Weekly Wonders - Archetypes of the Afterlife Volume V - The Runaways

Death is but a Doorway!

Adventurers have a special relationship with death in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. While for many, death is one of the few things in this world that is both certain and final, for an adventurer, especially at higher levels, it is more of an inconvenience than anything else. Some characters may even find themselves dying and being brought back to life with magic multiple times in a single fight. The Weekly Wonders: Archetypes of the Afterlife series explores some of the ways that a brush with death might affect PCs, with a variety of new afterlife-themed archetypes.

For this book, we focus on the runaways, those poor lost souls who have fled from the judgment that awaits them, on the run from those eternal forces that would see them sent to their final rest. Most often, the runaways are fleeing the consequences of some dark deed they committed in the past, and may be haunted by their sins, or may simply be seeking to avoid having to pay for them. In a few rare cases, one may find themselves on the run for matters entirely outside their control. This book includes the following archetypes:

The hunted fist, a brawler archetype constantly hunted by a particular race of outsiders, who learns to claim their powers as his own, and can eventually punch holes through dimensions.

The divine leech, a cleric archetype that truly worships no deity, but can siphon magical power from gods of any stripe.

The slippery phantom, a mesmerist archetype who can redirect harmful spells to a nearby stooge and avoid their effects himself, and who specializes in avoiding magical detection.

The enduring esotericist, an occultist archetype that learns to imbue parts of his soul into his implements in a manner similar to a lich’s phylactery.

The killer chameleon, a slayer archetype hunted by the faces of those he has killed, who can channel their spirits to draw on their knowledge and expertise, and even transform himself into them.

The Runaway, a new emotional focus for spiritualist phantoms, representing phantoms who are on the run from their final judgment.

Whether you're about to embark on a campaign where the afterlife features prominently (such as the official Paizo Adventure Path featuring an undead tyrant), or you just want to play a character touched by the grave, 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 deathly NPCs as well, and can make for exciting and memorable encounters.