On Friday we comb through our extensive archives to find an older article that we feel deserves another look. From November 30, 2009, Dungeon’s Master once again presents: Playing a Recognizable Archetype.
“What would the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise look like if they were D&D characters?” I’ve asked myself this question numerous times over the last few weeks as I’ve watched old episodes of Start Trek: The Next Generation. It’s an interesting exercise, and it got me thinking about what it would take to play these archetypes in an ongoing camping.
Over the years I have participated in games that borrowed famous characters from familiar stories. It was an interesting way to create new characters and the games were a lot of fun.
The first time we tried this, we played a campaign set around King Arthur and the Knight of the Round Table. We began by doing a little bit of homework so that we could familiarize ourselves with our options. Next we drafted characters. And finally we created our own versions of King Arthur, Sir Lancelot, Merlin and the rest of the Knights. The DM gave us a lot of latitude when it came to playing our characters. All he asked was that we try to stay true to the personality of the legendary figure we’d based our characters upon.
I actually enjoyed having a model upon which to base my PC. I find that the vast choices available when creating a new character are often overwhelming. If you don’t have a particular concept in mind, playing this type of campaign can be comforting. You still have choices, but they fall into much more narrow categories. For example, is Sir Lancelot a Paladin, Warlord, Swordmage, Warden or Fighter? Or is he a different class all together?
Our second attempt at this type of campaign was based on Robin Hood and his Merry Men. Again we did our homework first, drafted and then created characters. Making these PCs was even more challenging than making the Knights of the Round Table. Is Will Scarlet a Ranger (archer), Ranger (melee), Rogue, Bard, Seeker or Fighter? You may be playing a familiar archetype but you’re not necessarily nailed down to one particular interpretation of that PC. It’s up to you to make him your own character.
The Knight of the Round Table and Robin Hood and his Merry Men are just two examples of campaigns I remember playing when I was younger. They were easy to adapt into a D&D game. But if this concept of using familiar archetypes and established characters appeals to you, don’t think that you have to stick to medieval or fantasy based stories. I’ve often thought that a game where the characters are based on Marvel Comic’s X-Men or DC Comic’s Justice League would be cool. Stories set in a more modern or even futuristic setting may require a little bit more interpretation before they work as D&D characters, but it may just lead to some of the best gaming you’ve ever experienced.
Getting back to my original question about the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, here’s how I see them based on the current options available in 4e D&D.
- The Enterprise
House Lyrander’s flag ship, largest and faster air ship in the fleet - Captain Picard
Half-Elf, Bard level 10, Mark of Storm, trained diplomat, war veteran - First Officer, Commander Ryker
Half-Elf, Ranger level 8, explorer, ladies man, con artist - Second Officer, Schema
Warforged, Wizard level 5, perfect memory, quick study, curious about “breathers” - Engineer, Forge
Dwarf, Artificer level 7, tinkerer, builder, terrible with the ladies - Medic, Crusher
Elf, Cleric level 8, healer, war widow - Captain of the Guard, Worf
Goliath, Fighter level 5, war orphan struggling to find an identity, extremely honourable, weapons master - Troi
Kalashtar, Psion level 4, adoptive daughter of house Lyrander scion, social chameleon
Related reading:
- The Justice League of America (JLA) as D&D Characters
- Creating A Character Around A Concept
- D&D Lego
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