The classes and their
Sylkaen archetypes
The Vestiges TTRPG offers fourteen playable vocations, in two clearly separate families. First two brand-new classes, the Archaeomancer and the Mechanist, built from the ground up for this world, each running on a resource that is its alone. Then the twelve familiar classes, in their original rules, each paired with a Sylkaen archetype that roots it in the setting. No class is neutral: each is a particular way of touching the forces that run through the Crown-World.
Two new 5e
classes, born here
The Archaeomancer and the Mechanist are not subclasses: they are two complete classes, built from the ground up for Sylkaen. The Archaeomancer is a half-caster whose spells are fed by Resonance; the Mechanist casts none and draws everything from Inventions. Each specializes through four Paths, its subclasses, chosen at levels 3, 6, 10 and 14.
The Archaeomancer
Where others see dead ruins, they still hear the Cosmos whispering. Their spells are born of listening: they lend an ear to the Resonance of the Vestiges and the Cycles, then talk it into answering. Scholar as much as explorer, they wake what the ages put to sleep. It is the archaeologist class of Vestiges: a full class with four Paths, alongside the Mechanist.
An Intelligence-based half-caster, they prepare their spells and have spell slots up to 5th level. Alongside, their Resonance pool, recovered on every short or long rest, fuels their archaeomancy features, with a Resonance die that grows with level. A d8 hit die, light armor: a versatile explorer whom the four Paths then bend towards protection, support, exploration or mobility.
The Archaeomancer's four Paths
Curator of Anomalies
“They don't destroy the impossible: they teach it to stay within its limits.”
Awakener of the Vestiges
“Where everyone else sees a dead machine, they still hear someone dreaming.”
Mnesarch of the Ruins
“They dig less through stones than through memories that refuse to leave them.”
Cartographer of Cycles
“Their maps don't show where places are, but when the Cosmos agrees to bring them closer together.”
The Mechanist
Where others cast spells, they deploy devices, beacons, emitters, kinetic nodes, that bend the ground to their logic. A forgotten technology is not a miracle: it is a conversation missing half its words.
Their Inventions replace magic entirely: a catalogue of devices reassembled on every long rest and powered by Invention Charges. Control as the primary role, support as the second, a d8 hit die, medium armour and a shield, tinker's tools in hand.
The Mechanist's four Paths
Architect of the Vestiges
“They don't build machines: they convince forgotten laws to work together.”
Artillerist of the Ruins
“They don't aim at the enemy. They aim at the place the enemy thought was safe.”
Kinetic Thruster
“Terrain is only an obstacle for those willing to stay on it.”
Exo-Guardian
“They don't stand in front of the blow. They stand in front of those who would have taken it.”
The familiar classes,
rooted in Sylkaen
They keep their original rules, without a word changed. Each one also gets a house archetype: an origin, a place in the world, a name the table recognizes. Adopt it, adapt it or ignore it.
Fury
of Ages
Cycles
the Strata
the Vestiges
Resonances
the First Oath
Stalker
Plunderer
Ancient Cycles
Broken Cosmos
Tracings
Frequently asked questions about the classes
Is the Sylkaen archetype mandatory?
Never. The archetype adds and removes nothing from the SRD class rules: it is a ready-to-use narrative frame that you can adopt as is, adapt, or ignore entirely. Playing a Fighter without being a Warden of the Vestiges remains a fully valid choice: the SRD class alone is enough to sit down at the table.
Are the official SRD subclasses still available?
Yes. The twelve core classes keep their original mechanics, with the same 5e subclasses from the SRD 5.2.1. The Sylkaen archetype layers on top as an origin, a view of the Cosmos and a place in the world. The rules themselves do not change.
What is the difference between the Archaeomancer and the Mechanist?
Two opposite signature resources: the Archaeomancer is a versatile explorer and half-caster powered by Resonance, the dormant magic of the ruins; the Mechanist does control and support through Inventions, machines woken from the ancient Cycles. Each specializes through four Paths, chosen at levels 3, 6, 10 and 14, which determine their precise role at the table.
How many classes are playable in total?
Fourteen. The twelve SRD 5.2.1 classes, each with its own Sylkaen archetype, plus two entirely original classes: the Archaeomancer and the Mechanist. Each of those two offers four Paths of specialisation, as many choices as an SRD class.
Are the two original classes balanced against the others?
They were built on the SRD class chassis: same progression rhythm, same number of features per tier, same orders of magnitude for damage. The Archaeomancer and the Mechanist sit at the same table as a wizard or a rogue without eclipsing them.
Do I need the Game Master's Book to play a class?
No. Everything a player needs to know about their class, archetypes and both original classes included, is in the Player's Book. The Game Master's Book is for the GM: the History of the Cycles, the deep Cosmos, the items and their Echoes.