Examples of how to design potential bloodline ascendancies

Ascendancies should be directly useful generally. With specific limitation, they should provide more upside effect. With significant downside, they should provide far more power than usual points. Their function should be directly available, and stable. In some specific conditions, some ascenancies should be extremely strong, as the reward of specific build. That's my conclusion of ascendancy points we used.

As most of bloodline ascendancies are extremely bad and can hardly be promising, I spent about 4 hours to redisign all of them, and filled rational values (some might be a little high, but still reasonable).



Tialmaster’s bloodline:

Corruption’s embrace: Allocate one of the keystones on passive trees for free if at least 4 corrupted items are equipped. Passives in small radius of the chosen keystones can be allocated without being connected to your tree if at least 4 corrupted jewels are equipped. Allocate one of the special keystones for free if at least 8 corrupted items are equipped.
Small point: corrupt mods on your items and jewels have 20% increased effect.
List of special keystones:
Shepherd of souls (changed): vaal non-aura skills require 40% reduced souls. Vaal non-aura skills require 30% more souls per vall skills used recently.
Everlasting sacrifice
Sacrifice of blood
Corrupted soul
Immortal ambition
Divine flesh

Deceitful servant: Choose one of the points.
Priest of Yaomac: vaal non-aura skills have no soul gain prevention. Vaal non-aura skills require 30% more souls per use. Vaal non-aura skills can store 100% increased souls.
Priest of Kopec: vaal non-aura skills require 60% reduced souls. Vaal non-aura skills deal 30% less damage. Vaal non-aura skills have 20% less attack and cast speed. Vaal non-aura skills have 50% reduced skill effect duration.
Priest of Kamasa: +3 to level of all vaal skill gems. Vaal skill gems have 50% more skill effect duration. Vaal skill gems have 50% increased area of effect. Vaal skill gems fire 4 additional projectiles. 50% reduced soul gain prevention duration.
Small point: Vaal skills can store 20% increased souls. 1% increased damage per 4 souls stored in your socketed vaal skill with highest soul requirement.

Blood ritual: Choose one of the points.
Hewn flesh: skills reserve life instead of mana. 25% increased life reservation efficiency of skills. You are regarded on full life if you reserve more than 98% of life.
Impure blood: skills cost life instead of mana. You are regarded on low life if you consumed more than 50% of your life in past 8 seconds.
Small point: gain 7% of your maximum life as extra maximum energy shield



Oshabi’s bloodline:

The primal owl: Choose one of the points.
Primal echo: skills supported by spell echo can echo 1 additional times. The last 2 repeats of echoed skills have 50% more cast speed.
Primal unleash: skills supported by unleash have +4 to maximum number of seals. Unleashed spells gain 10% more damage each time their effects reoccur. 25% increased seal gain frequency.
Primal intensity: skills supported by intensity or pinpoint have +4 to maximum intensity. Lose 1 intensity every 0.5 time if you teleport in last 2 seconds, rather than lose all intensity immediately.
Small point: spells have 5% chance to deal double damage.

The vivid cat: Choose one of the points.
Vivid Elusive: elusive is removed from you at 100% effect. 50% increased effect of elusive on you. 50% chance to avoid elemental ailments while you have elusive.
Vivid onslaught: 150% increased effect of onslaught on you. 50% increased accuracy rating and evasion rating while you have onslaught.
Vivid phasing: 20% increased movement speed while you have phasing. +20% chance to suppress spell damage while you have phasing. Cannot be stunned while you have phasing.
Small point: 5% increased effect of buffs on you.

The wild bear: Choose one of the points.
Wild raging: +10 to maximum rage. Gain adrenaline for 8 seconds on reaching maximum rage.
Wild intimidation: your skills intimidate enemies. 100% increased effect of intimidation. Enemies intimidated by you deal 20% less area damage.
Wild taunting: hitting a taunted enemy with an exerted attack can recover 1 use to all warcries which exert this attack, no more than once per attack. 100% increased effect of taunt. Warcries have 50% increased area of effect.
Small point: attacks have 5% chance to deal double damage.



MistKing’s bloodline:

Unlight silhouette: skills gain added chaos damage equal to 12% of your maximum life.
Small point: 5% more maximum life.

The unseen hand: Choose one of the points.
+1 ring slot. Mirrored, corrupted or synthesized item cannot be equipped in the third ring slot.
+1 flask slot. Unique flasks, life flasks or mana flasks cannot be equipped in the sixth flask slot.
Grant 2 jewel sockets.
You can equip shield with a two-handed weapon equipped. Equipped shield doesn’t have block chance.
You cannot attack with your off-hand weapon while dual-wielding. Dual wielding grants no inherent bonus.
Small points: your items have 10% reduced level requirement.

Pragmatist: +7 to level of all non-aura skill gems. +4 to level of all aura skill gems. Grant “-1 level to supported skill gems” to all supported gems.
Small points: +8% quality to all skill gems.



Farrul’s bloodline:

Primal roar: You can have 1 additional aspect skill active. Aspect skills have 50% increased effect. Choose one of the points.
Grants level 30 aspect of the avian skill. Aspect of the avian reserves no mana.
Grants level 30 aspect of the cat skill. Aspect of the avian reserves no mana.
Grants level 30 aspect of the crab skill. Aspect of the avian reserves no mana. Lose 2 instead of all crab barriers when you take physical damage from a hit.
Grants level 30 aspect of the spider skill. Aspect of the avian reserves no mana.
Small point: Aspect skills have 20% increased effect.

Huntleader: Choose one of the points.
Trigger level 20 summon spectral tiger on critical strikes. Each spectral tiger grants +10% to critical multiplier, 5% increased attack speed and 5% increased cast speed.
Trigger level 20 summon spectral rhoa on summoning minions. Each spectral rhoa grants 10% increased minion damage and minions have 2% chance to deal double damage.
Trigger level 20 summon spectral maw when hit. Each spectral maw grants 2% physical damage reduction and 1% of armour also applied to elemental damage taken from hits.
Trigger level 20 summon spectral scorpion on dealing damaging ailments. Each spectral scorpion grants +5% to damage over time multiplier and damaging ailments deal deal damage 2% faster.
Small point: 3% increased damage per minion you have.

Farric/Fertile/Wild will: aura unchanged, three random additional mods each area deleted. “Raised beast spectres” is changed to “Beast companions”.
Small point: minions have 25% increased life. Grant skill “Bind beast companion” and “Summon beast companion”. Bind beast companion consumes one beast in your bestiary, keeps all modifiers on it. Summon beast companion has no reservation, summons the binded beast companion, and has a limitation of 1. Beast companions work similarly with spectre, revive on entering a new area.



Lycia’s bloodline:

Bitter heresy: “create profane ground instead of consecrate ground” is changed to “cursed enemies are regarded as on profane ground”.
Small point unchanged.

Sinner saint: Choose one of the points.
100% of lightning damage converted to chaos damage. Your chaos damage can inflict sap.
100% of cold damage converted to chaos damage. Your chaos damage can inflict brittle.
100% of fire damage converted to chaos damage. Your chaos damage can inflict scorch.
100% of physical damage converted to chaos damage. Your chaos damage can impale.
Small point: damage penetrates 5% of enemy chaos resistance.

Farewell to flesh: 100% increased mana reservation efficiency of herald skills. Herald skills have 75% more buff effect. +3 to level of all herald skills.
Small points: 20% increased herald buffs on you.



Delirious bloodline:

Manic episodes: grant level 1 embrace madness skill. While affected by glorious madness, inflict mania on nearby enemies per second. While affected by glorious madness, your hits inflict 1 stack of mania.
Small point: debuffs on you expire 25% faster.

Schizophrenic dissociation: “non-cluster jewels socketed in your passive skill tree have no effect” is changed to “jewels have 100% reduced effect, uncorrupted jewels socketed in side jewel sockets or cluster jewel sockets have 100% increased effect”
Small point: 10% of damage taken recouped as life.

Hallucinogenic tendencies: unchanged yet (redesign if too bad). Misty reflection skill granted should be an instant skill with a relatively short cooldown.
Small point: 10% increased cooldown recovery rate.



Catarina’s bloodline:

Umbral army: same mods, but grant 50% more values.
Small point: minions have 10% increased attack and cast speed.

Undead might: modifiers to minion damage apply to your skills’ damage. Increases and reductions to minion attack and cast speed also affect you. 1% more damage per minion you have, up to 30%.
Small point: minions deal 25% increased damage.

Generous offering: 50% increased effect of offering. Your offering effects applied to you and all nearby allies. Your offering skills seal one random minion temporarily. (sealed minion cannot move, takes no damage and deals no damage.)
Small point: offering skills have 20% increased duration.



Aul’s bloodline:

Precursor’s release: “with no socketed gems” is changed to “with at least 1 underground modifier”
Small point: underground modifiers have 20% increased effect

Choose one of the points:
The king’s heritage: count as having maximum number of endurance charges. Determination, vitality, pride and anger have 50% increased aura effect.
The king’s might: count as having maximum number of frenzy charges. Grace, precision, haste and hatred have 50% increased aura effect.
The king’s contempt: count as having maximum number of power charges. Discipline, clarity, zealotry, malevolence and wrath have 50% increased aura effect.
Small point: 30% increased endurance, frenzy and power charge duration. 12% increased mana reservation efficiency.

Endless darkness: grant skill hidden in darkness. Grant darkness stacks to you every 0.5 second while active. Immune to physical, lightning, cold, fire and chaos damage during this skill. Using this skill again will remove all darkness stacks and stop the immunity buff. Has a cooldown of 10 seconds.
Small point: take 5% reduced damage over time.



Olroth’s bloodline:

Rune barrier: Every 18 seconds, immune to physical damage for 3 seconds, immune to lightning damage for 3 seconds, immune to cold damage for 3 seconds, immune to fire damage for 3 seconds, immune to chaos damage for 3 seconds, immune to all damage for 3 seconds. (Applied by sequence).
Small point: buffs on you expire 10% slower.

Rune razor: choose 4 of the points.
Your hits cannot be blocked.
Your spells cannot be suppressed.
The extra damage from your critical strikes cannot be reduced.
Your resistances cannot be penetrated.
Your physical damage reduction cannot be overwhelmed.
The elemental ailments you inflict cannot be avoided or immune.
Poison, bleed and impale you inflict cannot be avoided or immune.
Your hits remove enemies’ energy shield.
Your movement speed cannot be modified to below base value.
Your cooldown recovery rate cannot be lowered.
Buffs on you cannot expire faster.
Small point: 10% reduced downside effect of explicit modifiers on your maps, invitations and logbooks.

Boon of the runes: choose 1 of the points.
Boon of the sun: damage taken bypasses ward. Take 1% reduced damage per 300 ward you have, to a maximum of 30%. 1% increased damage per 40 ward you have.
Boon of the mountain: 20% more ward if you have unbroken ward. 1% increased area of effect per 40 unbroken ward you have. 1% increased projectile speed per 40 unbroken ward you have.
Boon of the river: damage from a single hit deals no damage to life, mana or energy shield if you have ward. 5% chance to restore your ward on hit. Cannot have unbreakable ward.
Small point: 15% increased ward.

I hope you can take this as the constructive criticism it's meant to be.

These are not close to balanced, or even in the realm of "reasonable." Now to be fair, I didn't read them all, but I read three or four at random and there was a clear pattern.

It's a league ascendancy theme and you are sacrificing YOUR ascendancy to some degree to use them. They better scream "THIS IS GUD" because you know they are temporary.

If mercenaries launched with no auras, no unique item interaction, no hex/curse interaction, etc. then no one would care and be asking "where's the league power?"

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mnieradko#6070 wrote:

It's a league ascendancy theme and you are sacrificing YOUR ascendancy to some degree to use them. They better scream "THIS IS GUD" because you know they are temporary.

If mercenaries launched with no auras, no unique item interaction, no hex/curse interaction, etc. then no one would care and be asking "where's the league power?"

Everyone is already getting two additional equipment slots for free in the form of grafts. I don't know whether they work like armor or jewels, but in the worst case that's still 8 extra item affixes just slapped onto your character, plus two new skills which don't require any sockets. By themselves, that's already a ridiculous amount of power creep.

But even if they weren't... did you actually read any of OP's suggestions? His Aul idea literally has "become invulnerable" in it for 2 Ascendancy points.

I think this is actually worse then what they plan to launch XD you want triple s their bloodlines for core my ass go home

OP thinks Bloodlines are picked instead of existing Ascendancies, when they are meant to be complimentary and situational. This isn't Affliction league

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ArtCrusade#4438 wrote:

OP thinks Bloodlines are picked instead of existing Ascendancies, when they are meant to be complimentary and situational. This isn't Affliction league

Well you do have to unspec your regular ascendancy points to get them.
Affliction was a very fun league. If you take away the abyss farming its pretty solid.

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Lonnie455Rich#2087 wrote:

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ArtCrusade#4438 wrote:

OP thinks Bloodlines are picked instead of existing Ascendancies, when they are meant to be complimentary and situational. This isn't Affliction league

Well you do have to unspec your regular ascendancy points to get them.
Affliction was a very fun league. If you take away the abyss farming its pretty solid.

Yea? But those were the league's borrowed power. Bloodlines are likely meant to be added to core, whereas Grafts are this league's borrowed power. Bloodlines are meant to diversify builds.

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ArtCrusade#4438 wrote:

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Lonnie455Rich#2087 wrote:

"

ArtCrusade#4438 wrote:

OP thinks Bloodlines are picked instead of existing Ascendancies, when they are meant to be complimentary and situational. This isn't Affliction league

Well you do have to unspec your regular ascendancy points to get them.
Affliction was a very fun league. If you take away the abyss farming its pretty solid.

Yea? But those were the league's borrowed power. Bloodlines are likely meant to be added to core, whereas Grafts are this league's borrowed power. Bloodlines are meant to diversify builds.

I cant imagine some of these bloodlines going core. Also I haven't really thought about it like that but if that's the case its interesting the thought put into some of these vs others.

"

Lonnie455Rich#2087 wrote:

I cant imagine some of these bloodlines going core. Also I haven't really thought about it like that but if that's the case its interesting the thought put into some of these vs others.

Doubt all of these will go core as is but I see these bloodlines as "offerings" and they want to see what the community comes up with and go from there. I.e. see what works and what doesn't. Will be an interesting league!