What are the Non-Combat Roles?

loseth

First Post
So, the four combat roles shaping the design of 4e are defender, striker, leader and controller. But some groups spend a considerable amount of time on things other than combat. So what are the non-combat roles of D&D? Convincer? Dungeoneer? Information gatherer? How would you define/group/categorise them?

Combining ideas from RPG.net and ENWorld posters, so far we've got...

Bard/Troubadour (poetry, singing & playing music)
Buffer (buffing spells)
Clout PC (knows important people, can use clout to get stuff done)
Dungeoneer (dungeon scout--trap detection, secret doors, etc.)
Equipment Maker (makes your Christmas trees for you)
Information Gatherer
Leader (giving orders)
Negotiator/Convincer
Obstaclemeister (climbs stuff, gets past obstacles)
Researcher (finds stuff out via ancient tomes)
Rogue/Thief (stealing stuff, fencing stuff)
Loremaster/Sage (knows stuff)
Scout/Tracker (finds the path & notices stuff)
Stealthmeister/Infiltrator (sneaking around/sneaking up on people/sneaking into places)

What can you add?
 
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Instigator: Person whose job it is to turn social situations into combat situations

Face: Person whose job it is to distract enemies too powerful to attack, so that the others can get behind him and attack from a more advantageous position.

Conman: Person whose job it is to skip the first part of the D&D formula.

The D&D formula: Kill something and take its stuff.
 

Hmmm. My take on it...primarily looking at it from the NPC end of things.

Face - the guy who talks to people and finds out information. High charisma
Equipment Maker - The guy who makes equipment as opposed to finding in through combat.
Sage - Knowledge guy.
Royal - The guy with clout, more important as who he is then who he knows.
 

Hmm:

Knower: has knowledge and can get more
Talker: influances others
Mover: scouts, climbs, in general gets over obstacles, or at least lets you know they are.
Booster: cast spells, makes stuff, and does other things to strengthen the party

(as an aside, it turns out the party DM for bascially has someone in each role...)
 

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