Your favorite fictional examples of certain classes/subclasses?

[Ulsan Krow]

What are your most beloved examples from any non DnD related fiction, or at least in your mind the most accurate examples, of fictional characters that fit a particular class/subclass template?

I'll start: I think my ideal high level fighter looks something like Gilgamesh from the epic, or perhaps Beowulf, or Guan Yu. Somebody who is physically either at the apex or just beyond the abilities of mortal men, and more importantly skill wise far, FAR beyond any realistic capacity. These characters just have such a colorful myth to them which I appreciate.

A high/max level barbarian that I appreciate on similar bases is Cu Chulainn from Ulster Cycle Irish legend. In comparison to the aforementioned fighter archetypes Chulainn is focused moreso on brute feats of strength rather than the intersection of strength and skill - additionally he's got the rage to boot.


My favorite fictional rogue looks like alot like Ezio Auditore da Firenze, and ironically despite hailing from the Assassin's Creed franchise I feel he is more befitting of the Thief archetype with his mobility, stealth and skillset. Another rogue example I favor, I think a level 20 Arcane Trickster could look something like Corvo Attano of Dishonored fame. Largely focused on his base rogue chassis honed to perfection, but supplemented and amplified significantly with a diversity of magic. Swashbucklers of course I would have to defer to Dread Pirate Roberts as the prototype, Jack Sparrow also serves this subclass more than well. Lastly the Spy from Team Fortress 2 is an absolutely (almost) perfect rendition of the Assassin. The ability to imitate other beings, the mastered capacity for infiltration, and most chiefly the massively enhanced burst damage/the certainty of one hit kills on unsuspecting targets with the backstab mechanic: the Spy is the Assassin to a tee.

For Wizards I always enjoy trying to find new fictional embodiments for their ilk. An absolute bottom of the rung beginner Wizard looks much like Mickey Mouse's appearance as The Sorcerer's Apprentice in Fantasia with very limited, learned magical abilities. I am split on whether or not wizardry in Harry Potter's universe can represent the Wizard class or whether the Sorcerer is more apt. But nonetheless the sheer variegation of spells available to them and the necessity of study to master these magics seems to abstract a reasonable Wizard fantasy.

So some of my goto fictional references for Wizards from pop culture are instead Merasmus (also from Team Fortress 2), and the rather dated Gargamel of Smurfs origin. Merasmus with spells such as teleportation, healing, summoning (Beholders even), transmutation, planar travel, opening dimension doors, cloning, removing curses, bestowing curses, illusions, illusory disguises, fireballs, reversing gravity, summoning apparitions, lightning bolts, meteor swarms, haste, fly etc. Just an absolutely staggering berth of magical abilities much like a DnD Wizard. Gargamel also has great versatility (as a Conjuration wizard) though not to the same extent and not to the same degree, with the ability to summon items, animals, conjure a mansion, walls of stone, magical objects, and counter spell.

What are some examples that you feel are quite accurate or that you have a personal fondness for? The classical Aragorn as the Ranger perhaps, or for GOT fans - Melisandre as a Light Cleric, Beric Dondarrion as a Paladin, Jon Snow a Beastmaster, The Hound a Champion, Littlefinger a Bard of Whispers, Arya Stark an Assassin? I'd really like to hear any of them.

[Calen]

From LoTR I like to emphasize the difference Gandalf as the wizard and Saruman as the sorcerer, seems to fit with their personalities and spells. (Of course they seem to cap out at level 1 or 2 spells)

Possibly obscure work, the Cymrian Chronicles very much play into the archetypical (Sword) Bard, Fighter, (Assassin) Rouge for the three main characters.

Barbarian I very much agree Cu Chulain is the prime example, Hercules and Samson can also fit. (Some kind of subclass that put less emphasis on weapons and favors 'cunning' would fit them better)

For something a little atypical, the Stormlight Archives features a bunch of warlocks with pacts and patrons. A twist on the typical DnD descriptions. All the characters are Pact of the Blade (obviously:smallbiggrin:)

[Ulsan Krow]

From LoTR I like to emphasize the difference Gandalf as the wizard and Saruman as the sorcerer, seems to fit with their personalities and spells. (Of course they seem to cap out at level 1 or 2 spells)

Possibly obscure work, the Cymrian Chronicles very much play into the archetypical (Sword) Bard, Fighter, (Assassin) Rouge for the three main characters.

Barbarian I very much agree Cu Chulain is the prime example, Hercules and Samson can also fit. (Some kind of subclass that put less emphasis on weapons and favors 'cunning' would fit them better)

For something a little atypical, the Stormlight Archives features a bunch of warlocks with pacts and patrons. A twist on the typical DnD descriptions. All the characters are Pact of the Blade (obviously:smallbiggrin:)


Hercules is a good shout. Certainly his labors approach what an appealing, high level Barbarian fantasy may look like. The lack of martial armaments and refined training also support that case. Gandalf though I don't know if I'd pin him as a Wizard though, I don't think the DnD wizard mould comes close to representing what Gandalf is

[Sparky McDibben]

Gandalf is 100% a cleric. See the Alexandrian, "Recalibrating Your Expectations" on the power gap.

As far as my favorite characters, al'Lan Mandragoran is the archetypal Battlemaster fighter.

Jim Holden is a paladin.

Kvothe is the best bard, for my money.

And my touchpoint for wizard? Harry Copperfield Blackstone Motherfriggin' Dresden.

[animorte]

Kvothe is the best bard, for my money.
The first character I ever made to play D&D (started in 3.5e) was Kvothe, the Bloodless. I went Elf Bard and that PC will forever hold a place nearest to my heart.



The subclasses help a great deal in forming characters from other realms to suit our beloved 5e. Some great concepts previously listed that I wouldn't have thought of myself.

The Avatar is a four elements monk actually done right, and a bit OP. Everything else in that universe is wonderfully balanced.

There has been an extremely popular concept rolling around all over youtube about Iron Man being an Artificer, that I totally can get behind.

Dr. Facilier and Peter Pan give me some ultra Echo Knight vibes. Of course, the former is 100% primarily a Warlock. The latter, probably Swashbuckler multiclass.

Speaking of which, Ursula is the Warlock patron that all desperate folks - (the miserable, lonely, and depressed) - make a contract with.

[Lvl45DM!]

Gandalf is 100% a cleric. See the Alexandrian, "Recalibrating Your Expectations" on the power gap.

As far as my favorite characters, al'Lan Mandragoran is the archetypal Battlemaster fighter.

Jim Holden is a paladin.

Kvothe is the best bard, for my money.

And my touchpoint for wizard? Harry Copperfield Blackstone Motherfriggin' Dresden.

al'Lan Mandragoran is a Kensei Monk.

Matrim Cauthon has that Battlemaster Feat.

[kazaryu]

From LoTR I like to emphasize the difference Gandalf as the wizard and Saruman as the sorcerer, seems to fit with their personalities and spells. (Of course they seem to cap out at level 1 or 2 spells)

i can't remember if it was in the books. but in the movies at least we definitely get examples of control weather from both saruman and gandalf. saruman summons a storm to force the party through khazad-dum. and gandalf uses it to clear the clouds away so that moonlight can hit the door to khazad-dum.

Gandalf is 100% a cleric. See the Alexandrian, "Recalibrating Your Expectations" on the power gap. gandalf isn't a PC. he's an angel. which is why he's able to come back from death (stronger) and why he's so apparently 'weak'. the rules he's bound by are literally not the same ones that everyone else is.



And my touchpoint for wizard? Harry Copperfield Blackstone Motherfriggin' Dresden. hell yeah.


What are your most beloved examples from any non DnD related fiction, or at least in your mind the most accurate examples, of fictional characters that fit a particular class/subclass template?



wesley (princess bride) as some rogue/fighter multiclass. (probably swashbuckler rogue, with a quick 3 level battlemaster dip)
inigo montoya (as above) champion fighter.

[Ulsan Krow]

Gandalf is 100% a cleric. See the Alexandrian, "Recalibrating Your Expectations" on the power gap.

As far as my favorite characters, al'Lan Mandragoran is the archetypal Battlemaster fighter.

Jim Holden is a paladin.

Kvothe is the best bard, for my money.

And my touchpoint for wizard? Harry Copperfield Blackstone Motherfriggin' Dresden.

Yes I would be more inclined to pin down Gandalf as a Cleric for sure.

Speaking of, there is a total dearth of DND Clerics in any non DND fiction. It's just obscure and setting specific archetype. If you expand the idea of clerics to 'white mage/holy person/wielder of divine powers' then its more tenable

Sub level 1 Cleric - Damien Karras from The Exorcist
Low level Cleric - Melisandre from Game of Thrones
Mid level Cleric - Father Callahan from The Dark Tower series
High level Cleric - Sadie Kane from The Kane Chronicles
Epic level Cleric (>20) - Thor from Marvel Comics, Dr. Fate from DC Comics

[nickl_2000]

Zorro would be the archetypical example of a Swashbuckler Rogue in my mind.

[Calen]

Gandalf is 100% a cleric. See the Alexandrian, "Recalibrating Your Expectations" on the power gap.

Based on power source he is a cleric, but as I recall in reading the books his magic is mostly limited to fire and light. He casts Arcane Lock once and the Balrog instantly casts Knock.
That seems to lack a core component of clericness IMHO, which is the lack of healing or protection.



Kvothe is the best bard, for my money.

Can't believe I forgot Kvothe

[KorvinStarmast]

al'Lan Mandragoran is a Kensei Monk.
Matrim Cauthon has that Battlemaster Feat. Good takes.

Zorro would be the archetypical example of a Swashbuckler Rogue in my mind. Or Captain Blood.

Barbarian: Conan
Fighter: Fafhrd
Rogue: Grey Mouser
Wizard: Ulrich (from the movie Dragonslayer)
Cleric: ... loading ...
Monk: Kwai Chang Cain
Ranger: Robin Hood
Paladin: Sir Galahad, or Faramir
Sorcerer: Tim, the Enchanter
Warlock: The Witcher, Pact of the blade
Druid: ... one of the ones from the book The Seedbearers
Bard: Gandalf, Lore Bard

[Skrum]

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Netflix series) are pretty good examples of warlocks. Most are probably pact of the tomb, what with their wide array of ritual magic. But they sign a book to gain their powers, mostly cast via ritual, and aren't overly detailed on like, magical theory or academia.

The Magicians are excellent examples of wizards. Might be the best I can think of. Gain their power through intense, almost unfathomable study and knowledge of esoteric topics. Spellwork is incredibly precise and prone to going wrong over the smallest factors.

Bit of a left-field callout, but Nic Cage and Ron Pearlman in Season of the Witch are great examples of ~T2 fighters. Capable, tough, experienced fighters that can swing the tide of battle because they're that much better than anyone else.

Hector and Achilles as depicted in Troy are also great examples, though obviously Achilles is quite a bit stronger. The movie does a great job showing them both having "go-to" moves that they use in several fight scenes. They would absolutely be BM fighters.

Geralt of Rivia, as depicted by Henry Cavill (much less familiar with the games). Eldritch Knight, 100%. Quite strong, 9th-12th level or so.

[Angelalex242]

Paladin: Knights of the round table (Lancelot is fallen, Mordred is an Oathbreaker...)
Also Bowen, Dragonheart. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQXy84W2AZU&t=9s

[Ulsan Krow]

For anime/animated series appreciators:



Mid to high level barbarian - Thorkell the Tall from Vinland Saga

High level Champion fighter - Thors from Vinland Saga

Mid level Battlemaster fighter - Askeladd from Vinland Saga (perhaps some levels in Mastermind)

High level Kensei monk - Houken from Kingdom

Level 20 fighter - Guts from Berserk (probably into epic territory at this point)

High level druid - Schierke from Berserk

Level 20 Monster Slayer ranger - Trevor Belmont from Castlevania (netflix end of series. Game version is well beyond)

High level Evocation wizard- Sypha Belnades from Castlevania (also netflix)

Mid level Samurai - Afro from Afro Samurai

Level 20 Champion fighter - King Bradley from Full Metal Alchemist (possibly into epic territory)

High level Beastmaster ranger - Spear and Fang from Primal (high level Tyrannosaurus pet)

Mid to high level Hunter ranger - Levi from Attack on Titan

High level Assassin rogue - Grim Reaper from Assassination Classroom





Video game enjoyers

Mid level Thief rogue - Ezio Auditore from Assassin's Creed

Mid level Assassin rogue - The Spy from Team Fortress 2

High level wizard - Merasmus from Team Fortress 2

High level Arcane Trickster rogue - Corvo Attano from Dishonored

Mid level Champion fighter - Apollyon from For Honor

High level Oath of Vengeance paladin - Pyramid Head from Silent Hill

Level 20 barbarian - Axe from DotA 2 (probably into epic territory)



Comic characters

Mid to high level Mastermind rogue - Joker from DC Comics

Level 20 Inquisitive rogue - Batman (probably higher, multiclassed with Shadow monk/Vengeance paladin)

Level 20 wizard - Dr. Strange from Marvel Comics (almost certainly far higher, deep into epic levels)

Level 20 warlock - Dr. Fate from DC Comics (almost certainly far higher, deep into epic levels)

High level Berserker barbarian - Wolverine from Marvel Comics (has Beast, Zealot, Totem Warrior feats also)

Level 20 druid - Aquaman from DC Comics (almost certainly higher)

Mid to high level Arcane Archer fighter - Hawkeye from Marvel Comics, Green Arrow from DC Comics

Mid to high level Soulknife rogue - Psylocke from Marvel Comics





Other series

Level 20 Oath of Conquest paladin - Darth Vader (likely well beyond. Also Psi Warrior multiclass)

Low level warlock - Dr Facilier from The Princess and the Frog

Low level Beastmaster ranger - Jon Snow from Game of Thrones

Low level paladin - Beric Dondarrion from Game of Thrones

Low level Mastermind rogue - Littlefinger from Game of Thrones

Low level Assassin rogue - Arya Stark from Game of Thrones

Low level Alchemist artificer - Walter White from Breaking Bad (Mastermind multiclass)

Mid level Land druid - Beorn from Lord of the Rings

Low level Thief rogue - Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit

Low level Open Hand monk - Ip Man from the films

High level Open Hand monk - Tai Lung from Kung Fu Panda

Mid level Assassin rogue - John Wick from John Wick

Low level Assassin rogue - Ghostface from Scream

Level 1 wizard - Mickey Mouse from Fantasia

Level 20 Samurai fighter - John Carter from John Carter

Low level Banneret fighter - William Wallace from Braveheart

High level Astral Self monk - Neo from The Matrix



Folk heroes/myth

Low level bard - Pied Piper

Mid level bard - Orpheus

High level Berserker barbarian - Achilles from Greek mythology

Mid level sorcerer - Mwindo from Congolese legend

High level fighter - Gilgamesh from The Epic of Gilgamesh

High level fighter - Esfandiyar from Shahnameh

Mid to high level Crown paladin - King Arthur from Arthurian legend

[kingcheesepants]

I'm surprised that nobody mentioned Merlin yet. Probably the most famous wizard there is. Though given how little he actually casts (in the older stories at least) it's hard to say what kind of wizard or what level he would be. But still he uses stuff like fog cloud and polymorph. He's got the robe, staff and hat. He's got the mysterious older man who knows all sorts of stuff vibe. Just the prototypical wizard all in all.

[Dienekes]

Wizard: Tim the Enchanter, Edward Elric, Roy Mustang
Fighter: Most of the Fellowship of the Ring, Sir Duncan the Tall, Olivier Armstrong, Sandor Clegane
Barbarian: Logan Ninefingers
Rogue: Silk, Sand dan Glokta, Darkwing Duck, Bilbo Baggins
Paladin: Michael Carpenter
Warlock: Faustus, Ganondorf
Monk: Father McGruder

[Psyren]

Prospero (from Shakespeare's The Tempest) is my ideal example of a D&D wizard, though you could probably also make him as a Tomelock.

I agree that Corvo Attano makes for a great AT and I kinda want to build him now!

[Angelalex242]

Speaking of Shakespeare, there's a lot of fighters, the 3 witches of Macbeth are probably Warlocks...

Hilariously, Romeo might've been a Barbarian, as he appears to fight by losing it and attacking.

[Ulsan Krow]

Prospero (from Shakespeare's The Tempest) is my ideal example of a D&D wizard, though you could probably also make him as a Tomelock.

I agree that Corvo Attano makes for a great AT and I kinda want to build him now!

sheeee Prospero is a great pick. If I recall he acquires his magical knowledge from study and he eagerly seeks it out as a Wizard does. Very accurate actually.

Corvo's time warping abilities are a little hard to embody with 1st to 4th level spells sadly. Also with how much he spams them, the very finite resource pools of DnD can struggle to encapsulate how dynamically he wields his magic

[GooeyChewie]

Gandalf is 100% a cleric. See the Alexandrian, "Recalibrating Your Expectations" on the power gap.

Gandalf is my go-to for explaining how players can use different D&D concepts to represent the same character. He could be...

...a cleric, as you mentioned.
...a Celestial Warlock, with Ilúvatar as the patron and Pact of the Blade for Glamdring.
...a Paladin, again serving Ilúvatar, probably Oath of Devotion.
...a Wizard, Bladesinger for Glamdring but focusing on Abjuration and Evocation spells.
...an Eldritch Knight Fighter, since he casts relatively few spells which are primarily shields (Abjuration) and fire (Evocation).
...a Bard, because Bards are so flexible that with a little bit of spell re-flavoring they can be anything.

[Psyren]

sheeee Prospero is a great pick. If I recall he acquires his magical knowledge from study and he eagerly seeks it out as a Wizard does. Very accurate actually.

He also hits all 7 schools of magic (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?643219-What-characters-best-exemplify-what-archetypes-to-you&p=25382762&viewfull=1#post25382762) during the play (observed or stated.)


Corvo's time warping abilities are a little hard to embody with 1st to 4th level spells sadly. Also with how much he spams them, the very finite resource pools of DnD can struggle to encapsulate how dynamically he wields his magic

That part's actually easy I'd say:

1) The time warping stuff could just be refluffed Haste/Shield.
2) His world contains a consumable that lets you recover spell slots (Piero's Spiritual Remedy.)
3) He doesn't need that many rogue levels and could be a multiclass build for the stronger stuff.

[Angelalex242]

Gandalf is my go-to for explaining how players can use different D&D concepts to represent the same character. He could be...

...a cleric, as you mentioned.
...a Celestial Warlock, with Ilúvatar as the patron and Pact of the Blade for Glamdring.
...a Paladin, again serving Ilúvatar, probably Oath of Devotion.
...a Wizard, Bladesinger for Glamdring but focusing on Abjuration and Evocation spells.
...an Eldritch Knight Fighter, since he casts relatively few spells which are primarily shields (Abjuration) and fire (Evocation).
...a Bard, because Bards are so flexible that with a little bit of spell re-flavoring they can be anything.

Then you realize he's none of those and he's actually a solar.

[1Pirate]

While aesthetically closer to Paladins, Sparhawk and the Knights of the Church from the Elenium and Tamuli series are pretty much bang-on Clerics right down to the “Asking the Gods for Powers” aspect of their magic.

[SociopathFriend]

I forget who exactly turned me onto the idea but Final Fantasy VII's Sephiroth is blatantly a Greater Old One Warlock.

[RSP]

Barbarian: Perrin Ayberra maybe? The Mountain
Fighter: Lan (Battlemaster), Jamie Lannister (BM)
Rogue: Thom Merrilin
Wizard: Raistlin however that’s clearly a D&D source
Monk: Li Mu Bai from Crouching Tiger, Goku (Sun Soul)
Ranger: Robin Hood
Paladin: Sir Galahad
Sorcerer: Rand Al’Thor
Warlock: Kaladin Stormblessed

[Sparky McDibben]

Sorcerer: Rand Al’Thor

I must disagree. Rand's class is Mary Sue level 999.

[Psyren]

WoT channelers use psionics, complete with Displays that can be suppressed and Overchannel.

[Silly Name]

Barbarian: Achilles. Not Conan - Conan, despite his ephitet, is best represented as a Fighter/Rogue multiclass (some of which has absolutely bled into the D&D Barbarian), but he doesn't really do the signature Rage.
Achilles, instead, is a character absolutely defined by his rage, and uses it in battle against Hector. Sure, he probably has a fighter dip to get armor and weapon proficiency (or maybe through a feat), but he's a raging warrior through and though.

(Devotion) Paladin: Sir Galahad. He's the proto-Paladin in all but name (and Roland and the other Paladins of France aren't really exemplars of virtue in most tellings, save the Chanson de Roland itself), performing miracles and incarnating piety and knightly honour to a degree that no other Knight of the Round Table manages to.

Sorcerer: Harry Potter! Damn kid is born to a bloodline of spellcasters and over the course of his magical education only learns a handful of spells, relying on them almost exclusively. "Yer a wizard, Harry"? Stop scamming people, Hagrid!

[nickl_2000]

Sorcerer: Harry Potter! Damn kid is born to a bloodline of spellcasters and over the course of his magical education only learns a handful of spells, relying on them almost exclusively. "Yer a wizard, Harry"? Stop scamming people, Hagrid!

A darn good point, Hermione, on the other hand, is definitely a Wizard.

[Willie the Duck]

Had a recent discussion of this nature, focusing on women in fiction and myth (keeping to fiction, folklore and not-gods of myth).

Circe is a Sorceress -- Divine Soul, but of a version of D&D where clerics and corresponding DS sorcerer have spell lists more curated by domain or theme.
Atalanta is a noble-background barbarian or outlander-background fighter (daughter of a king, but raised by bears is one of those scenarios where you wish you could start with two backgrounds)
Queen Gwendolen of Legendary Britain was a straight up warrior queen -- Battlemaster or Champion or other non-magic fighter.
Morgan Le Fay is every form of full-caster, sometimes a fey being, or maybe even a petty gawd, depending on which depiction and source being used.
There were a bunch of African and SE Asian examples I'm not sure aren't historical peoples*, so I will skip.
*moreso than most mythic and folklorish people may have had real-people inspiration

Somehow the conversation jumped to modern fiction and folklore. Culling out historic individuals like Calamity Jane, we have:
The 'Witches' of Oz -- in the movies, this appears to be a hereditary trait, so I guess Sorcery -- Everything in the land of Oz kind of being lolrandom enough to imply wild magic origin. In the books, however, the witches are not sisters (I guess even in the movies they could be sisters as in a non-hereditary sense), without a real clear origin for their magic.
The Witches of Charmed -- this too is hereditary so sorceress is a possibility, but also works very well as an example of Pact of Tome Warlocks (in this case the pact maybe to the tome itself?). Mechanically, Tomelock seems to fit the best as well -- each sister has a couple of set and unique to them* 'powers' which could be seen as spells-known or invocations, and then their plot-solution-of-the-week tends to arise as a spell they read from the book and cast slow-form, not unlike a ritual spell (also often with component requirements).
*plus they all know Banishment


Then you realize he's none of those and he's actually a solar.
Yes, in every single thread in which he is brought up, there is always someone who makes sure the rest of us know that they know this.

[SociopathFriend]

Sorcerer: Harry Potter! Damn kid is born to a bloodline of spellcasters and over the course of his magical education only learns a handful of spells, relying on them almost exclusively. "Yer a wizard, Harry"? Stop scamming people, Hagrid!

Harry learns frankly a lot of stuff- he just never uses it.

For example his very first Potions lesson involved learning how to cure boils.

His first Transfiguration lesson was turning a match into a needle.

Astronomy is constant learning of star names and planet motions.

And so on.

He's a Wizard alright- it's just his Intelligence score is crap so he can't prepare a lot of spells.

[diplomancer]

Pact of the Blade Celestial Warlock is a good approximation of Gandalf; Saruman would be either an Enchanter or an Artificer.

Though Warlocks are so well designed and versatile that you can probably make any fictional magic-user a Warlock.

[animorte]

Though Warlocks are so well designed and versatile that you can probably make any fictional magic-user a Warlock.

This right here! Love it!

[nickl_2000]

Is Michael Carpenter (Dresden books) a Hexblade or a Devotion Paladin with a Holy Avenger sword? Or is he pretty much the definition of a Hexadin?

[1Pirate]

Is Michael Carpenter (Dresden books) a Hexblade or a Devotion Paladin with a Holy Avenger sword? Or is he pretty much the definition of a Hexadin?
Oath Devotion paladin w/Holy Avenger. He's been without Amoracchius several times and not shown any real Hexblade traits. He's also clearly a strength-based combatant with any weapon he possesses which--while admittedly not definitive--points away from hexblade.

[animorte]

Oath Devotion paladin w/Holy Avenger. He's been without Amoracchius several times and not shown any real Hexblade traits. He's also clearly a strength-based combatant with any weapon he possesses which--while admittedly not definitive--points away from hexblade.

I think being proficient with any weapon he possesses points directly to Hexblade Pact of the Blade, assuming he only wields one of those at a time. You can change your pact weapon on a regular basis if you so choose.

[Asmotherion]

Gandalf is 100% a cleric. See the Alexandrian, "Recalibrating Your Expectations" on the power gap.

As far as my favorite characters, al'Lan Mandragoran is the archetypal Battlemaster fighter.

Jim Holden is a paladin.

Kvothe is the best bard, for my money.

And my touchpoint for wizard? Harry Copperfield Blackstone Motherfriggin' Dresden.

The closest thing to Gandalf as a playable character is an Aasimar Divine Soul Sorcerer IMO

[NecessaryWeevil]

I've always wanted to play a Wizard based on Tenoctris from David Drake's Lord of the Isles. Most casters in the setting seem to be similar to sorcerors. They can wield power, mostly drawn from exterior sources, but they lack control and things tend to go poorly when they try. Tenoctris, thrown forward in time from the last time someone screwed up, is from an age when spellcasters were actually educated and understood the forces they draw on.

[ftafp]

Shino Aburame and Taylor Hebert are both gold standard swarmkeepers