Corlindale's page

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.

We're currently at the end of module 5 in CC, with a 4-man party (oracle, druid, sorceror and inquisitor).

At the end of this chapter Luvick will offer the players the reward of vampirism. I know the sorceror will take it, and it is possible the Inquisitor will go for it as well.

This will obviously give them a significant boost in power - especially the sorceror. I can always buff later encounters to compensate, but right now I mostly worry a bit about balance within the party.

I thought it might help if I came up with some other bonuses for the more good-aligned members of the party (druid and oracle). Perhaps some divinely granted reward for those who stay on the path of virtue instead of succumbing to the corruption of undeath. They have all been blessed by Desna at the stairs of the moon, but it could also be related to their individual deities (which I think are Sarenrae and Erastil).

So what I need is suggestions for mechanical benefits to give them that would fit divine fluff and be helpful to a wildshape druid and a healer oracle. Doesn't have to be as good as vampirism, necessarily, but just a little boost so they don't get left out. I thought about perhaps some kind of limited access to mythic power (which I plan to introduce fully at the very end of the adventure anyway), but beyond that I don't have specific ideas yet. Any suggestions are most welcome.