[Any] The Character Archetype You Play Most

[Deth Muncher]

So, I was thinking about it, and I realized I generally play the same character no matter what kind of fantasy game I'm playing: a mage. Specifically, some kind of sorcerous type who enjoys blasting the crap out of things, but is generally good and kindhearted, but is also crafty and can bluff and deceive if need be. In D&D, this is generally represented by Sorceror with focus on Bluff/Slight of Hand and heavy blastification spells. I've also done much the same in Dragon Age.

So howzabout you?

[Dusk Eclipse]

Sneak/assassiny-types, my first character was a rogue, on two different games of BESM I played characters specially designed to infiltrate and kill in one hit.

even in Videogames, in oblivion I always max stealth.

[Coplantor]

I either play competly bizarre characters or Swashbuckler-ish. Though I much prefer the factotum for swashbuckler than say... a swashbuckler.

[ExtravagantEvil]

I mainly play Mage types, one can always trust that I play the arcanist in a group, occasionally differing if I have an entertaining concept.

This makes me think of my 1st character. Qweffor the Gnome Illusionist. Good times. We were all nearly killed by an Aboleth, I was the only one not dominated and nearly ran away. If only I realized to read a Scroll of Wail of the Banshee I purchased (It was very Monte Haul).

Then at that point we decided to start a different one, seeing it as more of an introductory series of episodic adventures. If only I can revist him at some point, and his Cohort, the Dwarf Rouge (Cohort #1, great name, he was my Coffee intern, thats all I asked of him was to make Craft (Coffee) Checks).

[n00b killa]

I usually go for the sword-n-board combination.

Whenever I can, I specialize on defending and protecting my teamates while dealing reasonable amounts of damage.

[Totally Guy]

The gish all rounder. Every time.

[HunterOfJello]

Powerful magic user with lots of knowledge about anything and everything.

I love using summoning magic to overwhelm enemies and utility spells to outwit and outmaneuver.

[Skyserpent]

A bruiser of some kind. Despite my obsession with Wizardly techniques and Batman-style preparedness, I've only Wizarded up the once.

Every other time I've been up close and violent. Rogue, Monk, Paladin, Monk/Paladin, fighter, Paladin/Barbarian... not a lot of common threads beyond the melee in the characters though...

I mean I'm almost always the DM anyway so I get to play EVERY archetype all the goddamn time. So that's fun.

[Erom]

Defender in 4e, soldier in Mass Effect, paladin in WoW back when I played. Tend to the tank roles. Especially if I can get a little bit of magic mixed in - I like Warden or Swordmage a lot more than Fighter.

[balistafreak]

Don't play that much, but I like to play all-rounders/enablers. Factotums are great, as are Dragonfire Adepts and the occasional CoDzilla that simply does everything.

I want to have as many options/applicable situations as I can without having any of those options be so good that it's the only thing I ever do. I'm not saying I'll use suboptimal methods of attack, I'm saying I'd like to never ever be extraneous in a given situation.

Being the party enabler means keeping people upright and on their toes, buffing people up, and handing out healing where needed. Vicarious pleasure, if you will. If everyone around me has more fun because I was there, I explode with the concentrated force of happiness, kind of like a reverse-bard.

... that made absolutely no sense whatsoever. :smalltongue:

[Strawberries]

I enjoy anarchists :smallbiggrin:. I don't play them every single time, but I enjoy characters who, while good at heart, tend to go against the established rules of society.
Currently I have a sorcerer who only mistrusts people in authority until they can prove their worth to her, and a rogue who thinks power always corrupts, so doesn't trust rulers and kings on principle...and is hellbent to bring down the government (She doesn't know it yet, but she is going to start a social revolution. I hope. :smallbiggrin:).

[Hendel]

I seem to play arcane casters the most. I have yet to play a cleric in 3.5 and I have been playing 3.5 since it came out in 2003.

However, all my characters seem to have the same characteristic, a strong sense of survival and self-preservation. This was brought to my attention a few sessions ago and I realized that. It seems that if my alignment is chaotic (good or neutral), then I tend to be more selfish in this self-preservation. If my alignment is neutral or lawful (again, true or good), I am strong on self-preservation but I tend to share the benefits more with the rest of the party. I need to remind my self to do the later more.

The upside is that I still contribute as much as most but I have way fewer character deaths than anyone else. I just don't see the point of fighting a no-win situation. That is why I stay away from paladins.

[DragoonWraith]

Definitely, far and away, prefer playing mages.

[valadil]

My first character in any system is almost always a ranger type. Other than that I end up playing a lot of mages, but I think that's because I don't like melee in D&D.

[Eldariel]

Jack-Of-All-Trades: Whatever the game, I try for well-rounded characters with some capability in all available skill sets. In D&D, for example, Skilled Gish is where I tend to like to be.

[gallagher]

i like playing the intimidating guy with a sword bigger than the guy i am swinging at. i play 3.5, so i have a simple formula for that. pick either a TOB class, parbarian, or psychic warrior, get a set of strongarm bracers, and get the biggest weapon i can afford :)

then all i have to do is get really mean. i really play a reasonable character, but there is a reason they call it "threatened area". if someone makes me mad, i am a frenzied berserker without the bonus to strength

[Psyborg]

I love bards. I tend to play either one o'them or a quirky melee type (currently an Orc from the Shadow Marches- Eberron setting- with a dagger-whip.)

Someday I want to play a gestalt Barbarian / Frenzied Berserker // Warblade focusing on Diamond Mind maneuvers. Kind of a naturally angry person who struggles to maintain control in combat b/c he can't[/won't in-character] use any maneuvers while raging. Give some RP value to that Will save!

[Siosilvar]

Swashbuckler-ish, mage, or somewhere in between. Tends to work out fairly well.

[Ossian]

The MBA.

Mandalorian Bad Ass. Tough, enjoys a good fight, but has to negotiate urban environments and roguish opponents, or the Law :) , or prison breaks. Not heavily reliant on equipment (legal restriction on even owning certain items are a leit motif, not to mention when he gets captured or has to drop everything and jump off a cliff). Survival and martial arts a must, does not shun "intimidate" "bluff" and "sense motive". Think of Boba Fett + Riddick (also as far as sense of humor goes, I mean, cm'on they're the 'lorians...)


http://images.quizfarm.com/1110756740RIDDICK13.JPG
+
http://www.wizards.com/global/images/swminis_article_jedicounseling81_pic2_en.jpg

=
Awesome


Ossian.

[Susano-wo]

I tend to play very altruistic types (regardless of class,etc), though I've done the horrible bastard thief before. Unless you count Elder Scrolls, in which case Klepto is heavily skewed upward >.>

The thing that happens to me a lot mechanically, though is I can't seem to do anything straight. I think up stuff like LG Halfling Necro /w Ranger multiclass/Dip (the LG would be satisfied by a contract with the dead based create undead variant...I have no excuses for the rest of the build ^ ^), or hey, Rogue who was brought out of his life on the streets by the Church, and is now a Paladin. Though he still sees nothing wrong with fighting dirty ^ ^

I'm playing a full fighter in a new PF campaign partially because my wife ribbed me about this and told me I should just play a normal character ^ ^

[Ruinix]

skill monkey or tracker. i play most this cause is very easy for me rol and think as a roguish or a rangerish :p

[The Vorpal Tribble]

I tend to play inventive, informed characters with a variety of abilities chosen more for their range of use than their power. Knowledge is power.

Bards, rogues, archivists and psions are my favorites.

Almost never touch straight up fighters or casters, except for druids. Not for their power, but I love their feel.

[Optimystik]

I enjoy being the party sage. Need a question answered, I'm the guy losing sleep trying to do divinations so we know where to go.

But I play casters of all types, really - sneaky, summoner, buffer, debuffer, blaster...

[Xallace]

Charismatic outcasts; especially ones who are undeniably good people but have questionable methods and backgrounds. Dread Necromancers, Sorcerers, Warlocks, Clerics of Death gods, Scions of Aphrodite, Negotiators with criminal pasts, the list goes on.

[Scorpina]

I suppose I gravitate towards playing a Jack of All Trades sort of character. I usually dislike playing characters that are good at one thing and one thing only. In D&D, I generally have played Bards and Clerics, both of whom can gish pretty well.

[Optimystik]

I suppose I gravitate towards playing a Jack of All Trades sort of character. I usually dislike playing characters that are good at one thing and one thing only. In D&D, I generally have played Bards and Clerics, both of whom can gish pretty well.

Then you must really like Druids :smallwink:
(And Factotums. Factota?)

[Strawberries]

Charismatic outcasts; especially ones who are undeniably good people but have questionable methods and backgrounds. Dread Necromancers, Sorcerers, Warlocks, Clerics of Death gods, Scions of Aphrodite, Negotiators with criminal pasts, the list goes on.

Xallace, your characters would feel right at home next to my anarchists. :smallbiggrin:

[Scorpina]

Then you must really like Druids :smallwink:
(And Factotums. Factota?)

Druids are fun on a bun. I've never played (or even read the class discription for) Factoti, though.

[Coplantor]

Factotum are a lot of fun, think of Inidana Jones with a little magic!

[Scorpina]

Okay, that does sound pretty awesome. What book are they from?

[Gruffard]

I tend to be the leader, not necessarily the leader type like in 4E, but the guy with the plan, who takes charge, gives orders, the clever one who uses wits more then force to beat a challenge. If I am not the defacto leader, I tend to be an adviser to the leader in the group. I didn't reliese it was so common until this thread...

Hmm.. Maybe I should just play a Grokk smash puny things character in the one shot for something different.

[Coplantor]

Dungeonscape is the book, the same one with the acid breathing sharks.

[Optimystik]

Dungeonscape is the book, the same one with the acid breathing sharks.

Co-written by our very own Rich Burlew, I hasten to add.

[mrcarter11]

I like to play the classes that in-game people don't trust.. Binders being my all time favorite. As for concept, I like the charismatic outsider who is secretly plotting to murder everyone in their sleep. The one that you think you can trust, until one day you feel the dagger twist inside you, and there is he smiling as you die.. That's me.
EDIT: And for no real reason, I seem to take charge of a group really well. I become leader without trying, mostly cause I seem to be good at it.

[Coplantor]

Indeed, he created the sharks, though the other guy made the factotum.

[Ernir]

Guys who can cast/use "I kill it in the face".

[Zeta Kai]

I almost always play a sneak of some sort: Rogue, Assassin, Beguiler, Ninja, stealth-based Factotum, Lurk, etc. Sneak'n'Stab is my favorite way to play.

[Optimystik]

Indeed, he created the sharks, though the other guy made the factotum.

Source for that? As far as I know, nobody is really sure exactly which parts of the book were Rich.

The sharks did show up in OotS, so they may have been his idea, but we have nothing for Factotum. (Though she (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0705.html) might be one.)

[Dracons]

Warrior Mages.

Alot of times they'll be Dark Knight mage types....

[Coplantor]

Source for that? As far as I know, nobody is really sure exactly which parts of the book were Rich.

The sharks did show up in OotS, so they may have been his idea, but we have nothing for Factotum. (Though she (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0705.html) might be one.)

I think Rich once said somewhere on the forums that the Factotum was not his creation, though I'm not sure now that you had planted the seed of doubt in my feeble mind...

Also, your link made me smile :smallbiggrin:

[Tome]

I tend to play mages a lot. In most systems they tend to have a nice grab-bag of interesting, effective tools, which appeals to me. Though I do like to go Gish if I can. Characterisation wise I tend towards polite, compassionate characters with a good amount of intelligence and a strong focus on their philosophies/beliefs. Who are also sneaky as all hell. I like to talk my way out of problems if I can avoid fighting, so long as doing so doesn't get someone hurt, and I'm not afraid to scheme and trick a little (or a lot) if I need to in order to make that happen. I also tend to side against authority.

In D&D this means Chaotic Good Wizards, Ardents and Archivists, normally with some ranks in Diplomacy and Bluff. Cross-Class, but high Int gives me some skill points to spare. In Exalted I favour No Moons with some Presence/Performance. In nWoD games I like to play Obrimos mages.

In Dragon Age I went Mage and maxed Persuasion. In KOTOR I played a Jedi Consular with maxed Persuasion. Mass Effect? Sentinel with maxed Paragon. Fable? Will user. Phantasy Star Universe/Portable? Newman Force. Planescape: Torment? Mage, with lots of talky. V:tMB had me playing a Malkavian with social skills and stealth. Ragnarok Online? Mage/Wizard.

[Xallace]

Xallace, your characters would feel right at home next to my anarchists. :smallbiggrin:

They'll start a revolution together! Yours can rally the townsfolk, mine can rally their ancestors! :smallbiggrin:

[Coplantor]

They'll start a revolution together! Yours can rally the townsfolk, mine can rally their ancestors! :smallbiggrin:

And mine can stand watching with a stupid look on his face!

[Quincunx]

(points at signature) By time spent, Archetype Three by a landslide. There's something to be said for someone who is more likely to work with others than against them as Archetype One often does. Four drags on the play-style of many groups; Two and the deleted Five are boring for more than short bursts.

[Strawberries]

(points at signature) By time spent, Archetype Three by a landslide. There's something to be said for someone who is more likely to work with others than against them as Archetype One often does. Four drags on the play-style of many groups; Two and the deleted Five are boring for more than short bursts.


Now I have to ask what deleted five was...if you don't mind.
And could you give an example of "Unholy child"? I'm curious.


They'll start a revolution together! Yours can rally the townsfolk, mine can rally their ancestors! :smallbiggrin:

That sounds epic. :smalltongue:

[Werekat]

Mages. Either seers, with or without Cassandra syndrome both, or Tytalan-types from Mage: the Ascension (both the "If it didn't kill me, it made its last mistake" and the "Faustian deal" types).

I also have a soft spot for illusionist-types, but every game where I've tried to play one ended too quickly to get a real feel for them.

[Master_Rahl22]

I go for tanks, or beatsticks, or occasionally made a dark pact/has an evil ancestry/darkness is in his or her soul type characters. This translates to all 3 ToB classes for 3.5, a Duskblade that I'm really loving, and a Tiefling Paragon/Swordsage focusing on Shadow Hand, Hide, and Move Silently cause it's cool to be all about darkness/shadows. For 4E Fighters, Rogues, Barbarians, and the occasional Tiefling Warlock. I must say though, I am playing an Epic Druid focusing on Beast Form in a one-shot and I'm really liking the mix of control and "rar I charge you and deal 3d6+3 extra damage!" :smallbiggrin:

[Fawsto]

The Only Sane Man (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OnlySaneMan) is my favourite concept.

[sofawall]

Beatstick. Be it Warblade, Druid, or a Gish, I always prefer beatsticking.

[Lord Vampyre]

In a fantasy setting, I love playing the know-it-all wizard. Basic concept is that if I don't know it, it wasn't worth knowing. I'll tweak this concept every now and then to play a necromancer.

I do like assassin/thief types though played either as the dark loner or the friendly neighborhood catburglar. I also enjoy playing the wilderness scout/ranger when there is need for one.

Honestly, the only archetype I dislike playing is the Holy Cleric/Paladin. Although I have played a few of those on occassion

Now in games like WoD Vampire, I will generally go with the feral predator concept. It works fairly well in live action, since I can spend a lot of time getting into character and just walk around looking menacing, but there really isn't much roleplay value in a tabletop game.

To be honest there are concepts that I don't like to play, but too many I enjoy to have to narrow it down.

[Telonius]

The Expendable Mook
The Useful Ally
The Obi-Wan
The BBEG

(i.e. most often I'm DMming).

When I'm a player, I'm most often Party Face.

[Kaje]

Gishy types. I like having some magic but I also like to be tough. Fighters are a bit plain, pure mages bore me, and I haven't the patience for skillmonkeys. In FFRPG I like Rune Knights and the other adepts. Haven't played D&D, but I'd love to play a Paladin, Duskblade, Swordmage, etc. Even when I played KotOR, I went with the middle-of-the-road Jedi Sentinel.

[Cardea]

The Thief: Using different gear and skills to do what job I need done.

OR

The Mountain: Larger-than-most everyone character who is equivalent to Adamantite. To Quote:

Rogue: "Okay, I got a 17 on my Open Lo-"
Me: "I run through the door."

[onthetown]

Unless I'm specifically thinking about trying to even out a party or wanting to try something new, I will (almost unfailingly) go with lawful neutral wizard-types with musical talent on the side. I don't even have that many bard characters, I just seem to pick musical talent when I'm fleshing out what they're good at.

[Fidelacchius]

For play style, I like to play the healer/force multiplier. I'll stand in the back and let others do the dirty work for me, and make sure they're ready to do it again the next go 'round.

For role playing, I like to play the clown on the surface, but the sage/manipulator underneath.

[Set]

I have two favorites roles;

Healer / buffer / debuffer.

Pet controller.

In D&D, that's likely to be a Cleric (negative energy channeler in 3.5, for undead control goodness) or Druid. EQ, a Shaman or Necromancer. City of Heroes / Villains, a Controller, Defender or Mastermind.

[Jyokage]

I've always had a one quirky mind for character building. I enjoy playing very odd characters who use intelligence and speed to win the day. In modern games I love to play pistol using intelligence operatives, and I love my 3.5 monks to death. The answer to every sticky situation is, "Needs more Punching!"

[amuletts]

Well I play all sorts... because I'm always after something new, plus I have this habit of waiting for everyone else to roll up their characters then becoming whatever they're lacking. But I do like to multiclass... a lot. I find the versitility more than makes up for the slow leveling. I play CG an awful lot too.

[Dingle]

generally the smart guy/wizard, occasionaly the tank.
I also always try to have good con/sta(depending on system) and perception

[Wonton]

I think the only consistent quality all of my characters have is always having contingencies (not necessarily Contingencies) for every situation. If it's a Rogue, he'll have a bad-ass utility belt. If it's a caster, he'll never be a one-trick pony who is screwed by inappropriate spell preparations (generally that means scrolls, open spell slots, spontaneous casting, etc).

[Ormur]

Int-based casters, sometimes cha based arcanists too. I've only seriously played wizards and beguilers and next in line would be Archivists, Bards and Factotums. A friend of mine want me to play stupid meatshields sometimes.

[Lord Raziere]

any arcane spellcaster, the clever bard who recites poems under his breath, the
reckless sorcerer blasting stuff, the wizard who specializes in illusions, an artificer who loves inventions, a loner swordmage, a warlock detective....all that jazz.

[Rasman]

I'm not really typical I suppose, I just like doing a little bit of everything too much.

The Stoic Grappler Monk
The Overconfident, Loud Mouth, Takes Credit for Everything Bard (Most Fun RP EVER, shame it was a combat oriented campaign...)
The Overly Cautious, Competitive Goliath Javelin Chucker
The Druid Assassin (not evil, but he takes care of business in more than sneaky ways)

[CubeB]

I like playing the tough guy. Usually of an unorthodox race, like Dragonborn, Warforged, or even Kobold.

I've managed to make a Kobold the tough guy, yes.

[Sc00by]

Coward.

If in doubt run away, or at the very least make sure someone else has it's attention before I hit it. Oh and how far away can I stand and still hit it?

I've done this with pretty much every character class going... (hard as a tank type, but you'd be surprised ;) )

[Knaight]

The pathological liar and manipulator.
The manipulated masses.

Yes, I mostly GM. Which means I get to see really, really cool stuff. Like the monk who could only speak in proverbs.

[Curmudgeon]

Smart, sneaky guy with a tool for every job.

[PId6]

Mechanically difficult character with lots of different tricks.

[Optimystik]

Int-based casters, sometimes cha based arcanists too. I've only seriously played wizards and beguilers and next in line would be Archivists, Bards and Factotums. A friend of mine want me to play stupid meatshields sometimes.

Be a smart meatshield - Warblade, or Swashbuckler.

[Traveler]

Thieves for the most part. Stealth and recon are were I tend to live. Though I am partial to an occational heroic fighter.

[Ravens_Wing]

Heh I always play the what ever oddball creation my mind brings forth.. the fighter who thinks he is a bard, The Male Cleric of Wee jas, The Orc Barbarian who is the lead guitarist on a Rockband that plays "Fantasy" music, The Rogue assasin who is also a master Chef. lol yeah i just play whatever the group doesnt have but i do it with STYLE!

[Tedesche]

Oddly enough, my very first character was a 2nd Edition psionicist. It was so long ago, and the emphasis was really more on the role-playing than the game mechanics, so I don't remember what it was like from a gameplay perspective too well. We ended up switching to GURPS before Level 10 anyway, and I remember my psi getting a HELL of a lot stronger as a result. I went from a limited power point pool and the ability to heat up people's sword handles or annoy them telepathically to flying around at 60 mph, communicating telepathically with the party from miles away, and slamming foes into the ground for 2d6 every second (very decent damage in GURPS, where almost no one has an HP total above 15)—all at absolutely no fatigue cost whatsoever. Then I died and came back as an angel with divine powers to boot. (sigh) ...That was a really great starter campaign. :smallsmile:

Overall though, I play magi. I've been enthralled by magic since I was a kid, and its almost always too alluring to give up when I create a new character. I remember playing the entire Quest for Glory games (Hero's Quest before that damn lawsuit!) as the magic-user/wizard. The idea of using the correct spell to bypass an obstacle or enemy was always more appealing to me than just plowing through them with brute strength. I've played the odd fighter-type from time to time, but they almost always have an element of stealth or finesse to them—I can't imagine anything more boring than playing a tank. More recently, I've been into arcane-rogues for the best combination of mystical power tempered by intelligent subtlety. Haven't had a chance yet to play a straight beguiler, but I really want to. Might even make it extra interesting by NOT taking the shadow evocation/conjuration spells for my advanced learning. In a game I DMed a few years ago, I created a rogue/acrobat NPC that took a vow of total nonviolence. She couldn't do any actual hitpoint damage to anyone, but was so ridiculously skilled she could disarm/disable just about anyone without getting hit.

[Cheesy74]

I enjoy playing powerful normal characters. That is, still your average human, but with all the strength of a PC. Think Brom from Fire Emblem: PoR if you need an example.

[Ardantis]

I always play single-gimmick or hackneyed builds with a comic twist.

The retarded Leap Attack barbarian (Thought he was a judge, kept asking "Who is innocent?" Also had a huge gavel.)

The charming yet ineffective swashbuckler.

The modern academic bard, complete with C.V. and briefcase. He read history textbooks for Perform (oratory.)

The wrestler who could only wrestle.

I want to play something more mechanically subtle (but just as ridiculous.)

[AdamSmasher]

I've got a couple different archetypes I play. I play devilish rogues, gishes that throw fire and hit things with a sword interchangeably, and I play big scary bruisers with a cunning streak.

But NO MATTER WHAT the character is, he always looks cool doing it.

[druid91]

Funny-crazy druid with a penchant for eating during combat.

[Thrice Dead Cat]

I'm a big fan of Int-based characters and/or gishes. I've played a few Spellthief/Wizard/Unseen Seers, a Malconvoker, a Jade Phoenix Mage, a Wu Jen Giant Clone gish, and a few other general gishes with Abjurant Champion. I just love the options that casting has while still having the option to roll attack dice.

[Kaulesh]

I most often play some kind of caster/gish or skillmonkey.

After cleaning out my Myth-Weavers account of cruft that was never going to be used, I see a duskblade, an illusionist, a magister (Arcana Evolved), a factotum, and a potential bbeg cleric for a game I DM. I've been wanting to try an akashic (AE again), but finding games for third-party content is generally difficult. Not that I would if I could right now, anyway. 4+1 current games is somewhat of a handful.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

As if my username wasn't enough of a clue, I enjoy playing paladins, or any other sort of moral warrior. I love having the moral high ground and playing the hero. Even if I'm not playing a paladin, I tend to play pious characters of some sort, usually worshiping whatever the setting's god of justice and honor is. I've tried playing characters with fewer scruples before, but before long I'm back in Lawful Good mode. If I roleplay an "evil" decision, I often end up feeling bad, especially if the reaction it gets from NPCs is particularly heartwrenching. I hate, HATE seeing people sad or upset, so I can never stand playing a character who makes people either on a regular basis.

I also kind of suffer from Special Snowflake Syndrome (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SpecialSnowflakeSyndrome), picking oddball character concepts to justify the wierd combinations I sometimes play, like a drow paladin raised by dwarves, or a Spellplague-created fusion of a dream spirit and a human soul to justify playing a Kalashtar in the Forgotten Realms setting.

[Doresain]

i either play the highly intelligent, minion-hoarding overlord(typically a necromancer or enchanter), the brutal warrior, and the greedy war profiteer...

at one point i mixed the overlord and the warrior into one and made an awesome undead paladin of slaughter...that was a fun game

in most games outside of 3.5 i typically play the overlord(when possible of course)...i just really like having minions under my control, doing all of my dirty work for me

[JonestheSpy]

My default character type is always the Gray Mouser style swordsman-rogue. Sneaky, competent at everything, a few ranks in UMD just to cover the bases.

[Vitruviansquid]

I always play the Gentlemanne-at-arms.

[Serpentine]

Half-crazy half-elf Ranger/Wildrunner with an abiding but confused hatred of humans.
Half-crazy 3/4 elf 1/4 succubus non-magic Ranger with a dread fear of being dragged back to the Hells and a fondness for jewellery.
Soft-headed likeable half-orc Rogue/Catlord with a resignedly optimistic outlook and a soft spot for felines.
Exiled recovering alcoholic dwarf Knight who just wants to go home.
Mute human(?) Rogue with a madame mother.
Multiple personality'd elemental dragon-blooded human Sorceress whose personality and powers changes at random every day.

...

Uh... Mental illness and fringe of societyedness? Is that an archetype?

[Grifthin]

I like skilled gish - must be able to heal myself, maneuver around the battlefield, use some magic, Use martial skill etc.

[Escheton]

I like roguetypes. Tools tend to be my thing. Magic tools if you have them. Magic as a tool if I have it. But mostly just awesomely geared out.

Also: I tend to build polearm wielding trippers.

That combined gives you a factotum/warblade/wizard

[vampire2948]

I always play the healer/support character. And I still don't agree that healing in D&D is unoptimal. My group would have lost a lot more characters if I hadn't been playing the Cleric / Healer class.

[blackseven]

Mechanically, I play whatever the party needs, though I shy away from melee classes (don't like low mental stats.)

However, flavor wise, I start with this:


The Only Sane Man (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/OnlySaneMan) is my favourite concept.

My characters tend to be highly Lawful, highly Good, and consciously "conventional." By this, I mean that their backstories tend to lean mundane (not particularly dramatic), tend to come from "normal" or average backgrounds, have no particularly noteworthy physical or personality quirks, and just tend to be "everyman" (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheEveryman) (without the whole being the main character thing). My characsters are usually team players, the ones who keeps the big picture in mind, and often feel like the baby sitter. They are also, of course, the wet blanket who often points out the flaws in obviously stupid decisions or plans (NPC or PC), is ignored, and often proven right when spectacular failure results. They tend to be planners, and always think "maybe we should get some help" - in the interest of (a) getting the job done right and (b) staying alive if possible.

[rakkoon]

I am always a cleric or a paladin in LARP games. Even when I play a NPC role people put me in a priest role. It can be a priest of the Four Elements, of Madness but there's something about them that interests me.