Weekly Wonders - Eldritch Archetypes Volume XII - Archetypes of Leng

Archetypes of Your Dreams

The eldritch, the strange, and the weird are often relegated to the domains of villains and NPCs in fantasy, with the good guys being the ones who stand in the way of the dark things that remain just beyond our perception, which we can never truly understand. But sometimes, it can be fun to take on the mantle of the otherworldly, and to embrace the alien terrors of the cosmos. Each installment of Weekly Wonders: Eldritch Archetypes contains five archetypes for eldritch characters—those that are weird, alien, and otherworldly, who don’t fit in with normal society—as well as a cleric domain devoted to a specific mythos entity or race.

For this book, we focus on the dreaded plateau of Leng, a cold and desolate land in the realm of dreams, known for the strange denizens that make their home there, travelling from port to port on flying ships and taking slaves for their moon-beast masters. Featured primarily in The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath, by H.P. Lovecraft, Leng has been expanded upon in numerous works and stories. All of the archetypes in this book build upon the theme of dreams, and each one is tied to a different creature associated with that dark and terrible plateau that has haunted the nightmares of so many. This book contains the following archetypes:

The fist of Leng, a brawler archetype that slowly transforms into one of the dreaded men of Leng, with goat horns and legs.

The spider’s fang, a gunslinger archetype who serves the dreaded Leng spiders and has been granted several strange techniques by them.

The dreamquester, an occultist archetype that specializes in entering the world of dreams, and develops many useful contacts and allies in that strange and otherworldly realm.

The priest of the indescribable, an oracle archetype cursed with an appearance so hideous and alien that even looking upon her can cause madness and nightmares.

The shantak rider, a ranger archetype that gains a shantak as an animal companion, and is adept at traveling the world of dreams.

A bonus cleric domain devoted to those who adhere to the mysterious religion of Leng.

Whether you're about to embark on a campaign of eldritch horror (such as the official Paizo adventure path dealing with strange and alien entities), or you just want an excuse to play a servant of the unknowable and uncaring cosmic entities of the Cthulhu mythos, 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 insane cultist NPCs as well, and can make for exciting and memorable encounters.