Quote Originally Posted by JBarca View Post
Are you sure?

I always thought, based on these, that Bloodlines counted as levels, they just don't work in the exact same way as class levels (which might be what you're referencing, I think?).

Unless I'm missing something obvious?
Quote Originally Posted by JBarca View Post
I'm not. I'm saying that Bloodlines, being normal levels, do increase max skill ranks, as per the text. I was merely saying that I disagreed with Biffoniacus_Furiou saying that they don't count as levels at all. Since the text states that function as normal levels for several things, I assumed that they functioned as normal levels for those things.

Although, after looking at the text again, I will concede that I don't really see anywhere that states they do count as normal levels, so they probably don't. But I also don't see, then, how they function at all. Are they free? Are they, as Troacctid said, exactly like LA (taking up a "level," but can be bought off)?
You missed one important part:

Over the course of his career, a character with a bloodline becomes more powerful than one without a bloodline. Because the power gain is gradual over a span of twenty levels, a static level adjustment doesn't truly reflect this difference. instead, a bloodline character must take one or more levels of "bloodline" at various points in his career, as noted on Table: Bloodline Levels. Before a character with a bloodline reaches the indicated character level, he must take one class level of "bloodline." Class levels of "bloodline" do not increase a character's character level the way a normal class level does, but they do provide certain benefits (see below).
What you cited about adding bloodline levels to class levels for level-dependent class features and increasing max skill ranks is the exception to the above. They don't increase your character level at all, but they act like they do in those two ways, but those are the only two ways that they act like they've increased your character level. Anything else that counts character level, including experience rewards and experience needed to level up, completely ignores your bloodline levels.