Weekly Wonders - Archetypes of War Volume IV - Support

Everybody Loves the Healer

There is battle, and then there is warfare. Many adventurers are familiar with wading into combat against monsters and small groups of enemies, but this is nothing next to the glory and chaos and carnage that is true war. More than simply a change in scale, the difference between war and other combat can be profound. In a war, the characters are part of something larger than themselves, contributing to the efforts of their armies, or perhaps leading those armies themselves. The priorities of a soldier are different from those of an adventurer, and often the challenges that they face are, as well. While many characters can translate their talents as adventurers to the battlefield, one who specifically focuses on warfare and battlefield tactics will have the edge on others when it comes to true war. Each installment of Weekly Wonders: Archetypes of War provides six new war-themed archetypes for a variety of classes.

For this book, we focus on support, the unsung heroes of every army whose role it is to keep their allies going in the face of long marches, low morale, and, of course, overwhelming odds. Whether it’s healing wounds, inspiring allies to perform at their best, or unlocking powers they never knew they had, the characters in this book may not hound the glory, but they are nonetheless vital to ensuring the group makes it through any trial. This book contains the following archetypes.

• The allycaster, an arcanist archetype that is able to cast spells far more effectively on her allies.
• The occult tactician, an occultist archetype that can invest focus in allies, as well as objects.
• The devious assistant, a rogue archetype that can protect nearby allies from area effects, and even allow allies to make sneak attacks.
• The battle poet, a skald archetype that can inspire his allies to great heights, and even imbue them with magical power.
• The new subdomains ally, care, friend, and shelter.
• A bonus archetype for the mystic, from Path of War Expanded by Dreamscarred Press, the glyphwarder can heal her allies and create special glyphs to empower them.

Whether you're about to embark on a campaign of military exploits (such as the official Paizo adventure path dealing with invading forces), or you just want to play a more military character, this book has lots of tantalizing options to offer. Even GMs can get in on the fun, as several of the archetypes here are perfect for militarily-inclined NPCs as well, and can make for exciting and memorable encounters.