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Archetypes are not for player characters, at least not to describe them directly. Since they are meant to break the mold and change the world, Archetypes are too limiting on their capabilities. What Archetypes are in Legacy? They are the individuals who influenced the Player Characters. Each archetype is someone that taught the characters what they know and improved their abilities beyond commonplace. A Mercenary could have had a strong influence on a young adventurer and shown them what a mercenary's life contained. The adventurer would get an additional die to roll with any weapon as the Mercenary had to be willing to use whatever he had nearby to get the job done.

A child of the theater may have known several performers and befriended one of them. The Actor would show her how projecting one's self elicits different reactions from the crowd. That could be an additional die to all forms of Empathy rolls or three extra die using the Appearance skill.

A gutterpunk could witness the Second-Story Man pull a heist and shadow them until the Man shares his secrets. The young thief could then learn to use Lockpicking with the application of their Sleight of Hand skill. Or perhaps they could just gain three extra dice when using Stealth?


There are plenty of Archetypes to choose from, but what makes them truly special is their connection to the characters. Beyond the adjective, characters should be encouraged to breathe life into their Archetypes: "Old Gobb was a Mercenary and a Jack of All Trades with weapons. He didn't make it to retirement, but before the end, he taught me a few things." A name and a little bit of history for an Archetype give more weight to the Player Character's own background.


Players are in no obligation to give life to their Archetypes, but rest assured that idle concepts are a Storyteller's playthings. Archetypes can go from childhood heroes to aged villains very easily. And the Archetype could have grown much more capable since the last lesson.