True Bloodlines

[kgauck]

But passing a true bloodline to an heir, especially if your spouse is a commoner with no bloodline, would not sustain a true bloodline. You'd end up with great and major bloodlines. Over time, with further dilution, you end up with all the scions the books identify (and all the presumably similar scions they don't) with a lot of minor and tainted bloodlines, and a few major and great lines left.

The surviving true scions of Azrai didn't dilute their bloodlines producing heirs, they strengthened their bloodlines with bloodtheft and became immortals (more or less).

[irdeggman]

But passing a true bloodline to an heir, especially if your spouse is a commoner with no bloodline, would not sustain a true bloodline. You'd end up with great and major bloodlines. Over time, with further dilution, you end up with all the scions the books identify (and all the presumably similar scions they don't) with a lot of minor and tainted bloodlines, and a few major and great lines left.

The surviving true scions of Azrai didn't dilute their bloodlines producing heirs, they strengthened their bloodlines with bloodtheft and became immortals (more or less).

In 2nd ed, the strength and derivation was that of the parent with the highest score and the score was the average of the parents - so most likely a true bloodline would remain true through at least several generations due to the fact that the scion with the true bloodline had started with a higher score. (Book of Regency pg 16)

[kgauck]

Pg 17 states that "The only true bloodlines come from heroes and villains
that were actually at the Battle of Deismaar." So either all of the other scions are decendents of land's chocie, bloodtheft, or investiture, or between Deismaar and the present, dilution of at least some bloodlines have converted bloodlines to lower catagories of blood strength.

[ploesch]

I meant passing the Bloodline through investiture. I suppose i shoulda said Investing the bloodline for clarity.

[Sigmund]

But passing a true bloodline to an heir, especially if your spouse is a commoner with no bloodline, would not sustain a true bloodline. You'd end up with great and major bloodlines. Over time, with further dilution, you end up with all the scions the books identify (and all the presumably similar scions they don't) with a lot of minor and tainted bloodlines, and a few major and great lines left.

The surviving true scions of Azrai didn't dilute their bloodlines producing heirs, they strengthened their bloodlines with bloodtheft and became immortals (more or less).

I was thinking this too, but the book clearly says Roele's line would be a true line if it had survived. Also, I remember reading that alot of inbreeding goes on with the great houses to try to preserve bloodline strength, which would make perfect sense for a true bloodline because no other families around would be strong enough in the blood. It's hard to say for sure though because I've never read of any true bloodlines other than awnshegh.

I'm wondering if the setting was designed this way so players wouldn't have any families to try and be members of with true bloodlines unless the DM specifically wanted to introduce such to the campaign.

[Starmage21]

I was thinking this too, but the book clearly says Roele's line would be a true line if it had survived. Also, I remember reading that alot of inbreeding goes on with the great houses to try to preserve bloodline strength, which would make perfect sense for a true bloodline because no other families around would be strong enough in the blood. It's hard to say for sure though because I've never read of any true bloodlines other than awnshegh.

I'm wondering if the setting was designed this way so players wouldn't have any families to try and be members of with true bloodlines unless the DM specifically wanted to introduce such to the campaign.

The difference between a great and a true bloodline isnt all that great. Under the 3e rules, you have to take a 3rd class level(which still sucks if youre a spellcaster), to gain the greatest effect from your bloodline(+12 Blood Score and +6 leadership), but you otherwise gain nothing special over a great bloodline.
...You gain nothing special if youre a true bloodline of any derivation other than Azrai. Being of true blood derived from Azrai, youre doomed to live the curse of the awnsheghlien almost assuredly.

[Crazypostal]

Thanks for the answer. This certainly helps!

[graham anderson]

Some of the non azrai true bloodlines may be held by the ehrshe that we know very little about such as the treant, unicorn etc.

Some of them may well have been hunted and killed by the gorgon or others.

Some may still exist in hiding.

I make breeding harder in my games for the blooded the stronger the bloodline the harder it is to have children (with some exceptions). They arn't realy human anymore and the lines could just ahve died of in my games.

[TheRuleroftheUniverse]

[QUOTE=graham anderson]Some of the non azrai true bloodlines may be held by the ehrshe that we know very little about such as the treant, unicorn etc.
QUOTE]

Yes, does it not say under bloodline strengths that all the remaining true bloodlines are held by powerful awnshegh or ehrshegh. This would suggest that all the derivations have a true bloodline or two still wandering around. The fact that they're identities are not widely known is probably due to their not terrorizing and subjugating large portions of the continent.

[irdeggman]

[quote=TheRuleroftheUniverse]

Some of the non azrai true bloodlines may be held by the ehrshe that we know very little about such as the treant, unicorn etc.
QUOTE]

Yes, does it not say under bloodline strengths that all the remaining true bloodlines are held by powerful awnshegh or ehrshegh. This would suggest that all the derivations have a true bloodline or two still wandering around. The fact that they're identities are not widely known is probably due to their not terrorizing and subjugating large portions of the continent.

The 2nd ed text did not include this.

We added it into the BRCS in order to provide more definition to what happened and what the power of a True bloodline is about. It also helps to provide reasoning behind not allowing PCs to have true bloodlines (this was specified in the 2nd ed text also).