History Main / CommonCharacterClasses

[[AC:FPS]]

** Warriors: Soldier (long range), Pyro (short range)

[[AC:RealTimeStrategy]]

[[AC:TabletopGames]]

* The 4th Edition of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' breaks classes down into four categories but with different names: Striker (rogue, Ranger, or damage specialists), Defender (warrior, paladin and defense specialists), Controllers (Wizards and other classes that inhibit enemies) and Leaders (Clerics, Warlords and other classes that assist allies.)

** Rogue: Weak to mediocre fighters, but very good at stealth, especially in cities. Some were also good at fast talking, bribery etc.

** Warrior: plants that cover a short range, dealing high damage per second but are more at risk of being overrun by zombies (Bonk Choy, Chomper, Parsnip etc.)
** Ranger: Plants that shoot or lob things, dealing low to high damage pet second at long range (Peashooter, Cabbage-pult, Bloomerang etc)
** Rogue: Plants that have sneaky/unorthodox method of attacking, usually trap-type (Spikeweed, Celery Stalker etc). Those that deal massive damage but of single use overlaps with Warrior (Squash, Tangle Kelp etc)
** Nuker: Single use massive damage AreaOfEffect plants (Cherry Bomb, Doom-shroom, Jalapeno etc). "Shooting" plants that have their own area of effect, whether shot automatically (Melon-pult, Fume-shroom, Laser Bean etc) or with the player's input (Cob Cannon, Coconut Cannon, Banana Launcher, Missile Toe) overlap with Rangers.
** Support: Plants that produce sun (Sunflower, Sun-shroom, Sun Bean etc), plants that provide defense (Wall-nut, Tall-nut, Infi-nut etc), plants that slow down zombies (Ice plants, Stunion, E.M.Peach etc) and other diverse things (Magnet-shroom's AntiArmor ability, Hypno-shroom's hypnosis ability, Power Lily giving you Plant Food, Intensive Carrot's reviving ability etc).

Also "healer" or "buffer", sometimes known more specifically as "WhiteMage", "priest", or "cleric", they improve their allies' ability to fight without adding much on their own. They may aid teammates by [[TheMedic healing them]] to keep them alive longer, by [[StatusBuff offering bonuses to allies]], or by [[StatusAilment inflicting penalties on enemies]]. Either way, as a variety of SquishyWizard, a support class by himself is [[ShootTheMedicFirst generally easy prey]]. Requires more teamwork than most classes, which can be frustrating on both sides; bad support can bring down a good team, but a team that doesn't protect their support is equally annoying.

!!!Warrior

!!!Rogue

!!!Ranger

!!!Support

!!!Nuker

Also "archer", "gunner", or "sniper", they specialize in [[LongRangeFighter powerful long-range attacks]]. They're generally a GlassCannon, capable of dealing lots of damage to a single target from a safe distance, but aren't very good at defending themselves, especially at close range. Best used to take out high-value or defense-heavy targets while being sure to keep their beefier teammates between them and the enemy.

Also "scout" or "thief", sometimes "ninja", they emphasize speed and/or stealth above all else. This makes them ideal for HitAndRunTactics, given that they're good at both ambushing the enemy and avoiding fights they don't like. Typically a FragileSpeedster, they're usually not sturdy enough to stand up against a direct assault on their own, but are nonetheless valuable for weakening and disrupting the enemy.

May also be called "fighter", "soldier", or some other variation of the theme "guy who fights". Their job is to hit the frontlines and engage in direct combat with the enemy. They tend to be something of a JackOfAllStats complemented by a long list of weapons and armor they can use, though they usually lean toward MightyGlacier as well, being stronger than usual at the cost of being slower than average. The "default" option for many games, they're usually the simplest class to play.

Also "scout" or "thief", they emphasize speed and/or stealth above all else. This makes them ideal for HitAndRunTactics, given that they're good at both ambushing the enemy and avoiding fights they don't like. Typically a FragileSpeedster, they're usually not sturdy enough to stand up against a direct assault on their own, but are nonetheless valuable for weakening and disrupting the enemy.

Also "healer" or "buffer", they improve their allies' ability to fight without adding much on their own. They may aid teammates by [[TheMedic healing them]] to keep them alive longer, by [[StatusBuff offering bonuses to allies]], or by [[StatusAilment inflicting penalties on enemies]]. Either way, as a variety of SquishyWizard, a support class by himself is [[ShootTheMedicFirst generally easy prey]]. Requires more teamwork than most classes, which can be frustrating on both sides; bad support can bring down a good team, but a team that doesn't protect their support is equally annoying.

The class with the most different names and hardest to define, their singular uniting characteristic is the ability to mow down foes, doing lots of damage. Whether they're a mage casting fireballs or a weapons specialist with a heavy machine gun, they can cover lots of ground with area of effect attacks, rapid fire, or both. This makes them especially deadly against large numbers of individually weak enemies. They're usually a GlassCannon unable to take hits and/or a ponderously slow MightyGlacier. In the right circumstances they can wipe out hordes of opponents, but if caught in a bad spot they'll go down like a pile of bricks; thus they're also [[ShootTheMageFirst prime targets]].

* ''Franchise/CallOfDuty'' weapons:

** Nuker: Heavy Weapons Guy (rapid fire), Demoman (area damage), Engineer (sentry gun defends fixed position)

* ''TransformersWarForCybertron'' uses Soldiers (warriors), Scouts (rogues), Scientists (rangers, nukers, or medics), and Leaders (warrior/support).

* Lord of the Rings: Conquest (spiritual spin-off to StarWarsBattlefront) has the Warrior, Scout, and Archer filling the roles of the first three. The Mage is a combination of support and nuker, leaving some to criticize its CompetitiveBalance.

Also "archer", "gunner", or "sniper", they specialize in powerful long-range attacks. They're generally a GlassCannon, capable of dealing lots of damage to a single target from a safe distance, but aren't very good at defending themselves, especially at close range. Best used to take out high-value or defense-heavy targets while being sure to keep their beefier teammates between them and the enemy.

The class with the most different names and hardest to define, their singular uniting characteristic is the ability to mow down foes, doing lots of damage. Whether they're a mage casting fireballs or a weapons specialist with a heavy machine gun, they can cover lots of ground with area of effect attacks, rapid fire, or both. This makes them especially deadly against large numbers of individually weak enemies. They're usually a GlassCannon unable to take hits and/or a ponderously slow MightyGlacier. In the right circumstances they can wipe out hordes of opponents, but if caught in a bad spot they'll go down like a pile of bricks.

Also "healer" or "buffer", they improve their allies' ability to fight without adding much on their own. They may aid teammates by [[TheMedic healing them]] to keep them alive longer, by offering bonuses to allies, or by inflicting penalties on enemies. Either way, as a variety of SquishyWizard, a support class by himself is [[ShootTheMedicFirst generally easy prey]]. Requires more teamwork than most classes, which can be frustrating on both sides; bad support can bring down a good team, but a team that doesn't protect their support is equally annoying.

The class with the most different names and hardest to define, their singular uniting characteristic is the ability to mow down foes. Whether they're a mage casting fireballs or a weapons specialist with a heavy machine gun, they can cover lots of ground with area of effect attacks, rapid fire, or both. This makes them especially deadly against large numbers of individually weak enemies. They're usually a GlassCannon unable to take hits and/or a ponderously slow MightyGlacier. In the right circumstances they can wipe out hordes of opponents, but if caught in a bad spot they'll go down like a pile of bricks.

** Zer0 the Assassin is a Ranger/Rogue.

!!Warrior

!!Rogue

!!Ranger

!!Support

!!Nuker

** Warrior: Assault rifles, submachine guns, and shotguns for frontline fighting.

** Ranger: Sniper rifles.

May also be called "fighter", "soldier", or some other variation of the theme "guy who fights". Their job is to hit the frontlines and engage in direct combat with the enemy. They tend to be something of a JackOfAllStats, though they usually lean toward MightyGlacier as well, being stronger than usual at the cost of being slower than average. The "default" option for many games, they're usually the simplest class to play.

Also "scout" or "thief", they emphasize speed and/or stealth above all else. This makes them ideal for HitAndRunTactics, given that they're good at both ambushing the enemy and avoiding fights they don't like. Typically a FragileSpeedster, they're usually not sturdy enough to carry things on their own, but are nonetheless valuable for weakening and disrupting the enemy.

* The core 3rd Edition ''DungeonsAndDragons'' classes roughly break down as follows:

* Lord of the Rings: Conquest (spiritual spin-off to StarWarsBattlefront) has the Warrior, Scout, and Archer filling the roles of the first three. The Mage is a combination of support and nuker, leafing some to criticize its CompetitiveBalance.

May also be called "fighter", "soldier", or some other variation of the theme "guy who fights". Their job is to hit the frontlines and engage in direct combat with the enemy. They tend to be something of a JackOfAllStats, though they usually lean toward MightyGlacier as well, being stronger than usual at the cost of being slower than average. Though they usually specialize in melee combat, many variants can be quite good at ranged combat as well. The "default" option for many games, they're usually the simplest class to play.

Also "archer", "gunner", or "sniper", they specialize in powerful long-range attacks. They're generally a GlassCannon, capable of dealing lots of damage to a single target from a safe distance, but aren't very good at defending themselves, especially in melee combat (assuming that they're even ''capable'' of melee combat in the first place). Best used to take out high-value or defense-heavy targets while being sure to keep their beefier teammates between them and the enemy.

** Maya the Siren is a Support/Rogue.

** Krieg the Psycho is a pure Nuker.

** Axton the Commando is a pure Warrior.

** Salvador is a Warrior/Nuker.
** Zer0 is a Ranger/Rogue.
** Gaige the Mechromancer is a Support/Rogue.

* ''Franchise/MassEffect'' lets you specialize in combat (soldier), tech (support) and biotics (nuker). Each of the six classes is either purely one of those three (eg, Soldier is combat) or a mix of the two (eg, Vanguard is combat/biotics).