Character class: Encyclopedia - Character class

Character class

A character class represents a character's archetype and career in some role-playing games (RPGs). Usually, players choose their class when they create their character and may not completely part from that class during the life of that character.

Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) introduced the usage of classes, and they are now found in all games which use the d20 system. They are also found in many computer and videogame RPGs.

Character class - Various sorts of classes

D&D provided a set of four classes that many players consider prototypical among games with classes: Fighter (combat-based abilities, but almost non-existent magic), Thief (in non-fantasy games) or Rogue (in medieval circumstances) (with stealth- and socialization-based abilities), magic user (powerful magical abilities, but physically weak), and Cleric (healing and supportive magical abilities, and minor combat abilities). Non-fantasy role-playing games often fill the place of the magic user with psychic- or scientist-like classes, and the Cleric (healing class) with a medic or similarly supportive role.

There can also be "hybrid"-character classes such as the Bard (Dungeons & Dragons), a cross between the thief and mage with an emphasis on interpersonal skills, mental and visual spells, and supportive magical abilities - such as singing a positive stats-aiding song, or the Paladin, a cross between the fighter and cleric with slightly decreased combat skills (although still formidable, but more shield-aimed) but various innate abilities that are used to heal or protect allies and repel and/or smite evil opponents.

In electronic RPGs, such as the Final Fantasy series, character classes can be grouped similarly by characteristics like relative physical/magical/special attack/defense power, but distinguished by their skills and equipment. Among the generally physicall strong character classes (and their common traits) are classes like knight (broadswords), monk ("buildup" and "kick" skills), dragoon ("jump" and spears) and berserker (uncontrollable character) and there are various types of mages (black for mainly offensive magic, white for holy and mainly curative magic, blue for magic learned by experience/observation, summoner for calling creatures). There are also "other" classes, such as thief ("steal" and "mug" skills and high speed), dancer (ability to equip ribbons), bard (musical instruments as weapons and songs that alter statuses), and scholar (books as weapons and 'seeing' enemy stats and properties).

Classes provide direction and limitations for characters. For example, a thief will usually be provided abilities such as lock picking, but probably would not be able to wield magic as well as a mage (or, depending on the game, possibly not at all). Game designers use the limitations provided by classes to encourage (or enforce) interdependence among characters. Some RPGs restrict the classes a character can choose based on alignment, race, or other statistics, though this is rare among contemporary RPGs.

A common alternative to class-based systems, skill-based systems are designed to give the player a stronger sense of control over how their character develops. In such systems, players choose the direction of their characters as they play, usually by assigning points to certain skills (such as "fighting with a one-handed weapon" or "forgery"). Advancements in class-based systems have sought to provide players similar control by presenting options as the player progresses in level. These options include prestige classes (a form of sub-class that is only available to characters who meet certain prerequisites), multi-classing (advancing a character in two or more classes), and hybrid class/skill systems.

Character class - Classless Characters

Classless games often provide templates for the player to work from, many of which are based on traditional character classes. Many classless games' settings or rules systems lend themselves to the creation of character following certain archetypal trends. For example, in the computer role-playing game Fallout (by some referred to as "the communism of roleplay games", because of that), common character archetypes include the "shooter", "survivalist", "scientist", "smooth talker" and "sneaker", unofficial terms representing various possible means of solving or avoiding conflicts and puzzles in the game. Although Fallout is classless and there is no set limit on how a character's skills can grow or what image they may make the character into, their initial skills are specialized into three selected skills and are based directly on the character's other attributes.

Character class - Non-Role-Playing Games

Outside of role-playing games, some other cooperative games, such as multiplayer tactical shooters, use class-based systems to leverage the emphasis they provide on cooperation. Often, these games also include other elements traditionally found in role-playing games, such as experience points. This is a relatively new "genre", small but growing.

See also

• List of character classes
• Multi

Category: Character classes

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Character class", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki