Mage

If we were not meant to understand the gods, then why would they have created us with this burning curiosity. Moreover, why would they gift us the skills to unravel their mysteries?

In Gaia, the term mage denotes someone who had dedicated their life to the study of magic. While everyone can utilize Gaia’s magic in their everyday lives, mages don’t just use magic, they seek to understand it and the very fabric of existence. A mage is a scholar first and foremost, open to learning everything they can about the world, how it works, magic, the gods, and the nature of all things. In this, they develop a strong affinity for the magic of the world itself, able to wield the elements or take magic apart at its roots.

Abilities

Anyone who takes a special interest in magic and its nature is bound to learn how to not only wield it, but also control it. Mages learn the Art of Control (p. XX) early in their career, which allows them control over magical elements. This art is both physical and mystical in nature, giving the mage the ability to enhance her magic, and the magic of others. The Art of Control is one of focus and determination, allowing the mage to infuse her magic into everything she does.

Mages learn from one of two schools of magic, either to manipulate the world itself and the elements that make it up, or to manipulate magic itself. Those who concentrate on learning about Gaia, Outlands, and the nature of the magical world tend toward the Pillar of Elementalism (p. XX), learning to create, destroy, and hold both those things in balance. They harness the generating forces of the world and turn them to their own designs. An elemental mage can conjure the elements to perform a variety of tasks from building fortifications from earth, creating a healing spring, or bringing down lightning. They also learn to manipulate time and fate, which holds all things in balance.

Mages who study the fundamental elements of magic itself instead learn the Pillar of Transformation (p. XX). With it, they can manipulate magic to change the world around them, often affecting immaterial objects and constructs, giving them life, making, and breaking them, and even changing themselves to fit any situation.

Mage Role

Primary Role: Damage
Secondary Role: Investigation
Physical Might: low
Magical Might: high
Defensive Ability: low
Healing Ability: low
Mobility: medium
Leadership: low
Intrigue: medium
Investigation: high

Why Play a Mage?

Play a mage if you want to be a scholar who experiments with magic, be a battle mage who wades into a fight wielding the elements, be a crafter who infuses magic to make legendary items, have control over the very elements of the world, be able to make and unmake magic, or just really like being a know-it-all with a great deal of power to back it up.

Warlord

A battle is not a contest between the might of the soldiers in the field, but instead between the wits of those who lead them.

While the name might be somewhat misleading, a warlord is one of the most respected professions in Everend. Warlords are trained leaders, swaying the hearts and minds of people, bolstering their allies, supporting their troops, and leading from the front. Where a harrier might be a sly political opponent, able to charm people and master deception, a warlord is a leader who knows how to win followers through acts of justice, courage, and skill. Many warlords take up positions within the military, but plenty others take up civil duties, commanding courier services, running cities, and even leading nations.

Abilities

Warlords tend to be practical people who use magic and arts to further their agenda using the most practical approach. Their main tool is the Art of Command, which teaches them how to guide their allies in battle, command entire armies, and train mounts to follow their body language in the heat of combat. When people think of a warlord, they think of someone issuing commands, staring down enemies, and riding valiantly into battle. All these qualities come from the Art of Command (p. XX).

Despite the immediate recognition that comes from their arts, warlords do not neglect training their magic. They see into the hearts of their followers, and use their magic to influence their Souls. As practitioners of the Pillar of Anima, warlords can heal their troops, protect them from dangerous monsters, and even raise armies of undead minions to fight by their side. A warlord is only as powerful as the people at her command, and she does well to ensure they are in top fighting shape. For this reason, many warlords focus on the Preservation or Life aspects of Anima, but there are a few necromantic warlords who are formidable leaders and respected generals.

Warlord Role

Primary Role: Support
Secondary Role: Social or Damage
Physical Might: medium
Magical Might: medium
Defensive Ability: high
Healing Ability: medium
Mobility: high
Leadership: high
Intrigue: low
Investigation: low

Why Play a Warlord?

Play a warlord if you want to be a battlefield commander, have armies at your beck and call, be an excellent mounted combatant, lead from the front, use strategy over might to solve problems, or support and protect your allies.

Warrior

I am no mere soldier or mercenary. I am the blade that cuts you, the hammer that breaks you, and the mill that grinds you to dust.

No matter where you come from in Everend, you’re expected to learn how to defend yourself against monsters, beasts, and void tainted creatures. Even the highest nobility has some training with a sword. A warrior isn’t just someone who has trained but has mastered the sword and all other weapons. They are in their element when armed, though are equally as skilled when carrying nothing more than the clothes on their back. A warrior isn’t just someone who fights well. They have trained in a variety of brutal attack styles and can easily switch based on the situation. If a warlord is an army’s commander and tactical mind, the warrior is the army’s right arm, as good as a hundred trained soldiers when in the heat of battle.

Abilities

Warriors are weapon masters trained in a variety of fighting styles and martial arts to ensure they can pick up anything and be a deadly force. All warriors use the Art of Might (p. XX), which teaches them not just how to fight, but to be a whirlwind of damage in combat. They can set their sights on an opponent and goad them into one-on-one combat, then unleash a barrage of attacks that leave them staggered. They train with ranged weapons to maximize their output, allowing them to shoot further and with more deadly accuracy than any normal archer. As they learn deeper parts of the art, they can even summon their weapon to their side through magical attunement.

Warriors don’t just learn to wield a weapon, they learn to become one with their weapon, treating it as an extension of themselves. They specialize in the Pillar of Transformation, which allows them to perfect both themselves and their weapons, or even just create weapons out of nothing but light. Some warriors prefer the Perfection Block as their Keystone, allowing them to keep their weapon in pristine condition regardless of the stresses they put it under. Others choose Metamorphosis to allow them to dominate the battlefield by weakening opponents and changing to meet any situation. Finally, those warriors who focus on Transmogrify do so to let their weapon loose to fight on its own, or make or destroy weapons on a whim.

Warrior Role

Primary Role: Damage
Secondary Role: Support
Physical Might: high
Magical Might: low
Defensive Ability: medium
Healing Ability: low
Mobility: medium
Leadership: low
Intrigue: low
Investigation: medium

Why Play a Warrior?

Play a warrior if you want to be an elite fighter, be able to take on multiple opponents at the same time, focus on having a single cool weapon that changes and grows with you, fly into a furious rage of metal and death, be a knight of the realm, or protect those you care about most.