Weekly Wonders - Archetypes of the Afterlife Volume VII - The Reborn

A Whole New You!

Adventurers have a special relationship with death in the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. While for many, death is one of the few things in this world that is both certain and final, for an adventurer, especially at higher levels, it is more of an inconvenience than anything else. Some characters may even find themselves dying and being brought back to life with magic multiple times in a single fight. The Weekly Wonders: Archetypes of the Afterlife series explores some of the ways that a brush with death might affect PCs, with a variety of new afterlife-themed archetypes.

For this book, we focus on the reborn, those spirits who are not bound for a permanent afterlife on one of the outer planes, and do not linger unnaturally as ghosts or shades, but are instead reborn anew in the world of the living. Most of these have no recollection of any of their past lives, but a special few are occasionally able to peer beyond the veil of their memories to recall small snippets of the lives they once lived, long ago. This book includes the following archetypes:

The reborn warrior, a fighter archetype for those who are the reincarnations of great heroes. They can draw on their past lives for flashes of inspiration, and gain special talents related to the type of warrior they used to be.

The seed of darkness, a kineticist archetype reborn from the most tainted and corrupt souls. They can call upon this cosmic darkness to unleash curse blasts, and gains powers over darkness itself.

The phoenix, a new medium spirit, which grants powers of flame and healing.

The reborn bloodmage, a sorcerer archetype whose magical power comes from being the reincarnation of a dragon, outsider, or other powerful magical being.

The past life shifter, a shifter archetype that transforms into physical manifestations of her own past lives.

The Reborn, a new emotional focus for spiritualist phantoms, representing phantoms who view their new state as a fresh start.

Whether you're about to embark on a campaign where the afterlife features prominently (such as the official Paizo Adventure Path featuring an undead tyrant), or you just want to play a character touched by the grave, this book has lots of tantalizing options to offer. Even GMs can get in on the fun, as several of the archetypes here are perfect for deathly NPCs as well, and can make for exciting and memorable encounters.