Character - Paths of Purpose

Compatible with Basic Roleplaying System

GM-Info!

Work in progress!

Slightly NSFW!

FEATURED

A character’s Ancestry shapes their blood and bones. Their Archetype gives them a craft, a skill, a way to stand in the world. But neither alone explains why they set out upon their path, nor how they approach the turning points of their story. That is where the Path comes in. A Path is not a profession. It is a philosophy of movement, the compass that guides how a character engages with the world. It reflects their ambitions, instincts, and personal way of solving problems. A Mediator and a Rebel may both wield a sword, but they will never wield it for the same reasons - or in the same way. Every Path grants a perk: a small but telling advantage that captures the essence of how that Path affects the world around it. Some are sharp and tactical, some subtle and persuasive, some merely good timing at the right moment. These perks are designed to be narrative tools, as much as mechanical benefits. Paths also offer short-term and long-term goals, giving players and GMs ready-made narrative hooks to weave personal motivations into the world. The short-term goals feed the daily adventures; the long-term ones stretch further, casting a shadow over whole campaigns. The listed skill are not required to gain the advantage of the Perk, they merely show which direction the perk aims at. If the perk gives a bonus / advantage, it is surely beneficial to have the listed skill. Paths are not shackles but seasons. Over time a character's Path may change course, shaped by hard lessons, broken vows, or unexpected grace. When this happens, they lay down the perk of their former Path and take up the perk of the new one, as naturally as someone setting aside old tools for those better suited to who they have become. Such a turn should arrive at a sensible cadence - on reaching a new tier, after a chapter of dramatic consequence, or at the crest of a life-altering decision - and it should grow from the story already told. A new Path is the harvest of past choices, not a shopping trip for tomorrow's advantages.

Analysts

Curious, deliberate and strategic souls. They prize patterns, foresight and structure.

Architect

Main Skills: Trade (Engineer), Evaluate
Perk: Efficient Planner - The Architect excels at preparation. Whenever they take time to plan or organise an operation - building defences, setting ambushes, preparing an expedition, or arranging logistics - they can reduce the time, cost, or resources required, or squeeze an additional tactical edge out of the same material. Use: once per structured scene or downtime project, the Architect declares how preparation grants advantage (finish early, reinforce a weak point, increase capacity).

Short-term goals

Secure the tools, resources or allies required to begin a new project.
Draft or refine a design - be it a fortification, a social structure, or a cunning plan.
Prove the viability of their ideas through a small but elegant success.

Long-term goals

Construct or establish something enduring: a bridge, a guild, a library, a secret order.
Shape the behaviour or environment of a community through careful design.
Ensure their creation outlives them, either by protection, legacy, or hidden safeguard.

Logician

Main Skills: Lore (Any scholarly focus), Intuition
Perk: Pattern Sense - The Logician sees logic like others see colour. They can instantly spot inconsistencies, hidden patterns, or structural flaws in arguments, plans, or puzzles. Use: once per scene, ask the GM to reveal a logical weak point in a plan, lie, or mystery; gain bonuses to expose or exploit such patterns.

Short-term goals

Collect a missing piece of information to solve a pressing problem.
Expose a flaw in someone else's reasoning and propose a better solution.
Develop a working theory and test it against the world.

Long-term goals

Unravel a mystery or riddle that has resisted others for years.
Create a coherent system of thought, belief or science.
Become the silent mind behind a turning point in history.

Commander

Main Skills: Leadership; Intimidate
Perk: Rallying Voice - A Commander's presence turns chaos into cohesion; their voice cuts through panic. Use: once per encounter, grant nearby allies an immediate bonus to a coordinated action (combat manoeuvre, escape, group test) or negate one round of disarray, fear, or hesitation.

Short-term goals

Gather a capable group to tackle a specific challenge.
Establish clear roles and strategy for an operation.
Win a tactical engagement or contest through sharp leadership.

Long-term goals

Build and maintain a disciplined force or influential organisation.
Turn chaos into order and make it hold.
Shape events on a larger scale through decisive action.

Debater

Main Skills: Entertain (Oratory), Charm
Perk: Verbal Pivot - With a single pointed remark, the Debater can twist the direction of a conversation. Use: once per social encounter, force a shift in tone or topic, imposing disadvantage on an opponent's next social check or granting advantage to an ally.

Short-term goals

Engage in a spirited argument and sway a neutral observer.
Uncover the weak point in a powerful claim or authority.
Provoke new ideas through discussion.

Long-term goals

Influence the way people think on a grand scale.
Bring down a false belief that has stood for generations.
Establish a reputation as a mind not to be ignored.

Strategist

Main Skills: Evaluate; Lore (Warfare/Tactics)
Perk: Contingency Hand - Even improvisation was quietly prepared. Use: once per session, declare that you anticipated a complication, introducing a minor narrative advantage - extra supplies, a back-up plan, a hidden asset.

Short-term goals

Predict an opponent's move with precision.
Find a weakness in the current situation and exploit it.
Prepare a quiet contingency for looming trouble.

Long-term goals

Orchestrate a chain of events leading to a decisive outcome.
Maintain a web of influence that survives setbacks.
Win not merely the battle but the entire game.

Cartographer

Main Skills: Navigation; Lore (Geography)
Perk: Mental Map - After a brief look, they hold a reliable map in their mind. Use: automatically succeed on navigation for visited areas; gain bonuses to pathfinding, infiltration, or pursuit.

Short-term goals

Chart an unknown place or problem clearly.
Find the safest route through a complex situation.
Add something new to an existing body of knowledge.

Long-term goals

Map what others cannot even name - lands, patterns, ideas.
Leave a body of work explorers will follow for centuries.
Bind people together through shared knowledge of the world.

Scholar

Main Skills: Research; Lore (Any)
Perk: Prepared Mind - A head full of practical, specific knowledge at the oddest moments. Use: once per scene, produce or recall a useful fact, tool, or connection relevant to the situation.

Short-term goals

Obtain a rare book, specimen, or interview.
Master a new skill or body of knowledge.
Correct a misconception in the local understanding.

Long-term goals

Become a definitive authority in a field.
Gather and safeguard knowledge for future generations.
Write something that will shape thought itself.

Tactician

Main Skills: Evaluate; Intuition
Perk: Flaw Exploiter - Best when reacting to openings. Use: gain bonuses when responding rather than initiating - counterstrikes, ripostes, clever turnarounds in social or tactical exchanges.

Short-term goals

Turn a minor disadvantage into an advantage.
Arrange an ambush, trap, or elegant manoeuvre.
End a conflict with minimum losses.

Long-term goals

Gain a reputation for never losing the critical fight.
Craft a doctrine others will adopt.
Turn tactics into legend.

Diplomats

Idealists and bridge-builders. They prefer persuasion over force and believe in shaping hearts.

Advocate

Main Skills: Charm; Lore (Law)
Perk: Moral Weight - Justice lends heft to their words. Use: in appeals for fairness or protection, gain bonuses to persuade or rally neutral parties; once per session, sway a principled key figure.

Short-term goals

Win a single case for someone who has no voice.
Make an opponent see the injustice in their action.
Build trust with a marginalised group.

Long-term goals

Change the law, system, or custom itself.
Inspire a movement that grows beyond them.
Become a symbol of fairness and justice.

Mediator

Main Skills: Charm; Intuition
Perk: Calming Presence - Oil on troubled waters. Use: once per scene, reduce hostility in a heated exchange, negating one act of escalation or de-escalating a crowd or opponent.

Short-term goals

Defuse an argument before it turns into a feud.
Find common ground between two opposing parties.
Prevent unnecessary bloodshed or bitterness.

Long-term goals

Forge lasting alliances between rivals.
Create systems that make peace sustainable.
Become the trusted neutral figure in times of crisis.

Protagonist

Main Skills: Leadership; Charm
Perk: Inspiring Deed - Bold action begets courage. Use: once per session, an ally who witnesses your deed may reroll a failed action or resist fear.

Short-term goals

Rally others around a single cause.
Act decisively to set an example.
Overcome a visible injustice.

Long-term goals

Inspire a legacy others follow.
Lead a movement to reshape the world.
Become a figure whose story is told for generations.

Campaigner

Main Skills: Gossip; Charm
Perk: Momentum Builder - Energy that grows with the struggle. Use: in prolonged debates, negotiations, or campaigns, accrue increasing bonuses as the effort continues.

Short-term goals

Spark enthusiasm where there was apathy.
Gain unexpected allies through charm and wit.
Start a small but loud ripple of change.

Long-term goals

Build a movement that thrives without your constant hand.
Break open closed systems with energy and noise.
Make the world care about something new.

Visionary

Main Skills: Entertain (Oratory/Storytelling), Charm
Perk: Spark of Future - Plant seeds of belief. Use: once per session, make someone believe, briefly, in something improbable or transformative; the door it opens may stay open.

Short-term goals

Share an idea so vivid that someone else believes it.
Spot a possibility others overlook.
Plant a seed in the minds of the influential.

Long-term goals

Turn a dream into visible, tangible reality.
Shift the cultural or political landscape.
Leave behind a changed way of seeing.

Caretaker

Main Skills: Heal; Endurance
Perk: Safe Haven - A pocket of calm forms around them. Use: once per rest, remove minor conditions (fatigue, fear, agitation) from nearby allies.

Short-term goals

Protect someone vulnerable.
Mend a broken bond between two people.
Offer help without expecting anything back.

Long-term goals

Create a sanctuary that lasts beyond their lifetime.
Bind a community together through quiet strength.
Be remembered not for conquest but for kindness.

Envoy

Main Skills: Charm; Language (Any)
Perk: Trusted Face - Doors open for them. Use: once per social encounter, ease suspicion, lowering barriers or gaining access without full credentials.

Short-term goals

Deliver a message faithfully between parties.
Secure passage or protection for a traveller or delegation.
Earn the trust of a stranger.

Long-term goals

Broker an alliance that changes the balance of power.
Become indispensable as a bridge between worlds.
Write their name quietly into the foundation of history.

Chronicler

Main Skills: Research; Lore (History or Local)
Perk: Living Archive - Perfect recall of words and scenes. Use: verify claims, expose lies, and restore clarity to murky events with exact recollection.

Short-term goals

Record an important event accurately.
Preserve a story someone else would prefer forgotten.
Spread a tale to those who need to hear it.

Long-term goals

Shape how the future remembers the present.
Build a living archive of human experience.
Become the unseen author behind legends.

Sentinels

Steady, practical and loyal. They protect, maintain, and anchor the world against entropy.

Logistician

Main Skills: Evaluate; Leadership
Perk: Order in Chaos - Systems snap back under their hand. Use: once per scene, restore function to a failing barricade, plan, operation, or mechanism.

Short-term goals

Ensure critical supplies or structures are secure.
Solve a practical problem with elegant efficiency.
Prevent something from falling into disarray.

Long-term goals

Build a system that runs without constant oversight.
Become the quiet backbone of an enterprise or realm.
Leave behind impeccable order where there was chaos.

Defender

Main Skills: Melee (Basic), Cool
Perk: Stand Firm - Immovable when it matters. Use: gain a defensive bonus when holding ground or shielding others; once per encounter, automatically block a push or forced movement.

Short-term goals

Shield someone from harm.
Strengthen a vulnerable position.
Hold the line in a tense moment.

Long-term goals

Safeguard a people, place or ideal for years.
Inspire others to defend what matters.
Become a bulwark remembered in stories.

Executive

Main Skills: Leadership; Intimidate
Perk: Authority Voice - Decisions that stick. Use: once per scene, issue an order to subordinates or hesitant allies with such weight that hesitation melts.

Short-term goals

Make a firm decision that resolves a dispute.
Bring a group under effective leadership.
Show competence in the face of uncertainty.

Long-term goals

Rule or govern wisely.
Create a durable institution.
Become a name tied to stability and prosperity.

Consul

Main Skills: Charm; Gossip
Perk: Soothing Word - Social knots loosen around them. Use: once per social encounter, smooth tension or patch strained relations, granting a bonus to subsequent negotiations.

Short-term goals

Offer guidance that prevents trouble before it begins.
Smooth over an awkward social situation.
Help someone find their place.

Long-term goals

Foster a culture of trust and respect.
Become a figure whose counsel outlives them.
Weave bonds between people and keep them strong.

Custodian

Main Skills: Lore (History), Trade (Any Craft)
Perk: Steady Hand - The preservationist's touch. Use: gain bonuses when preserving, repairing, or defending cultural, historical, or mechanical artefacts.

Short-term goals

Protect or repair an old relic, building, or tradition.
Remind others why something must endure.
Guard against careless neglect.

Long-term goals

Preserve a cultural or historical treasure.
Pass on knowledge to worthy successors.
Stand as the last bastion when all else fades.

Steward

Main Skills: Leadership; Evaluate
Perk: Invisible Hand - Everything simply works better under their quiet care. Use: create small unseen improvements that prevent later mishaps.

Short-term goals

Ensure everything runs smoothly, unnoticed.
Fix a looming problem quietly.
Keep peace without seeking praise.

Long-term goals

Maintain something precious without claiming it.
Be the invisible hand that keeps the world turning.
Preserve the dignity of a place or people.

Warden

Main Skills: Perception; Outdoor Survival
Perk: Edge Sense - The first to notice the storm coming. Use: gain advantage on initiative or perception rolls related to incoming threats.

Short-term goals

Patrol the edges where others fear to tread.
Spot danger before it strikes.
Keep outsiders or threats at bay.

Long-term goals

Protect the boundaries of civilisation or sanctuaries.
Become a living legend at the frontier.
Die on their feet before letting harm through.

Harbinger

Main Skills: Intuition; Lore (Theology/Augury)
Perk: Turning Point - Tied to pivotal moments. Use: once per session, declare a dramatic narrative shift (weather turns, ally arrives, enemy falters) if it fits the story's logic.

Short-term goals

Sense a coming change before others do.
Guide someone through a transition.
Mark a turning point with ritual or deed.

Long-term goals

Stand at the threshold of history's pivot.
Ensure change does not destroy what it must transform.
Become a figure tied to the cycles of fate.

Explorers

Spirited, flexible, impulsive folk who chase novelty and movement.

Virtuoso

Main Skills: Trade (Craft) or Entertain (Performance)
Perk: Signature Flourish - Their craft sings. Use: once per day, a spectacular flourish grants advantage to allies (inspiration) or imposes penalties on enemies (awe, distraction).

Short-term goals

Create something dazzling in the moment.
Show their skill in a way none can ignore.
Turn raw material into beauty or utility.

Long-term goals

Perfect their craft to legendary level.
Leave behind masterworks.
Inspire others to create.

Adventurer

Main Skills: Athletics; Outdoor Survival
Perk: Risk Sense - A nose for trouble. Use: gain advantage on detecting or reacting to traps, ambushes, or environmental dangers.

Short-term goals

Venture somewhere new.
Take on a challenge simply to see if they can.
Find something unexpected.

Long-term goals

Chart the unknown and return with stories.
Live a life that never stagnates.
Become a name whispered in distant taverns.

Entrepreneur

Main Skills: Haggle; Evaluate
Perk: Golden Touch - Opportunity finds them. Use: bonuses to trade, bargaining, and turning small assets into larger ones.

Short-term goals

Spot an opportunity before anyone else.
Strike a deal that gives them an edge.
Turn a modest gain into something larger.

Long-term goals

Build an enterprise that sustains itself.
Influence trade or politics through cunning deals.
Leave behind a network that keeps growing.

Entertainer

Main Skills: Entertain (Any), Charm
Perk: Spotlight - Attention bends their way. Use: once per scene, draw the spotlight to charm a crowd or distract foes.

Short-term goals

Captivate an audience, even briefly.
Bring laughter or wonder to a dull place.
Distract someone from despair.

Long-term goals

Become beloved across many lands.
Inspire joy and memory in generations to come.
Carve their name in the annals of performance.

Pathfinder

Main Skills: Outdoor Survival; Track
Perk: Trailblazer - They find or make the way. Use: cut travel time or bypass danger; once per session, create a shortcut no one else spotted.

Short-term goals

Find a new route through a dangerous or unknown place.
Guide a group safely to their destination.
Prove their instincts right.

Long-term goals

Open a path that changes trade, travel, or destiny.
Lead others to places no one thought reachable.
Be remembered as the first to step there.

Trickster

Main Skills: Sleight of Hand; Stealth (Any)
Perk: Misdirect - Live in the blind spots of others. Use: once per scene, cause a brief confusion - mislead a foe, flip an assumption, or shift a guard's attention.

Short-term goals

Undermine someone's certainty without bloodshed.
Pull off a small, clever victory.
Prove a point through mischief.

Long-term goals

Upset rigid systems that deserve it.
Become a legend whispered with laughter and fear.
Remind the powerful they can fall.

Vagabond

Main Skills: Outdoor Survival; Gossip
Perk: Driftborn - Quick to adapt. Use: bonuses to blend into new cultures or survive in unfamiliar environments.

Short-term goals

Drift into a new place and make it briefly theirs.
Avoid settling down.
Experience something new today.

Long-term goals

Gather stories like others gather roots.
Leave no one place but many marks.
Become a ghost in history - everywhere and nowhere.

Stormchaser

Main Skills: Cool; Athletics
Perk: Adrenaline Rush - At home in the tempest. Use: during chaos or high tension, gain combat or skill bonuses reflecting heightened focus.

Short-term goals

Run toward danger, not from it.
Witness something others fear to see.
Feel alive in the heart of chaos.

Long-term goals

Stand at the centre of history's wildest moments.
Burn bright and unforgettable.
Leave no monument - just stories.

Mystics and Dreamers

Those guided not by reason or order, but by inner flame, omen or unseen current.

Seer

Main Skills: Intuition; Lore (Occult/Astrology)
Perk: Sight Beyond - Catch the flicker before the flame. Use: once per scene, sense imminent danger or opportunity moments before it strikes, gaining advantage on reactions.

Short-term goals

Read the signs and give timely warning.
Interpret a dream, omen, or strange event.
Convince someone to act on unseen truth.

Long-term goals

Foresee and shape a critical turning point.
Become a figure sought for counsel in uncertainty.
Etch their visions into the world's unfolding story.

Wanderer

Main Skills: Outdoor Survival; Navigation
Perk: Intuitive Compass - The right way reveals itself. Use: sense the most promising direction or course in uncertain situations.

Short-term goals

Follow a hunch into the unknown.
Witness something extraordinary.
Travel without a clear map or promise.

Long-term goals

Discover their own truth at the edge of the world.
Leave behind quiet ripples of wonder.
Never stop moving, even in memory.

Dreamkeeper

Main Skills: Stealth (Any), Perception
Perk: Hidden Refuge - Make things vanish into quiet places. Use: once per session, hide a person, object, or secret from prying eyes, physical or magical.

Short-term goals

Protect a fragile idea or place from intrusion.
Keep a secret safe.
Weave hope in others' hearts.

Long-term goals

Guard a hidden sanctuary or mystery.
Keep alive something too delicate for the world.
Become a legend only whispered about.

Rhapsodist

Main Skills: Entertain (Singing/Poetry/Storytelling), Charm
Perk: Emotive Surge - Emotion as instrument. Use: once per scene, sway a crowd or individual purely through feeling, bypassing reason.

Short-term goals

Express a feeling others cannot name.
Stir someone to tears, laughter, or rage.
Turn raw emotion into action.

Long-term goals

Change the world through the force of feeling.
Inspire movements, art, or revolutions.
Leave a song in every heart.

Mystagogue

Main Skills: Lore (Occult), Language (Classical)
Perk: Veiled Truth - Thrive in half-light and riddles. Use: gain bonuses in cryptic exchanges, oaths, or withholding dangerous truths without being caught.

Short-term goals

Speak a riddle that opens a door of thought.
Test someone's worth through mystery.
Keep a truth half-veiled.

Long-term goals

Guard sacred secrets.
Pass on knowledge through initiation.
Become a figure wrapped in whispers and half-light.

Channel

Main Skills: Channelling; Cool
Perk: Other Voice - Open to something beyond. Use: once per session, act as conduit for a flash of strange insight, omen, or force.

Short-term goals

Serve as a vessel for something beyond.
Deliver a message from strange places.
Survive a moment of overwhelming power.

Long-term goals

Become a recognised conduit for otherworldly will.
Change reality through borrowed might.
Blur the line between mortal and myth.

Rebels and Shadows

Where others maintain or build, these paths lean into subversion, cunning and survival.

Iconoclast

Main Skills: Intimidate; Lore (Theology/Politics)
Perk: Shatter Symbol - Strike at meanings, not just things. Use: once per scene, destroy or defile a symbol to sap enemy morale or rally allies against tyranny.

Short-term goals

Shatter a symbol of hollow authority.
Speak a dangerous truth aloud.
Refuse to play by the rules.

Long-term goals

Tear down a false idol or system.
Inspire others to question what they were taught.
Watch something rotten finally fall.

Rebel

Main Skills: Leadership; Stealth (Urban)
Perk: Spark - Light the fuse of resistance. Use: once per session, rouse others to defy power, even if only for a crucial moment.

Short-term goals

Defy a direct order or law.
Gather like-minded allies.
Create visible resistance.

Long-term goals

Overthrow a regime or power.
Ignite a lasting rebellion.
Be remembered as a spark or a storm.

Shadow

Main Skills: Stealth (Any), Perception
Perk: Silent Step - Vanish where others walk. Use: gain bonuses to stealth and infiltration; once per scene, move unseen for a critical moment.

Short-term goals

Learn something others wish to hide.
Go unseen where others are blind.
Tip a scale with a whisper.

Long-term goals

Become the quiet blade that changes everything.
Gather a web of secrets.
Be known only in footnotes and fear.

Smuggler

Main Skills: Sleight of Hand; Haggle
Perk: Hidden Compartments - There's always one more pocket. Use: conceal items where none should fit, bypassing casual searches.

Short-term goals

Slip something past the watchful.
Make a deal in the dark.
Ensure everyone walks away smiling - or thinking they did.

Long-term goals

Control an underground network.
Thrive in the cracks of power.
Never be caught except on their own terms.

Saboteur

Main Skills: Trade (Engineer), Pick Lock
Perk: Precision Break - Things fall apart quietly in their wake. Use: gain bonuses to disabling mechanisms and, once per session, remove a single support or device without trace.

Short-term goals

Break something critical without being seen.
Plant doubt in a machine, system, or mind.
Disrupt a plan at the perfect moment.

Long-term goals

Bring down a towering structure of control.
Make their mark through elegant ruin.
Leave behind a legend of invisible hands.

Dissident

Main Skills: Gossip; Charm
Perk: Underminer - Live in the cracks of power. Use: gain bonuses to sowing doubt, resistance, and ideological fracture, especially against dominant powers.

Short-term goals

Speak against power where others are silent.
Gather quiet support.
Turn suspicion into dissent.

Long-term goals

Undermine a regime with words, not swords.
Seed a philosophy that endures long after their voice is gone.
Become the reason a system finally cracks.

Click here for copyrights and used content / commissions Content Usage: Do not copy! You are allowed to use my world's content while playing with your group,
but you are not allowed to copy it and include it in your own products.

Cover image: Archetypes by Tillerz using MJ