The Adventurer Archetype: House Rules

Unlike the other archetypes that give you access to a unique ability, the adventurer archetype gives you access to all abilities from every archetype; however, your role as ‘jack of all trades’ also includes the limitation ‘master of none’, meaning that you can never invest more than 9 CPs (a +5 rating) into any one ability. Your lack of focus limits you from achieving mastery in any one field. However, the adventurer archetype allows you to use an aura of healing while swinging your sword (in which you are specialized), using your arcane bolt after stealthily moving in on a foe.

You may use magic (from items and spells) to increase your ability ratings beyond this +5 threshold, and your racial bonuses apply normally.

Since the game doesn’t allow you to cross-class, this becomes the cross-class archetype; the meeting place of all the archetypes. Now you can make your elfin fighter/thief/mage without figuring out the best archetype for it; good luck finding enough points to make it work, though!

Here’s a 30 CP adventurer trying to do everything…

Arcane Bolt +3; Arms +2; Aspect +2; Aura +3 (Healing 2/Evade 1); Burglary +2; Evade +1; Intuition +2; Might +3; Resolve +1; Stealth +3; Weapon Specialist +3
Sword attack (attack +3/damage +5)
Spell attack (attack +3/damage +3/range 3)
Soaks +2 physical/+3 magic

Conversely, here’s a 30 CP fighter who just wants to be good at fighting…

Arms +5; Evade +2; Might +6; Resolve +1; Weapon Specialist +4
Sword attack (attack +6/damage +9)
Soaks +5 physical/+0 magic

And here’s a 30 CP magician who (you guessed it) focuses on magic

Aspect +4; Arcane Bolt +6 (2 spells); Evade +2; Lore +3; Resolve +2
Spell attack (attack +6/damage +4/range 6)
Soaks +4 magic/+0 physical

- The adventurer has an average attack of 10 and average damage of 9.5
- The warrior has an average attack of 13 and average damage of 16
- The magician has an average attack of 13 and average damage of 11.

On the whole, the adventurer is going to give you less damage output (in terms of pure combat ability) but has so many cool things he/she can do. In a small group (or solo), the adventurer is going to be exceptionally handy to have around; in a larger group, the adventurer is going to play second fiddle to everyone...

By the way, if we take our sample adventurer above and push each of his abilities to +5 (9 CPs), that puts him at exactly 99 CPs, the human limit; this doesn't factor in picking up some spells to link with arcane bolt, shield use, two weapons, or a little bit of lore to supplement his arcane knowledge. In short, the character is going to be about difficult decisions with every CP you get...