Editing Archetype

{{dnd-stub}}

'''Archetypes''' are a term cum game mechanic introduced to the /tg/ lexicon with the invention of the [[Pathfinder Roleplaying Game]]. They are essentially [[Paizo]] taking the concept of the [[Variant Class]], which they had worked on f airly extensively in the pages of [[Dragon Magazine]], and making it a core mechanic... more or less. Although archetypes were not present in the Core Rulebook, unless one counts [[Cleric Domain]]s, [[Sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)|Sorcerer Bloodlines]] and [[Specialist Wizard]]s, they were very quickly introduced in the suibsequent PC-focused books and became a mainstay of the game.

COnceptually, archetypes are simple; you pick a base class, like the [[fighter]], [[rogue]] or [[wizard]], and then you can choose to take an archetype, which will alter some of your class features and, if you have a "modular" class like the [[barbarian]], [[oracle]] or [[alchemist]], may recommend that you take certain optional class powers - the [[Horselord|Mounted Fury]] archetype for the [[barbarian]] ''really'' works better if you pick the rage powers that buff your mount when you rage.

One of the oddities of the system is that it has completely swallowed the [[Specialist Wizard]] mechanic of old, but it exists largely independently of the various "caster subclasses" for the other spellcaster classes, such as cleric domains, sorcerer bloodlines, and oracle mysteries.

The "subclass" system of [[Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition]] was probably inspired when [[Wizards of the Coast]] saw the archetypes of PF1e, realized how popular they were, and decided to make them not just a core mechanic but a ''mandatory'' class choice.

[[Category: Pathfinder]] [[Category: Gamer Slang]] [[Category: Game Mechanics]]