find a way to limit # of bloodlines [BIRTH

[Daniel McSorley]

From: Bearcat


> Well, I think that it would be fairly simple to explain how
>bloodlines tend to die out. According to the rules when to scions marry
>their children will have a bloodline strength equal to the lower of the two
>parents'. This means that, since there are not enough great lines out there
>to keep intermarrying, the bloodlines of second sons and daughters would
>gradually diminish over the centuries, going from Great, to (if lucky)
>major, to minor, to tainted to non existent. Remember, because of this rule
>of diminishing power, a scion's descendents will never have bloodlines more
>powerful than the scion himself.
>
I thought the rule stated that the child got the average of the parents'
scores, and its derivation was that of the parent with the higher one?
Also, the Ceremony of Designation from the BoP can give the heir a boost.
Say a child was born to two scions, one of Anduiras, 40, the other of
Reynir, 20, the kid would have Anduiras 30. The parent w/ a 40 may do some
RP investitures, kill an awnshegh or two, and end up with a 50, say. He can
then make sure that the child receives that bloodline upon his death.
Daniel McSorley- mcsorley.1@osu.edu

[Eric Scarazzo]

Actually, while you're right that the rules state that children get the
average of the scores and the stronger of the derivations, it does not say
anything about the actual strength of the bloodline (great, major, minor,
tainted) - which is supposed to measure the purity of the blood.

[mmacgregor@statestreet.c]

Maybe there has been a hell of a lot of bloodtheft going on throughout
the ages.

[David Sean Brown]

> generations it all tends to even out (I haven't seen in any of the
> expantions a tainted 50 bloodline).

Easy eonough. Regent starts with a tainted Bloodline..say 10. Through
action, deed and more than a little bloodtheft, Bloodline goes up
..to..tah dah..50! A lot of people on this list like to use the idea that
your bloodline type (tainted, major, minor, great, true) goes up as your
bloodline score doesn, but that isn't discussed anywhere in the books.
I've always played under the notion that your bloodline type was a result
of your ultimate ancestors' proximity to the big bang..it has no bearing
on your max score...just how "pure" that particular God's energy is in you
and your ancestors. Personally, I don't thnk there is any way of
increasing your bloodline type..but that is just my opinion.

Sean

[James Ray]

> From: David Sean Brown
Personally, I don't thnk
there is any way of increasing your bloodline type..but that is just my
opinion.
>
> Sean

For my part, I tend to agree. Of course, everybody WANTS to be able to
enhance their Bloodline Strength as they increase their Bloodline Score,
so, there you go... I always took the little "tainted", "minor", "major",
etc as a vague description of how "pure" a character's bloodline was - how
many commoners had dilluted the mix, etc. The higher the Score goes, it
stands to reason that the Strength would go up, too, but it should probly
be determined according to role-playing, that is, does the character ACT
more noble with his higher Bloodline Score? It probly doesnt matter - the
PC who begins play with a "Major" Bloodline at a Score of "8" is still at a
severe disadvantage against an NPC whose "Tainted" Bloodline's Score is a
"16".

[Gary V. Foss]

James Ray wrote:

> > From: David Sean Brown
> Personally, I don't thnk
> there is any way of increasing your bloodline type..but that is just my
> opinion.
>
> For my part, I tend to agree. Of course, everybody WANTS to be able to
> enhance their Bloodline Strength as they increase their Bloodline Score,
> so, there you go... I always took the little "tainted", "minor", "major",
> etc as a vague description of how "pure" a character's bloodline was - how
> many commoners had dilluted the mix, etc. The higher the Score goes, it
> stands to reason that the Strength would go up, too, but it should probly
> be determined according to role-playing, that is, does the character ACT
> more noble with his higher Bloodline Score? It probly doesnt matter - the
> PC who begins play with a "Major" Bloodline at a Score of "8" is still at a
> severe disadvantage against an NPC whose "Tainted" Bloodline's Score is a
> "16".

I was one of those guys who thought you could raise the bloodline derivation by
raising the bloodline strength score, but I've decided that was wrong.
Bloodline derivation (tainted, minor, etc.) seems like it should be the way
people have described it recently, that is the proximaty of the person to the
gods at Deismaar. That's why the bloodline strengths can overlap so
drastically during character generation, to reflect the way the bloodline
strength could have been diluted over the generations while the derivation
remains the same. In that respect, I don't know if bloodline derivation should
ever go up or down despite marriage with commoners, bad rulership or anything
else. I suppose that means you could have a character with a major bloodline
who had a 10 bloodline strength, but that's just the way the cookie crumbles.

Gary