Class Archetypes

While some classes are well-defined titles that the character themselves would be called by, such as Paladin or Wizard, others are looser collections of tropes and common behavior, such as Barbarian or Rogue. No individual member of a class will live up to all of the traits and ideals presented, but enough will to make it a pattern. Some classes share ideals, or perhaps interpreting the same ideal through different lenses. Each class also has a list of suggested questions that should be answered in a backstory, or form the basis for a character quest.

These descriptions cover the most archetypical traits of the classes, but are NOT the only way to play them. Instead, it is an overview of how these classes can present in the Estian Islands, in order to better inform your characters and their roleplay. As always, do not be afraid to roleplay and flavor your character differently.

Artificer

Inventors, engineers, craftsmen, and artisans, artificers excel in creating useful things. They harness the innate magic of the world and channel it through magical items to whatever ends they desire. There is no real difference between a village blacksmith hammering away at their anvil and someone seeking an audience with Heimdall to use his forge to craft a legendary item - they are both creating artifice.

Artificers are united by their skill with tools, be it the smith's hammer or the tailor's needle. Regardless of their chosen implement, they can create wonderful things with it.

Ideals

• Invention: I live to create things with my hands. (Any)
• Community: I want my creations to help the people I care about. (Good)
• Greed: I'll create anything for the right price. (Evil)
• Artifact: I seek a powerful artifact, and will let nothing stop me on my quest. (Neutral)
• Logic: Emotions just get in the way of the process of creation. (Lawful)
• Creativity: One never knows when or where inspiration will strike. (Chaotic)

Questions

• What type of craft do you excel at?
• How does your magic look?

Barbarian

Barbarians are instinctual warriors, less interested in theory than practice.

Ideals

• Instinct: I trust my first read on any situation. (Any)
• Family: I would do anything for my family or clan. (Good)
• Might: Only the strong have the right to rule over the weak. (Evil)
• Nature: The wilderness provides for us, but we must not take more than we are allowed. (Neutral)
• Honor: I would rather die than fight dishonorably. (Lawful)
• Emotion: I do not hide my emotions, and I dont think others should either. (Chaotic)

Questions

• How does your rage manifest?

Bard

All bards are artists of some description, but that is where the similarities often end.

Ideals

• Artistry: Furthering my craft is the most important thing. (Any)
• Beauty: I search for beauty in order to admire it in person. (Good)
• Gluttony: I desire mortal pleasures above all else. (Evil)
• Perfectionism: If it isn't just how I want it, I will start over. (Neutral)
• Creativity: My mind is always fleeting to different places, and different solutions. (Chaotic)
• Tradition: I am a guardian of the culture of my people. (Lawful)

Questions

• What type of art do you make?

Cleric

Clerics serve a deity, channeling their power among mortals.

Ideals

• Devotion: I have whole-heartedly accepted of my deity's promises. (Any)
• Service: We must care for the people who cannot care for themselves. (Good)
• Ambition: I would do a better job than the current leaders of my organization. (Evil)
• Providence: Sometimes the gods provide, sometimes they take away. (Neutral)
• Teachings: I follow the holy writings, even when I disagree with them. (Lawful)
• Arrogance: I serve the most powerful beings in the universe, and I do not answer to anyone else. (Chaotic)

Questions

• What drew you to your deity?

Druid

Druids are protectors of the wilderness, ensuring that civilization does not encroach on the pristine wilds.

Ideals

• Nature: The splendor of the wild is beautiful. (Any)
• Prosperity: The verdant forest and the blossoming orchards. (Good)
• Decay: Some things must rot for me to grow. (Evil)
• Cycle of Life: Not all death is evil. (Neutral)
• Guidance: I must usher flora and fauna through the seasons. (Lawful)
• Wilderness: Unpredictable, like a thunder storm. (Chaotic)

Questions

• What is your connection to nature?
• Do you work alone, or are you part of a circle?

Fighter

Fighters are masters of weaponry. They live for the rush of combat.

Ideals

• Prowess: By training for all eventualities, we cannot fail. (Any)
• Bravery: Those who are able must step up when danger is near. (Good)
• Conquest: The strong have a right to rule over the weak. (Evil)
• People: I care about people, not some book of rules. (Neutral)
• Command: If we do not follow our orders, the whole system fails. (Lawful)
• Unpredictability: If we fight by the book, our opponents can use that against us. (Chaotic)

Questions

• Why do you fight with your specific weapon?
• Have you served in any organized fighting force?

Monk

Monks pursue a cloistered living with their peers, seeking their perfect self, both in the physical, and in the spiritual. They train their bodies with ascetic living, pushing themselves to perfect the form of their martial art. When they are not training, they are meditating, perfecting their spirit.

Some monks train in monasteries with a community of likeminded students and teachers, others seek out lone masters for one-on-one tutelage. These are very different experiences, and both approaches can lead to the same end goal. Monks seek enlightenment, which they believe comes through a balance of body and spirit, not through knowledge or the adoration of others.

Some monasteries are located in large settlements, taking in novices in their young teens and drilling them in their teachings of the physical and spiritual. Those who have lived within a monastery are often distant to outsiders, and unaware of the outside customs. This comes to a head when the time comes for the novice to walk the outside world and learn about it first-hand.

Other monasteries are in remote places, atop mountains, in deep jungles, or on windswept islands. For some, part of the initiation rite is to simply find and travel there.

Monks do everything with purpose and great focus, never letting their mind wander or their hand slip. The search for perfect has kept many monks from appreciating the good. Some monks even fully swear off property, thinking that worldly things only weigh them down in their search for perfection.

Ideals

• Mastery: Only through perfection can we reach harmony. (Any)
• Balance: I must not stray from the narrow path I have chosen. (Neutral)
• Temperance: The pleasures of life are a distraction from my true goal. (Lawful)
• Community: I protect the people, whatever comes. (Good)
• Sacrifice: Others will sacrifice as I have. (Evil)
• Change: Enlightenment is a fleeting butterfly, and I will chase it. (Chaotic)

Questions

• Why did you seek training at a monastery or with a master?
• What was your training like?

Paladin

The Paladin is sworn to a sacred ideal, a paragon who truly embodies their tenets - in word as well as in action. These tenets can be anything from service to a singular entity, to protection of the populace at large. Some serve deities, such as the Pilgrim Knights, others serve a political entity, such as the Lodge of the Roses. Regardless, their loyalty only superficially lies with the leaders of their order - what they truly serve are the ideas and causes behind the organization.

Paladins can be inflexible in their thinking and their methods, but they are also loyal to a fault.

Ideals

• Devotion: Through belief in the tenets, I will embody them. (Any)
• Chivalry: I will be an example for others to follow. (Good)
• Might: By right of conquest, I will rule this land. (Evil)
• Justice: The law is blind, and I cannot let my emotions guide me. (Neutral)
• Fealty: I trust my superiors' orders, sometimes blindly. (Lawful)
• Greater Good: Sometimes a rule needs to be broken. (Chaotic)

Questions

• What are the specific tenets of your oath?
• What drove you to swear this oath?

Ranger

Rangers guards the wilderness from threats, be it mortal, natural, and magical. They are not enemies of civilization, but rather its unsung protectors. They go where others go not, in order to interpose themselves between danger and those they care about.

A ranger's greatest successes will never be widely known, while their failures lead to villages being burnt down and untouched wilds being despoiled. Their love for civilization keeps them on the outside, guarding against the forces of darkness.

They are loners, perhaps avoiding to form a connection to what they protect. When a ranger visits town, those who do not know better might think them a strange outsider, but they usually know the land and its inhabitants better than anyone else.

Rangers train with both ranged and melee weapons, switching between them to whatever suits the situation at hand best. They use the environment to their benefit, attacking from favorable positions, and laying traps and ambushes for their enemies.

Rangers wield primal magic, although not at the same scale as druids. They use their magic to track their foes, enhance their attacks in combat, and to call upon the forces of nature.

Ideals

• Exploration: I want to see what lies over the next hill, and the one after that. (Any)
• Secrecy: My purpose is not for everyone to know. (Lawful)
• Protection: I stand watch at the edge of civilization, and I do not need any reward for it. (Good)
• Wilderness: Nature contains unbridled splendor and wrath in equal amounts, and must be preserved. (Neutral)
• The Hunt: I never feel as alive as when I stalk my prey. (Evil)
• Freedom: I will go whereever I want and do whatever I want. (Chaotic)

Questions

• How did you acquire your skills?

Rogue

The rogue is an expert in their field, someone who knows all the tricks of their trade and can apply them in a wide variety of situations.

Ideals

• Thrill: I am addicted to the rush, and I keep seeking it out. (Any)
• Honor Among Thieves: I follow a code, even if that is not the law of the land. (Lawful)
• Charity: If I take everything for myself, I am not better than those I took from. (Good)
• Freedom: Sometimes I will go one way, sometimes another. (Neutral)
• Greed: I want all the shiny things - I don't care who owns them. (Evil)
• Tricks: Fair has never won a fight. (Chaotic)

Questions

• What type of crimes have you committed?
• Who are your underworld allies?
• Are you wanted for your crimes somewhere? Did you do it?

Spellsword

The spellsword blends martial talent with arcane magic into a deadly package.

Ideals

• Skill: A novice trains until they can do it. A master trains until they cannot do it wrong. (Any)
• Humility: When I am wrong, I will practice until I can be better. (Good)
• Pride: I am the greatest hero to walk the Material Plane. (Evil)
• People: I protect those who have earned my respect. (Neutral)
• Command: Just as I obey the commands of my superiors, I expect my own commands to be obeyed. (Lawful)
• Survival: We must adapt to the opposition to gain the upper hand in our struggle. (Chaotic)

Questions

• What does your fighting look like?

Sorcerer

Sorcerers are born with innate arcane ability, which they must contend with for good or bad.

Ideals

• Origin: I want to find out why I have these powers. (Any)
• Responsibility: Those of us who have been given the means must use it to help others. (Good)
• Birthright: I was given these powers so that I could use them as I see fit. (Evil)
• Fate: Whatever happens is already written. I am just here for the ride. (Neutral)
• Live and Let Live: I tolerate anyone who tolerates my presence. (Lawful)
• Untamed Magic: I have no desire to contain the awesome power within me. (Chaotic)

Questions

• What is the source of your powers? Do you even know?
• How do your powers manifest? Are you open about them?
• How did your magic first made itself known?

Warlock

Warlocks took a shortcut to magical power, through a deal with a powerful entity. The details of this deal vary from warlock to warlock, but it is almost never in the warlock's favor - at least in the long run.

Ideals

• Knowledge: I want to learn the secrets of the world. (Any)
• Altruism: I must use my powers to help others. (Good)
• Obedience: I will serve my patron faithfully, or they might not have use of me. (Lawful)
• Power: I have tasted true power, and I want more of it. (Neutral)
• No Limits: I obey a power higher than any mortal ruler. (Chaotic)
• Sacrifice: I will not let others stand in the way of my patron. (Evil)

Questions

• How did you first make contact with your patron?
• How does your patron communicate with you?
• What do you think of your patron? What does your patron think of you?

Wizard

Wizards are the apex of arcane learning. Their spellbooks are as important to them as the fighter's weapon. A wizard pours their mind and soul into their book, and it serves as a secondary repository for the vast amount of knowledge needed to bend the Weave to their will.

They study the runes, which form the basis of arcane spellcasting, and seek to learn new applications and meanings of the runes. This is not an easy process, nor one that can be fully explained to an outsider. Each wizard expresses their spells slightly differently, which does not make the transfer of information any easier. This makes each wizard's spellbook a unique artifact, whose pages reflect its owner's experiences and idiosyncrasies.

Wizards have a firm belief that arcane magic is superior to other sources of magic, and that wizardry is the greatest form of that magic. True learning is far greater than the sorcerer's luck of the draw or the warlock's shadowy dealing. Druids are worthy of a certain respect, although their studies are misdirected. Clerics are just warlocks of a different flavor. Bards focus too much on form over function. Of course, the lowest rung on the ladder belongs to those poor dimwits who completely lack the ability to channel any magic at all.

The analytical mind of the wizard prepares for every eventuality and contingency, always working on an alternative plan in case their current one fails. This sometimes leads them to overthink their actions, and fail by inaction.

Wizards gain their power from their studies, either in tutored master-apprentice relationships, or from individual reading of magical books and scrolls, or experimentation with magical ingredients and substances. The search for true mastery over magic can take a lifetime, and some wizards look for a way to extend their allotted time, perhaps through unnatural means.

Ideals

• Power: I need the ability to fulfil my goals. (Any)
• Magical Mastery: It is better to do it only once, flawlessly. (Neutral)
• Scholarship: If we do not write down our findings, who will further our research? (Lawful)
• Mentorship: We must serve as guides for the next generation of wizards. (Good)
• Superiority: I know I am better than others, and I do not care about them. (Evil)
• Mystery: I am most intrigued by arcane secrets that have been lost for centuries. (Chaotic)

Questions

• What does your spellbook look like?
• What types of spells do you prefer?