would limit them 100% to a specific race. Just make close affinities between the two.
I've been mulling over the idea of a "dream bloodline" for Ptolus's shoal elves for awhile now. However, I wouldn't preclude a racial bloodline from someone of another races which is cross-fertile with the first; you don't have to be a demon to take the demon bloodline, after all.
A human could manifest shoal "dream sorcery" (or Valenar "martial sorcery") simply by having a few drops of elf-blood in them.
Get out of my head, ogre.
I've been mulling over the idea of a "dream bloodline" for Ptolus's shoal elves for awhile now. However, I wouldn't preclude a racial bloodline from someone of another races which is cross-fertile with the first; you don't have to be a demon to take the demon bloodline, after all.
A human could manifest shoal "dream sorcery" (or Valenar "martial sorcery") simply by having a few drops of elf-blood in them.
Would love to see a dream bloodline. Would work great for my Kalashtar race, as I don't intend to have psionics in my campaign. It would be great for their sorcerers.
I'll put a link here once I get it done, then. :)
Another thought was to create some spells that were particular to a given race by actually making being that race a spell component, or as an arcane focus. This could lead to a whole group of necromantic spells, akin to the shadow evocation spells, were a necromancer slays elves to work elven spells, or whatever race whose magic he wants to steal.
Get out of my head, ogre.
:)
Does magic even have to flow through actually bloodlines?
Maybe it's a legacy and if you are adopted by an elf family they can inherit that legacy. Or perhaps just staying in a location gives you an affinity for certain types of magic. In "The Cyborg and the Sorcerers sorcerers are give the power to their apprentices by magically altering their brains (This could actually be a Xth level sorcerer only spell). I could see any number of patron creatures being able to give the gift sorcerery to a person.
I'll put a link here once I get it done, then. :)
Thanks. Being an older student going back to college, I get very little free time to create all that I want. I usually have WAY too many ideas floating around to commit to one of them, lol.
Another thought was to create some spells that were particular to a given race by actually making being that race a spell component, or as an arcane focus. This could lead to a whole group of necromantic spells, akin to the shadow evocation spells, were a necromancer slays elves to work elven spells, or whatever race whose magic he wants to steal.
Awesome idea.
Does magic even have to flow through actually bloodlines?
No, it's intentionally left vague. "Actual bloodline" would be the default assumption for most bloodlines in my game, but DMs are free to represent them however they want.
I imagine that "destined" arises spontaneously, for instance. "Arcane" bloodlines might travel down a hereditary line, but there's no telling how they "start". It could be as you say- arcane experimentation.
One of the Books of Eldritch Might had a spell which causes the caster to die, but then causes a creature named by them to 'inherit' their power, immediately gaining one sorcerer level.
Get out of my head, ogre.:)
Does magic even have to flow through actually bloodlines?
Maybe it's a legacy and if you are adopted by an elf family they can inherit that legacy. Or perhaps just staying in a location gives you an affinity for certain types of magic. In "The Cyborg and the Sorcerers sorcerers are give the power to their apprentices by magically altering their brains (This could actually be a Xth level sorcerer only spell). I could see any number of patron creatures being able to give the gift sorcerery to a person.
I would say it could in certain types. Martial heroes in mainly Valenar, Dream magic in Kalashtar. Gnomes are easily represented with fey bloodlines, though. I would mainly use it only when a race in question has an affinity for such things. Eberron is easy to group most bloodlines to certain races, or peoples. Most dragon bloodlines are with the seren barbarians. Abberant bloodlines may be anybody tainted by Khyber. Psionic (another neat one at the DB) & dream with the Kalashtar. Maybe an Undying bloodline for Areanal elves. Also a unique Construct bloodline for the rare warforged sorcerer. Though warforged, being arcane creations, could easily just be considered only eligible for the arcane bloodline.
I could easily see Valenar being the only race with Marital bloodline. It is their WHOLE religion. Half-elves of Valenar aren't considered worthy to be named as carrying one of the spirits of a hero ancestor. Darguun Hobgoblins do have a hero tradition, but don't claim to channel the spirits of the heroes as the Valenar claim.
Another thing I would like to see, which is similar to bloodlines, is racial substitution levels carried over to PF. I always thought this was a good way to have different outlooks on a class, without having to make a new class just for a said race.
|
Does magic even have to flow through actually bloodlines?
When the Sorcerer was first presented, it was suggested that draconic heritage was just a possible origin, and that one could receive their awakening through magical experimentation, or exposure to an area or event of great mystical significance, etc.
I could see one developing the undead 'bloodline' from surviving a life-draining attack / assault by an undead creature. After a spate of Ghoul Fever, the survivor could end up with a perpetual chill and a taste for red meat, as well as increasing talents at manipulating the lingering negative forces that seem now attracted to his body. Heck, one could even 'pull a Blade' and say that it was your *mother* who survived an attack by a vampire (or whatever) and that you were affected by the event forever.
Similarly, the elemental bloodline could result from exposure to planar rifts, or intense elemental energies (surviving a near death experience at the hands of magical fire could leave a permanant stench of ash around your soot-blackened skin and a fever you can't shake, as if the supernaturally-charged fire somehow 'got in your blood'). Again, to pillage from a comic-book, the Elemental derived their elemental properties from near-death (or, in their cases, *actual* death) to elemental forces.
Fey 'bloodlines' could come from eating the wrong foods or drinking the wrong drinks while dancing in a mushroom circle with the wee folk. Stranger things than awakening with a hangover and a gift for sorcery could happen, as well, as Rip Van Winkle could attest.
Someone possessed, even for a short time, by a fiend, could have a residual taint left behind within their soul, that allows them to reach deep within and pull forth the darkness to assault their foes, without having ever been *physically* intimate with the fiend that nested within them.
A failed attempt by a Yuan-Ti to turn one into a mindless half-serpentman slave with a new concoction could give one some sorcerous serpentine traits. Being polymorphed by a Yuan-Ti into a serpentine form, or being bitten by magically enhanced venom from one, could also somehow 'infect' the subject with serpentine / sorcerous 'gifts.' Replace Yuan-Ti with Mind Flayer or Chaos Beast or Meerlock or Aboleth or whatever sort of beast-that-changes-people, and you could get a similar effect.
Being subject to magical effects for an extended period could cause some of that magic to 'cling behind' when the magic goes away, so that a person who spent a decade petrified might retain some fragments of magical energy within their no-longer-petrified frame.
Having a 'bloodline' (which, IMO, is a term that just adds to the dismissal of the concept) involve actually getting your freak on with an elemental, dragon or undead critter is terribly limiting. It's my last choice for developing a sorcerer.
Set, I agree with you for the most part. I don't really see some of these 'bloodlines' as actual genetics. The Martial Heritage one could be explained by a ceremony when you were born to honor some tribal hero. You were chosen by that 'spirit' to embody his legacy. The elemental lines & such can be as you described them. I imagine that the term 'bloodline' could be read as power source, as well as other things. It really just means a legacy of power from something. Could be anything from exposure to heritage. Come to think of it, Legacy could be a more appropriate term, lol.
Really, they are for you to add flavor to your campaign, like I plan to do in my Eberron Campaign. It is NEVER advisable to allow everything, even core material, without first deciding if it even fits into your campaign concept.
Having a 'bloodline' (which, IMO, is a term that just adds to the dismissal of the concept) involve actually getting your freak on with an elemental, dragon or undead critter is terribly limiting. It's my last choice for developing a sorcerer.
Couldn't help but laugh a bit at this. The idea of casting fire immunity so you could get busy with a fire elemental is a crack up :)
I'll put a link here once I get it done, then. :)Thanks. Being an older student going back to college, I get very little free time to create all that I want. I usually have WAY too many ideas floating around to commit to one of them, lol.
|
Construct Bloodline
Not literally descended from constructs but rather from people that have a way with steel, wood and stone. Or perhaps you are an intelligent construct of some type and the magical energies that give you life and animation also find an outlet in your magic.
Bonus Skill: Knowledge (Engineering)
Bonus Spells: 3rd—identify, 5th—wood shape, 7th—stone shape, 9th—minor creation, 11th—fabricate, 13th—major creation, 15th—wall of iron, 17th—instant summons, 19th—prismatic sphere.
Bonus Feats: Arcane Armour Training, Arcane Armour Mastery, Arcane Strike, Craft Magic Arms and Armour, Craft Wondrous Item, Forge Ring, Skill Focus (Craft), Weapon Focus
Bloodline Arcana: Whenever you cast a spell that deals damage to an object or construct you ignore 1 point of hardness equal to your sorcerer level. Whenever you cast a spell that repairs damage to objects or constructs you repair an additional 1 point of damage per dice rolled.
Bloodline Powers: Your connection with crafted objects grants you a number of additional abilities which aid your construction or destruction of such things. As you grow in levels you become less human and more eldritch machine.
Artificer's Touch (Sp): You can cast mending at will, using your sorcerer level as the caster level to repair damaged objects. In addition, you can cause damage to objects and construct creatures by striking them with a melee touch attack. Objects and constructs take 1d6 points of damage +1 for every two cleric levels you possess. This attack bypasses an amount of damage reduction and hardness equal to your cleric level. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier.
Heart of Gold: At 3rd You gain a reserve of gold you can use to reduce the costs of creating magic items. This reserve is equal to 25 gp per sorcerer level and does not refresh until you increase in level. At 9th level this reserve increases to 50 gp per sorcerer level, refreshing at every level.
Rig Enhancement: At 9th level the Sorcerer can rig an item they own with a temporary enhancement for 1 minute per Sorcerer level. When used, the enhancement causes the weapon to shed light as a torch. At 9th level, this enhancement grants the weapon a +2 enhancement bonus. For every three levels beyond 9th, the weapon gains another +1 enhancement bonus, to a maximum of +6 at 20th level. These bonuses can be added to the weapon, stacking with existing weapon bonuses to a maximum of +5, or they can be used to add any of the following weapon properties: axiomatic, brilliant energy, defending, disruption, flaming, flaming burst, holy, keen, merciful, and speed. Adding these properties consumes an amount of bonus equal to the property's cost (see Table: Melee Weapon Special Abilities). These bonuses are added to any properties the weapon already has, but duplicate abilities do not stack. If the weapon is not magical, at least a +1 enhancement bonus must be added before any other properties can be added. The bonus and properties granted by the enhancement are determined when the enhancement is rigged and cannot be changed until the weapon is rigged again. The rigged enhancement imparts no bonuses if the weapon is held by anyone other than the sorcerer but resumes giving bonuses if returned to the sorcerer. These bonuses apply to only one end of a double weapon. A sorcerer can use this ability twice per day at 9th level, and one additional time per day for every four levels beyond 9th, to a total of four times per day at 17th level.
Body of Steel At 15th level the sorcerer grafts steel plates either beneath or above his skin and gains a +1 natural armour bonus, this bonus increases to +2 at 17th level and +3 at 20th level.
Reforged: At 20th level you have become part man part construct (or if already an intelligent construct even more machine like). The Sorcerer is able to enchant himself as if his body were armour. Furthermore the sorcerer gains immunity to sneak attacks and critical hits.
Construct Bloodline
Not literally descended from constructs but rather from people that have a way with steel, wood and stone. Or perhaps you are an intelligent construct of some type and the magical energies that give you life and animation also find an outlet in your magic.
Bonus Skill: Knowledge (Engineering)
Bonus Spells: 3rd—identify, 5th—wood shape, 7th—stone shape, 9th—minor creation, 11th—fabricate, 13th—major creation, 15th—wall of iron, 17th—instant summons, 19th—prismatic sphere.
Bonus Feats: Arcane Armour Training, Arcane Armour Mastery, Arcane Strike, Craft Magic Arms and Armour, Craft Wondrous Item, Forge Ring, Skill Focus (Craft), Weapon Focus
Bloodline Arcana: Whenever you cast a spell that deals damage to an object or construct you ignore 1 point of hardness equal to your sorcerer level. Whenever you cast a spell that repairs damage to objects or constructs you repair an additional 1 point of damage per dice rolled.
Bloodline Powers: Your connection with crafted objects grants you a number of additional abilities which aid your construction or destruction of such things. As you grow in levels you become less human and more eldritch machine.
Artificer's Touch (Sp): You can cast mending at will, using your sorcerer level as the caster level to repair damaged objects. In addition, you can cause damage to objects and construct creatures by striking them with a melee touch attack. Objects and constructs take 1d6 points of damage +1 for every two cleric levels you possess. This attack bypasses an amount of damage reduction and hardness equal to your cleric level. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Wisdom modifier.
Heart of Gold: At 3rd You gain a reserve of gold you can use to reduce the costs of creating magic items. This reserve is equal to 25 gp per sorcerer level and does not refresh until you increase in level. At 9th level this reserve increases to 50 gp per sorcerer level,...
I like this alot. The only thing, I would change Artificer's touch to 3+ Charisma modifier. All of the rest of the powers in other bloodlines use the primary casting attribute.
|
|
Whoops, sorry I basically copy pasted straight from the Cleric, I'll fix that here.
Construct Bloodline
Not literally descended from constructs but rather from people that have a way with steel, wood and stone. Or perhaps you are an intelligent construct of some type and the magical energies that give you life and animation also find an outlet in your magic.
Bonus Skill: Knowledge (Engineering)
Bonus Spells: 3rd—identify, 5th—wood shape, 7th—stone shape, 9th—minor creation, 11th—fabricate, 13th—major creation, 15th—wall of iron, 17th—instant summons, 19th—prismatic sphere.
Bonus Feats: Arcane Armour Training, Arcane Armour Mastery, Arcane Strike, Craft Magic Arms and Armour, Craft Wondrous Item, Forge Ring, Skill Focus (Craft), Weapon Focus
Bloodline Arcana: Whenever you cast a spell that deals damage to an object or construct you ignore 1 point of hardness equal to your sorcerer level. Whenever you cast a spell that repairs damage to objects or constructs you repair an additional 1 point of damage per dice rolled.
Bloodline Powers: Your connection with crafted objects grants you a number of additional abilities which aid your construction or destruction of such things. As you grow in levels you become less human and more eldritch machine.
Artificer's Touch (Sp): You can cast mending at will, using your sorcerer level as the caster level to repair damaged objects. In addition, you can cause damage to objects and construct creatures by striking them with a melee touch attack. Objects and constructs take 1d6 points of damage +1 for every two sorcerer levels you possess. This attack bypasses an amount of damage reduction and hardness equal to your sorcerer level. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
Heart of Gold (Ex): At 3rd You gain a reserve of gold you can use to reduce the costs of creating magic items. This reserve is equal to 25 gp per sorcerer level and does not refresh until you increase in level. At 9th level this reserve increases to 50 gp per sorcerer level, refreshing at every level.
Rig Enhancement (Sp): At 9th level the Sorcerer can rig an item they own with a temporary enhancement for 1 minute per Sorcerer level. When used, the enhancement causes the weapon to shed light as a torch. At 9th level, this enhancement grants the weapon a +2 enhancement bonus. For every three levels beyond 9th, the weapon gains another +1 enhancement bonus, to a maximum of +6 at 20th level. These bonuses can be added to the weapon, stacking with existing weapon bonuses to a maximum of +5, or they can be used to add any of the following weapon properties: axiomatic, brilliant energy, defending, disruption, flaming, flaming burst, holy, keen, merciful, and speed. Adding these properties consumes an amount of bonus equal to the property's cost (see Table: Melee Weapon Special Abilities). These bonuses are added to any properties the weapon already has, but duplicate abilities do not stack. If the weapon is not magical, at least a +1 enhancement bonus must be added before any other properties can be added. The bonus and properties granted by the enhancement are determined when the enhancement is rigged and cannot be changed until the weapon is rigged again. The rigged enhancement imparts no bonuses if the weapon is held by anyone other than the sorcerer but resumes giving bonuses if returned to the sorcerer. These bonuses apply to only one end of a double weapon. A sorcerer can use this ability twice per day at 9th level, and one additional time per day for every four levels beyond 9th, to a total of four times per day at 17th level.
Body of Steel (Ex): At 15th level the sorcerer grafts steel plates either beneath or above his skin and gains a +1 natural armour bonus, this bonus increases to +2 at 17th level and +3 at 20th level.
Reforged (Ex): At 20th level you have become part man part construct (or if already an intelligent construct even more machine like). The Sorcerer is able to enchant himself as if his body were armour. Furthermore the sorcerer gains immunity to sneak attacks and critical hits.
I think the pathfinder tieflings have a good way of showing such a link since they give a bonus to CHA if you have an infernal, abyssal or (whatever the other was) bloodline.
I'm glad you found a good use for the Martial Spirit bloodline! I was a little afraid that the flavor was a bit too specific to apply very widely...
I'm a huge fan of Sorcerer bloodlines. And Sorcerers in general, really. I do wish Paizo would release a set of general guidelines toward making new Sorcerer bloodlines, though, as it seems to be mostly guesswork and comparing to other bloodlines at this point.