Weekly Wonders - Archetypes of the Ancients Volume II - El Dorado

A Golden Opportunity!

Plumbing ancient ruins in search of long-forgotten secrets and the power of lost civilizations is nothing new to adventurers. Few fantasy settings are without some lost civilization from ages before, which boasted magic or technology far more advanced than anything seen today. But if you’re going to go after mythical cities from bygone eras, you may as well go after the best of the best. Each installment of Weekly Wonders: Archetypes of the Ancients takes a single real-world mythological city, lost continent, or hidden kingdom and provides six archetypes specifically designed to invoke the themes and elements that that place is known for.

This installment focuses on the infamous El Dorado, the subject of numerous real-world expeditions. At different times in history, El Dorado has referred to a man, a city, a kingdom, and eventually, even an empire, as the myth has grown with every retelling. Most famous for its fabulous wealth, the most popular myths of El Dorado cast it as a city made entirely of gold, including the buildings and even the streets, studded with glittering gemstones that people could afford to throw away as though they were nothing. This book contains the following archetypes:

• The gilded warrior, a fighter archetype whose skin becomes coated with a layer of protective gold.
• The keeper of the golden light, a paladin archetype whose healing powers come from sacrificing wealth, and who can harness powerful magic light reminiscent of gold and gemstones to accomplish a variety of magical tasks.
• The idol adherent, a ranger archetype that carries about a magic idol made of gold, that guides and protects him.
• The balladeer of the golden city, a skald archetype that can inspire great greed in others, turn enemies to gold, and even summon ancient golden guardians of El Dorado to defend himself.
• The aurelian witch, a witch archetype with a golden familiar, who specializes in transmuting materials to gold.
• A bonus discipline for the aegis, from Psionics Unleashed by Dreamscarred Press, the zipa creates an astral suit not from ectoplasm, but from gold, and is a master at crafting and working with gold.

Whether you're about to embark on an archaeological campaign (such as the official Paizo adventure path dealing with seeking out the secrets of a lost and ancient civilization), or you just want to play a character with a connection to the ancient past, 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 NPCs tied to mythical places as well, and can make for exciting and memorable encounters.