#battlecry!

(art by YanoLidge on DeviantArt)

The classic image of the wizard is something that has developed not just from fantasy media, but also from the game itself. Nobody questions these days that a mage should dress in light, voluminous clothing and have basically no swordsmanship training. Why would they? Swordplay distracts from the studies of the arcane and wearing armor restricts the movements required for grandiose somatic gestures that are clearly required for most spellcasting. Not at all a transparent attempt at game balancing by making the mages bad at something and fragile to make up for the fact that they can tell the laws of physics to go stuff it a number of times per day.

But interestingly, while previous editions had whole rules for the ways that armor physically hindered spellcasting, those restrictions are gone now, with only the premise that the wizard really didn’t train in such things being the only reason they have not… But what if they did?

Trained by war colleges that were more concerned with practical application of magic rather than advanced theory, war mages are not just trained to wear armor and wield weapons alongside casting spells (albeit still not as good as a magus or a nonmagical swordsman), but they are also trained in using magic to support armies, providing artillery support as well as magical protection for large groups at once. Of course, they have their own drawbacks and perhaps understand the deeper mysteries of magic less than someone wholly dedicated to the arcane, but ask any soldier and they’ll tell you which they’d rather have at their back when the battle is joined.

So yes, it’s time for another class archetype, specifically for the wizard, for a mage that is not afraid to sometimes get into the thick of it alongside other warriors.

Like other class archetypes, the war mage makes some changes at level 1. Firstly, they receive training in light and medium armor, but do not gain the defensive robes ability. Next, they learn how to shield block as well as how to use martial weapons. They must belong to the school of battle magic (granting them a specialization in blasting and defensive spells), but they do not have an arcane thesis they are working on, nor do they start with a bond (they can get that later, more on that in a bit). They do, however, have the ability to convert any spell slot they have prepared into a spell that improves the accuracy of their next attack, heighted to the power of the sacrificed spell slot.

A plethora of changes, but now we get to the dedication for the archetype. This grants training in warfare lore, as well as training on how to manipulate the forces of area-effect spell to shove around those affected, forcing them into a tactically advantageous position.

Those familiar with field dressing can add phantasmal bandages and medical aid to a friendly spell cast on an ally, helping to tend to their wounds even as they bolster them with magic.

By manipulating the specifics of the shield spell, these mages can instead cause it to project a replica of the shield they currently wield, gaining better defenses on the fly, but also letting them project the shield to protect nearby allies instead.

Sometimes in war one must not only cast normal magic, but more powerful effects by way of rituals as well. Not only are some war mages trained to better ignore distractions while casting so-called siege rituals, but they also learn a basic one as well as others further down the line. (Since “siege” is not an actual descriptor for rituals, assume that any ritual that came from the Battlecry! book and requires the use of the Warfare Lore skill to be such a ritual).

Rather than leave their martial skill as basic weaponry, some of these wizards train with more advanced weapons, and those that learn how to bespell their weapons improve the extra harm done with them.

Part of the effectiveness of being a living artillery piece is the terror a mage can inspire with explosions and other widespread magical attacks. And some war mages learn to leverage that quite effectively, striking terror into the hearts of foes even as they rain down death from the heavens.

With special techniques, many learn how to create an array of magical shields around nearby allies, which can be sacrificed like a normal shield spell to absorb the brunt of an incoming hit.

Those with a defensive bent turn their shields into their very own bonded items, allowing them to be drained to power their magic. What’s more, they can infuse their shield with some spell energy to heighten the potency of the spell they recast with the shield.

Some master melee combat so well that they perfect the critical technique of the weapon, and even unleash greater surges of destructive energy with a bespelled blow.

The most dangerous thing about being a spellcaster in the middle of a battlefield is that there are lots of people with sharp implements that would rather the wizard not cast those spells, and are willing to express that feeling by using those implements. However, war mages that truly master their craft know how to ready and brace themselves before casting to keep their guard up and not provoke such attacks, at least with their lower-level magics.

If you plan on being a very combat-focused wizard, this archetype is a very fun option. Admittedly you are locked into a school that doesn’t give much emphasis on utility casting, and you lose out on your bonded item and your arcane thesis, so it’s not like this is a strict improvement on the class, merely a shift in priority. That being said, you can dip into it for some combat versatility, go in deep to become a somewhat competent pseudo-magus, and otherwise build for blasting and party protection to your hearts content.

I have to imagine that there is something of a rivalry between some academic wizards and war mages. It’s not a wholly inaccurate statement to say that such battle wizards have not grasped the full mysteries of the arcane. Some might even call them dabblers. For their part, of course, war mages understand that they might not be able to quote the esoterica quite so readily, but they do have knowledge in other areas, particularly tactics, camaraderie, and good practical sense.

The casualties of war are numerous, and they are not limited to humanoids. Animals both wild and domestic often end up dead either through direct action or starvation due to the loss of their owner. Such was the case of Mildred, who rose again as an undead terror known as a predatory rabbit. Currently, the eerie thing is in the care of the cruel warmage Votaa, who enjoys tormenting prisoners with it.

When a new threat appears in the middle of a battlefield, the party’s squad and enemy forces alike are forced to retreat underground to escape the new threat. Given the circumstances, the warmage leader of the enemy forces agrees to a truce until a way out is achieved. Will this alliance lead to disaster, or newfound respect.

(art by IrenHorrors on DeviantArt)

Necromancy as a whole sits in a different spot in Second Edition than it did in First Edition. As the magic of manipulating the energies of life and death, it can be a source of healing, but also some frankly disturbing harmful spells. It is also where many undead arise from, brought back by the efforts of necromancers into deathless forms that they normally would not have arisen as.

Where things differ is that now any would-be necromancer, be it a cleric of a dark god, a wizard, (or perhaps even the upcoming “true” necromancer class that is currently stuck in development hell) can cast a different sort of animation spell that summons facsimiles of undead creatures in the same manner as other summons without the pesky details like finding a dead body or unquiet soul. Still grisly, still mucking with forces in a way they were never meant to be used, but at least nobody’s soul is getting violated.

That is of course until they start learning various create undead rituals and start making more permanent minions. Those definitely are a violation of someone’s spiritual dignity.

However, unless the necromancer is especially wealthy or happens upon a pre-existing horde, they are unlikely to be ready to field mass armies of the dead at a moment’s notice… unless they are a necrologist.

Like the name suggests, necrologists study the dead, more specifically the deaths of many. From the lists of the fallen from battlefields to church records of the births and deaths of the town’s residents and so on, seeking to glean patterns of an occult nature from mass death, and in turn, give them power over hordes.

The result is a sort of necromancer whose entire gimmick is conjuring up a temporary horde of undead from the deaths they have studied. Interestingly though, this archetype is set up in a way where the morality of this can vary a lot. More heroic necrologists might see themselves as giving the fallen a chance to avenge themselves en masse against their killers, and almost certainly involve calling up spiritual echoes rather than the actual souls of the slain (probably), and meanwhile, more malicious necrologists might be holding multiple souls in their power, using them as weapons to manifest deathly bodies when needed.

The base dedication of this archetype requires the aspirant to be able to cast animate dead/summon undead from spell slots, meaning it is open to all casters except those with the primal spell list, which makes sense. For taking it, however, the necrologist gains the ability to summon up a horde of undead, which can take the form of zombies or skeletons when summoned. While massive and resistant to all but area damage, it is also directly tied to the caster’s life force, meaning that harm to the horde causes feedback to the caster. Thankfully it can also be banished with relative ease in those moments when it is more cumbersome than useful. While it is out though, it can move and attack, though having such a horde does normally preclude you from having companions, familiars, or other followers.

Keeping oneself and the horde going is quite a process, and so many of these mystics learn to harvest the spent life energy of those brought low by the horde in order to buffer their own vitality.

Many hordes have quite strong grips, and while they might not necessarily get a firm grip on foes, it can still snatch and pull at them to open their defenses.

Normally the horde is rather slow, but with master the necrologist can speed them up a bit.

A face in the crowd is often a turn of phrase for people hiding in living groups, but some mystics and their allies are permitted to wade into the sea of death they have created, using the bodies around them as cover.

Powerful necrologists can call upon a ghostly horde instead of a corporeal one, granting new resistances and attacks that sap the living of their strength, but of course no substance or ability to fight fellow undead.

Being both masters of their horde and of other summoning magic, many learn to split their focus, allowing them to maintain both their horde and undead they conjure.

Like a great tide, the dead can seize foes as they engulf them, dragging them along, though they can’t keep them stuck inside the mass for long.

Adapting to the situation is important, and with a gesture, these necromancers can switch the type of horde they are using from among those they have available.

With a command, these mystics might command the horde to unleash a horrifying streak that saps the will to live and the courage from those that hear it.

When it comes time to dismiss the horde, it often does not go quietly, clawing at the very essence of nearby creatures, weakening them.

Finally, powerful necrologists are able to strengthen the horde enough that it can maintain a grip on prey, arresting their movement and leaving bleeding claw wounds in their flesh.

This archetype can be difficult to use, since it shares the hp of your character, so I suggest investing in plenty of ways to buff your AC to prevent that from being a problem. A base class with a divine or occult spellcasting is probably preferable due to the ability to heal oneself, but don’t dismiss the punishing power of an arcane caster either. Regardless of your choice, the horde covers a very wide area despite not having reach, meaning that foes will be forced to work around it’s dimensions, in addition to all the problems it can cause them directly.

Necromancers that control hordes of zombies and the like are hardly new, but there is an opportunity for roleplay here that you don’t see with other undead-controlling characters. In the case of more benevolent necrologists, they might understand and identify the individual spiritual echoes within their horde, making the effort to learn about their hopes and dreams before the soul that left that imprint met an untimely demise. Extrapolate that to the whole horde and that could be a very different relationship than just master and mindless slaves.

Wars between wizards are almost universally pointless affairs that waste many lives in the service of petty feuds between the so-called wise ones. Such is the case in the new war between the Master of Dweomers and the Necromancer-King. However, most undead lack the perceptions to see through the traps and illusions of the Master’s trickery, so the Necromancer King has been forced to train and deploy special troops of his own, mortals with magic and cunning that can summon and desummon armies of spirits on the fly, and have the wit to understand a trap when they see it.

The nation of Norrist may have won the war against their enemy, but it has become a haunted land. Countless spirits wander lost, yearning for the homes they left behind when they marched for war. It therefore becomes necessary for scholars of the dead to round these spirits up, help them remember their names, and guide them back home.

(art by Zliva on DeviantArt)

What’s better than one badass hero tearing up the battlefield? Two of course! Especially if that duo works together with such fluid correspondence that you’d be forgiven for assuming it is some kind of rehearsed choreography instead of, you know, acting and reacting in the heat of battle.

In the Pathfinder core setting, perhaps no philosophy/eldritch art demonstrates that deeper than the battle-bond invented by the Iridian Fold, a philosophy that emerged in the city of Ular Kel in Karazh on the continent of Casmoran, where the mysterious “Teacher” taught the son of one of the Water Lords that ruled the city and his lover how to establish an emotional bond so great that is developed a true psychic link between the two, allowing the two men to live truly as one and master a fighting style where they moved as one as well.

So we have a cool telepathic fighting style tied to canonically queer characters! Yay!

…That also declared itself a no-girls club because of a misogynistic belief that a woman’s ability to bear children would make them unable to establish the bond since there were “too many voices” within them.

…yay?

This would not remain the case, however, for while the Iridian Fold was eventually disbanded, a splinter group of it, called the Iridian Choir, survived!

So named because they openly mocked the idea that such psychic links were locked behind gender and genital configuration, the Iridian Choir persisted, and eventually gained a resurgence in the city of Kaer Maga in Varisia!

To be clear, the relationship between the bondmates does not have to be as lovers or betrothed, but regardless of the nature of their relationship, there is no denying that the two are extremely close, transcending mere friendship. Additionally, despite the person who takes this archetype being called a teacher and their bond partner a student, their relationship does not necessarily have that air of authority to it.

While the series of teamwork feats from First Edition that this archetype conceptually treats as it’s ancestor was focused on a duo of spellcaster and martial warrior, we’ll soon see that the Iridian Choirmaster and their partner are more focused on fighting together directly. So let’s have a look!

The base dedication of this archetype allows the aspiring warrior to establish a bond with a chosen companion, allowing them to communicate simple messages telepathically at will, and of course, set them up to use the other techniques associated with this path.

By feigning injury or other opening in their defense, these choirmasters can distract a foe enough for their student to get in hits of their own. Even pretending to drop one’s guard does create small openings though, so it is a risky play.

Moving as one, both master and student can both make short movements at the same time. Often, they do this to achieve a flanking position on their chosen foe.

With mental signals and a reading of intent, some train to be able to launch a foe’s weapon or held items away with a disarming maneuver in such a way that their student can catch it with a free hand, further depriving their foe of their arsenal.

Sharing subtle cues, those of the Iridian Choir watch each other’s back and inform each other of hidden foes and features that might escape the notice of the other.

Sometimes a failure of a maneuver creates an opportunity for another to succeed. As such, when the student fails an attack or maneuver, their teacher can immediately attempt the same if they are able.

Feinting normally only creates an opening for the feinter, but Choirmasters do so in such a way that their student can also take advantage as well with their master’s urging.

Choirmasters and students that have magical power can learn to share the essence of the energies they channel when they succeed at targeting a weakness, the choirmaster’s own strikes and spells shifting to match the damage that punished that vulnerability for a few seconds thanks to their psychic bond.

Working in concert, the master can mentally direct their student to focus on the wound or gaps created by their own successful strike, guiding the student to accurately follow up with their own.

Take advantage of the damage of their student’s attack or spell, some masters use that to slip into a more advantageous position.

Naturally, their link also means that they can avoid blasts and other reflex-based threats using the greater of their two reflexes when necessary.

While their student listens to them, neither member of the bond is less than the other, and the master will sometimes interpose themselves between a their pupil and a foe that is reactively attacking their student, potentially deflecting or at least absorbing the blow or effect in their companion’s place.

As they circle their foe and move into range, both master and student can strike at the foe simultaneously, punishing them from both sides.

That coordination serves them further in other tandem attacks too, allowing them to overwhelm the defenses of their foes.

The most powerful bonds actually go beyond simple messages to full telepathy, and let them either absorb mental effects for the other, or use the better resistance when fighting off mental effects that target them both.

This archetype is very fun, basically making two companions even better in fighting together. I do find it annoying that many of their abilities only work one way, with the student reacting to the master or vice versa, but it’s not terrible. It’s also an archetype that really kinda gets good when you invest into it, as a quick dip really doesn’t get you much. But the good news is that only one character has to invest into it. Beyond that, I mostly recommend this archetype for melee combatants, either with purely combat-based classes or those with some spellcasting. Honestly, of all of them, Guardian might be the best pick, since so much of their abilities focus on protecting others. However, there are plenty more ways to build them both defensively and offensively.

While this archetype might have been born out of a lore beat of a culture that normalized misogyny, I like how they’ve evolved it with stripping the interesting powers away from that source and revitalized it. It almost feels like a metaphor for taking the good and important things from media and making something new in spite of a troubled history.

Novbroden has been training others in the art of the battle-bond for nearly two hundred years. He has seen many bond-mates move on to form their own bonds, and many more die in his arms, but the old elf remains as kind and open as ever, though the pain of those memories has left lines on his face. Many more of those lines, however, are from smiles.

No one is quite certain where the original art of the Iridian Bond originated from, though scholars have tried to trace it’s first usage back through the ages, though they are stymied by the Age of Ruination creating a massive loss of records. However, rumor has it that the rune dragon Mokobenaz might possess records preserved from those times. Gaining an audience with the wyrm, however, is a difficult task.

(art by deskridge on DeviantArt)

Fighting any force that outmatches you in sheer numbers and firepower head-on is an exercise in suicidal insanity, which is of course why such powerful forces prefer those fights. After all, why fight fair when you can just crush your opponent utterly and then rationalize that it was a fair and honorable fight later because it happened to be on flat, open ground where everyone could see each other, regardless of any other factors? (assuming they bother to justify it at all.)

Against such foes, whether it is a massive army or a mighty dragon or other terrible beast, the smart move is to instead not give such overwhelming foes the fight they are looking for. Instead, a wise warrior strikes from the shadows, uses the terrain against their foe, and otherwise fights as dirty as possible and punishes foes for their unfamiliarity with the terrain, their overconfidence in their might, and the sluggishness with which they move.

In other words, dear readers. They engage in guerilla warfare.

And yes, their powerful foes may condemn them as sneaky, duplicitous backbiters and sneaks for such tactics for years to come, but the goal of the guerilla isn’t to earn their foe’s respect, it is to survive the campaign of attrition against them. This has historically worked out pretty well. Seriously, name any conflict in human history where one side with superior numbers and supplies invades an unfamiliar country or terrain and doesn’t embarrass themselves struggling with the terrain, the defenders, or both. Napoleon going into Russia, the US against Vietnam and Korea… Exploratory invasions do not work, but world leaders have yet to learn that lesson.

In any case, today’s subject focuses on those who have received the training needed to be one of these underdog defenders, to be the thorns that bleed and slow ponderous foes until the survivors have no choice but to turn back because it simply has become too expensive.

With that in mind, let’s get right into it! (Though as an aside, the fact that the art for this archetype is a leshy resembling a humanoid bush, like a living ghillie suit is hilarious to me)

The base dedication of this archetype offers stealth and survival training, and designates a single locale as the guerilla’s home turf, letting them to take advantage of the familiar terrain to sneak around with ease, even getting especially close to unaware foes.

Some of these warriors master blowdarts, often taking advantage of the local poisonous flora or fauna to do so, and master the art of firing them from stealth to avoid being pinpointed afterwards and also effectively delivering the poison to even physically tough foes.

Some also train to improve the harm they can do with blowguns, as well as fire and disappear with darts and sling bullets to confuse foes where such attacks came from.

More patient guerillas learn how to make and set snares, and can adjust them as needed to make them harder to avoid and more punishing overall.

Even when seen, these warriors can dash from the shadows, strike or shoot, and dash back into the jungle in hit and run tactics, disappearing while foes are still reeling.

Even sling bullets are a viable conduit for their poisons, being carved carefully to be able to hold poisons in the grooves. Additionally, they can learn to prepare a few basic poisons each day, though without further training they are only meant to be used with a sling.

While the local populace might not be able to openly support guerillas due to occupying forces, they can still do so surreptitiously on occasion, providing supplies and services.

Regular use of poisons have tainted the weapons of these sneaks so thoroughly that trace amounts can affect foes even when a fresh dose has not been applied.

It’s not all poisons and stealth tactics, for these guerillas are also quite adept at sabotage, letting them set up failures in enemy siege weapons and vehicles. What’s more, they can also sabotage held weapons mid-fight. A small leather loop on a sword crossguard throwing off aim, a knife tearing a bowstring half in twain, and so on.

Seeing their allies be cut down with no clear effective reprisal can strike fear into the hearts of foes that had relied on those numbers for courage, causing many to panic as their number thin.

With a surge of subtle movement, a single guerilla can attack and move repeatedly from stealth, striking from multiple angles to confuse foes and make them think they face a much larger coordinated force. However, the energy required to establish this ruse can tire them out quickly.

A blowgun or sling is a humble weapon, often considered a toy by those that use larger and more overtly dangerous weapons. However, with the right aim and time to set up, such humble weaponry can still be lethal, dropping a foe before anyone even realizes there is an attack.

The most skilled guerillas are so much so they learn minor magic (or are just that good) that conceals their tracks entirely, making them extremely difficult to track.

This archetype is fun as a way to empower a character in a campaign that centers on defending one location from a powerful oppressive enemy. Naturally, many of it’s abilities and feat options are outright useless in campaigns where the party travels around a lot. However, in the right game it can be quite powerful. Ranger and rogue are the natural choices here, but you can make it work with a lot of different classes, though primary spellcasters will at best only dip in a few feats to round out their build and make themselves easier to hide and sneak.

Guerilla combat, much like all warfare, is a pretty heavily loaded topic, but especially so since you can see the mental gymnastics taking place in real time when people demonize enemy forces that use underhanded tactics to when because direct shows of force cannot work. Suddenly people are playing up how horrible such tactics and weapons are for the boys while conspicuously ignoring the atrocities that said boys are doing under orders. Truly, the difference between a terrorist and a freedom fighter is more often than not dependent on who is describing them. On the other hand, some groups are also just as bad for the locals as the invaders too…

Apologies, this is a heavy topic, and I haven’t even talked about notes on roleplaying them. Whether they are honest defenders of their homes or extremists whose beliefs will shape their home for the worse, one thing that remains true for them is that they fight with determination and conviction, because to hesitate means death. In any case, you as the GM and the players get to decide how deep you want to go into the complexities of warfare, as always.

The Infernal Legion lives up to it’s name, supplementing mortal forces with conjured devils of all descriptions. However, for all their fiendish blight, some are easier to deal with than others. Hordes of ort devils, also known as lemures, can be quite effective at swarming foes on open terrain, but lack the cleverness to react to a changing and complex battlefield, a lesson the rebels have taken to heart.

More and more, the invaders take territory in the city of Bosinev, but the defenders still persist. Indeed, the party is given a mission to ambush a troop and siege weapon team as they move through the golden district, originally full of amusement halls and the like. It is painful to see it in such disrepair, but a poetic place to halt the enemy advance.

(art by BonsartBokel on DeviantArt)

Many people have asked, “What is truth?” And it’s a surprisingly difficult thing to answer. Is truth just an objective list of events and the motivations behind them? Is it the opposite of lies? Do we include things that we firmly believe are true even if we can’t prove them? What about personal convictions? And is a statement that is technically correct but leaves no room for nuance truth? What about a lie that everyone simply believes is true?

Even if your definition of truth is super narrow, that in kind is a conviction that you are expressing.

So why do I bring up all these questions of truth? Because today’s archetype can vary between being someone that brings ugly truths to life, or they can be someone that embellishes or even outright fabricates the truth in order to achieve an agenda.

Like the name suggests, field propagandists are skilled at using belief and truth as a weapon, but out in the world rather than in some cozy office. Those in the military might spend their time bolstering the confidence of (and in) their own army while undermining the public opinion of their enemies, so too is the case with less warlike but still motivated organizations that seek to undermine their rivals.

Others might instead by true journalists or “journalists”, the former investigating the truth of their enemies and maybe sometimes playing up the negative qualities to inspire the desired feelings in the populous. Meanwhile, the latter might slander their enemies relentlessly.

No matter their motivations and methods, however, this archetype is clearly an attempt to grant players a character option where the pen is quite literally mightier than the sword, even if the wielder is not always virtuous.

The base dedication for this archetype provides some buffs to the ability to lie as well as to notice the lies of enemy propaganda. It also gives them the ability to spread their own propaganda to color the public opinion of a person or group.

Using rhetorical tricks and outright fallacy traps, less scrupulous individuals can muddle the minds of those they debate, bogging them down.

If given a week’s time, some can seed a whole community to think more or less about a group or individual with rumors, anecdotes, and the like.

Some of the best investigators are able to point out weaknesses in their foes. Propagandists, however, are merely good at pretending they can, proclaiming they’ve discovered a gap in an enemy’s defenses so convincing that the foe might begin to second-guess themselves and cause that weakness to manifest.

Conversely, they can instead proclaim that their allies have similar protection against a particular damage type so convincingly that their foes begin to doubt the efficacy of their own spells and weaponry, making that resistance real in it’s own way.

An inspirational story can go a long way to helping someone find the will to keep going, and some learn to do just that even against magical mental effects, counteracting their effects on the listener.

Speaking with passion and well-chosen words, many can unleash a speech so compelling that even foes that actively disagree with them struggle to focus on anything but their words and their delivery.

Master of rhetoric can spin lies such that each statement can be technically true, even if the entire premise is hogwash, all to confuse mundane and magical lie detection alike.

Finally, true masters are able to befuddle entire crowds, not just the one they are engaged with in conversation.

This archetype has a lot of useful abilities for games that have an element of intrigue and politics to them where attacking someone’s reputation or bolstering one’s own can be just as important and effective to the progress of the game as an actual attack or buff, sometimes even more so. Additionally, depending on the methods your character is willing to use, you might not even take most of the feats of this archetype, only dabbling here and there. That being said, a lot of the feats of this archetype end up being pretty useless in games where public opinion is not really a factor to consider, so that can affect the choice to take it. Meanwhile, bards and investigators are good choices for what class to pair with this, but other high-charisma characters and even knowledgeable ones can also make good use of it.

This archetype has a lot going for it in terms of believability for existing in a game world, even a quasi-medieval one just because manipulating hearts and minds has historically always been a skill that people have used. That being said, the propagandist angle, while technically true of even the goodly individuals, does put me off given modern events. If you also feel the same way I do not blame you at all.

In the pursuit of dirt to use against the League of Wonders, a collective of inventors and wizards, Locacia Brundvist has discovered the true source of the new fuel source the League is using, but the truth is too shocking to believe: the fuel is refined in the gut of crustaceans called khefaks, which originate on an entirely different world!

When they accepted the task of being nature’s envoy in the city of Unghor, Bilprix the leshy could have never imagined the underhandedness of her political opposition, and the slander that they’ve leveled against her druid order is almost too much to bear, and she is on the verge of giving into her anger.

While for the most part Second Edition has made the effort to make nearly all of their archetypes mostly universal to all playable classes except for when it simply won’t work, it is still nice to occasionally see “class archetypes”, which are meant for one, singular class, doing what the archetypes of yesteryear did by expanding on what it could mean to be a member of the class with specialization or divergence from the expectation. It’s how we got mounted knights that ride ghost horses and Herbert West-cosplaying alchemists and a myriad of other very awesome concepts.

That being said, I think today’s entry would have been better served as an expansion of the inventor class rather than an archetype for it.

Seriously, this archetype gives you: A. A new form of innovation and B. A selection of feats that complement it, in the same way that the baseline inventor has their own feats that complement specific innovations.

Nothing fundamental about the class is changed by this, so it really didn’t have to be a whole archetype preventing you from taking other archetypes early on and locking your second level class feat… But that’s how it currently is, so let’s see what we’ve got on tap.

Many inventors work on creating the next big leap in weapon technology, shaping their creation into something loaded with all sorts of gadgets to create a one of a kind weapon that may or may not ever get a mass-produced version, but certainly will prove unique.

Most of those, however, are personal portable weapons, meant to be wielded in the hand, but weapons technology does not end at the palm and fingers. There are those that instead seek to create the next great siege weapon, either a small portable one, or perhaps a scaled-down prototype for what will eventually be a massive heavy weapon.

Enter then, the munitions master, an inventor that forgoes any of the three normal innovation choices to instead work with a portable mortar or bombard. While small enough to be carried, this weapon packs a punch whether it fires rockets or explosive-propelled projectiles, or maybe just launches things with a powerful spring or experimental magnetic system.

With that in mind, let’s see what the mortal and it’s wielder have to offer.

First things first, let’s talk about the mortar itself, since this is a full-on innovation. It can be deployed and packed up with relative ease, and deals a decent amount of damage which increases as the inventor levels and refines the design, using the siege engine rules.

Additionally, the mortal interacts with the likes of overdrive, explode, and offensive boost as you might expect.

However, the mortar also has it’s own customizable innovations. For example, starting off the inventor might endeavor to make the explosives nonlethal or especially shrapnel loaded, or make the device even easier to deploy. As their breakthrough, they might load the explosives with cold iron and silver filings, or shape the shells to either rupture the ground or to reshape the blast to be directional. Finally, their revolutionary innovation might be loading shells with more exotic metals, bolster the damage even further, or even have such precise control of the blast as to be able to avoid harming allies within the radius.

Moving on to the archetype itself, the base dedication allows the inventor to load, aim, and fire the cannon much faster than normal, potentially freeing up time to do other actions.

Some munition masters develop a powerful low-explosive shell that either concentrates the power of the explosion into a single space or simply hits a single target with a solid, non-explosive slug, dealing extra damage at the cost of area coverage.

With their homebrewed munitions, it’s fairly easy for these inventors to ad hoc a quick smoke charge to conceal themselves or others.

A gun out of position is less than worthless, and so through clever design choices and their own practice, these gunners can move their weapon much faster than others.

Some train to work their mortar even faster, letting them load, aim, and launch with unprecedented speed. Doing so does put a strain on the weapon though.

Some of the more bizarre designs for these siege weapons can vent and redirect the propulsion of their shots, allowing them to use the firing of a shot to propel them in another direction.

With specially designed ammo, some inventors can turn their mortar into a wall-breaker, becoming especially effective against structures.

The most powerful and skilled are seemingly able to load and fire their mortar with uncanny speed.

This archetype is a fun option for characters that want to play around with siege weapons in adventures, either as part of an army or because they’re the kind of hero that absolutely would lug around a big unwieldy cannon. That being said, I really wish that there were not three different feats that basically do the same thing (reducing the actions needed to shoot the mortar) with slightly different stipulations. Additionally, one specific ability mentions that it cannot allow you to fire the mortar more than once a turn, but the other similar abilities do not mention that. Does that mean that they can? Clarification is needed there. Regardless, if you really like the idea of playing an inventor as a back line blaster, this archetype may be for you.

There are a lot of ways you can play these sort of inventors, everything from a member of a military research division to a more independent madcap inventor. They might be steely and focused, or ever-eager for the next big explosion, even if it comes from their own device!

The party is hired to clear an abandoned complex of goblins by the local mayor. However, after braving the goblin chief’s mighty bombard, the truth is revealed: The goblins haven’t done anything wrong, and the mayor wants them cleared purely to profit from plundering the ruins.

Using a complex system of cords to guide and aim the cannon with his hands, Braeg Thunderhoof is certainly a strange sight, being a centaur inventor who pulls his bizarre mortar behind him on a chariot. What isn’t silly is the power that the weapon packs, and his talent at aiming it.

One of the big challenges with conflict is picturing what it might look like, especially in settings that are in technological transition. The last post covered the new Battlecry! book, and this is a direct follow up to that. So let’s dive into what large-scale combat on Golarion Might look like! CONTENT WARNING: This post includes links to YouTube videos containing cinematic recreations of…