Orphaned/Sandbox/Drafting Common Character Classes

Part of the project to reorganize tropes related to Character Class.

The following is a list of common Character Classes used in various types of games. Some of these may be Prestige Classes.

See Character Class for a discussion of classes in general, RPG Class System for how these classes are used in Roleplaying Games, FPS Class System for the use of classes in First Person Shooters, and Fighter, Mage, Thief for a common tripartite division.

RPG Classes
Note: Some of the terms used are explained on An Adventurer Is You.

Standard Classes


 * Warrior - The master of armed physical combat, members of this class are typically the Tank and/or the DPS of a party. Can usually handle a variety of weapons and equip the heaviest of armours. Also known as the Fighter, Soldier, Knight, and other names.
 * Cleric - Responsible for making sure the other party members don't die and often bringing them back to life if they do, members of this class are always the Healer and are often the Buffer as well. Armed with a variety of healing magic, they often having buffing magic and sometimes even some offensive magic, typically light- or holy-themed. Members can typically have better equipment than The Mage, though their actual physical combat capabilities varies from game to game. Staffs, Staves, Wands, and Hammers are common weapon choices. Can often be a Squishy Wizard. Also known as the Priest, White Mage, and other names.
 * Mage - If not The Red Mage, these practitioners of the magical arts tends to blast enemies with fireballs and other elements. Members of this class typically serve as the DPSer and/or the Nuker, sometimes also a Mezzer or Debuffer. Usually without much HitPoints or armour, these guys like to get things does quickly with a lot of damage. Watch out for their Magic Points, as they can quickly become useless if they run out. Often uses Staffs, Staves, Wands, and Knives. Also known as Wizards, Sorcerers, Warlocks, Black Mages, and a number of other names.
 * Rogue - Whether they actually use stealth or not, these guys will pick out their target and stab them in the back. Members of this class most typically fall under DPSer. Usually the user of daggers they often only have light to medium armour, making their survivability low, however they excel at taking out key targets quickly. Also under such monikers as Assassin or Ninja. Not to be confused with Rouge, which is French for red.
 * Thief - The character class that can... steal. More recently, the many versions of this class has been expanded to include many adventuring abilities, such as mapping and looking for treasure. In combat, this is typically a weaker than the norm Jack. In terms of equipment, typically handles a Knife and light armour. Not really commonly known by any other name, except in Real Life.
 * Ranger - The one with the Bow and Arrow, this class' role can vary quite a bit from game to game. Often one with nature, this class can get skills and abilities for tracking, trapping, and befriending monsters and animals. Although most often seen with one, the Ranger doesn't always just use a bow, but is sometimes also skilled with a sword or dagger. Also known as Hunter.
 * Monk - Whether they use their bare fists or not, this class is more defined by their attributes than their role. Often, these guys get special bonuses for fighting bare-handed although sometimes they will still use staves or claws as weapons. These fighters typically can only equip light armour but also have high Hit Points. Is often a user of Ki Attacks. Also known as Fighters and Martial Artists.
 * Minstrel - It may seem odd to see an entertainer as an RPG class, but they're surprisingly common. The role varies quite a bit from game to game, ranging from being a general support class, joke class, a joke class that's actually powerful, and is sometimes even the Jack. Often has rather odd weapons. Also known as the Bard, Dancer, Jester, or many other entertainer-themed names.

Hybrid Classes


 * Hero - Sometimes the hero is unique and gets their own class. Usually being able to do a bit of everything, they often range from the Jack of All Trades to the Master Of All Trades. The primary role is usually to play backup: if somebody goes down, the Hero can take their role until they can get back up. Usually the master of Sword, if they can't equip the best armour, they can usually take the next best thing.
 * Magic Knight - The cross between the Warrior and the Mage and/or the Cleric, tends to become a bit of the Jack. What kind of magic the Magic Knight is capable of depends on the game; sometimes there will be different types of Magic Knights for different types of magic. Often the carriers of Swords.
 * Paladin - The cross between the Warrior and Cleric gets its own mention here. These warriors of light are sometimes the ultimate Tanks, being able to take a lot of damage and heal their own injuries, they often pay for it with their typically low damage output. Often seen with swords and hammers as weapons, also tend to wear some of the heaviest armour around.
 * Dark Knight - The offensive counterpart to the Paladin has also seen some use; this cross between the Warrior and Mage concentrates on killing their enemies before they have a chance to properly retaliate. Their surivability is usually overall lower than that of most other Warrior counterparts, but sometimes manages some Life Drain skills to alleviate that weakness. Cast From HP can be one of their trademarks. Also known as Death Knight.

Advanced Classes

Based on the Warrior Based on the Mage
 * Berserker - What happens when the Warrior abondons all pretense of defense, members of this class always serve the role of DPS. Often the result of characters using their rage as a source of power, they are sometimes less than controllable but they are always powerful. Often uses Axes and Hammers as weapons. Sometimes knowns as the Gladiator.
 * Defender - The opposite of the Berserker, this is the Tank of Tanks. No other class can take as much damage before having to heal but is usually not as well suited for actually attacking. Not really noted for any weapon, unless you count the shield as one, but they naturally can wear the heaviest armour around.
 * Summoner - This is a mage that summons animals, monsters, spirits, or other creatures to do their bidding. Comes in a number of forms, although most commonly either a Pet Class or a more dedicated Nuker.
 * Necromancer - A special type of Summoner is the Necromancer, who, as the name would suggest, specialises in manipulating the dead; typically by raising them. These Summoners will more often go for quantity over quality, raising entire skeleton or zombie armies to do their bidding.
 * Sorcerer - Using magic quickly and often is the overall goal of this class; the Sorcerer typically goes for a variety of different types of magic to suit situational needs. Although their magic usually isn't as powerful as their more standard Mage equivilent, they usually have a lower cost letting them last longer during battles before running out.

FPS Classes

 * Assault - The Assault class is typically the best class in the game in terms of direct confrontations. Usually armed with an assault rifle and also sometimes with a grenade launcher, members of this class often excel at medium to medium-long range. These usually make the bulk of a team, being well balanced and relatively easy to play. For games with variable health, the Assault class is typically average or above-average. Also known as the Soldier.
 * Support - With More Dakka being the tactic of choice, the Support class lays down the cover fire to help thier teammates get into better positions for killing the enemy; if they aren't killing the enemy themselves, that is. Typically armed with light machine guns, or sometimes even gatling guns, members of the support class make their presence known and can often distract the enemy from more important targets. The vast amount of fire also often limits their enemies' movement. Usually has more armor and/or health then the rest.
 * Medic - The Cleric of shooters, these are responsible for keeping their teammates in the action with as little downtime as possible. Usually not as squishy as their RPG counterparts, sometimes they can also handle straight-out combat fairly well as well. There aren't really any standard weapons for this class; they are usually more defined by their healing and/or reviving capabilities. As healing wounds in Real Life often takes more time than a match in a shooter, the healing effects the medic has on their teammates are often quite exaggerated.
 * Engineer - Although there is no real standard design for this class, one thing they have in common is that they aren't quite as strong without their "toys", but are incredibly so with. Whether they are player-built structures or on-field vehicles, the Engineer class' job is to build the former and mantain both to help the team. Members of this class most often help dictate the pacing of a match, their structures and vehicles are things that the other players can use to suppert and benefit from gathering around. Although some can say that the Shotgun or Sub Machine Gun is their Weapon of Choice, others will say it's their structures and/or their mechanic's tools.
 * Recon - As the name suggests, the Recon's job is to provide reconnaissance to the team, although not always. Can often be quicker than other classes, members of this class can get around better than most. This class is proof that sometimes having the right person at the right place at the right time is all one needs. Can often go around sneaking to remove some key targets that's preventing the team's advance, this class either does or helps disrupt the enemy. Also known as the Scout.
 * Sniper - When you want to take somebody out from long range, the Sniper Rifle is often the Weapon of Choice. That is, this is what the Sniper is all about. This class typically has one job and does that one job well. As it might imply, this class specialises on long range combat and is typically a little weak at any other range.