Summary
If you’ve played manyRPGs, you may have picked up on some common character types that keep popping up in various games. The ability to recognize a certain type of character, and know what to expect from their role, based on repeated imagery, symbols, and traits, is known as an archetype. You’d probably recognize the most famous archetypes, like hero and mentor, from the concept of the hero’s journey.
Of course, every genre has its own particular sets of archetypes, and RPGs are no diffrent. And the RPGs we know and love just wouldn’t be the same without these particular archetypes popping up!
8The Adventurer
You! The adventurer is a sub-archetype under the hero, and it’s the most common one for RPG protagonists. As you’d expect, the adventurer sets out on a journey, ready to confront and overcome obstacles on their way to achieving their goals.
Usually, they have multiple skills and are highly adaptable, (which may sound very familiar to anyone used to building a character). Since the idea of adventure is at the heart of so many video games, it’s hard not to love this archetype.
7The Herald
Every journey must have a starting point, and the herald archetype exists to send the adventurer on their way. Wanted or not, friend or foe, this is the person that gives the protagonist the shape of what they’re embarking on and why. They’re a sign of dramatic change.
Now, this is a pretty flexible archetype that may or may not follow the protagonist throughout the entire story after they finish their initial task, often times evolving into a mentor or ally. But, most times, we wouldn’t be able to start our journey at all without this important piece of the story, so their appreciation is one you can look forward to.
6The Sage
You’ll know this character as the one who explains the world to you, hands out free lore drops, or is just generally helpful to your progress in the game. This character archetype includes general scholars, the mentor figure, and any guides you might come across.
Yes, that includes all those old wizards that give you riddles, cute inhuman companions, and helpful patrons found in bars. Since we’d probably have a much harder time getting through the game without the sage archetype, we’re happy to find them scattered throughout our favorite RPGs.
5The Scientist
In many RPGs, there’s bound to be a character that combines research, innovation, and engineering in order to create new things or distill the truth about something. A lot of games use this archetype to give the player things like potions, tools, and weapons.
But there is also a potential dark side to the scientist,including characters who are pushing past the limits of humanity that will eventually cause harm.This character archetype includes alchemists, engineers, doctors, and even magic-users based in scholarship. With so much lore to be explored, we love the way scientists flesh out RPG worlds.
4The Shadow
As an archetype, the shadow represents a worse side of a character’s mind, or, alternatively, the morally corrupt potential of a character. This shows up in RPGs in a few ways: as an “evil” version of the protagonists or their allies, as a literal representation of a repressed psyche, or as a foil character that’s chosen the opposite path.
Shadows give depth to the protagonists and their allies, and they also tend to be some of the coolest characters to encounter.In a lot of games, you can even choose to go down the “shadow” path,such as switching from Jedi to Sith. It’s an important archetype for building your own character out.
3The Trickster
This is an archetype associated with trickery, obviously, mischief, wit, and cunning. While they often have humorous aspects, their main goal is to upend the status quo, invert situations, and usually introduce an element of chaos. What makes them unique is that they’re unpredictable.
In many games, they have a jester or clown aesthetic and are associated with dreamscapes or general tomfoolery, though this doesn’t mean they’re all friendly. For many of them, their unpredictability means potential harm is always possible, and this archetype can even be outright antagonistic, which makes the choice-based RPG experience fraught. But also a lot of fun!
2The Merchant
A necessity of gameplay progression,the merchant is an archetype that’s almost instantly recognizablein any RPG. They show up across maps, having honed their negotiation skills, and are generally a lot better at talking than they are at fighting. They’re concerned with their wares, and they’re a lot happier to selltoyou than to buyfromyou.
Besides the fact that merchants make a lot of RPGs playable, we love their dedication to showing up in the most unexpected of places, ready to provide that last, much-needed boost to help you beat your opponents.
1The Rogue
Everyone loves a rogue, which is an archetype characterized by general sneakiness, and covers a broad range of characters, from pirates and thieves to con-artists and spies. They introduce moral gray areas to any argument, and, for whatever reason, they tend to have cooler outfits than the rest of the cast.
Despite their more devious nature, they’re often charming, and we can’t help but be a little (okay, maybe a lot) captivated by their whole persona. Enemy or ally, we love the edge this archetype brings.
