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<blockquote data-quote="Mustrum_Ridcully" data-source="post: 4065246" data-attributes="member: 710"><p>So, I was thinking a bit about "non-combat" roles, and here is a list of roles I could identify. I will not claim it's exhaustive and that some roles might need melding, but it's a start: </p><p>I did not attempt to break down the roles for different "encounter types" (combat, social, dungeoneering or whatever one might come up with).</p><p></p><p><strong>Speaker</strong></p><p>The speaker is the "face" of the party. He represents their interest and negotiates deals with other NPCs (ranging from buying a new fancy sword over dealing out a fair price for the party services over representing the party's case in court to convincing the dragon that it might be okay to leave the heroes instead of burning them to ash...).</p><p></p><p><strong>Middleman</strong></p><p>The middleman is the guy who finds people, information and wares. He asks around in shady taverns, mingles in the mass and is generally always where something interesting might be talked about. </p><p>This role might sometimes collide with that of the Speaker, but while the Speaker is prominent, the Middleman is hidden and discrete. He might arrange a meeting between a contact and the Speaker. It's his job to convince the contact that it's okay to at least see the Speaker, and then it's the Speakers job to convince the contact to spill his beans or the sell the goods (for a reasonable price, off course). </p><p></p><p><strong>Examiner</strong></p><p>The Examiner is the guy who judges peoples character or trustworthiness, and get's the information he wants. He can be a seducer or a torturer, or just a man with a keen sense of character. He is the person the Middleman might ask to check out if an informant actually is a reliable source or just blowing steam, making things up to get the gold pieces coming. He is the one that tells the Speaker what the judge really wants to hear (or if he has already made up his mind and it's time to come up with Plan B)</p><p></p><p><strong>Sage</strong></p><p>The party's sage is versed in history, politics, arcana, physical science and technology. If he doesn't know the answer, he sure knows in which book or which library he has to look to find one. He's probably also versed in many languages (at least written)</p><p>He is the one the Speaker might go to to explain the appropriate manner towards a a Troll King, or where the middleman might go to learn about the implications of asking around for pamphlets of Pelor in the Mind Flayer city.</p><p>In a modern setting, he is probably also very handy with a computer, and he might have a forensic lab. </p><p></p><p><strong>Guide</strong></p><p>The party's guide is responsible for navigating the party through dangerous terrain. He knows how to survive in the wild, and how to read tracks. He has good senses (which might make him aware of traps, that he or the sage can disarm).</p><p>In a modern setting, he would probably also be designated driver and/or pilot.</p><p></p><p><strong>Non Role Stuff</strong></p><p>Some activities don't seem to fall directly into roles. </p><p>Athletic or Stealth abilities might be passed to a single role, but that seems rarely to work out well. For example, in a Shadowrun inspired game, every character needs to be stealthy, unless he stays at home. Overland travelling in D&D requires every PC to be able to overcome obstacles like cliffs or rivers, though the Guide might be helpful here.</p><p></p><p></p><p>Since there are a quite a few roles, it's reasonable to assume that some characters will cover more then one. It might also be necessary to combine some of them generally, or split some up, but so far I failed to identify clear candidates (though I guess the social related stuff is pretty close to be combinable. In many D&D 3.0 or Shadowrun campaigns, a single PC would have covered basically all of it, while the rest would play only second fiddle...)</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Mustrum_Ridcully, post: 4065246, member: 710"] So, I was thinking a bit about "non-combat" roles, and here is a list of roles I could identify. I will not claim it's exhaustive and that some roles might need melding, but it's a start: I did not attempt to break down the roles for different "encounter types" (combat, social, dungeoneering or whatever one might come up with). [b]Speaker[/b] The speaker is the "face" of the party. He represents their interest and negotiates deals with other NPCs (ranging from buying a new fancy sword over dealing out a fair price for the party services over representing the party's case in court to convincing the dragon that it might be okay to leave the heroes instead of burning them to ash...). [b]Middleman[/b] The middleman is the guy who finds people, information and wares. He asks around in shady taverns, mingles in the mass and is generally always where something interesting might be talked about. This role might sometimes collide with that of the Speaker, but while the Speaker is prominent, the Middleman is hidden and discrete. He might arrange a meeting between a contact and the Speaker. It's his job to convince the contact that it's okay to at least see the Speaker, and then it's the Speakers job to convince the contact to spill his beans or the sell the goods (for a reasonable price, off course). [b]Examiner[/b] The Examiner is the guy who judges peoples character or trustworthiness, and get's the information he wants. He can be a seducer or a torturer, or just a man with a keen sense of character. He is the person the Middleman might ask to check out if an informant actually is a reliable source or just blowing steam, making things up to get the gold pieces coming. He is the one that tells the Speaker what the judge really wants to hear (or if he has already made up his mind and it's time to come up with Plan B) [b]Sage[/b] The party's sage is versed in history, politics, arcana, physical science and technology. If he doesn't know the answer, he sure knows in which book or which library he has to look to find one. He's probably also versed in many languages (at least written) He is the one the Speaker might go to to explain the appropriate manner towards a a Troll King, or where the middleman might go to learn about the implications of asking around for pamphlets of Pelor in the Mind Flayer city. In a modern setting, he is probably also very handy with a computer, and he might have a forensic lab. [b]Guide[/b] The party's guide is responsible for navigating the party through dangerous terrain. He knows how to survive in the wild, and how to read tracks. He has good senses (which might make him aware of traps, that he or the sage can disarm). In a modern setting, he would probably also be designated driver and/or pilot. [b]Non Role Stuff[/b] Some activities don't seem to fall directly into roles. Athletic or Stealth abilities might be passed to a single role, but that seems rarely to work out well. For example, in a Shadowrun inspired game, every character needs to be stealthy, unless he stays at home. Overland travelling in D&D requires every PC to be able to overcome obstacles like cliffs or rivers, though the Guide might be helpful here. Since there are a quite a few roles, it's reasonable to assume that some characters will cover more then one. It might also be necessary to combine some of them generally, or split some up, but so far I failed to identify clear candidates (though I guess the social related stuff is pretty close to be combinable. In many D&D 3.0 or Shadowrun campaigns, a single PC would have covered basically all of it, while the rest would play only second fiddle...) [/QUOTE]
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