SangoProduction
2020-11-22, 10:16 PM
Sigh. After once more failing to learn the lesson to constantly backup these little stupid essays to a note pad, I've lost an entire day's work. Do let me know if you like the new, condensed format. It certainly took less time than detailing my complaints with every single useless talent in this sphere.
But here's the conclusion: The best use of Blood sphere, outside of notable exceptions, is to use it as little as possible.
Notable Exceptions:
Extract Blood Construct: If you made undead even more disgusting and harder to disguise, but more combat-capable. Still very swarmy, despite getting to combine into larger ones, due to size being CL-limited separately from the HD limit.
Eye Bleed: This alone makes Bleed base sphere worth using.
Piercing Blood: The first damage ability I've ever compared positively to destruction sphere, plus it's distinct in that its spell point increases the disable rather than damage. It's also got massive flexibility in 1 talent.
Rush to the Head: Awesome if there were more good blood arts you could flex the save with. Even so, the scaling confusion to 85% chance to not do what they want by level 10 is pretty cool.
Notably Bad
Gory Armaments: Full casters likely don't have the BAB for weapons. Half casters probably don't care about 5 temp HP for 1 round at level 20. Certainly not enough to forgo using a real weapon with real enchants.
This build focuses on using both Duelist and Blood sphere talents to give a hell load of CMD penalties.
Bleed (base sphere): Core component of Duelist's CMD penalization build
Eye Bleed: This talent alone makes Bleed worthwhile to use, but this is a nice rider effect to a build that uses Bleed
Hemorrhage: Boosts to 2x CL Bleed, which becomes even more CMD penalty.
Lingering Control: So that you neither need to mess with spell points, nor concentrate. Lengthened Control isn't a bad option either, but you can't do it all day.
Slick: Blood control passively inflicts a further 2+1/5 CL penalty to saves.
Notable DO NOTs
Redirect Flow: Insignificant penalties relative to what you are already getting, although there are some cool, minor things some of these can do, if CMD wasn't your only consideration.
Duelist Talents of note
Slickened Grip: Adds current bleed damage as a penalty to CMD.
Champion Feat:
Sanguine Magic: not strictly necessary, as you can apply Slickened Grip later, without jumping through the hoops of Death sphere linked to Blood sphere to gain blood control, and all that. Even if this feat implies that you normally are restricted to only doing it with attack actions.
...But I do think that it's quite likely that I am entirely misremembering the build and the Blood sphere never even factored in - instead it was the Bleeding Wounds talent of Death sphere. It would make a lot of sense. There are a lot of talents for a not so incredible increase.
Manipulate Alchemy: Only one good use - to have free action potions even out of turn.
Yeah. That's the only one, which hasn't been mentioned above
Essence Manipulation: Bleed things without blood.
Sanguine Minion: No duration on Blood Constructs
Blood Construct Mastery: Blood constructs are quite good. Not having to scavenge them from the recently dead is similarly good.
Blood Potion: Great dip for any formulae tosser with Focusing Formulae...in theory at least. If only snap toss could be used as a move action instead.
Construct Armor: Like a toned down Synthesist Summoner. Neat.
Elemental Blood: As a dip for a martial type to deal more damage with a sword.
Formed Construct: Construct Armor + this = less toned down Synthesis Summoner.
I actually never had a good look at Bloodbinder. I didn't go in looking to be too critical. But wow. It was almost designed to be a downgrade, as though someone looked at the class and decided it was too strong.
Forged in Blood: Forced to take Gory Armaments with his magic talent. Not good. In fact, notably bad, but maybe this archetype can make a liar out of me.
Bloodbound Equipment: Loses the ability to summon equipment for literally anyone but himself. And now hurts himself when doing so. Even hurts for bound equipment. Not significantly but this is a strict downgrade...
Ensanguined Forge: Improves the pool of tricks he can pull from. That's never bad. Not always impactful.
Vim and Vigor: Who here wants Toughness? Well, it comes with natural armor! Sure, replacing some other nice to haves, but you get hit points.
Arsenal Tricks: Some which fix the problems caused by Bloodbound Equipment.
-Bloodletting increases duelist sphere bleed. Not really the source of bleed duelists care about.
-Drink Deep actually gives Gory Armaments a reason to exist. Mostly to slaughter bags of rats for free healing. But you do get some passive healing from just doing your thing.
-Stalwart. Neat.
Bound by Blood: Regeneration 5. Nice! ...suppressed by mundane piercing damage. And bleed - Wait. What? Bleed damage? Isn't this supposed to be a master of his blood? Why does he even take bleed damage? But hey, an untyped +4 to con... Yay. I guess.
But here's the conclusion: The best use of Blood sphere, outside of notable exceptions, is to use it as little as possible.
Notable Exceptions:
Extract Blood Construct: If you made undead even more disgusting and harder to disguise, but more combat-capable. Still very swarmy, despite getting to combine into larger ones, due to size being CL-limited separately from the HD limit.
Eye Bleed: This alone makes Bleed base sphere worth using.
Piercing Blood: The first damage ability I've ever compared positively to destruction sphere, plus it's distinct in that its spell point increases the disable rather than damage. It's also got massive flexibility in 1 talent.
Rush to the Head: Awesome if there were more good blood arts you could flex the save with. Even so, the scaling confusion to 85% chance to not do what they want by level 10 is pretty cool.
Notably Bad
Gory Armaments: Full casters likely don't have the BAB for weapons. Half casters probably don't care about 5 temp HP for 1 round at level 20. Certainly not enough to forgo using a real weapon with real enchants.
This build focuses on using both Duelist and Blood sphere talents to give a hell load of CMD penalties.
Bleed (base sphere): Core component of Duelist's CMD penalization build
Eye Bleed: This talent alone makes Bleed worthwhile to use, but this is a nice rider effect to a build that uses Bleed
Hemorrhage: Boosts to 2x CL Bleed, which becomes even more CMD penalty.
Lingering Control: So that you neither need to mess with spell points, nor concentrate. Lengthened Control isn't a bad option either, but you can't do it all day.
Slick: Blood control passively inflicts a further 2+1/5 CL penalty to saves.
Notable DO NOTs
Redirect Flow: Insignificant penalties relative to what you are already getting, although there are some cool, minor things some of these can do, if CMD wasn't your only consideration.
Duelist Talents of note
Slickened Grip: Adds current bleed damage as a penalty to CMD.
Champion Feat:
Sanguine Magic: not strictly necessary, as you can apply Slickened Grip later, without jumping through the hoops of Death sphere linked to Blood sphere to gain blood control, and all that. Even if this feat implies that you normally are restricted to only doing it with attack actions.
...But I do think that it's quite likely that I am entirely misremembering the build and the Blood sphere never even factored in - instead it was the Bleeding Wounds talent of Death sphere. It would make a lot of sense. There are a lot of talents for a not so incredible increase.
Manipulate Alchemy: Only one good use - to have free action potions even out of turn.
Yeah. That's the only one, which hasn't been mentioned above
Essence Manipulation: Bleed things without blood.
Sanguine Minion: No duration on Blood Constructs
Blood Construct Mastery: Blood constructs are quite good. Not having to scavenge them from the recently dead is similarly good.
Blood Potion: Great dip for any formulae tosser with Focusing Formulae...in theory at least. If only snap toss could be used as a move action instead.
Construct Armor: Like a toned down Synthesist Summoner. Neat.
Elemental Blood: As a dip for a martial type to deal more damage with a sword.
Formed Construct: Construct Armor + this = less toned down Synthesis Summoner.
I actually never had a good look at Bloodbinder. I didn't go in looking to be too critical. But wow. It was almost designed to be a downgrade, as though someone looked at the class and decided it was too strong.
Forged in Blood: Forced to take Gory Armaments with his magic talent. Not good. In fact, notably bad, but maybe this archetype can make a liar out of me.
Bloodbound Equipment: Loses the ability to summon equipment for literally anyone but himself. And now hurts himself when doing so. Even hurts for bound equipment. Not significantly but this is a strict downgrade...
Ensanguined Forge: Improves the pool of tricks he can pull from. That's never bad. Not always impactful.
Vim and Vigor: Who here wants Toughness? Well, it comes with natural armor! Sure, replacing some other nice to haves, but you get hit points.
Arsenal Tricks: Some which fix the problems caused by Bloodbound Equipment.
-Bloodletting increases duelist sphere bleed. Not really the source of bleed duelists care about.
-Drink Deep actually gives Gory Armaments a reason to exist. Mostly to slaughter bags of rats for free healing. But you do get some passive healing from just doing your thing.
-Stalwart. Neat.
Bound by Blood: Regeneration 5. Nice! ...suppressed by mundane piercing damage. And bleed - Wait. What? Bleed damage? Isn't this supposed to be a master of his blood? Why does he even take bleed damage? But hey, an untyped +4 to con... Yay. I guess.