Mastermind

From D20advanced

In spite of wisdom about “the best-laid plans of mice and men”, the mastermind is a staple of many types of fiction. The mastermind carefully arranges things beforehand so that a battle goes to his favor. A much more cerebral archetype, the mastermind relies on strategy and planning well in advance of a fight. They're likely to select battlefields which offer the best environment for their allies (and thus often make use of advantageous zones in the area).

Most of a mastermind's contribution comes from before the fight with a Master Plan, often set up hours or even days in advance. However, the mastermind must still know when it's best to trigger the Master Plan so as to maximize its effect on the battle. During the battle-proper, though, the mastermind still has the ability to direct the troops, using Inspire to create strategies on-the-spot which can help to turn the tide. The ability to almost double the effectiveness of some allies during a fight can really change the face of a battle in the blink of an eye.

However, the mastermind is supremely fragile on the battlefield. While often a capable enough fighter, masterminds simply are not very resilient physically, and will quickly crumble if a solid attack connects (especially one which targets their Toughness or Fortitude resistances). They almost invariably make use of underlings who can protect them during a fight, especially archetypes like the Defender or the Brute, which are capable of taking the hits that the mastermind can't. The mastermind also functions best when there are offensive allies to be bolstered. A mastermind is doing the most when the mastermind can significantly boost the chances for an artillery or other archetype to hit and deal high damage to the enemy.

On the battlefield itself, the mastermind really functions best when he's able to stay out of the way of the fight, avoiding attacks without having to rely on a higher (possibly magically- or technologically-enhanced) defense. A mastermind who can't avoid attacks is likely to be a mastermind whose career ends quite early. Instead, a wise mastermind will remove himself from a fight (often using a ranged weapon), positioning himself strategically to affect his allies with a well-timed inspire but still remaining back far enough to avoid actually getting hit himself.

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