Bloodline-Based Sorcerer

[Merlion]

I decided to do up a Sorcerer that both patched up its mechanical failings, and hopefully really seperated it from the Wizard. I decided to try the Bloodline aproach. I only have one finished at present, the Dragon bloodline.

Just like standard Sorcerer accept:

d6 hit die.

4 skill points. Add Knowledge (The Planes), Bluff and Diplomacy to class skills.

No material components. Spend XP instead, probably 10 XP per 100 GP cost.

One more spell known per spell level (so know 2 2nd level spells at 4th etc)

Gain a Bloodline ability at 1st, 6th, 11th and 16th level.

Each bloodline has a totally different spell list, and different abilities. Here is the Dragon bloodline...theres also going to be Fey, Celestial, Fiendish, and one for each Element. Other bloodline suggestions are welcome.


Dragon Bloodline Abilities:

1st level: Energy Affinity: Choose one of acid, cold, electricity or fire. You cast spells of this type at +1 caster level, and with a +1 bonus to saving throw DC.

6th level: Energy Substitution: You may cast any spell with the acid, cold, electricity or fire descriptor with the descriptor of your energy affinity. This ability may be used at will, and does not alter the spell slot or casting time of the spell.

11th level: Keen Senses: You gain lowlight vision and Darkvision each out to 60 feet. Additionally, you gain a +4 bonus to Listen, Search and Spot checks.

16th level: Draconic Defenses: You gain immunity to sleep and paralysis effects, and a +2 bonus to saving throws against fear. Additionally, you gain a +4 natural armor bonus to armor class.



Dragon Bloodline Spell List

0th level:
Acid Splash
Daze
Flare
Ghost Sound
Light
Mage Hand
Message
Open/Close
Ray of Frost
Resistance


1st level:
Alarm
Burning Hands
Cause Fear
Comprehend Languages
Colour Spray
Comprehend Languages
Disguise Self
Feather Fall
Endure Elements
Enlarge Person
Hold Portal
Identify
Jump
Mage Armor
Magic Missile
Magic Weapon
Nystul’s Magic Aura
Obscuring Mist
Produce Flame
Protection from Chaos/Evil/Good/Law
Remove Fear
Shield
Shocking Grasp
True Strike

2nd level:
Arcane Lock
Alter Self
Bear’s Endurance
Bull’s Strength
Continual Flame
Darkvision
Detect Thoughts
Eagle’s Splendor
Flaming Sphere
Fog Cloud
Fox’s Cunning
Glitterdust
Gust of Wind
Levitate
Locate Object
Magic Mouth
Melf’s Acid Arrow
Obscure Object
Owl’s Wisdom
Protection from Arrows
Pyrotechnics
Resist Energy
Scaleskin*
Scare
Scorching Ray
See Invisibility
Shatter
Spider Climb
Touch of Idiocy
Whispering Wind

3rd level:
Arcane Sight
Bestow Curse
Call Lightning
Clairaudience/Clairvoyance
Daylight
Explosive Runes
Fireball
Flame Arrow
Fly
Gaseous Form
Glyph of Warding
Haste
Invisibility Purge
Keen Edge
Lightning Bolt
Magic Circle Against Chaos/Evil/Good/Law
Magic Weapon, Greater
Nondetection
Protection from Energy
Rage
Sleet Storm
Slow
Tongues
Water Breathing
Wind Wall
Zone of Truth

4th level:
Arcane Eye
Detect Scrying
Dimensional Anchor
Discern Lies
Enlarge Person, Mass
Fear
Fire Shield
Fire Trap
Geas, Lesser
Globe of Invulnerability, Lesser
Ice Storm
Locate Creature
Minor Creation
Otiluke’s Resilient Sphere
Phantasmal Killer
Polymorph
Remove Curse
Scrying
Shout
Solid Fog
Stone Shape
Stoneskin
Wall of Fire
Wall of Ice


5th level:
Break Enchantment
Call Lightning Storm
Cloudkill
Cone of Cold
Control Winds
False Vision
Flame Strike (All Fire)
Freedom of Movement
Leomund’s Secret Chest
Major Creation
Mordenkainen’s Faithful Hound
Mordenkainen’s Private Sanctum
Overland Flight
Passwall
Prying Eyes
Sending
Spell Resistance
Symbol of Pain
Symbol of Sleep
True Seeing
Wall of Force
Wall of Stone

6th level:
Acid Fog
Analyze Dweomer
Antimagic Field
Bear’s Endurance, Mass
Blade Barrier
Bull’s Strength, Mass
Chain Lightning
Control Water
Eagle’s Splendor, Mass
Fire Seeds
Forbiddance
Geas/Quest
Globe of Invulnerability
Glyph of Warding, Greater
Guards and Wards
Legend Lore
Move Earth
Otiluke’s Freezing Sphere
Owl’s Wisdom, Mass
Repulsion
Symbol of Fear
Symbol of Persuasion
Wall of Iron
Word of Recall

7th level:
Delayed Blast Fireball
Firestorm
Phase Door
Prismatic Spray
Reverse Gravity
Scrying, Greater
Sequester
Spell Turning
Symbol of Stunning
Symbol of Weakness
Vision

8th level:
Antipathy
Dimensional Lock
Discern Location
Incendiary Cloud
Otiluke’s Telekinetic Sphere
Polar Ray
Power Word, Stun
Prismatic Wall
Protection from Spells
Prying Eyes, Greater
Screen
Shout, Greater
Symbol of Insanity
Symbol of Death
Sympathy

9th level:
Freedom
Imprisonment
Meteor Swarm
Mordenkainen’s Disjunction
Prismatic Sphere
Refuge
Shapechange
Weird






Universal Spells:
0th level:
Arcane Mark
Detect Magic
Read Magic


2nd level:
Arcane Lock

3rd level:
Arcane Sight
Dispel Magic

5th level:
Break Enchantment
Permanency
Teleport

6th level:
Analyze Dweomer
Dispel Magic, Greater

7th level:
Arcane Sight, Greater
Limited Wish
Plane Shift
Teleport, Greater


9th level:
Wish

 

[Merlion]

Here are the Fey and Celestial bloodlines


Fey Bloodline Abilities:

Knowledge (Nature) and Survival are class skills.

1st level: Fey Features: You gain low-light vision (or your existing low light vision doubles in range), and a +2 bonus to saving throws against mind affecting affects.

6th level: Confusing Touch: Once per day you may confuse a creature by touch. Make a melee touch attack. If you succeed, the creature must make a Will save (DC 10 + half your level + your Charisma bonus) or become confused for 1 minute per Sorcerer level.

11th level: Fey Sight: You may use See Invisible at will for a number of minutes each day equal to your Charisma bonus. These minutes need not be continuous. Activating or deactivating this ability is a free action that counts as a quickened spell.

16th level: Fey Defense: You gain Damage Reduction 5/Cold Iron, and you become immune to confusion, sleep, and charm effects.




Fey Bloodline

0th level:
Dancing Lights
Daze
Flare
Ghost Sound
Light
Mage Hand
Message
Open/Close
Prestidigitation

1st level:
Alarm
Charm Animal
Charm Person
Colour Spray
Comprehend Languages
Detect Animals or Plants
Disguise Self
Endure Elements
Enlarge Person
Entangle
Expeditious Retreat
Faerie Fire
Feather Fall
Grease
Hold Portal
Hypnotism
Identify
Jump
Mage Armor
Magic Weapon
Nystul’s Magic Aura
Obscuring Mist
Protection from Evil/Law
Ray of Enfeeblement
Reduce Person
Shield
Silent Image
Sleep
Summon Nature’s Ally 1
True Strike

2nd level:
Arcane Lock
Alter Self
Barkskin
Blindness/Deafness
Blur
Cat’s Grace
Continual Flame
Darkness
Darkvision
Daze Monster
Detect Thoughts
Eagle’s Splendor
Fog Cloud
Fox’s Cunning
Glitterdust
Gust of Wind
Hypnotic Pattern
Invisibility
Knock
Levitate
Locate Object
Magic Missile
Melf’s Acid Arrow
Minor Image
Mirror Image
Misdirection
Obscure Object
Owl’s Wisdom
Protection from Arrows
Resist Energy
Rope Trick
See Invisibility
Shatter
Silence
Speak with Animals
Spider Climb
Summon Nature’s Ally 2
Tasha’s Hideous Laughter
Touch of Idiocy
Web
Whispering Wind

3rd level:
Arcane Sight
Blink
Call Lightning
Clairaudience/Clairvoyance
Daylight
Diminish Plants
Displacement
Deep Slumber
Dominate Animal
Fly
Gaseous Form
Haste
Hold Person
Invisibility Sphere
Leomund’s Tiny Hut
Major Image
Magic Circle Against Evil/Law
Magic Weapon, Greater
Nondetection
Phantom Steed
Plant Growth
Protection from Energy
Quench
Ray of Exhaustion
Shrink Item
Slow
Spike Growth
Stone Shape
Suggestion
Summon Nature’s Ally 3
Tongues
Water Breathing
Wind Wall

4th level:
Arcane Eye
Bestow Curse
Charm Monster
Command Plants
Confusion
Crushing Despair
Detect Scrying
Dimension Door
Dimensional Anchor
Enlarge Person, Mass
Freedom of Movement
Geas, Lesser
Globe of Invulnerability, Lesser
Hallucinatory Terrain
Ice Storm
Illusory Wall
Invisibility, Greater
Leomund’s Secure Shelter
Locate Creature
Minor Creation
Otiluke’s Resilient Sphere
Phantasmal Killer
Polymorph
Rainbow Pattern
Reduce Person, Mass
Remove Curse
Scrying
Shout
Solid Fog
Stoneskin
Summon Nature’s Ally 4


5th level:
Animal Growth
Baleful Polymorph
Break Enchantment
Call Lightning Storm
Commune with Nature
Death Ward
Dominate Person
Dream
Fabricate
False Vision
Feeblemind
Hold Monster
Insect Plague
Major Creation
Mind Fog
Mirage Arcana
Mordenkainen’s Faithful Hound
Nightmare
Overland Flight
Persistent Image
Prying Eyes
Rary’s Telepathic Bond
Seeming
Sending
Spell Resistance
Summon Nature’s Ally 5
Symbol of Sleep
Tree Stride
Wall of Thorns
Waves of Fatigue

6th level:
Analyze Dweomer
Antilife Shell
Antimagic Field
Cat’s Grace, Mass
Eagle’s Splendor, Mass
Find the Path
Flesh to Stone
Fox’s Cunning, Mass
Geas/Quest
Globe of Invulnerability
Legend Lore
Mislead
Owl’s Wisdom, Mass
Permanent Image
Programmed Image
Repulsion
Stone Tell
Stone to Flesh
Suggestion
Summon Nature’s Ally 6
Symbol of Persuasion
Transport Via Plants
True Seeing
Veil

7th level:
Animate Plants
Arcane Sight, Greater
Control Weather
Ethereal Jaunt
Finger of Death
Forcecage
Hold Person, Mass
Insanity
Invisibility, Mass
Mordenkainen’s Magnificent Mansion
Power Word, Blind
Prismatic Spray
Project Image
Reverse Gravity
Scrying, Greater
Sequester
Spell Turning
Summon Nature’s Ally 7
Sunbeam
Symbol of Stunning
Symbol of Weakness
Transmute Metal to Wood
Vision
Waves of Exhaustion


8th level:
Animal Shapes
Antipathy
Binding
Charm Monster, Mass
Control Plants
Demand
Dimensional Lock
Earthquake
Maze
Mind Blank
Moment of Prescience
Otiluke’s Telekinetic Sphere
Otto’s Irresistible Dance
Polymorph Any Object
Power Word, Stun
Prismatic Wall
Protection from Spells
Prying Eyes, Greater
Scintillating Pattern
Screen
Shout, Greater
Summon Nature’s Ally 8
Sunburst
Symbol of Death
Symbol of Insanity
Sympathy
Temporal Stasis
Trap the Soul

9th level:
Dominate Monster
Etherealness
Freedom
Foresight
Hold Monster, Mass
Imprisonment
Mordenkainen’s Disjunction
Prismatic Sphere
Refuge
Shambler
Shapechange
Storm of Vengeance
Summon Nature’s Ally 9
Time Stop
Wail of the Banshee



Celestial Bloodline Abilities:

1st level: Sacred Spell: You may cause any damage dealing spell you cast to deal half its damage as direct divine power. The spell slot and casting time of the spell remain unchanged. You may use this ability once per day, plus an additional time per day at 6th, 11th and 16th level.

6th level: Celestial Defenses: You gain resistance 5 to your choice of acid, cold or electricity. You also gain a +2 bonus to saving throws against petrification and poison.

11th level: Celestial Radiance (Su): Once per day, you may invoke the power of your heritage. Activating this ability is a standard action. Once activated, for a number of rounds equal to your charisma bonus, you add your charisma bonus twice to the saving throw DC of each spell you cast. Additionally, any creature within in 30 feet of you when you activate this ability must make a Will save (DC 10 +half your level + your Charisma bonus) or become shaken for 1 round per point of your charisma bonus.

16th level: Protective Aura: Against attacks made or effects created by evil creatures, this ability provides a +4 deflection bonus to AC and a +4 resistance bonus on saving throws to anyone within 20 feet of the Sorcerer. Otherwise, it functions as a magic circle against evil effect and a lesser globe of invulnerability, both with a radius of 20 feet. It lasts for 1 round/level and may be used once per day.





Celestial Bloodline Spell List

1st level:
Bless
Bless Water
Cause Fear
Command
Comprehend Languages
Detect Evil
Detect Undead
Endure Elements
Enlarge Person
Hold Portal
Mage Armor
Magic Missile
Magic Weapon
Protection from Evil
Remove Fear
Sanctuary
Shield
Summon Monster 1
True Strike

2nd level:
Align Weapon
Arcane Lock
Augury
Blindness/Deafness
Blur
Bull’s Strength
Calm Emotions
Cat’s Grace
Continual Flame
Detect Thoughts
Eagle’s Splendor
Enthrall
Glitterdust
Levitate
Owl’s Wisdom
Resist Energy
Scare
Scorching Ray
See Invisibility
Shield Other
Silence
Spiritual Weapon
Summon Monster 2
Zone of Truth

3rd level:
Bestow Curse
Call Lightning
Create Food and Water
Clairaudience/Clairvoyance
Daylight
Displacement
Fly
Glyph of Warding
Haste
Helping Hand
Heroism
Hold Person
Invisibility Purge
Keen Edge
Locate Object
Magic Circle Against Evil
Magic Weapon, Greater
Protection from Energy
Remove Blindness/Deafness
Remove Curse
Remove Disease
Searing Light
Summon Monster 3
Tongues
Water Breathing
Water Walk

4th level:
Death Ward
Detect Scrying
Dimensional Anchor
Dimension Door
Discern Lies
Dismissal
Divination
Enlarge Person, Mass
Fear
Freedom of Movement
Geas, Lesser
Globe of Invulnerability, Lesser
Holy Smite
Locate Creature
Otiluke’s Resilient Sphere
Phantasmal Killer
Planar Ally, Lesser
Scrying
Sending
Shout
Summon Monster 4

5th level:
Call Lightning Storm
Command, Greater
Contact Other Plane
Dispel Evil
Feeblemind
Flame Strike
Hold Monster
Interposing Hand
Mordenkainen’s Faithful Hound
Mordenkainen’s Private Sanctum
Overland Flight
Prying Eyes
Slay Living
Spell Resistance
Summon Monster 5
Symbol of Pain
Symbol of Sleep
Teleport
True Seeing
Wall of Force

6th level:
Animate Objects
Banishment
Blade Barrier
Bull’s Strength, Mass
Cat’s Grace, Mass
Chain Lightning
Control Water
Eagle’s Splendor, Mass
Forbiddance
Forceful Hand
Geas/Quest
Globe of Invulnerability
Glyph of Warding, Greater
Heroes Feast
Heroism, Greater
Legend Lore
Owl’s Wisdom, Mass
Planar Ally
Repulsion
Summon Monster 6
Symbol of Fear
Symbol of Persuasion
Undeath to Death


7th level:
Banishment
Destruction
Forcecage
Grasping Hand
Hold Person, Mass
Holy Word
Mordenkainen’s Sword
Plane Shift
Power Word, Blind
Prismatic Spray
Refuge
Scrying, Greater
Sequester
Spell Turning
Summon Monster 7
Sunbeam
Symbol of Stunning
Symbol of Weakness
Teleport, Greater
Vision


8th level:
Clenched Fist
Dimensional Lock
Discern Location
Holy Aura
Mind Blank
Otiluke’s Telekinetic Sphere
Planar Ally, Greater
Power Word, Stun
Prismatic Wall
Protection from Spells
Prying Eyes, Greater
Screen
Shout, Greater
Summon Monster 8
Sunburst
Symbol of Death
Symbol of Insanity

9th level:
Astral Projection
Crushing Hand
Freedom
Gate
Hold Monster, Mass
Imprisonment
Power Word, Kill
Prismatic Sphere
Refuge
Storm of Vengeance
Summon Monster 9
Weird

 

[Ukyo the undead]

Wonderful work Merlion! Im sure I will use it.

 

[Merlion]

The Elemental bloodlines are next on the list, but their giving me terrible trouble. Even casting a very broad net, their just arent that many spells of each element in the PH. I may just have to do a limited list with the proviso of writting up more apropriate spells later.

 

[Furtive Noise]

Interesting idea to help give sorcerors a more unique feel. However, some of the granted abilities are quite powerful so I think that having them as well as d6 hit die and 4 skill points is too much, making them much better than a wizard.

 

[haiiro]

Neat!

Out of curiosity, why the extra spell known per level?

 

[Gez]

See also this other variant.

 

[Merlion]

some of the granted abilities are quite powerful so I think that having them as well as d6 hit die and 4 skill points is too much, making them much better than a wizard.

well the skill points are going to come out about equal, or with only a slight advantage to the sorcerer because Wizards are going to have a high Int.

Thats another disadvantage of the Sorcerer...their casting stat doesnt really do much else, unlike wizards and divine casters. Int adds to skill points and several useful skills (Spellcraft, Knowledge), and Wisdom adds to Will saves and perception skills.


Actually, in my own game, Wizards are getting a d6 too. I subscribe to the Monte Cook idea that a d4 is just to low for any adventuring class.

Also bear in mind that this draft of this sorcerer also has a very limited spell list(s) to draw off of.

So I dont think much better than the wizard is at all accurate.

Out of curiosity, why the extra spell known per level?

Because not having enough spells known is the primary mechanical failing of the sorcerer. A lot of the time the versatility of spontaneous casting that people talk so much about is negated by access to only 1 or 2 spells of a given level, over a long period of time.


All that being said, Ithink I am going to revise this. I think since I am having such trouble with the spell lists, I am going to have them use the usual list, but that additional spell must come from the bloodline list. I will probably tweak the abilities a bit also.