Let's collect the fantasy archetypes

[mkill]

When talking about what should be in a new edition, I don't want to talk about classes, I want to talk about archetypes.

Archetypes are more a general idea of a character. For example, archer is an archetype for a character that uses a bow in combat. However, that archetype has never been mapped 1:1 to a class in D&D. An archer could be a Fighter (up to 3rd), a Ranger, a Seeker, or a number of other classes.

What kind of archetypes are out there? Which ones should D&D cover (in total, not just the first PHB)?

I'm looking for types of characters that show up in many works of fantasy (and even outside of it), even if they were never covered by D&D before (or not very well).

 

[mkill]

Fighter
Defined by: Heavy weapon, heavy armor; frontliner; tough; no magic / supernatural abilities
In D&D: Fighter
Examples: Regdar (3rd ed), Siris (Infinity Blade); Tidus, Auron (FF7)

Warlord / Marshall
Defined as: More intelligent / charismatic variant of the fighter; leadership ability; capable melee combatant
In D&D: Marshall (3rd ed), Warlord (4th ed)
Examples: Roy (OOTS)

Big Guy
Defined as: Massive frame, big weapon, slow, but hits very heavy
In D&D: race rather than class - Half-Giant, Goliath
Examples: Hagrid (Harry Potter), Chewbacca

Swashbuckler
Defined by: fencing weapon; light or no armor; mobile; acrobatic fighting style; taunts
In D&D: Swashbuckler class, Fighter variant
Examples: D'Artagnan (3 Musketeers)

Thief / Rogue
Defined by: Sneak attack; stealth; traps and locks; acrobatics; skill monkey
In D&D: Rogue
Examples: Haley (OOTS)

Adventurer
Defined by: Everyman who gets caught in the story; luck; big heart; resourcefulness; grows to become larger than life
In D&D: Commoner (if it was more heroic)
Examples: Everyman hero (Feng Shui RPG); Frodo (LOTR); Twoflowers (Discworld), Tourist (Nethack); Abenteurer (Das Schwarze Auge)

Bard
Defined by: Music-based magic; social skills, thievery and deception; swashbuckling fighting style
In D&D: Bard
Examples: Elan

Archer
Defined by: Bow; Can be soldier type, wilderness-oriented, sneaky type or arcane
In D&D: Ranger, Fighter variant, Arcane Archer PrC, Elf
Examples: Thief PC game, Kagome (Inuyasha), Legolas (LOTR)

Barbarian
Defined by: Rage; big and tough; 2h weapon or dual wield; wilderness skills; light or no armor
In D&D: Barbarian, Warden
Examples: Conan

Wizard
Defined by: learns spells from books; powerful magic effects; starts weak and becomes invincible; magic school variants
In D&D: Wizard
Examples: Raistlin (Dragonlance), Gandalf (LOTR), Black Mage (FF), Harry Potter

Sorcerer / Witch / Warlock
Defined by: Source of power, either innate (dragon blood etc.) or outside (pact with dark entitity): spontaneous caster
In D&D: Sorcerer, Warlock
Examples: Hennet (3rd ed), Esme Weatherwax / Nanny Ogg (Discworld)

Arcane / Divine Trickster
Defined by: thievery and social abilities as mix of skill and spells
In D&D: Rogue / Wizard, Beguiler (3E), Arcane Trickster; Cleric of Vhaeraun (and similar deities)
Examples:

Druid
Defined by: Nature-based magic; summon animals; healing
In D&D: Druid
Examples: Merlin (Arthur legend), Druid (Diablo)

Shapechanger
Defined by: Change shape into a powerful combatant, such as Werewolf
In D&D: Druid, Wizard (build option)
Examples:

Summoner
Defined by: Summon powerful creatures to serve you on the battlefield
In D&D: Cleric, Druid, Wizard (as part of their abilities)
Examples: Summoner (FF)

Red Mage / Gish / Bladesinger / Psychic Warrior
Defined by: Sword and sorcery - magic-infused weapon attacks and self-buffs; light armor; variant: psionic
D&D: Swordmage (4E), Bladesinger (AD&D), Duskblade (3E), Psychic Warrior (3E), Fighter / Mage
Examples: Red Mage (FF)

Psion
Defined by: Weak body, strong mind; telekinesis; telepathy; mental attacks
D&D: Psion
Examples:

Necromancer
Defined by: Summon undead; poison; bone spells
In D&D: Wizard subclass or Cleric variant, Dread Necromancer class (3E)
Examples: Necromancer (Diablo)

Paladin
Defined by: Knight with divine powers; healing; smiting; heavy armor; mounted combat; Code of honor
In D&D: Paladin, Cleric, Runepriest (4E)
Examples: Crusaders (history), Miko (OOTS)

Black Knight
Defined as: Fallen Paladin; Knight with necromantic, demonic, or generic "dark" powers; Anti-hero
In D&D: Blackguard
Examples: Darth Vader

Priest / White Mage / Staff Chick
Defined by: Robes; healing magic; party buffs; light-themed offensive magic; turn undead
In D&D: Priest (AD&D Cleric variant); Invoker (4E)
Examples: White Mage (FF)

Monk / Martial Artist
Defined by: Melee combatant; Asian theme; mystic powers (Ki); unarmed; "monk weapons"
In D&D: Monk
Examples: Feng Shui RPG; Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon / Wuxia movies in general

Artificer / Alchemist
Defined by: Channels magic through items
In D&D: Artificer

Samurai
Defined by: Japan theme; melee combatant / archer; Warrior code
In D&D: Samurai class

Ninja / Assassin
Defined by: stealth; poison; mystic powers (unlike rogue); often Asian themed
In D&D: Assassin, Ninja
Examples: Ninja Gaiden (video game), Assassin guild (Discworld)

Pirate
Defined by: seafaring skills, fencing, devil-may-care attitude
In D&D: surprisingly unserved, except as some PrCs
Examples: Jack Sparrow

Ghost
Defined by: immaterial undead, often left behind because of some unfinished business in life
In D&D: template in 3E
Examples: Ghost (Feng Shui RPG)

Vampire
Defined by: undead, sucks blood, weakness to sunlight and other things, mystical powers like turning into bat
In D&D: template (3E) or class (4E)
Examples:

Comic Relief
Defined by: Tag-along character; either comically incompetent but very lucky or comically powerful, or hypercompetent in some niche; serves to lighten the mood if things get too grim; often plucky or scrappy
In D&D: Kender (implicit)
Examples: R2D2 + C3PO; Richard (LFG); Belkar (OOTS)

 

[Jawsh]

Secular Healer / Doctor / Surgeon
Defined by: a near-supernatural ability to heal, but specifically not of supernatural origin. Intelligent, scientific, empathic, curious, rational.
In D&D: no precedent.
Examples: Hypatia of Alexandria, Dr. McCoy from Star Trek, Dr. Watson from Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Stephen Maturin from Master and Commander, Dr. House from House.

 

[Jawsh]

Aristocrat
Defined by: a range of skills and abilities taught from an early age, including Diplomacy, knowledge of many fields, especially history and nobility. Depending on culture, may include fighting, horsemanship, marksmanship, etc. Marked for leadership, greatness. Destined for a throne. However, not necessarily a professional in any of these skills, and may come off whiny and entitled.
D&D: Aristocrat class.
Examples: Frodo Baggins. Lord Farquaad.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Good start. D&D should ultimately be flexible enough to handle any fantasy archetype. As to what to start with -- I think we have to start with the sort of core capabilities that people think of when we say D&D, which is very much back to the OD&D/B/X/1E roots.

 

[Jawsh]

Guy On a Horse
Defined by: He's riding a horse.
In D&D: Cavalier, Paladin, Fighter with Mounted Combat.
Examples: The guy from the Old Spice commercial.

 

[mkill]

[MENTION=17061]Jawsh[/MENTION]: I'd even expand that one to "guy on a steed". Fantasy also has gryphon, unicorn, dragon, and giant lizard riders.

Does anyone have good additional examples? Some archetypes are well-defined in D&D, but I can't come up with characters from games or novels that fit.

 

[HardcoreDandDGirl]

Maybe not just traditional fantasy either. The Blue mage, Peter from heroes, rouge from xmen type copycat character is one D&D never did well.
You could even expand it to characters like Jared from The pretender, “Are you a doctor?” “I am today”
I guess the 3e factum (spelling?) is an example.

 

[Wormwood]

The past week with my nephew has been an eye-opener, as he is a teenager with almost zero exposure (or interest) in traditional fantasy but who LOVES playing D&D (in our case, a very modified version of a retro-clone). I asked him about some character types he could use in D&D and here's what I recall:

Harry Potter
Ghost Rider
Dragon Age
World of Warcraft
the fire guy from Last Airbender
Wolverine
Jeff Bridges from Tron 2.0 (we watched it last night. "He's totally a wizard")
Naruto (had to look that one up)

 

[GSHamster]

Investigator / Detective
Defined by: uses intelligence to solve crimes
In D&D: Rogue (some builds)
Examples: Sherlock Holmes, Thraxus, all private eyes

Tracker
Defined by: tracks and hunts people and individuals
In D&D: Rogue (some builds), Ranger
Examples: can't remember any primary characters, but is often a secondary character

Pet Guy
Defined by: fights alongside a non-human companion
In D&D: Ranger, Druid, maybe a wizard who specialized in Golems
Examples: Driz'zt and Guenhwyvar, WoW hunters

Lawman
Defined by: charged with upholding the law, often on the frontier
In D&D: maybe Paladin, often a Fighter
Examples: every Western sherriff, Commander Vimes