Legend4ry Heroes: Re-occurring Archetypes

In almost every D&D edition or fantasy RPG there are a handful of character concepts that I try to re-create. Now, usually these are just in one-shot formats. I don't want to be that guy that always plays the same thing over and over and over again. That guy isn't any fun at gaming tables. That gal isn't willing to try something new (usually.)

But, like I said, there are a few character concepts that I created during my years of play that I keep coming back to. Some of them have been re-created in various systems and editions and others just hold a special place in my heart.

So, instead of a post about my crazy time-travel shenanigans as an excuse to take a tour through the editions of D&D I'm going to take a break for a moment of levity and discuss these concepts and solicit the same from my reader(s). I'll ask it now, so you can digest it while I discuss my own, and I'd love to see what you have to say in the comments below. What character concepts do you love so much that you try to recreate them in every (or most) systems that you play?

I've said it before at numerous places on the 'net about some of my favorite fantasy monster races to play as, and I think it bears repeating here. I LOVE KOBOLDS.

While it is true that I'd play a Kobold anything, there is one character concept that I just love with these little buggers: the Kobold shaman, or spiritualist, the one who tries to tap into the powers of the beyond to protect the tribe and their hatchlings, the one who makes a pact with a Dragon for power. Now, this could be any number of classes in any number of editions, and for me it has been. This has been a Kobold Mage, a Kobold Sorcerer, a Kobold Druid, and many other combinations, sometimes with multiple classes to get that feel for that respective edition.

Not only that, but if I get a chance to use these little dragonlings as monsters in a game, I usually will. Though, admittedly I play them up as intelligent foes as opposed to stupid tiny bags of HP, ala Tucker's Kobolds (though not as vicious.) Traps and Draconic magic go a long way with them.

I'm also a huge fan of Wererats. They are my favorite Weres. One of my favorite character concepts to play with one is a Halfling Thief (or whatever class works/fits the character as per the system being played in) that has aspirations to become a Wererat, stopping at nothing to obtain his goal. Obviously this character is a little off and perhaps a little evil, but we'll let that slide. When this concept, lovingly named Bruce the Rat, is a thief, the reasoning for the Wererat lust is that he has it in his head that it'll make him a better thief.

I've played this concept in both OD&D (via Swords & Wizardry) and 4e D&D. Both have worked wonderfully. My OD&D Bruce is still working towards his goal of Wererat-dom and my 4e Bruce took the Dead Rat Deserter Theme which allows him to turn into a Tiny Rat (which is a good enough simulacrum for me as the Wererat Theme is just terrible.)

Lastly, and perhaps my most favorite concept, is pretty bog-standard for fantasy games. It's a Human. Wait for it, great weapon fighter. Seriously  that's the entire concept. Big guy in heavy armor with a giant, two-handed weapon. But what makes the concept fun for me is that there is a fictional legacy that follows this guy, who I've named The Iron-Hand.

The Iron-Hand is a dynasty of warriors stretching back as far as written history itself, and is actually  named after the legacy blade that is passed down from one Iron-Hand to the next, sometimes being discovered by the true heir during adventuring. The Iron-Hand, no matter what era or background, is sworn to destroy foul Mages, specifically Necromancers and practitioners of dark magicks. Sometimes this means dabbling in it themselves, other times it means playing the big dumb brute with a hatred of magic. For me it depends on the system and what sort of Iron-Hand I want to play. typically it is Human, other times it's Elven or Half-Elven or whatever race tickles my fancy.

While the Iron-Hand is the most open of my favorite character concepts, it's also limiting (at least fictionally and really only to me) in terms of which direction I want to take the character. That said, it's a blast to play.

Anyways, enough of a diversion from working on crazy time travel shenanigans and perfecting my Barbarians of Lemuria generic fantasy hack (hopefully to be finished and prepared in time for me to run at my next local game day.) 

Until next time,

-blob

You can follow me on Twitter @Sorcerer_Blob or via the hash-tag #legend4ry. You can also find my blog and others at the Fourthcore Hub and at the RPG Blog Alliance.