Weekly Wonders - Archetypes of War Volume V - Scouts and Spies

Knowing is Half the Battle

There is battle, and then there is warfare. Many adventurers are familiar with wading into combat against monsters and small groups of enemies, but this is nothing next to the glory and chaos and carnage that is true war. More than simply a change in scale, the difference between war and other combat can be profound. In a war, the characters are part of something larger than themselves, contributing to the efforts of their armies, or perhaps leading those armies themselves. The priorities of a soldier are different from those of an adventurer, and often the challenges that they face are, as well. While many characters can translate their talents as adventurers to the battlefield, one who specifically focuses on warfare and battlefield tactics will have the edge on others when it comes to true war. Each installment of Weekly Wonders: Archetypes of War provides six new war-themed archetypes for a variety of classes.

For this book, we focus on scouts and spies. Though they’re rarely found on the front lines, they nonetheless place themselves in incredible danger, going into the lion’s den to extract their enemy’s secrets or sabotage their efforts, knowing all the while that one wrong move could spell their doom, and no one will be coming to help them if things go awry. This book features archetypes designed for scouting and spying, whether it’s by stealth, guile, or other means.

• The battlefield infiltrator, an investigator archetype whose skills are more suited to battlefield infiltration, and siege warfare.
• The psychic interrogator, a mesmerist archetype that can dive deep into the minds of others to uncover their secrets.
• The monk of the silent wind, a monk archetype that can render himself silent and invisible, and deliver deadly assassin strikes.
• The double agent, a vigilante archetype that has two social identities and two vigilante identities, and fights on both sides of a given conflict.
• The far watcher, a witch archetype that allows her familiar to do the spying while she remains at a safe distance.
• A bonus archetype for the stalker, from Path of War by Dreamscarred Press, the shadow knight can control shadows to conceal himself, protect him against attacks, and escape from his foes.

Whether you're about to embark on a campaign of military exploits (such as the official Paizo adventure path dealing with invading forces), or you just want to play a more military character, this book has lots of tantalizing options to offer. Even GMs can get in on the fun, as several of the archetypes here are perfect for militarily-inclined NPCs as well, and can make for exciting and memorable encounters.