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While a character’s signature abilities will be determined by their Origin inWarhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, it’s their Archetype that determines most of their run-of-the-mill combat powers. Each character can have up to three Archetypes by the time they reach max level, and their choices will determine whether they’re suited to the frontline or the rear, and whether they focus on damage, tanking, or support.
Think of Archetypes as specializations- they have the most influence on how a character approaches combat, and they’re designed to hone each party member into en elite, precise component in your overall strategy.
What Are Archetypes?
Each character starts withone of the four basic Archetypes; Warrior, Soldier, Operative, or Officer. As they gain levels, they’ll be able tounlock new abilities from their current Archetype, enhancing their overall power. When a characterreaches Level 16, their starting Archetype is completed; having mastered it, they’ll move on toone of the advanced Archetypes.
There are six advanced Archetypes, but each basic Archetype can only progress to three of them. A Soldier can never become a Grand Strategist, for example.
AtLevel 36, characters complete their second Archetype and progress to theExemplar Archetype, a final evolution that makes them stand out as one of the deadliest fighters in the galaxy.
Basic Archetypes
The four basic Archetypesestablish a character’s core abilities, determining their overall battlefield role.
Upgrades To
Officers are charismatic leaders, able to push their companions to the heights of their abilities.Voice Of Commandgives an ally a bonus to all their stats for one round; additionally, the Officer’s other powerstrigger a bonus effectwhen used on an ally affected by Voice Of Command.
By setting up a teammate with Voice Of Command and other buffs, thengiving them an extra turn with Bring It Down, you can give your hardest-hitting characters more chances to attack.
Very few recruitable companions are Officers, so giving the Lord Captain this Archetype can help fill a major gap in your composition for the first chapter and beyond.
Operativesset up enemies for defeatby inflicting them with Exploits, then using those Exploits to debuff them or to deal extra damage to their chosen targets. Most Operatives willstart their turn with Analyze Enemies, then remove the inflicted Exploits usingExpose Weakness, practically ensuring a hit. Alternately, an Operative could finish off a wounded enemy, thenuse Expose Weaknesson another targetto set up another teammate’s attack.
Operatives can excel both in melee and at range.
As they level up, Operatives gain more ways to use Exploits, including allowing their allies to take better advantage of them.
Soldiers excel atmobility and ranged attacks, and can be specialized for nearly any type of firearm you come across. They’re best-suited toburst-fire weaponsandarea attacks, as these make it easier to trigger theirRevel In Slaughterability.
Whether you choose toremain in coverand methodically pick off enemies orrush into the thick of itwith guns blazing, most fights will end with the Soldier racking up the highest body count.
The Warrior is the consummate melee fighter.Chargeallows them to close the distance between themselves and their enemies and get a free strike in at the same time. They can be built fordamage or tanking, and perform admirably in both capacities.
Melee attacks in Rogue Trader don’t have an inherent miss chance, but an enemy with a high Weapon Skill or Agility canparry or dodge. The same goes for your team, especially the Warrior!
Warriors haveone of the best Heroic Acts in the game. Daring Breach removes their attack limit for a turn, potentially letting them carve a bloody path across the battlefield!
Advanced Archetypes
Advanced Archetypes are heavily-specialized, meaning it’s a good idea to plan your party’s progression ahead of time. Having a balanced team is a good idea in any RPG, so make sure everyone in your retinue is the best at what they do!
Upgrades From
The Arch-Militant can use melee and ranged weapons with equal proficiency, and they’reat they’re best when they frequently swap between the two.Arch-Militants get abonus to both Weapon Skill and Ballistics Skillwhenever they make an attack of a different type than the one they used last.
A former Warrior using Charge to take out a lone enemy, then switching to a ranged weapon, canbuild up stacks of Versatiilty in a hurry.
Each Arch-Militant will favor the combat style from their previous Archetype, but in either case they’re theundisputed masters of the battlefield.
Assassins are similar to Operatives in that they canprime an enemy with Seek The Opening. They deal the most damage when they canattack an enemy from multiple anglesin a single turn, making mobility an important part of their strategy.
The damage boost from Seek The Opening is apercentage of the target’s maximum health.That makes Assassins especially deadly against bosses!
Assassins are a melee Archetype thatrely on dodgingto keep themselves out of trouble. A high Dodge chance also enhances later attacks likeDeath Whisper.
Bounty Hunter is a methodical Archetype, bringing down one target at a time with precise, called shots. They’reperfect for sniper builds.
A Bounty Hunter canmark a target as their Prey.Killing the Prey will earn the Bounty Hunter bonus health, increased crit damage, or both,depending on the tier of the target.
Bounty Hunters share Prey, but nobody gets the bonus if a non-Bounty Hunter teammate kills the target.
The Grand Strategist is one of themost unique Archetypes in the game, mechanically speaking. They candesignate areas of the battlefieldto grant buffs to allies standing in them. Knowing your tactics ahead of time andforcing the enemy to engage in your chosen areasmakes fights much easier.
As they level up, the Grand Strategist cantarget their designated zonesfor additional buffs, creating an unassailable defensive position or a perfect killzone.
The Master Tactician relies onbuilding up Momentum alongside the rest of the team. Momentum is gained bydamaging and killing enemies, and some powers (notably those of theMinistorum Priest) grant additional Momentum.
Since you want to build up Momentum to trigger Heroic Acts anyway, having a Master Tactician lets you double-dip. Using theirPress The Advantageability, they can deal massive damage, especially if you may reliably increase their crit rate.
The Vanguard is the ultimate tank Archetype in Rogue Trader. They can shrug off the deadliest attacks, andeach attack against them speeds up the team’s Momentum gain.
You’ll always be outnumbered, but a Vanguardcan hold down an entire flank on their own.Be sure to give them a Medkit or two, though - just in case.
Exemplar Archetype
The Exemplar is the final Archetype, and it’s the same for all characters. It allows them tochoose Talents and other abilities from their basic and advanced Archetypesthat they passed on before. By the time a character has reached the end of the Exemplar path, they’ll havefully mastered their combat style.
