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Monday, May 21, 2018

What is Your "Go To Class" in Fantasy RPGs?


This question was asked by one of the listeners of The Tavern Chat Podcast. I answered it on the podcast but it got me thinking it would be a good question to ask the members of this community.

What is your "Go To Class" or role in fantasy RPGs?

My answer was Cleric or Bard because I like the versatility, but in truth, I tend to play the class most needed by the table I'm sitting at? No thieves? Got you covered. Short on fighter types? I'll step up. Need a wizard? Sure.

I have friends that only feel comfortable playing one type of class. Although I have a preference as stated above, I can and will have fun playing most anything.

So, where do you fall? What is your preferred class type or do you not have a preference?

28 comments:

  1. Go-to is a wizard. That being said, I try hard not to play the same kind of character more than once, and since I so rarely get to play...

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  2. If I'm playing an (A)D&D game, thief. If I'm playing Adventures Dark and Deep, a mountebank. Which is a sub-class of thief, but I love playing the fast talker.

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  3. I don't have a go to type. Everything is game. If there is a gap in the party I will usually volunteer to take some traits, feats, etc. to fill them in but that doesn't drive the class choice (i.e if we need a healer I won't necessarily be a cleric but will figure something out. )

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  4. Not sure if I have a go to class. When I first try I game I default to human fighter to learn it. I figure its a good baseline to start from. But you if you put a crossbow to my head I would say...shit shoot me, I can't decide.

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  5. Kill all bards.
    Done concisely with a specialist/ thief/ rogue.

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  6. OD&D: Elf (F/M-U combo variant)
    B/X: Halfling
    RC: Mystic
    AD&D 1e: Magic-User
    AD&D 2e: Bard
    AD&D 3.X: Druid
    D&D 4e: Any other game
    D&D 5e: Magic-User

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    Replies
    1. BX: Halfling. Very nice you can hide a legion of them in the shrubbery.

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  7. I'd probably say thief, since you can lurk in the back, avoid frontline combat, and increase your odds of survival!

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  8. I have an obvious love for clerics, but when push comes to shove I tend to play rangers more often. I like archer-types and not only can rangers do that well, people expect it so when I go around and demand tactics that take advantage of missile weapons, folks are more likely to cooperate.

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  9. I'm always the DM, so I play all and none at the same time.

    The last game I consistently got to play a character in was in a 3rd edition game in 2003 and, since I had been a DM for almost 25 years at that time, my character showed it: a human male with 2 levels as ranger, 2 as fighter, 2 as cleric, and 7 as wizard. In that order.

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    Replies
    1. Why the two levels in the supporting classes and why so many of them?

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    2. I am so often the DM I get used to playing a variety of different roles at the drop of a hat?

      But for this game when we started we had maybe one other front-line fighter, so I went ranger. After two levels, the many skill points (18 Int from the start) and the ranger abilities I wanted were done, so to fighter for more hit points and extra feats. After that to cleric for emergency healing abilities if the party's one cleric was knocked out of action, and finally with the broad base settled into I transitioned to wizard where I always like to be. Oddly I took no levels in thief to be the overall Swiss Army Knife.

      Historically I have played multiclass or dual class characters much more often than single class. I just like having a variety of options I suppose. Magic-users are generally my favorite character concepts (though while cavaliers existed they were my favorites), but I like being able to do more.

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  10. Human Fighter and human Thief are my mainstays, probably accounting for 90% of the characters I play.

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  11. Cleric. The glue that binds (literally) the party together. And at higher levels, a nice spell-casting tank of a warrior.

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  12. I have a greater tendency to play whatever class is needed by the table as well. I normally don't go into a game with "let's play this class" but more from the point of "what type of personality/interesting background would be fun to put into the game." A good example is one of the last characters I played came from a snarky comment of "riding a hog" in fantasy terms. From that was born an entire halfling barbarian society that lived in a hilly region and used giant boars for mounts and hunted gnolls to prove their worth.

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  13. The last campaign I was involved in I played a half-Elf Mage/Cleric (2E). He was a bit of a pyromaniac in his spell selection. Enjoyed that character.

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  14. I'll fill a void in the party, however, if left unfettered, I will defer to druids. The classic AD&D Druid class is my sweet spot.

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  15. I typically build a person and then make them the class that's needed by the party. That being said I tend to play roguish or combat types.

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  16. Almost always Fighters, though I had a soft spot for Dwarves in B/X. Basically I like armour & beards, but not thinking, that's just hard work.

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  17. Used to be the cleric but have migrated to fighter, mostly dwarven over the years. When it doubt, feed it your axe...

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  18. Barbarian with a Belarusian accent whose boisterous and has a pet ferret

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  19. Fighter.

    Speaking of which, Mirado needs to get played again . . .

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  20. In group rpgs: the cleric (cause who else is going to do it), for solo or video games:the sneaky treasure grabber

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  21. party gap filler, but I do enjoy me some two fisted fightn' man

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  22. Cleric: has instant back-story, can cast spells, can fight, can wear armor, always needed for heals, and is awesome.

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