The following table lists the archetypes for the warrior class. Racial prerequisites are in bold.
Table: Warrior Archetypes
Archetype | Prerequisites | Description |
---|---|---|
Airborne Ambusher | Aegyl | Driven by suspicion and hatred, aegyl doggedly guard their territories, making deadly use of their flight. Using swift strikes from above, aegyl plummet onto their foes with lethal force. |
Cyberpunk Warrior | — | Cyberpunk warriors replace fallible flesh with precision-crafted machinery. Some seek to exceed the limitations of humanoid flesh, while others become cyberpunk warriors through drastic repairs necessitated by horrific injuries. |
Defender | — | A defender focuses on both offense and defense, blending weapon and shield in perfect balance to impede his enemies while delivering deadly blows, and even turning the shield itself into a formidable weapon. These fighting school benefits apply when wielding a weapon and a shield simultaneously. |
Dirty Fighter | — | The dirty fighter laughs at concepts like honor and fair play. He cares only for victory, no matter how he achieves it, and spends as much time mastering sneaky combat maneuvers as he does drilling with weapons or learning how to wear armor. |
Draconic Warrior | — | As some of the most ancient, powerful, and capricious creatures in existence, dragons occasionally enter into trysts with unsuspecting mortals or sire offspring with exceptional individuals. These draconic warriors run with the power of their blood. |
Elemental Warrior | — | Elemental warriors manifest their heritage in ways more suited to strength of arms and skill with steel than arcane energies. |
Feral Guardian | — | Feral guardians are trained with animal companions to detect and give warning about physical threats to the people and places they protect. |
First Shield | — | Title granted to the mightiest and most stalwart Shield of the Rosarian army. The First Shield is entrusted with the personal protection of the First shield of the Eikon, and is gifted a portion of the Eikon’s power—a boon known as the Partial Priming. |
Foehammer | Dwarf | While the axe is the most famous dwarven weapon, the hammer is at the heart of dwarves' heritage as forgemasters and warriors alike. |
Gladiator | — | Most warriors battle out of necessity, with each battle a contest of life and death. Some, however, fight for glory and for the adulation of the crowd. The gladiator is both a cunning warrior and a consummate performer, knowing life and death are balanced not only on a sword’s edge, but also on the cheers or jeers of the crowd. |
Lanista | — | To hear most lanistas talk, battles are won by heart and grit, by sharp iron and mighty hews. Yet the lanista knows that the key to victory is the mind behind the mettle, the training that guides the blade, and the knowledge of when and where to strike. |
Mercenary | — | Mercenaries fight for money or other recompense instead of fighting for ideological interests, whether they agree with or are against the existing government. Still, gold buys loyalty. As a result, they are well equipped and dedicate themselves to training in small-unit tactics, quickly communicating strategies and tricks to handle any threat to their charges. |
Nimble Striker | — | These warriors are proficient with a wide variety of weapons, but they are especially adept with swords. Disdaining the use of heavy armors, this fighting style focuses on quick movements, prodigious leaps, and dexterous sword-play. |
Sea Wolf | Roegadyn | A sea wolf is a pirate who focuses on shipboard combat relying on his strength of arms over his agility. He specializes in traditional pirate weapons, but often wears heavier armor than is normally seen on a ship. A sea wolf moves and fights easily in his armor, however, even in the water. Captains value sea wolves because of the skill they exhibit in defending the ship and in boarding actions. |
ShinSect | — | Shinra Security Division (egregiously shortened to ShinSect) is one of the many semi-military divisions found in Shinra Inc. Unlike their more military brethren, ShinSect deals with internal security, riot suppression and general security of various installations. Technically, ShinSect is a Branch Division under the Investigation Sector of the General Affairs Department (aka: The Turks) and are to report to them directly. In practice, the Turks tend to call on them seldom and mostly just make sure all the proper paperwork is in order and that everyone’s doing their job. Trained almost exclusively to minimize the potential collateral and to take alive any prisoners (if need be), these hardcore men and women tend to be often overlook by media in favor of the more ‘charismatic’ Divisions. But what they lack in fame, they make for with fervor. |
Squire | — | Warriors had to start their humble beginnings somewhere, as a squire. Some take it as a full-fledged duty. |
Swarm Fighter | Gnath | Gnaths know there’s strength in numbers, and they rarely send fewer than two gnaths out on patrol. This reliance on one another extends to combat tactics too— overwhelming numbers and tight quarters are the gnath fighter’s friends. Scuttling between the legs of friend and foe alike, the swarm fighter is an unshakable combatant. |
Talekeeper | Galka | Most Galka do not remember their previous lives, however there are those who not only remember their own, but the previous lives of all Galka. These chosen few are known as Talekeepers, the spiritual leaders of their kind. |
Viking | — | The sagas of the northern people are filled with stories of mighty warriors sailing south to raid the peoples of warmer climes and returning with longships filled with plunder. The northerners call these warriors vikings, and their deeds are sung in the longhouses during the long winter nights. A viking strikes fear into the heart of her foes, and in battle can fly into a terrible rage. Many vikings wear the pelts of bears or wolves, drawing on the strength and ferocity of these beasts in battle. Vikings do not wear heavy armor, but are skilled at fighting with an ax or spear in conjunction with a shield. |
Weapon Collector | — | A master of all weapons. He collects weapons either for his own pride and joy in the training of such weapons, or sometimes as trophies of strong adversaries. Whatever the reason may be, the weapon collector journeys across the world to find the strongest weapons. |
Non-FF Archetypes
The following archetypes are based off of pop-culture references outside of Final Fantasy and may not fit within the theming of your campaign. Consult your DM before using them.
Table: Non-FF Warrior Archetypes
Archetype | Prerequisites | Description | Reference |
---|---|---|---|
Demon Hunter | — | Either from necessity from an invasion or lack of pizza money, men and women alike pick up the mantle of Demon Hunter to track down and kill the outsiders who invade their lands. Imbued with the strength of demons and blessed with the greatest weapons of both man and monster, these hunters are best equipped to deal with oblivion on earth. | Devil May Cry |
Monster Hunter | — | Like a bounty hunter following his own rules, a monster hunter tracks down elusive prey using his wits and delivers long-overdue retribution while easily ignoring his own injuries thanks to the joy he receives from a job well done. | Monster Hunter World |
Stormbreaker | — | Warriors who walk in the tempest unafraid draw the power of the storm into themselves and become stormbreakers. | Thor (Avengers) |
Archetype Class Feature Replacements
Table: Warrior Archetype Class Feature Replacements
Archetype / Alternate Class Feature | Weapon & Armor | Limit Breaks | Chosen Weapon | Combat Defenses | Martial Flexibility | Combat Offenses | Warrior Talents and Advanced Warrior Talents | Chosen Knowledges | Warrior Techs | Physical Resilience | Weapon Guard | Additional Techs II / III / IV | Robust Physique | Weapon Adaptation | Secure Weaponry | Tenacious Grip | Warcry | Aggressor | Autonomic Grasp | Improved Rush | Weapon Unity | Critical Aim | Unstoppable Strike | Combat Composure | Assured Crits | Devastating Blow | Flawless Technique | Doublestrike | Assured Strike | Weapon Mastery | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 5 | 7 | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Airborne Ambusher | C | C | X | X | X | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cyberpunk Warrior | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Defender | C | X | X | X | X | X | C | X | X | X | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Demon Hunter* | C | C | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||||||||||||||||
Dirty Fighter | X | X | X | X | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Draconic Warrior | C | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | C | C | X | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Elemental Warrior | X | X | X | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Feral Guardian | X | X | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | X | C | C | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
First Shield | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||||||||||||||||||||
Foehammer | C | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Gladiator | C | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Lanista | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mercenary | X | X | X | X | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Monster Hunter* | X | X | X | X | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | X | X | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nimble Striker | C | C | X | X | C | X | X | X | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sea Wolf | X | X | C | X | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | X | X | X | X | C | C | C | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Shinsect | C | X | X | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | X | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Squire | X | X | X | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stormbringer* | C | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Swarm Fighter | C | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | C | X | X | X | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Viking | C | X | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | C | X | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weapon Collector | C | X | X | X | X | X |