Editing Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons) (section)

==The Birth of Bloodlines==
Whilst the idea that the sorcerer's power was innate was part of their lore from the get-go, it wasn't really explored much, certainly not mechanically... at least, by WotC. The first people to really think about the implications of sorcerers being people who can use magic because there's weird shit in their family tree and tinker with a way to use that mechanically was [[Paizo]], in the pages of [[Dragon Magazine]]. Issue #311, to be precise. Here, the article "Arcane Ancestry" introduced the idea of ''Bloodline Feats''; feats that a sorcerer could take to represent distinctive ancestry by granting them unique bonus spells at the cost of losing access to a certain kind of magic that made thematic sense. The specific bloodlines to appear in this article consisted of:

'''Air Bloodline'''
::Associated With: [[Cloud Giant]], [[Storm Giant]], "Elemental Flying Creatures", [[Mephit]]s (Dust, Air, Ice)
::Typical Traits: blue eyes, wild and unkempt hair, restlessness, moody, alternatively apathetic and passionate, impatient, love to debate.
::Bonus spells: Obscuring Mist, Gust of Wind, Wind Wall, Shout, Telekinesis, Controll Winds, Ethereal Jaunt, Summon Monster VIII (Elementals & Air Subtype only), Freedom
::Restriction: Cannot cast spells with the Earth descriptor.

'''Celestial Bloodline'''
::Associated With: [[Deva]], [[Archon]], [[Couatl]], [[Lillend]], [[Titan]], [[God]]s (usually minor gods, demigods, and avatars)
::Typical Traits: Tendency towards Good alignment, strong desire to aid others, combat evil, or both
::Bonus Spells: Protection from Evil, Daylight, Magic Circle Against Evil, Rainbow Pattern, Dismissal, Guards & Wards, Sequester, Sunburst, Summon Monster IX (Good Outsiders only)
::Restriction: Can't cast spells with the Evil descriptor.

'''Draconic Bloodline'''
::Associated With: [[Dragon]]s, duh
::Typical Traits: Arrogant, obsessive, knowledge-focused, driven, avaricious
::Bonus Spells: Comprehend Languages, Darkvision, Protection from Elements, Fear, Mind Fog, True Seeing, Vision, Mind Blank, Dominate Monster
::Restriction: The character loses access to one category of spells of their choice.

'''Earth Bloodline'''
::Associated With: [[Stone Giant]], [[Mephit]] (Earth, Salt), [[Gargoyle]]
::Typical Traits: Hardy, solid-looking, dark coloration, earthy smell
::Bonus Spells: Enlarge Person, Shatter, Keen Edge, Stone Shape, Transmute Mud to Rock, Move Earth, Statue, Iron Body, Summon Monster IX (Elementals and Outsiders with Earth subtype only)
::Restriction: Cannot cast spells with the Air descriptor.

'''Fey Bloodline'''
::Associated With: [[Dryad]], [[Grig]], [[Nixie]]
::Typical Traits: Strange eye or hair colors, changing/fickle nature, quick to laugh or play tricks, slow to forgive or forget slights
::Bonus Spells: Detect Secret Doors, Glitterdust, Tongues, Hallucinatory Terrain, Seeming, Mislead, Sequester, Otto's Irresistible Dance, Wail of the Banshee
::Restriction: Cannot learn spells that create or control undead.

'''Fiendish Bloodline'''
::Associated With: [[Demon]]s and [[Devil]]s, dummy
::Typical Traits: Driven or haunted by potential for evil within regardless of alignment, strong internal struggles, murderous impulses
::Bonus Spells: Protection From Good, Darkness, Sepia Snake Sigil, Bestow Curse, Nightmare, Mislead, Insanity, Maze, Imprisonment
::Restriction: Cannot learn spells with the Good descriptor.

'''Fire Bloodline'''
::Associated With: [[Azer]], [[Mephit]] (Fire, Steam), [[Fire Giant]], [[Salamander]]
::Typical Traits: Wild red or coal black hair, smoky gray or golden eyes, hot-tempered, unpredictable, passionate, egotistical, prone to destructive behavior
::Bonus Spells: Hypnotism, Pyrotechnics, Tongues, Fire Shield, Cloudkill, Summon Monster VI (elementals and outsiders with Fire subtype only), Delayed Blast Fireball, Sunburst, Meteor Swarm
::Restriction: Cannot learn spells with the Water descriptor.

'''Water Bloodline'''
::Associated With: [[Triton]], [[Merfolk]]
::Typical Traits: Blue, green or white coloration, driven, determined, observant, adaptible
::Bonus Spells: Expeditious REtreat, Fog Cloud, Water Breathing, Quench, Transmute Rock to Mud, Otiluke's Freezing Sphere, Control Weather, Summon Monstre VIII (elementals & outsiders with Water subtype only), Elemental Swarm (water elementals only)
::Restriction: Cannot learn spells with the Fire descriptor.

The article was a big hit. So much so that in issue #323, Paizo put out a sequel, ''Arcane Ancestry II'', introducing the following new bloodlines:

'''Anarchic Bloodline'''
::Associated With: [[Demon]]s, [[Slaad]], [[Eladrin]], [[Titan]]s
::Typical Traits: Chaotic alignment (obviously), unusual traits such as mismatched eyes or untamable and strangely hued hair, prone to sudden whim and flights of fancy, restlness, adventurous
::Bonus Spells: Color Spray, Tasha's Hideous Laughter, Rage, Confusion, Mind Fog, Mislead, Prismatic Spray, Maze, Weird
::Restriction: Cannot learn spells with the Lawful descriptor.

'''Axiomatic Bloodline'''
::Associated With: [[Devil]]s, [[Archon]]s
::Typical Traits: Lawful alignment (no shit), symmetrical appearance, conservative dress, regimented/routine-driven lifestyle, organized, consistent, look down on abnormality or spontanity
::Bonus Spells: Detect Chaos, Locate Object, Magic Circle Against Chaos, Locate Creature, Dismissal, Trueseeing, Forcecage, Discern Location, Dominate Monster
::Restriction: Cannot learn spells with the Chaotic descriptor.

'''[[Illithid]] Bloodline'''
::Associated With: ...What the hell do you think, fluffy bunnies?
::Typical Traits: Bald, black eyes, purple-tinted pale skin
::Bonus Spells: Hypnotism, Detect Thoughts, Suggestion, Confusion, Feeblemind, Mass Suggestion, Insanity, Mindblank, Dominate Monster
::Restriction: Cannot learn spells that alter creatures' size or shape, including Enlarge Self and Polymorph.

'''Necromantic Bloodline'''
::Associated With: [[Undead]] (especially [[ghoul]], [[ghast]], [[lich]], [[mummy]], [[vampire]], [[wight]]), [[Necromancer]]s
::Typical Traits: Pale or ashen skin, dark eyes and hair, prediliction for black/white/gray clothing
::Bonus Spells: Cause Fear, Ghoul Touch, Vampiric Touch, Contagion, Dominate Person, Eyebite, Control Undead, Trap the Soul, Wail of the Banshee
::Restriction: Cannot learn spells of the Conjuration (Healing) subschool.

'''Penumbra Bloodline'''
::Associated With: Creatures of the [[Ethereal Plane]] and the [[Plane of Shadow]]
::Typical Traits: Thin, prefers plain clothing in gray or white, quiet, secretive, prefers darkness and shuns light, unusually dark or fair skin, black or stark white hair, silver or black irises
::Bonus Spells: Obscuring Mist, Darkness, Nondetection, Evard's Black Tentacles, Shadow Evocation, Shadow Walk, Plane Shift, Greater Shadow Evocation, Etherealness
::Restriction: Cannot learn spells with the Light descriptor.

'''Plant Bloodline'''
::Associated With: Powerful [[druid]]s or botany-obsessed [[fleshcrafting|lifeshapers]]
::Typical Traits: Brown skin, green eyes, patient, quiet
::Bonus Spells: Endure Elements, False Life, Water Breathing, Minor Creation, Transmute Rock to Mud, Control Water, Control Weather, Control Plants, Imprisonment
::Restriction: Cannot learn spells with the Death descriptor.

'''Serpent Bloodline'''
::Associated With: [[Yuan-ti]], [[Naga]]s, [[Serpentfolk]]
::Typical Traits: Yellow or black eyes, patches of scaly skin, 
::Bonus Spells: Cause Fear, Hypnotic Pattern, Sepia Snake Signal, Phantasmal Killer, Dominate Person, Repulsion, Power Word: Blind, Power Word: Stun, Power Word: Kill
::Restriction: Cannot learn spells that allow the caster to leave the ground, such as fly, levitation or overland flight.

Whilst never official, these were the foundation for the mechanics that would later be explored by 4th edition, Pathfinder and 5th edition, although only Pathfinder so far has approached the diversity and effects of these original articles.