Wildsoul (Vigilante Archetype)
If there is any iconic archetype among superheroes, one of them must be the “animal power” superhero, whose superhuman abilities revolve around emulating an animal. Spider-man, Hawkman, Black Panther, Toad, et cetera. Oftentimes, these abilities are “proportional” in the case of animals smaller than the hero, while others may add the strength of a larger animal to their own, or perhaps be even stronger than that.
This is distinct from heroes that embrace an animal motif without having similar powers, or any powers at all, of course, but that is neither here nor there. Today, we are looking at the wildsoul archetype for vigilante, which grants a power set based on an animal to the vigilante.
Interestingly, the wildsoul is a rare occasion, perhaps the only one, where an archetype in Pathfinder has been updated by Paizo with additional content for that particular archetype, specifically in Blood of the Beast, which added the feline option to the archetype.
Regardless, each animal aspect adds a different arsenal of powers for the vigilante to use, as we shall soon see.
Each wildsoul picked one animal to emulate, gaining powers as they level up.
The first option is arachnid, granting them an uncanny sense for danger, the ability to shoot sticky webs at foes, climb on walls, swing from strands of webbing, and even do so indefinitely without using resources at their greatest level of mastery. All combined, these powers let the vigilante do whatever a spider can.
The next option is falconine, where they emulate a bird of prey, initially growing feathers to slow their falls, enhancing their eyesight, growing wings for true flight, and even emulating the lethal attack dive used by many raptors (the classification of bird, not the dinosaur).
With the ursine option, the wildsoul emulates the might of a bear, growing claws, biting jaws, thick, durable fur, and even outright transforming into a bear.
Finally, the added feline option, which grants the senses, agility, pouncing attack, and reflexes of all manner of cats large and small.
What’s interesting about this archetype is that unlike many other vigilante archetypes, this does not replace the vigilante specialization, meaning you can choose to be a stalker or avenger vigilante and combine it with any of these “natural courses”. Certainly many of them favor one over the other, such as arachnid and feline favoring stalker, but you could also choose to be a web-spitting warrior that binds foes to keep them from escaping as they approach, or perhaps a stealthy bear that unleashes a deadly pummeling from out of nowhere. Your options are diverse, but just remember that you lose out on some customization for replacing around half of your vigilante talents.
An archetype like this is just begging for homebrew additions to it. The fact that Paizo added another option for it is proof enough of that. Just remember it’s hard to keep your cover if you use your powers in your social identity, even more so than other vigilantes.
What is also interesting to think about is where this archetype comes from narratively. Is your character blessed by the spirits of nature? A god? Are they the result of strange alchemy or science?
Wildsouls don’t just exist on earth-like worlds with earth-like fauna. The lashunta occasionally develop this power as well, a common aspect being that of the shotalashu lizards, which strike a parallel with feline aspect seen on other worlds.
The White Raven is a figure shrouded in mystery, able to shift to a partially avian form while hunting her prey, who seem to exclusively members of an alchemy guild. Could their perhaps be some connection between them? They certainly use ever-changing adaptive oozes in many of their experiments.
Those who have heard of the Silken Dancer might assume that the slim vigilante might be a drow, given their history with using a spider as their symbol. However, the truth of this is unknown, as they have never used any magic associated with them.
