The Iconic Characters of Occult Adventures: A Few Thoughts

The New Class of Pathfinder Iconic Characters from Occult Adventures

Over the past few weeks, Wayne Reynolds posted the various new iconic characters that will represent the six new classes being introduced in next month's Occult Adventures. I've mentioned before that I absolutely love Pathfinder's Iconics, so I thought I'd give my thoughts on these interesting individuals.

THE OCCULTIST

This rather plump fellow really intrigues me, mostly because he happens to be the Iconic for my favorite class premiering in Occult Adventures. I like the strange items he happens to have, which make sense due to the fact that occultists utilize the psychic power hidden within weird objects. I also kind of like that he's a little on the chubby side. As someone who's packing a few extra pounds, it's nice to see characters that don't default to society's prescribed definition of attractive. 

THE PSYCHIC

In contrast to the previous Iconic, this one happens to represent my least favorite class being introduced: the psychic. Although the class felt alright mechanically, it just felt dull and kind of bland. With that being said, I rather like this mechanic. I think going with an Indian style character was a good choice and I love the colors Reynolds' used in the picture. The floating objects, glowing eyes, and third eye symbol upon her forehead were nice touches as well. 

THE MESMERIST

The mesmerist was a class I liked in theory, but felt needed a little more work to make it more mechanically viable during later levels of the game. However, I think this Iconic captures the flavor of the class. The contrasting colors really cause the character's design to pop, especially with the gold. I also really like the swirls, which really go nicely with the class's theme. I also can't help but love the fact that he's wearing a fez (which is obviously the coolest headwear ever). 

THE SPIRITUALIST

I'm just going to come out and say this Iconic is easily my favorite out of the entire bunch. I love that we've finally gotten are elderly woman Iconic to compliment the elderly wizard Iconic Ezren. I like the design that feels like a gypsy from an old, Universal monster movie, I like the look of her phantom, and I love the way she's pointing at the viewer, making her look like someone you don't want to mess with because you might find yourself on the end of that ghostly blade.

THE KINETICIST

While the occultist was my favorite class, the kineticist was the class that intrigued me the most. Obviously influenced by Avatar: The Last Airbender, the kineticist had an interesting approach to magic and offered something pretty new to Pathfinder mechanically. Because of that, I can see why they decided to go in an interesting route with its iconic by making it a human child. Although I'm not sure how I feel about the idea of rather young child being an adventurer, I like the piece and enjoy the Inuit vibe I get from it. Finally, I want that owlbear plushie because it's so freaking adorable.

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Don't you judge me...

THE MEDIUM

The medium was probably the class that left me with the most conflicted emotions at the end of the Occult Adventures playtest. While I loved the idea and flavor of the class, the actual mechanics left a lot to be desired and needed a good deal of work. Its Iconic leaves me just as conflicted. While I like the inclusion of the Harrow cards, crystal ball, and Quija board, the overall design just feels a little unremarkable to me and I have a hard time remembering him. 

YOUR THOUGHTS?

What do you think of the new Occult Adventures Iconics? Which is your favorite and why? Do you think they're good representation of their classes? Can you guess what their backstories might be? Leave your thoughts and answers in the comments below.