I've decided that my Tales from the Table series will have tutorials, or advice for players. At no point am I saying that a character must be a certain way, I'm just offering guidelines and tips for new players, or old ones that are having issues coming up with their next dungeons or characters.
Types Of Character: Personality
This is a short list of the styles of characters I've encountered, some more than a few times...
The Brute-Strength-and-Ignorance
Usually played by a beginner or newer player this character's mentality is smash things and if that doesn't work, smash them again! With the subtlety of a teething Orc and the wits of an Ogre these characters often fill a simple roll, breaking down the doors the thief messes up picking. They're essential though, soaking damage is something all parties need and for some, playing the "Tank" (the character that received the brunt of attacks and usually requires a healer as standard) it is often considered the last pick for most players. I'm not saying that tank characters can't be intelligent it's just, well, how many boots to the head or fists to the face can one person really take before their IQ starts to drop like the world's economy.
The Sneaky-Bastard
Often a rogue or bard fills this spot at my table. The character that uses silence and mystery as a shroud with enough tricks up their sleeve to make Houdini turn over in his grave.
The Distraction/The Word-smith
So you want to play a character that tries to overcome his enemies with parchment and quill and fancy, eloquent speeches? Sure. What about that dragon? This type of character can often end up dying, quite quickly but in a heavily urban setting they're often essential. Most of the time they end up jumping out behind cover and singing or poet-ing until the guards are distracted enough for the rest of the party to slink off. Or, sometimes are used as bait for the big beasties below.
The Arcane-Arrogance
Most parties need a mage, although there are several types most tend to play the haughty, know-it-all pain in the that must be referred to at all times as "Master" or "Enchanter" (or Mistress or Sorceress.) Usually the most powerful of the group, to some degree, they often threaten the party with many painful magics when the only thing they can do is turn you into a sheep or something. Watch out, if the person you know to be cocky or big-headed rolls a mage, buckle up...
The NPC-slayer
Doesn't usually matter which class they play, the guy has veins of pure black and a look that seems to say, "I'm going to be a pain in the ass." This character kills everyone that looks at them the wrong way, which can sometimes lead to interesting plot developments but more often than not ends up with the party running from hoards of guards. I've seriously had innocent old women fall to characters like this, their thirst for NPC blood is unquenchable!
The Hoarder
A character that can't wait to find some sort of jacket or endless storage, usually a thief, they collect everything from strange flowers to odd pieces of paper. If you've thrown red-herrings their way, they'll have them all just tucked inside their coat, waiting for it all to become relevant.
The Mastermind:
This is the person that always tries to beat the DM, not go where he/she wants, not do anything required or simply just walk away and make his own plan, try to summon an army and the like. Personally, I love Mastermind style characters as they're often the most challenging to DM for, however, if it's done wrong, it's done -really- wrong and can lead to more than one argument across the table.
The Elf/The Tree-Hugger
Imagine Bill Bailey, now rob him of humour, charm, wit and surreality. That's the character you're looking at. Tree-hugging Elves tend to be a staple of Dungeons and Dragons but often bore me to tears. Maybe I've just not the player that's broken the mould with this style of character yet but give me a cardboard cut-out thief over a druid any day of the week.
This is where I'll leave it for now, part two is on the way!
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