RPGs - A General Overview (Part 7)

                       by James Judge

Okay-dokey, let's get on with the show. Last issue we looked at
the different races present in an RPG and this issue we'll be
looking at the multitude of professions available to you, as well
as what limitations are associated with the professions and races.
Again, I'll be referring to my Ravenloft manual for starters and
adding bits as I see fit.

For the majority of RPGs you'll be presented with a list of six to
eight professions which your character(s) can be. Some games that
are set outside of the standard myth and magic setting, or require
some form of esoteric knowledge of a magical land (such as The
Land), will have extra professions available than the ones I'll be
covering here, so if you do come across something which isn't
'standard', play around with it - you never know, it may have some
hidden benefits.

So, the professions I'll be covering are:
Fighter
Ranger
Paladin
Wizard
Cleric
Thief
Druid
Oh, and remember; in a lot of games you'll get these basic
professions, but they'll be under a different name - in Bloodwych,
for example, the assassins can be equated to a thief and the mage
is, of course, a synonym for a wizard.  Now, you'd've never
guessed that, would you?

FIGHTER

This guy is your basic hunk of muscle - he can pick up a sword,
lop someone's head off and get chatting with the opposite sex (as
they're usually dead handsome and dressed in skin-tight leather)
but as soon as it comes to flexing the old brain they fall flat on
their (well toned) faces.  They're usually able to utilise any
weapon found in the dungeon and cause greater damage to opponents,
thanks to their greater strength. They also usually have high
armour classes as, again thanks to their strength, they are able
to waddle around in huge pieces of plate-armour.

If you like your games short, sharp, lacking in finesse and
including long sharp things, then these are the guys to go for.  A
really great hint is that if you get a new RPG and just want to
test it out get three fighters and a mage (or if it's a one person
affair just get the fighter) and you'll be able to dash through
the first part of any dungeon pretty damned easily - just hack and
hack. You'll sustain a lot of damage and the overall party will be
poor, but at least it gives you a taster of what to expect when
you create your real party.

WIZARD

Along with your plain old fighter this is one of your other four
stock characters that you'll find in 99.999% of RPGs. These guys
are everything a fighter isn't and aren't everything a fighter is.
Decked out in robes (often midnight blue in colour), clasping a
knobbly staff and a couple of scrolls they can chuck fireballs
around a dungeon like no-one's business.

Because they are magically endowed they can't use all that many
weapons (usually only a staff and dagger, if that) and normally
they can't use armour (apart from cloth and leather).  The reason
for this limitation is that you can't have a mage who can beat a
fighter up, and so the makers of RPGs attribute this non-ability
to either their poor strength, or the fact that metal objects (as
found in weapons and armour) interferes with their magical aura,
making it impossible for them to cast spells.

If you like games that are slower than normal, have a degree of
tactics involved and have huge fireworks displays then get as many
mages as possible.  They may seem really wimpy at the start of the
game, but in the latter half of the dungeon they will shine -
often becoming your most important character.  Let's face it - if

you can fry a enemy from afar, who needs to wade in up close with
swords? Saves on the cleaning bills.

Try to include at least one mage in your party. Apart from the
fact that they may (eventually) receive some pretty neat offensive
spells they are also a source of what I call household spells.
These are little spells which you can do without, don't do
anything spectacular but your party will function a hell of a lot
better with them. These include things such as low level healing
spells, light spells, levitation, compass etc. etc. Once you start
using them you won't be able to stop.

CLERIC

Along with the above two professions Clerics also go to form the
magic four stock characters.

These guys are the pontiffs of the RPG world. You know the type of
religious nutter you find at the corner of most major cities
handing out leaflets about the coming of Christ or their fancy new
cult which is worshipping a tortoise.  One small difference with
the RPG variety - they can actually prove there is a God and if
you disagree with them there's little to stop them caving your
head in with a mace. Ouch.

In a way, Clerics are the middle ground between Fighters and
Wizards. They can have big muscles, use armour and can lob spells
around. The differences come in with the weapons they are allowed
to use and the spells they get, as well as the way they cast
spells.

As they are religious, all spells come from their God. This means
that they have a different set of spells than the wizards and the
spells are often more in the healing line of things than the
hurting side (until they become really powerful, then God thinks
'Hmmm, let's give him something to make the enemies quiver where
they stand...'). This is good as they are often the last resort
between keeping your characters alive and well, or constantly
hungry, hurt, cursed and poisoned.

To cast spells clerics often have to pray for them. They may have
received the right to use a spell, but instead of reading it from
a scroll (a la wizard) they'll have to pray to the Lord to
actually get the spell to cast.

Also, because they are of a religious nature, they can't use sharp
weapons - ie swords, daggers, arrows, etc. etc. Dunno why - I read
somewhere that the thought of flesh being ripped asunder is
somehow ungodly to them. Funny bunch is what I say.

THIEF

The final stock character of the fantastic four.  Here you've got
a small character (often dressed in black leather) who wields a
dagger, a pack of cards and likes sneaking along rooftops in the
dead of night and pick-pocketing.  These guys are designed for the
more intricate side of things in the RPG world.  Things like
sneaking through small holes, picking pockets and picking locks,
and all of these are really useful skills to have.

Few restrictions are places upon these characters, but due to
their often diminutive form they won't be stumbling around with a
double headed axe, decked out in plate armour. Instead it's best
to use light armour (leather or studded leather) and small weapons
(dagger or short sword is best) or ranged weapons (sling, throwing
dagger or short bow).

If the game necessitates the use of thieving skills it is often
best to get a dedicated thief so you can perform all of the tasks
better than if your mage has a go at picking a lock. Of course, if
there is no desperate, continuous need for their skills it could
be advisable to get another wizard or warrior and train them up in
the thieving department - thieves can, often, be a waste of time.

RANGER

The other three professions I'll be looking at are really easy to
describe, and often how they act depend on the game you're
playing.

The Rangers are, in my opinion, the warriors of the wild. They
often are like warriors, but don't use as big weapons or as heavy
armour. Instead they go for light weight stuff as they can sneak
around well, having a high level of dexterity. They can also speak
quite a few languages (as they are well travelled) and have great
path-finding skills. The weapons of their choice are ordinary
swords as well as long-bows.

They are harder to play than the above four characters as Rangers
are multi-disciplined and, so, progress more slowly up the levels.
A good choice if you know what you're doing and where you're
going.

PALADINS

After mages these are my favourite character types. Nothing can
beat spouting nonsense with a divine grace, a hefty sword and a
couple of nifty spells to back you up.  These guys are a cross
between warriors and clerics - they use swords and plate armour,
but are dedicated (and I mean DEDICATED) to a God. Imagine a
religious knight and you're there. They are great fighters and,
once they progress up a few levels, have a couple of nifty spells
to lob around too.  Great fun but pretty difficult to play,
especially on table-top RPGs.

DRUIDS

The cleric-ranger hybrid this one. Normally devoted to the nature
deity these people prance around forests semi-naked singing songs
and making love to oak trees (allegedly).

For me these people are something of an enigma. Religious Rangers
who can't use sharp things or eat meat they may be, but what else
do they do? I've never played a game to the end with a druid, so I
can't say how good they are in later levels. I s'pose if you want
a laugh and a challenge get the guys - see what they do for you.

With the above descriptions you should be able to easily fit a
race with a profession. A quick list would be like this:

Fighter - Dwarf/Orc/Human Wizard - Elf/Human/Gnome Cleric -
Human/Dwarf Thief - Halfling/Elf/Human Ranger - Elf/Human Paladin
- Human Druid - Human/Elf/Dwarf

And that, my friends, is that. Over the past fourteen months I
hope that I've given you a little insight as to what exactly RPGs
are and an idea of whether they'll suit you and which games to go
for. I'm sure I've left a lot out (especially on the game side of
things) so any omissions let us know.

Now you've read my guide I'm going to give you the best advice
you'll ever receive - stop reading and start doing. The best
experience you'll ever have with RPGs will be through playing as
many games as possible. Find a game that you like (and can play)
and play around with it. Complete it a couple of times with
different parties to see which professions and races you like -
get used to mapping and fighting as well in an area that you're
familiar with. Also don't be afraid to experiment.  One great
thing with CRPGs is that you've got a save game facility, so if
you're unsure as to whether you should drink from the mould
encrusted flask you can save your game and see what happens. Also
try out as many games as you can - don't be disheartened if you
can't complete one, you'll manage it one day and if you can't
someone should be able to help you.  Learn to play with the
keyboard. For those of you with PCs get hold of a copy of Doom or
a similar game and play it. Not only will it develop your reflexes
you'll hone your sense of direction and get used to using two
hands at once.

Above all enjoy yourself.

So, for the last time....

Happy RPGing!!!





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