Interesting archetypes


Pathfinder First Edition General Discussion


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With all the new releases, it can be hard to keep track of the amount of archetypes available for each class.

The purpose of this thread is to highlight any archetypes you find especially interesting. Not necessarily the power options, but those you feel offer interesting powers or transform the base class in interesting ways.

Here's a few to start with:

Arrowsong Minstrel (Bard): A recent addition from a relatively obscure supplement, this is still one of the most interesting bard archetypes I've seen. It's basically an Arcane Archer in a can. I've always been a fan of bardic archers, and this one has many tools to help make it work. Precise Shot at level 2 and what almost amounts to Improved Precise Shot at level 6, as well as the power to attach spells to your arrows and the ability to borrow evocation spells from the wiz/sorc list.

Diminished Spellcasting is admittedly a major drawback, but I feel this could still work pretty well for bards with archer/blaster aspirations.

Spell Sage (Wizard): Losing both arcane bond and arcane school hurts, but this gives some really interesting powers in return. The ability to throw a +4 CL bonus onto a spell a few times per day benefits everyone - it's a potent nova power in the early game, but even later on it can help you by scaling up your spells and perhaps unlock level-based benefits 4 levels early (Phanton Steed comes to mind).

The real gem is the power to spontaneously cast *anything* from the bard, cleric or druid list. This is strictly an out-of-combat trick because of the extra casting time, but this still offers an unparallelled amount of versatility. You can dig up any obscure utility spell you might need from these 3 lists, and you can cure pretty much any condition, up to and including death by disintegration.

Spirit Dancer (Medium): I like this much better than the base Medium, because it lets you mix and match powers through the day instead of being stuck with a single spirit. You still don't get to switch within single encounters until very late, but you can at least pick appropriate spirits for each encounter.

The limited rounds are a drawback, but you'll usually have enough to last the combat rounds in a given day, at least. I still wish there was an Extra Spirit Dance feat, though.

Its capstone ability is also hilarious, even if it makes you hemorrage spirit dance rounds. Enjoy getting your spirit bonus to practically everything and making use of all six legendary powers.


(From Haunted Heroes Handbook), the Steelbound Fighter is pretty neat. You're locked into Weapon Focus at 1st level, your weapon training replacement only applies to a single weapon instead of a group, and you take a bit of a Wisdom penalty when you aren't carrying your special weapon, but in exchange you get an intelligent magic weapon.

It's nifty.


Can we add in the source books for the archetypes as well? As you said, it can be hard to separate out what is coming from where.

The one i am most interested to try isnt exactly new anymore but i still really want to take a Mindblade (Occult Adventures) Magus out for a spin. A psychic casting Gish that can go TWF or THF... some real opportunities to break out of the traditional intensified shocking grasp mold.


I find the idea of the Death Druid from Horror Adventures kind of cool, specifically the part where as a class feature you can let your phantom pass on to the afterlife after finishing its unfinished business and get a new phantom within a week. The role play potential sounds good to me.


I really like the Uda Wendo from Haunted Heroes Handbook. Although, it is a bad one for people susceptible to analysis paralysis. Besides the strong voodoo style possession flavor, gaining access to a bunch of Domains is just really neat. Most of the non evil archetypes from Horror Adventures are nice and flavorful as well.


1. Enlightened Bloodrager: Want to Full BAB and cast at 1st level and get Druid/Wizard spells too? You can.

2. Reanimated Medium: Revives you if dead if take it when have enough XP from battle that killed you (since even being killed doesn't prevent XP gains).


I really like the Eldritch Scoundrel rogue from Arcane Anthology. Wanna be a spellcasting ninja? This is the archetype for it.


Oh yes, I should have listed sources as well.

Arrowsong Minstrel is Arcane Anthology, Spell Sage is Advanced Class Guide and Spirit Dancer is Occult Adventures.

Nice to see your suggestions as well, there are some I weren't familiar with.

I really like archetypes that changes or adds spellcasting, too. Like the Psychic Detective (Investigator) from Occult Adventures, which completely transforms the class by giving it psyschic spells instead of extracts.


Questioner from Magic Tactics does similar. Switches out extracts for Bard casting while still keeping int as a casting stat.

Dragonblood Chemist from Legacy of Dragons seems fun for a melee Alchemist. Mutagen is only +2str/NA but no negative and you get bite/claws like a feral mutagen just 1 die size smaller. Bombs turn into a breath weapon w/ Breath Weapon Bomb but you're stuck w/ fire due to bomb discoveries not stacking.

There's some interesting archetypes from Ultimate Intrigue but none of them seem to have made it on to PFSRD yet for some reason.

Magic Warrior(Magus): Mwangi magus focused on their mask; flight @ 3rd lvl

Perfect Scholar(Monk): gets Bardic Knowledge (called "Lore") and an attack bonus when you miss.

Tinkerer(Alchemist): Lose mutagen for a mechanical familiar w/ some upgrades, make it a mauler (I think it qualifies) and be a small race so you can fly around on your transformer.


I like the Courtly Hunter (ACG) for taking an animal companion and hybridising it with a familiar. It's different and though I haven't played it, I'd like to sometime.


That might not be a correct answer, but I just love the archetypes for the vigilante, because they essentially all change the vigilante identity, while keeping the social identity mostly intact.

Avenger and Stalker... are essentially archetype-ish in their designs as well while they are specializations, so it's good to have even more specializations for the class ^_^

For the other classes... hmmm...

Bolt Ace (Gunslinger): pretty good way to have the class without the guns ;)

Ghost Rider (Cavalier): Having a spectral mount saves you a lot of resources :P

Mooncursed (Barbarian): You become a lycanthrope while raging... up to Huge :D

Grenadier (Alchemist): Replace poison by better blast zones, always good to have :)

Winged Marauder (Alchemist): Aerial bomber, nuff said XD although... pretty sure you can select a roc instead of a dire bat or giant vulture.


Feyspeaker druids from ultimate intrigue are charisma based prepared casters who get social skills and to the best of my knowledge, they're the only divine full casters with 1/2 BAB.

That last part isn't great, but interesting.


Sah wrote:

Feyspeaker druids from ultimate intrigue are charisma based prepared casters who get social skills and to the best of my knowledge, they're the only divine full casters with 1/2 BAB.

That last part isn't great, but interesting.

Actually, the Cardinal Cleric Archetype from the same book is also a Full Divine Caster with 1/2 BaB.

The Exchange

Totally the Gunmage, (for Wizard) all over it. Thematically it is one of my favorite archetypes, and is balanced for what it gives in return.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

This thread is a nice idea; I've already discovered a couple neat archetypes I hadn't been aware of. A few of my favorites that I don't think anyone's mentioned yet:

Dandy (Ranger): Transforms the ranger into a spontaneous charisma-based spellcaster off of the bard-list, and gives them some urban-friendly and social abilities.

Fey Trickster (Mesmerist): Transforms the mesmerist into a prepared spellcaster off of the druid-list, and gives them some cool fey-like abilities.

Feyspeaker (Druid): Transforms the druid into a charisma-based spellcaster, who gains extra skill points and can poach some enchantment and illusion spells off of the wizard spell list.

Noble Fencer (Swashbuckler): This should be the "default" swashbuckler: it replaces a few lame deeds with a number of ways to boost social skills, and boosts saves against mind-affecting effects.

Phantom Thief (Rogue): Finally, a version of the rogue that's a better skill-monkey than the investigator or bard, by means of a slew of +lvl/2 bonuses to various skills.

Snoop (Rogue): Another version of the rogue that's arguably a better skill-monkey than the investigator or bard, by means of access to an inspiration pool.

Tyrant (Antipaladin): Finally, a Lawful Evil Anti-paladin with all of the goodies intact!

Monster Tactician (Inquisitor): An inquisitor-summoner hybrid that's the best summoner in the game, getting Summon Monster I-IX as a spell-like ability that (1) only takes a standard action, (2) has a min/lvl duration, (3) can draw from the expanded summon monster lists, and (4) gives the creatures it summons some of the inquisitor's teamwork feats.

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