Arcana Archetype Index

The Magician Examples: The school principal who knows how Surpassing the plausible to keep her kids in‐line; the mayor elected on a reform platform; your mom. The Magician represents a person with knowledge or skill that surpasses your own. It could be a mentor or a peer whose made it his mission to achieve some great feat. However, magicians Irresistible power tend to exhibit “magical thinking”—excess faith in The Emperor demands respect. the pursuit of an unrealistic goal (“surpassing the He’s in a position of power and he’s plausible”). earned it, by god, so you better fall in line whether you like it or not. Not all Emperors Examples: A conspiracy theorist who knows the are tyrants—a good ruler uses his might wisely— secrets of the Shadow World; a student pursuing but tyrants are usually Emperors. It’s a bad idea to a relationship with a teacher; an eccentric science stand in their way. teacher who loves blowing things up Examples: The coach of the football team who

hasn’t lost a championship in six years; the CEO who’ll do anything to raise stock value; the boss Hidden influence of the local gang of greasers. The High Priestess is someone who’s got a secret or secrets, but you need to earn their trust before they’ll spill the beans. She’s frequently in some Spiritual authority position of authority, but prefers to run things The Hierophant is who you turn to from behind the scenes. She’s usually a tough nut for moral and ethical guidance. You to crack, but can be a valuable ally. trust them when it comes to matters of right and wrong, good and bad. Some Examples: A guidance counsellor who’s got a Hierophants let this go to their head and think whiff of the weirdness going on; the vice‐captain they are the sole arbiters of morality, which turns of the cheerleading squad who knows everyone’s them into pompous blow‐hards, but often you dirty laundry still find yourself seeking their approval.

Examples: The parson at your local church; your English teacher who’s been through a lot and Gentle Power knows how hard it is to be a kid; your dad. The Empress gets things done. She’s a politician who knows that

an easy smile and a firm handshake can work where the threat of force fails. She’s smart and determined, and usually kind and genuine, but that doesn’t make crossing her any less unwise.