How's the Hyperborean Bloodline?

[tadkins]

http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/sorcerer/bloodlines/bloodlines-from-3rd-party-publishers/kobold-press---bloodlines/hyperborean

It's 3rd party and generally those are always a toss-up. The flavor on this one looks fun as hell, but I'm wondering what you guys think of it mechanically. If I were to build a sorcerer character around it, how would you guys rate it on a scale of 1-10? 1 being 3.5 Truenamer and 10 being horribly broken.

[(Un)Inspired]

Probably about a 3/10.

The bonus fears it offers are all meh to bad. It offers color spray which is great but the prismatic spell line is pretty poor. Random effects are rarely good and while prismatic sphere offers some serious defensive power, offense is king in DnD (or pathfinder in this case.

The bloodline arcana gives you an immunity which would normally be rad but it's immunity to something that pretty rarely comes up.

As far as bloodline powers go, searing Ray is a was of spell slots (just cast a ray spell if you're desperate for damage, you'll do more).

Incandescent soul seems extremely situational, how often have you desperately needed to counter spell darkness spells?

Escape the flesh is pretty cool. Incorporeal is pretty great for gate crashing, jail breaking, and general dungeon skulduggery.

Prismatic protection is also super circumstantial... unless you're trying to catch yourself in your own rainbow spells... for some reason...

Apotheosis is nice but not exactly overwhelming at a level in which you can do all your adventuring through an astral projection.

EDIT: it offers perception as a class skill which is kinda cool though

[tadkins]

Probably about a 3/10.

The bonus fears it offers are all meh to bad. It offers color spray which is great but the prismatic spell line is pretty poor. Random effects are rarely good and while prismatic sphere offers some serious defensive power, offense is king in DnD (or pathfinder in this case.

The bloodline arcana gives you an immunity which would normally be rad but it's immunity to something that pretty rarely comes up.

As far as bloodline powers go, searing Ray is a was of spell slots (just cast a ray spell if you're desperate for damage, you'll do more).

Incandescent soul seems extremely situational, how often have you desperately needed to counter spell darkness spells?

Escape the flesh is pretty cool. Incorporeal is pretty great for gate crashing, jail breaking, and general dungeon skulduggery.

Prismatic protection is also super circumstantial... unless you're trying to catch yourself in your own rainbow spells... for some reason...

Apotheosis is nice but not exactly overwhelming at a level in which you can do all your adventuring through an astral projection.

EDIT: it offers perception as a class skill which is kinda cool though

Just the sort of critique/info I was looking for. Thank you very much. :)

[Psyren]

True incorporeality, no strings at attached at 9th level is pretty broken. Remember that being incorporeal gets you:

- Cha to AC (as a deflection bonus, which also means...)
- Cha to Touch AC, Flatfooted AC and CMD (not that the last one matters, because...)
- Nothing can restrain or move you against your will (e.g. can't be tripped or grappled, and that includes...)
- Nothing can manipulate your equipment (e.g. your pouch can't be disarmed, sundered or stolen from, not that they'll know you're casting anyway, because...)
- Perfect silence (no one will hear your verbal components anyway, and if you're invisible, nothing will detect you at all, because...)
- Nonvisual senses (like blindsight or scent) are ineffective.

Even without the walk through walls/doors utility, this is extremely powerful. For context, normally to get this, a sorcerer would have to wait until 16th level (Undead Anatomy 4, which also has drawbacks, or Ghostform in 3.5.) This bloodline gets it 7 levels earlier and it doesn't appear to interfere with non-blasting spells at all.

[(Un)Inspired]

I agree that real deal incorporeality is quite good but Escape the Flesh is not only limited to your sorcerer level in rounds per day; it's also only useable once per day.

So at 9th level you've got 9 rounds of ghosting that you can't split up throughout the day at your leisure.

I think that this fairly drastic limitation keeps Escape the Flesh from being too overpowered while still being a nice ability in an otherwise low power bloodline.

[tadkins]

But it would let me become a walking, talking, spellcasting disco ball.

I dunno, despite all the drawbacks it's still tempting to try a character with this. xD

Maybe convince another person to become a Shadow bloodline Sorcerer so we can have to contrasting personalities in the group.

[(Un)Inspired]

But it would let me become a walking, talking, spellcasting disco ball.

I dunno, despite all the drawbacks it's still tempting to try a character with this. xD

Maybe convince another person to become a Shadow bloodline Sorcerer so we can have to contrasting personalities in the group.

Remember that even if you take a bloodline that isn't very strong, you're still a sorcerer. Your access to the wiz/sor spell list is where the majority of your power will come from in any event.

A hyperborean sorcerer can still be extremely power due to the simple fact that it is a sorcerer.

[tadkins]

Remember that even if you take a bloodline that isn't very strong, you're still a sorcerer. Your access to the wiz/sor spell list is where the majority of your power will come from in any event.

A hyperborean sorcerer can still be extremely power due to the simple fact that it is a sorcerer.

Very true. Probably doesn't matter which bloodline a sorcerer takes as long as they can still blast, control, and buff the field like a boss.

[Pex]

Why would Eschew Materials be a bonus feat when pathfinder sorcerers get that already?

[Captain Morgan]

Searing Ray scales a little better than most basic blasting bloodline powers or revelations. Doesn't make it good, but if you are low on spell slots it is better than a crossbow.

[grarrrg]

Why would Eschew Materials be a bonus feat when pathfinder sorcerers get that already?

There are (at least) 3 archetypes that trade away Eschew Materials for other things:
Razmiran (False) Priest (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/sorcerer/archetypes/paizo---sorcerer-archetypes/razmiran-priest) gets a _mostly_ better version in False Focus (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/feats/general-feats/false-focus). Getting Eschew back might be handy for those few times you lose your holy symbol.

Seeker (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/sorcerer/archetypes/paizo---sorcerer-archetypes/seeker) is an overall solid archetype, and getting back Eschew would likely be near the top of your list.

Tattooed Sorcerer (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/classes/core-classes/sorcerer/archetypes/paizo---sorcerer-archetypes/tattooed-sorcerer) all of the "Tattoo" options only work for material-less spells anyway, which is probably partially why they traded it away.

[Spore]

I'm unsure if the Heavens Oracle is all that creativity but with a more solid feature list. (Then again, it is cleric instead of wizard spells so...)