South House Games

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Dual-Path and Multipath

Dual-Path and Multipath are options available to characters who want to switch Paths completely or want to start off working towards multiple ends. Not everyone is meant to be one thing or knows what they want at the outset. These options allow for flexibility given changing attitudes or modes of living.

Dual-Path

The Dual-Path is for characters who start along one Path and then events, personal inclination, or other circumstances convince them that a big change is needed. A Fighter wants to heal instead of destroy, a wandering Troubadour yearns for stability and a code to follow, necessity demands a Scienseer pick up the bow and patrol the forest; anything can be the catalyst for change.

A character may Dual-Path at any time after 1st Level and this decision permanently closes off advancement along the previous Path, however, a character may still use the skills they already know. This signifies an appreciation of past experience, but also a firm decision to leave that way of life behind. It is encouraged, but not mandatory, that there be a narrative reason for the switch, however, there must be some way in the game for the character to learn about the new Path. This could be seeking out an NPC teacher, learning from another party member, or coming across some kind of comprehensive treatise. Each character may only Dual-Path once and may Dual-Path into a Path that is not part of their current Archetype or Background. They may also Dual-Path into a different Element Focus as long as they have at least 1 point in the corresponding Element modifier.

GM Note: There is no significant in-game mechanical difference between switching out of Archetype, Background, or both, but narratively this is a great opportunity for a group. For instance, a Soldier switching to Freeblade could be as simple as deciding not to adhere to the beliefs of their city any longer, but moving from Soldier to Shaman is a huge change. In the first example, the character is still a Fighter, but perhaps has become disenchanted with how the Conduit Cities operate. In the second, it is treason and a huge shift in worldview and profession. A former Soldier turned Shaman will learn to craft the Elixirs of the Ergon Peoples and give them to Warriors who may kill their former squadmates. They will interact directly with ancestor spirits thought to be figments of imagination by their former friends. This is heavy stuff and a Dual-Pathing scenario should be looked at carefully to determine the true difficulty and consequences of the switch from a narrative perspective.

A character may decide to Dual-Path at any time, but nothing happens until they have a teacher or method of switching, if necessary, and are ready to advance to the next level. When that time comes, their previous Path Level is frozen and they cannot advance further down that Path again. They are considered now to be Level 1 in their new Path and gain the first Path skill. If they switched Archetypes, they may not take Archetype skills from their previous Archetype, only the new one.

GM Note: A player cannot refuse to advance in level in order to progress faster along a desired Dual-Path. Consider this scenario: a Troubadour wants to join the Conduit City Sweep Teams and become a Soldier, but the nearest Conduit City is 500 miles away through dangerous, unknown territory. There are many adventures along the way and the party advances in level twice. The Troubadour cannot "save up" those advancements even though they want to Dual-Path, they must be taken as a Troubadour since the Dual-Path requires a way to switch to the new Path which is unlikely to be present on the journey. This is a rule out of respect for other professions. In this case, being a Soldier of the Conduit Cities requires significant training in their doctrine, tactics, and beliefs and is not something embarked on lightly. On the contrary, if a member or former member of the Sweep Teams is in the party, the Troubadour may be able to start on that Path immediately.

A player who wishes to do this should know that no matter when they Dual-Path, they will never be able to attain the third Path skill for any Path. This represents that a change of Path, regardless of the reason, has some friction and a character who never strays from their Path will likely attain a higher level of skill in a given field compared to a character who switches. The Dual-Path character will undoubtedly be more versatile, but this is at the cost of mastery.

Character Level and Path Level are the same for characters who choose not to Dual-Path. If a character Dual-Paths, their Character Level is the sum of their Path Levels.

For example, a Level 6 Freeblade wishes to Dual-Path to Shaman and has a mentor to lead them on this Path. At Level 7, whenever that Advancement occurs, the Freeblade Path is closed to them and they start on the Shaman's Path Advancement Table at Level 1, receiving the first Path skill listed there. The Character Level for the new Freeblade-Shaman is still 7 (Freeblade Level 6 + Shaman Level 1) for the purposes of the General Advancement Table. The next time this character advances in level, they will be a Freeblade Level 6 and a Shaman Level 2 and have a Character Level of 8, and so on. In this example, the Freeblade-Shaman will receive their second Path skill as per the Shaman's Path Advancement Table at Character Level 16 (Freeblade Level 6 - Shaman Level 10).

Multipath

The Multipath is for characters who want to pursue multiple professions at once. They are people who prize versatility and are willing to sacrifice depth for breadth. Those who choose to Multipath will develop more slowly and never achieve the depth of a specialist in any area, but once a critical mass of experience has been reached, their power makes significant jumps and they are usually the most adaptable members of a party.

The choice to Multipath is one that must be made during character creation and cannot be undertaken after that. If a character Multipaths, they may choose either two or three Paths to advance down. They must choose Paths from the same Background, as thematically many combinations do not make sense. For example, it is impossible for a Soldier/Shaman/Troubadour to exist in the world while advancing simultaneously down all three Paths. These three are mutually exclusive as a starting point and have incompatible world views. This character may also choose a different Element Focus for each of these Paths, as long as they have at least 1 point in the corresponding Element modifier.

At Level 1, a character takes the first Path skill for each Path they have selected but not the Archetype skill listed on the General Advancement Table for Level 1. If they chose one additional Path, so two total, they sacrifice their Archetype skills at Levels 2 and 11 on the General Advancement Table. If they chose two additional Paths, or three total, they sacrifice their Archetype skill at Levels 2, 8, 11, and 17 on the General Advancement Table.