Class Feature Friday: Martyred Bloodline/Retribution Variant (Sorcerer Bloodline; Wildblooded Variant)
Death can have a major impact on our lives. For most, it’s personal, with loved ones passing away, leaving behind their friends and family. However, for those individuals who have touched many lives across their own, the impact can be far greater, particularly due to the causes that often go hand in hand with affecting so many people.
Sometimes, in realms of magic and sorcery, that impact has lingering effects beyond the emotional ones. These spiritual echos may unlock arcane power within a following generation, either directly within that martyr’s descendants, or perhaps a descendant of one connected closely to them.
While many who’s death induce future sorcerous bloodlines die valiantly for their beliefs, such as a paladin leading a charge against the forces of evil, or an unlikely hero distracting a foe to help innocents escape, there are also those who are martyred wrongfully. Heretics executed for their beliefs, or passionate people killed for loving or expressing themselves in a certain way. The latter group often give rise to a different form of this power, one powered by righteous (or perhaps not so righteous) vengeance.
Unlike other bloodlines, this one really doesn’t have a biological component other than being passed down by those who have it or carry it. However, if the bloodline manifests any physical marks, they likely take the form of scars or poorly-healed wounds, particularly in areas that the original martyr was wounded during their death, similar to the stigmata of Christian (and to a lesser extent, other faiths). A retribution sorcerer whose ancestor was executed by beheading, for example, might have a scar running around their neck, and might even manifest an illusion of their head separating from their body when casting their magic.
The powers of these sorcerers, as we shall soon see, are focused very much on allowing the caster to endure great suffering, and indeed inducing said suffering in themselves in order to benefit others.
The spells associated with this bloodline allow the caster to endure much, bless others with energy and fervor to overcome, ward beings against detection or mental assault, and finally, leave all around them in awe of the sacrifice they represent.
The techniques also allow them to endure much more, and even briefly ignore and recover quickly from effects that affect the body. Additionally, they prove capable of inspiring others to follow them.
Both versions of this bloodline have an arcana that turns pain and bodily harm into power, though in different ways. The primary bloodline surges with arcane potency as they are harmed, causing their magic to deal more damage, last longer, or be more effective, depending on the spell. Retribution sorcerers however, find that surge of power adding to their spells, allowing them to add metamagical effects to spell using less arcane energy.
Willing to risk their lives, these sorcerers can sacrifice their vitality to increase the impact of the harm they dish out, bolster their resilience against effects, or push themselves harder when acting, though these benefits are fleeting.
Shouting with righteous fury, they can also inspire themselves and allies to fight harder.
Where the bloodline splits again, the main bloodline allows the mage to sacrifice their own vitality to invest it in an ally, allowing them to fight on for longer.
Meanwhile, the retribution variant demands blood for blood, allowing the caster to set up a sympathetic connection to a foe that just harmed them, causing the harm they caused the sorcerer to be visited back upon them.
By weakening themselves in one regard, these mystics can bolster themselves in another aspect, though they must heal that damage to their body normally.
The most powerful martyred sorcerers become avatars of their ancestor’s duty. They become immune to necromantic killing spells, as well as attempts to raise them as undead. Furthermore, their soul yearns to return to life to continue their work, costing half as much to bring them back from beyond the grave.
While I wouldn’t call them a tank by any means, this sorcerer bloodline can be fully expected to take a lot of hits, so if you want to subvert the “squishy caster” assumption, this bloodline may be up your alley. The core bloodline focuses on buffing and providing temp hp to allies, while the wildblooded variant is more all about punishing foes for attacking, but both benefit heavily from having a dedicated healer, as well as multiple ways to endure and defend. Like all sorcerers, I recommend a balanced spell selection, but leaning on party buffs and various defensive feedback-damage spells certainly does fall in line with the theme here.
Playing a martyred or retribution sorcerer often means coming up with two character concepts, the player character, and the figure in their heritage that is the cause of their bloodline. You can go as detailed or as vague as you like, or let the GM come up with it. Your character might not even know who their ancestor is.
Additionally, the nature of this bloodline often means that these sorcerers have some relationship with local religions, with some looking upon the mage as a scion of a noble hero, or perhaps a reminder of an enemy of the faith. Keep that in mind when building them.
Though much of their race has degenerated into the various Dark Folk races, there are a few caligni bloodlines left, living in secrecy from the owbs. They say that each caligni is descended from the last few heroes of their people before the owbs fully took control, each one dying valiantly in combat with the shadowy manipulators.
Though diminutive in size, the familiar automaton Stalking Wrath harbors great fury. In life a mage that dared to study the forbidden school of divination (considered blasphemous by the fate-worshipping culture of the day), he was put to death for his views, though his insight was deemed valuable enough to preserve in lesser form, creating his current weasel-like state. Now, sensing one of his descendants thrumming with the echoes of his fury, he has escaped to seek them out.
Bearing the spear wound that slew her, a woman has appeared claiming to be Saint Nevera incarnate, a hero-warrior that was later put to death for the then-crime of impersonating the male-dominated role of knight. The clergy decries her as a blasphemous charlatan, in part out of disbelief of her claim, but also to preserve their campaign of subtly watering down her legend over generations to be a mere footnote in history, rather than the rallying cry of equality.
