Player Archetype
Hello, and welcome.
To help me get to know you and your playstyle better, it is useful for me to understand the kinds of players I have at the table. This allows me to shape the game’s content, pacing, and activities so they better align with what you enjoy.
Below are several common player archetypes. Please take a moment to read through them and then fill out the Player Archetype Form. there is no wrong answer!! Be sure to select all options that apply. Very few players fit neatly into just one, or even two, categories. If you feel something is missing, please use the Other section to add your own thoughts.
This is not about labeling anyone. It is about understanding each other better so we can create a stronger, more enjoyable game together.
thank you for taking the time to fill out the form! look forward to seeing you at the table.
1. You are motivated less by loot and experience points and more by narrative impact. If given the choice between slaying a dragon to get a hoard of treasure of slaying a dragon to save the innocent towns folk its threatening, You’ll choose going down in history as the savior of the kingdom every time.
2. You love it when pieces of your character’s backstory turn up in the plot. If it makes you feel like your character isn’t just another interchangeable adventurer but a core part of the story. The moment the DM hints that your long lost sibling or ancient enemy is involved you are a hundred percent in.
3. You have trouble getting invested in encounters that feel random or disconnected with the story’s plot. You’re all about battles that have real stakes for the story where you know exactly what’s o the line and how it ties into the larger narrative. If the fight doesn’t push the story forward, its hard for you to care much about the outcome.
Storytellers have overlap with actors, but where actors are focused on embodying their character in the moment, storytellers are thinking the bigger narrative. There are players who are both storytellers and actors but they can be mutually exclusive.
1. You’ve probably rolled investigation more times than the party has rolled initiative. If the DM mentions a dusty old bookshelf, you want to know the titles of the book. You couldn’t sleep at night if you didn’t get to know what was behind that locked door. You listen very closely to the GM’s descriptions of the environment and rooms and are ready to follow up on anything that catches your attention.
2. You are the first one to ask “what do they have on them” after a fight. It just doesn’t feel satisfying to walk away from a hard-earned victory without thoroughly lookin the bodies for treasure, gear, or anything remotely interesting. To you, every encounter is an opportunity to find something new, a rare weapon, some gold, or a clue to some deeper secret.
3. You are the player who lives for a good lore dump, when the DM starts describing the ancient history of a forgotten temple or the intricate carvings on a mysterious obelisk. You are hanging on every word no detail is too small to matter, and you are excited to dive into every unique area or bit of backstory
explorer types have a lot of crossover with problem solver types
1. You’ve developed a unique personality for your character with their own habits and motivations. When you play , you try to step into your character’s shoes and think about how they would react instead of reacting like a person playing a game. Its easy to tell when you’re speaking in character because you use a certain voice or manner of speaking that’s distinct from your natural one.
2. You enjoy roleplaying in-depth conversations and interactions with NPCs and your fellow party members. You are the type to ask the shopkeeper’s name is and hold and in-character conversation about their wares instead of asking the GM whats the inventory and how much.
3. During combat, you might add narrative descriptions to your attacks and actions. Instead of taking two longsword attacks you’ll describe your character’s emotions or fighting techniques, or throw in a dramatic one-liner.
There is a lot of crossovers with the storyteller type.
If you relate to any of these things, you might be…
1. You love combat and you are here for the high of rolling big damage scoring crits and landing that killer final blow. You don’t want to hear your DM say you hit; you want them to make you feel like Legolas skateboarding down the stairs on a shield while he mows down a half-dozen orcs. In your ideal game no session ends without at least one solid fight.
2. You enjoy the thrills of encounters where there is no question about the enemy’s intentions; situations that cant be talked down. There’s something deeply satisfying to you about facing a clear-cut beat the crap out of their opponent.
3. You get a little restless with other players who give lengthy verbal jabs with the villain that you’re going to end up fighting anyway. Sometimes you feel the urge to just attack mid-monologue and save everyone the hassle.
4. You might on occasion indulge in a little eye rolling if the druid tries to use a social skill while you are already engaged with the combatants. Fighters often have a lot of overlap with instigators and optimizers. They are all about making things happen and doing it with maximum impact
1. You love solving puzzles. You don’t mind sitting there at the table working out a letter substitution code, or piecing together a cryptic riddle in real time. You’ve probably got a new York times games subscription and your 325-day wordle streak has prepared you for anything.
2. When talking to NPCs you are the first on to call for an insight check it doesn’t matter if you are chatting a suspicious guardsman or a little girl looking for her lost puppy. If something is off, you’re going to find out about it. For you, every conversation is an opportunity to learn something new or connect some more dots.
3. Weather it’s combat or negotiation, you want a solid plan in place before anyone rolls a single die. You don’t mind if half the session is spent strategizing, especially if it leads to using an obscure item the party found to completely derail the encounter in the most legendary way possible. Problem solvers have a lot of crossover with explorers and often actors or story tellers
1. You have perfected your character build, making sure every ability score, feat, or power choice works in harmony. You’ll probably know the choices for their character over the next few levels regardless of if its for combat, exploration, or ensuring that you will never fail another ability check of a certain time again. You are making sure your character is the very best at something.
2. You love it when your character gets to show off their abilities, that might be dealing crazy damage numbers or the pure joy of telling your GM you cant fail on a certain type of role. You live for those moments when your careful planning pays off.
3. Magic items aren’t just cool loot for you, they are tools for a specific purpose, one particular item might be the important puzzle piece to your build. Having the opportunity to track it down and get it sounds like a lot of fun and engaging quest for you.
Optimizers can have overlap with fighters but don’t get it twisted, they are not the same thing. Where a fighter might love a cinematic description of their heroic moves an optimizer might be perfectly happy with “You deal X points of damage” as long as the number go up. And you can of course optimize for things other than combat such as a social powerhouse and max out charismatic/manipulation abilities. That doesn’t mean they are interested in acting out their intimidation or manipulation though. They may feel like the dice already have that covered.
1. For you being bold and taking risks isn’t just acceptable, its essential planning and caution are for real life; at the game table, you’re here to be a bold hero, taking big swings and seeing what happens.
2. You don’t mind facing negative consequences. In fact, the game isn’t nearly as fun for you with out real stakes. Taking big risks means things could either go really well or really wrong, but that’s what makes it exciting. The payoff or even the failure is what keeps things dramatic and unpredictable.
3. Its crucial that your choices and actions matter in the world you don’t want to be a fly on the wall in an epic story. You want to be a main character driving the plot. If you just wanted to watch things happen, you’d be at the movie theater, not the game table. Instigators often have overlap with fighters and sometimes with explorers.
1. You dig through the rules looking for combinations that no one has thought about to find the perfect niche, You revel in the moment when you can use it in the game.
2. You don’t find the negative in a character that isn’t perfect because it has some very neat tricks that you have spent lots of time pouring over information to see if it will work
3. You probably message your GM regularly to ensure that certain abilities work exactly as you expect them to so you can layer it on with something else.
Scientist have some overlap in the rules understanding that Fighters and optimizers have but their approach is vastly different
To help me get to know you and your playstyle better, it is useful for me to understand the kinds of players I have at the table. This allows me to shape the game’s content, pacing, and activities so they better align with what you enjoy.
Below are several common player archetypes. Please take a moment to read through them and then fill out the Player Archetype Form. there is no wrong answer!! Be sure to select all options that apply. Very few players fit neatly into just one, or even two, categories. If you feel something is missing, please use the Other section to add your own thoughts.
This is not about labeling anyone. It is about understanding each other better so we can create a stronger, more enjoyable game together.
thank you for taking the time to fill out the form! look forward to seeing you at the table.
The Storyteller
The player who isn’t here for some low stakes “monster of the week book club” stuff, but for the lon form, award-winning drama of a game-of-thrones style epic. They want plot twists, character Archs, emotional stakes.1. You are motivated less by loot and experience points and more by narrative impact. If given the choice between slaying a dragon to get a hoard of treasure of slaying a dragon to save the innocent towns folk its threatening, You’ll choose going down in history as the savior of the kingdom every time.
2. You love it when pieces of your character’s backstory turn up in the plot. If it makes you feel like your character isn’t just another interchangeable adventurer but a core part of the story. The moment the DM hints that your long lost sibling or ancient enemy is involved you are a hundred percent in.
3. You have trouble getting invested in encounters that feel random or disconnected with the story’s plot. You’re all about battles that have real stakes for the story where you know exactly what’s o the line and how it ties into the larger narrative. If the fight doesn’t push the story forward, its hard for you to care much about the outcome.
Storytellers have overlap with actors, but where actors are focused on embodying their character in the moment, storytellers are thinking the bigger narrative. There are players who are both storytellers and actors but they can be mutually exclusive.
The Explorer
This is the player that wants to know what is behind every door, under every rock, and in the pockets of every random character they feel like. Explorers are here to soak in the gam setting, to wander off the beaten path and to unearth secrets that probably didn’t exist until the rolled so high on that check.1. You’ve probably rolled investigation more times than the party has rolled initiative. If the DM mentions a dusty old bookshelf, you want to know the titles of the book. You couldn’t sleep at night if you didn’t get to know what was behind that locked door. You listen very closely to the GM’s descriptions of the environment and rooms and are ready to follow up on anything that catches your attention.
2. You are the first one to ask “what do they have on them” after a fight. It just doesn’t feel satisfying to walk away from a hard-earned victory without thoroughly lookin the bodies for treasure, gear, or anything remotely interesting. To you, every encounter is an opportunity to find something new, a rare weapon, some gold, or a clue to some deeper secret.
3. You are the player who lives for a good lore dump, when the DM starts describing the ancient history of a forgotten temple or the intricate carvings on a mysterious obelisk. You are hanging on every word no detail is too small to matter, and you are excited to dive into every unique area or bit of backstory
explorer types have a lot of crossover with problem solver types
The Actor
These are players who love to bring their characters to life at the table taking on their personality, using a certain accent or voice an maybe even doing things like dressing up as their character1. You’ve developed a unique personality for your character with their own habits and motivations. When you play , you try to step into your character’s shoes and think about how they would react instead of reacting like a person playing a game. Its easy to tell when you’re speaking in character because you use a certain voice or manner of speaking that’s distinct from your natural one.
2. You enjoy roleplaying in-depth conversations and interactions with NPCs and your fellow party members. You are the type to ask the shopkeeper’s name is and hold and in-character conversation about their wares instead of asking the GM whats the inventory and how much.
3. During combat, you might add narrative descriptions to your attacks and actions. Instead of taking two longsword attacks you’ll describe your character’s emotions or fighting techniques, or throw in a dramatic one-liner.
There is a lot of crossovers with the storyteller type.
The Warrior/Fighter
The Fighter, adrenaline junkie the parties resident action hero, Fighters are just waiting for their DM to whisper those three sweet little words in their ear, Roll for initiative. They picked out those damage dealing abilities on their character sheet on purpose, and they are damn sure they are going to use them. Why sneak, negotiate, or investigate when you have a big old sword or power that can do the job more efficiently.If you relate to any of these things, you might be…
1. You love combat and you are here for the high of rolling big damage scoring crits and landing that killer final blow. You don’t want to hear your DM say you hit; you want them to make you feel like Legolas skateboarding down the stairs on a shield while he mows down a half-dozen orcs. In your ideal game no session ends without at least one solid fight.
2. You enjoy the thrills of encounters where there is no question about the enemy’s intentions; situations that cant be talked down. There’s something deeply satisfying to you about facing a clear-cut beat the crap out of their opponent.
3. You get a little restless with other players who give lengthy verbal jabs with the villain that you’re going to end up fighting anyway. Sometimes you feel the urge to just attack mid-monologue and save everyone the hassle.
4. You might on occasion indulge in a little eye rolling if the druid tries to use a social skill while you are already engaged with the combatants. Fighters often have a lot of overlap with instigators and optimizers. They are all about making things happen and doing it with maximum impact
The Problem Solver
The player who treats every session like a murder mystery dinner party but with dice. These players are excited to think their way out of every situation. Regardless if that’s guessing which innocent seeming NPC is secretly the big bad or devising a foolproof 14 step plan to avoid combat entirely. For a problem solver, table top is a strategy game1. You love solving puzzles. You don’t mind sitting there at the table working out a letter substitution code, or piecing together a cryptic riddle in real time. You’ve probably got a new York times games subscription and your 325-day wordle streak has prepared you for anything.
2. When talking to NPCs you are the first on to call for an insight check it doesn’t matter if you are chatting a suspicious guardsman or a little girl looking for her lost puppy. If something is off, you’re going to find out about it. For you, every conversation is an opportunity to learn something new or connect some more dots.
3. Weather it’s combat or negotiation, you want a solid plan in place before anyone rolls a single die. You don’t mind if half the session is spent strategizing, especially if it leads to using an obscure item the party found to completely derail the encounter in the most legendary way possible. Problem solvers have a lot of crossover with explorers and often actors or story tellers
The Optimizer
This is the player who dives into the rules and probably knows them as well or better than the game master. Optimizers love to fine tune every aspect of their character for peak efficiency. They are going to stack the perfect combination of skills and abilities and prove that encounter balancing tools are no match for somebody with hyper fixation and access to reddit and youtube accounts.1. You have perfected your character build, making sure every ability score, feat, or power choice works in harmony. You’ll probably know the choices for their character over the next few levels regardless of if its for combat, exploration, or ensuring that you will never fail another ability check of a certain time again. You are making sure your character is the very best at something.
2. You love it when your character gets to show off their abilities, that might be dealing crazy damage numbers or the pure joy of telling your GM you cant fail on a certain type of role. You live for those moments when your careful planning pays off.
3. Magic items aren’t just cool loot for you, they are tools for a specific purpose, one particular item might be the important puzzle piece to your build. Having the opportunity to track it down and get it sounds like a lot of fun and engaging quest for you.
Optimizers can have overlap with fighters but don’t get it twisted, they are not the same thing. Where a fighter might love a cinematic description of their heroic moves an optimizer might be perfectly happy with “You deal X points of damage” as long as the number go up. And you can of course optimize for things other than combat such as a social powerhouse and max out charismatic/manipulation abilities. That doesn’t mean they are interested in acting out their intimidation or manipulation though. They may feel like the dice already have that covered.
The Instigator
The parties Chaos engine, your very own Leroy Jenkins. Instigators are not just here to sit back and observe the story. They are here to stir things up and they want to see the effects of that on the world. Instigators thrive on action even if it means taking risks that could land the whole party in hot water1. For you being bold and taking risks isn’t just acceptable, its essential planning and caution are for real life; at the game table, you’re here to be a bold hero, taking big swings and seeing what happens.
2. You don’t mind facing negative consequences. In fact, the game isn’t nearly as fun for you with out real stakes. Taking big risks means things could either go really well or really wrong, but that’s what makes it exciting. The payoff or even the failure is what keeps things dramatic and unpredictable.
3. Its crucial that your choices and actions matter in the world you don’t want to be a fly on the wall in an epic story. You want to be a main character driving the plot. If you just wanted to watch things happen, you’d be at the movie theater, not the game table. Instigators often have overlap with fighters and sometimes with explorers.
The Scientist
Scientists and Optimizers are certainly close in some regards scientists aren’t motived by playing optimally instead they seek to explore the very core of a game, to find out what can happen. They crave opportunities to get creative they love finding uses for bad spells/abilities. The min maxer looks at a skill as its only option, where a scientist takes an ability and tries to turn it into something far more useful. They seek obscure combinations of abilities. They don’t need to be powerful or even super useful. The scientist wants to explore the possibilities.1. You dig through the rules looking for combinations that no one has thought about to find the perfect niche, You revel in the moment when you can use it in the game.
2. You don’t find the negative in a character that isn’t perfect because it has some very neat tricks that you have spent lots of time pouring over information to see if it will work
3. You probably message your GM regularly to ensure that certain abilities work exactly as you expect them to so you can layer it on with something else.
Scientist have some overlap in the rules understanding that Fighters and optimizers have but their approach is vastly different