Welcome everyone! I’m Sol and today I’m going to help you explore your character, oh and maybe along the way we’ll talk about your roleplaying character too. We’re going to discuss four large archetypes that I see with how people interact with the world and talk about how thinking about these archetypes can improve your life and your gaming. Ready? Let’s go.
In my experience people fall into one of these four categories. You are either a Hero, an Adventurer, an Explorer or a Wanderer. None of these are intrinsically worse than any of the others but knowing which you are (and why) can certainly help you in life and in roleplaying. Let me explain what each one is and how it can relate to both the real world and our gaming experiences.
A Hero is driven by a mission, they generally have some ideal that they adhere to that drives them to take action. This ideal can be concrete or nebulous, so long as it is something deeply personal to the Hero. Often a Hero is reactive, they respond to some call to action or a perceived slight against their ideal and then they take steps to set the world back in alignment with their ideals. Heroes are linked to change, either correcting a change or enacting one.
In the real-world there are more Heroes than you might expect. Heroism isn’t always about facing down dragons or evil wizards, often Heroism comes in small acts of kindness. If you feel like your actions aren’t heroic, I invite you to step back and explore what your ideal is, what mission you have in life. Then once you identify that, seek out opportunities to make those small changes in the world. Often, we wait for the right time, we wait to feel ready. Stop waiting, start acting.
In gaming, if you are making a Hero archetype, consider what motivates them. What ideal or mission drives them. What event caused them to rise up and decide to make a difference? How do they act to make those changes happen? Whether those actions are small or large, consider their commitment to their ideal. Also consider how they could be more active rather than reactive in their Heroism. Once the big bad is slain, what will they do then?
An Adventurer isn’t a Hero, but they are much more active! Adventurers seek excitement, they are drawn to challenges for challenge’s sake, and they reject a passive lifestyle. Many Adventurers aren’t sure what they’re looking for ultimately, and that is because what they seek out is an internal state. They want that thrill; they want the adrenaline. If you always feel like you need to do more outrageous actions to feel fulfillment, this might be you!
In the real-world Adventure seekers are often downplayed as adrenaline junkies. People who put themselves in danger for no real purpose are considered rash and foolish. I feel that Adventurers are the drivers of society, they don’t settle and they want more engagement and action than the status quo provides. Because of this it may be easy to get carried away with frivolous actions, but these are also the people who are sparking action and dynamic thought! If you feel the call to Adventure, I want you to embrace it and ask who you can bring along!
In the world of roleplaying, an Adventurer is what consider the typical player character. Perhaps there is an overarching drive or motive, but for the sake of the game it is window dressing. You can lean into this archetype by embracing the vivacious nature that it conveys. Adventure can be found fighting harpies on a cliff, but it can also be found in the subtle actions of the court! Your adventures can be as grand as imagined or as mundane as finding a new store for your character to get swept away in!
Explorers seem like Adventurers; they both are active and seek out new experiences. Explorers are different, however, in one main regard; they seek out new experiences and knowledge rather than wanting an emotional or physical thrill. Explorers are boundary pushers, there is some baggage with this idea and term, but I reject the colonial aspects that this invokes deliberately. Experiences must only be new to the Explorer, and they can easily embrace and respect the lands and people they encounter. This exploration doesn’t confine itself to the physical world either, the spiritual and mental world is a frontier to be embraced as well!
Explorers in real life are restless, but in a way that differs from Adventurers. Exploration is about discovery; adventure is about excitement. If you find yourself always curious, always wanting to know more, then I call you an Explorer. Whether you look outside yourself, trying new cuisine and travelling to new places, or if you look within and investigate math, science, or religion, you bear this title. To fully actualize this is to bring growth to not just yourself but also society!
In gaming Explorers are pathfinders, seekers of knowledge, and at times busy bodies and pests! The wizard seeking lost spells, the ranger asking what lies over this mountain, the druid watching the trees quietly grow. If you want to make an Explorer shine in game, ask yourself questions about their relationship with novelty and what they will bring back to others around them. How do they share this open minded, generous hearted behavior?
Lastly, we arrive at Wanderers. It would be easy to dismiss this group of folks, but it would be a mistake. A Wanderer may seem lack luster, apathetic and without motivation, but that misses key components of this personality. Wanderers aren’t tied to places; locations hold little appeal to them. What you often see in wanderers is a quiet respect for others and a fierce independence. They move from place to place not because they need new experiences, not because they seek changes, but simply because they are free to do so. They have a boldness of spirit and a self-assuredness that I think is admirable!
A Wanderer in the real world might strike someone as carefree or cavalier, maybe even callous and uncaring of others. Yet spend time with a Wanderer and you will often find that they care more about people than anyone else, they just believe that each person is capable of being content with or without them. A Wanderer makes friends quickly, trusts those friends deeply, and believes that time and distance play no part in the connections forged. If you feel this call, I admire your spirit and encourage you to live that authentic life despite what others might think.
Within roleplaying, a Wanderer might strike you as the side character, the support player that has no story drive. You’d be wrong though; a Wanderer makes the perfect protagonist. Drawn only by their own spirit and motives they can go anywhere, charm anyone and then move on. Nothing drives a story quite like a well played Wanderer. Lean into your belief in independence and freedom, support and love your character’s friends fiercely, but trust them to be fine without you.
I hope you enjoyed this dip back into the gaming side of things! Last month was all about creativity and I am happy to share those tips, but I also want to unite that with the world of tabletop games. Roleplaying is such a rich and rewarding way to explore our relationships and beliefs. If you enjoyed this article, please support me! Writing this blog, developing games, and providing coaching to the community is my full time job and passion, every bit of support allows me to better serve our gaming community.
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