Five Character Archetypes You Can Play in Any RPG
One of the hardest things about playing RPGs is coming up with an original character. So don’t. Instead use one of these five RPG archetypes.
Playing RPGs can be one of the most rewarding experiences out there. Assuming you can manage it. First you’ve got to find people you can play with, learn the rules, and master scheduling. All of which are hard, especially that last part. Then, once you do all that, you still have to figure out what kind of character you’re going to play.
And once you’ve played more than like, two characters, the question becomes, “how do I make a compelling and original character, game after game?”
You don’t. Sure, you could try, time and again, but often what makes an RPG character unique is how they come to life in the world you’re playing in. Context and connections are what give a character their unique identity. If you tried to make a whole person from scratch every time you’re bound to start scraping the bottom of your own personal barrel eventually.
But don’t worry. There’s an easy trick: just use some archetypes for your RPG characters. Specifically one of these. And these aren’t one-size-fits-all, necessarily. But when you’re stuck, often having a big, broad idea lets you get the outline of your character on paper, and fill in the details as you play.
Mighty Thews
Whether you’re playing a fantasy adventurer in a pseudo-medieval land, or as a struggling survivor in a blasted, retro-future wasteland, every genre, every setting, and every system will have a way to support playing someone with thighs so thick they could save more than one life at a time. Or you know, big biceps. Any character that focuses on brawn fits this archetype.
There are a million different ways you can play someone like this. You could be a lovable himbo. A brooding beeflord. But when your character is about doing things with mighty muscles, it’s an easy throughline to figure out everything else.
Really Into Weird Thing
Another great way to make a character is by picking something really weird to be into. Weird and specific. If you can tie it to the world you’re playing in, even better. A D&D character might be really into lore about the stars. A cyberpunk might do a deep dive into neo-futurist braindance.
And there are always drugs, fantasy or otherwise, for your character to be into. Maybe you collect little ceramic figurines. Disco Elysium has a prime example of finding a character really into one thing taken to an extreme. From there you can start figuring out the whys and hows.
Quixotic
Quixotic is how you say “idealistic and possibly doomed” when you have an English degree. Basically, a quixotic character believes the world is the way it “should be” rather than the way it is. This can be a great way to play a character who seems like a stick in the mud but is actually very cool up close like Xenk Yendar from the D&D movie.
These sorts of characters generally act like they want the world to be better, because they believe in leading by example, not proselytizing. In other words, show, don’t tell. Especially don’t tell another character how to be if you want your character to be liked. But this RPG archetype is a great lens into figuring out your character’s worldview.
Puts the Anal in Analytically Intelligent
Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
The big ol’ nerd. The overthinker. Any character with a dizzying intellect you kind of already begin to understand even before you know them. You might be completely overwound, unable to keep from springing all of your knowledge on some poor unsuspecting soul at once. You might think you’re better than everyone else because you know the truth. Whatever it is, these are characters who focus on their brains and the things that they do with them.
Again, something usually supported by any RPG system, setting, or the like. Whether you’re a brainy wizard, a Justin Long-esque hacker, or some kind of robot who just doesn’t understand humanity, this is an easy archetype for any RPG.
Scoundrel, With or Without Heart of Gold
Look, this one’s easy. All you need is a pair of leather pants, a cropped jacket and/or vest, and a smirk that says “I can talk my way into and out of trouble, not necessarily in that order.”
