Blog (A5E) Level Up: Let’s Talk About Archetypes

We’ve shown you several draft Level Up classes (and we’re busy revising those based on the extensive survey feedback we received). What we haven’t mentioned yet, though, is archetypes. As you have seen, Level Up classes have feature slots where archetypes plug in just like Original 5E (O5E) does. Every O5E archetype, past, present, and future, can be used with Level Up, which gives Level Up...

We’ve shown you several draft Level Up classes (and we’re busy revising those based on the extensive survey feedback we received). What we haven’t mentioned yet, though, is archetypes.

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As you have seen, Level Up classes have feature slots where archetypes plug in just like Original 5E (O5E) does. Every O5E archetype, past, present, and future, can be used with Level Up, which gives Level Up an immense amount of support out of the gate, along with ongoing support from a range of companies. This has been one of our most important goals all along — while Level Up is a standalone game, you can use O5E classes, characters, monsters, spells, archetypes, adventures, and everything else with it.

However, we are also writing our own archetypes. Over the last few weeks we’ve been hammering out a list of 40 archetypes which will be included in the Level Up core rulebook.

Level Up archetypes work in a similar way to O5E archetypes, but may sometimes offer a bit more choice or depth.

While it’s important to reiterate that this list is not final, it’s fairly close to final. Additionally, some names (*) are currently placeholders. With that said, here’s the current list.

Adept​

  • Warrior-monk
  • Brawler
  • Olympian*

Bard​

  • Minstrel
  • Warchanter
  • Loremaster
  • Mountebank

Berserker​

  • Primal*
  • Dreadnought
  • Tempest

Cleric​

  • Healer
  • Warpriest
  • Oracle
  • Sun/Light*

Druid​

  • Skinchanger
  • Treespeaker
  • Guardian

Fighter​

  • Brute
  • Knight
  • Gladiator
  • Sharpshooter
  • Swashbuckler/Duelist

Herald​

  • Holy Champion
  • Inquisitor

Ranger​

  • Beastmaster*
  • Warden
  • Wildborn*

Rogue​

  • Assassin
  • Burglar
  • Trapsmith
  • Investigator

Sorcerer​

  • Dragon
  • Wild
  • Planar

Warlock​

  • Spellbound
  • Diabolist
  • Alienist

Wizard​

  • Traditionalist*
  • Mage
  • Firemage

Continue reading...
 

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Tinker-TDC

Explorer
I can instantly tell what all of these are meant to play like just by reading the list (which I consider good design) except for: what is the difference between a Traditionalist Wizard and a Mage?

Also nitpick but if you have a reason I'd like to hear why you made a firemage instead of a pyromancer?
 

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Morrus

Well, that was fun
Staff member
I can instantly tell what all of these are meant to play like just by reading the list (which I consider good design) except for: what is the difference between a Traditionalist Wizard and a Mage?

Also nitpick but if you have a reason I'd like to hear why you made a firemage instead of a pyromancer?
I suppose I could ask the same thing. Why would you make a pyromancer instead of a firemage?

Dfiferent people like different words I guess! :)
 

Caliburn101

Explorer
@Morrus My suggestions for final names etc.

Olympian -> ATHALON
Primal -> UNBROKEN
Sun/Light -> SOLASTOR
Beastmaster -> BEASTMAVEN (this leaves the 'mastery' in but takes the explicit gender aspect out of the name)
Wildborn -> I don't really see the issue with this one, but you could go with WILDHEART or WILDBLOOD
Traditionalist -> It is unclear (apart from Firemage) what these titles mean in terms of whether they are specialist or generalist. Is the traditionalist a specialist? If so, doesn't that make the Firemage a specialist too?
 

tetrasodium

Legend
Supporter
Epic
Some of the archetypes have an asterisk next to them (ie Olympian, Primal, etc). Does that asterisk mean anything or is it more f a progress indicator editors note that got copied or something?

the monk ->adept sounds like a great change if the barbarian-> berserker & what I've read so far are any indication. As a gm it's going to be nice not needing to find room for a monk player's story, kwai chang caine's clone, and a local shaolin temple any time someone wants to play a monk in one of my games
 


Faolyn

(she/her)
@Morrus My suggestions for final names etc.

Olympian -> ATHALON

<pedant>

Athalon, apparently, is a brand of sportsgear.

Athlon, as in triathlon, comes from the root meaning contest. Since we probably don't want people saying "hi, I'm a contest," then maybe just go for Athlete.

</pedant>
 





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