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Advanced Archetypes (PFRPG) PDF

3.90/5 (based on 7 ratings)
Advanced Archetypes (PFRPG) PDF

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Advanced Archetypes offers 21 (22 if you count the Rakish Villian) new archetypes for your gaming table! These 'advanced' archetypes modify your class more than your typical archetype! These archetypes were inspired ones like the Huntmaster Cavalier, the Vivisectionist Alchemist, the Zen Archer Monk, and the Archaeologist Bard that completely change the way you play a class! (For example, the Witchknight Inquisitor forgoes a bond with a deity to instead serve a witch patron, gaining access to heathenish spells and hexes!)

So what archetypes are in this book?

  • Avatar (Cleric)
  • Berserker (Barbarian)
  • Black Powder Hood (Slayer)
  • Bomber (Rogue)
  • Covert Mage (Arcanist)
  • Dashing Hero (Paladin) [and its rival, the Rakish Villian Antipaladin]
  • Divinely Bound Ranger (Ranger)
  • Far Hand Adept (Magus)
  • Feytouched Hexer (Witch)
  • Gold-Robed Wizard (Wizard)
  • Gunmetal Mystic (Monk)
  • Hitman (Rogue)
  • Horned Warden (Paladin)
  • Monster Chronicler (Investigator)
  • Mutagenic Rager (Barbarian)
  • Sanctified Sorcerer (Sorcerer)
  • Spellscorn Fighter (Fighter)
  • Spirit-Scarred Paladin (Paladin)
  • Weird Musician (Bard)
  • Wild Experimenter (Alchemist)
  • Witchknight (Inquisitor)

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Fulfilled immediately.

Are there errors or omissions in this product information? Got corrections? Let us know at store@paizo.com.

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Average product rating:

3.90/5 (based on 7 ratings)

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Balanced Mix of Gems

5/5 —

Flaming Crab Games is a new company here in the 3PP business. Though they have an odd company name that sounds like an Eastern dish, they recently started picking up some buzz with their last book-- Forgotten Core Feats. My gaming group and I loved that book, so I made sure to get a copy of their newest PDF: Advanced Archetypes.

To begin with, this book's cover was done by the author of the first 2 PDFs by Flaming Crabs (Alex Abel). While well done, this is a sign of something that concerned me a bit after opening up the book for the first time. This book seems to be void of any artwork. While not a problem for those just looking for some crunch, it's a bit disappointing for someone who enjoys more eye-candy.

The format of the book is in a pretty standard 2 column format with a parchment look that makes reading the text easy on the eyes. For the price, there's a good amount of text.

For better or worse, it's pretty apparent that this book was written by 2 or 3 different hands. As a plus, this seems to have a variety of flavor. As a minus, it explains why we have 3 paladin archetypes and no druid one. Luckily, the blokes at Flaming Crab Games listed each archetype and its corresponding class on the product description, so I did know exactly what I was getting. As a second thought, I commend Flaming Crabs for this move even if I wished we had a more even spread of archetypes. This won't be an issue if we end up getting more of these books. Until then it's a bit disappointing.

Balance wise, this book is very on point. Each archetype seems to be on the same power level of its parent class. Even a couple that initially seem overpowered like the Spellscorn Fighter are quite balanced in play.

A minor complaint: on some of the archetypes it seems like the authors may have played it a bit too safe. For example, the Gold-Robed Wizard is a lawful good wizard that casts some good cleric spells. I wish it had just a *little* more punch, but it certainly offers more than your standard wizard archetype. Anything more and it would've been an alternate class, I suppose.

This book *does* have plenty of gems though. The Weird Musician is a prime example of that. The flavor of bending the strings of reality with music and the crunch and buffing your allies with summoner evolutions is just crazy cool! The Divinely Bound Ranger gets a powerful familiar (remember, they get their master's BAB) and enhanced spellcasting, something I dismissed at first but I'm growing to love.

I won't cover all of the classes, I believe someone already did that in the product description. But these classes are well-crafted. They do more for a class than your standard archetype. I just wouldn't say they break any ground in archetype design.

The gems in this book: Covert Mage, Far Hand Adept, Hitman, Weird Musician, and Witchknight. The Hitman may not be a "wow!" class, but I have two players in my next game giving it a go which I think says something.

-----
Summary: If you see from the list in the product description at least 5 archetypes that grab your attention, I would get this book. Not everything in here appeals to everyone, of course. The price is a steal for what you get. Don't expect any artwork beyond the cover, but the layout is easy on the eyes. This a pure crunch book, not anything more. The book isn't ground breaking but the material is solid and balanced. I hope we get more of these archetype books to cover some classes that were missed, like the druid.
If the price were higher, I'd give this a good clean 4 stars. But at its current cost, I've got to bump this up to a 4.5-5 star rating for the deal.

A decent grab-bag of archetypes

3/5 —

A plain language review:

Layout-Two columns, archetypes sorted by alphabetical order. There are some moderate issues with how material is listed (things that replace later levels coming before things that would be replacing earlier material) Overall, it's readable, but always read your archetype in full when leveling up.

Fluff-Little blurbs accompany each of the archetype, meant to tease and hype the archetype in question. Nothing new here.

Crunch-I suspect another review will rattle off a basic summary of the archetypes, or you can find it in the discussion thread for the product. After reading the ACG, I began to worry that adding grit/panache might make a default archetype for any class. Guns follow the rule of cool, and generally speaking, you can just swap out the abilities granted at level one with a pistol, gunsmithing, and grit. To me, this feels lazy. I imagine how a monk would use a gun to be very, very different than a traditional gunslinger. Turns out, no so much. Other archetypes are lazy in other ways, like the divinely bound ranger who gains a familiar and some additional spells for his animal companion.

With that said, there are some fairly interesting ideas in here. I praise the weird musician, who uses music to warp his companions and hex his enemies. The monster chronicler fills a niche I think has been lacking in the game, that of an expert on monsters and how to slay them. These archetypes, and some others, are both flavorful and mechanically interesting.

Overall-I'm giving this 3/5 stars. With 21 archetypes, not every one of them is going to be a hit. The skewing of archetypes toward paladin (3, with one having an antipaladin variant) and to a lesser extent rogue(2), if these classes don't interest you, you might find the offerings lacking. If you're a fan of player options, by all means, get this. You'll get an amazing bang for your buck. For me, if I didn't get a free copy, I wouldn't have purchased it, and the odds of me using it as a player are close to nil. As a gm, there's much more of a chance if only because they are either unexpected or interesting archetypes. I just wish there was a bit more work put into some of them or they were better thought out.

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Webstore Gninja Minion
3 people marked this as a favorite.

Now available!
3 people marked this as a favorite.
Liz Courts wrote:
Now available!

Thanks a ton, Liz!

As per usual with our releases, we'll be giving out ten free copies of the PDF! All you have to do is ask for a copy in this thread before ten others do! And if you're up for it, a review would be nice in return ;)
1 person marked this as a favorite.

I will definitely take you up on that offer, please! Thank you so much!
1 person marked this as a favorite.

I would love a copy. Thank you very much.
Dark Archive

A copy would be great!

I would love a free copy, and would be happy to review it for you!

I would love to try this out!
Dark Archive
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber

I'd love a copy too. Forgotten Core Feats was definitely worth the pickup so I'd be interested to see what else you have to offer.
Dark Archive

I would like a copy please.

I would review a copy.

If you're still handing it out can I have one?

I'd love a copy pleaease.
Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Well damn. Looks like I am #11.

These definitely look interesting, and if they are anything like your Priest class, they would be very awesome.
2 people marked this as a favorite.

Oops, did I say the first ten copies? I meant all those who posted before 10pm CST...yeah...that... ;)

Copies will be sent to Orthos, whitepaladin24, Tyranius, RPM, The Laughing Fool, Kvantum, Moskau, SchlieffenPlan, Solientious, tighra, and Adjule!

Thanks for the enthusiasm and future thanks to those of you reviewing the product!

Sweet! Thanks

Awesome! I'll be sure to leave a review!
Thanks

Id love a chance to review it! The titles alone sound like fun.
Grand Lodge

Is the gunmetal mystic monk what I think it is (gun-fu monk)?

No freebie for me. Was working until 10 CST. The downside of living in a CST area.

Aww i missed it.
Pathfinder PF Special Edition Subscriber

aww man, I missed it too.
Dark Archive

I love missing out on things because I went to work. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to pay for this sometime after not now.
Dark Archive

I shall review upon reading. I might even throw something into the mix for my campaign starting tomorrow.
2 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

I still need to write that review of the Priest class. >.> I will have to reread that book to be able to make it. And I will be sure to do the same for this one.

Reviews would be very much appreciated!
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber

Aw dangit it. If I knew this was a Flaming Crab Games product I would have clicked right away. I love "Forgotten Core Feats." :(

Waiting on a review before I purchase this produce, I was close to simply buying it outright for these two reasons: Witchknight (Inquisitor) and Gunmetal Mystic (Monk)! Seems like the product is gonna rock mightily.:)

Cheers
Volf

I'm hoping to be able to do one over the weekend, soon as the freebies are delivered =)

Just curious so I know to look out for it, when about will we be getting the freebies?

Ah..was wondering myself
Shadow Lodge

want

If the 11 folks that I promised a free copy haven't gotten one by the end of Monday, P.M. me/ reply on the thread. I'll re-email the folks at Paizo about it. My original message may not have been delivered.
Thanks for being patient!
Dark Archive

Will do. Thanks again. The gunmetal mystic might be exactly what I need to recreate an injoke with my group.
Pathfinder Rulebook Subscriber

Horned Warden (Paladin)
Sanctified Sorcerer (Sorcerer)
Spellscorn Fighter (Fighter)
Spirit-Scarred Paladin (Paladin)
Wild Experimenter (Alchemist)

I would have to say these are the ones I am most curious about.
Webstore Gninja Minion
5 people marked this as a favorite.
Flaming Crab Games wrote:

If the 11 folks that I promised a free copy haven't gotten one by the end of Monday, P.M. me/ reply on the thread. I'll re-email the folks at Paizo about it. My original message may not have been delivered.

Thanks for being patient!

Please note that it was a holiday weekend, and this would not have been responded to or acted upon until Tuesday at the earliest. However, I was in today, and people have received their free PDFs.

Dark Archive
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Charter Superscriber

If you were supposed to get a complimentary copy and you haven't yet, check and see if it's in your downloads already.

Anyway, after giving it a brief once-over, here's brief summaries of each archetype:

Avatar (Cleric) - lose spontaneous casting and channel energy; gain Deific Obedience as a bonus feat and a 3rd domain
Berserker (Barbarian) - a mix of Savage Barbarian and limited Fast Healing while raging
Black Powder Hood (Slayer) - Slayer with guns. Pretty much what you'd think it would be from the name.
Bomber (Rogue) - Mirror image of the Vivisectionist. Rogue with bombs but no sneak attack.
Covert Mage (Arcanist) - Arcanist with some Rogue-ish abilities. Potentially overpowered if you don't limit its spell school access (IMO).
Dashing Hero (Paladin) [and its rival, the Rakish Villian Antipaladin] - (Anti-)Paladin/Swashbuckler hybrid, essentially. Loses Lay On Hands, Divine Grace, Mercies/Cruelties, and Channel Energy for panache, deeds, and several other swashbuckler-y abilities.
Divinely Bound Ranger (Ranger) - Lose animal companion, gain a familiar and caster level = class level, plus Evolved Familiar as a bonus feat, and you can take it again without meeting any pre-reqs.
Far Hand Adept (Magus) - Telekinetic Warrior Magus. Diminished spellcasting, but you can use your Int mod to attack and wield your weapon via telekinesis.
Feytouched Hexer (Witch) - Cha-based, spontaneous casting witch. Replaces some of patron spells and one hex.
Gold-Robed Wizard (Wizard) - Wizard with a touch of Paladin. Must be LG aligned, gains access to [good] Cleric spells at +1 spell level, and other abilities.
Gunmetal Mystic (Monk) - Monk with firearms and deeds. Loses certain monk abilities.
Hitman (Rogue) - Rogue/Slayer hybrid, so 3/4ths Rogue and 1/4th Ranger?
Horned Warden (Paladin) - Paladin/Druid hybrid, but still LG. Gets both Paladin and Ranger spell lists. Gains a Cleric domain as per Druid in place of Divine Bond, plus other changes.
Monster Chronicler (Investigator) - Dedicated monster slayer. Diminished Alchemy, loses Trap Sense in favor of reduced Favored Enemy progression.
Mutagenic Rager (Barbarian) - Barbarian with a Mutagen in place of Rage. Pretty much what it says, and what you'd think it would be able to do.
Sanctified Sorcerer (Sorcerer) - Adds limited Clerical powers for your 3rd level bloodline power and your bloodline spells.
Spellscorn Fighter (Fighter) - Anti-caster Fighter. Replaces all Fighter class features (except proficiencies) with various anti-caster or magical defense effects.
Spirit-Scarred Paladin (Paladin) - Paladin touched by spirits and the undead. Oracle's curse, shaman spell access, Ghost Touch and Bane (Undead) as options for Divine Bond, etc.
Weird Musician (Bard) - Bard with access to Hexes as well as (limited) access to Witch and Shaman spells. Weird Vibrations replaces Inspire Courage and grants allies a limited pool of Eidolon evolutions.
Wild Experimenter (Alchemist) - Primal Magic Bombs.
Witchknight (Inquisitor) - Inquisitor/Witch hybrid. Gains a familiar, patron, and hexes, while losing domain, monster lore, solo tactics, tactical feats, and greater bane.

It's going to take a lot more evaluation to figure out just what can be done with this book, but it's certainly promising.
Liz Courts said wrote:
Please note that it was a holiday weekend, and this would not have been responded to or acted upon until Tuesday at the earliest. However, I was in today, and people have received their free PDFs.

Oops, I totally missed that...

Thanks a ton for coming in and sending out copies for us!

Awesome, thank you much again, and thank you Liz!

I guess I didn't make the 10PM CST? Oh well, guess I will have to purchase soon, still sounds like a fun and worthwhile product.

For those that enjoyed this book's content, the second book in the series is closing in fast.

Got this one and the Cavaliers order book. Love them both. Will get the next.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber

Would anyone be willing to shed a little more light on the Monster Chronicler Investigator? I'm curious to see if this would fit a character I'm working on.
Nate Z wrote:
Would anyone be willing to shed a little more light on the Monster Chronicler Investigator? I'm curious to see if this would fit a character I'm working on.

Like it has been said, the monster chronicler gains favored enemies, eventually gaining the ability to change one of them each day. He gains a minor ability to roll inspiration twice and take the higher result when identifying the special abilities of monsters. Diminished alchemy is the main drawback to the archetype, however.

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber

Thanks. :)
2 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Adventure Path, Rulebook Subscriber

As promised, I started my post-holiday "buy all the flaming crabs!" mission with this one. I dig it. I especially like the format, and will probably asking to use this investigator archetype. :)
Nate Z wrote:
As promised, I started my post-holiday "buy all the flaming crabs!" mission with this one. I dig it. I especially like the format, and will probably asking to use this investigator archetype. :)

Awesome! Glad we're part of a mission! The investigator archetype is definitely a fun one!

Thanks for picking this up!

Fans of Advanced Archetypes:

In case you haven't seen us spamming social media, we're doing a Kickstarter for the Flaming Crab Games Archetype Compendium. It features 6 new archetypes for every base class (minus occult until we break our first stretch goal). Every Advanced Archetype archetype included in the book is being revised and expanded upon! Check it out here!
1 person marked this as a favorite.

Reviewed first on endzeitgeist.com, then submitted to Nerdtrek and GMS magazine and posted here and on d20pfsrd.com's shop.
1 person marked this as a favorite.
Endzeitgeist wrote:
Reviewed first on endzeitgeist.com, then submitted to Nerdtrek and GMS magazine and posted here and on d20pfsrd.com's shop.

Thanks for the review! I'll think you'll be happy to see that we're trying our darnedest to make the upcoming Archetype Compendium archetypes more distinct.

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