Adventuring Classes
In Sunder, it is difficult to define “classes” as one may in a general TTRPG. Sunder’s feature of a class feature market and purchasable features tends to allow players to stray from any defined “class.” However, at a very base level, there are initial categories an adventurer can fit into, which begin the prerequisite path for characters to level up and purchase new abilities.
Archetypes
These categories are called Archetypes, which start an adventurer off with a few abilities and features. One primary attribute they contribute to is an adventurer’s Mark pool. The 10 main archetypes and their respective base Marks value are as follows:
| Archetype | Marks |
|---|---|
| Spellslinger | 2 |
| Summoner | 2 |
| Control | 3 |
| Face | 3 |
| Saboteur | 4 |
| Support | 4 |
| Frontliner | 5 |
| Halfcaster | 5 |
| Healer | 6 |
| Tank | 6 |
Archetype Descriptions
Provided below is a list of short explanations for each archetype. While these archetypes may have specific associations with general TTRPG classes, there are always exceptions to each archetype: your playstyle is yours to choose and the narrative is yours to flavor your decision.
Spellslingers specialize in offensive magic, whether it be from synthetic dwoemers, drawing from warp, or sourcing from an arcane entity. Many Wizards, Shamans, Sorcerers, and Warlocks fall under the spellslinger archetype.
Summoners use magic to bring physical manifestations into Umbrea for both battle and everyday tasks. These adventurers augment their battlestyle with magic to bring physical attacks, sometimes even enhancing their own bodies. Many Artificers, Druids, Monks, and Mystics fall under the summoner archetype.
Control archetype adventurers focus on orchestrating the actions and surroundings of others in battle. These characters can create widespread magical effects to alter the battlefield, make snap decisions to maneuver allies in the fray, or overpower the will of enemies and use their strength to the enchanter’s advantage. Many Druids, Fighters, Mystics, and Wizards fall under the control archetype.
Faces of the party excel in weaving words and reading people to anticipate and influence others’ actions. They specialize in inspiring allies to find the confidence to succeed, analyzing the habits and fighting style of enemies to locate weaknesses, or charming their way into otherwise inaccessible corners of society. Many Bards, Monks, Rogues, and Warlocks fall under this archetype.
Saboteurs are the shadows in the night and the knife in the dark. These are the sneak-thieves, the discreet watchers, and the cunning deliverers of impairment who may focus on catching enemies by surprise, creating new and innovative methods of incapacitating others, or obtaining magic for both concealment and sabotage. Many Artificers, Rangers, Rogues, and Sorcerers tend to fall into this archetype.
Support characters are those who work best from the sidelines, both relying on their allies to reach their goal and being relied on to prop up said allies. These adventurers are notoriously versatile, and may focus anywhere between providing expertise in various skills and trades, presenting a knack for quick but minor battlefield triage, or even enhancing their allies with performance-based dwoemers. Artificers, Bards, Clerics, and Rogues tend to fall into this category.
Frontliners are the daring adventurers who face their tasks head-on, often with heavy training or combat magic to assist them. To do so, these characters either train rigorously under a certain fighting style, unlock secret mystical potentials through deep meditation and discipline, or master fusing physical combat with simple arcane enchantments. Artificers, Fighters, Monks, and Rangers are often considered as part of this category.
Halfcasters dip into both worlds: physical combat and spell-slinging alike. These adventurers are able to focus on spells that both enhance one’s power and bolster one’s well-being while also boasting expertise in weapons and physical activity. Halfcasters may pluck from other archetypes’ specialties, such as a summoner-support-type who channels psionic energy for both protective barriers and restorative spells. Many Artificers, Mystics, Paladins, and Rangers fall under this category.
Healers are the epitome of adventuring safety, and specialize in warding and restorative magicks. This can range from attuned channelers of nature who use the world’s flow of life force to jumpstart a creature’s healing, to researchers of the humanoid body that can utilize tools and salves to enhance one’s performance, to unnatural wielders of alien magicks that can reanimate the dead and create strange prosthetics by combining limbs from other creatures. Healers can often present as Clerics, Druids, Warlocks, and Wizards.
Tanks are the defensive line in any adventuring party: always happy to take a hit for their friends. Tanks come in many varieties: whether they are armor-laden bulwarks, steel-nerved berserkers, or biologically-enhanced beings of extraordinary absorptive constitution. Many Barbarians, Fighters, Paladins, and Sorcerers fall under this archetype.
