Hybrid Classes and Archetypes


Rules Questions


Question about Hybrid classes, can a hybrid class take an archetype that they have all the class abilities required for it? For instance, a Skald is a hybrid of the Barbarian and Bard class, can it take the Arcane Healer Bard Archetype? The archetype replaces the Versatile Performance and Loremaster abilities, both of which a Skald possesses, that are identical to the Bard class abilities.


No, because a Skald isn't a Bard.

Whether it's a reasonable house rule...I have no idea, I wouldn't dismiss it out of hand, but I would look very carefully at it.


Since Hybrids have their own Archetypes, and they're base classes that can be taken along with the original class (unlike Alt Classes), I'd say no.

Were they not called "Hybrid" Classes, you wouldn't even be able to tell what was hybridized from what in most cases.

Dark Archive

As long as the hybrid class has all the features that get replaced, I see no reason not to allow it.

Liberty's Edge

you could if you dipped into the base class, but a skald is not a bard, so I would say no to the basic question.


As long as the archetype only replaces abilities that the hybrid class still possesses, I'd allow it. In fact, I've already allowed in one game. Reign of Winter. Character wanted to play a Shaman but loved the theme of the Winter Witches.

The only issue with the Winter Witch Archetype was that it forced the character to pick a specific patron from a list. That was easy to resolve (Have her pick a 'patron' and replace the spirit magic spells with her chosen spells). The only other thing of import was replacing a 4th level hex. Shaman's got a hex at 4th level. Easily done.


Reading the Archetype rules, we see "parent class", "corresponding class", and "given class" stated over and over. This establishes, frequently and clearly, that there is a link between an archetype and its given corresponding parent class.

I'd say that makes the RAW abundantly clear - each archetype has only one parent class and can only be used by that class.

That said, I don't think this would be a bad houserule - I'd almost certainly allow replacing identical class features from an archetype to a different core, base, or hybrid class.

One caveat: Not all class features are created equally, even if they have the same name. For example, replacing a druid's animal companion is much more significant than replacing a ranger's animal companion. So when mixing and matching classes and archetypes, I'd suggest evaluating the class abilities being replaced and being mindful of the significance to the "given corresponding parent class" and the significance to the unintended class and if it's not the same significance, I might not allow the archetype, or I'd at least modify the resultant ability being gained.


I was making a Musetouched Aasimar Skald when the question arose, as the Skald has the exact same class features in this instance as the Bard and the idea of the Arcane Healer Bard Archetype appealed to me.


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I'd say that makes the RAW abundantly clear - each archetype has only one parent class and can only be used by that class.

Of course you've also got ninja, who is a separate class, but not a separate class of rogue

Honestly though, I don't get why Hybrid classes even mention their two blended classes that much.

Clearly the Magus is a hybrid of Wizard and Fighter (and EK) but it doesn't really mention any of that. But since it came out before, it doesn't actually mention that.

Grand Lodge

The Ninja and Samurai are also explicitly just really big archetypes, rather than fully separate classes like the hybrids are.


It is a big archetype and it isn't.

Because you can't replace stuff an archetype gives you with another archetype. Samurai goes against that. Its weird

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