Hello, Pathfinders!
Today we want to tell you about the new archetypes in The Lord of Nothing DLC. There is a great deal of information, so we’ve divided this article into two parts. The second part will be out soon, but in the meantime, sit back and enjoy the details, because we’ve added 15 new archetypes in The Lord of Nothing DLC!
The team carefully selected and thought over the archetypes to fit the DLC’s atmosphere: cold and gloomy. We’ve changed some slightly compared to the Pathfinder tabletop version, others have undergone global changes, and some we've developed ourselves. We hope you’ll like them and that every player will find an archetype that suits their style and gameplay.
Please note that the localization of The Lord of Nothing DLC is not yet finished, and some archetype names and abilities may change in the final version.
Shall we start?
Shaman: Prophet of Pestilence
This is a shaman who has bound their soul to Apollyon, one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the semi-divine entities that rule in Abaddon. Their area of influence is plague, decay, and rot, and they lavish their gifts upon their follower. This archetype’s main ability is the uniquely customizable Plague of Abaddon hex. The shaman can enhance it by weakening their victims so that their suffering feeds the spirit contained within the shaman’s body. Over time, enemies who attack or draw too near the shaman may find their bodies and minds infected – only to fall to the merciless spells of the Prophet, who revels in their torment. This archetype also gains several new spells related to its essence. The most significant of these is Living Plague. The shaman summons a sea of insects that devours everything in its path, and which infects and destroys all living things. Enemies who fall under the influence of this ability disgorge new parts of the swarm from their own bodies, which pounce on their prey. Devour your enemies on your path to greatness!
Paladin: Tortured Crusader
This is a favorite archetype of our lead game designer, Andrey Sverkunov. And no wonder, as the Tortured Crusader is able to endure every hardship and setback without buckling under the onslaught. We've slightly reworked its abilities, and this archetype now gets bonus fighter feats and is strengthened when allies lose all their health points in battle. And the new All Is Darkness ability allows the Tortured Crusader to use Smite Evil on all enemies, regardless of alignment. Anyone who stands in your way stands against your principles and must be brought to justice! Eradicate evil in every corner of Golarion, for nothing can stop you now!
Cleric: Separatist
The Separatist is a cleric of an unorthodox faith; other believers likely consider them heretics. Nevertheless, they receive divine support, including for their unconventional beliefs.
This archetype’s main ability is to take a domain that your deity does not have in exchange for weakening the abilities of that domain. We’ve added a small expansion to the game specifically for these occasions, the Ice and Undead subdomains.
We spent a great deal of time and effort to create this archetype, as we had to make a copy of all the files of the cleric domains (more than 450 files and 70 abilities), modify them, and test them several times. Thank you to the QA department for all the hard work!
Druid: Winter Child
Winter Child is an archetype based on the concept of "the leader of a pack of hungry predators with an affinity for blizzards." Their unique ability is a bond with a blizzard elemental that accompanies them on their travels and protects its master. As the Winter Child’s level increases, the bond strengthens, which allows the elemental to grow stronger and develop its abilities. By using the blizzard to slow enemies, for instance, it can strengthen its allies' weapons, allowing them to deal additional cold damage. At the pinnacle of development, the druid becomes an otherworldly being, a master of frost and blizzard. Turn Sithhud's frozen realm to your advantage and unleash the fury of cold on your enemies!
Cavalier: Ghost Rider
The Ghost Rider possesses the fastest, most unstoppable mount: a phantom horse! Despite the contradictory nature of Ghost Riders using the undead to fight evil, you can always be certain of their victory. The use of phantom animals allows them to ignore the complexities of rough terrain, and the spiritual bond between rider and phantom strengthens both.
Set off on your adventure without worrying about the difficulties of the path – your mount can withstand any hardship!
Shifter: Weretouched
When we released The Last Sarkorians DLC, many players in the comments section requested the addition of this archetype. Our Weretouched is different from the tabletop version, and it has three forms. The different forms imply different play styles and have unique abilities that improve at higher levels.
Unlike traditional lycanthropes, who are forcibly turned into a beast, the Weretouched chooses whether they will embrace their animal nature and if they will use it for good or evil. Tune in to your inner beast and put your claws to work!
Wizard: Shadowcaster
When we started to develop the archetypes, we knew there would be the Shadow Plane location in The Lord of Nothing DLC. Therefore, the Shadowcaster was a fitting addition. After all, Shadowcasters wield the powers of the Shadow Plane, control the shadows, and summon powerful shadow creatures. Mysterious and enigmatic wizards and masters of illusion, they have dedicated their lives to the study and manipulation of dark magic. They are able to bend reality to their will and deceive the most astute of enemies.
We have also added the ability to transform into the Shadowform itself, thus gaining many bonuses and without losing the ability to cast sorcery.
No longer will you have to fear the shadows, for they serve only you!
Witch: Hag of Gyronna
This witch gains their powers by making an alliance with a night hag. Not only are they able to do evil deeds for the glory of their patroness, they can even summon her as an ally and full witch companion at high levels.
Developing Hag of Gyronna wasn't easy, as we really liked the narrative of the archetype’s tabletop version, but the abilities seemed rather weak for our game's setting. Therefore, Valeriy Kormanovskiy, the game designer developing this archetype, almost completely redesigned it, adding a unique summoned companion in the form of a night hag at level 12. The summoned night hag has no access to high-level spells, but the available spells can be used an unlimited number of times.
Explore every corner of Golarion with the help of your loyal and very wicked grandmother!
And here we reach the end of the first part of this article, but we will soon bring you the second part, where we will tell you about seven more archetypes. In the meantime, please share in the comments which archetypes interest you the most!