The Spellcrazed Bloodrager: An archetype for all your actually-using-most-of-my-spell-list needs


Homebrew and House Rules


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While all Bloodragers have magic in their veins, some have more magic than others. Spellcrazed Bloodragers are infused with the very essence of arcane magic, and are far more potent casters than their brethren.

Enhanced Spellcasting
At 1st level, the Spellcrazed Bloodrager receives 3 cantrips from the sorcerer spell list as bloodrager spells known. Additionally, the Bloodrager receives an additional spell per day of each level. This modifies the Bloodrager's spellcasting.

Spellcraze (Su)
Instead of gaining increased physical might, the Spellcrazed Bloodrager taps into his inner connection to the arcane and enhances his magical prowess. Upon entering spellcraze, the Bloodrager receives a +4 morale bonus to Charisma and Intelligence as well as a +2 bonus to will saves (this scales up as normal upon receiving the Greater and Mighty Bloodrage abilities). The Bloodrager may make Knowledge (Arcana) and Spellcraft checks while in a Spellcraze. The Bloodrager may never use non-bloodrager spells while in a spellcraze, even if he has an ability or feat that says he can. This ability otherwise works as normal for bloodrage, which it replaces.

Bloodstrike (Su)
At 4th level, the bloodrager learns to infuse his weapons with his own arcane power. As a swift action, when the bloodrager casts a touch spell, he can choose to have his weapon carry the charge of the spell instead of his hand. When he delivers a touch spell with his weapon he can do so as part of a melee attack made with his weapon. If he drops the weapon or the weapon is disarmed while carrying a charge, the charge is lost. This ability replaces the 4th and 12th level bloodline powers.
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So the idea here is to have a Bloodrager archetype that can actually use the many Bloodrager spells with DC's attached to them. Spellcrazed stacks with Metamagic Rager in case you really need to Heighten your spells; between the two of them your Ghoul Touches and the like should have very competitive DC's. Thoughts, reviews, suggestions, etc. are of course welcome.


Cool idea. Is Bloodstrike meant to be like Spellstrike? If so, it could easily use the same wording, unless you want it to use up a swift action. Without Spell Combat the archetype couldn't make more than one attack with a touch spell riding on it per turn anyways.

On the Spellcraze, it feels a bit off to me to have a bonus to Intelligence. The theme feels more like raw arcane power fueled by will than studied incantations. Maybe instead of +Int the Spellcraze gives a bonus to piercing spell resistance, or you could take a page out of the Theologian's book and give bonus metamagic stuff. Maybe allow a metamagic feat from a list of bonus feats to be applied to a spell for free 1/day, with more uses as the bloodrager levels? With Metamagic Rager, that'd open up more options for the class, and giving a free metamagic X/day could be fun. Giving up rage is big, and spells are already pretty limited, so I wouldn't see this as too game-breaking.

Boosting Charisma is ok, but since it only really has the effect of increasing DC, why not just have it increase DC? You specify the ability works as normal for bloodrage otherwise, which would mean that the archetype wouldn't really do much else with Charisma because it's locked out of Charisma skills, excepting Moment of Clarity stuff. Unless you intend for this to work with things that enjoy lots of Charisma, like Sidestep Secret.


Bloodstrike is ripped directly from Blessed Hammer; my initial thought was that giving Spellstrike itself rather than the weaker version found in BH would have been too good for what you're giving up, but there is a debate to be had there.

The intelligence boost was primarily because I liked the idea of Spellcraze giving the Bloodrager an innate understanding of magic (via better bonuses to Kn Arcana and Spellcraft) but I really like your SR-piercing idea too. Maybe change Spellcraze to +4 CHA, +2 Spell Pen, +2 will saves, and then give the Spellcrazed this ability?

Arcane Understanding (Ex)
The spellcrazed bloodrager has an unusually deep understanding of his power. At second level, he receives a bonus equal to 1/2 his level on all Kn (Arcana) and Spellcraft checks, and may make these checks even while under the effects of a spellcraze. This ability replaces uncanny dodge.

The charisma boost was primarily to keep it in line with the style of the original rage; you can use Intimidate while raging, which is the other big in-combat use of charisma. I do like the synergy with an oracle dip, Sidestep Secret is a favorite ability of mine (as long as a martial character is using it, at least).


Ah, alrighty. I'd probably say you're safe going with a straight carbon-copy of Spellstrike. Blessed Hammer is a feat, and it typically goes on full casters anyways. I think the archetype gives up enough to warrant the full ability. It loses rage in exchange for a boost to DCs on a relatively limited spell pool, and 4th level bloodline powers tend to be among the stronger ones (Abyssal gives up enlarge person and Arcane gives up blur/resist energy, for instance), as do 12th-level bloodline powers, so as written that's a really big trade. I'd say exchanging the 4th level power for Spellstrike is a fair trade, overall, especially when the character gives up hit and damage bonuses. Losing out on the 12th level bloodline power as well seems a bit much, but choosing to give up arguably the "iconic" ability for each bloodline in exchange for Spellstrike would be fair and probably lend itself to some interesting builds.

A straight Charisma-boosting ability is interesting. It has some potential for wacky combinations. Arcane Understanding could work how you wrote it out there just fine, along with +4 CHA, +2 vs. spell resistance, and +2 Will. You could also just allow Arcana and Spellcraft checks to be made off of Charisma with the ability, ala the Empiricist Investigator archetype, and maybe even give the archetype UMD as a class skill? UMD is easy enough to pick up with a trait, but since the class is now focusing more and more on spells (and since the DC for a wand doesn't increase with the user's stats), it could make a fun sort of sorcerer Eldritch Knight-type archetype.

Since it gives up a bloodline power it is a little weaker than a normal bloodrager in most cases, not to mention a Primalist version of it would have a rough time getting any Rage Powers (which is fine! I think that archetype is a little much anyways). So there aren't too many things that this archetype breaks open if it gets to have fun with being the caster archetype; I'd say let loose a little.

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