Hero Spotlight #7: The Savage

Not all heroes are shiny, happy civilized people that live in idyllic villages, or metropolitan cities.  Sometimes a hero is what you least expect, and in the tradition of Tarzan and Conan, today we take a look at none other than the Savage.  Savages are heroes that may not necessarily know or care about law or civilized manner, but possess an innate goodness in them that brands them as heroes in their own right.  Free from the limitations of having to fear the repercussions of the law (even if often only due to sheer ignorance,) the Savage cuts straight to the heart of evil and delivers a primal brand of justice.

Hero Spotlight #6: The Penitent

Some people have a lot to make up for, and it’s their efforts to set things right that make them into remarkable characters on their own right.  The strength earned from regret is a powerful motivation and makes for an intriguing and mature character concept.  Whether it’s starting over, or trying to undo something he was responsible for The Penitent is a goldmine of plot hooks and concepts fit for any game.

Hero Spotlight #5: The Specialist

If there’s one thing about players, it’s that they always prefer to have a Unique and Beautiful Snowflake, a character that stands out from the norm by being exceptional somehow.  Nowhere is this more pronounced therefore than in The Specialist.  As indicated by the archetype’s name, The Specialist is a character made to excel at a given (and assumed to be significant) field, and therefore is invaluable when it comes to their field of expertise.

That being said The Specialist is an example of niche protection at its finest.  By isolating a given subset of actions and making that your top priority you outstrip your peers and get to revel in it whenever the situation you’re optimized for comes up and the spotlight’s on you.

Hero Spotlight #4: The Wingman

Continuing with our Hero Spotlight, let’s take a moment to bring notice to the unsung heroes of any adventuring party… the Wingman.  The Wingman is the guy who watches your back, warns you of danger, and makes sure the rest of the team gets the job done, even if he gets none of the glory.  Needless to say every party can benefit from a Wingman.

Hero Spotlight #3: The Lone Wolf

If there’s a heroic archetype that everyone at one point or another has wanted to play, it would be the Lone Wolf.  Popularized by far too many examples of fiction everywhere, the badass, brooding, ultra-competent archetype is also another candidate for cliche.  Compounded with the problem that inconsiderate versions of the Lone Wolf pop up in nearly every gaming group at one point or another and you can see just why GMs usually scrutinize these concepts very closely.