Weekly Wonders - Archetypes of War Volume II - Ranged Assault

Fire at Will!

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 ranged attackers. Archers and riflemen are powerful forces on the field of battle, and can have a huge impact on the outcome of any conflict. Able to deliver devastating attacks from a safe range, any general with the capability to black then sky with arrows has a huge advantage over his foes, quite possibly deciding the fate of the battle before the two sides even close upon one another. This book focuses on making archetypes to support this kind of powerful artillery support in a variety of classes, some of which might not be the first you would associate with the strategy.

• The invisible sniper, a gunslinger archetype that focuses on taking out foes from great distances.

• The multiblaster, a kineticist archetype that can channel her energy into multiple blasts at once, allowing her to target many foes simultaneously.

• The pinpoint marksman, a ranger archetype that focuses on delivering ranged attacks to precise spots on the body, making called shots to cripple his foes.

• The cunning thrower, a slayer archetype that can deliver surprisingly powerful volleys of attacks with thrown weapons that are as deadly as they are precise.

• The bowmage, a sorcerer archetype that delivers its spells through magic-imbued arrows.

• A bonus archetype for the harbinger, from Path of War Expanded by Dreamscarred Press, the arrow of sorrow claims victims from a range and delivers a variety of potent curses.

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.