Blackstaff's Book of Bloodlines

Blackstaff's Book of Bloodlines is a 3rd party splatbook for Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition released on the DM's Guild. Sequel to Blackstaff's Tome of Wizardry, it contains 31 new sorcerous origins (subclasses for the Sorcerer)... which, given how Wizards of the Coast has slacked off about filling that gap and instead preferred to ladle out love for the Wizard instead, makes it worth a look.

Each subclass also comes with a handful of unique spells to back it up, which is also welcome.

One trait all of the origins in this splatbook have in common is that they all provide a Bonus Spells type mechanic, something WotC shoiuld have done for the sorcerer from the beginning.

Alchemical Bloodline

Sorcerers of the Alchemical Bloodline unlocked magical power through alchemical experimentation, or by descending from those who played around with more potions or eldritch drugs than they should have. These sorcerers can brew potions from their blood, are more resistant to enemy spells, can punish those that dare to wound them in melee, and ultimately gain the ability to enter a trance in which they can buff the spellcasting abilities of their allies.

Arcane Bloodline

A concept that Pathfinder figured out in its first edition, the Arcane Bloodline represents a sorcerer who is naturally adept at wielding magic, whether due to just being a prodigy, hailing from a background steeped in arcane power, being the child of one or more powerful wizards, or having survived exposure to a powerful magical effect. They gain a diverse array of spells, and are naturally resistant to magic, can unlock several useful magical tricks, are better at using metamagic than the average sorcerer, and ultimately can feed on enemy spells to boost their lifeforce.

Avian Galecaster

From the name, you'd expect the Avian Galecaster to be an air elementalist. Well, you'd be right... but not entirely; they also specialize in necrotic energy for some reason, with an array of necromantic bonus spells and a capstone ability that lets them regain sorcery points when creatures die around them, contrasting the more "air elementalist" themed subclass abilities that they get for most of their levels. Their flavor is, sadly, not very well explained, but it's interesting to note that they bear a certain resemblance to the Grixis Galemages, an order of evoker-necromancers from the plane of Alara who specialize in harnessing the entropic winds that scour Grixis to rend foes asunder.

Battlemind

The first of several psionics-based subclasses, the Battlemind is an attempt to translate the psionic defender from Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition into 5e terms. Aside from a bevy of bonus buffs and the obvious bonus martial proficiencies and extra attack features, the 5e battlemind gets features that makes it tougher in the fight, able to use its "Claircognizant" (bonus) spells more freely, harder to take by surprise, and culminating in the ability to make a powerful telepathic assault.

Ceremorphosis Bloodline

As odd as the idea of a sorcerer whose bloodline is tied to illithids may sound, it's actually quite old, dating back to Dragon Magazine #323 and the article Arcane Ancestry II. Whilst the Ceremophosis Bloodline takes its name from the fundamental concept that you (or an ancestor) survived an attempt to implant an illithid tadpole due a genetic quirk, this bloodline could easily be tied into any number of illithid fleshcrafting experiments. Maybe you descend from an illithid infiltrator, created by implanting an illithid brain into a biomancy-altered human body. Or perhaps you belong to a monster cult that experimented with illithid grafts.

Regardless of how you flavor it, you're probably wondering why you'd take this over the canonical Aberrant Soul origin, WotC's official subclass for all sorcerers tied by blood to the Far Realm?

Well, to start with, there's your bonus spells feature Illithid Magic, which gives you a nice array of utility, defensive and offensive telepathy-themed spells, including the new custom spell "Mindfire". 1st level also gives you the Hostile Alien Thoughts feature, which grants Advantage on saves against all Divination, Enchantment and Charm spells & effects as well as dishing out 1d6 psychic damage to anyone who tries to target your mind against your will, (spend sorcery points to amp up the damage).

Level 6 gives you the Psychic Link feature, where you can spend a Sorcery Point to establish...well... a psychic link with any creature you successfully tag with a spell that does Psychic damage or requires an Int save. It costs 1 sorcery point per minute sustained, but whilst it's active, you can communicate with the target, you know its exact location and any mental conditions it's under, and it suffers Disadvantage against your spells and skill checks. Level 14's Psychic Syphon lets you gain back 1 Sorcery Point when you end a Psychic Link, at the cost of you and the target both taking a small amount of psychic damage. Finally, 18th level's Psionic Mastery lets you hold multiple Psychic Links active at the same time.

Conjurer of the Waves

The Conjurer of the Waves, in case it isn't obvious, is your Water Elementalism bloodline, largely associated with seafaring magical creatures such as tritons and merfolk. Needless to say, the features that this bloodline gives you makes you most useful when you're actually around bodies of water, a common failing of this archetype.

Cosmic Bloodline

With the Cosmic Bloodline, you return to an option not seen since Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition; the "star magic" sorcerer, who draws their powers from the celestial firmament. Except that this time you can draw power from the element of space itself (called "Void") as well as the elemental powers of the sun, moon and stars. Whether you have an alien ancestor or benefited from astromantic rituals, this is one of the more mechanically complex subclasses in the book.

The foundation of the bloodline's features is the level 1 feature, Cosmic Alignment, which lets you designated whether you are attuned to the Element of Sun, Moon, Stars or Void after completing a rest. You get a special bonus based on which element you're attuned to, and level 6's The Cosmos Above unlocks a stronger benefit.

Also at level 6, you pick up the Cosmic Avenger feature, which lets you create a magical cloak that you can use to "share" hostile spells of 5th level or lower back with their original caster if you get hit. Level 14's Starsight lets you create a small ball of magical light that has different effects depending on your Cosmic Alignment. Finally, level 18's Cosmic Form lets you spend 6 sorcery points to transform into a super-mode for 1 minute.

Cursed Bloodline

With the Cursed Bloodline, the basic idea is that either your ancestor was cursed but the curse has weakened over generations, endowing you with the ability to manipulate fate and inflict misfortune on others, or else you have somehow gained the ability to act as a living jinx to those around you, with the results being at least partially under your control.

Naturally, this bloodline is all about them debuffs, baby. Your bonus spells give you a bounty of ways to mess with someone's day, whilst your features give you an ever-increasing arsenal of methods for screwing over the dice rolls of your enemies.

Elemental Enchanter

With a name like Elemental Enchanter, it's obvious that this is an Elementalist subclass. What makes this different to the vast array of other elemental sorcerers out there is that this one focuses on manipulating the elements as a whole, rather than specializing! Whether you have a tie to the Elemental Chaos, or just a natural knack for drawing on more than one kind of elemental magic at once, the spells and features all give you access to elemental powers as a whole without specifically tying you to a theme as "the ice witch" or "the fire guy".

Erythrocyte Origin

All sorcerers draw their power from the blood, but those of the Erythrocyte Origin take that concept to a whole new level by literally drawing their power from their blood. They're innate sangromancers, with an intuitive ability to manipulate the blood in their own veins and then control blood around them. It makes them much tankier than the regular sorcerer.

Eye Tyrant Bloodline

A natural counterpart to the Ceremorphosis Bloodline, the Eye Tyrant Bloodline gives you powers tied to Beholders. Maybe a really powerful beholder had some really fucking weird dreams, maybe your ancestor experimented in beholder eye grafts, maybe you descend from beholder cultists. Whatever the case, you pick up bonus spells and features that allow you to emulate the iconic traits of D&D's most recognizable floating balls of doom.

Fey Diviner

Despite its name, the Fey Diviner doesn't have any particular connection to the Diviner Wizard. This is all about being the Fey-blooded sorcerer, with a mixture of spells that emulate classic fey trickery and subclass features that build on the fey's connection to nature and magic. In fact, the new spells associated with this subclass consist of 3 Transmutation spells (Feywild Adagio, Forest Seize, Pillar of Thorns) and 1 Illusion spell (Flicker), so the name really doesn't make a lot of sense.

Fiend Bloodline

Simple, obvious and self-explanatory, the Fiend Bloodline is all about wielding black magic, with plenty of fiery scorching spells (though your Abyssal Hellfire 1st level feature also boosts acid spells), new spells to emulate iconic fey tricks, the ability to conjure fiendish creatures, and ultimately the power to assume fiendish physical traits for yourself.

Ghost Bloodline

One of three necromancer options for sorcerers in this splatbook, the Ghost Bloodline is all about them spooky tricks. Bonus spells give you access to classic haunting manuevers, whilst your subclass features make you more and more like an actual ghost as you level up.

Hatred-Driven

The Hatred-Driven wields the power of hate! How is that possible? Fucked if we know. Maybe you're the magical misfit child of a dynasty of berserkers. Maybe you shouldn't have drunk that giant or demon blood. Maybe a strength-boosting concoction worked too well. Whatever the cause, you gain a mixture of destructive and buffing spells, a knock-off Barbarian Rage, Extra Attacks, increased Force damage, and enlarged area of effects for spells.

Kinetic Mind

For quite a while, WotC toyed with the idea of folding psionics into the sorcerer; these guys decided to just say "fuck it" and go right ahead with that idea. As the name suggests, the Kinetic Mind is basically a replacement for your telekinetic-focused psion. Whatever the reason, which may or may not include gith blood, Far Realm exposure or surviving an encounter with an aberration, you have the power to move shit with your mind. Plenty of TK flavored bonus spells, a psionic forcefield, the ever-handy Extra Attack feature, increased affinity for dishing out force damage, and even a fly speed, all due to your abilities of mind over matter.

Lich Bloodline

The second of the necromancer options, the Lich Bloodline is a sorcerer whose powers are somehow tied to a powerful lich. Maybe one of your ancestors walked that terrible route to power, or maybe you were exposed to the fell energies of a lich's phylactery in some way. Whatever the reason, it gave you a bevvy of necromancy spells and slowly imbues you with the abilities of a lich.

Mechanus-Born

One of the more redundant bloodlines, since the Clockwork Soul is already a thing, the Mechanus-Born has some mysterious connection to Mechanus in general or the modrons in particular. You can nullify buffs on enemies, shake off charm and shapechange spells, trade out Advantage on attack rolls and skill checks to yoiur allies, summon a floating gear from Mechanus to serve as a kind of budget Tenser's Disk, and spend sorcery points to nullify Disadvantage on attack rolls or skill checks that you are suffering from.

Medusa Bloodline

A more distinct flavor of serpentine magic, the Medusa Bloodline imbues you with the powers of the ur-medusa. You pick up assorted serpent and stone-related spells, gain an affinity for serpentine creatures, your blood turns into poison, and ultimately you unlock first the ability to tranform into the iconic form of an "ur-medusa" (the lamia-medusa), and then its infamous petrifying gaze.

Mistborn Bloodline

If you guessed from the name that the Mistborn Bloodline gains powers by being touched by the mysterious vapors that grant access to (and rarely, from) the Demiplane of Dread, give yourself a cigar. You get lots of mist, fog and vapor-related spells, and an ever-increasing array of bonuses when immersed in both magical and mundane fumes and smoke.

Moontouched Bloodline

Overlapping just a little with the Cosmic Bloodline, the Moontouched Bloodline gains luna powers from association with either the moon or one of its dread therianthrope spawn.

Nomad Mind

Another psion adaptation, the Nomad Mind is an intuitive master of the arts of teleportation, often having a tie to either portals or conjurers in their history. If you want to play a Dimensionalist in 5e, this is a pretty good pick, with plenty of teleportation-related spells and bonus abilities.

Prophetic Soul

Tapping into a deep mythological wellspring, the Prophetic Soul is... well... it's the Sorcerer version of the Diviner. Really, you can dress it up however you like, but that's literally what it boils down to in a nutshell.

Raven Queen's Beloved

The Raven Queen's Beloved is... seriously not going to do the Raven Queen of 5e any favors in the ongoing denouncement of her being a Mary Sue. Long story short, the Raven Queen has a personal vested interest in your survival, and you gain a mixed array of powers and abilities to reflect this protection. You can bend fate to your whim in limited ways, you have Necrotic Resistance, you can walk or climb on literally anything as ephemeral spirits buoy you up in hope of winning the Raven Queen's favor, you can intermittently beg her for a wish (which, admittedly, translates as "spend sorcery points to cast a 7th level or lower spell 1/day), and finally you can call upon her wrath to curse enemies.

Sanguiraptor Bloodline

The Sanguiraptor Bloodline descends from a cabal of mystics who came up with a radical idea: if sorcery ultimately stems from bearing the blood of magical creatures, and magic can manipulate blood, then why not develop new sangromantic abilities and steal sorcerous power directly from magical creatures? The result was basically a 5e equivalent of the famous Final Fantasy Blue Mage; a sorcerer able to copy spells and eventually physical abilities from other beings around them.

Scaled Bloodline

Associated with Yuan-Ti and Lizardfolk, the Scaled Bloodline represents a sorcerer whose ancestry ties into the ancient reptilian races that once ruled the world, giving them an affinity for their uniquely primal magics.

Solar Bloodline

No, you're not an angel-blooded sorcerer. The Solar Bloodline is the cosmic counterpart to the Moonbound Bloodline, and represents a tie to the raging powers of the sun itself. Basically, this is a fancy origin for a fire elementalist; burning spells and class features that revolve around being better at burning shit are what you should expect, because they're what you get.

Spellfire Wielder

The only bloodline in the book explicitly tied to the Forgotten Realms (okay, the Scaled Bloodline talks about the Sarrukh, but it's easily reflavored), the Spellfire Wielder is an homage to a concept from the Realm's earliest days. These sorcerers have the power to wield spellfire - the silvery flames that are the rawest, purest manifestation of the Weave of Magic, which can be sculpted and shaped into a highly diverse array of forms.

Basically, stick a fire elementalist and an abjurer in a blender, and you have the basic idea of what a spellfire wielder is like.

Twin Bloodline

No, sadly, this is not a bloodline where you get the benefits of two sorcerous origins at once. Rather, the Twinned Origin is a character who was born as a twin and where both twins had the spark of magic, resulting in a deep mystical connection between them from which the sorcerer can draw power. A sidebar even notes that this subclass is meant to be played by two sorcerer PCs in the party at the same time, but mechanics are given to "shift" the second twin to any other PC instead.

Vampire Bloodline

What is there to say? The last of the three necromancer sorcerers in this book, the Vampire Bloodline is all about becoming more like a vampire.

Wildheart Bloodline

Blurring the line between sorcerer and druid, the Wildheart Bloodline represents a sorcerer whose powers stem from an intimate connection with the magical essence of nature itself.