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| ==Overview== | | ==Overview== |
| When you create your character you can choose a single character archetype from those described for the nation on the wiki. This is entirely optional; you don't have to have one. Picking an archetype, however, tells us a lot about what you consider to be the main role of your character. An archetype comes with a number of assumptions - if you choose the Dhomiro archetype for your [[The Brass Coast|Freeborn]] character that tells us that you are playing someone who represents their family to the wider world. If your [[Dawn|Dawnish]] character is a [[troubadour]], then we assume you are playing a priest who uses storytelling or music to exalt [[glory|glorious]] champions. | | An archetype represents a social niche that your character can occupy - something that your character is first and foremost known for. When you create your character you can choose a single character archetype from those described for the nation on the wiki. So you can be a [[Wintermark_political_leadership|thane]] of a [[Wintermark]] hall, a [[mountebank]] on the streets of [[Sarvos]], or a [[hakima]] of the [[tribe|tribes]] of [[the Brass Coast]]. |
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| Archetypes can provide useful characters hooks, but we also sometimes reference them when writing plots. For instance, if we are going to write some plot involving combat in Urizen - then we might aim that plot at players who have told us they are playing a [[sentinel]]. If we're writing plot involving rum doings in [[the Marches]], we might aim part of that plot at characters who are [[The_Marches_military_concerns#Bounders|bounders]] or [[Landskeeper|landskeepers]]. | | Archetypes are entirely optional; you don't have to have one, you can simply choose to be a regular '''citizen''' of the Empire instead. Picking an archetype helps to define your character, it gives them an identity and can help you to develop a purpose. Having a goal, something you want to achieve or accomplish is one of the more important aspects of character creation, so choosing an archetype is intended to help you to work out who you character is and what they're trying to accomplish. |
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| Not every character role is an archetype - there are priests in Dawn who are not troubadours, for example. Archetypes usually present a role in a certain way that resonates with the themes of a nation - or in rare cases is at odds in some way with those themes.
| | All archetypes are a natural part of the setting, an archetype is something your character ''is'' or ''does''. Thus you character can tell people they are a [[stargazer]], an [[earl]], or a [[Wintermark_economic_interests#Mediator|mediator]] and it will affect how other characters see you and treat you. Your archetype may mire you in intrigue, it may bring you into conflict with other characters, it may even change over the course of you playing your character. Ultimately though, it's about helping you to identify what is most important to your character. |
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| See also: [[Group Archetypes]]
| | Not every character role is an archetype - there are plenty of priests in [[Dawn]] who are not [[troubadour|troubadours]], for example. Archetypes usually present a role in a certain way that resonates with the themes of a nation - or in rare cases is at odds in some way with those themes. |
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| ==Archetypes by nation==
| | You can see a list of all [[:Category:Archetype|character archetypes]] here. |
| ===[[The Brass Coast]]===
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| {|
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| |[[The Brass Coast leadership|Dhomiro]]
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| |A Dhomiro is a member of a Freeborn family who is chosen by the family to be their representative to the wider world; sometimes as a leader, sometimes as an emissary.
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| |[[The Brass Coast military concerns|Kohan]]
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| |Kohan are groups of volunteer and outcast warriors-without-family, who traditionally pledge loyalty to a group of hakima.
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| |[[The Brass Coast religious beliefs|Sutannir]]
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| |Sutannir perform inspiring religious ceremonies for the Freeborn, and (more importantly) organise the parties that follow.
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| |[[Hakima]]
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| |Hakima are highly-organised groups of magic-users whose loyalty is to the nation, not their family. They are taken to be wise.
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| ||[[Corsair]]
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| |Freeborn Corsairs are traders and privateers who deal with - and raid - barbarian shipping in the Bay of Catazar.
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| |[[The Brass Coast economic interests|Scrivener]]
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| |Scriveners are Freeborn contract-writers who help traders frame the terms of their deals, and then decorate them with artwork and calligraphy.
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| |}
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| ===[[Dawn]]=== | | ==Singular== |
| {|
| | When you create your character you have the option to choose a single archetype for your character. You can only choose one archetype, because your archetype represents the most fundamental thing about your character's chosen purpose. We're asking you to think about what the single most important aspect of your character is and to tell us your choice if any. |
| |[[Earl]]
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| |The Earl of a Dawnish Noble House is the House's leader, who leads the House in all its great achievements and who sets its conditions of membership.
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| |[[Knight-errant]]
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| |Knights-Errant are men and women engaged in their Test of Mettle, who are still technically yeomen but who are expected - and who are questing - to prove themselves glorious.
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| |[[Questing knight]]
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| |Questing Knights are those Knights who have proved themselves worthy in their Test of Mettle and have chosen to keep on questing for ever-greater glory.
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| |[[Troubadour]]
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| |A Troubadour is a priest who learns all the stories of their Noble House, past and present, and tells them in poetry and song to inspire their people to greatness.
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| |[[Dawn magical traditions|Witch]]
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| |Witches are Dawnish magic-users. In noble houses, they fight alongside the House's warriors. Most others belong to Weaver Cabals, independent groups of ritual witches which accept both yeomen and noble members.
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| |[[Dawn_magical_traditions#Guisers|Guiser]]
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| |Itinerant entertainers who often combine magic with their performances and practice [[dramaturgy]]. They are often (sometimes justly) accused of being spies, tricksters and mountebanks as well as performers.
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| |[[Earl|Enchanter]]
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| |Some Earls who have studied magic choose the title "Earl-Enchanter" or simply "Enchanter". Most learn ritual magic to benefit their people; some build relationships with powerful Summer Eternals.
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| |[[Seneschal]]
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| |A Noble House's Seneschal is a trusted yeoman who oversees its financial affairs, arranging deals and trades and keeping the House solvent.
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| |[[Advocate]]
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| |Dawnish Advocates are yeoman politicians who navigate the murky waters of Senate politics for their noble masters.
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| |[[Retainer]]
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| |A yeoman Retainer is a Dawnish Noble's most trusted attendant, who works closely with a particular Noble, or sometimes for the whole House.
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| |}
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| ===[[Highguard]]===
| | Archetypes don't limit you in play though. [[Urizen|Urizeni]] [[stargazer|stargazers]] are interested in [[Urizen_magical_traditions#Esoteric_Lore|esoteric lore]], but you don't have to be a stargazer to be interested in that. Most Urizeni magicians are passionate about magic to an extent. Your character might become involved in lots of different activities that are commonly associated with other archetypes and that's fine. You can be the proud earl of a [[noble house]] and who also performs fantastic music in Dawn - you don't have to be a troubadour to sing about bravery. |
| {|
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| |[[Highguard leadership|Exarch]]
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| |The Exarch, or Exarchs, are those who are appointed by a Highguard Chapter as their leader(s) as determined by the Chapter's creed, or by embodying its principles.
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| |[[Highguard military concerns|Guardian]]
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| |Guardians form the core of Highborn military, taking on a range of roles in defence of their Chapters, and in prosecuting vigilant warfare.
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| |[[Unconquered]]
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| |The Unconquered are Highguard's elite guerilla troops. They are prone to using ruthless tactics, even operating behind enemy lines, to destroy the enemy's capacity to make war.
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| |[[Highguard military concerns|Cataphract]]
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| |Cataphracts are Highguard's elite heavy warriors, who once rode horses into battle but who, in modern times, represent a resolute and unbreakable wall of steel.
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| |[[Highguard religious beliefs|Wayfarer]]
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| |Wayfarers are Highborn priests with a long-standing tradition of teaching the truth of [[The Way]] to the ignorant, and seeking out Examplars and Paragons born in other lands.
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| |[[Highguard religious beliefs|Inquisitor]]
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| |Highborn Inquisitors are zealous defenders of The Way from those that would threaten it, whether mortal or supernatural.
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| |[[Highguard religious beliefs|Steward of the Dead]]
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| |Stewards of the Dead dedicate their lives to preserving the legacies of the worthy. This includes the interring of remains as well as the preservation of legacies and tales.
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| |[[Magister]]
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| |Magisters are the master magicians of Highguard, often with an affinity for Winter Magic. They shape magic using movement, sound and the chime of bells.
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| |[[Benefactor]]
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| |Benefactors are affluent Highborn merchants and tradesfolk who do not pursue wealth for its own sake, but who sponsor individuals, great works and endeavours.
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| |[[Highguard history|Archivist]]
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| |Archivists are a unique class of Highborn scholar dedicated to preserving the essence, or truth, of history, over and above accounts and evidence that may seek to undermine that truth.
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| |[[Grey Pilgrim]]
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| |Grey Pilgrims are a recent phenomenon. They walk the [[trods]] in a crusade to free the souls believed to be trapped between life and death by the [[vallorn]], but they also oppose heresy and idolatry, convert foreigners to the Way, and seek to guide the other human nations of the Empire toward enlightenment.
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| |}
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| ===[[Imperial Orcs]]===
| | But an archetype is about focus - the tighter your focus the more it says about you - and the more impetus its giving you to get engaged with the game. So the more you try to have lots of archetypes - the less you're actually getting the benefit of any of it. If something sounds fun - read more about it - and embrace it. The game is designed so that leaning in to an archetype and embodying that will hopefully improve your game. |
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| {|
| | ==Intrigue== |
| |[[Imperial_Orcs_leadership|Warlord]]
| | Occasionally we publish Winds of Fortune that provide plot hand-outs that are available to one or more specific archetypes. For example, when ''bite'', a dangerous fighting drug that the [[Imperial Senate]] made illegal was circulating on the streets of [[the League]] cities, players who were playing a [[bravo]] or mountebank [[Fly_high#Bite|received a dose]] of the drug. These plots are relatively uncommon, it is a much better idea to pick an archetype that appeals to you, rather than one you think might bring you plot. |
| |Legions chose their own commanders, called warlords, with individuals chosen for their ability to provide clear effective leadership in battle, according to the traditions of the individual legion
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| |[[Pit-fights#Pitfighter|Pitfighter]]
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| |Professional fighters of the Pits in which the Orcs hone their combat skills; trading on the reputation for skill and strength that they have built up in previous fights, pitfighters buid their careers until their notoriety means that other orcs begin to seek them out and actively challenge them.
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| |[[Shamans|Shaman]]
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| |Most orcs only experience communion with the ancestors when battle is upon them but a few individuals - called shamans - are able to hear the voices more frequently; they are almost incessantly surrounded by the constant input of ancestral advice much of it bearing a contradictory or even hostile message.
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| |[[Preachers|Preacher]]
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| |Those Imperial Orcs who embrace the Way and become priests.
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| |[[Imperial_Orcs_magical_traditions|Warcaster]]
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| |The highly physical traditions of the Wintermark runesmiths has appealed to some orcs who adopt a similar approach and become Warcasters.
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| |[[Imperial_Orcs_magical_traditions|Oathwright]]
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| |Oathwrights believe that the bond between an item and a person affects them both, items may gain worth by being owned and bonded to the right person and the right item affects an individuals’ hopes of becoming an ancestor.
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| |[[Imperial_Orcs_economic_interests#Bonesetters|Bonesetter]]
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| |Usually trained apothecaries, physicks or both, Bonesetters are expected to attend to the physical needs of the legion, but their remit runs well beyond this.
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| |[[Imperial_Orcs_economic_interests#Thief-takers|Thief-taker]]
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| |Working closely with Imperial Magistrates ,Thief-takers earn their income by collecting bounties on criminals who have fled the law and more rarely by taking payments from private individuals looking to identify perpetrators of crimes.
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| |[[Imperial_Orcs_economic_interests#Reavers|Reaver]]
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| |Soldiers of the Legions who become dedicated to raiding and mercenary work.
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| |}
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| ===[[The League]]===
| | These plots reflect the way the world interacts with your character between events based on what you have told us about your character. If something is happening to the bravos of the League, then anyone who has told us that their character is known first and foremost as a bravo of the League will receive information about that. |
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| |[[The League leadership|Merchant Prince]]
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| |A Merchant Prince is head of a Guild, the tight-knit mercantile organisations which define the shape of League society.
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| |[[Bravo]]
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| |Bravos are the members of the mercenary Free Companies, as rough and rowdy off the battlefield as they are disciplined and professional on it, and immensely proud of their Companies.
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| |[[Bishop]]
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| |The Bishops of the League are its high priests, who provide Virtuous guidance to any who can afford it, and who compete using the size and influence of their congregations.
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| |[[Troupe|Troupe Magician]]
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| |Troupes are bands of actors who often go masked while performing, and when performing ritual magic. To them, magic is a commodity like any other.
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| |[[Mountebank]]
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| |Mountebanks are street magicians whose tricks may be sleight of hand or genuine magic, many of whom skirt the edges of the law playing short-cons and rigging street games.
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| | [[The League culture and customs|Cicisbeo]]
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| |A Cicisbeo is an expensive professional paramour, the only exception to League culture's absolute prohibition on extramarital relations.
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| |}
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| ===[[The Marches]]===
| | If you have not chosen bravo as your archetype, then you can still find out what is going on - you will just have to do it in-character by talking to the bravos in-character at the event! |
| {|
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| |[[Steward]]
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| |A steward is the chosen head of a [[Marcher household]]. However a steward leads their household only with the consent of the other [[Yeomen_of_the_Marches|yeoman]].
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| |[[The Marches military concerns|Beater]]
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| |Beaters are a roaming informal police force, learning every part of the land, watching for thieves, vagrants and other ne’er-do-wells. Beaters are often instrumental in settling land disputes between neighbors and they have a vital role in the tradition of [[The Marches culture and customs#The beating of the bounds|beating the bounds]]. Most are skilled foresters or hunters.
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| | [[Yeomen_of_the_Marches|Yeoman]]
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| |The yeoman is to many the archetypal inhabitant of the Marches. They are a hard people, who own their own land and are well accustomed to a long day working it. Military service is a proud tradition in the Marches, and the majority of yeomen are also soldiers.
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| |[[Monastery|Monk]]
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| |Monks minister to the spiritual welfare of the folk around their monastery, largely ignoring [[Marcher household|Household]] boundaries. They divide their time between study of the [[The_Way|Imperial Faith]] and working the farmlands claimed by the monastery.
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| |[[The Marches religious beliefs|Friar]]
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| |Friars work their own land and provide spiritual advice and counsel to their fellow yeomen in their [[Marcher household|household]]. Many also serve as scholars for their community, acting as a chirurgeon, and teaching letters and history to young children.
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| |[[Landskeeper]]
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| |A landskeeper is a figure from the Marches magical tradition, who supports the territories or the nation as a whole. Landskeepers can use a variety of methods, from hearth magics and good practical advice to rituals.
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| |[[The_Marches_magical_traditions#Mummers|Mummer]]
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| |Itinerant entertainers who combine theatrical performance with magic using the techniques of [[dramaturgy]]. They attend fairs, markets and other regular gatherings performing plays and feats of skill but are often greeted with a suspicion and (sometimes unfairly) accused of being tricksters and mountebanks.
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| |[[The Marches economic interests|Alderman]]
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| |Aldermen are the appointed leaders of [[Market Towns|market towns]],and are the rough equivalent of the yeomen. In most cases these are wealthy merchants of the town, but often they include prominent town folk such as a friar or blacksmith who lives in the village.
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| ===[[Navarr]]=== | | ==Change== |
| {|
| | It's fine for your archetype to change when you play your character. This might happen because you realize you've made a mistake when you created the character. It's quite common to find your character taking a different approach in play to the one you envisaged when you created them. If you realize you'd actually rather than define your character as something else, then you can change it at any point. |
| |[[Brand]]
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| |Navarri who have dedicated themselves to the service of the community, who work tirelessly to aid others without fee. They might be from any profession - Thorn, Vate, blacksmith, tanner, it doesn't matter. They are named for the brand burned into the skin on their left cheekbone.
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| |[[Thorn]]
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| |A Navarri sworn to service in battle - usually, but not necessarily, a warrior. Always tattooed, they often wear warpaint into battle.
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| |[[Navarr religious beliefs|Guide]]
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| |A Navarri who follows the path of the Virtues, and takes it upon themselves to ensure that members of the Empire have found the place in society that they are best suited to.
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| |[[Navarr economic interests|Broker]]
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| |A Navarri who serves as an intermediatey between a buyer and a seller, usually claiming some sort of payment from the deal.
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| |[[Navarr magical traditions|Vate]]
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| |The magical practitioners of Navarr. Often called upon to perform rituals in service of the nation and the Empire, they are the Navarri most trusted to meet with Eternals or their Heralds.
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| |}
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| ===[[Urizen]]===
| | Once you have been playing your character a while you may find that your archetype changes because of the things they are experiencing, the things they are doing and the things that are happening to them. Changing your archetype can represent a significant milestone in a character's life - a Dawnish earl might renounce his noble house and leave to become a [[Questing_knight|questing knight]]. A [[Wintermark_military_concerns#Grimnir|grimnir]] might give up his oath of non-violence to join a band of [[Wintermark_religious_beliefs#The_Frayed|frayed]] in search of vengeance on a hated enemy. |
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| |[[Urizen leadership|Arbiter]]
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| |An Arbiter is the appointed leader of a Spire, often (but not always) its wisest and most skilled mage.
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| |[[Sentinel]]
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| |Sentinels are scholar-warriors who strive for excellence in the ways of warfare.
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| |[[Urizen religious beliefs|Questor]]
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| |The Questors are a sect of rationalist priests who believe the Way of Virtue is an unfinished doctrine, and must be questioned to understand its truth, relevance and moral rightness.
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| | [[Urizen religious beliefs|Illuminate]]
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| |The Illuminates are an Urizen priesthood who work improve the Empire's Virtue by identifying and influencing pivotal figures to become Virtuous.
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| |[[Urizen magical traditions|Mage]]
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| |Urizen Magi are cunning politicians who use magic to bolster their influence, both in the mortal world and in the Eternal Realms.
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| | [[Urizen magical traditions|Stargazer]]
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| |Stargazers are pure scholar-mages who study and experiment to advance humankind's understanding of magic and the Realms, and use their power to improve the world.
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| | [[Urizen magical traditions|Seer]]
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| |The Seers are kin to the Torchbearers, seekers after objective truth who maintain extensive libraries. Many are powerful diviners.
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| | [[Urizen economic interests|Architect]]
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| |Architects meticulously study the Empire's economy to identify where and when to invest for the best return, and to exert the most influence.
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| | [[Urizen leadership|Torchbearer]]
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| |The Torchbearers are a political movement devoted to spreading truth as wide and as fast as possible, in a quest to keep the Empire "honest".
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| | [[Sword scholar|Sword Scholar]]
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| |Warrior-priests dedicated to honing their mind, body and soul to the keenest edge possible. They adhere to a creed of unifying thought and action, of cruel logic, cold steel and a unique approach to the virtue of [[Wisdom]].
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| |}
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| ===[[Varushka]]===
| | In either case you can just [mailto:admin@profounddecisions.co.uk email us] and we'll update your archetype for you. You can do this at any time, you don't have to justify or explain it. Your archetype is important first and foremost to you. The only proviso is that the change will not take effect until after the Winds of Fortune are published, so if you update your archetype then you won't be automatically included in a piece of plot that affects that archetype until after the next event. |
| {|
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| |[[Varushka leadership|Boyar]]
| | ==Deviation== |
| |A Varushkan Boyar is the hard heart of a Varushkan community, whose first duty is as a strong protector of their people. Second to that, they arbitrate and govern their vale in council with their Wise Ones.
| | An archetype will often encompass a foundational idea that is central to the nature of that archetype. For example, a grimnir is a Wintermark healer who has sworn an oath to forego the heroism of the front line in battle. It's fine to create your own unique character for Empire, but you can't change the foundational idea for an archetype - because the archetype is defined by that concept. You can't be a grimnir who goes striding into the thick of battle, weapons in hand, because that not doing that is one of the things that defines a grimnir. |
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| |[[Warden]]
| | Of course there are plenty of Wintermark warriors who have studied the healing arts. The grimnirs are not the only healers in Wintermark. Grimnirs are merely a specific type of healer - one that is noted for swearing an oath to avoid battle. If you are considering an archetype but some key part of that role does not appeal to you then it is better to pick a different archetype or just play a regular citizen. Not being an archetype can be just as important if the differences are important to your character. For example, if you are an Urizeni magician who thinks esoteric lore is bad idea and that magicians should do everything possible to avoid the [[Stargazer#Resonance_and_the_Omnihedron|omnihedron]], then you are '''not''' a stargazer - but your character clearly cares about the stargazers, about the things they are up and about trying to stop them! |
| |The Warden brotherhoods are heroic warriors who employ magical protection along with their armour and weapons to hunt down the terrors of the Varushkan wilderness, and to uphold Imperial Law.
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| | ==Status== |
| |[[Varushka military concerns|Schlacta]]
| | Some archetypes have significant social status associated with them. The earls of Dawn meet regularly at [[Anvil]] to discuss matters of importance to the nation. The [[Varushka religious beliefs|wise ones]] of [[Varushka]] meet to chose their senators. Every nation has one or more archetype associated with leadership or prominent social status. |
| |The Schlacta are Varushka's well-organised bands of soldiery, who provide defence to a place or an employer.
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| | The wiki will often describe the respect with which these members of this archetype are treated by other characters of the nation. If you choose to embrace one of these archetypes then you can expect people to treat you accordingly, but only if you play the role in the way it is described. An Urizeni [[arbiter]] leads a [[spire]] and can expect respect and courtesy from their fellow magicians, but that is unlikely to last long if you try to throw your weight around and expect other players to do what you say because "the brief says the nation respects you". If you want people to treat you as a respected arbiter then you have to play that role. |
| |[[Varushka religious beliefs|Wise One]]
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| |Wise Ones are the true hearts of Varushkan communities. They are the thinkers who deal with those problems which cannot be dealt with by strength, and who look through the appearance of things to discover the threats lurking beneath.
| | [[Category: Archetype]] |
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| | [[Category: Rules]] |
| |[[Varushka magical traditions|Volhov]]
| | [[Category: Nations]] |
| |A Volhov is a Varushkan who studies magic, particularly warding magic (so necessary to Varushka's safety) and divination, to uncover threats before they grow too great to deal with. They often find it necessary to deal with Eternals, and sometimes even to pacify Varushka's deadly Sovereigns with rituals or bargains.
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| |[[Varushka magical traditions|Cabalists]]
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| |Cabals are teams of ritual magic-users, who often act as individual groups, independent of their vales. Each Cabal is different from each other, but their magical might grants them considerable influence.
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| |[[Varushka religious beliefs|Storytellers]]
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| |Varushkan Storytellers are the nation's ragged priests, often itinerant, around whom entire communities will gather to hear news, entertaining tales, and spiritual messages told well.
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| |[[Stzena]]
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| |The inheritors of a tradition of night-sentries, Stzena are bands of musicians who perform at local events.
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| |}
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| ===[[Wintermark]]=== | |
| {|
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| |[[Wintermark political leadership|Thane]]
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| |The leader of a Hall in Wintermark, a Thane settles disputes that lie outside the law and provides civic and military leadership.
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| |[[Wintermark military concerns#Banner-bearers|Banner-bearer]]
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| |Warriors whose purpose is to raise the morale and fighting spirit of their companions. Banner-bearers often literally carry their warband's banner.
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| |[[Wintermark religious beliefs|Stormcrow]]
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| |The ragged priests of Wintermark, who act as guides, witnesses and confessors, and who provide spiritual and moral inspiration and guidance for the Winterfolk.
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| |[[Wintermark magical traditions|Runesmith]]
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| |Artisans who specialise in the magic of the old runes of Wintermark, who create engraved weapons and armour, or scribe warding marks to protect people or places.
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| |[[Wintermark magical traditions|Icewalker]]
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| |The cunning mages of the Suaq, who use their magical skills and their knowledge of the Ice as part of their hunting tradition.
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| |[[Wintermark economic interests|Mediator]]
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| |A Wintermark merchant who specialises in negotiating weregild between aggrieved parties.
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| |[[Wintermark economic interests|Maggot]]
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| |A scavenger, a looter on the battlefield; "Maggots" are seen as scum by most Winterfolk.
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| |[[Mystic]]
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| |Deeply spiritual Kallavesi who make predictions about the future and advise their fellows on the wisest course of action. Often a magician, but some do it with hearth magic and intellect.
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| |[[Wintermark culture and customs|Scop]]
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| |The professional entertainers of Wintermark, Scops are known for their mastery of saga and song, and their skill with alliterative poetry. They are responsible for granting an adult name to a child coming to adulthood.
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| |[[Wintermark military concerns|Grimnir]]
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| |The battlefield doctors and healers of Wintermark, Grimnir swear an oath to stay clear of the front lines.
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| |}
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Overview
An archetype represents a social niche that your character can occupy - something that your character is first and foremost known for. When you create your character you can choose a single character archetype from those described for the nation on the wiki. So you can be a thane of a Wintermark hall, a mountebank on the streets of Sarvos, or a hakima of the tribes of the Brass Coast.
Archetypes are entirely optional; you don't have to have one, you can simply choose to be a regular citizen of the Empire instead. Picking an archetype helps to define your character, it gives them an identity and can help you to develop a purpose. Having a goal, something you want to achieve or accomplish is one of the more important aspects of character creation, so choosing an archetype is intended to help you to work out who you character is and what they're trying to accomplish.
All archetypes are a natural part of the setting, an archetype is something your character is or does. Thus you character can tell people they are a stargazer, an earl, or a mediator and it will affect how other characters see you and treat you. Your archetype may mire you in intrigue, it may bring you into conflict with other characters, it may even change over the course of you playing your character. Ultimately though, it's about helping you to identify what is most important to your character.
Not every character role is an archetype - there are plenty of priests in Dawn who are not troubadours, for example. Archetypes usually present a role in a certain way that resonates with the themes of a nation - or in rare cases is at odds in some way with those themes.
You can see a list of all character archetypes here.
Singular
When you create your character you have the option to choose a single archetype for your character. You can only choose one archetype, because your archetype represents the most fundamental thing about your character's chosen purpose. We're asking you to think about what the single most important aspect of your character is and to tell us your choice if any.
Archetypes don't limit you in play though. Urizeni stargazers are interested in esoteric lore, but you don't have to be a stargazer to be interested in that. Most Urizeni magicians are passionate about magic to an extent. Your character might become involved in lots of different activities that are commonly associated with other archetypes and that's fine. You can be the proud earl of a noble house and who also performs fantastic music in Dawn - you don't have to be a troubadour to sing about bravery.
But an archetype is about focus - the tighter your focus the more it says about you - and the more impetus its giving you to get engaged with the game. So the more you try to have lots of archetypes - the less you're actually getting the benefit of any of it. If something sounds fun - read more about it - and embrace it. The game is designed so that leaning in to an archetype and embodying that will hopefully improve your game.
Intrigue
Occasionally we publish Winds of Fortune that provide plot hand-outs that are available to one or more specific archetypes. For example, when bite, a dangerous fighting drug that the Imperial Senate made illegal was circulating on the streets of the League cities, players who were playing a bravo or mountebank received a dose of the drug. These plots are relatively uncommon, it is a much better idea to pick an archetype that appeals to you, rather than one you think might bring you plot.
These plots reflect the way the world interacts with your character between events based on what you have told us about your character. If something is happening to the bravos of the League, then anyone who has told us that their character is known first and foremost as a bravo of the League will receive information about that.
If you have not chosen bravo as your archetype, then you can still find out what is going on - you will just have to do it in-character by talking to the bravos in-character at the event!
Change
It's fine for your archetype to change when you play your character. This might happen because you realize you've made a mistake when you created the character. It's quite common to find your character taking a different approach in play to the one you envisaged when you created them. If you realize you'd actually rather than define your character as something else, then you can change it at any point.
Once you have been playing your character a while you may find that your archetype changes because of the things they are experiencing, the things they are doing and the things that are happening to them. Changing your archetype can represent a significant milestone in a character's life - a Dawnish earl might renounce his noble house and leave to become a questing knight. A grimnir might give up his oath of non-violence to join a band of frayed in search of vengeance on a hated enemy.
In either case you can just email us and we'll update your archetype for you. You can do this at any time, you don't have to justify or explain it. Your archetype is important first and foremost to you. The only proviso is that the change will not take effect until after the Winds of Fortune are published, so if you update your archetype then you won't be automatically included in a piece of plot that affects that archetype until after the next event.
Deviation
An archetype will often encompass a foundational idea that is central to the nature of that archetype. For example, a grimnir is a Wintermark healer who has sworn an oath to forego the heroism of the front line in battle. It's fine to create your own unique character for Empire, but you can't change the foundational idea for an archetype - because the archetype is defined by that concept. You can't be a grimnir who goes striding into the thick of battle, weapons in hand, because that not doing that is one of the things that defines a grimnir.
Of course there are plenty of Wintermark warriors who have studied the healing arts. The grimnirs are not the only healers in Wintermark. Grimnirs are merely a specific type of healer - one that is noted for swearing an oath to avoid battle. If you are considering an archetype but some key part of that role does not appeal to you then it is better to pick a different archetype or just play a regular citizen. Not being an archetype can be just as important if the differences are important to your character. For example, if you are an Urizeni magician who thinks esoteric lore is bad idea and that magicians should do everything possible to avoid the omnihedron, then you are not a stargazer - but your character clearly cares about the stargazers, about the things they are up and about trying to stop them!
Status
Some archetypes have significant social status associated with them. The earls of Dawn meet regularly at Anvil to discuss matters of importance to the nation. The wise ones of Varushka meet to chose their senators. Every nation has one or more archetype associated with leadership or prominent social status.
The wiki will often describe the respect with which these members of this archetype are treated by other characters of the nation. If you choose to embrace one of these archetypes then you can expect people to treat you accordingly, but only if you play the role in the way it is described. An Urizeni arbiter leads a spire and can expect respect and courtesy from their fellow magicians, but that is unlikely to last long if you try to throw your weight around and expect other players to do what you say because "the brief says the nation respects you". If you want people to treat you as a respected arbiter then you have to play that role.