#urdefhan

(art by indra13 on DeviantArt)

Despite the aversion that many people have towards insects, arachnids, and other arthropods, humanity has been cultivating a relationship with such creatures for a very long time. Bees for honey, spiders and silkworms for silk, or in fantasy settings, especially big creepy crawlies as tireless mounts and beasts of burden.

The point being is that so-called vermin have a stronger bond with humanity than some would care to admit. And in a fantasy setting, this can take a deeper and more intimate bond.

Fair warning, the concept of this archetype definitely has elements of body horror, particularly with infestation, trypophobia, and the like. So if that proves to be an ick factor at your table, consider not using it or reimagining it as the character carrying a hive or nest with them instead.

With that in mind, some characters might learn to become fully symbiotic with their swarm of choice, hosting them at least partially in their own body, giving them protection and mobility in exchange for occasionally coming out to lash out and defend the keeper.

Not only do they play host, but they also carefully cultivate the swarm within, even changing it in some ways to adapt to different situations. This might be by selective breeding to bring out useful traits and morphs, or by finding ways to host multiple species at once within their bodies, even those that would normally be opposed to each other.

Naturally, such a power set is unnerving to many, so most swarmkeepers are hermits, and often don bulky beekeeper’s gear when they must venture into civilization to conceal the transformations required to make them possible. Despite this, they have a lot to offer both in terms of the power of their swarm, but also in their intimate knowledge of the crawling, flying creatures of the world.

The basic dedication of the archetype grants the swarmkeeper the titular swarm and define it’s abilities and how the keeper can summon it and how long they can keep it out. Technically they can fly, but they stay close to the ground, having a land and climb speed, mechanically.

Whether they incorporate Osirion aphet beetles or cultivate bioluminescence in their swarm, some can command their pets to unleash a dazzling flash on foes.

Like the pyre ant, some swarms prove especially poisonous, unleashing a burning painful venom into those they sting, weakening them.

Those with spiders as their base swarm, or those that incorporate them later, coat the area they travel in silk that slows and potentially traps foes.

Swarms are painful and distracting, and many keepers know how to take advantage of that, striking while their foe slaps and flails.

Many cultivate their swarm to be faster, crawling over land and obstacle and even swimming with greater speed and control.

Riding the wave of tiny bodies, some learn to let themselves be moved with the swarm to reposition.

Unleashing the horror on their foes, some keepers teach their swarm to target orifices, pouring down the throats of foes to sting from the inside as well as choking them.

The swarm can also become dense enough to block vision as well, with training.

The beat of wings fills the air as the swarm gains true flight, not only able to move vertically, but also deafen and unnerve foes with the sound of their passing.

Finally, some keepers train to store an even bigger swarm in their body (or in supplementary housing they carry), causing their swarm to be much larger when unleashed.

Swarms are a fun asset for any character, but normally they’re locked behind spellcasting. This archetype makes such things available to all classes, and even lets you customize them with abilities inspired by other swarms in the game. Now obviously druid is the simplest thematic fit, but any class can benefit, from combat classes that specialize in keeping their foes stuck inside the swarm, to spellcasters adding their own damage and debuffs to the already-harried victims of the teeming mass. Additionally, while you can choose to go in heavy on this archetype, it is perhaps better to take only the abilities you want to get the swarm you want and move on to other things, but again, it’s your build.

The exact nature of the swarm that these keepers have living in their bodies is left deliberately unspecified since it uses it’s own stats anyway rather than the specifics of swarms in the bestiaries/monster core books. So you can get creative with the sort of specially bred, mutant, or mixed swarm that your character plays host to.

Fascinated by how many types of crustaceans take on the crab form, Kolovos the athamaru alchemist has been cultivating many different species to study them, even letting them infest his body for protection while he tests mutagens that give him carapace armor and the like.

Marked as they are by death, one would think that the urdefhan would not be able to work with swarming vermin, but evil can corrupt many things, and the rangers of the Blinded Third Eye allow corrupted centipedes and spiders nest in them, the crawling horrors visible under their translucent skin.

(art by Krodzreborn on DeviantArt)

And so we get to champion, one of the classes that has changed the most with the remastered revision, so much so that despite being generally considered a “core” class, we had to wait for the second Player Core book to see how they changed it.

Conceptually, the champion remains the same, being a divine warrior that seeks to see their beliefs manifest in the world, from the duty of paladins to the anarchic self-serving nature of antipaladins.

However, in the remastered version of Second Edition, alignment is a thing of the past, and so with it’s passing, the oaths and causes have changed. No longer are they bound by specific morality, but rather, the exact value they uphold instead defines their base morals instead. For the most part many of the causes remain the same, though they no longer have special names. However, they are no longer tied to specific alignments, and some that were previously holy or unholy in nature are now more neutral, such as the justice cause (formerly paladins) being available to both traditional holy warriors and those that are morally neutral but value law and righteousness nevertheless.

And so for the most part these entries will continue unabated, with only totally new causes getting new entries if they need it, since mechanically they mostly remain the same.

In any case, I present the Desecrator/Desecration cause!

Formerly neutral evil, the cause of desecration gives us a champion that not only seeks their own unholy and selfish power, but is also defined by their spite and cruelty. Desecrators do exactly as their namesake suggests and delight in bringing suffering and fouling that which is beloved. This makes sense, as their closest moral counterparts are daemons and divs, the former of which seek to destroy all out of spite and hatefulness, and the latter who specifically hate mortals above all else. Heck, the vengefulness of most asura also lends itself well to patroning desecrators as well.

How any mortal becomes this spiteful is no doubt the subject of many stories, ranging from a blooming hatred of a specific group that later spreads to hatred of many others, or it may start as revenge that loses purpose. Regardless, these warriors have lost themselves to the promises of a dark power that offers them the power to tear down anyone and anything that offends their sensibilities, which is typically everyone and everything that isn’t as cruel as they have become. So let’s see what power this twisted beings have to offer.

The core ability of any champion is their divinely-blessed reactions, which in this case manifest as a reflexive defensive ward that protects them and only them, as well as blessing their own attacks made in retaliation for a short while.

As they grow in power, the protection of this ward only increases, allowing them to endure much greater blows.

It’s exalted form their aura also overwhelms nearby foes for a short while, making further attacks more difficult as they hesitate and flounder under such overwhelming hate.

Naturally, there are feats tied to this specific cause, such as Ongoing Selfishness to extend their personal protection against those that harm them, Conceited Mindset, which wards their minds against influence, Lightslayer Oath to strike down high and mighty celestials, Corrupted Shield to turn even tools of defense into weapons, Gruesome Strike to punish those that harm you, and Instrument of Slaughter to leave bleeding wounds.

Of course, there are other feat options that work quite well, such as Cruelty, Smite, Greater Cruelty, Litany of Self-Interest, Pale Horse, Litany of Depravity, Fiendish Form, as well as others according to your build.

It can seem oxymoronic to use ally-buffing abilities like those of the champion class with a cause that is so thoroughly defined by self-interest, but remember that the wicked and cruel are quite happy to exploit the devotion of those foolish enough to aid them, rescinding their protection and blessings the moment it no longer becomes useful to do so.

While some may seek control and others may simply seek their own selfish pleasures at all times, these desecrators are specifically out to ruin things for everyone else, so it’s safe to say that no matter what their original motivations were, these spiteful warriors are instead defined by the urge to spread misery. Are they miserable themselves? Do they simply derive pleasure from bringing suffering to their enemies? Is there a difference?

Normally, mainline hobgoblin society focuses on seeking mastery over other peoples, but not Kolgakax. So great is his cruelty that he does not seek control or order at all, only the ruination of all other cultures, and something dark has answered his bitter and cruel heart.

Desecration is a common cause among the urdefhan, and those that show a talent for it are taken aside by the priests and blood mages of their kind to train into lethal warriors of death in the name of the final end of the universe.

(art by Naiden Romanov on Artstation)

 The motion and light of a flame are fascinating to watch, so it only makes sense that some bards and performers seek to utilize or implement it into their performances.

A long time ago we covered the Flame Dancer archetype for bards here on the blog, but now we look into another fire-themed bard, this one focused on emulating the crackle and sway of flame in their voices, rather than their bodies.

This goes beyond mere metaphor, though, as these mystical musicians utilize their music to channel flame as well. It’s possible that the secrets of this fiery power was originally a creation of either the efreeti genies or a mortal nation with a lot of contact with such beings.

Regardless of the origins of the technique, these bardic pyromancers add the flicker of flame to their performances to enhance them visually or unleash fiery devastation upon their foes.

 It should come as no surprise that these bards learn the fire music technique, letting them infuse their damaging spells with fire to harm foes, and their summons to give them a minor fiery alignment. What’s more, they gain summoning spells automatically as part of their training.

With a special performance, they can also infuse fire into the weapons of allies or enhance already present flame, giving them an edge in combat.

Emulating the speed of spreading flame, flamesingers are also supernaturally fast, zipping about the battlefield.

Interested in taking the fire music feat as a bard, but kicking it up a notch? This archetype may appeal to you. Bolstering the weapons of allies, as well as your spells and summons with fire damage can be useful for damage type coverage, but remember that fire damage is the most common, and commonly resisted damage types in the game. If that doesn’t bother you, I recommend a mixed close combat and support bard, one that buffs nearby allies while also being unafraid to wade into combat themselves.

 I’d recommend doing research into middle eastern musical styles if you’re interested in this archetype. It could give you some ideas of how their music sounds. Of course, you could always defy those expectations as well.

  On the first full moon of summer, the city of Sheeru Taj holds the annual Fire Night celebration, where strong drink is shared alongside fiery performances both metaphorical and literal all night long. There, you can witness musicians blending magical flame into their songs, making the hot night all the more sweltering.

 Despite being a mere mortal, Leeu is determined to master the art of the fire song, joining the ifrit-dominated bardic college to master the art. Though many ridicule her, others are very interested in the potential she offers.

(art by Rui Valente on Artstation)

 Skeletal horses, ghostly baying hounds, zombie animals of all stripes, the entire plot of Pet Semetery… Truly humanity has a special place in their heart for undead animals. The exact themes can range from horrifying to creepy-cute depending on the nature of the fiction, but the idea of applying the theme of undeath with animals is a long-standing one. After all, animals are often much more intelligent than we have given them credit for in the past, so it only makes sense that emotional baggage or trauma (or a healthy heaping of necromancy) could cause them to rise again just like their fully sapient counterparts.

Another one of those “companion creature blended with an atypical creature type” archetypes, today we touch upon the deathtouched companion, representing animal, vermin, or plant companions that, while not truly undead, have the touch of death on them, similar to dhampirs.

They might have been brought back to life wrong, been exposed to too much foul corruption from undead or raw negative energy, or perhaps even being exposed to a rare, zombifying blight.

Note that this archetype differs from Accursed Companions from Horror Realms in that the companion is not necessarily haunted by a past companion’s angry spirit, nor do they necessarily have a toxic relationship with their masters. In fact, these creatures can vary from being vile and disturbing horrors to being affectionate creatures that just so happen to look very sick or even dead, or both, often with a bit of an odor to match (though not as bad as if they were actually decaying).

 Like other hybrid-type companions, these creatures are harder to train due to their dual nature, but in this case, that does have advantages, namely how they seem to ignore the unnatural auras of true undead.

Deathly eyes grant unearthly sight, letting them see in darkness.

Like a dhampir, these creatures process negative energy the way an undead does without actually being undead.

They also have a natural resistance to any sort of effect that undead ignore, such as poison, disease, and certain fortitude-targeting spells. However, at the same time, they become vulnerable to magic that specifically targets the undead as well.

Interested in a flavorful archetype that grants some undead resistances to your companion creature? This archetype may be for you. However, remember that these creatures have negative energy affinity, meaning that depending on your party setup, it can be very hard to actually heal them. Druids and hunters don’t get the inflict spells normally, only clerics with the animal domain can get a companion without multiclassing, and most other companion-having classes and archetypes don’t have any healing period. If you can make it work, go for it. Alternatively, similar to the constructed companion archetype, a GM might use this archetype to grant you a second chance with a beloved animal companion if resurrection magic is hard to come by, in which it becomes less about the initial build and more about adapting to a unique situation.

 These creatures are unnerving as they come, but they can still be affectionate and loyal. In fact, loyalty may be the driving force of these creatures, the very thing that kept them from fully succumbing to the horror of what has corrupted them.

  When the clan’s greatest hunter returned from the stone circle not with a new beast companion, but their old one revived, the orcs of Varog’s Hill were surprised by this miracle. However, it quickly became clear that there was something fundamentally wrong with the boar as well.

 Ants are well known for their tenacity to survive even when losing limbs, but the giant ant companion of Vilka Stormhall goes far beyond that, even missing part of its head with no apparent loss in function. Clearly the creature is tainted, but convincing her to lay the thing to rest will be difficult, as she believes it is a blessing.

(art by Gabriel Vazquez on Artstation)

In nations with prominent noble houses and a lot of ambition, it’s only natural that there would be bickering, infighting, and even full-blown civil war.

Such is the case in the nation of Brevoy in Pathfinder’s core setting, where noble houses plot their desires against each other, and even against the Dragonscale Throne itself.

In response to this, the King-Regent Noleski Surtova has created secret agents to root out dissenters and protect his rule.

By day, these loyalists pose as ordinary noble scions, working their way into one of the noble houses and ingratiating themselves, secretly gathering intel as they gain their trust. By night, however, they don fearsome draconic masks and take direct action against the enemies of the throne.

This archetype is heavily invested in the Golarion setting, but it can be used outside it for any sort of secret agent of the crown, targeting a noble house for scrutiny.

 The civilian identity of these vigilantes is that of a minor noble and student of the Aldori Swordlord style. As such, they are familiar with how to use such a blade, and typically avoid training in social techniques that do would be inappropriate for the idle rich.

Though not as unflappable as other vigilantes, they do have good reactions when it comes to situations escalating to combat, able to act at least somewhat in the first few moments of a surprise attack.

Given their role as infiltrators, they also learn useful tricks and knowledge to pass as normal members of the noble house in question. They might become familiar with stoneworking, merchantile knowledge, sailing, and so on. This usually translates to one feat and another minor ability.

Their vigilance against traitors eventually passes into supernatural territory, able to sense hostile and traitorous intent, but only while in their vigilante identity.

The most powerful of these vigilantes can emulate the battle-fury of the legendary founder of Brevoy, able to move and attack repeatedly at speed in a deadly rampage that is not dissimilar to a dragon.

Interested in a vigilante that can pick up unique skills and abilities tied to their cover identity? This archetype might be for you. Their ability to use a dueling sword does lean them towards being an avenger vigilante, but nothing is stopping you from playing a stalker instead.

 The attention to detail with the noble houses in this archetype is just begging for a GM to homebrew various alternate versions of this archetype tied to the nobility of their setting’s nation of choice. You can even switch out the Aldori sword stuff for another fighting style as well.

  Despite her training, Alexia Tarvash, also known as the Ghost Dragon, is in over her head. The noble house she was sent to infiltrate is dealing with urdefhan, and plan on allowing an invasion force of the deathly creatures to strike the surface in hopes of pinning the blame on the crown.

 Loyalist vigilantes are actually supremely common among the drow noble houses, to the point where there are elaborate countermeasures in place for such individuals. However, espionage, like war, is a constantly evolving race.