What I like is diversity and the way characters complement eachother. My Charname's usually an arcane magic-caster of some sort (Blade, Mage or Fighter/Mage), but what really characterizes AD&D for me is all roles supplement eachother and can be mixed up as well. Melee, magic, buffing, healing, scouting and disarming are roles that can be distributed between 2 up to 6 characters, and my Charname wouldn't survive the Swordcoast on her or his own (I never do Solo's).
In RPGs, both on paper and on the PC, I like to play the "honorable warrior" barbarian/berserker type. Mechanically I like the idea of sacrificing defense for a much stronger offense. From a roleplay perspective I like to play a character who is direct and doesn't dance around a subject with subterfuge and lies. These characters typically hold themselves to a certain standard of "honor" both in combat and when dealing with people, and is very upset when he sees others break this standard.
It might seem stereotypical or boring to some, but I find it refreshing with all the "pixie elf ranger with anime hair" type characters that are so popular nowadays.
I've always considered a cavalier to be my own, personal "canon" for PC, but I find myself swapping around more often than not. In the middle of a F/M run now, with an Avenger Waiting in the wings.
Honestly, thief is the one archetype I have a lot of trouble justifying. I want my PC to be the party's biggest badass -- easy for fighters in BG1 and for casters on BG2/ToB. With thieves, though, I feel like I always have to either babysit my CHARNAME for the whole saga while the rest of the party does the heavy lifting, or multiclass.
Ranger was always my go to class, especially in BG2 with the Stalker.
Nowadays in BG2 because of the lack of decent thieves i tend to play one myself, normally single classed. Occasionally i play a dual or multi.
Other than that, Bards.
Currently running a 4 man party of short folk (eekeeper for illegal race/class combos just because i wanted to) that include a Dwarven Swashie, Halfling Blade, Gnome Assassin and Gnome Bounty Hunter.
Two favorites for me, both of which fall under the Mage heading.
When I play as a Mage, I am a master tactician. I have all the tools I could ever ask for at my disposal (my spellslots and spellbook), and it is simply a matter of configuring and applying those tools correctly to master any situation I may encounter (combat). From the first to the last fight in the game, every single enemy of mine has been bested the moment my character is born.. they just don't know it yet. My mind is my weapon.
When I play as a Sorcerer, I am a font of raw arcane power. Finely crafted tools are unnecessary; any situation can be resolved by liberal application of force. If you can't bring enough force to bear on your own, cheat (use wands/potions/magic items). There is always a level of force against which there can be no defense, and my Sorcerer can always find a way to apply it.
And yes, part of the last sentence about the Sorcerer is ripped off from OOtS.
In PnP, it's a m/t everytime, i just love to be the squishy low level mage with weird specialisation(i had a lot of fun with a diviner one time) saving the day with a totally random almost useless spell that gets a low level party to kill a high level monster meant to make us run! In RPG however, i prefer playing fighters, mostly paladin.
Thief over-all. While I do very much enjoy Arcane magic, in BG, thieves are probably my favorite overall.
Though I actually prefer a T/M multi best. A good mix of non-spell based utility, and the ability to create a devastating opening attack, with slightly better attack presence and weapon choices then a mage gives, allowing me to save my slots for when they're truly needed.
In PnP....I'd probably be a Mage. Thieves are nowhere near as powerful as they are in BG, and while they do bring useful utility to the group, their combat presence is basically non-existent after the first blow. And mages on the other hand, have a ridiculous array of utility and buffs that Baldur's Gate barely hints at the existence of.
I'd still probably be a T/M though. Thieves get a ton of extra xp sources, and while they don't get as many mages get extremely high reward extra xp sources (to help off-set magic item creation xp costs).
Technically it's not a trinity...it's a Quartet. Warrior, Wizard, Rogue, Priest. Each one brings something unique to the party (though in the BG saga, Priests are completely unnecessary, so I do see why you'd think it's a trinity, they're a lot more useful in PnP).
I primarily use Bards which I guess means I'm all for the Thief/Rogue archetype. I like the more dexterous characters who are jack of all trades, master of none. Gives that extra challenge when you are fairly weak with too many options that you can never fully utilize.
Magic casters are too situational and Fighters lack a certain flair to them.
Isn't the "trinity" at least fighter, mage and cleric...?
Pretty sure it's Fighter-Mage-Thief. Just some systems like DnD do split Magic Users into Arcane-Divine. Which also correlates to what @ZanathKariashi said about (Barbershop) Quartet. That's why I added Cleric to the poll. I am very much aware they are an essential part. Just that in lots of other systems/games, a Magic user is able to destroy AND heal with his magic. (take Skyrim, Dragon Age ...)
by the way - i took the F-M-T RPG archetype from tvtropes.org (which is all about storytelling theory)
I usually like playing the berzerker. But after playing around with the Wild mage, i fell in love. Wild surges are good fun, and sometimes really beneficial. You can learn all spells, and spell slots like other mage kits is nice. And as an added bonus, you can make more chaos and destruction than a sorc Imo.
...actually, even though most people like Mages that can launch fireballs, or Fighters to go berserk with a badass weapon, Thieves tend to be underestimated in terms of power. Yes, it's not as straightforward as magic, or hacking with an axe. You do not have base 2 APR and GrandMastery. You can not cast Magic Missiles to no end. Yes, they are good for utility, but save one backstab...
You can do a lot of damage. You just have to be smart about it. You have to use tactics. You have to use dirty tricks. You have to use items lots of other classes can't. You have to utilize your skills that others don't have and use your wits.
Yes. Many people think about a thief as a one-hit pony while in a fight. Backstab and run for it. The thing is - that's just one of Thief's tricks. What about placing traps around an enemy that you suspect to go hostile? Or place traps ahead and then lure the enemy through them and laugh at their corpses trailing your path? Or you can stalk-find actual traps in a dungeon and then carefully lure the enemy to set them off. Or stalk past the enemy and avoid him. Or, if you are a Bounty hunter - stop the enemy and then pelt them with Fireball potions and missiles. Assassins can wreak havoc with their poison and bow. Any thief can pickpocket the key from an enemy and avoid a fight (if he wants to). Or steal all his healing potions - the enemy won't use them anymore. There's a lot to a thief, that you can use to have things your way...
Yes. It is not as easy as a fighter's gameplay, but it tends to be also a lot of fun and satisfaction.
Almost always a mage, with a couple of thief levels, when soloing. It feels like they are getting the most of almost every computer dnd game (not so with desktop). I do have a soft spot for battle/aggressive oriented clerics though. Even tried playing a dex based thief/cleric once (cleric dominant).
Comments
It might seem stereotypical or boring to some, but I find it refreshing with all the "pixie elf ranger with anime hair" type characters that are so popular nowadays.
Honestly, thief is the one archetype I have a lot of trouble justifying. I want my PC to be the party's biggest badass -- easy for fighters in BG1 and for casters on BG2/ToB. With thieves, though, I feel like I always have to either babysit my CHARNAME for the whole saga while the rest of the party does the heavy lifting, or multiclass.
Nowadays in BG2 because of the lack of decent thieves i tend to play one myself, normally single classed. Occasionally i play a dual or multi.
Other than that, Bards.
Currently running a 4 man party of short folk (eekeeper for illegal race/class combos just because i wanted to) that include a Dwarven Swashie, Halfling Blade, Gnome Assassin and Gnome Bounty Hunter.
When I play as a Mage, I am a master tactician. I have all the tools I could ever ask for at my disposal (my spellslots and spellbook), and it is simply a matter of configuring and applying those tools correctly to master any situation I may encounter (combat). From the first to the last fight in the game, every single enemy of mine has been bested the moment my character is born.. they just don't know it yet. My mind is my weapon.
When I play as a Sorcerer, I am a font of raw arcane power. Finely crafted tools are unnecessary; any situation can be resolved by liberal application of force. If you can't bring enough force to bear on your own, cheat (use wands/potions/magic items). There is always a level of force against which there can be no defense, and my Sorcerer can always find a way to apply it.
And yes, part of the last sentence about the Sorcerer is ripped off from OOtS.
In RPG however, i prefer playing fighters, mostly paladin.
In any event... I like to sow chaos and reap destruction...
Though I actually prefer a T/M multi best. A good mix of non-spell based utility, and the ability to create a devastating opening attack, with slightly better attack presence and weapon choices then a mage gives, allowing me to save my slots for when they're truly needed.
In PnP....I'd probably be a Mage. Thieves are nowhere near as powerful as they are in BG, and while they do bring useful utility to the group, their combat presence is basically non-existent after the first blow. And mages on the other hand, have a ridiculous array of utility and buffs that Baldur's Gate barely hints at the existence of.
I'd still probably be a T/M though. Thieves get a ton of extra xp sources, and while they don't get as many mages get extremely high reward extra xp sources (to help off-set magic item creation xp costs).
Technically it's not a trinity...it's a Quartet. Warrior, Wizard, Rogue, Priest. Each one brings something unique to the party (though in the BG saga, Priests are completely unnecessary, so I do see why you'd think it's a trinity, they're a lot more useful in PnP).
Magic casters are too situational and Fighters lack a certain flair to them.
Which also correlates to what @ZanathKariashi said about (Barbershop) Quartet.
That's why I added Cleric to the poll. I am very much aware they are an essential part. Just that in lots of other systems/games, a Magic user is able to destroy AND heal with his magic. (take Skyrim, Dragon Age ...)
by the way - i took the F-M-T RPG archetype from tvtropes.org (which is all about storytelling theory)
Yes, it's not as straightforward as magic, or hacking with an axe. You do not have base 2 APR and GrandMastery. You can not cast Magic Missiles to no end. Yes, they are good for utility, but save one backstab...
You can do a lot of damage.
You just have to be smart about it.
You have to use tactics. You have to use dirty tricks. You have to use items lots of other classes can't. You have to utilize your skills that others don't have and use your wits.
Yes. Many people think about a thief as a one-hit pony while in a fight. Backstab and run for it. The thing is - that's just one of Thief's tricks. What about placing traps around an enemy that you suspect to go hostile? Or place traps ahead and then lure the enemy through them and laugh at their corpses trailing your path? Or you can stalk-find actual traps in a dungeon and then carefully lure the enemy to set them off. Or stalk past the enemy and avoid him. Or, if you are a Bounty hunter - stop the enemy and then pelt them with Fireball potions and missiles. Assassins can wreak havoc with their poison and bow. Any thief can pickpocket the key from an enemy and avoid a fight (if he wants to). Or steal all his healing potions - the enemy won't use them anymore.
There's a lot to a thief, that you can use to have things your way...
Yes. It is not as easy as a fighter's gameplay, but it tends to be also a lot of fun and satisfaction.
That's what I like about being a Thief...
I do have a soft spot for battle/aggressive oriented clerics though. Even tried playing a dex based thief/cleric once (cleric dominant).