The Warrior

Triad:

Greater

Dichotomy:

Mage

Dictate:

Inclusive

Association:

Martial warriors of all types, anyone who relies on strength of body and weaponry to fight

Description:

One of, if not the, most common archetypes amongst battle-gifted, the Warrior is one of most famously inclusive archetypes. Granting simple, effective, and straight-forward gifts primarily focused on weapon wielding martial abilities, as many as half of all sentinels bear the Warrior's blessing in some ways. Gifts are most often granted through trial combat, in which combatants must present the virtues associated with a Warrior gift, but it is not unheard of for those who have faced sudden and unexpected danger to manifest one of these gifts as well.

Gift of the Brawler

Boons:

Strength, Stamina

Description:

The gift of the brawler is associated with frontline, raw offense fighters, generally characterized by an emphasis on large, heavy weapons, including hammers, maces, axes, and heavy swords. Brawlers are destructive forces on most small-scale battlefields, but are heavily reliant on support from allies and other gifts to make up for their lack of speed, coordination, and resilience, which can leave them surprisingly fragile against anything sturdy or quickly enough to survive their onslaught.

Notable Abilities:

Brawlers favored special attacks and self-buffs over defensive abilities

Crushing Blow:

Increases the effective weight of a brawler's weapon for one attack. Notable as a rare special attack with no potency. Upgrades to

Shattering Blow

at Initiate level.

Battlelust:

Allows a brawler to restore their stamina, but comes with a steep cooldown. At higher levels, this cooldown reduces when enemies are defeated or damage is taken.

Brutal Force:

A potency based special attack gained at Apprentice level, the potency scales with enemies health, making it most effective as an opening attack

Common Augments:

Physical Primal Gifts:

Earth, metal, and wood gifts from the Primal grant weapon creation augments. As these gifts also offer increased tactical options (including range and area attacks) they are a common choice for brawlers.

Ensouled Items:

Relics gifts like Agility and Fortitude can compensate for a brawler's boon weaknesses, as well as often providing them a powerful conjured weapon. These gifts usually grant an appropriate special attack.

Gift of the Guardian

Boons:

Stamina, Resilience

Description:

The gift of the guardian is associated with frontline, defense fighters, often associated with shields and polearms. Guardians lack the powerful special attacks of most Warrior gifted, but make up for it with an unparalleled variety of defensive options. However, they are left vulnerable if they don't have a damage dealer to help them finish off their enemies before their defenses are cracked.

Notable Abilities

: Guardians have a wide spectrum of defensive buffs.

Ready Stance:

Increases the potency of a guardian's defensive gear, but limits their movement. This limitation decreases at higher levels.

Bolster:

Allows a guardian to restore their own health and, at higher levels, stamina and focus, though at a harsh cooldown.

Dampening:

Reduces the effectiveness of purely magical attacks within a certain range of the guardian, becoming wider and more effective at higher levels.

Retaliating Strike:

The only true special attack guardians get, increases in potency based on the most recent attack taken.

Common Augments:

Physical Primal Gifts:

Similar to the brawler, gifts like earth, wood, and metal give a guardian powerfully imbued shield augments, as well as increased tactical options.

Animist:

Particularly favored by many nobles, the healing magic of an animist combines very well with the defensive prowess of a guardian, making an all-in-one support unit.

Gift of the Vanguard

Boons:

Strength, Stamina, Resilience

Description:

Neither as strong as a brawler nor as sturdy as a guardian, the gift of the vanguard splits the difference between the two to allow for a versatile frontliner. Generally associated with the sword, the most flexible of weapons, vanguards slot easily into nearly any cadre–however, many look down on the gift for its lack of commitment to either specialty. Still, those who have the vanguard gift stand by its effectiveness in a variety of situations, without the glaring weaknesses of a brawler or a guardian.

Notable Abilities:

Reckless Strike:

A high potency but costly special attack available to low level vanguards, upgrades to

Critical Strike

at Apprentice.

Reinforced Defense:

A triggered defensive potency buff that grows more reliable at higher levels.

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C'mon, you didn't think I was just going to tell you Oli's third ability here, did you?

Common Augments:

Primal Gifts:

The flexibility granted by all Primal gifts strongly benefit vanguards, offering ranged and area effects, buffs, and various special attacks depending on the gift.

Evoker:

The force magic practiced by evokers similarly grants further flexibility to vanguards, producing battle mages equally effective at all ranges.

Gift of the Skirmisher

Boons:

Stamina, Coordination

Description:

The gift of the skirmisher is associated with frontline scouts, often associated with light weapons like shortswords and daggers. Skirmishers lack the instant impact of a powerful brawler or vanguard, but excel in dealing with mobile or numerous enemies, using their abilities to hamper and weaken a foe before closing in for the kill. Skirmishers' biggest weakness is the same of their strength–as they excel in long fights, a sufficiently powerful enemy can defeat them before they are able to stack enough debuffs to down an opponent.

Notable Abilities:

Skirmisher abilities emphasize debuffs and survivability

Hampering Strike:

A special attack that drains enemy stamina, tiring them rapidly. At higher levels, upgrades to

Crippling Strike

, which also drains coordination and speed.

Cunning Maneuver:

A brief but powerful buff that can allow a skirmisher to dodge or land a key attack. Effects increase and cooldown decreases at higher levels.

Draining Strike:

The defining ability for higher levelled skirmishers, allowing them to heal as they hurt their enemies.

Common Augments:

Energy Primal Gifts:

Gifts like fire and lightning offer skirmishers powerful elemental and ranged attacks, and their boons and augments offer complementary bonuses.

Sorcerer:

As skirmishers often act as scouts and guides, the utility spirits offered by sorcery provide a useful supplement to their existing skills.

Gift of the Archer

Boons:

Coordination, Awareness

Description:

The gift of the archer is, as implied by the name, associated with ranged combatants and the classic combination of the bow and arrow. At ranged, archers present a powerful, high damage threat, capable of harming or even killing enemies in a single hit–but this comes at the cost of their ability to defend themselves at melee range. While some archers try to compensate for this with a more straight-forward relic gift, many instead choose to embrace this niche and become specialized long-ranged damage dealers.

Notable Abilities:

Archer abilities general offer strength and flexibility to their ranged attacks.

Focused Shot:

A special attack with mildly increased potency and a small charge time. At high levels, upgrades to

Sure Shot

, becoming increasingly difficult to avoid or block.

Instant Volley:

A special attack that conjures additional arrows midflight, effectively duplicating one arrow into multiple. At higher levels, upgrades to

Wide Volley

and

Raining Volley

as the number of arrows created increase.

Common Augments:

Wind:

While the gift of wind is often written off as ineffective, it offered archers defensive and movement options while producing a powerful ranged augment, making it a common choice.

Energy Primal Gifts:

Fire and lightning similarly offer powerful additional ranged attacks, allowing archers to harm foes resistant to more conventional attacks.

Hunter:

Archery is, far and away, the most common gift among hunters. As the gift of the hunter allows for focused bursts of damage, it combines well with archery to allow a hunter to end a fight before it even begins.

Gift of the Fencer

Boons:

Coordination, Speed, Stamina

Description:

While the gift of the vanguard is more of a generalist blessing than the other Warrior gifts, the fencer is far and away the most focused of the Warrior's gifts. Associated heavily with nobles, fencer is derided by many common sentinels as a dandy's gift, one specialized in "fair" fights that are all too rare in the field. However, in the hands of a skilled user, the gift of the fencer offers the same sort of precision and focused damage archers are known for at close range–at higher levels, at least. The gift of the fencer is, famously, underpowered until Initiate level, leaving it reliant on its augments.

Notable Abilities:

Fencer abilities focus on bursts of pinpoint damage.

Guided Strike:

A special attack that is unerringly drawn towards a designated target point. At higher level, upgrades to

Unerring Strike

, gaining significant potency.

Imbued Parry:

A special defense that increases the potency of a weapon briefly while defending, allowing a fencer to parry even magical attacks. Combined with

Infused Riposte

at higher levels to allow a potent counterattack.

Common Augments:

Primal Gifts:

Though different elements speak to different users, almost all fencers use a Primal gift at Novice level, relying on their simple, straight-forward effectiveness to compensate for the flaws in the fencer's abilities.

Ensouled Items:

Similar to Primal gifts, ensouled items offer large boosts and simple abilities that are critical to survival for fencers. However, as ensouled items are often looked down on by noble sentinels, this choice is only common amongst courtiers.

Artist Gifts:

Gifts like serenity and passion are extremely rare, and are far from powerful on their own, but they are the gift of choice for the most dedicated of swordmasters.

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