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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder RPG (1st Edition) Pathfinder RPG (2nd Edition) Starfinder RPG

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Profession Archetypes

These archetypes represent jobs and roles all throughout Golarion.

PFS StandardAcrobatDedication Feat 2

Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 155 2.0
Prerequisites trained in Acrobatics
You have trained your body to perform incredible, seemingly superhuman feats of grace. You move in ways that leave your opponents caught off guard and fumbling for a response, turning every fight into performance art.

PFS LimitedAlkenstar AgentDedication Feat 2

Uncommon 
Source Pathfinder #178: Punks in a Powderkeg pg. 78
Prerequisites trained at least one firearm; trained in Deception
Outwardly dashing outlaws or silent, deadly bravos, these masters of combat and culture must hone a variety of skills to serve as secret agents and informants for the leader of Alkenstar, Grand Duchess Trietta Ricia.

PFS StandardAlter EgoDedication Feat 2

Uncommon 
Source Dark Archive pg. 126
Prerequisites trained in Deception and Stealth
A highly guarded castle in the middle of an extravagant ball, the headquarters of a city's infamous thieves' guild, the locked room in the back of a cultist hideout—all perfect targets for you to use your expertise at blending in. Rather than skulking through the shadows, you use your training and latent supernatural abilities to become a mirror, playing on the perceptions of others and taking on whatever role necessary to get in and out of your destination before anyone has a chance to think something is amiss.

Performing an alter ego means going unregarded. Passing as just a face in the crowd is crucial, and accolades come as the gratitude from your leaders or coin from your clients, rather than the awed adoration from a crowd. This arrangement might suit you fine, as you thrive in a job well done and on the thrill of walking flagrantly past your duped adversaries. Or it might become pent up, until you can't resist a dramatic reveal or a signature calling card that shows you were there. One final word before speeding away from the castle, a gloating message left behind, or some other sign reveals your skill—usually too late for your victims to do anything about it.

PFS LimitedAnimal Trainer Dedication Feat 2

Uncommon 
Source Pathfinder #152: Legacy of the Lost God pg. 76
Prerequisites trained in Nature
You have befriended an animal to serve as an able assistant and loyal guardian.

PFS StandardArchaeologistDedication Feat 2

Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 156 2.0
Prerequisites trained in Perception; trained in Society and Thievery
Adventurers raid tombs for material gain, but true archaeologists treasure the knowledge gained from such sites. You might accomplish your goals with scholarly learning, by training to overcome the tricks and traps set by ancient peoples and rivals, through magical training, or even with a bit of inexplicable luck.

PFS LimitedArtilleristDedication Feat 2

Source Guns & Gears pg. 128 2.0
Prerequisites trained in martial weapons
The artillerist's maxim holds that while fights might be won with swords, battles are won with cannons. Or in a pinch, with trebuchets, siege towers, catapults, hwachas, and all other lethal miscellanea of a combat engineers' corp. As a true artillerist, you leave the penny-ante pistols and knives to those who only need to operate on a small scale. You're a consummate professional in the art of big guns, a maestro at merging mathematics and manpower to transform whatever castle wall, infantry battalion, or rampaging dragon offends you into a smoking crater in the ground.

You're not just some daredevil demolitionist, though. You're part of a team, accustomed to coordinating with your unit to maximize your time and effectiveness. Whether jumping in to help your crew load the next round, quickly calculating the trajectory of the engine's next shot, or taking the shot yourself, your presence on the team ensures their chances of success are maximized, creating a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

PFS StandardBounty HunterDedication Feat 2

Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 163 2.0
Prerequisites trained in Survival
Whether for coin, glory, or justice, you know how to track, defeat, and capture dangerous individuals. You're accustomed to perusing wanted posters, searching up on leads, and pursuing villains to hell and back.

PFS StandardCavalierDedication Feat 2

Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 164 2.0
Prerequisites trained in Nature or Society
You are a skilled and dedicated warrior of the battlefield who specializes in fighting astride a powerful animal companion that serves as your mount. You and your mount are an unparalleled team, moving with shared intent to become a powerful force on the battlefield. You might wield a banner in the name of a greater organization, a liege, or an ideal you uphold, or you might fight solely to further enrich your own prestige, reputation, and coffers.

PFS StandardCelebrityDedication Feat 2

Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 166 2.0
You're a special personality... and you know it. You're not merely comfortable in the spotlight, you crave it. While the traditional celebrity is a musician or another type of performer, you could be known for any occupation.

Corpse TenderDedication Feat 2

Uncommon 
Source Pathfinder #181: Zombie Feast pg. 81
Prerequisites evil alignment; trained in Religion
You tend to mindless undead, such as the zombie farmhands and farm animals throughout Geb.

PFS StandardDandyDedication Feat 2

Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 167 2.0
Prerequisites trained in Diplomacy
You are a genteel master of style, culture, and decorum, aware of even the subtlest rules of etiquette. Whether you were born into status, acquired it later in life, or merely pretend to possess it, you look and act your part to manicured perfection.

PFS StandardExorcistDedication Feat 4

Source Book of the Dead pg. 22
Prerequisites trained in Occultism or Religion
You pacify restless spirits, ghosts, and haunts, capturing fragments of them and using their vengeful energies to fuel your own powers while purifying the spirit. You store these ghosts within a magical vessel called a spirit dwelling. This spirit dwelling might be a treasured family heirloom, an item you crafted expressly to help with exorcisms, or even just an odd trinket you found that happens to do the job.

While the motivations of exorcists run the gamut, most are compassionate individuals who believe that every ghost, haunt, and spirit is simply a lost soul in need of rest. They collect spirits expressly for the purposes of offering them comfort, guidance, and absolution. After an exorcist's ministrations, these spirits are freed of their burdens, emotion, and regrets and are reabsorbed into the River of Souls. Although exorcists rarely gather in one place, many different religions employ them to deal with spiritual threats.

Exorcists are most commonly found among the faithful of Ashava the True Spark (the empyreal lord of dancers), but among the major deities of the Inner Sea region, Sarenrae, Pharasma, and even Shelyn count a fair number of exorcists among their faithful. Exorcists can come from any walk of life, but many are redeemer champions, clerics, or monks. Apart from the role of the spirit dwelling, exorcism practices can vary. For example, a bard or rogue might attract spirits with trickery, charm, or empty promises. In contrast, a cleric of Pharasma could take a more severe route, demanding the spirits return to the natural order of things.

PFS StandardFireworks TechnicianDedication Feat 2

Uncommon 
Source Guns & Gears pg. 134 2.0
Prerequisites trained in Crafting
The brilliant display of cascading lights and flickering aerial flowers, the thunderous boom, the sizzling crackle, and piercing screech—these are the stock and trade of your craft. You know how to perfectly pair light and sound to create fireworks displays that can amaze children and adults, comfort friends, and even confound your foes.

As a fireworks technician, you might be an itinerant wanderer, roaming from town to town and developing your craft on your own. In that case, you make a living on the road, selling fireworks to the townsfolk, setting up public displays upon request and receipt of payment, and even tailoring individualized performances to those wealthy or interesting enough to be worthy of receiving their own private show.

On the other hand, you might be part of an established fireworks house from Tian Xia or Vudra and rely on teamwork to perfect your various formulas and displays. Hoping to produce the next great innovation in fireworks technology, you often send back the notes from your studies and field demonstrations to esteemed colleagues from your fireworks house, seeking their opinions on your next big idea.

PFS LimitedFolkloristDedication Feat 2

Uncommon 
Source Pathfinder #170: Spoken on the Song Wind pg. 78
Prerequisites trained in Performance
Folklorists are welcome across the Mwangi Expanse for the entertaining stories they tell and the counsel they impart. However, those who take the art of storytelling to the next level can produce magical effects based on their understanding of stories and their firm belief that life conforms to the contours of these tales. While many such folklorists are benevolent, terms like hero and villain are notoriously relative, changing to fit the perspective of the storyteller.

PFS LimitedGame HunterDedication Feat 2

Uncommon 
Source Pathfinder #175: Broken Tusk Moon pg. 81
Prerequisites trained in Survival
Game hunters find, follow, and slay game animals, then honor their fallen rivals by securing and preserving a trophy of the kill. Many game hunters show a reverential respect for their prey bordering on the sacred. The finest game hunters engage only in a fair chase, strive for painless kills, and use every part of the animal's carcass.

PFS LimitedGhost HunterDedication Feat 2

Uncommon 
Source Pathfinder #163: Ruins of Gauntlight pg. 81
Prerequisites trained in Occultism or Religion
Ghosts have a wide range of capabilities and features— no two ghosts are exactly alike, as the nature of their abilities depends as much upon who they were in life as on how they died. Haunts, the spectral phenomena remaining in a site of death or powerful emotions, are related to but distinct from ghosts.

The ghost hunter knows that ghosts and haunts share many features. By focusing on these similarities, they can track down, confront, and defeat all manner of unquiet souls, helping them to find peace and move on to the afterlife.

PFS StandardGladiatorDedication Feat 2

Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 175 2.0
Prerequisites Impressive Performance
The roar of the crowd and thrill of competitive combat drive you to become the best—and the fame isn't bad either.

If there are sapient creatures observing a combat encounter, and these onlookers are neither engaged in the combat themselves nor allied or affiliated with either side, the combatants have spectators. The GM is the final arbiter.

PFS StandardHerbalistDedication Feat 2

Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 176 2.0
Prerequisites trained in Nature; Natural Medicine
The plants around you can provide more remedies than the finest hospital or temple, and you are skilled in their use.

PFS LimitedJugglerDedication Feat 2

Uncommon 
Source Pathfinder #151: The Show Must Go On pg. 74
Prerequisites Dexterity 14
You’re a skilled performer, with impressive balance and coordination that help you greatly in battle.

PFS StandardLinguistDedication Feat 2

Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 178 2.0
Prerequisites you speak at least three languages
Whether you study to further your own ambitions or simply out of fascination with the intricacies of language, your way with words is unparalleled.

PFS StandardLoremasterDedication Feat 2

Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 179 2.0
Prerequisites trained in at least one skill to Decipher Writing
Knowledge is power, and you labor in pursuit of that power. No matter the situation, you can usually procure some tidbit of knowledge to inform your actions. You specialize in secrets, both uncovering them and hiding them away, and your command of the written word borders on the supernatural. As you discover deeper secrets of lore, you might develop a power over knowledge that becomes outright magical, allowing you to understand and disguise information even more effectively.

PFS StandardMarshalDedication Feat 2

Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 180 2.0
Prerequisites trained in martial weapons; trained in Diplomacy or Intimidation
Marshals are leaders, first and foremost. Marshals can come from any class or background, though they all share a willingness to sacrifice their own glory for the greater good of the team. Some marshals lead from the front, sword and shield raised, while others may call instructions and encouragements from the rear while providing allied spellcasters with skilled support. Regardless of their preferred method of combat, marshals' ability to bring the best out in every ally is a valuable addition to any group.

PFS StandardMedicDedication Feat 2

Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 184 2.0
Prerequisites trained in Medicine; Battle Medicine
You've studied countless techniques for providing medical aid, making you a peerless doctor and healer.

PFS StandardPirateDedication Feat 2

Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 185 2.0
Prerequisites trained in Intimidation
You live a life of freedom, taking by force and intimidation all that you desire. You may be a privateer, raiding and plundering on behalf of a particular nation or another authority, or you may answer to no one but your own capricious whims. Either way, you rely on intimidation, wits, and combat prowess to take what you want from those you deem less deserving.

Pirates have much in common with swashbucklers, and many pirates have the swashbuckler class or archetype. Much like a swashbuckler's daring deeds, classic pirate maneuvers are often showy feats intended to impress, intimidate, and gain panache. For example, if you have the panache class feature and your Acrobatics check for a Boarding Assault exceeds the very hard DC for your level, you would gain panache.

PFS StandardPoisonerDedication Feat 2

Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 186 2.0
Prerequisites trained in Crafting
People are so delightfully fragile when exposed to the glories of nature. The bite of a certain serpent makes the blood congeal to jelly. A particular stone, suitably powdered, causes hallucinations and delirium. The sap of a tree inflicts such pain that death seems preferable. You are a student of such dark wonders, making you a dangerous foe indeed.

PFS StandardScoutDedication Feat 2

Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 188 2.0
Prerequisites trained in Stealth and Survival
You're an expert in espionage and reconnaissance, able to skulk silently through the wilderness to gather intelligence, sneak through enemy lines to report to your comrades, or suddenly and decisively strike your foes. Your skills ease the difficulty of travel for you and your companions and keep you all on guard when you're approaching danger.

PFS StandardScroungerDedication Feat 2

Uncommon 
Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 190 2.0
Prerequisites trained in Crafting
You have spent countless hours disassembling and rebuilding complex items to learn how they work, giving you the skill to create just about anything from the most unlikely materials. While your improvised items don't last long, they tend to be just what you need in a pinch, and your enemies find that while they might be able to disarm you, the real challenge is keeping you that way. Locked rooms, diabolical traps, and desperate situations are each their own sort of puzzle to you, and the mundane objects around you are the pieces you use to improvise your own solution.

PFS StandardSentinelDedication Feat 2

Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 191 2.0
Armor offers solid, reassuring protection in combat, and as someone who faces danger on a regular basis, you have made it your business to get the most out of your defenses. You stand solid on any battlefield, encased in the sturdiest armor you can find. When danger threatens, your solid defenses will safely get you, and possibly your companions, home again. As a sentinel, you might be a member of an order of knights or bodyguards that trained you how best to take advantage of heavy armor. On the other hand, you might just be an adventurer who took one too many scrapes and decided that enough was enough, so you trained yourself to wear the heaviest plate you could get your hands on. Some witches or sorcerers have chosen to follow the path of the sentinel to increase their survivability.

PFS StandardShieldmarshalDedication Feat 2

Uncommon 
Source Impossible Lands pg. 108
Gunplay isn't enough to uphold Alkenstar's laws; when firearms are readily available to criminals and the corrupt, relying solely on firepower isn't always the best approach to law enforcement. To stay ahead in their never-ending war against crime and espionage, Alkenstar's elite shieldmarshals instead refine their skills of marksmanship and situational awareness into a potent blend of operational acumen and special tactics. Shieldmarshals study forensics, engineering, law, and etiquette to navigate the city's volatile conditions and politics; advanced lessons include specialized training to deal with criminals using technology as well as tactical analysis for maneuvering in congested urban environments.

You've undergone specialized training to help you keep the peace in Alkenstar's sprawling streets. Urban operations are dreadfully complex endeavors; closed doors and high walls conceal suspects and belligerents, while every alley and corridor could be a fatal funnel. As a shieldmarshal, you overcome these complexities by reducing and adapting to uncertain elements. You methodically observe your surroundings, make swift decisions, and actualize best practices to pacify hostiles, rescue hostages, and otherwise meet overall mission objectives.

PFS StandardSnarecrafterDedication Feat 2

Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 194 2.0
Prerequisites trained in Crafting; Snare Crafting
You're able to take ordinary materials and use them to create deadly snares, special traps that you can rig up quickly when the situation demands. While traps might grant you less brute force to apply in a fair fight than weapons would, you rarely allow your fights to be fair. Instead, when a battle takes place at a location of your choice, you have a major advantage thanks to your well-placed snares. Once your foes come to realize that you may have trapped any location on the battlefield, their fear of walking into another trap can help you corral them toward the waiting blades of your allies, or even make them too paranoid to move at all, locking them in place.

PFS StandardTrick DriverDedication Feat 2

Uncommon 
Source Guns & Gears pg. 55 2.0
While cavaliers follow an old and tired tradition of mounted combat, you take a more modern road. Through aggressive use of vehicles, you roll across the battlefield, taking down your opponents. You go beyond simply operating a vehicle, pushing it to perform stunts that its builders never intended, transforming the vehicle into something much greater than a mere conveyance.

PFS LimitedTurpin Rowe LumberjackDedication Feat 2

Uncommon 
Source Pathfinder #153: Life's Long Shadows pg. 75
Prerequisites trained in Survival
You are a feller of trees and a skilled axe wielder, trained in the art of forestry by the hard-working loggers of Turpin Rowe.

PFS LimitedTwilight SpeakerDedication Feat 2

Uncommon 
Source Pathfinder #189: Dreamers of the Nameless Spires pg. 78
Prerequisites trained in Society; you are an Ilverani elf
As a religious and diplomatic representative of Findeladlara—and all Ilverani of the north—you see it as your duty to befriend shorter-lived peoples you encounter on your travels. Unlike other Ilverani, also called “snowcaster elves” by outsiders, you find outsiders interesting and believe there is much to learn from having conversations and relationships with others. Whether to watch them, teach them, or to keep would-be enemies close, you believe a broad smile, ageless learning, and a watchful eye are key. Some see this watchful and outwardly friendly nature as condescending, but they don't understand the reason why worshipers of Findeladlara feel a duty to uphold this tradition. When Earthfall struck and most of the other elves on Golarion fled to Sovyrian or delved deep into the earth, the elves that would one day come to be known as Ilverani remained and sought to shelter others from catastrophe. They built refuges to protect others and helped guide people to safety during the Age of Darkness. While Twilight Seekers today don't build safe structures, they do work to build bonds among people so that society can be protected against other catastrophic events should they come to pass.

This calling brings you in contact with many different cultures, yet you seek to preserve the ways of your people. To this end, you are ever on your guard against the lure of “modern fads.” Unfortunately, some twilight speakers have succumbed to the allure of other ways of life and, for them, there is only one outcome: exile.

PFS StandardVehicle MechanicDedication Feat 2

Uncommon 
Source Guns & Gears pg. 56 2.0
Prerequisites Intelligence 14; trained in Crafting
You have always felt that vehicles are as much works of art as they are means of transportation. It doesn't matter if it's as common as a chariot or as complex as an airship, there's always some aspect of the vehicle you can improve upon. Pilots, drivers, and sailors alike value your expertise, and many seek you out to work on their vehicles. While you can make a great profit working on custom vehicles for wealthy clients, you still keep a vehicle of your own to tinker with as your personal passion project.

You might be part of a vehicle mechanic union, working with other mechanics and engineers to find fair jobs and support each other's labor. While some vehicle mechanic unions are secular, many realize the benefits of organizing alongside a sympathetic religion, and so they typically adopt the ideals of economically-focused gods like Abadar or deities interested in crafting such as the goddess Brigh—the Whisper in Bronze—the goddess of invention. Whether religious or secular, vehicle mechanic unions take the bonds between fellow union members seriously. While this might mean your character becomes obligated to help a fellow union member who needs your help, it also means you have steadfast allies you can fall back on in your own time of need. In dire straits, such a connection can be worth its weight in gold.

PFS StandardVigilanteDedication Feat 2

Uncommon 
Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 196 2.0
Prerequisites trained in Deception
As a vigilante, you have two faces: a public persona, and a secret identity that lets you hide your extralegal actions from polite society. Your secret identity lets you adventure and carry out clandestine missions while keeping the civilians you care about safe. Whatever your purpose— fighting crime, inciting rebellion, sowing chaos—your vigilante identity makes you both hard to pin down and a mysterious, intriguing subject of gossip.

PFS StandardVikingDedication Feat 2

Source Advanced Player's Guide pg. 198 2.0
Prerequisites trained in Athletics
To go “a-viking” is to raid by sea, and thus vikings have spread far and wide. Some have even settled in the very communities they once raided. Vikings traditionally travel in longboats; a score of these warriors might live aboard their ship for days at a time, sailing the seas (or, as they call it, the “whale-road”) to ambush coastal communities. Once they arrive at a settlement, they charge ashore, plundering all they can find and slaying anyone foolish enough to get in their way. The ferocity of viking raids is legendary.