Adventurer,
hero, brash young hothead—all these names and many more describe that rare and often short-lived character who quests for some distant and impossible goal. He may be seeking a great and powerful magic item. He may be fighting to protect his village from evil. A fighter of this type is often driven by more than a want of gold or fame. Rarely, will he himself know what drives him on his quest. Perhaps it is destiny, perhaps he wants to change the world, perhaps the adventure itself drives him onward. Adventurers are rare, those that live long, rarer still. But a true hero at heart who seeks the greatest of adventures may survive and become a legend.
Suggested Race: Human
Magic: None
Suggested Equipment: Basic melee weapon, simple armor, basic traveling supplies
Artisan
An artisan is someone who makes a living as an artist. While they rarely leave their home city or town, some do travel to sell their work, or to work on commission away from home. They have some business savvy, but are not generally prepared to defend themselves. Depending on their trade or skill, artisans may be rich or poor.
Suggested Race: Human or Dwarf
Magic: None
Suggested Equipment: Tools of the trade
Assassin
Not to confused with mercenaries, assassins have a much darker job. They are vicious killers and highly skilled with many weapons and knowledgeable with poisons. Assassins are often sent after royalty and nobles or people highly ranked in guilds or organizations. Many of the more shrewd assassins try to play their ‘employers’ against each other to get a higher price. It was a job created by humans, but many dark elves found it an interesting occupation and prove more suited for the job in their elven abilities.
Suggested Race: Human, Dark Elf, Half-Elf
Magic: None
Suggested Equipment: Dagger(s), ranged weapon (bow, crossbow, throwing knives or darts), dark clothing, poisons
Bard
A wandering musician who will play for anyone. Be it in the courts of kings and queens, or with a lonely party of adventurers. Most bards are light-hearted folk, looking to cheer people up in dark times. They are rarely fighters, but if the need arises, most traveling bards know enough to take care of themselves.
Suggested Race: Human, Half-Elf, Common Elf
Magic: None
Suggested Equipment: Instrument(s), dagger, basic traveling gear
Cleric
Priests are holy men and women who follow the teachings of prophets and worship the ancient gods. Though the gods may have died long ago in the War of the Gods, their spirits still live on within the world. Their power can be seen and felt within all living things and can be called upon to do great works of magic. Priests and clerics have a special form of magic, called Holy or Unholy, which is different for every god and goddess. Some are good, and some are evil. All can be quite powerful.
Suggested Race: Human, Dark Elf (Falaris only)
Magic: Clerical (Holy or Unholy)
Suggested Equipment: Dagger, mace, or staff, uniform robes, holy items and adornments
Commoner
The average man or woman rarely sees war and adventure as a suitable way of life, and relies on the more day to day activities to keep busy. Commoners are farmers, craftsmen, blacksmiths, boatmakers and carpenters. They make up the great bulk of the population. A commoner may find himself in a special situation, requiring him to quickly fall into many other character classes.
Suggested Race: Human
Magic: None
Suggested Equipment: Tools of trade, plain clothes
Fighter
A skilled fighter who can utilize any number of weapon skills and a combination of agility and strength. Fighters often start as adventurers, and have become more seasoned. They differ from warriors who rely more on strength, while fighters are more versatile. Fighters may often be wandering adventurers, or may occasionally hire themselves out as mercenaries.
Suggested Race: Human
Magic: None
Suggested Equipment: Melee weapon, light armor, basic traveling gear
Knight
The knight is an elite soldier of a king. Though his rank and station may seems superior, so are his responsibilities and duty. Knights are bound by codes of honor that they must uphold, or risk being expelled dishonorably from the knighthood. As a knight progresses, and preforms great deeds and acts of courage, he may be dubbed into an order of knighthood such as the Order of the Lance, or the Order of the Lion. The greasiest and most revered title of all is Knight of Lodoss, a title that can only be bestowed by agreement between a majority of Lodoss’s rulers.
Suggested Race: Human
Magic: None
Suggested Equipment: Sword or spear, issued armor, horse or wyvern (in Moss only)
Mage
Wizards, sorcerers, conjurers, enchanters; there are as many types of magic users as there are spells to cast. But mages are rare these days. Only now is the lost knowledge of Kastuul being recovered. Only a few hundred individuals claim to be magicians, and most of them are fakes or too unskilled to be of any use. Yet there are a few with great potential, and even some with great power. Older wizards are always searching for a young student with high potential to pass on the knowledge of ages so it will never be lost again.
Suggested Race: Human
Magic: Sorcery
Suggested Equipment: Staff, robes, tomes
Mercenary
Sword for hire, fighter of fortune, warrior of gold—mercenaries are known by many names and come in every form. They are fighters, indeed, adventurers who lend their sword and skill to the highest bidder. Many take whatever jobs they can get; guarding a town gate, protecting a caravan, policing the streets of a crime infested town. Few are dumb enough to hire into an army, but some do. A few mercenaries are bound by personal codes of honor and only work for noble and honorable nations such as Valis, Flaim, Alan or Moss. But many mercenaries work for pirates, raiders, bandits and even the dark armies of Marmo.
Suggested Race: Human, Half-Elf
Magic: None
Suggested Equipment: Melee and/or ranged weapon, maps, light armor, horse, extensive traveling gear
Merchant
Merchants buy goods and products from farmers and craftsmen, and sell them in markets and bazaars. Many merchants find it more profitable to bring goods from one end of the land to the other, jacking up the price and selling them as rare and exotic commodities. A merchant is always looking for a good way to fatten his purse, but he also has a need to protect his interest. Merchants often hire fighters or mercenaries to guard their caravans or protect their holdings from bandits, thieves, and robbers. Most merchants are poor fighters, but some are skilled in swordsmanship. Many practice sword fighting as a hobby, but they are no match for a true fighter.
Suggested Race: Human
Magic: None
Suggested Equipment: Trade goods, wagon or cart, horse(s)
Nobility
Of high social station, and wielding great wealth and power, the nobleman lives in the lap of luxury, and can afford a great many things other characters cannot. Noblemen such as princes, barons, dukes, and marquis own vast tracks of land and live in the confines of a castle. Lesser noblemen, such as lords and ladies, serve the greater noblemen, yet still enjoy vast power over their servants and vassals, and also live within the protective walls of castles. Not all noblemen, however, are arrogant and pompous. It should not be forgotten that some of the greatest heroes of all time were noblemen. Both King Fahn and King Kashue were high noblemen and Prince Jester of Moss bravely leads the Dragon Rider Knights into great quests of virtue and honor.
Suggested Race: Human
Magic: None
Suggested Equipment: Fine clothes, fine horse
Pirate
The scourge of the seas, pirates prey on other seafarers in the search of riches. They plunder and rape mainly in the ocean between Alecrast and Lodoss. Pirates have their own secret ports across the ocean. Often near small islands, in the Azarns, in secluded coastlines along Alecrast. In Lodoss, they often drop anchor on Blue Dragon Island or the Great Straight Cliff to the west of Raiden. Though Raiden is the city of anarchy, the Raiden Mercantile has the Raiden port heavily guarded against pirate vessels. Pirates do gather in the city and are ferried out to the main ship sea on smaller vessels disguised as innocent fishing ships. Most pirates are skilled fighters, and if they aren’t, they have to learn fast or they’ll die in a raid.
Suggested Race: Human
Magic: None
Suggested Equipment: Melee Weapon
Ranger
Rangers are hunters, woodsmen, survivalists, and elite scouts. They are skilled in the arts of survival, concealment, and tracking. Some are soldiers, some are mercenaries and others it is simply a way of life. Rangers know how to survive for days, even weeks, alone in the wilderness without human contact. They can track their prey, or a foe, through the darkest forest. Rangers are often employed as military scouts or messengers, or to lead a party through a dangerous wilderness. Rangers are often more skilled with a ranged weapon than with a melee weapon, but they usually are familiar with both.
For elven rangers, see below for the Shamanist Ranger class.
Suggested Race: Human, Half-Elf
Magic: None
Suggested Equipment: Bow, short sword or daggers, camouflaging clothing
Rogue
This class lumps together rogue characters that aren’t assassins, mercenaries, or thieves. This is includes bandits, ruffians, and thugs who are not as career-oriented as assassins or mercenaries, nor as righteous as most thieves who only steal for their survival and strive to do as little harm as possible. Rogues can be either good or bad natured, but most only look out for themselves. They could be vicious bandits, or a charming ne’er-do-well who passes from town to town.
Suggested Race: Human, Half-Elf
Magic: None
Suggested Equipment: Melee weapon, light armor
Sage
A person of exceptional intelligence and wisdom, they are generally non-violent, but may know some defensive martial arts or melee with staves. Many mages are also sages, but if they use magic at all, they should be considered a mage. The Sage class is generally reserved for non-magic users.
Suggested Race: Human
Magic: None
Suggested Equipment: Staff or cane, robes
Shaman
This is a non-combatant magic class for elven, centaur, and grassrunner shamans, as well as human spirit-messengers. Shamans focus mainly on their own spiritual growth. Instead of defending themselves with weapons, they call upon the spirits solely.
Suggested Race: Elf, Half-Elf, Grassrunner, Centaur
Magic: Shamanism
Suggested Equipment: Staff or dagger
Shamanist Fighter
This class is mainly for elven swordsmen/women, but can also include grassrunner and centaur fighters, and even the elusive human spirit messenger. Shamanist Fighters are warrior shamans, as they combine swordplay with their magic. They serve as defenders of the forest, acting as soldiers if needed. Many young elves who chose to venture out of their forests learn sword fighting for a second line of defense, after their shamanism. Most elves prefer a rapier, or similar thin-bladed light sword, and fighters generally do not use bows, or at least not as a main weapon like rangers. They may have a secondary ranged weapon. Deedlit and Pirotess are prime examples of shamanist fighters.
Suggested Race: Elf, Half-Elf, Grassrunner, Centaur
Magic: Shamanism
Suggested Equipment: Rapier or similar light sword, light armor
Shamanist Ranger
Shamanist Rangers are mainly Elves, but Centaurs and Grassrunners can be included in this class. Most elves are knowledgeable about the forests, more so than human rangers. Elven rangers, however, rarely venture forth from their forests and often serve as guards to keep humans and other unwanted visitors out. What makes elven rangers the most unique from humans is the ability for shamanism.
Suggested Race: Elf, Half-Elf, Grassrunner, Centaur
Magic: Shamanism
Suggested Equipment: Bow, rapier or similar light sword or dagger
Soldier
Soldiers are the fighting men of the army. Young, they are hopeful, naive, quick to fight and quicker to die. Old, they are cynical, hard, skilled and scared. It is a soldier’s duty to lay down his life for King and Country, and is not a job for everyone. Being a soldier is a grueling task, and many are rewarded with only death. It is a brutal business and many soldiers turn to brutality as a way to forget the pain they bury inside. But those who fight with honor, those who are smart, skilled and yes, even lucky--they are the ones who become commanders, generals and warlords. It’s a bloody business being a soldier, but if you survive, you always come out on top.
Suggested Race: Human
Magic: None
Suggested Equipment: Issued sword or spear, issued armor, issued gear
Thief
A thief’s profession is a criminal one. He steals not only to survive, but often a thief steals just to best another. Often, thieves are skilled gamblers (and even better cheaters), and well versed in the art of con games. Thieves can never pass up a fat purse or rich treasure, but also know when something looks too good to be true. Thieves are not robbers and make a point of it to anyone who accuses them as such. They take—swiftly, quietly and without harm—from those who carelessly leave their valuables unguarded. Many thieves believe they are serving society—better to steal from them now and show them their weaknesses, than let them live in ignorance!
Suggested Race: Human, Half-Elf
Magic: None
Suggested Equipment: Short sword or dagger, cloak, lockpick kit, throwing knives or other ranged weapon
Warrior
He who lives by his sword, holds no allegiance to any nation, or has any other purpose in life. Warriors are not affiliated with any nation, like knights and soldiers, nor do they hire their sword out like mercenaries—at least not often. Most have a personal code of honor that separates them from rogues such as bandits, and they are far too jaded to be wide-eyed young adventurers. Barbarian warriors, ex-soldiers, former adventurers, reformed criminals or Marmo soldiers, commoners displaced by war often end up in this class. They are separated from other classes by their focus on physical strength and ability to wield heavier weapons. In an adventuring party, warriors can absorb damage that would otherwise incapacitate weaker members of their party.
Suggested Race: Human, Dwarf
Magic: None
Suggested Equipment: Heavy weapon, heavy armor, traveling
