Archetypes, Character Classes in Ashes of Creation

Fighter

Physical - The Master of Steel.

If you want to be the center of the fray, this is your pick. Fighters focus on overwhelming physical force, using gap-closers and high-burst combos to eliminate key targets. They are highly mobile and excel at controlling the flow of a skirmish through raw aggression.

The fighter is an agent of chaos on the battlefield, channeling mana to convert the magical essence surrounding them into sheer offensive power to tremendously amplify their strength.

They are masters of close-quarters combat, and hold firmly to the adage that "the best defense is an unstoppable offense" in combat, leveraging their attacks to sustain their onslaught while overwhelming the enemy in close quarters.

Their gap-closing mobility, along with their resistance to magic that can impede, control, or limit movement allows them to ramp up in power and momentum, and keep the pressure on.

Strength - The fighter is second to none when it comes to raw physical strength. They capitalize on this to deal massive amounts of damage to foes daring or stupid enough to stay within their striking range.

Momentum - Counter to most other archetypes, the fighter only gets stronger as they remain in combat. They utilize multiple different combat forms that grant them different types of stat bonuses proportional to the amount of combat momentum they have acquired during an encounter.

Perseverance - In order to sustain their momentum, the fighter has many different tools under their belt that allow them to survive and conserve/restore energy during combat to keep them going even over the longest battles.

Tank

Defense - The Wall.

Every army needs a front line. Tanks specialize in high defense, crowd control, and "aggro" management. They don't just take hits; they dictate where the enemy looks and moves. During a castle siege, the Tank is the anchor that holds the line against the storm.

The Tank's primary role is to draw attackers to them while absorbing damage that might kill or severely injure their allies. While other archetypes seek to avoid pain, the Tank thrives on it, increasing their durability and damage dealt with every strike.

Their mastery of defense allows them to redirect, absorb, and negate incredible amounts of damage that their party members might otherwise take. A well-played tank controls the tide of the battle, distracting enemies and hampering their movements, while rallying their allies and leading them to victory.

No one lives forever, but a renowned hero that reaches his or her twilight years, probably owes their longevity to a reliable Tank.

Courage - The Tank loves being on the front lines, and gains Courage when they deal or take damage. Courage Increases their damage dealt and reduces damage taken. Courage is used as a special resource to activate and amplify certain Tank abilities.

Protection - The Tank provides layers of protection for their party. The Tank can choose to Protect a specific party member, redirecting a portion of the damage they take to the Tank. Some Tanks may also choose the Aegis ability, which redirects a portion of the damage all nearby party members take to the Tank.

Endurance - The Tank has a supernatural endurance that is enhanced by their arsenal of survivability- enhancing abilities. Good timing while using these survivability abilities is key, as a dead tank cannot protect their allies.

Disruption - The Tank has access to many skills that disrupt the enemy, locking them up and preventing them from harming the Tank or their allies.

Rogue

Stealth - The Shadow of Verra.

Rogues thrive in the chaos. They use stealth, poison, and precision strikes to find the weakest link in the enemy's chain. Whether they are scouting for a caravan or assassinating a mayor during a node siege, their ability to remain unseen is their greatest weapon.

The Rogue thrives in the shadows. As Masters of ambush and deception, they strike with ruthless precision, exploiting any weakness with a flick of the wrist and a well-placed blade... but they are still just as dangerous out in the open, weaving through combat with effortless agility, and leaving a trail of blood splatters behind them.

Their arsenal extends beyond steel - smoke bombs, deadly toxins, and concealed traps ensures they always maintain an advantage over their foes.

Whether slipping behind an enemy in a swirl of shadow or vaulting over them in a sudden acrobatic flourish, a Rogue is never where they seem. And for those who survive the initial assault, the creeping burn of poison in their veins ensures that death is only a breath away.

Stealth - The Rogue can enter stealth to sneak around in complete invisibility. However other characters may detect the rogue under certain circumstances.

Advantage - The Rogue gains advantage by activating certain ability combos and can then spend this advantage to empower their other abilities.

Tools - The Rogue has access to a variety of virulent poisons, bombs, a grappling hook, and other tools at their disposal that they can mix and match to complement their nefarious stratagems.

Guile - The Rogue is agile, evasive, and cunning, with a number of mobility skills at their disposal. These skills can be used by the rogue to engage their opponents in surprising and effective manners.

Ranger

Range - The Apex Predator.

Rangers own the horizon. They are the masters of the long-range game, using bows and nature-inspired traps to control territory. In the open-world combat of Verra, a skilled Ranger can kite enemies indefinitely, picking them apart before they ever get within striking distance.

Rangers have a profound connection to the world around them, which gives them an ability to track enemy targets that borders on the supernatural, and a skill for camouflage that gives them an enormous advantage in any terrain.

Their magical acumen is based on their strong affinity with the natural world, allowing them to harness nature's fury in battle while destroying foes with devastating hails of arrows and crippling weapon strikes.

Rangers also use this natural magic to enhance their mobility on the battlefield by leaping out of harm's way. Be wary, for it is said that when a ranger marks you for death, it's time to get your affairs in order.

Marks - The Ranger can Mark a target for death, greatly increasing damage taken from all sources for a short period of time.

Scouting - Their ability to track targets and investigate areas unseen makes the Ranger an ideal scout for a party.

Ammunition - The Ranger can imbue their ammo with unique effects, granting the ability to strategically prepare for an engagement.

Mobility - The Rangers familiarity with the natural world lets them leap over obstacles and increases the movement speed of the Ranger and their allies.

Mage

Magic - The Arcane Architect.

Mages bring the big guns. They specialize in massive area-of-effect (AoE) spells that can turn the tide of a 100-player siege. From calling down meteors to freezing entire squads in place, the Mage is the primary source of elemental destruction and battlefield control.

Mages are the unparalleled masters of arcane might, harnessing the boundless energy of Verra's raw essence to effect reality itself.

Their command over the mystical arts allows them to unleash devastating attacks with an arsenal of powerful "area of effect" spells and a vast array of elemental attacks and curses that can debilitate their foes.

These powers, along with other useful utility magic that can bestow powerful enhancements on allies make mages an indispensable member of any adventuring party.

Elemental Empowerment - Whenever the mage casts an elemental spell it empowers their weapon attacks, causing them to apply elemental status effects that they can combo with other abilities to achieve devastating results.

Area Control - Mages have a wide variety of AoE spells such as Blizzard, Cone of Cold, Sleep, Chain Lightning, Magma Field, Meteor, and more. These all serve to control the battlefield in various ways and/ or deal massive damage to all enemies caught within.

Cleric

Healing - The Guardian of Life.

Beyond simple healing, Clerics in Verra are masters of vital energy. They can shield allies from incoming sieges, purge debilitating curses, and even cheat death itself. A party without a Cleric is a party with a very short lifespan in the dangerous wilds.

Clerics channel mana to convert magical essence into radiant energy, which they can wield to heal their allies, or smite their foes.

They also excel at providing defensive support by shielding their comrades-at-arms, cleansing negative status ailments, restoring mana to themselves and others, or even bringing a fallen soldier back to life.

Because of their vital contributions to the welfare of an adventuring party, enemies consider clerics to be high priority targets. Hence, their survival also depends greatly upon their mastery of the skill of self-preservation.

Restoration - The cleric's primary role in the party is to be a healer and therefore possesses all sorts of methods for restoring health of themselves and their party members. They have other restorative powers as well, including shielding, resurrection, and ailment cleansing.

Radiance - The cleric uses light to not only restore their allies, but also to damage their enemies. While not as effective as dealing damage as other specialized archetypes, a cleric can be offensively dangerous in the right hands.

Support - The cleric can support their allies with other utility outside of the restoration realm. Buffs, debuffs, and mana return are just a few other benefits the cleric can provide to their allies.

Bard

Support - The Ultimate Force Multiplier.

Bards don't just heal or damage; they manipulate the very fabric of the battlefield. Through melodies and dances, they can restore mana to allies, hasten movement, or weaken an enemy’s resolve. In a world where positioning is everything, a Bard’s utility is the difference between victory and a wipe.

Bards are versatile virtuosos that inspire allies and dishearten enemies with an extraordinary repertoire of abilities, encompassing the arts of music, song, dance, and storytelling.

These efficacious entertainers excel at amplifying strengths and exploiting weaknesses. This makes them a rock-solid, but flexible pillar of support for any adventuring party.

With their mesmerizing melodies, peerless pantomime skills, and wondrous weaving of soul-stirring tales, bards leave a lasting impression on friend and foe alike.

Melody - Concurrent channeled abilities that grant buffs to the party or debuffs to enemies. Can be specialized to power up the longer they are played, or be able to weave between multiple melodies at once.

Dance - Close range AoE abilities that apply powerful, pointed effects to those nearby. Can combine with mobility skills to affect as many nearby targets as possible.

Song - Channeled, targeted abilities with a variety of effects. Can gain bonuses based on your active melody.

Story - Long lasting AoE buffs for your allies that are used to build toward grand finale ultimates.

Summoner

Summons - The Versatile Commander.

The most complex Archetype to master. Summoners can call forth companions—beasts, spirits, or mechanical constructs—to fill any gap in a group. They can act as a secondary tank, a healer, or a DPS, making them the ultimate "Swiss Army Knife" of Verra.

The summoner is never alone. Two hands are good, but in the summoner's opinion, more hands are always better.

With the right tool for every job, there's no situation they can't handle through their connection to the void, and other realms. Summoning assistance through the portal, they call upon the occult to join them in battle, supporting their allies, banishing their adversaries, or controlling an enemy.

Summoners can shift to easily fill gaps in the battlefield wherever they are needed.

Summoning - Aptly named, the summoner's signature strength is their ability to summon a variety of different vessels, each of which can perform a unique role. Whether the moment's need is a heavy frontliner for protection, a savage and versatile damage dealer to take opponents down swiftly, or support from the backline to keep the party in good health, the summoner can bring it into existence.

Essence - The summoner can manipulate the essence of Verra to fuel their summoned vessels' strength, enabling them to perform powerful abilities.

Attrition - The summoner is a master of attrition, be that through debilitating their enemies with oppressive damage over time spells, sapping their strength with debuffs and control, or sustaining themselves by drawing resources from their summoned vessels to themselves.

Teleportation - The summoner is no stranger to the art of deception, capable of using teleportation magic to mobilize both themself and their vessels for positional advantage while simultaneously confusing their enemies to gain the upper hand.