As a Player, What is Your Favorite Archetype?

[Reynard]

Broadly speaking, as a player do you have a favorite archetype you return to again and again, regardless of the game system or genre? Do you like the cocky confident scoundrel, or the guy who is the best and what he does and what he does isn't pretty? Are you drawn to the "no, you move" square jawed hero, or the mysterious and mildly sinister loner? What form has your favorite archetype taken in different campaigns, games and genres you have played it in?

If not, why not? Do you just like to experiment, or is there another reason?

I don't think I have on myself. I am not a player very often, so when I am I kind of try to do something different than whatever I did last time. My current character is a Warlock of the Undying One. He is a real jerk, but reliable, and obsessed with finding and eventually killing Orcus for his Master, so the other PCs put up with him as they delve Rappan Athuk.

 

[Meech17]

I often end up playing out-going and confident leader types. I try not to, I don't like the idea of hogging the spot light, but it often can't be helped. I haven't gotten to play in a consistent group for a long time, so all of the games I've played in probably the last decade or so have been one-shots, or attempts at campaigns that fizzle out. I regularly find myself trying something different and end up back as 'The Face'.

For example, the last time I got to play was in an Adventurer's League game a couple of months ago. I rolled up a Dragonborn Cleric, as it's a race and class I've never played. I knew Adventurer's League wasn't going to be the place for me to play out a novella's worth of back story so I stuck to just attitude. Trak the Grave Domain Cleric was grizzled, serious, and cautious. He has a lot of respect for death, and special reverence for the gods who claim it as their domain, namely Jergal. The plan was I wanted to be devil's advocate against any more rash party members. I had lines in my head "Maybe we should think twice about rushing in blindly. It seems unwise given how easily it would be to waste our precious gift of life."

What happened though is we sat at the table, and during every role play encounter the DM would look around the table in seat order asking if anyone had a response and everyone would just clam up and pass. I was second to last, next to a Kobold Sorcerer who was a pyromaniac who's answer to every question was "Can we set it on fire?" So I ended up doing a lot of the talking, and it got to the point where when we'd get to the talking part of any encounter they all turned to me. Funny thing about the Kobold, he respected Trak a lot due to them both being "Dragons" and I got to talk him off the ledge a few times. So I did get to play him a lot like how I wanted, but I still had to be the face of the party.

 

[TwoSix]

Gish-types with at least one strong mental attribute. I like to have a strong base attack, and I like the imagery of carrying a cool weapon, but I also like to have a bunch of utility options.

Stuff like battle smith artificer, bladesinger, hexblade are some of my favorites in 5e.

Edit: I also love playing against tropes as much as possible. Dumb wizards, support fighters, atheist clerics, wizard tanks, bards who don't use music, etc., etc.

 

[CleverNickName]

In my earliest days of the hobby, when my friends and I played the red-box Basic rules, I really enjoyed playing the Elf class. (Yes, "elf" was a character class back then.) Elf was the only class that let me cast spells like a Magic-User and use weapons/armor like a Fighter.

That hasn't changed in the almost-forty years since: the "sword-wizard" is still my favorite character archetype. I gravitate toward classes that blend spellcasting and swordplay: the Hexblade warlock is my favorite, but I also love the Oath of Ancients paladin and the Bladesinger wizard. I need that level of versatility.

 

[payn]

I like spy stuff. Like John Le Carre style over Ian Fleming. So I make a lot of shifty smart characters. Elam Garak is a good archetype. Morally flexible and always has a finger on the pulse of local and beyond politics.

 

[TwoSix]

In my earliest days of the hobby, when my friends and I played the red-box Basic rules, I really enjoyed playing the Elf class. (Yes, "elf" was a character class back then.) Elf was the only class that let me cast spells like a Magic-User and use weapons/armor like a Fighter.

That hasn't changed in the almost-forty years since: the "sword-wizard" is still my favorite character archetype. I gravitate toward classes that blend spellcasting and swordplay: the Hexblade warlock is my favorite, but I also love the Oath of Ancients paladin and the Bladesinger wizard. I need that level of versatility.

A brother-in-arms! (And magic!)

 

[Thomas Shey]

Probably the soldier who's seen a few too many things and is trying to make his skills do something good for a change.

 

[innerdude]

Half-elf rogue or human sorcerer/psion.

Slightly cagey, slightly socially distant from society, but with a strong core motivation.

 

[Leatherhead]

I've had a Brutish Warrior in nearly every game system I've played that allowed for it (including video games). The appeal of aggressively smashing my problems while my enemies break themselves trying to stop me, just speaks to me on a primal level.

 

[J.Quondam]

I tend to play a wide variety of archetypes (because I don't play much). But whether warrior or wizard or whatever, my PCs usually have one of small set of personalities: the "conflicted ideologue", the "suave incompetent", or the "lovable eccentric".