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Using this image of Flemeth and the umbral primal dragon from the Bestiary 2 as inspiration, I decided to custom design my own "shadow" draconic bloodline. I think it turned out to be pretty cool. However, I'm not too thrilled with the bloodline arcana, so if anyone has some suggestions for that I will gladly take them. Also, I wanted to use something similar to the dark tapestry Oracle's wings of darkness ability, but wasn't sure how to reflavor it in order to work with the draconic bloodline's normal wings ability. If anyone has some suggestions for that as well, I would appreciate it (even if it's just telling me to leave the wings alone).
Class Skill: Stealth.
Bonus Spells: silent image (3rd), darkness (5th) fly (7th), enervation (9th), true seeing (11th) shadow walk (13th), project image (15th), form of the dragon III (17th), shades (19th).
Bonus Feats: Blind-Fight, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Silent Spell, Skill Focus (Fly), Stealthy, Toughness.
Bloodline Arcana: Whenever you cast a shadow conjuration or shadow evocation spell (or spells that function like either of these), the shadow effects are 10% stronger versus disbelievers.
Bloodline Powers: The power of umbral dragons flows through you and manifests in a number of different ways.
Touch of Darkness (Sp): At 1st level, you can cause a creature's vision to be fraught with shadows and darkness as a melee touch attack. The creature touched treats all other creatures as if they had concealment, suffering a 20% miss chance on all attack rolls. This effect lasts for a number of rounds equal to 1/2 your sorcerer level (minimum 1). You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.*
Dragon Resistances (Ex): At 3rd level, you gain cold resistance 5 and a +1 natural armor bonus. At 9th level, you gain cold resistance 10 and your natural armor bonus increases to +2. At 15th level, your natural armor bonus increases to +4.
Breath Weapon (Su): At 9th level, you gain a breath weapon. This breath weapon is a 30-foot cone that deals 1d6 points of negative energy damage per sorcerer level. Those caught in the area of the breath receive a Reflex save for half damage. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 your sorcerer level + your Charisma modifier. This negative energy does not heal undead creatures. At 9th level, you can use this ability once per day. At 17th level, you can use this ability twice per day. At 20th level, you can use this ability three times per day.
Wings (Su): At 15th level, leathery dragon wings grow from your back as a standard action, giving you a fly speed of 60 feet with average maneuverability. You can dismiss them as a free action.
Umbral Scion (Su): At 20th level, your umbral draconic heritage becomes manifest. You gain immunity to negative energy, death effects, and cold. You also gain blindsense 60 feet.
*If you are taking levels in Dragon Disciple and need claws in order for the bite ability to function, you can use this ability in place of Touch of Darkness.
Shadow Claws (Su): Starting at 1st level, you can grow claws as a free action. These claws are treated as natural weapons allowing you to make two claw attacks as a full attack action using your full base attack bonus. Each of these attacks deal 1d4 points of damage plus your Strength modifier (1d3 if you are Small). At 5th level, these claws are treated as if they have the ghost touch weapon property. At 7th level, the damage increases by one step to 1d6 points of damage (1d4 if you are Small). At 11th level, these claws deal an additional 1d6 points of cold damage on a successful hit. You can use your claws for a number of rounds per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
Bloodline arcana: give blindfight! And 10% more real shadow spells.
You want me to give them a free feat on top of that?! It seems to me that bloodline arcana are on the same power level as traits (albeit there are some overpowered traits out there). I do kind of love the shadow spells being more real. I did want to incorporate the shadow conjuration/evocation in there somehow besides just getting Shades at 19th level. So... I shall do that.
Bloodline Arcana: Whenever you cast a shadow conjuration or shadow evocation spell (even ones that function like these spells), they are 10% stronger versus disbelievers.
There are very many bloodline arcanas that I'd take in a heartbeat if they were feats. They are really good. Serpentine is not worth a feat. It's probably worth two!
Abyssal's is really good for summoning people too.
Arcane's is phenomenal.
Boreal is equal to a feat!
Undead is equal to a constant effect Threnodic metamagic feat, which increases the spell slots used by 2. And requires a feat.
Arcana are generally better than feats, not equal to traits.
Give it blind-fight! It's not like they, as a 1/2 BAB class, will get a ton of use out of it.
I see your point, but I still think it's too much to straight up give them a preexisting feat on top of what I already gave them. No other arcana says "you get x feat". It's always some conditional bonus tied to their spellcasting. Blind-fight has nothing to do with spellcasting. It specifically has to do with melee fighting. The only part of the feat that might apply is not having to make Acrobatics skill checks to move at full speed when blinded. But that's pretty lame by itself, and doesn't mesh well with the 10% shadow bonus to disbelievers text.
If you can come up with some text for those two benefits (+10% more real shadows and blind-fight) in a way that doesn't sound like way too much stuff, then I would consider it. And "you get blind-fight" doesn't work for me. Don't get me wrong. Like I said, I see your point, but if I presented that to my GM he would give me a funny look and tell me it's overpowered for a bloodline arcana.
Also, Dragon Disciples would get plenty use out of blind-fight, depending on the build.
The undead arcana is equal to all spells being cast as a better version of Threnodic spell, without an increase in spell slots or casting time. That's much better than a feat.
Many of them emulate feats, but are done in such a way to allow for them to get use out of the feats.
*shrug*. Just 10% more real as an arcana is extremely weak.
The umbral dragon's Negative Energy Affinity seems a big aspect of them. Perhaps throw that in as part of an arcana.
Look at Umbral Spell, Shadow Grasp, and Tenebrous Spell for inspiration. As I said, the precedent for always active metamagic that doesn't increase casting time or spell slots is already there.
Breath weapon should probably deal 1d4 shadow damage per level. Or force. Or 1d6 cold. Either way, less wonky text than the weird negative energy, but not really. Maybe that's the original text, in which case I shake my fist at whoever came up with it.
Consider changing the Bite ability of the DD! Ranged touch of darkness!
Those darkness metamagic feats are pretty cool, but since they are all prerequisites of each other, I wouldn't want to give any of them for free when it's not technically the feat itself. Then there would be a debate as to whether or not the arcana let's you qualify for the other feats. I don't want to mess with that. However, I was unaware of those feats before now, so thank you for pointing them out to me. They'd be awesome for a straight umbral draconic sorcerer build.
I thought about giving them a cone of cold, but the umbral dragon itself gets a negative energy breath weapon and I like that flavor. I don't see it as wonky text. You basically channel 1d6 per level negative energy as a cleric, but with your mouth, and only ever up to 3 times per day. And it doesn't affect undead. This was one of the things I was going to keep as is from the very beginning.
I don't mean to keep shooting you down. I appreciate your opinion on the matter (especially since you are the only one so far with an opinion on the matter). It does keep me thinking about it, so I might eventually change it up from what I have now. I also need to talk to my GM and see what he thinks about all of this. I'll tell him what you told me and see how he feels. I might have something even better after this weekend!
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Okay. With my GM's tutelage, we have collaborated to create something a little bit better than what I had originally, but for the most part it has remained unchanged. He came up with a better bloodline arcana, and we got rid of the cold element completely to replace it with negative energy. And I will actually be playing as this bloodline, so I can give feedback about it later on. Thanks for your input, Cheapy (and Bardess for apparently thinking it is worthy of favoriting)!
Class Skill: Stealth.
Bonus Spells: silent image (3rd), darkness (5th) fly (7th), enervation (9th), true seeing (11th) shadow walk (13th), project image (15th), form of the dragon III (17th), shades (19th).
Bonus Feats: Blind-Fight, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Silent Spell, Skill Focus (Fly), Stealthy, Toughness.
Bloodline Arcana: Whenever you cast a necromancy spell that deals hit point damage, that spell deals +1 point of damage per die rolled. If the necromancy spell deals an amount of ability score damage, ability score drain, or negative levels, add another -1 to the amount. If the spell deals ability score damage or drain to multiple ability scores, then each of those ability scores are affected.
Bloodline Powers: The power of umbral dragons flows through you and manifests in a number of different ways.
Claws (Su): Starting at 1st level, you can grow claws as a free action. These claws are treated as natural weapons allowing you to make two claw attacks as a full attack action using your full base attack bonus. Each of these attacks deal 1d4 points of damage plus your Strength modifier (1d3 if you are Small). At 5th level, these claws are treated as if they have the ghost touch weapon property. At 7th level, the damage increases by one step to 1d6 points of damage (1d4 if you are Small). At 11th level, these claws deal an additional 1d6 points of negative energy damage on a successful hit. This negative energy does not heal undead creatures. You can use your claws for a number of rounds per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
Dragon Resistances (Ex): At 3rd level, you gain negative energy resistance 5 and a +1 natural armor bonus. At 9th level, you gain negative energy resistance 10 and your natural armor bonus increases to +2. At 15th level, your natural armor bonus increases to +4.
Breath Weapon (Su): At 9th level, you gain a breath weapon. This breath weapon is a 30-foot cone that deals 1d6 points of negative energy damage per sorcerer level. Those caught in the area of the breath receive a Reflex save for half damage. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 your sorcerer level + your Charisma modifier. At 9th level, you can use this ability once per day. At 17th level, you can use this ability twice per day. At 20th level, you can use this ability three times per day. This negative energy does not heal undead creatures.
Wings (Su): At 15th level, leathery dragon wings grow from your back as a standard action, giving you a fly speed of 60 feet with average maneuverability. You can dismiss them as a free action.
Umbral Scion (Su): At 20th level, your umbral draconic heritage becomes manifest. You gain immunity to negative energy (including associated negative levels, ability damage, ability drain, etc.) and death effects. You also gain blindsense 60 feet.
One last thing, though. The claws. They get the ghost touch weapon property, so they can deal full damage to incorporeal creatures. They also get +1d6 negative energy damage which doesn't affect undead creatures. ALL incorporeal creatures are also undead. So, you would never get that extra energy damage fighting incorporeal undead creatures.
Personally, the fact that you get to attack incorporeal creatures normally I think outweighs not getting the extra +1d6 damage. I just wanted to point out that little part since it seems counterproductive. If you don't like this, you can either replace ghost touch with the normal magic for overcoming damage resistance, or just keep the cold damage from my original post. Thank you!
If the necromancy spell deals an amount of ability score damage, ability score drain, or negative levels, add another -1 to the amount. If the spell deals ability score damage or drain to multiple ability scores, then each of those ability scores are affected.
I assume this is only once, no matter how many die are rolled?
If the necromancy spell deals an amount of ability score damage, ability score drain, or negative levels, add another -1 to the amount. If the spell deals ability score damage or drain to multiple ability scores, then each of those ability scores are affected.I assume this is only once, no matter how many die are rolled?
Yes. It's just a static -1 for those specific types of damage. If it's just hit point damage, then you get and extra +1 damage per die rolled.
Just making sure!
Just an FYI, there is actually a precedent in-game for a negative energy attack that doesn't heal undead: the Chill Touch spell.
Which, incidentally, is liable to be a fairly impressive spell with that bloodline arcana...
Just an FYI, there is actually a precedent in-game for a negative energy attack that doesn't heal undead: the Chill Touch spell.
Which, incidentally, is liable to be a fairly impressive spell with that bloodline arcana...
I'm not exactly sure what you're getting at. Chill Touch seems almost useless against undead creatures, except as a fear effect. And the bloodline arcana is not in effect for them here. Also, in every line of text for my bloodline that deals with negative energy, I specifically say that it doesn't heal undead creatures, so I am keeping up that precedent.
Versus anything else, you only get 1d6+1 damage and 2 points of strength damage (if they fail their saving throw) as a melee touch attack against any adjacent creatures (amount of creatures dependent on your level). The 2 points of strength damage does seem a bit powerful for a 1st level spell with this bloodline arcana, but I don't see why a vanilla sorcerer would want risk getting into melee all the time just to spam this spell.
Now, if you went crossblooded sorcerer and took this bloodline and the aberrant bloodline to get the long limbs ability, I could see some spamming issues there. As my bloodline is homebrew and not a lot of people will be using it, I don't think this warrants any actions to change anything.
Wasn't really getting at anything in particular - merely pointing out the existence of the spell, and that it was thematically very similar to the negative energy you added to the claw attacks.
Not overpowered, either, albeit mostly due to the fort save. Though you could probably do some interesting things with a multiclassed sorcerer / monk...