I would assume that the Sorcerer in question simply did not have their powers manifest until later in their life.
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However you like. It's a story choice, not a rules thing. You could say the powers slumbered until some suitably traumatic event woke them up, which is a trope for lots of "innate power" characters in various media. You could flavor it dozens of different ways depending on the bloodline in question and the backstory of the character.
Exposure to a powerful magical source could do it, or a situation of extreme stress that forces the ability to the surface in self-defense. It could also be that weird things happen spontaneously around the person, but it takes time, training, and self-discipline to get to the point where they can control it. Or it can just begin to emerge spontaneously, subtly at first, but then reaching the point of actually being able to control it and manifest it as spells when they take the level.
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Sorcerer is easy. Think of it like being a mutant in the X-Men universe. You think you're normal. You get a job as an accountant. Then one day after you realize you could be due for a promotion suddenly you begin to glow...
It isn't beyond reason to imagine someone being a late bloomer, realizing the arcane potential of an unknown bloodline later in life than those that start at level 1.
In fact, given that Sorcerer's *do* get that innate capability without the need for all the book learning, I think it is the far more reasonable option for switching to an arcane casting class later in life.
What should *really* be blowing your mind is how Johnny Swingsword, who set out to adventure as a Fighter at age 17 (starting level 1) with only his momma's greatsword and daddy's chainmail, can decide, upon completing his very first adventure and gaining enough life experience to increase his potential (hit level 2) can suddenly pick up a spellbook and understand what it took Alfred Castingmore quite a number of years in Wizard's Academy to learn about arcane spells and how to cast them.
Maybe you always were able to cast spells, but denied your heritage. You always had the ability but refused to use them until something made you accept who you are. This works especially well if you have an unsavory bloodline.
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It's basically the same question as why doesn't a sorcerer start the game being a level 20 sorcerer?
Because it takes time for the sorcerer to 1. have their powers start manifesting at all 2. learn that they have powers, 3. gain control of those powers, 4. unlock their full potential.
It's a lot more explainable than suddenly becoming a wizard.
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What should *really* be blowing your mind is how Johnny Swingsword, who set out to adventure as a Fighter at age 17 (starting level 1) with only his momma's greatsword and daddy's chainmail, can decide, upon completing his very first adventure and gaining enough life experience to increase his potential (hit level 2) can suddenly pick up a spellbook and understand what it took Alfred Castingmore quite a number of years in Wizard's Academy to learn about arcane spells and how to cast them.
Meh. Everybody knows Castingmore only got in as a legacy. Thick as an aboleth omelette...
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Leveling up often involves handwaving. A scholar in town could spend years learning to speak Elvish. An adventurer whose non-elf party has a few diplomatic encounters in elven lands while on a dangerous quest could pick up fluent Elvish in a week.
Gaining sorcerous powers is, as Quintessentially Me explained, like gaining mutant powers in the X-Men universe. The character was born with the powers and they awaken in teen or adult years. Learning the gestures and words for a spell on the sorcerer/wizard list is harder to explain. Maybe an accidental flicker of magic from a gesture gave a clue.
But recently, I had a comic relief NPC go through exactly that. In the module Fires of Creation 13-year-old Val Baine is a sympathetic character who encourages the PCs to search for her lost wizard father. When I ran the module, I adjusted the timeline to fit a PC who lived in town, and thus the adventure started when Val was 17 years old and a wizardry student under her father's tutelage. The PCs invited her along on the quest. And since she was of Kellid heritage, the players suggested barbarian as her class. Thus, we ended up with a perky barbarian/wizard wannabe NPC in the party.
Rather than try to multiclass at first level, I chose a hybrid arcane class, bloodrager, and added a homebrew archetype that gave her cantrips at first level. Thus, she was half sorcerer rather than half wizard. She did not realize this. She instead studied spells from her father's spare spellbook every morning. Since cantrips don't consume spell slots, her spell knowledge remaining active after spellcasting was no surprise.
Finally, at the end of the module, (MINOR SPOILER) her father explained to her that by forcing herself to learn spells quickly, she had tapped her internal bloodline magic and shaped it into the spells rather than crafting the spells mentally from external magic like wizards did. And she had tapped the same bloodline magic for her barbarian rages. Val was disappointed that she was not a real wizard like her father, but she had no time to brood because the party insisted she come along on the second module in the adventure path.
... the story of Val Baine, perky barbarian/wizard wannabe NPC ...
That... is really, really cool. :)
It doesn't even have to be described as a bloodline. Many are the sorcerers who are products of magical experimentation, deific intervention, or some other external component.
Bloodlines are just a mechanic; it doesn't necessarily have to be a literal "bloodline" in the conceptual narrative.
Magic.
This has been puzzling me. A sorcerer is born with innate magical ability due to a bloodline. So how is it that a character can start with levels in something else, and then take a level in sorcerer? How does one explain away the fact they previously were unable to cast any spells or have any sorcerer abilities whatsoever?
Some folks with latent abilities are late bloomers. Many never manifest at all.
Now give us something hard.
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It's a lot more explainable than suddenly becoming a wizard.
What are you talking about? Some huge bearded man just walks in and tell you that you are one.
"Poof, you're a Sorcerer!" seems like one of the easiest multiclass choices to explain since you could just suddenly begin developing Sorcerer powers. Maybe your particular powers only begin to show once you're achieved a certain level of personal power (say 4th level)
Something like Fighter or Monk seems like it could be tougher to explain if there were no previous roleplaying of the PC training in those fighting styles. Presumably the PC was training all along or just suddenly realized he or she has a natural gift for martial arts though - it isn't like a single level changes your capabilities that dramatically anyhow...
@Cavall - Are you suggesting that if transported to Golarion Mike Tyson might develop powers as a Sorcerer or perhaps a Druid?
I wish all questions were this easy to answer. :)
Okay, I do feel a bit silly now, but it still seems a bit weird that a sorcerer's powers manifest one day and they also suddenly learn a load of spells to use with them. In fantasy books, the character who suddenly manifests magical abilities takes ages to control them at all, let alone learn multiple spells in such a short time. Though it's a good point about wizards, and admittedly most of the classes... I suppose suddenly being able to use all martial weapons is a bit odd too.
Its all about game fun vs "realism". Would it be fun if, when you leveled up, that in order to access your new class features your character had to go practice/study for a year or two? That if you were in the middle of a power struggle vs a world ending cult that you couldn't go get your new features and only just got the base stat increases?
Okay, I do feel a bit silly now, but it still seems a bit weird that a sorcerer's powers manifest one day and they also suddenly learn a load of spells to use with them. In fantasy books, the character who suddenly manifests magical abilities takes ages to control them at all, let alone learn multiple spells in such a short time. Though it's a good point about wizards, and admittedly most of the classes... I suppose suddenly being able to use all martial weapons is a bit odd too.
First level is the apprentice level, representing learning to use one's powers. A 1st-level sorcerer knows two 1st-level spells and can cast only three 1st-level spells a day. And since most spells scale with level, those spells are weak at 1st level.
Though, 1st level also provides four cantrips, so the sorcerer never really runs out of spells. The cantrips are a compromise: players playing a sorcerer want to cast spells, but a beginning sorcerer runs out of 1st-level spells too quickly. The cantrips do fit into the fantasy story motif for an apprentice spellcaster, who learns to reliably light a candle with magic (the Spark cantrip) or otherwise make light (Light or Dancing Lights).
Furthermore, fantasy novels have a different pace than fantasy roleplaying games. An apprentice wizard going to school can be an interesting story about making friends, being inspired or demoralized by teachers, and coming of age, even without some dire plot that only students can handle. A fantasy roleplaying game throws together several classes of characters, so starting them in a single school would be implausible, and the RPG plots are about the party acting alone.