Boss

In spite of wisdom about "the best-laid plans of mice and men", the Boss is a staple of many types of fiction. The Boss carefully arranges things beforehand so that a battle goes to his favor. A much more cerebral archetype, the Boss 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 Boss's contribution comes from before the fight with a plan from Wits, often set up hours or even days in advance. However, the Boss must still know when it's best to trigger the plan so as to maximize its effect on the battle. During the battle-proper, though, the Boss 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 Boss is supremely fragile on the battlefield. While often a capable enough fighter, Bosses 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 Meat-Shield or the Brute, which are capable of taking the hits that the Boss can't. The Boss also functions best when there are offensive allies to be bolstered. A Boss is doing the most when the Boss 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 Boss 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 Boss who can't avoid attacks is likely to be a Boss whose career ends quite early. Instead, a wise Boss 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.
==Common FX/Gear==
Damage (PL) (Extras: Close Range, Mighty) (2 x PL + 1 cp)
==Sample Bosses==
* The wizened old battlefield general
* The mob overboss
* A cunning, brilliant, but wholly alien intellect
* A sentient and highly-upgraded robotic AI
* The relentless, almost legendary bandit king
Category:Rulebook
Category:GMing
Category:NPCs
Category:NPC Archetypes