military_tech

Heroic Path

Leader

An inspiring commander who rallies the charge

trending_upStarting Skill

+1 Leadership

Granted at character creation.

auto_awesomeKey Talent

Decisive Command

Grant an ally a command die on their next test.

psychologySuggested Attributes

Presence, Strength, Willpower

schoolUseful Skills

6 skills

Athletics, Deception, Heavy Weaponry

auto_awesomeKey Talent

Decisive Command

Gain a command die, which starts as a d4. Spend 1 focus to choose an ally within 20 feet you can influence. On their next test they roll the command die alongside their other dice and can add it to one roll (other than the plot die).

Activation:1 focus

check_circleGain a scaling command die (d4 at tier 1)
check_circleSpend 1 focus to grant it to an ally within 20 feet
check_circleAlly adds it to one die roll on their next test

psychologySuggested Attributes

PresenceStrengthWillpower

schoolUseful Skills

AthleticsDeceptionHeavy WeaponryIntimidationLeadershipPersuasion

alt_routeMulti-Path Suggestions

WarriorEnvoy

emoji_eventsSuggested Rewards

Mount companionHigh-ranking military titleShardplate

Specialties

Three specialty paths — pick one to define how your leader works in practice.

Champion

Lead from the front

Champions fight where the line is thinnest. They inspire through action — wading in, absorbing hits, and making every ally within earshot braver by being visibly there.

Playstyle

Build around Athletics and Leadership. You are a durable frontliner who also boosts allies. Combat Coordination turns every Strike into a free Decisive Command.

Tier 2 Talents (5)

Combat Coordination

Reaction

Prereq: Leadership 2+

After you Strike, use Decisive Command as a free action. If the Strike missed, no focus is spent.

Imposing Posture

Passive

Prereq: Athletics 2+

Enemies that resist your influence while within weapon reach become Disoriented.

Mighty

Passive

Prereq: Decisive Command

On a weapon or unarmed hit, deal extra damage equal to 1 + your tier for each Opportunity spent.

Resilient Hero

Reaction

Prereq: Athletics 3+

Before your health drops to 0, it instead becomes equal to your Athletics modifier.

Valiant Intervention

1 focus

Prereq: Athletics 1+

Move 10 feet, then test Athletics vs Spiritual to give a target a disadvantage on tests against your allies.

Officer

Command and control under pressure

Officers are the party's tactical brain. They direct allies into position, coordinate responses, and make sure the unit moves like one creature.

Playstyle

Lean on Leadership and Persuasion. You are the battlefield conductor — Through the Fray, Synchronized Assault, and Relentless March amplify movement and offense across the whole party.

Tier 2 Talents (5)

Through the Fray

1 focus

Prereq: Persuasion 1+

An ally within 20 feet Disengages or Gains Advantage as a free action.

Well Supplied

2 focus

Prereq: Persuasion 2+

Gain Military Logistics expertise. Spend focus to add Opportunity on resource-requisition tests.

Relentless March

Passive

Prereq: Persuasion 3+

Decisive Command targets gain +10 feet movement and ignore Exhausted, Slowed, and Surprised.

Synchronized Assault

2 focus

Prereq: Leadership 3+

Test Leadership vs Cognitive. On success, allies up to your Leadership gain an extra Strike against that target.

Shrewd Command

1 focus

Prereq: Leadership 2+

Increase your command die. Add it to Deception, Insight, or Leadership d20 rolls.

Politico

Command off the battlefield too

Politicos know that some fights are won at court. They undermine rivals, spread rumors, and leverage reputation to turn allies into friends and enemies into problems for someone else.

Playstyle

Focus on Deception and Leadership. Many Politico talents let you use your command die on social skills, making you the party's political heavy hitter.

Tier 2 Talents (4)

Cutthroat Tactics

1 action

Prereq: Deception 1+

Test Deception vs Cognitive to make a target lose an action and take a disadvantage on their next cognitive or spiritual test.

Rumormonger

2 focus

Prereq: A patron

Gain Scandal expertise. Spend focus to add Opportunity on misinformation or rumor-gathering tests.

Authority

Passive

Prereq: Title granting command of 5+ people

Double the range of Leader talents that affect allies, and double the number of allies affected.

Grand Deception

3 focus

Prereq: Deception 3+

Test Deception (DC 15) to retroactively reveal a ruse that changes a detail of a past scene.

Overview

Leaders don't just fight — they make everyone else fight better. Decisive Command drops a scaling die into an ally's dice pool for one focus. At tier 1 that's a d4. By the time you're multiple tiers in, it's a meaningful commitment of the party's action economy on every turn.

The whole path is built around that reach. Every specialty tree extends Decisive Command in a different direction: Champion makes it triggered by attacks; Officer makes it cover more allies; Politico makes it work on social skills. Whatever specialty you pick, Decisive Command stays central.

Role in the party

The Leader is a force multiplier. A party with a Leader functions like a party with an extra half-PC, because every round the Leader is making someone else's turn better. In combat you are also a real fighter — most builds stack Athletics or Heavy Weaponry alongside Leadership.

Outside combat the Leader is the face for anything involving command, authority, or public presence. You are the one who speaks to the general, the highprince, the mercenary captain.

Playing a Leader

Spend Decisive Command proactively. Holding it for "the critical moment" is almost always a mistake — Leader's value is cumulative. Use it every round you can.
Pick a specialty based on party needs. Champion if the party lacks a frontline. Officer if the party is big or mobile. Politico if the campaign lives in courts and capitals.
Watch the command die scaling. Three different talents (Demonstrative, Shrewd, Confident Command) each grow it. Stacking these is one of the most efficient investments in the entire path.
Multi-path for power spikes. Warrior gives you stances and hardier fighting. Envoy adds Rousing Presence, which combos beautifully with Decisive Command.

Specialties in depth

Champion

Champions are melee leaders — the type who leads the charge and makes it count. Combat Coordination is the anchor: every time you Strike you get to Decisive Command for free. That dual-use action economy is one of the highest-throughput talents in the game. Resilient Hero gives you a revive-cheat that keeps you upright; Valiant Intervention is a mobile intercept.

Build a Champion when the party needs durability and leadership in the same slot.

Officer

Officers scale the party's tempo. Through the Fray hands an ally a free Disengage or Gain Advantage — two of the most useful actions in the game. Synchronized Assault turns a single test into extra Strikes from your entire party. Relentless March removes common condition tax from your Decisive Command targets.

Officer is the specialty for players who enjoy managing tempo and who want their turns to ripple through the rest of the table.

Politico

Politicos weaponize social capital. Cutthroat Tactics is an action-denial talent that also applies a debuff — rare combination. Rumormonger is the classic long-term political tool. Grand Deception is a narrative wildcard: for three focus and a DC 15 check, you retroactively reshape a prior scene. Whether your GM lets you use it freely or sparingly, it's a high-impact tool.

Politicos shine in campaigns where faction and reputation matter. If the GM tracks NPC attitudes and political standing, Politico gets more mileage than the other specialties.

Iconic archetypes

The Vizier — a Politico grounded in bureaucratic authority. High Intellect, High Society, Leadership, and Deception.
The Warform Commander — a Champion leading a warpair on the battlefield. Strength and Willpower focused, Heavy Weaponry primary.
The Veden Sergeant — an Officer built on coordinated offense. Willpower and Presence, Leadership and Persuasion.

Explore Other Paths

Agent

Envoy

Hunter

Scholar

Warrior