Nijay
Explorer
I thought at first you were asking for a character build to prove if it was possible within the system. Now I see you are asking how the rules for character creation allow more variety in builds than the fairly restrictive types offer. So I guess my approach to trying to help with these questions will be to first highlight some of the rules that jump out to me related to character customization, note some general considerations for flavoring abilities differently, then suggest some character builds/directions to highlight some different approaches to the character concept as I understand it.
First, I think you are right that the type is a largely limiting factor in what your character can do. The Flavor options to swap special abilities between different types mentioned above don't seem to appear in OGoA. There are some focuses that grant weapons (unarmed attacks) or magic (Hedge Magic). But being practiced/trained/specialized with any weapons is almost exclusively limited to your Type. And magic comes largely as a type's special abilities, or through cyphers and artifacts. Now, here the rules suggest that's a feature, not a bug, specifically in regard to cyphers:
I guess saying something like, "hey, I want these kind of cyphers" is technically part of a character build in OGoA. Elsewhere, the rules talk about Artifacts as a form of character advancement, too.
Characters think about and understand magic in varied ways, so a connection to the supernatural can come exclusively through cyphers and artifacts thematically as well as mechanically. A Protector can use cyphers/artifacts that grant them some form of true sight, while a Sage can use cyphers/artifacts that make them better at combat.
Defensively, you can essentially become practiced in armor as an "Other" advancement option once per tier, reducing the Speed penalty when applying Effort to a Speed Task by 1, which is exactly what being practiced in armor does. This is where I will bring up flavoring things that are typically thought of as endurance/toughness-related as being speed-related/gracefulness. Armor and other defensive abilities would seem to fit right in with the idea of a graceful scrapper. I would flavor armor points like from the Sage's Wrap ability like the character was able to roll with the punches and partially absorb momentum from the attacks. I don't think I would want to trade that away!
As far as how important is the difference between inability=hindered/practiced/trained/specialized, each tier is equivalent to a +/- 3 on a d20 roll. So a Sage starts out -15% to hit versus a Protector. At tier 2, a Sage could maintain the same gap, as the Protector could become trained in a single weapon type while the Sage can become practiced with Light weapons. That's it for weapon progression for a Sage (outside of the Gets Rough and Rowdy Focus) but the Protector doesn't get specialization in a weapon type until tier 5 (though they can get trained in more types to be more versatile). Now, uneven tier progression can be a thing. The rules assume a character will use half their xp for character advancement. If your Sage spends more xp on advancement than a Protector, you could conceivably be better at a specific kind of fighting than a Protector is at fighting in general for however long it takes for the Protector to catch up in their tier advancement. Likewise, I think some focuses grant extra (like +6) stat points, which may help one character keep up with another character that's better at combat for a little while by affording them additional points to ease the attack.
Taking this concept:
...I think the choice for the type falls between Protector and Sage. Looking at the Sage first, I think a Skeptical Sage Who Gets Rough and Rowdy could fit the concept pretty well, though that character would be restricted to unarmed attacks. The advantages are that you are not as dependent on the "soft" (undependable availability of) cyphers/artifacts and have "hard" (encoded in the rules) options for delving deeper into magic through the Sage's special abilities. You'll have pretty decent unarmed combat options, optionally gaining specialization or +5 damage at tier 6 rather than gaining specialization at tier 5 AND additional attacks/damage at tier 6 like a Protector, but getting trained at the same time in tier 2.
An Offish Protector Who Crafts Powerful Objects could be a different take on the concept. Again I am mitigating the "soft" nature of cyphers/artifacts - I guess from not being familiar with this system I am a bit skeptical of it - by choosing a focus that lets you choose what items you make. Perhaps part of your ability to see through people is that your natural suspicion of everyone motivates you to research them (and any potential enemy) thoroughly - checking into their connections, finances, reputation, weakness, and the like, leading you to having made the right supernatural tools just in time. You'll be good at combat while all of your magic will come from items.
