Character Themes: Which is Best?

We've all been there - excited to begin a new campaign, and we start spinning up a new character. The world is on a platter for your new character, you can literally be anything you can imagine. Some of us have a go-to theme that we gravitate toward with each new character, and some of us tend to mix it up and try new things almost on instinct. In this post I will dive in to which theme I personally like the best, and why.

To set the context I'll explain that I have played characters of all different types. I have dipped my toes into the waters of Cleric, Wizard, Sorcerer, Fighter, Creator, Rogue, Shaman, Warlock and more. Of all of the themes I have chosen, one in particular has always managed to catch my eye above all others. The powerful, yet humble; the wise, resilient, caring and often enigmatic.... DRUID!

The Druid is an probably always will be my absolute favorite of the available themes in Rise. There are a few key things that I consider when I create a character, and the Druid theme tends to fit the mold I look for better than others. The top 5 areas I look at when building a new character are:

1. Versatility

2. Battle Prowess

3. Scouting / Stealth

4. Resilience

5. FUN

So let's dive a little deeper into the Druid theme and see how and why it maximizes these key traits (for me, personally) in every game I can imagine playing.

Versatility - To be a truly versatile character, you need to be able to provide for yourself and the group in some way in AND out of battle. While being an offensive specialist or a tanky meat-shield is a definite plus, those more specialized characters may fall short when the party is stranded in the woods and looking for food, shelter, or water. Druids have a very wide skill set, and the ability to interface with all of the elements of nature (both plant and animal alike), I have found that Druids can be one of the most valuable support characters out of battle.

Battle Prowess - This one takes some creativity from the player, but in my experience a Druid can definitely be a master of battle if played correctly. From shape-shifting to manipulating the elements, a Druid can throw out a ton of damage, and while the Druid is not known for carrying a great number of HP, there are plenty of ways to boost your armor or regain HP, not to mention the ability to maneuver around a battle, rather than standing in one place as an easy target.

Scouting / Stealth - This role is usually thought of as the province of the Rogue, but I have been in many games where nobody has created a stealthy character, and the idea of scouting ahead or sneaking into enemy territory might as well be a death sentence if done alone. However, the Druid (using the Primal Heart feature) can shape shift into multiple animals, and if you're flying around as an owl, or slinking through the city streets as a cat, your character is less likely to be spotted and confronted than even the sneakiest of Rogues.

Resilience - Resilience is a bit subjective, because most people don't worry too much about their resistance to Poison or things of that nature as they're far less common than your ability to take a hit from a Great Sword and keep on moving. However, if you've even been caught in a burst of poison gas and nobody in the group can pass their Resilience check, you may have found yourselves face to face with a TPK (total party kill). However, boosting a Druid's natural resistance to poison and other things that attack your Physical Defense provide the benefit of not killing every member of the party with one misstep, and tends to boost up many of the acumen and feature supporting traits that a Druid can use for their other abilities as well.

FUN! - This is the big one, and it should be, right? Why else do we play the game? I have never had as much fun playing Rise as I have when I am flying into the sky as an owl, and then shape shifting into a bear as a fall on top of an Ice Dragon, mouth gaping open spewing lightning. What other Theme can you dive into that lets you do things that are so crazy they just make the GM shake their head and laugh?

There is a ton of fun to be had both in building and in playing your characters, no matter what Theme you choose. My advice would be to take a look at how you play the game, the decisions you make, and what the things are that you wish you could do during a game, and figure out which Theme (or themes) work best for your playing style. Whether you prefer to charge into battle headstrong, slink in the shadows firing arrows, or fly around above the rest of the party providing intel next to "Gina," your friendly blue bird buddy, there is a Theme that fits what you like to do in Rise.

- Have Fun, Be Vigilant, and Stay Gaming -

Jogi