Baldur's Gate : The Sword Coast Chronicles : NWN2 Persistent World

Hello! I am new here so if this is wrong area please let me know. I use to role play on a nwn server called arelith. I have been reading through your classes, and some info. I have a question about the class Blood magus. I have done some searches to learn more about the class. I have some questions though as to how one would role play this. It states all players could attack if they are found using blood magic, but is this a hard rule, or could players who were evil find uses for them? Also some posts state they get addicted. Is this addicted in the sense that they are willing to do anything for power? Or is it something else? I would love any info you guys could provide or pointers on where I could read a bit more.

bloodmagic is evil give also there are two blood feats you get

blood component- doesnt make you open to pvp, unless a dm states it
blood seeking spell-auto constent to pvp, and has a blood animation that is very noticeable

also the use of blood magic shifts your alignment to Chaotic evil mechanically,

the pvp consent is hard rule, if your with some evil people they will prolly not care, but if you did it in front of a paladin you would prolly get smited

Just don't use ANY blood magic abilities when you're partied up, or party members will notice you get hurt when you cast spells. (It will also interrupt their rest, if they were sleeping while you cast a buff with Blood Component enabled.)

well get the bluff skill high to bluff you pain from useing some abilities and remember there can only be ONE

come to think of it, baldurs gate orginial game was kinda like highlander

I don't agree that Blood Magic is evil. Just like everything else it is a tool, and thus neutral. It is the manner in which Blood Magic is used that determine whether it stays neutral, or becomes evil.

Using the feats granted by the first 5 levels of the Blood Magus PrC doesn't make your character evil. Whatever the local perception of Blood Magic might be, you are still only using Blood Magic on yourself to gain an increase in power. Power, however, corrupts, which is why Blood Magus has a non-Lawful requirement.

Once you go beyond the first 5 levels, however, your character starts down a road that may lead to evil. Three of the five feats granted in these levels target others, drawing upon their blood to provide a benefit for the Blood Magus. Using these three are definitely evil.


I am unsure how the alignment shift is scripted currently, but I don't think Blood Component and Blood Draught should give the caster a shift towards evil, only chaotic. Blood Seeking Spell, Awaken Blood, and Bloodwalk on the other hand should give a shift towards chaotic evil, with the damaging variant of Bloodwalk giving a major shift.


Of course, one could just pick the Blood Magus PrC purely for the mechanical gains and never roleplay the class, opting to not use any of the evil feats it provides. Such would be wrong though, and should generally be frowned upon.

I would love to see someone actually roleplay the conflict and temptation the Blood Magus PrC brings to their character. With Will and Concentration rolls, it might be possible to roleplay the temptation, as there is bound to be a few arcanists in the world of Toril whom can control Blood Magic, rather than be controlled by it.

Thank you for the advice guys. I have never been interested in playing a Mage, but am looking forward to creating a concept that will fit this prc. I'm sure he will have an untimely end at some point, but looking forward seeing where it goes.


Three more quick questions. One is it possible for a blood magus to be a sorc? I feel like given the fact that my PC will slide into madness that sorc fits better though it could very easily be a wizard as well.

The second is I am seeking a reason for him to go down this path and haven't really found what I seek when it comes to blood magic. Would it be make sense that he went down this path as a way to extend his life? Clearly necromancy would make more sense for this.

The last for now! Is after reading the server rules I do not wish to push the bounds of the pg setting, but as the whole concept of using blood is some what gory, and one of the abilities is rather gruesome I was curious if some of the vets could give me examples of what is considered tasteful and acceptable on this server.

Hello and welcome to the server!

Blood Magus a very interesting class to RP, it offers a lot more than just the mechanical advantages.

As for the KoS (Kill on Sight), it only applies when the BM is casting those spells at that very moment. If the people part and then later meet up, the BM can not be attacked (IE must be a direct connection to the spellcasting). I know some BM's who do not hide their evil spellcasting at all.

KoS are Blood Seeking, Awaken Blood and Bloodburst (Bloodwalk might be but its harmless). These are the only ones giving alignment shifts to CE (they are not constant but do occur every now and then).

Blood Component does show that 1 dmg which shows up in the combat log but it does not have to be obvious. The description is a "pinprick" and there are many ways to injure oneself without making it obvious. This should not be picked up from the combat log and people ICly going "Aha, blood mage!". Ask what your character sees, if anything. If it is 3 dmg, its bloodseeking and is always obvious (it has its own VFX).

The addiction would be something similar to what any mage goes through; the promise of power. While usually, power is quite hard to obtain... as a BM, every living vessel around your character is a source of power. But it is up to your own interpretation. How someone deals with the promise of power can vary but as mireigi mentions, mages do have high willpower and high concentration. Perhaps have something which breaks all that now and then? And with each level of BM your character has, it becomes more and more difficult. BMs are considered especially vile as they do tend to go crazy...

Osaron wrote:One is it possible for a blood magus to be a sorc? I feel like given the fact that my PC will slide into madness that sorc fits better though it could very easily be a wizard as well.

It can be any. I always have seen sorcerers as more prone to giving in to emotions, they do not THINK, they -FEEL- . A wizard could with his intelligence justify his powercraze with weird logical lines of thought. Any mage can fall into madness. If you are new to mages, I would lean towards saying to make a wizard. That way, you are not limited to the sorcerer's short spell selection and can try out every arcane spell in the game as a wizard.

Osaron wrote:The second is I am seeking a reason for him to go down this path and haven't really found what I seek when it comes to blood magic. Would it be make sense that he went down this path as a way to extend his life? Clearly necromancy would make more sense for this.

The lorebooks says that a BM must have been killed and then raised. That is when the blood magic surfaces. However, I know someone else disagreed with that and it could be unlocked... It is up to you, that bit. A character could have discovered blood magic somehow and then decided to continue on that path. I think trying to extend the life is a good reason. There is a spell which is of the school of necromancy called Steal Life. Your character could try to research a spell similar like that but focused on use of blood (ofc you would never finish research it during your time on the server, nor is your character in danger of dying of old age! ...but it is a good goal.).

Osaron wrote:The last for now! Is after reading the server rules I do not wish to push the bounds of the pg setting, but as the whole concept of using blood is some what gory, and one of the abilities is rather gruesome I was curious if some of the vets could give me examples of what is considered tasteful and acceptable on this server.

If you are worried, a good tip is to not go into overly detailed descriptions. Emoting something like for Awakened Blood: *Your blood twists and turns inside you and suddenly escapes and gushes out through your skin for a brief moment, spraying blood on the walls and floor.*

You can leave it as something like the Avasculate spell description:
You shoot a black ray of necromantic energy from your outstretched hand, causing your foe to violently purge blood or other vital fluids through his skin.

It does not go into details at all but the words "violently" and "purge blood and fluids" makes us all think it is very painful and very unpleasant. Most people can fill in those blanks themselves.

Honestly, if you are PvPing someone or grinding, you do not really have time to write out emotes! But if you do have the time or manage to find a hostage of sort, it is nice to write out what the spell looks or should feel like as those with low spellcraft can not even see in the combat log what spell you cast, so it is nice to tell them so they can RP appropriately.

If you have not read the expanded background on the BGTSCC wiki page, please do so. There is some RP fluff there which might be useful. I believe Rasael put it together from the FR novels as the lorebooks are a bit lacking when it comes to it.
http://bgtscc.wikia.com/wiki/Blood_Magus

Nomster wrote:
Blood Component does show that 1 dmg which shows up in the combat log but it does not have to be obvious. The description is a "pinprick" and there are many ways to injure oneself without making it obvious. This should not be picked up from the combat log and people ICly going "Aha, blood mage!".

This is what I have happened to me A LOT when ran with a blood mage. It's like, "why are you cutting yourself, blood mage!!!!"

When yeah, it's a pin prick,,, someone even remotely noticing this in the middle of combat would be.... super rare, then to immediately go with the blood magic thinking, when blood magic is very rare.


I agree with mireigi. As long as you dont use the abilities that are "bad" to include the spell like ability at level 3 I think, you are fine. All you are doing is enjoying the benefits of pushing your magic to it's limits by increasing your health, fueling your spells and having a unique way of never losing your potions or your scrolls.

Karsus himself took Tarrasque blood to temporarily become Mystryl's Avatar, and save Netheril from the Phaerimm's life-draining of the floating netherese city. Blood magic has many other advantages such as bloodwalking or sculpting new life like homunculi which are gargoyles or miniscule demons bound to their master's via blood-link.

Hitman Hard wrote:Karsus himself took Tarrasquehomunculi which are gargoyles or miniscule demons bound to their master's via blood-link.

So sad... this is missing

Nomster wrote:Blood Component does show that 1 dmg which shows up in the combat log but it does not have to be obvious. The description is a "pinprick" and there are many ways to injure oneself without making it obvious. This should not be picked up from the combat log and people ICly going "Aha, blood mage!". Ask what your character sees, if anything.

It might be wise to exercise judicious use of the ability all the same while in a party; metagaming happens, sometimes subconsciously.

While you could have characters that debate the morality of blood magic in character, I am quite certain that it is officially considered morally evil in the setting by the DM staff. It is furthermore outlawed by the Dukes of Baldur's Gate. Make no mistake that if your character is "found out" he will be labeled evil and dealt with accordingly, regardless of his personal opinion regarding the morality of blood magic.

As a new player on the server you may consider a less controversial class until you get the feel for the server and how everything works.

mrieder79 wrote:While you could have characters that debate the morality of blood magic in character, I am quite certain that it is officially considered morally evil in the setting by the DM staff. It is furthermore outlawed by the Dukes of Baldur's Gate. Make no mistake that if your character is "found out" he will be labeled evil and dealt with accordingly, regardless of his personal opinion regarding the morality of blood magic.

As a new player on the server you may consider a less controversial class until you get the feel for the server and how everything works.

Morally evil perhaps. In the same way that Necromancy is considered morally evil. In the end, however, it is not morals that dictate whether or not something is evil, but the cosmos itself. Negative Energy is not evil, but is often used for evil. Blood magic is not evil, but is often used for evil.

Of course, anyone but ardent students of magic, the Weave, or the cosmos, in combination with Blood Magic, would not be able to seperate the decades of rumors of crazed Blood Mages from the cold hard facts.

blood magic is pretty nastly, its not oh i have power in my blood like "sorcs", you scar yourself, your coverd in blood, your covered in scars, your prolly trying to find other blood that is powerful to fuel yourself. Most likely you drink others blood to gain power.

you can always rp it like your just doing pin pricks on the finger.

There is a reason why monsterous races use it, they don't care. More blood the better