SangoProduction
2023-08-19, 01:42 AM
It's actually been bugging me. Not actively, but just passively, in the background, cropping up only every so often - like when I feel the urge to play a blood theme character.
The blood sphere sucks. Already did multiple reviews of it. The talents suck, the system behind it sucks. But why? What makes it suck so much? (With exception to the Blood Arts. Those are just undertuned, and underwhelming - perhaps a bit like the bear sphere. The fundamental designs are fine.)
I think I finally came up with an answer... It doesn't actually do anything that isn't done better by the more generalized systems and spheres.
Further, it is basically a "flavor pack" for Spheres... but doesn't seem to commit to the bit. Or perhaps commits in a way that is detrimental, with the Blood Control. Haven't actually decided.
Because, if you take away the Blood Control, and just made the sphere effects regular ol' buff/debuff spells, there's really very little that makes it feel "bloody." There aren't even particular talents that my blood characters actually particularly care to take (again, outside of Blood Arts).
If I'm looking for a "blood bender," I take Mind sphere, and perhaps Telekinesis if we start high level, or I convince the DM to up the power of TK, perhaps with my adaptation of it from 5e.
For most other tasks, Destruction, Life, Death, Enhancement, War, and the occasional Alteration or Conjuration (and because... I'm me... Creation), all work wonders. Which, to make perfectly clear, is a great thing - for spheres as a whole. Not so much for Blood sphere. (And granted, War sphere is just... always added to every build I make nowadays, because I cannot get enough of the excessive value of momentum, all while having an incredibly low-power feel. It is just so very addictive.)
I will admit... I did have one character whose whole shtick was just Blood Arts. Not a strong character by any stretch. And it was a short campaign. And reasonably dipped out of the sphere. But it did actually feel thematic... And I kind of want to make another one...
I just noticed that there aren't even any general talents that support the blood arts, outside of the basically-metamagic talents (Strike / Instill).
The blood sphere sucks. Already did multiple reviews of it. The talents suck, the system behind it sucks. But why? What makes it suck so much? (With exception to the Blood Arts. Those are just undertuned, and underwhelming - perhaps a bit like the bear sphere. The fundamental designs are fine.)
I think I finally came up with an answer... It doesn't actually do anything that isn't done better by the more generalized systems and spheres.
Further, it is basically a "flavor pack" for Spheres... but doesn't seem to commit to the bit. Or perhaps commits in a way that is detrimental, with the Blood Control. Haven't actually decided.
Because, if you take away the Blood Control, and just made the sphere effects regular ol' buff/debuff spells, there's really very little that makes it feel "bloody." There aren't even particular talents that my blood characters actually particularly care to take (again, outside of Blood Arts).
If I'm looking for a "blood bender," I take Mind sphere, and perhaps Telekinesis if we start high level, or I convince the DM to up the power of TK, perhaps with my adaptation of it from 5e.
For most other tasks, Destruction, Life, Death, Enhancement, War, and the occasional Alteration or Conjuration (and because... I'm me... Creation), all work wonders. Which, to make perfectly clear, is a great thing - for spheres as a whole. Not so much for Blood sphere. (And granted, War sphere is just... always added to every build I make nowadays, because I cannot get enough of the excessive value of momentum, all while having an incredibly low-power feel. It is just so very addictive.)
I will admit... I did have one character whose whole shtick was just Blood Arts. Not a strong character by any stretch. And it was a short campaign. And reasonably dipped out of the sphere. But it did actually feel thematic... And I kind of want to make another one...
I just noticed that there aren't even any general talents that support the blood arts, outside of the basically-metamagic talents (Strike / Instill).