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Message: <blockquote data-quote="EzekielRaiden" data-source="post: 8596202" data-attributes="member: 6790260">Others have mostly covered the ones I would mention, but it doesn't hurt to mention them again.The "Captain" archetype (Warlord, Marshal, Commander, whatever you wish to call it): someone whose skill or benefit to the team is measured in how they coordinate and support others, rather than in their pure personal contributions, usually not via magic but instead via tactics/strategy, logistics, training, etc. I say "usually not via magic" rather than "without magic" because I'm totally cool with a "Knight-Enchanter" type subclass that IS specifically specialized in exploiting the power of magic.The "Summoner" archetype: someone who has only a little magical power personally, but can call upon the aid of powerful or skillful beings. We all know how popular Pokémon is, the idea of having a buddy creature or a team of creatures who do most of the heavy lifting. And Pathfinder has shown a great deal of creativity (albeit not always a great deal of balance) in implementing this archetype, so it totally can work in a TTRPG context. The Shaman archetype ("Medicine Man," Ritualist, Spiritualist, what-have-you): someone who has one foot in the spirit world and one in the mortal world. Avatar Aang is a great demonstration of an extremely well-written "shaman" type character, though we'd want to tone down the Chosen One elements of course. This archetype emphasizes the mystical nature of at least some types of magic (something many folks seem to want to preserve) and offers the chance to explore often-neglected human traditions of the sacred.The Avenger archetype ("Ezio," certain other flavors of Assassin, the Terrible Swift Sword): someone who does the "dirty work" for their ostensibly holy cause. I'm sure I'll get flak for this one, but I really do think this is a great and poorly-explored archetype. The idea of religious groups having Internal Police, who hunt down those who have obtained power and (by whatever standard they hold) "abuse" it, adds something new to the experience. That it does so while carrying the executioner's axe or a huge sword is just visual icing on the cake.The Swordmage archetype: Not someone who studies magic and adds a bit of combat, or studies combat and adds a bit of magic, but someone for whom studying magic IS studying combat and vice-versa. Again, Paizo's Magus class is a solid demonstration here. Truly integrating the two disciplines, rather than being a wizard-who-fights or a fighter-who-casts, allows for some much more interesting mechanical and thematic expression, e.g. Swordmage "tanks" who evade their designated target, forcing them to waste time moving or make sub-par decisions in combat.In pretty much every case, one can finagle something that fulfills some part of the archetype. However, the support is often incomplete or lacking, often relying on a slow build-up rather than enabling the class fantasy early (e.g., by level 3 at the latest) like every other class gets. Some rely on franken-builds (e.g. Fighter/Bard/Rogue) or multiple feats (e.g. Inspiring Leader, Healer), which take many levels or specific options in order to obtain...and which get a LOT of pushback from DMs. Others just fail to capitalize on the possibilities of a truly integrated presentation, the difference between "this figure is colored 60% blue and 40% yellow" and "this figure is colored 100% green."</blockquote>

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