Archetypes And Access

[Ed Reppert]

In the hardcover version of this thing, starting on page 227, there are three archetypes:

Spoiler:

Ghost Hunter, Eldritch Researcher, and Drow Shootist

. Right at the top of the page is this: "The heroes can gain access to these archetypes in the Abomination Vaults Adventure Path."

My question is how do they gain access? In my admittedly limited experience, it seems like "gain access" means (to players anyway) "it exists, I know it exists, so I can take it at second level if I want to". But two of the three, it seems to me, don't really become accessible until much later in the AP. It feels like players shouldn't "gain access" to these last two archetypes until they encounter certain NPCs (and perhaps items) in the course of adventuring. I haven't checked what level the PCs should be when they do encounter and thus "gain access", but they clearly will be higher than second level. The one "early access" archetype they could be taught by one of the NPCs in town, and could get that one at second level.

Anyway, my thoughts:

Spoiler:

The PCs can gain Ghost Hunter from Wrin Sivinxi (says so in her description on page 18). They can gain Eldritch Researcher from Zarmavdian's spell book "Thresholds of Truth" which is currently held by Morlibint the bookseller, so could be available by level 2 (book's described on page 217). They can gain access to Drow Shootist by befriending the Drow on level 9 and learning from the shootists there (page 174). This means they'd add this archetype at essentially the last minute, when they get to level 10, so it wouldn't help them during the adventure. Players aren't going to like that. :-(

Looks like I may have answered my own question. :-)

The other question is who should "gain access"? Clearly if everyone in the party grabs the first archetype at 2nd level, they won't have time to grab both of the others (since the AP only goes to tenth level).

Oh, and I found a mistake in the hardcover. One of the archetypes (page 227) references a particular weapon, referring the reader to "page 73". That's the link from the original third volume of the AP (IOW the weapon description is on page 73 of "Eyes of Empty Death") but it's on pages 225 and 226 of the hardcover edition. I suppose that should go to errata somewhere.

[keftiu]

Both the Free Archetype optional rule and the existence of retraining help with these issues some, re: players getting these late. There's also the fact that play doesn't need to end when Abominations Vaults does - some players might like the idea of remembering their earlier adventures whenever they use their Shootist or Ghost Hunter abilities in, say, Fists of the Ruby Phoenix or Night of the Grey Death.

[Ed Reppert]

Fair enough. :-)