Sorry for starting a new thread if one already exists. I'm not a regular forum user and I just wanted to get my thoughts out where they would be seen.
Jason Bulmahn mentioned on Know Direction that bloodrager and warpriest might get renamed because they're just two words mashed together and that's not how other classes are named. I was happy to hear this. I'm more of a flavor guy than a mechanics guy, and I'd hate for there to be a cool, popular class with strong mechanics and weak flavor.
For the warpriest I would like to suggest either the chaplain or the templar. Anything is better than "warpriest."
For the bloodrager, however, I had a hard time because I couldn't really think of a character from fiction that embodies this concept. And then I suddenly thought of Captain Marvel. He's a magic superhero who uses a magic word to transform and become more powerful. It's not exactly like rage, but what if the bloodrage was re-themed to be a magic transformation? Then I thought of heroes like He-Man and Power Rangers and I started to really like the idea. The class could be based entirely around a magic word or magic trinket that unlocks latent blood powers temporarily. I thought the class could be named "the scion" because like the sorcerer you get your powers from an ancestral bloodline.
Does anybody like the idea of the bloodrager as the He-Man style magic transforming hero instead of just a spellcasting barbarian?
Again, sorry for just spilling my thoughts and running, I just got real excited as I was thinking about this and had to share. Good luck with the playtest!
The thing of it is that it has to be evocative enough that, ideally, in one word you know what the class is about.
For the warpriest, I like Exemplar or Incarnate with the flavor that their powers come from their zealous emulation of their deity. I like the sound of "Exemplar of Abadar" or "Gorum Incarnate". But Templar or Crusader probably work best in that they evoke the image of someone who goes to war for their faith.
For bloodrager, I think Fury is evocative of the class. If a player says, " I'm playing an Elemental Fury," I think people can guess how that character is going to play.
Bloodrager is all about your bloodlines. Your heredity. The blood of your ancestors is giving you power both martial and magical. They are the heir apparent of whatever legacy was before them.
The bloodrage is a surge of strength from the gifts of their ancestors. Their magic is a gift of their lineage. Don't think of them as the mindless barbarians of the core rulebook, but rather the heroes of tales from the the Norse and Celtic mythos.
Thor is a mythic bloodrager. He fought mightily in battle and called down the power of the skies upon his foes. This is the class hero we're looking for. His divine bloodline gives him the ability to smash his foes with his fist or with his inherited powers.
That's what I'm looking for. A hero defined by his bloodline, not necessarily the fact he can get really mad for a couple rounds a day. About the most "fantasy RPG" word I can come up with for this type of character is Scion.
Templar sounds good to me in lieu of Warpriest.
Bloodrager as-is sounds good to me. Or I would go with "Exemplar" as martial epitomy of an arcane bloodline.
Hunter -> Beastmaster or something similar is preferable if the Companion is the focus of the class similar to Summoner,
rather than a Personal Combat focus which is what Hunter evokes to most people.
And honestly, that Personal Combat focus is already well covered by Rangers who can get 'full' Companions via Archetype/Feat,
so I think it is better to go in the direction less covered by existing class options: the more Companion centric/Nature Summoner "Beastmaster".
Templar/Crusader and Berserker. Berserker transformed and warped when raging, according to legends.
I propose: Godsmacker and Haemoglobicadabrist.
I think Rogue Genius Games already has those classes.
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Ooh… I do like Scion. But Haemoglobicadabrist really speaks to me.
Bloodrager is all about your bloodlines. Your heredity. The blood of your ancestors is giving you power both martial and magical. They are the heir apparent of whatever legacy was before them.
The bloodrage is a surge of strength from the gifts of their ancestors. Their magic is a gift of their lineage. Don't think of them as the mindless barbarians of the core rulebook, but rather the heroes of tales from the the Norse and Celtic mythos.
Thor is a mythic bloodrager. He fought mightily in battle and called down the power of the skies upon his foes. This is the class hero we're looking for. His divine bloodline gives him the ability to smash his foes with his fist or with his inherited powers.
That's what I'm looking for. A hero defined by his bloodline, not necessarily the fact he can get really mad for a couple rounds a day. About the most "fantasy RPG" word I can come up with for this type of character is Scion.
I'd like to contest your perception of Thor. He was a Barbarian with magic gauntlets, a magic belt, and a magic hammer which he could throw so hard, it made the sound of thunder: His blood made him freakishly strong, not magic.
He could also ressurect goats, or maybe his goats were magical: this issue is a bit opaque, but from what I remember, I'm inclined to believe the latter.
There is very little magic in norse mythology. What is there either seems to stem from magic items, which, largely, the dwarves make, from the women, who seem to be able to do a variety of things, from Loki, who's big on transformation, or from Odin, who's just boss.
Various Jotun could also do magic. They seem to have far fewer magic items.