Party Roles

In general, a good party should have most or all of the of the following roles covered. There are workable trios and duos from these archetypes as well, most notably Leader, Foil, Heart and Leader, Muscle, Brains. The classic duos are obviously Leader and Foil, but Muscle and Brain can also work. In these cases, some party members might take on multiple roles, or there might be secondary characters that fulfill the missing parts - such as a mentor for Brains or family at home as Heart. As always, many good stories can come from unusual party combinations or subverting any of the classic traits that a role implies. The real danger zone is where two or three characters occupy the same role while another role is completely unfilled - a party with only Muscle and no Heart will tell a very different kind of story.

Each party role is linked with an attribute. Together they cover all the attributes of the game, except Constitution, which is valued by everyone. This does absolutely not mean that they require that ability score to be above a certain value to fulfill that role, although they might have an easier time.

Leader

Charisma

The face of the party. A character that the party can gather around. More likely than not a front line fighter. While examples from fiction naturally include many main characters, this is not a necessary trait:

• Tony Stark
• Aragorn
• Mal Reynolds
• Luke Skywalker
• Jon Snow

Archetypal classes: Paladin, Fighter, Cleric, Bard, Sorcerer

Foil

Dexterity

Closest character to the Leader. Provides contrast with, but usually shares one or two traits with the Leader. Can tend towards chaotic and impulse-driven but usually comes through in the end. Some examples (in fiction many of these are sidekicks, but this is not necessary):

• Ron Weasley
• Richard Castle
• Captain Haddock
• Gunvald Larsson
• Goose

Archetypal classes: Rogue, Warlock, Ranger, Fighter

Heart

Wisdom

A calming presence in the group. Not uncommonly a love interest of the Leader or Foil - or both. Examples include (these are almost always female in fiction):

• Princess Leia
• Elizabeth Swann
• Peeta
• Kaylee Frye
• Wichita

Archetypal classes: Cleric, Sorcerer, Bard, Druid

Muscle

Strength

While this lovable brute might not be the one to ask for directions, he almost always has a heart of gold. Some famous muscles are:

• The Hulk
• Grog Strongjaw
• Gimli
• Chewbacca
• Sully

Archetypal classes: Barbarian, Fighter, Druid

Brains

Intelligence

This character knows things, and is usually but not always good with magic (or tech). Not uncommonly introduced last as the missing piece of the group. Examples:

• Tyrion Lannister
• Hermione Granger
• Rodney McKay
• Columbus
• Samwell Tarly

Archetypal classes: Wizard, Artificer, Cleric, Druid

Backwater Boys

• Thalia
• Iris and Urbanus
• Helge
• Tranvol
• Othar

Vox Machina

• Percy
• Vex and Vax
• Keyleth and Pike
• Grog
• Scanlan

Grog is a very archetypal Muscle.

The Mighty Nein

• Fjord
• Veth and Beau
• Jester
• Yasha
• Caleb and Caduceus

Beau easily fits in the category, which makes the group work very well when Yasha is not there.

Pirates of the Caribbean

• Will Turner
• Captain Jack Sparrow
• Elizabeth Swann
• Mr Gibbs
• Tia Dalma

Depending on the exact point in the story, Will and Jack can easily swap, and the last two are not always present.

Campaign 2 crew

• Lord Flashheart
• Frank
• Lyra
• Raphael
• Thundin

Campaign 3 crew

• Victoria Ashworth
• Lucy Phere
• Sigismund Heldenhammer
• Sigrid ur Caligo
• Gallias Runodel