| 1 | %% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1515014015016462800 |
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| 4 | [[quoteright:349:[[Franchise/TheElderScrolls https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fighter_mage_thief_7.jpg]]]] |
| 5 | |
| 6 | Most [[RolePlayingGame computer]] and {{Tabletop RPG}}s offer the player a number of [[CharacterClassSystem classes or specializations]] that they can [[AnAdventurerIsYou choose]]. When you think about it, however, most boil down to three major archetypes for character specialization regardless of what they are called. These are: |
| 7 | |
| 8 | * '''Fighter/Warrior''': The MightyGlacier if offensively oriented or StoneWall if a defensive specialist. A physical powerhouse of prodigious strength, the fighter solves problems by dicing or smashing them to bits with mêlèe weapons. These include [[CoolSword swords]], axes, [[CarryABigStick bludgeons]], [[EpicFlail flails]], the occasional spear, and of course [[BareFistedMonk good ol' fisticuffs]] but usually not much in the way of ranged weapons unless firearms are widespread, in which case the Fighter will pick [[MoreDakka automatic weapons]] and [[ShortRangeShotgun shotguns]] or just the [[{{BFG}} Biggest Gun Imaginable]]. This class usually has the best armor along with their powerful weapons, fitting the role of HeavyEquipmentClass and as such, making for an effective tank. [[MagicallyIneptFighter Sometimes has a special weakness to magic.]] Often associated with the colour red. |
| 9 | * '''Mage''': The GlassCannon if offensive or SupportPartyMember if defensive. In {{fantasy}} worlds mages are mighty wielders of arcane or divine magic while in ScienceFiction or "realistic" settings they have [[PsychicPowers psionics]] or [[MagicFromTechnology technology]] of similar power. In any case, the mage has a tendency to [[SquishyWizard die if enemies look at them funny]]. This method of solving problems therefore tends to consist of [[BlackMage blowing them up before they can get too close]] or shaping the battlefield to their benefit. The mage has the ability to take advantage of [[ElementalRockPaperScissors elemental powers]] to exploit the enemy's weaknesses, and may also get a number of utility powers to bypass the stickiest situations. It's also possible for them to use their power to heal, making them TheMedic.[[note]]Some games treat the Healer as a fourth archetype in this setup, either as a cleric or combat medic. In this case, they'll have better healing and defensive abilities than mages (sometimes including access to better armor), but their offensive skills might be weaker, more resource-intensive, or require specialization at the cost of weaker healing.[[/note]] Mages tend to wield either weapons that enhance their abilities like a MagicWand or essentially {{Emergency Weapon}}s, usually a lighter weapon like a knife or handgun. They are often [[ArmorAndMagicDontMix limited to use of light armor or no armor at all]]. Often associated with the colour blue. |
| 10 | * '''Thief/Rogue''': The FragileSpeedster if combat orientated or TheSneakyGuy if not. Quite a bit squishier than the fighter, though not as much as the mage, thieves get around this weakness by finding ways to avoid being hit in the first place. Their methods of solving problems typically involve sneaking by them, [[BackStab stabbing them]] InTheBack, sniping them from a distance, or even [[TalkingYourWayOut talking to them]]. Some Thieves take a more technological approach, sowing chaos on the battlefield by [[TrapMaster deploying mines, turrets, and all manner of gadgets]] that hinder and harm the foe as they fruitlessly try to chase the Thief down. The weapons of choice are usually light weapons like [[DeviousDaggers daggers]] and handguns or ranged weapons like bows, the occasional crossbow, sniper rifle and throwing knives. Survival usually depends on stealth abilities, evasion/speed, weapon range, or a combination of these factors, rather than armor, though they'll still wear better armor than Mages. Often associated with the colour green. |
| 11 | |
| 12 | Some games allocate the skillsets differently, with the ''thief'' being the squishiest and having the highest damage potential and the ''mage'' being middle of the road (usually on the logic that if the thief could take a hit and the mage couldn't, then the thief wouldn't be the one doing all the hiding), for example. Some systems might use fantasy rock-paper-scissors instead of letting each class have their own strengths and weaknesses depending on situation, in which case, generally speaking, fighter bashes thief, mage blasts fighter, and thief blindsides mage. |
| 13 | |
| 14 | Likely, there will be builds that allow the player to mix and match elements of the three paths, but usually it boils down to strength, finesse, and sorcery. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | These may include: |
| 17 | |
| 18 | * ''Fighter + Thief'' = Duelist: Agile individuals focused less on stealth and more on refined combat, combining a fighter's survivability with the thief's agility. Examples include a fighter who dons heavy armor but prefers to duel-wield rather than carrying a shield or heavy two-hander, or a BareFistedMonk who hits like a fighter while dodging hits like a thief. If they have all the strengths of both and another weakness (such as a [[MagicallyIneptFighter lack of magical mojo]]) to offset the balance, they may be a LightningBruiser. |
| 19 | * ''Fighter + Mage'' = MagicKnight: These characters combine the power of might and magic to deadly effect, though their magic is usually limited to status buffs, weapon enchants, and protection spells: things that assist in melee combat rather than a mage's more diverse array. Can also be [[ThePaladin Paladins]], if the magic is focused more on healing or on fighting diabolical or undead foes. SwordAndSorcerer: Combines the two as different characters. |
| 20 | * ''Thief + Mage'' = The mage's utility is combined with the thief's cleverness, which can go a few different ways: |
| 21 | ** {{Druid}}s and [[WitchDoctor Shamans]]: Nature-based casters equipping leather armor and having some degree of melee ability, be it enchanted weaponry or {{Animorphism}}. |
| 22 | ** Nightblades and {{Ninja}}: Deadly assassins who combine agility with magic buffs and spells. |
| 23 | ** MageMarksman: Rangers or gunmen who enchant their ranged weapon and/or cast spells alongside it. |
| 24 | ** Alchemists and [[GadgeteerGenius Engineers]]: Artificers whose constructs effectively function the same as magic (or they ''[[AlchemyIsMagic are]]'' a form of [[{{Magitek}} magic]]), and they're likely handy with a firearm as well. |
| 25 | ** Monks: May fall under this category instead of fighter/thief if they augment melee combat with [[SupernaturalMartialArts chi-based]] magic abilities. |
| 26 | * ''Fighter + Thief + Mage'' = Universalist. A JackOfAllStats, which risks being a MasterOfNone if the skills don't have synergy. On the other hand, if they ''do'' overlap, you'll find yourself having a magic-slinging MasterOfAll with a stats total up the wazoo; in short, a GameBreaker. More balanced examples may have the player specialize in one area while having secondary access to the other two, or have them change forms that lock them into one specialty at a time. |
| 27 | |
| 28 | This trend stretches back to the grandpappy of all [=RPGs=], ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''. The original edition offered players three main character classes: Fighter (called the [[MostGamersAreMale Fighting]] ''[[MostGamersAreMale Man]]'' at first), Magic User, and Cleric (who [[TheMedic healed the party]], and also dubbed as back-up fighter and/or mage), with the Thief being added soon after in the ''Greyhawk'' supplement. A standard D&D adventure is constructed for a 4-man party consisting of fighter, cleric, wizard, and rogue or their functional equivalents. A lot of [=RPGs=] have followed in their footsteps. |
| 29 | |
| 30 | In a playstyle-based FreudianTrio, typically the hard-hitting, battle-oriented [[BoisterousBruiser Fighter]] serves as the Id. A knowledgable, superstitious [[WizardClassic Mage]] serving as the Superego. Leaving the tricky, self-serving [[StealthExpert Thief]] as the Ego. Of course this [[PowerStereotypeFlip isn't always the case]]. |
| 31 | |
| 32 | Among a BeautyBrainsAndBrawn trio (regardless of gender), typically the Thief with their subtle, agile (and sometimes flashy) playstyle is the Beauty. The Mage, whose core power comes from knowledge and intellect, is the Brains. The Fighter, often brandishing the biggest weapons and strongest physical strength, is of course the Brawn. |
| 33 | |
| 34 | The modern-day equivalent, born thanks to [=MMORPGs=] and the [[DrawAggro "aggro"]] system, would be the DamagerHealerTank trio, which is more centered about team-based combat. Even them, the roles can match up: the stout and heavily-armored Fighter will be the Tank, the magic-aided medical Mage will be the Healer, and the sneaky and deadly Thief will be the Damager. |
| 35 | |
| 36 | SubTrope to ThreeApproachSystem. Compare CombatDiplomacyStealth; and PhysicalMysticalTechnological for other party trios. See also AnAdventurerIsYou for a breakdown of the party-based RPG (especially the MMORPG); as well as ActionHero, ScienceHero, and GuileHero. |
| 37 | |
| 38 | [[noreallife]] |
| 39 | ---- |
| 40 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 41 | |
| 42 | !! Gaming Examples |
| 43 | |
| 44 | [[folder:Action Adventure]] |
| 45 | * The three Assassins Desmond experiences in ''Franchise/AssassinsCreed'' fit this dynamic. Connor is the Fighter, being more muscular and capable of fighting off hundreds of enemies, even being able to counter simultaneous strikes. Altair is the Mage, who reinvented the Assassin Brotherhood into what it is today. Ezio is the Thief, able to move through a variety of environments with the agility of a man half his age. |
| 46 | * ''VideoGame/CrimsonAlliance'' has Gnox the mercenary as the party's tank and physical fighter, Direwolf the spell-slinging wizard, and Moonshadow the assassin and ranged-attack specialist. |
| 47 | * The three Guardians of ''VideoGame/DuskDiver'' each fill a role. Leo is the Fighter, focusing on close-range attacks and breaking enemy defenses; Bahet is the Thief, using fast, wide-reaching attacks with great utility; and Le Vieda is the Mage, destroying enemies from a distance with her guns, and taking care of opponents that are otherwise too fast and erratic to hit easily at melee range. |
| 48 | * ''VideoGame/GhostOfTsushima'' allows Jin Sakai to become one of the three archetypes depending on which skillset you want to develop. Samurai Techniques represent the Fighter, while Ghost Techniques represent the Thief. The Mage archetype is the combination of a FlamingSword (caused by using incendiary oil on a katana) and some offensive Ghost weapons that are thrown from cover, such as the Explosive Arrows and the Black Powder Bomb. |
| 49 | * The allegiances in ''VideoGame/GodOfWarAscension'' fit the broader version of this trope. Ares grants Fighters the ability to deal high physical damage. Hades specializes in the Thief’s stealth-based attacks and cooldown reduction. Zeus gives his followers the Mage’s elemental damage. Poseidon grants the Cleric’s healing and defense skills in exchange for low attack damage. |
| 50 | * The wielders of the three parts of the Triforce in ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'' games fit this dynamic. Ganon, who has the Triforce of Power, generally fights using brute force and sheer, well, power. Zelda, who wields the Triforce of Wisdom, generally uses magic. Link, who holds the Triforce of Courage, tends to fight with a variety of weapons including a bow and arrow, and usually uses quick reflexes and clever strategies to win. These styles carry over into the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' games as well. |
| 51 | * Curiously and fittingly enough, the three main faces of ''VideoGame/LikeADragon'' function like this. |
| 52 | ** Fighter: Kazuma Kiryu. The JackOfAllStats brawler who prefers to let his fists do the talking. Compared to his peers, while he's not above using {{Improvised Weapon}}s, he mostly favors some GoodOldFisticuffs above all else. |
| 53 | ** Mage: Ichiban Kasuga. Being an avid fan of ''Franchise/DragonQuest'', while his default Job is the Freelancer (similar to Kiryu above, which relies on using his fists), the Hero Job fits the Mage part of the trope nicely since it has a mix of elemental spells and support buffs that increase his stats while inflicting status effects on enemies. |
| 54 | ** Thief: Goro Majima. Being the series' resident CombatPragmatist, his signature Mad Dog style takes ConfusionFu to its logical extreme. True to his moniker as the Mad Dog of Shimano, he's one of the most agile and nimble fighters in the series, having mobility options that no other character in the series so far possesses (such as an automatic run after a Finishing Blow or a massive dodge that covers a lot of distance in ''[[VideoGame/Yakuza0 0]]''). |
| 55 | * The ''VideoGame/{{Overlord}}'' games have minions that correspond to fighter (Brown Minions, who can take more of a beating than other minions), mage (Red Minions, who are more fragile but have powerful ranged fire attacks), thief (Green Minions, who are immune to poison and can hide in one place to ambush enemies), and cleric (Blue Minions, who can travel through water and raise slain minions back from the dead) while mixing in ElementalPowers. The Overlord himself is always a MagicKnight. |
| 56 | * The cyberpunk 1997 DOS game ''Project Paradise'' had exactly this combination for the player's party: Raven the Warrior can take a lot of punishment and has the biggest weapons (like machine guns, bazookas, and mines), Damian the Wizard is a mutant spellcaster while Quicksilver the Hacker has lightweight guns and decent HP and can hack computers and unlock doors. The plot plays out like a ''Doom''-style crescendo as the party would face both BadFuture enemies like riflemen and tanks in military bases and DarkFantasy enemies like sorcerers, demons, and dragons in an unholy underworld. |
| 57 | * In ''VideoGame/SekiroShadowsDieTwice'' you are Wolf/Sekiro the Thief (well, [[{{Ninja}} Ninja]]) rescuing Kuro the Mage from Genichiro the Fighter. Eventually you face [[ThatOneBoss Genichiro]] in one of the games' hardest boss battles. This is where the power dynamic really hits home since you'll be forced to use [[CombatPragmatist every trick possible]] to defeat the relentless Samurai. |
| 58 | [[/folder]] |
| 59 | |
| 60 | [[folder:Adventure Game]] |
| 61 | * ''VideoGame/HeroinesQuest'' offers the female version of Warrior, Sorceress, Rogue. |
| 62 | * The ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'' series has Fighter, Magic User (renamed Wizard in later games), and Thief. Unlocking cross-class abilities is possible at the expense of same-class starting abilities, though some quests are class-specific and criticized for it. It's possible to earn the class of Paladin, which amounts to a Fighter who does good things rather than just kill stuff, ''and'' has a FlamingSword to kill stuff with. Appropriately but oddly, there's at least one Paladin quest that is done for the sake of right, with no reward. |
| 63 | ** ''[=QfG=]'' loves to [[{{Anvilicious}} hammer home]] the Paladin's need to be selfless: each game, starting with the second one, has a least one quest where you're either offered a reward that you should turn down, ''or'' you're not offered a reward at all. [=QfG4=] even has a quest where the ''quest'' isn't given to you; you just hear the basics and you're expected to run with it. |
| 64 | *** It is possible to become a paladin if you're playing as a thief, but do any actual thieving ([[spoiler:except to steal an item needed to defeat an elemental]]) and you've lost your chance. |
| 65 | ** Also, Wizard isn't a class, it's a title for academically certified Magic Users, earned in the second game upon graduation from the [[FunWithAcronyms Wizard's Institute of Technocery]]. (As, if you haven't graduated from the school, you shouldn't be able to ''complete'' the second or subsequent games as a Magic User. This becomes part of a "new" character's assumed backstory.) |
| 66 | [[/folder]] |
| 67 | |
| 68 | [[folder:Beat Em Up]] |
| 69 | * ''VideoGame/CastleCrashers'' has three ways to fight, each with its own stat: melee weapons, ranged weapons like bows, and magic spells. |
| 70 | * ''VideoGame/DemonStone'' has three playable characters you can switch between at any time: Rhannek, an armored warrior who fights with a two-handed sword. Zhai, a quick, stealthy half-drow rogue. And Illius, a sorcerer. |
| 71 | * ''VideoGame/DragonsCrown'' has three melee characters and three ranged characters: [[KnightInShiningArmor Fighter]], the MightyGlacier Fighter; [[AmazonianBeauty Amazon]], the GlassCannon Fighter; [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame Dwarf]], the Scrapper Fighter; [[SquishyWizard Wizard]], the Magical DPS; [[LadyOfBlackMagic Sorceress]], the Magical Support; and [[OurElvesAreDifferent Elf]], the FragileSpeedster Thief. |
| 72 | [[/folder]] |
| 73 | |
| 74 | %%[[folder:Collectible Card Game]] |
| 75 | %%VideoGame/ShadowEra uses these as three of the possible kinds of Heroes in the game. |
| 76 | %%[[/folder]] |
| 77 | |
| 78 | [[folder:Fighting Games]] |
| 79 | * ''Franchise/StreetFighter'': |
| 80 | ** The three main heads of Shadaloo in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' showcase this. |
| 81 | *** [[TheBrute Balrog]], a big and brutish boxer who's OnlyInItForTheMoney, is the Fighter. |
| 82 | *** [[EvilOverlord M. Bison]], a power-hungry dictator with PsychicPowers, is the Mage. |
| 83 | *** [[AgentPeacock Vega]], a flamboyant assassin who specializes in a mixture of [[McNinja ninjutsu and Spanish bullfighting]], is the Thief. |
| 84 | ** ''VideoGame/StreetFighterIII'' has the main girls sans Chun Li. |
| 85 | *** Fighter: Makoto, karate girl who uses strong attacks and fights head on. |
| 86 | *** Mage: Elena, nature hero with healing powers. |
| 87 | *** Thief: Ibuki, trained ninja and FragileSpeedster with ranged weapons. |
| 88 | ** ''VideoGame/StreetFighter6'' also has this to an extent with its new main girls sans Manon. |
| 89 | *** Fighter: Marisa, the big hulking MightyGlacier who can cut through [[ImmuneToFlinching Hyper Armor]] like a hot knife through butter while being able to tank incoming attacks. |
| 90 | *** Mage: Lily, a Thunderfoot tribe member [[BlowYouAway who commands the power of the wind]] to enhance her attacks. |
| 91 | *** Thief: Kimberly, a disciple of ''VideoGame/FinalFight'' alumni Guy, is a speedy and agile fighter that specializes in mobility and mix-ups, and literally sneaks up on the player character in World Tour mode. |
| 92 | [[/folder]] |
| 93 | |
| 94 | [[folder:First Person Shooter]] |
| 95 | * It's possible to divide the ''VideoGame/ApexLegends'' like this: |
| 96 | ** Fighters: Ballistic, Bangalore, Fuse, Gibraltar, Mad Maggie, Newcastle, and Rampart. Were all specifically designed to either take or dish out the hardest hits the most. |
| 97 | ** Mages: Catalyst, Caustic, Conduit, Horizon, Lifeline, Seer and Wattson. Work best in supporting roles, as they mostly lack any (or at least heavy-damaging) close-range offensive abilities. |
| 98 | ** Thieves: Ash, Bloodhound, Crypto, Loba, Mirage, Octane, Pathfinder, Revenant, Vantage and Wraith. Have the more mobile tools, designed to create deception and outmaneuver the opponent. |
| 99 | * The typical modern ''{{VideoGame/Battlefield}}'' setup is an interesting manner where all four primary classes have some attributes of the Mage combined with one of the other two: |
| 100 | ** Assault is primarily Fighter with some Mage attributes, dealing decent damage at decent ranges and able to launch rifle grenades to take care of big groups of infantry or light vehicles and [[CombatMedic patch teammates up]]. |
| 101 | ** Engineer is primarily Mage with some Thief, using rocket launchers to blow up enemy tanks, blowtorches to fix friendly tanks, and weak but fast submachine guns to kill soldiers. |
| 102 | ** Support holds the line with heavy fire, Fighter-style, while resupplying allies like a Mage. |
| 103 | ** Recon is the opposite of Engineer, mostly Thief with some Mage attributes, focused more on fighting other on-foot players rather than armor, able to deal damage from afar, and with high damage, keep foes from getting close. |
| 104 | * ''VideoGame/{{Bioshock}}'' takes after System Shock. A character built to use normal weapons is the fighter, a character built to use plasmids is the mage, and a hacker build is the thief. So, you have Gunner, Plasmid-eer, and Hacker. |
| 105 | * The ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands}}'' series does this to a degree with its main characters: |
| 106 | ** ''VideoGame/Borderlands1'': |
| 107 | *** Roland is a Fighter/Mage with specializations in both gun DPS and team support abilities, such as healing and ammo regeneration. |
| 108 | *** Lilith is a Mage/Thief who can teleport in and out of sticky situations as well as augment her already supernatural abilities with elemental damage. |
| 109 | *** Mordecai is a Thief/Fighter with [[GlassCannon spectacular gun and melee damage but poor survivability compared to the others]], requiring him to be more tactical with his movement. |
| 110 | *** Brick is a Fighter/Mage leaning towards nuking with Rocket Launchers, extreme durability, and Melee combat. |
| 111 | ** ''Videogame/Borderlands2'' has similar archetypes but slightly different in some places. |
| 112 | *** Axton is a JackOfAllTrades leaning Fighter who has no real specializations but can lay down deployable cover. |
| 113 | *** Maya is a Mage who can spec into elemental damage, crowd control, and healing. |
| 114 | *** [=Zer0=] is a thief/fighter GlassCannon similar to Mordecai but focuses more on stealthy attacks. |
| 115 | *** Salvador is a pure Fighter that relies on brute force and gun-juggling. |
| 116 | *** Gaige is a Mage/Fighter who summons a robot to do damage for her though she can also specialize in electric attacks and [[PowerfulButInaccurate raw power at the cost of accuracy]]. |
| 117 | *** Krieg is a Fighter/Mage who focuses on melee damage and tanking while also capable of dealing significant fire damage via self-damage. |
| 118 | ** As of ''VideoGame/Borderlands3'' |
| 119 | *** The series can now complete the trio just with playable Sirens, albeit with heavy Mage flavor thanks to the nature of their powers: Lilith's powers focus on stealth and mobility, allowing her to fill the Thief role. Maya's telekinesis lets her manipulate the battlefield and heal her team, making her a pure Mage. Newcomer Amara specializes in melee damage, and her powers manifest as spectral arms to further manhandle enemies, leaving her as the obvious pick for Fighter; even her Phasegrasp, which is functionally identical to Maya's Phaselock, leans decidedly towards the physical rather than purely mystical. |
| 120 | *** On the other playable characters, Zane is a Thief/Mage who focuses on mobility as well as having the ability to equip two Action Skills at once. [=FL4K=] is a Thief/Fighter who can specialize into critical damage as well as [[TheBeastmaster their pets]]. Moze is more of a Fighter who can focus on improving her fire rate, sacrifice her health to boost her shields as well as power up her MiniMech. |
| 121 | ** ''VideoGame/TinyTinasWonderlands'' has six playable character classes for your Fatemaker: Fighter is covered by Clawbringer (focussed on defense and bonus fire and lightning damage, and also gains a wyvern companion) and Brr-serker (focussed on melee and cold damage), Mage is covered by Spellshot (gains stacks of a buff called "spellweaving" that increases spell damage and can provide other bonuses) and Graveborn (has a lot of skills that sacrifice health, but also a demi-lich companion and skills that deal life-draining dark magic damage), and Thief is covered by Stabbomancer (focuses on boosting critical hit rates) and Spore Warden ("ranger" class that focuses on gun damage and long-range abilities, and also gains a mushroom companion). |
| 122 | * ''VideoGame/{{Destiny}}'' downplays this trope with the amount of gunplay on all sides, but in certain ways, the three classes fit into these archetypes with variation based on subclass; |
| 123 | ** Titans in general serve as the Fighter, prioritizing high defense and resilience as well as excelling in hand-to-hand combat. In ''VideoGame/Destiny2'' they gain the Barricade class ability, allowing all Titans to have a defensive option for themselves and allies, with the Rally Barricade also providing a nice reload buff for those taking cover behind it. |
| 124 | *** Strikers play as {{Mighty Glacier}}s, charging in to battle to deliver devastating melee blows as well as being the only class with a solely unarmed Super in the game. Their skill trees focus on sheer, brute strength, making them the least tank-y of the Titan subclasses but easily one of the best damage dealers out of all the classes. In Destiny 2 they become more like {{Lightning Bruiser}}s, being able to close the gap more quickly. |
| 125 | *** Defenders are the {{Stone Wall}}s, preferring to provide support by buffing their allies and erecting shields to protect themselves and others, with their Ward Of Dawn super providing both at the same time. Their successor class in the sequel, the Sentinel, are generally more like {{Mighty Glacier}}s and trades in some of the tanking ability of a Defender for a melee shield throw and melee attacks. |
| 126 | *** Sunbreakers split the difference between Strikers and Defenders, as their Hammer Of Sol super is decidedly offensive but they do have a smattering of abilities designed to rebuff enemies and buff allies. |
| 127 | ** Warlocks in general serve as the Mage, but tend not to be as squishy as is typical of Mage classes. They prioritize devastating shows of force, but tend to make themselves targets as a result and only have one subclass dedicated to support. In the sequel all Warlocks have the Rift class ability which allows all subclasses to have a support in option, putting them better into the Mage role |
| 128 | *** Voidwalkers combine high damage output with surprising resilience due to the melee ability Devour, which refills the Warlock's health on a successful kill. The Attunement Of Hunger Skill Tree in the sequel plays this aspect up, with the ability to chain Devours together to last longer and making their Nova Bomb Super last longer, while the Attunement Of Chaos prioritizes raw damage. |
| 129 | *** Sunsingers are the sole support class for Warlocks, who aid their allies with buffs and heals while debuffing enemies to set up easy kills, as well as having a self-resurrection for their super which can prevent a TotalPartyKill in Strikes and Raids. Their successor class, the Dawnblade, trades in nearly all of the Sunsinger's support role for added offensive power as well as aerial superiority, something no other class and very few enemies can counter. |
| 130 | *** Stormcallers play for keeps and have one of the highest offensive outputs of any class. All of their skills are geared towards causing as much damage as possible, and the Stormtrance super turns the Warlock into a floating avatar of electric death. However, this leaves them with a dearth of support skills, which was made up for slightly with the Attunement Of The Elements skill tree in the sequel. |
| 131 | ** Hunters fit the Thief archetype as well as certain aspects of the Ranger, being hardened wildsmen who prefer to be out in the field and tracking targets. The Hunters gain the dodge class ability in the sequel, which allows them to quickly dodge out of an enemy's line of fire as well as providing a number of buffs, such as automatic reloading or instantly recharging the melee ability. However, they also have the lowest resilience of any class. |
| 132 | *** Gunslingers are the shootiest of the subclasses, with most of their skills rewarding precise aim and buffing certain aspects of gunplay. The Golden Gun super allows them to deal tremendous and precise damage with a flaming revolver, and their melee ability grants them a throwing knife which is the only melee ability capable of giving a precision kill. The Way of the Outlaw Skill Tree in the sequel turns them into a JackOfAllStats, with no one type of damage weighing out over the others but buffing all skills evenly. |
| 133 | *** Bladedancers are the GlassCannon of the Hunters, prioritizing sneak attacks and high, fast damage before getting out of danger. They were also the only class to have an invisibility skill before it was given to the Nightstalkers in the sequel. The Bladedancer's successor, the Arcstrider, plays similarly to the Bladedancer save for their skill trees which prioritize either high damage or increased mobility. |
| 134 | *** Nightstalkers are the main support class for Hunters, with skills and abilities that emphasize subterfuge and trap laying in order to set up easy kills. Thus, they hit the Thief archetype the most out of the Hunter subclasses, with their Voidshot super not even being designed to kill a large group of enemies like nearly every other super but instead tethering them to a fixed point to set up an easy kill on a wide group of enemies at once. |
| 135 | * The three main monsters of ''VideoGame/{{Evolve}}''. Goliath is the close-range bruiser with lots of health, Kraken is the SquishyWizard (compared to the former) with devastating long-range electrical attacks, and the Wraith is fast with dual-blade-like claws and decoy-based abilities but has the lowest health/armor of the three. |
| 136 | * ''VideoGame/SystemShock2'' opens with the main character, a soldier, deciding whether to join the Marines (which specializes in combat), the Navy (which specializes in technical skills), or the OSA (which specializes in psychic powers). While it is possible to get a smattering of cross-training in other class abilities, attempting to be an across-the-board Jack-of-all-trades really will leave you MasterOfNone. |
| 137 | [[/folder]] |
| 138 | |
| 139 | [[folder:Hack and Slash]] |
| 140 | * ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'': |
| 141 | ** The three playable female characters of the series. Trish is the fighter, being a super-strong demon with [[ShockAndAwe lightning powers]] and a fighting style revolving around [[SwordAndFist punches, kicks and the Sparda sword.]] Lady as a LongRangeFighter would be the mage, with guns and bombs as a substitute for magic. Finally, Lucia serves as the thief and is the closest thing to a {{Ninja}} the series has, being a FragileSpeedster knife-wielder with an acrobatic fighting style, and at one point she even infiltrates the villain's lair using a disguise. |
| 142 | ** The three playable protagonists of ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'' would also qualify. Nero is the fighter of the group, possessing a {{BFS}} and using a fighting style that emphasizes quick and brutal attacks. V, as the mage, is a SquishyWizard who uses SummonMagic in battle and is very good at crowd control. Dante retains his [[FlashStep Trickster style]] from previous games and could be considered a thief in that he uses Devil Arms made from demons he defeats - in a sense, he is "stealing" their powers for himself. |
| 143 | * ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'': |
| 144 | ** [[QuirkyMinibossSquad The Winds of Destruction]] can fit into this: Mistral is the mage, using a polearm that can extend into a whip for more reach and her Dwarf Gekkos are akin to familiars. Monsoon is the thief, wielding two sais, uses red phosphorus grenades to disorient and attack Raiden, and can dodge by separating himself. Sundowner is the fighter, armed with two machetes that form scissors and in his fight uses explosive shields and then uses giant lamp posts to bash Raiden with after his shields get destroyed. |
| 145 | ** The game's 3 playable heroes can also fit: Raiden is the mage, having a more versatile moveset and weapons arsenal of weapon. Sam is the fighter with a simpler moveset than Raiden but is overall a lot stronger and has no stealth missions. Bladewolf is the thief with his playable appearance having more emphasis on stealth and his use of throwing knives. |
| 146 | * ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden Sigma 2'': The three playable female characters Rachel, Momiji, and Ayane. Rachel has SuperStrength, fights with a [[CarryABigStick large hammer]] and is the slowest of the three, Momiji is the JackOfAllStats and has strong fire magic and Ayane is the fastest of the three but has the weakest defense. |
| 147 | * ''VideoGame/{{Nioh}}'': The three initial Guardian Spirits count as this. Kato is the Fighter, giving a straight buff to strength and higher damage output. Isonade is the Mage, giving you the ability to see enemies on the radar and jumpstarts you on bringing out the potential of Spirits in general (including his potent healing abilities). Daiba-Washi is the Thief, making it cost less Ki to evade and to use special weapon techniques. |
| 148 | ** William can acquire three locks that each give him different sets of skills that fall under this with Samurai being the Fighter, Ninja being Thief, and Onmyo being the Mage. |
| 149 | [[/folder]] |
| 150 | |
| 151 | [[folder:Idle Games]] |
| 152 | * ''VideoGame/ArmoryAndMachine'' has the Soldier, Inventor, and Hunter skill paths as the Fighter, Mage, and Thief respectively. Soldier skills focus on high raw damage, making it excellent at damaging enemy health but does not at bypassing shields. Inventor skills specialize in [[AntiArmor heavy Shield damage]], allowing it to easily destroy enemy shielding but is [[CripplingOverspecialization less effective against health]]. Finally, Hunter skills do penetrating damage, which [[ArmorPiercingAttack bypasses enemy shielding and hits health directly]] but are generally less damaging than Soldier skills. |
| 153 | * ''Tap Titans 2'' has your heroes, which fall into one of three damage categories: Melee, Spell, and Ranged. This has no extra effectiveness against enemies, but your helmet equipment tends to give a huge boost to one of the three hero types so it is ideal to switch it depending on who your strongest hero is. |
| 154 | [[/folder]] |
| 155 | |
| 156 | [[folder:Mecha Games]] |
| 157 | * In ''VideoGame/SDGundamBattleAlliance'', The playable mechs are categorized into 3 different roles with each having unique role actions. The melee-focused Infighters can activate their role action so they can be ImmuneToFlinching and have the most health making them a MightyGlacier, The long-range Sharpshooters can instantly reload all ranged subweapons and are [[GlassCannon Glass Cannons]] due to having less health but have the highest amount of repair kits by default making them an ideal CombatMedic, and the All-Rounders are a JackOfAllStats with their role action giving them enhanced attack speed for faster combos and [[LagCancel quick cancels]]. |
| 158 | * The ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' series divides its individual units into [[SuperRobotGenre super robots]] (fighters, emphasizing tanking and melee combat), [[RealRobotGenre real robots]] (thieves, emphasizing high mobility and ranged combat), and [[CoolStarship assault carriers]] (mages, emphasizing long-range artillery support and healing allied units). |
| 159 | ** ''VideoGame/ShinSuperRobotWars'' and ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsAlpha'''s R-series units essentially create that set-up. The R-1 is a [[JackOfAllStats general-purpose]] [[TransformingMecha transforming]] [[CloseRangeCombatant melee]] unit (fighter/thief), while the R-2 Powered is a [[MightyGlacier heavily-armored]] [[MoreDakka artillery]] unit (fighter/mage), and the R-3 Powered is a [[FragileSpeedster high-speed]], [[PsychicPowers psychic]] [[LongRangeFighter sniper]] unit (mage/thief). However, what distinguishes them from most other fighter/mage/thief set-ups is their ability to [[CombiningMecha combine into the Super Robot Type-X, or SRX]]. |
| 160 | [[/folder]] |
| 161 | |
| 162 | [[folder:[=MMORPGs=]]] |
| 163 | * ''VideoGame/AgeOfConan'' directly divides its classes into 4 archetypes, "warriors", 'rogues", "priests", and "mages". Classes within these roles get the same set of tortage quests and a talent tree in common. |
| 164 | * ''VideoGame/{{Dragonica}}'' has 4 base classes: Warrior, Magician, Thief, and Archer. Later in the game, you can branch off to a different class. |
| 165 | ** Warriors can choose to be [[SuperToughness knights]](defense) or [[BloodKnight gladiators]](offense) |
| 166 | ** Magicians can choose to be [[TheMedic priests/acolytes]](healing) or [[MagicKnight battlemagi]](attacking) |
| 167 | ** Thieves can choose to be [[LethalJokeCharacter jesters/tricksters]](flashy, direct battling) or [[GratuitousNinja assassins]] (stealthy, battling from afar) |
| 168 | ** Archers can choose to be rangers(high attack, low in skills) or [[NatureHero hunters]](low attack, lots of skills) |
| 169 | * Not so much in the game, but the very high-quality cinematic trailers for ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline'' have the three factions represented by champions in this dynamic: the Daggerfall Covenant by a [[BowAndSwordInAccord Breton Ranger]], the Ebonheart Pact by a [[BarbarianHero Nord Warrior]], and the Aldmeri Dominion by an [[MagicKnight Altmer Battlemage]]. |
| 170 | * ''VideoGame/GuildWars2'' divides its nine "professions" (the term they use for character classes) into the "soldier" professions[[note]]Guardian, Warrior, Revenant[[/note]] (Fighter), the "scholar" professions[[note]]Elementalist, Mesmer, Necromancer[[/note]] (Mage), and the "adventurer" professions[[note]]Ranger, Engineer, and the appropriately named Thief[[/note]] (Thief). Characters are relatively flexible in the roles they fill, but the "soldiers" use the heaviest armor and are more melee-focused, "scholars" use almost all magic skills and only use the lightest armor, and "adventurers" are a bit more ranged focus, with generally more movement and trickery options, and have medium strength armor. |
| 171 | ** Worth noting that there are also three tiers of [[HitPoints base HP value]], allowing the warrior to remain the tankiest of the lot when combined with its heavy armour, and the thief to be as fragile as expected with it being in the lowest tier. This also leads to, perhaps surprisingly, the [[ThePaladin guardian]] having a low level of HP compared to its general toughness: |
| 172 | *** Warrior and Necromancer - 9,212 base HP |
| 173 | *** Revenant, Engineer, Ranger, and Mesmer - 5,922 base HP |
| 174 | *** Guardian, Thief, and Elementalist - 1,645 base HP |
| 175 | * In ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'', there are three main stats: Muscle, Mysticality, and Moxie (in that order), and two classes "attuned" to each stat ([[TheBerserker Seal Clubbers]] and [[TheBeastmaster Turtle Tamers]] for Muscle, [[ChefOfIron Pastamancers]] and [[BarrierWarrior Saucerors]] for Mysticality, and [[DanceBattler Disco Bandits]] and [[MusicalAssassin Accordion Thieves]] for Moxie). The fact that the whole game is basically a parody of the RPG genre makes this a no-brainer. |
| 176 | * ''VideoGame/LaTale'' originally had four character classes, those being the warrior and knight, fighters who specialized in offense and defense respectively, and then wizards and explorers, who fit the stereotypical mage and thief mold. They later added engineers which are something of a JackOfAllTrades. |
| 177 | * ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarOnline'' has three classes: Hunter, Ranger, and Force. Hunters use melee weapons and have high defense, Rangers use ranged weapons and have high evasion, and Forces use [[MagicFromTechnology attack and healing Techniques]]. |
| 178 | ** The ''[[VideoGame/PhantasyStarUniverse Universe]]'' series has four races to pick from: Beast (Brawn), Cast (Skill), Newman (Techniques), and Human (... JackOfAllTrades). The various Class options either serve to lead into CripplingOverspecialization or [[JackOfAllStats balance out race weaknesses]]. The second Portable game even has a basic class that qualifies as the JackOfAllTrades, as its specialty is in single-hand weapons (which every class has at least one or two of). |
| 179 | * ''VideoGame/PhantasyStarOnline2'' returns the original Hunter, Ranger, and Force classes, as well as introducing three specialization classes for the original classes: Fighter ([[LightningBruiser better suited at using smaller, quicker melee weapons]]), Gunner ([[TheGunslinger a ranged class focusing on quick attacks and evasion]]), and Techer (a magic class with more emphasis on offense than support). The later-introduced classes are less clear-cut; the Braver is [[BowAndSwordInAccord a hybrid melee/range class]], the Bouncer is [[MagicKnight a hybrid melee/magic class]], the Summoner is TheBeastmaster who can also cast techs, and the [[PrestigeClass Successor Classes]] Hero and Phantom are hybrids between [[MasterOfAll all three roles]]. |
| 180 | * ''VideoGame/RuneScape'' technically does not have classes, but the time it takes to be proficient in fighting, archery, and magic guarantees that most players fall into one of the three categories. Note that while the fighter and mage are played straight, the "thief" does not use close-range weapons like daggers and throwing knives, they use a bow and arrow coupled with lightweight leather armor. |
| 181 | * ''VideoGame/TheSecretWorld'' has three types of weapons, melee, ranged physical, and magical, which fit the trope somewhat. |
| 182 | ** And while they contain all types (just as a player will eventually learn to use all weapons), the player-available ''factions'' are strongly linked to this trope: one faction formed with goals including assimilating every warrior culture and mastering every form of personal combat and military art, one faction originating with scholars whose methodology involves knowing everything that happens while studying every application of science and sorcery to be able to control everything it sees, and one faction hidden deep in the shadows and poorer sections of the world which has gained utter mastery of trickery, long-term planning, and the GambitRoulette at the expense of its own members having very little understanding of their goals. |
| 183 | * ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft's'' classes easily fall into these archetypes. Mages, Priests, and Warlocks are the three pure spellcasters; Rogues and Hunters fall under Thief, with Outlaw (previously Combat) Rogues more on the Fighter/Thief side; while [[{{BFS}} Arms]] and Protection Warriors are Fighters. Paladins and Death Knights are Fighter/Mage; Shamans are Mage/Thief, and Fury Warriors (the dual-wielding spec) are Fighter/Thief. Monks, Druids, and Demon Hunters have aspects of all three archetypes: Druids shapeshift into forms that specialize in each role, Monks specialize in one with limited access to the other two, and Demon Hunters specialize in agile combat or tanking with magical talents augmenting both. |
| 184 | ** The game's popularity has also brought about the popular term 'Holy Trinity' for the combination of Tank(s), Damage Dealer(s), and Healer(s) needed to complete almost all of its dungeons. If they must each correspond to a different archetype, Tanks would be Fighters, Healers would be Mages, and Damage Dealers would be Thieves. |
| 185 | [[/folder]] |
| 186 | |
| 187 | [[folder:[=MOBA=]]] |
| 188 | * ''VideoGame/Dota2'' has this in the shape of different types of heroes in Strength, Agility, and Intelligence. |
| 189 | ** Strength has the fighters. Strength heroes usually have huge chunks of vitality to tank damage and most of them are physical attackers. |
| 190 | ** Agility has the thieves. They rely on better armors and the Agility heroes are usually built to be fast for the most part (or alternatively relying on range to keep away from the enemies) |
| 191 | ** Intelligence has the mages. Exceeding at mana regeneration, the Intelligence heroes are focused on casting spells and special attacks, and most of them attack from a safe distance. |
| 192 | [[/folder]] |
| 193 | |
| 194 | [[folder:Platform Game]] |
| 195 | * The three player characters in ''VideoGame/TwentyXX'', although they all start with the same HP. Close-up shredder Ace is the Fighter, with a high base damage and a nasty selection of melee weapons, but not much reach. Ranged attacker Nina is generally the Thief; she can hit enemies from a variety of angles, depending on weapon, but doesn't have Ace's raw damage. Power specialist Hawk is the Mage; her basic weapon is a weak and short-ranged whip, but it lets her recover energy to fuel her powers, and she has a selection of unique powers that no one else gets (such as a blast-jump, flamethrower, and seeker missile). |
| 196 | * The three main protagonists of ''VideoGame/AstalonTearsOfTheEarth'' follow this dynamic: |
| 197 | ** Arias the fighter, in exchange for lacking a ranged attack, [[CloseRangeCombatant possesses an incredibly fast melee attack]] and can cut down blue "vines" that other characters have no way of getting past. |
| 198 | ** Algus the mage has a medium-range, medium-speed attack that hits through walls and can be used to activate switches. |
| 199 | ** Kyuli the thief has a slow but long-ranged attack and the ability to WallJump. |
| 200 | * The playable characters across the ''VideoGame/AzureStrikerGunvoltSeries'' fall under these molds to an extent. Kirin, debuting in ''3'', is the Fighter, being the swordswoman with impressive physical capabilities in and out of gameplay, and her [[FightsLikeANormal only innate supernatural powers]] being the ability to seal an enemy's Septima. Gunvolt himself is the Mage, as while he does wield a gun, its primary use is as a medium for his [[ShockAndAwe Azure Striker]] powers, and he displays the most varied set of {{Limit Break}}s among the characters. Even in the third game, Kirin's more supernatural powers like the [[WeaponizedTeleportation Arc Chain]] are a result of borrowing GV's power. Copen, be it in ''VideoGame/AzureStrikerGunvolt2'' or the ''VideoGame/LuminousAvengerIx'' spinoffs, is the Thief. Not only is his fighting style the most acrobatic and aerial-focused of the lot, but he also shows the most usage of gunplay, possesses highly-advanced technology to make up for his lack of supernatural powers, and a staple of his fighting style is "stealing" the powers of bosses he fights to use later. In ''VideoGame/AzureStrikerGunvolt3'', Gunvolt's role as the Mage is reprised, but the Thief role is instead taken by ZedΩ, who is only playable in the DLC Epilogue ATEMS, as while he makes heavy use of his [[PowerOfTheSun Golden Trillion]] Septima, his style revolves more around melee combat compared to GV, and he has increased aerial mobility through his innate [[DoubleJump multiple jumps]] and [[AirDashing air-dashes]]. |
| 201 | * The playable characters in ''VideoGame/BanjoTooie'': |
| 202 | ** Banjo is the fighter. He runs slowly but he can do a SpinAttack with his backpack (that's more powerful than Kazooie's "[[RazorWings Wing Whack]]"), perform a "[[GrievousHarmWithABody Breegull Bash]]" by smashing Kazooie to the ground, and can [[HealThyself heal himself]] using the "Snooze Pack". |
| 203 | ** Kazooie is the thief. She runs much faster than Banjo, [[FragileSpeedster has less health]] when split from Banjo, and can do a powerful "Beak Bomb" that can damage enemies and [[SelfDamagingAttackBackfire sometimes herself]]. |
| 204 | ** Mumbo Jumbo is the mage. He does not run as fast as Kazooie and is not as powerful as Banjo, but he has magic that helps open new areas. |
| 205 | * ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaCircleOfTheMoon'' has a version of this. After beating the game in "Vampire Hunter" mode (which has no perks) you get a code to change your class to Magician mode in the next playthrough. Beating Magician unlocks a code for another class (and so on). |
| 206 | ** 2nd playthrough = Magician Mode (High MP and all abilities from beginning, but low Strength and Defense) |
| 207 | ** 3rd Playthrough = Fighter Mode (High Strength and Defense, but no magic) |
| 208 | ** 4th Playthrough = Shooter Mode (Increases Hearts, which are used for long-range attacks) |
| 209 | ** 5th Playthrough = Thief Mode (Low everything, but insane luck) |
| 210 | * ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaIIIDraculasCurse'' has Trevor as the Fighter, Sypha as the Mage, and Grant as the Thief. Alucard is the odd man out, but the game still fits this nonetheless. |
| 211 | * ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot4ItsAboutTime'' has the three playable characters who aren't Crash or Coco: |
| 212 | ** Tawna is the Thief, who can WallJump and uses a GrapplingHookPistol to move long distances, break crates, and activate objects from afar, and stun enemies. |
| 213 | ** Dingodile is the Fighter, being able to suck up crates and fire them at enemies while having a much larger range on his spin attack compared to Crash. |
| 214 | ** Dr. Neo Cortex is the Mage, who lacks a melee attack but has a TransformationRay to turn enemies into platforms of various types to aid him. |
| 215 | * In ''VideoGame/{{Cuphead}}'', the first three bosses of Inkwell Isle II- [[TheBaroness Baroness Von Bon Bon]], [[MonsterClown Beppi the Clown]], and [[OurGeniesAreDifferent Djimmi the Great]] -fit this trope to a T: Baroness Von Bon Bon is a FlunkyBoss, sending out three random minibosses and backing the third one up with a shotgun before siccing her living castle on you and throwing her own head as a projectile, making her the thief. Beppi the Clown, meanwhile, attacks more directly, from running you over with a bumper car to riding a horse that shoots horseshoes, thus making him the fighter. Finally, Djimmi the Great, being a genie, is of course the mage, using his supernatural powers to [[OneWingedAngel take on strange and unusual forms]] during his fight. Is it any wonder the fandom [[{{Fanon}} likes to portray these three as]] [[PowerTrio best friends]]? |
| 216 | * In ''VideoGame/{{Infernax}}'', the three unlockable bonus characters are [[spoiler:Axcedor, a BarbarianHero version of Alcedor with high attack power; Gardakan, a wizard with long-ranged spells and regenerating mana but [[GlassCannon low defences]] (effectively the game's HarderThanHard mode); and Maxine Gunn, a VideoGame/{{Contra}}-esque hardass [[PurposefullyOverpowered with an M60, infinite ammo and 30 lives]].]] |
| 217 | * ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'': |
| 218 | ** There are several Copy Abilities that are Fighters, Mages & Thieves. |
| 219 | *** The Fighter abilities are Sword, Hammer, Spear & Staff |
| 220 | *** The Mage abilities are Beam, ESP & Mirror |
| 221 | *** The Thief abilities are Whip, Archer, Bomb, Cutter & Ninja. |
| 222 | ** There are several Dream Friends in ''[[VideoGame/KirbyStarAllies Star Allies]]'' that fall into these three categories. |
| 223 | *** The Fighter characters are King Dedede, Meta Knight, Bandana Waddle Dee & Dark Meta Knight. |
| 224 | *** The Mages are the Animals Friends, Marx, Gooey, Ribbon & Adeleine, Magolor, Taranza, Susie & The Jambastion sisters. |
| 225 | *** And the only Dream Friend who is a Thief is Daroach. |
| 226 | * In ''VideoGAme/SlyCooper'', the three main playable characters have unique playstyles that correspond to this: |
| 227 | ** Sly is the Thief, being the most agile of the characters with missions focusing on platforming, stealth, and occasionally disguises. |
| 228 | ** Bentley is the Mage, being a physically frail tech specialist whose missions focus on either hacking or utilizing gadgets and explosives. |
| 229 | ** Murray is the Fighter, being a physical powerhouse whose missions tend to focus on brawling or vehicles. |
| 230 | * The playable trio from ''VideoGame/SpongeBobSquarePantsBattleForBikiniBottom'': |
| 231 | ** Spongebob is the Mage, able to use a versatile set of [[BubbleGun bubble-themed moves]]. |
| 232 | ** Patrick is the Fighter as he can lift and throw heavier objects. |
| 233 | ** Sandy is the Thief, who uses a rope and lasso for both navigation and combat. |
| 234 | * In ''[[VideoGame/{{Valis}} Valis III]]'', the game dynamic has changed from the player controlling Yuko, to now controlling three young women; Yuko, the warrior of Valis is the Fighter, Cham the new character is the Thief, and Yuko's sister Valna is the Mage. |
| 235 | * In ''VideoGame/{{Trine}}'', the Mage can create boxes to use as platforms and [[MindOverMatter use telekinesis to move objects]]; the Thief can [[BuildingSwing swing on certain ceilings]] and use her arrow to shoot targets from afar; and the Fighter is your basic bash-things-with-your-sword character. |
| 236 | * Some games in ''VideoGame/WizardsAndWarriors'' series let you choose between a knight, wizard, and a thief. |
| 237 | [[/folder]] |
| 238 | |
| 239 | [[folder:Puzzle Game]] |
| 240 | * A clever and a bit uncommon interpretation can be seen in "Heroes of Sokoban": the fighter pushes the blocks as in usual Sokoban (except that, being a fighter, he can push a whole row), the thief pulls them, and the magician teleport-swaps with a block on approach. |
| 241 | [[/folder]] |
| 242 | |
| 243 | [[folder:Real Time Strategy]] |
| 244 | * ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquer3TiberiumWars'': The three factions can be categorised into these. GDI are the Fighter, emphasizing on straightforward combat, relying on brute force, and heavy power to win the day. Nod are the Thief, as they specialize on speed, stealth, and high-tech hard-hitting weapons. The Scrin are Mage, utilizing powerful alien technology, with many special abilities like teleportation, mind control, and massive spacecrafts capable of leveling cities. |
| 245 | * The three factional {{Hero Unit}}s in ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerGenerals'' can count. The USA's [[ColonelBadass Colonel Burton]] is the Fighter, walking into the enemy base knife flashing and [[MoreDakka guns blazing]], and walking out with {{Time Bomb}}s exploding behind him. The GLA's [[ColdSniper Jarmen Kell]] is the Thief, staying far away from the front lines and picking off enemy soldiers one by one, sometimes [[SnipingTheCockpit right out of their driver's seats]] while leaving their vehicles for the taking. The Chinese Army's [[TheCracker Black Lotus]] is a more [[SupportPartyMember supportive]] Mage, unable to attack directly but can steal cash, disable vehicles, and capture enemy buildings from range in the blink of an eye with nothing but her laptop. |
| 246 | ** That said, all three have elements of Thief, with the [[InvisibilityCloak mobile stealth]] standard to all three, Colonel Burton's combat knife to backstab unsuspecting soldiers, and Black Lotus's general strategy of infiltration and avoiding combat. |
| 247 | * A variation of this shows up in the real-time strategy/role-playing game hybrid ''VideoGame/KingArthurTheRolePlayingWargame'' for the categorization of the Knights of the Round Table. Your Knights are either Champion, Sage, or Warlord. Champions are the kings of melee battle, having stats and powers designed to smash foes in battle. Sages are the wizards of the game and are your most powerful spellcasters. Warlords are useful generalists designed around improving the governing of a realm, surviving adventures, and boosting your armies rather than directly wreck havoc themselves. |
| 248 | * Modern real-time strategy games like ''VideoGame/{{Starcraft II}}'' has units that can be classified: |
| 249 | ** Fighter = MightyGlacier. Tanks, choppers, and mecha for example. |
| 250 | ** Mage = Ranged, SplashDamage units such as battleships, bombers, and rocket artillery. |
| 251 | ** Thief = LightningBruiser types like Humvees and fighter planes, or sneaky ones like submarines and stealth fighters. |
| 252 | * The heroes of both ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammer'' games are built around the Fighter Mage Thief typology. You have frontline battlers like Tyrion, powerful wizards like Teclis, and sneaky gits like Deathmaster Snikch. Even normal units (like Doomfire Warlocks) and whole factions (Dwarves are almost all Fighter and almost no Mage) have leanings towards these themes. |
| 253 | * ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'' uses this as the base for the RPG-based {{Hero unit}}s. Heroes with the main attribute of Strength tend to be front-line brawlers with lots of hit points or supporting StoneWall heroes with auras and defensive skills, Agility heroes are either sneaky types or ranged, and those that focus on Intelligence are, without exception, casters with powerful spells but not much in terms of physical damage. |
| 254 | ** The Undead heroes subvert this, due to the inherent fragileness of the faction itself. Both of its strength-based heroes, the Death Knight and Dreadlord, are relatively squishy compared to the other factions. One of the better tactics for the Death Knight, for instance, is to stay out of melee fights entirely, taking advantage of their above-average movement speed to keep him out of harm's reach and healing friendly units or sniping enemies using Death Coil. Played straight with the Crypt Lord hero added in the expansion, which has a passive that increases his armor and reflects damage, in addition an ultimate that heals him. |
| 255 | ** There IS one melee int hero, the Goblin Tinker. No ranged STR heroes, though. |
| 256 | ** In a similar vein, it's averted in the case of ''VideoGame/DefenseOfTheAncients''. One of the most common newbie mistakes made is assuming Strength = Tank/Warrior, Agility = Carry/Thief, Intelligence = Support/Mage. The only thing primary attributes determine is which stats gives you 1 damage per point of it. Typically, if a hero has a role contrary to its commonly associated to its stat, it likely means the hero has particularly strong skills and has a different attribute to balance them out. |
| 257 | [[/folder]] |
| 258 | |
| 259 | [[folder:Role Playing Game]] |
| 260 | * In ''VideoGame/AlphaProtocol'' the three main classes you can choose for Mike are analogous to this. Soldier/Commando is the Fighter, specialised in direct combat skills and Toughness. Tech Specialist/Engineer is sort of the Mage, due to its emphasis on gadgets that offer a variety of damage and utility effects, and Field Agent/Spy is the Thief with a focus on stealth and burst damage. |
| 261 | * ''VideoGame/ArcanumOfSteamworksAndMagickObscura'': The game does not have pure character classes, instead having more open-ended character building like in Fallout (see above), but there are still three basic builds: fighter (put the bulk of your points into combat skills), thief (distribute points broadly among stealth and social skills), and wizard (concentrate on willpower, intelligence, and magickal skills). Technology is a unique fourth option; it functions as a prototypical ItemCrafting system, and technological aptitude interferes with your magickal aptitude. However, a "pure" technologist is hard to do, if not impossible; a fighter technologist will need combat skills (whether with a firearm or a mechanical axe) and a stealth technologist will need to know lockpicking (with a technological skeleton key). Later in the game, it's possible to rely entirely on technological minions, however. |
| 262 | * ''VideoGame/BugFables'': Kabbu is the most offense-focused member of the team, Leif has Ice magical abilities, and Vi is focused on rewards while also providing support, such as using a satchel of spare healing items. |
| 263 | * The starting classes of ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' follow this paradigm. Your class affects your starting gear and stats but doesn't stop from, say, a thief from casting spells or a sorcerer wearing heavy armor. |
| 264 | ** The fighters consist of the Warrior, Knight, and Bandit who are kitted for tanking damage or using heavy weapons. |
| 265 | ** The thieves are the Wanderer, Hunter, and Thief, who have higher starting DEX and are geared for archery, light weapons, or critical hits. |
| 266 | ** The mages are the Sorcerer, Cleric, and Pyromancer are more adapted towards casting spells or miracles. |
| 267 | * The main three characters of ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'' features Susie, Ralsei, and Kris as the Fighter, Mage, and Thief respectively. Susie prefers to fight, wields an axe, and has the highest base attack, defense, and HP. Ralsei is the team healer and provides useful spells to pacify the enemies. Kris is the most versatile and can take actions to change the outcome of a battle. |
| 268 | * ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'' series: |
| 269 | ** ''VideoGame/Diablo1997'' provided a breakdown of Warrior, Rogue, and Sorcerer, with later games adding more classes. It also downplays this trope in that any character can potentially learn any magic and use any equipment. |
| 270 | ** Played straight in ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'' with both the main hero classes and followers: the Barbarian, Crusader, and Kormac the Templar represent fighter; The Demon Hunter, Monk, and Lyndon the Scoundrel represent thief; and the Necromancer, Witch Doctor, Wizard, and Eirena the Enchantress represent mage. Fittingly enough, all the fighters rely on strength for their main stat, the mages rely on intelligence, and the thieves rely on dexterity. |
| 271 | * ''VideoGame/DokaponKingdom'', a [[JustForFun/XMeetsY hybrid board game and RPG]], has these as the three default classes. All weapons can be equipped by any class, but certain ones grant special bonuses. |
| 272 | * ''Franchise/DragonAge'' goes in this direction with its classes, having the typical Fighter-Rogue-Mage setup. The playable races are also set up in a similar pattern, with the [[SquishyWizard magical]] [[OurElvesAreDifferent elves]], [[SuperToughness hardy]] [[OurDwarvesAreAllTheSame dwarves]], and [[JackOfAllStats average]] humans. |
| 273 | ** The classical lineup is particularly obvious in the ''Leliana's Song'' DLC, where your party consists of exactly three characters: warrior (Tug, who is, subversively, not the leader, [[spoiler:and Silas]]), mage (Sketch), and thief (Leliana herself). Other [=DLCs=] tend to remove one of the three parts: ''Golems of Amgarrak'' gives you no real mage (unless your PC is one), while ''Witch Hunt'' features no rogues (ditto). |
| 274 | ** The default player characters in each game, if a player does not transfer a custom world state, fit this. [[VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins The Hero of Ferelden]] is an elven warrior, [[VideoGame/DragonAgeII Hawke]] is a mage, and [[VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition the Inquisitor]] is a human rogue. |
| 275 | ** The party in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' is designed in such a way that Hawke will always be part of such a trio regardless of class. |
| 276 | *** At the outset of the prologue, the entire party consists of Hawke and their younger twin siblings, who are a mage and a fighter, so this trope is present if Hawke is a rogue. Alternately, if Hawke is a warrior or mage, they get this trope at the start of Act 1, when the entire party consists of Hawke, Bethany (mage) or Carver (warrior), and Varric (rogue).[[note]]Which twin is present depends on Hawke's class - Carver if mage, Bethany if not.[[/note]] |
| 277 | *** Anders (mage) and Isabela (rogue) are the two party members that have the most impact on the main plot. Hawke completes the trio if they are a warrior. |
| 278 | *** Post-release materials, including ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'', regularly treat Hawke, Varric, and Aveline as a PowerTrio, creating this dynamic if Hawke is a mage. |
| 279 | ** In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'', the starting party lineup gives the player character one member of each class. These are also the only three companions who must be recruited and can never leave the Inquisition, thereby ensuring that you always have access to at least one party member from each class. Later, the choice of [[spoiler:the new Divine comes down to Cassandra (a warrior), Leliana (a rogue), and Vivienne (a mage)]]. Heck, the main villain's followers are [[spoiler:Samson (a warrior), Florianne (a rogue), and Calpernia (a mage) as well]]. |
| 280 | * ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'': |
| 281 | ** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIII'': The original game introduced Fighters and Monks - strong hitters with high defense and low speed - as well as Clerics, Wizards, and Sages - physically fragile wielders of powerful magic - and the SNES remake introduced Thieves - low defense, fantastic speed, and evasion - completing the class triangle. Next games in the series usually included the three classes, or characters fitting each archetype. |
| 282 | ** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestXI'' has the Luminary, Jade, and Sir Hendrik (physically powerful fighters), Serena, Veronica, and Raab (squishy spellcasters), and Erik (swift thief). |
| 283 | * In ''Videogame/DragonsDogma'', you start off as either a Fighter, Mage, or Strider. Later on, you can either change your class into either a specialized version of the original classes (Warrior which focuses on powerful single-hit attacks at the cost of being unable to block or evade attacks, Sorcerers which focus on damaging spells at the cost of healing and Ranger which focus more on bow-wielding over melee) or a hybrid class (Assassin which focuses on versatility and is able to use any melee weapon except 2-handed swords and hammers, Mystic Knight which focuses on defensive spells and countering attacks and Magic Archer which focuses on elemental shots with special effects). The first 6 classes are also useable by [[NonPlayerCompanion pawns]], while the last 3 are exclusive to the Arisen. |
| 284 | * ''Videogame/DragonsDogmaII'' has Fighter and Mage as the starting classes, with Strider being split into two classes: Archer (focuses on the bow) and Thief (focuses on daggers). Sorcerer, Warrior, Mystic Knight (now focusing on using magic to close the distance between the player and enemies) and Magick Archer also return with the new Vocations of Trickster (focuses on illusions to trick the enemies as well as buffing Pawns) and Warfarer (capable of combining weapons from any classes at the cost of lower stats). |
| 285 | * ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'': |
| 286 | ** The series in general has always had this breakdown for Skills. Skills fit into one of three categories: Combat (Fighter), Magic (Mage), and Stealth (Thief). This skill breakdown demonstrates how this trope can be carried on through a purely skill-based character system. Though there are classes presented (prior to ''Skyrim''), the player can arbitrarily select any skills up to the limit and define the class with any name, and that class will still be predominantly combat, magic, or stealth-based. Any class's leaning is subject to change at any time regardless of the name, but because of the series' skill point leveling system, it's as a result of what the player does. If you become more fighter-like it's because you're acting more fighter-like. |
| 287 | ** The series' ten playable races (as of ''Morrowind'') also fit, both into the basic and hybrid class structure. To note: |
| 288 | *** The '''Fighters''' are the Orcs, Nords, and Redguards. The [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Orcs]] specialize in heavy armor and hard-hitting weapons throughout the series, making them {{Mighty Glacier}}s. With their innate [[TheBerserker Berserker]] ability, they can become temporary {{Lightning Bruiser}}s. The [[HornyVikings Nords]] prefer lighter armors and swiftness, while still packing a punch with their weapons. They lean toward the GlassCannon mold, though their natural resistances to [[AnIcePerson Frost]] (and in some games, [[ShockAndAwe Shock]]) magic allow them to hold up defensively against magic. The [[ScaryBlackMan Redguards]] are athletic FragileSpeedster warriors who excel in [[MasterSwordsman swordsmanship]]. While their race [[DoesNotLikeMagic has a distrust of magic users]], they make an exception for Destruction magic which can boost their offensive abilities. |
| 289 | *** The '''Mages''' are the Bretons and Altmer. [[UnevenHybrid Bretons]] get bonuses to all schools of magic, but their real gift is in their inherent ''[[AntiMagic magic resistance]]'' (25% in most games, up to 50% in some). As such, they make for excellent MagicKnight {{Mage Killer}}s. The Altmer are a classic SquishyWizard MageSpecies, blessed with powerful offensive magic abilities and deep natural [[{{Mana}} Magicka]] pools to utilize it, but also being cripplingly ''weak'' to magic defensively. |
| 290 | *** The '''Thieves''' are the Khajiit, Bosmer, and Argonians. The [[CatFolk Khajiit]] have the greatest focus on stealth abilities (to outright avoid combat where possible) and by nature are {{Combat Pragmatist}}s, not afraid to use [[NaturalWeapon their claws]] or utilize HitAndRunTactics. The Bosmer are ForestRanger {{Fragile Speedster}}s with a focus on archery. They can also use {{Druid}}ic "nature magic" in the form of innate abilities such as being able to pacify animals and even incite animals to fight on their side. The [[LizardFolk Argonians]] blend stealthy guerilla warfare tactics with tribal magics. |
| 291 | *** The JackOfAllStats options are the Imperials and Dunmer. Imperials exemplify the idea that HumansAreAverage, getting a mix of natural abilities and making for good cross-class builds. They also gain bonuses to traits like Personality and Speechcraft, making them a good choice for [[HumansAreDiplomats diplomacy first]] style builds. The Dunmer are balanced with an offensively oriented slant across the board, at least through ''Oblivion''. In a bit of GameplayAndStoryIntegration, the destruction of their homeland by the time of ''Skyrim'' has affected the race, pushing some of their competency in "combat" skills toward magic and stealth-oriented skills instead. |
| 292 | ** Although normally invisible to the player, when you start modding around [=NPCs=], especially if you are modding in partners/followers, they strictly grow in skill according to their class. Fortunately, you can custom-build classes for them, as well, to cherry-pick the abilities of your companions. |
| 293 | ** The ''Elder Scrolls'' also has an in-universe example of this trope in the form of the three "guardian constellations" in the in-game zodiac. Each confers benefits suited to their corresponding play styles. |
| 294 | ** In the series' {{Backstory}}, according to one in-game source, [[DeityOfHumanOrigin Talos]] is actually [[MergerOfSouls composed of three men]], each of whom represent elements the archetypes and are each one of the races of Men in Tamriel. [[EternalHero Wulfharth Ash-King]] ([[HornyVikings Nord]], warrior), [[CourtMage Zurin Arctus]] ([[HumansAreDiplomats Imperial]], mage), and [[FounderOfTheKingdom Hjalti Early-Beard/Tiber Septim]] (Breton, thief).[[note]]Or at least, as Hjalti, was born and raised in High Rock, the home of the Bretons.[[/note]] |
| 295 | ** The three gods most important to [[CreationMyth Convention]] also fit the pattern - [[TopGod Akatosh]] is the Fighter, [[TheTrickster Lorkhan]] is the Thief, and [[TheSmartGuy Magnus]] is the Mage. Interestingly, each of the three men mentioned above is empowered by one of these three gods - Hjalti was a [[DivineParentage Dragonborn]], an offspring/fragment of Akatosh, Wulfharth was a [[GodInHumanForm Shezarrine]], a mortal reincarnation of Lorkhan, and Zurin was a skilled manipulator of [[BackgroundMagicField Magicka]], Magnus's legacy in the mortal world - but Hjalti and Wulfharth swap Akatosh and Lorkhan's roles. |
| 296 | ** Among the Daedric Princes you encounter are: [[TheCorrupter Molag Bal]], [[TheMadHatter Sheogorath]] and Nocturnal. |
| 297 | *** Molag Bal is the Fighter, who delights in capturing and torturing mortals. He's the creator of vampires (more specifically the Coldharbor variant) and demands absolute obedience from his worshipers, he even gives you his mace should you please him. |
| 298 | *** Sheogorath is the Mage and a being of many riddles, he tests the player's puzzle-solving skills merely for enjoyment of course. Should you satisfy him, Sheogorath gives you the Wabbajack, an artifact with the most random effects. |
| 299 | *** Nocturnal is the Thief and rightly so, since her patrons rely upon her luck in criminal behavior. She grants her followers special abilities and a cowl, should they prove to be at least loyal toward her. |
| 300 | ** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind Morrowind]]'': |
| 301 | *** No fewer than ''three'' sets of guilds/factions are built around this trope: the Imperial Guilds (Fighters guild, Mages Guild, Thieves Guild), the three Dunmer Great Houses on Vvardenfell (House Redoran, House Telvanni, House Hlaalu), and the three vampire clans on Vvardenfell (Quarra, Aundae, Berne). Interestingly, joining the trio that best fits your character is discouraged -- the vampires aren't really tolerated by ''anyone'', and even discounting them the three Great Houses have (to varying degrees) issues with their Guild counterparts. |
| 302 | *** The Tribunal are a trio of {{Physical God}}s worshiped by the Dunmer. They each fit one of the categories: Almalexia (Fighter), Sotha Sil (Mage), and Vivec (Thief). They replaced the [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Princes]] Boethiah, Azura, and Mephala in the old Dunmeri religion, respectively. |
| 303 | ** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jNT5cMwxw0 Alliance trailer]] for ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline'' features three leaders for the three main alliances, along this dynamic. The Ebonheart Pact is represented by a huge and ''very'' angry-looking Nord with an equally large battleaxe; the Daggerfall Covenant is represented by a black-cloak-and-hood Breton with knife-throwing and acrobatic skills reminiscent of [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedI Altair]]; the Aldmeri Dominion is represented by a High Elf sorceress who calmly vaporizes her enemies with a flick of her wrist. |
| 304 | ** In the series's deepest lore, where CHIM and the Towers start getting involved, there's a recurring theme where three characters play the role of the Rebel (Thief), the King (Warrior), and the Observer (Mage). Most of these instances are when the lore is unable to provide a definitive answer of what happened, as the "story" they follow is structured as so: The King rules and the Rebel, well, rebels against them. They both win, [[UsefulNotes/SchrodingersCat locked in a superposition of both being victorious until the Observer looks to see who won and collapses the other possibility.]] This pattern repeats from the oldest myths (Lorkhan betrays Auriel, Magnus observes Lorkhan successfully tricking the Aedra and escapes) to actual in-game events (Ulfric rebels against Tullius, the player observes whoever they sided with win). |
| 305 | * ''VideoGame/EpicBattleFantasy3'' has the party fall on this dynamic. Matt is the Fighter, as the tanky sword user who specializes in dealing high damage to single opponents. Natalie is the Mage, using a variety of spells with various effects and having access to healing and revival spells. Lance is the Thief, a gunner with a mix of physical and magical skills that provides support to the other two in a number of ways. |
| 306 | * ''VideoGame/FableI'' allows you to invest experience into Strength (health, damage resistance, and melee weapons), Skill (archery, bartering, and stealth), and Will (magic powers). |
| 307 | ** ''VideoGame/{{Fable II}}'' streamlines things further, though still into Strength (melee), Skill (ranged), and Will (magic). It also has heroes as [=NPCs=] that each personifies one of these paths, so the Hero of Strength is big and muscular, the Hero of Will is glowing with magic power, and the Hero of Skill is tall and lanky, just like how the character will look if they specialize in a particular path. |
| 308 | *** Not like anyone would specialize in a single path unless they wanted a SelfImposedChallenge. As Exp is available from numerous sources and upgrade prices scale in such a way as to make purchasing skills from all three branches trivial, [[MasterOfAll there is little disincentive to being a generalist]], which eventually makes the character look like a giant (Skill) glowing (Will) barrel (Strength) with arms and legs (same goes if you're playing as a female). |
| 309 | * ''VideoGame/Fallout4'' features three factions that play to this trope. The Brotherhood of Steel are fighters, who use military tactics, brute force, and ample power armour to clean the commonwealth. Siding with them involves a lot of direct combat. The Railroad are thieves, relying on stealth and clandestine operations to have a chance against their enemies. Siding with them involves a lot of cloak-and-dagger activities. Finally, the Institute are mages: near-magical technology and a decided preference for hanging back and letting their creations do the fighting and spying for them. Siding with them involves a lot of high-tech missions and ample robotic assistance. Oh, [[MeleeATrois and all three are opposed to each other]] [[spoiler:and the player's decision on who to support determines which one is left standing after the dust settles.]] |
| 310 | ** There's also a 4th faction: The Minutemen of the Commonwealth, who the [[PlayerCharacter Sole Survivor]] can help bring BackFromTheBrink. Best described as the "Jack-of-all-Trades", They're largely concerned with Establishing/Defending Settlements and use whatever they can get their hands on to do the job, be it jury-rigged laser rifles (their signature weapon) to old-fashioned artillery cannons. However, they're largely uninvolved with the main conflict, and the other factions tend to look at them with disdain (save for the Railroad, who like what they do but also see them as too short-sighted). [[spoiler:This can be a huge mistake as if the player doesn't join one of the other 3 factions, the Minutemen will instead step up to end the conflict themselves; first by storming the Institute, then forcing the Brotherhood out of the Commonwealth (taking out their flagship, and leadership, in the process), with the Railroad forced into hiding, lest their Synth before Human priorities get them taken out as well.]] |
| 311 | * ''VideoGame/FateExtra'' allows the player to choose one of three servants to fight for him/her. |
| 312 | ** Saber (Fighter): Has the best stat growths in [[MightyGlacier strength]] and endurance, and has skills that are either direct physical damage or add small [[StatusBuff buffs]] to her choices in the game's TacticalRockPaperScissors. |
| 313 | ** Archer (Thief): Specializes in [[JackOfAllStats agility, endurance, and magic]], and has a unique skill set revolving around preparation to use his HyperspaceArsenal, dealing a mix of physical and magical damage. |
| 314 | ** Caster (Mage): Can easily gain levels in [[GlassCannon magic, agility, and luck]], and is the only character whose skills rely almost completely on magical damage and MP recovery. |
| 315 | * ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'': The battle system revolves around three kinds of cards, which loosely follow this trope. Buster cards (Fighter) inflict high consistent damage, Arts cards (Mage) quickly charge your party's [[LimitBreak Noble Phantasms]], and Quick cards (Thief) rely on lucky [[CriticalHit Critical Hits]] to boost their attacks' damage and secondary effects. |
| 316 | * ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'': |
| 317 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'' has the original forms for several of the classes found (in various mutations) throughout the series. Given its dependence on the original D&D, it's hardly surprising. |
| 318 | *** Fighter = [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Fighter]] |
| 319 | *** Thief = [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Thief]] |
| 320 | *** (Black) Mage = [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Mage]] |
| 321 | *** (White) Mage = Cleric |
| 322 | *** (Red) Mage = MagicKnight |
| 323 | *** Monk = Fighter |
| 324 | *** In addition, the Class Change that marked the midpoint of the game would give the magic-users access to more powerful spells and the monk a better attack, but would also grant MagicKnight status to the Fighter (who became the Knight and could use White Magic) and the Thief (who got a major upgrade as the Ninja and could use Black Magic). |
| 325 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVI'' has the main heads of the Empire as this: |
| 326 | *** Fighter: General Leo, frontline badass who uses his skills as a swordsman for head-on combatant. |
| 327 | *** Thief: Kefka Palazzo, insane mage who relies on intelligence, trickery, and manipulation to double-cross the Emperor and achieve his own plans. |
| 328 | *** Mage: Emperor Gestahl, head of the empire, who is a powerful magician and is interested in the magic power of Espers. |
| 329 | *** The three also double as a CombatDiplomacyStealth trio, as they are a military leader skilled in direct combat (Leo), a skilled manipulator with a secret agenda (Kefka), and a charismatic political leader (Gestahl). |
| 330 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' has [[BareFistedMonk Tifa]] (Fighter), [[InconsistentSpelling Aeris]][=/=][[WhiteMagicianGirl Aerith]] (Mage), and [[{{Ninja}} Yuffie]] (Thief). |
| 331 | *** In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake'': Cloud, being a strong physical attacker with a heavy sword and being capable of switching to Punisher Mode, which gives him even more power at the cost of speed, is the Fighter. Tifa is the Thief because she can run very fast, pull off long but not very powerful combos of quick punches and kicks, and dodge enemy attacks easily. Aerith is the Mage because her playstyle revolves entirely around magic: she has the best Magic and Spirit growths, her abilities are all magic-based and she's the most suited character to being the party's healer and caster. Barret could count as a Magic Knight, as he has long-range attacks but a strong build more focused on tanking physical hits. |
| 332 | ** ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIX'', in the Evil Forest, the heroes are Zidane the thief, Vivi the Mage, and Steiner the Fighter-Knight. What's more, is with Vivi's magic Steiner can become a MagicKnight. |
| 333 | * The early ''VideoGame/{{Geneforge}}'' series by Creator/SpiderwebSoftware explicitly follows this trope in its class system, which offers a choice between "Guardian" (Fighter), "Agent" (Thief, albeit with combat magic), and "Shaper" (Mage). Later parts of the series have added new classes, however. |
| 334 | * ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'' gives you [[StarterMon three beginning characters]] from the Knights of Favonius during the prologue: Kaeya, a sword-wielding captain, being the fighter with an OrbitingParticleShield; Lisa, a ranged magic user with designs reminiscent of a witch (particularly a HotWitch); and Amber, a scout using a bow and a DrawAggro plush to distract the enemy. |
| 335 | * ''VideoGame/{{Gothic}}'', The Unnamed Hero can choose his class by joining one of the three factions in the game - including the mixed classes. The Old Camp provides the choice of a Fighter or Firemage career, the New Camp a choice of a Thief or Watermage while the [[Main/EruditeStoner Swamp Camp]] - a Mage type of character. |
| 336 | ** In practice, it's more Fighter, TheBeastmaster, MagicKnight. |
| 337 | * In ''Videogame/GreedFall'' the skill tree is divided into three categories: Warrior, Magic, and Technician (which focuses on guns and alchemy). When first building your character you choose one of the three categories that determine your starting skills and equipment after which you are allowed to build your character however you wish. |
| 338 | * ''VideoGame/JadeEmpire'' has the stats of Body (health and strength), Mind (raises Focus, which allows you to enact BulletTime and use [[strike: special or non-mastered]] weapons), and Spirit (raises Chi, which allows you to heal and use magical martial arts). It's not a traditional breakdown, as there's little stealth involved, but it does provide a basic breakdown between strength, speed, and sorcery. |
| 339 | ** The Imperial Arena fighters include a trio of brothers who fight together and are explicitly stated to have been formed with this dynamic in mind; the stalwart yet simple-minded Sung Bu fights with two swords (the Fighter), the sophisticated mystic Sung Sui switches between a spear and the [[AnIcePerson Ice Shard]] and [[PlayingWithFire Dire Flame]] styles (the Mage), and the most down-to-earth Sung Bo uses the quick Monkey Paw martial style (the Thief). |
| 340 | -->'''The announcer''': Speed, might, and magic will be needed to defeat these brothers three. |
| 341 | * ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'': |
| 342 | ** The first game gives you a choice of attributes at the beginning: Fighter, Mage, and ''Defender''. The latter isn't as strong or agile as the Fighter, but learns defense and [[MoneySpider drop]] related abilities earlier, and has more item slots. The game also makes you give up one of the three, giving the feel of a bit more depth in the trio set-up. The three main party members also map to the three classes, with Sora being the Fighter, Donald being the Mage and Goofy being the Defender. |
| 343 | ** ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' is a straighter example. It has three MagicKnight protagonists, each with a different specialty: Terra specializes in strength, Ven specializes in speed, and Aqua specializes in magic. |
| 344 | ** The ArcVillain PowerTrio are similarly {{Magic Knight}}s with different specialties: [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI Ansem, Seeker of Darkness]] favors spells (Mage); [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII Xemnas]] favors combos (Fighter); and [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Master Xehanort]] favors pragmatism (Thief). |
| 345 | ** Sora's [[SuperMode Drive Forms]] in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' also qualify. Valor Form is the Fighter, allowing Sora to [[DualWielding dual wield]] Keyblades while dealing extra-hard combos. Wisdom Form is the Mage, enhancing Sora's spells by adding additional properties to them and replacing his basic attacks with shooting long-range bullets at enemies. Master Form is the Thief, focusing on speedy air combat and allowing him to DoubleJump out of harm's way. Limit Form is the JackOfAllStats, granting Sora his old powers from the first game, while Final Form boosts his skills to the max. Antiform, meanwhile, is a penalty form. |
| 346 | * ''VideoGame/KingdomsOfAmalurReckoning'' has three paths that you can choose to pursue: Might, Sorcery, and Finesse. However, by putting enough points into the paths, you can unlock a different path that gives you different bonuses, such as becoming a MightyGlacier MagicKnight or a GlassCannon version. You can also switch between paths whenever you want. |
| 347 | * ''VideoGame/KnightsOfAmbrose'': |
| 348 | ** ''VideoGame/KnightBewitched'': Ruth is the fighter, being a Knight and tank for the party, Alduin and Gwen are the Mages, with the latter replacing the former after he becomes an enemy, and Stray and Uno share the role of thief, with them having high agility, however, Uno fits the stereotype better, with a reliance on poisons and daggers, while Stray is an archer. |
| 349 | ** ''VideoGame/{{Absinthia}}'': Sera and Freya are the tanks of the party, Thomas is TheRedMage who uses offense and healing spells, and Jake is the thief who is fast and can inflict ailments. |
| 350 | * ''Videogame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublic'' uses a modified version of the D&D D20 system. Basically, a character can have 3 kinds of features that the user specifically selects: skills, feats, and Force Powers. Each of the 6 classes in the game focuses on one of these. Soldiers focus on feats, while Scouts and Scoundrels focus on different sets of skills. The Jedi classes work like this too, only adding Force Powers to the mix. Guardians are basically Fighters with a few Force Powers; they get lots of access to feats. Consulars are Wizards with [[LaserBlade lightsabers]]. And Sentinels are Thieves that don't steal (skill-focused). |
| 351 | ** The sequel's Prestige Classes play it even straighter, essentially boiling down to a combat monster, an arch-wizard, and a stealthy assassin each with some Jedi or Sith flavour text. |
| 352 | ** The MMORPG sequel ''Videogame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' has four classes for each faction that play pretty much the same for the most part, with each class having an Advanced Class that have two different specializations and one shared between the two. The Jedi Knight/Sith Warrior are Fighters who can become pure tanks (Guardian/Juggernaut) or Dual-wielding [=DPSers=], Jedi Consular/Sith Inquisitors are Mages that can focus purely on Force techniques (Sage/Sorcerer) or be a Mage/Thief mix (Shadow/Assassin), Republic Troopers/Bounty Hunters are ranged Fighters who can focus on tanking (Vanguard/Powertech) or versatility (Commando/Mercenary) and Smugglers/Imperial Agents are the resident Thieves who focus on either stealth and healing (Scoundrel/Operative) or pure ranged damage (Gunslinger/Sniper). |
| 353 | * ''VideoGame/LandsOfLore: The Throne of Chaos'' offered four character choices, one [[JackOfAllStats balanced character]] and three specialized characters following this trope. |
| 354 | * ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsOfColdSteel III''[='s=] New Class VII is made of this trope. It starts with a trio, Juna, Altina, and Kurt, who are exactly this trope, but the new members Musse and Ash join halfway through the game. |
| 355 | ** Juna Crawford, a physical-based MightyGlacier specialized in defense and break damage but with a good physical attack to match, making her a Fighter. |
| 356 | ** Kurt Vander is a FragileSpeedster with a natural bonus in evasion, allowing for an evasion tank build, making him a Thief. |
| 357 | ** Altina Orion specializes in magical skills and Arts, has proficiency in both magical attack and defense, and her Crafts are mostly support, making her a Mage (TheRedMage, to be more specific). |
| 358 | ** Ash is a full-on physical offensive powerhouse, making him another Fighter, but much less tanky and much more focused on dealing damage. |
| 359 | ** Musse is specialized in healing and magical defense, but can also dish out good magical damage, making her another Mage (or Cleric, if you count those as separate). |
| 360 | * The sequel, ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsThroughDaybreak'', has the trio of Arioch, Melchior, and Olympia of Armata [[spoiler:who are also the three Overseers of Garden, Arioch being the Overseer of Rust, Olympia the Overseer of Aurum and Melchior the Overseer of Thorn]]. Arioch is the fighter, being armed with a halberd and focused on physical attack. Olympia is the mage, relying on an AttackDrone which controls light, and Melchior is the thief, using daggers and bombs and cloning himself. |
| 361 | * ''Legend of Keepers'' from Goblinz Studio, features you as a Villain Protagonist who's one of the [[FinalBoss 3 possible Masters]]: Maug the Slaveholder Centaur, Sarel the Dryad Enchantress, and Lira the Monkey Engineer. Maug is TheBrute who uniquely can recruit Creatures as well and later can employ [[MiniBoss an Intern]] and in his description, he's the [[WorldsStrongestMan mightiest among mortals]]. Sarel with 700 health and a negative armor rating is by far the [[GlassCannon least durable but her magic usually does the most damage]] and can uniquely hire Elementals as well as later learn higher-order spells. Lira is the brains of the bunch, her unique minions are Mecha piloted by gnomes and mutants as well she later develops unique traps. while she's not as enduring as Maug nor as damaging as Sarel, she's got interesting skills with her AttackDrone. |
| 362 | * The first three characters in ''[[VideoGame/LunarDragonSong Lunar Genesis]]''/''Dragon Song'' fit these archetypes. Jian is the fighter, with the highest attack, very good defense, and the most broken combat mechanics in the game (can hit three times in one turn for the majority of the game), Lucia (and later Flora) is the mage, with a battery of healing spells and buffs, but very little actual power (although Flora is the only character that can hit airborne enemies with her bows), whereas Gabby is the thief, with more emphasis on dexterity and intelligence, as well as a nasty (and useful) spell right from the start. Rufus is the only character who doesn't fit, having the toughness and power of the fighter but the flexibility of the thief. Mind you, [[spoiler:he dies about two areas after he joins you anyway.]] |
| 363 | * ''Franchise/MassEffect'' does this with a little sci-fi flavor, dividing proficiency into three categories, with respect to this trope's name: [[MoreDakka Combat]], [[GravityMaster Biotics]] and [[GadgeteerGenius Tech]]. You can be a pure class or a class hybridized with any two: |
| 364 | ** Soldier (pure Combat): JackOfAllTrades (a gun for any situation), or StoneWall (most durable of all player classes) |
| 365 | ** [[TheEngineer Engineer]] (pure Tech): Debuffer, MasterOfUnlocking |
| 366 | ** Adept (pure Biotics): SquishyWizard |
| 367 | ** Vanguard (Combat/Biotics): MagicKnight |
| 368 | ** Infiltrator (Combat/Tech): GlassCannon Trickster |
| 369 | ** Sentinel (Tech/Biotics): JackOfAllStats or Stone Wall, depending on how you play the class. |
| 370 | ** Interestingly, the first game divides the classes of the squadmates along gender lines: The three women are the pure classes (Ashley is a Soldier, Tali is an Engineer, and Liara is an Adept), while the three men are the hybrids (Kaidan is a Sentinel, Garrus is an Infiltrator, and Wrex is a Vanguard). The one exception dies within the first 10 minutes. |
| 371 | ** In the third game, the only three squad-mates you're guaranteed to have the entire game fall into this - James (Combat), Liara (Biotics), and EDI (Tech). |
| 372 | ** Interestingly, TheVerse's three Citadel races (i.e. the primary decision-makers in intergalactic politics) also play into the class divisions. The reptilian turians are famed for their military prowess and their mighty space fleet, the amphibian salarians are famed for their scientific prowess and their many technological contributions, as well as their skill at espionage, and the humanoid asari are famed for their naturally powerful biotic abilities and their highly spiritual culture. |
| 373 | ** ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda'' includes the above six classes as "profiles", along with a seventh profile: "Explorer", a full-fledged JackOfAllTrades, and MasterOfNone that draws simultaneously from Combat, Tech, and Biotic skillsets. |
| 374 | * [[PlayingWithATrope Played With]] in ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2: Mask of the Betrayer''. One of your companions, One of Many can at various points switch from a Barbarian, to a Rogue, to a Warlock, becoming each in turn (but the changes can't be reversed, and it's only one at a time). |
| 375 | * ''VideoGame/{{Nox}}'' has Fighter and Mage classes that fit their mold pretty well, but instead of a Thief the game instead has a Conjurer class, sort of a hybrid Ranger/Mage with their own pool of spells. |
| 376 | * ''VideoGame/OctopathTraveler'': |
| 377 | ** The travelers fulfill these fundamental roles: Olberic, H'aanit, and Alfyn are the Fighters, Cyrus and Ophilia are the Mages, and Therion, Tressa, and Primrose are the Thieves. |
| 378 | ** One conversation between Olberic, Cyrus, and Therion has them each discussing their respective fighting styles and how they complement one another; Olberic can form a bulwark between the party and the enemies giving Cyrus time to cast his spells, and anything left standing will be quickly coup-de-grace'd by Therion. |
| 379 | * In ''Videogame/PathOfExile'', there are six classes that focus on a mix of three stats: Strength, Intelligence, and Dexterity. The Marauder, Witch, and Ranger focus on each stat respectively. The Templar is a MagicKnight who often uses magic to augment his combat capabilities. The Duelist is a Fighter/Thief hybrid who focuses on being a LightningBruiser while the Shadow is a Mage/Thief hybrid who's more of a GlassCannon. The unlockable Scion class is a JackOfAllStats balanced in all categories and capable of fulfilling any role. |
| 380 | * ''VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment'': the Nameless One begins the game as a Fighter, and can remember the skills needed to become a Thief or a Mage by respectively speaking to the thief Ratbone and to the midwife Old Mebbeth (who will first send you on a set of {{Fetch Quest}}s that help create your spellbook, and which you can realise [[WaxOnWaxOff taught you some secret lessons about magic]] if your Intelligence or Wisdom is at least better then average), both of whom are in the Ragpicker's Square. The Nameless One can only be one class at a time (though a bug does exist to make multiclassing possible), but once having "remembered" the other classes can switch between gaining experience by talking to party members of the appropriate classes. The other characters consist of Vhailor (Fighter), Morte (Fighter), Nordom ("Archer" - that is, a Fighter who uses [[GunsAkimbo twin crossbows]], thanks to having [[MultiArmedAndDangerous four arms]]), Dak'kon (Fighter/Mage), Annah (Fighter/Thief), Ignus (PyroManiac Mage) and Fall-From-Grace ("Cleric" - that is, a Mage who uses healing spells). |
| 381 | ** Near the end of the game you learn that [[spoiler:many of your recovered memories and reflexive impulses are the result of three particularly powerful former Incarnations of The Nameless One, whose existence left a particularly deep impact on him -- the Practical, the Paranoid, and the Good Incarnation. The Practical Incarnation is revealed to have been a fighter (albeit a GeniusBruiser with some experience with thievery), the Paranoid a thief (but a particularly violent one, prone to physical violence) and the Good Incarnation was a mage who learned some of the Art by Ravel Puzzlewell herself.]] |
| 382 | * ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'': |
| 383 | ** While the actual nature of the gameplay allows them to [[SuperPowerLottery fulfill any role they want]], the protagonists of ''VideoGame/Persona3'', ''[[VideoGame/Persona4 4]]'', and ''[[VideoGame/Persona5 5]]'' [[DivergentCharacterEvolution began falling into these categories with the spinoffs and side materials]]. |
| 384 | *** The ''Persona 4'' protagonist/Yu Narukami is the Fighter. While closer to a JackOfAllStats with a slight bias towards physical attacks in ''VideoGame/Persona4Arena'' (wherein he's the requisite {{Shotoclone}}) and ''VideoGame/PersonaQShadowOfTheLabyrinth'', he shifts to an almost purely-physical MightyGlacier role in ''[[VideoGame/PersonaQ2NewCinemaLabyrinth Q2]]'' due to his diverse resistances, high strength, and low agility. Hammered home by his Persona not even beginning with his signature [[ShockAndAwe Zio]] magic as he had in previous games, instead relying on electrical melee attacks. His unique skill in ''Q2'' gives him a chance to protect his row from damage. His ultimate Persona resembles a KnightInShiningArmour, he's the most physically imposing of the three (he stands up straight and looks confident rather than the slouching the other two tend to do) and wields the weapon that requires the most strength, a two-handed sword. In his DLC challenge battle in ''Persona 5 Royal'', he fights primarily with physical attacks and will nuke the party with the strongest physical attack in the game ([[BladeSpam Hassou-Tobi]]) after too many turns have passed. |
| 385 | *** The ''Persona 3'' protagonist has higher magic and lower endurance, combined with worse resistances (including a weakness to [[OneHitKill Mudo]])[[labelnote:*]]Comparatively. He still has better resistances than everybody who isn't the ''P4'' protagonist[[/labelnote]] that make him a SquishyWizard -- but also one of the strongest {{Black Mage}}s in the game. In ''Q2'', his Persona's unique skill grants him a passive boost to almost all magic elements. His ultimate Persona is [[MessianicArchetype Messiah]], an archetypical miracle worker. He is also the only one who's got his [[spoiler:Wild Card enhanced]] and he is the only one who can summon two Personas at once for Fusion Spells. He's the shortest and most sullen-looking of the trio. In his battle in ''Persona 5 Royal'', he primarily fights with magic attacks, even knowing the rare and powerful StatusBuff Heat Riser. |
| 386 | *** The ''Persona 5'' hero, Joker, is [[PhantomThief obviously]] the Thief; he fights with light weaponry (knives and pistols), uses [[CastingAShadow Curse]] magic by default, and his Persona [[Literature/ArseneLupin Arsène]] has [[LightningBruiser high agility growth]] in both ''P5'' and ''Q2''. Arsène learns gun-based physical attacks in ''Q2'', and his unique skill in that game is a powerful CriticalHit chance buff. Joker's new ultimate Persona in ''Persona 5 Royal'' learns Ali Dance, a passive that greatly buffs his chances of dodging an attack entirely. Of the three, Joker fights the [[CombatPragmatist dirtiest]] by far; sneaking in the shadows to ambush unaware enemies, blasting them with guns to knock them to the floor, breaking turn order with Baton Pass, and holding downed foes at gunpoint to demand extra cash or items. |
| 387 | * ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': |
| 388 | ** In ''VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue'', the "physical" Ground, Rock, and Fighting, etc., types were typically associated with high Attack or Defense, "special" types (Water, Fire, Grass, Psychic, etc.) with high Special Attack and Special Defense, and Flying, Bug, and Ghost types had generally high Speed stat and attacks that allowed them to act fast or evade attacks. With the appearance of more and more Pokémon and moves' physical or special attribute eventually becoming divorced from the type chart, the type combinations multiplied mixing and matching these properties more and more. |
| 389 | *** In addition, types that most closely match the trope also have an ElementalRockPaperScissors dynamic between them. Fighting (which primarily uses powerful melee attacks and fits the Fighter role) is strong against Dark (which uses underhanded tactics and fits the Thief role), which is strong against Psychic (which uses primarily special attacks that involve mental powers similar to magic, fitting the Mage role), which in turn is strong against Fighting. |
| 390 | ** In one particular battle in ''VideoGame/PokemonRanger: Shadows of Almia'' you face [[DualBoss three bosses]] that fit perfectly in the categories: Rhyperior (slow-moving but resistant and with an array of close-range attacks), Magmortar (Less HP, but capable of using devastating long-range and area attacks) and Gallade (Smaller, faster, and regularly teleporting away from danger). |
| 391 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers'' has the three main Pokemon of the future and the playable characters throughout ''In The Future of Darkness'' - Dusknoir is a MightyGlacier with a strong physical attack stat and formidable defensive stats, and has a powerful physical moveset (the fighter), Celebi is actually a JackOfAllStats, but has the highest special attack of the three and comes knowing only special-oriented attacks, and has a poor defensive typing of Grass/Psychic that could qualify her as a SquishyWizard (the mage), and Grovyle lives on the run as an outlaw both in and outside of the future, being skilled at utilizing items and other sneaky techniques to evade being caught, with his highest base stat being his speed (the thief). |
| 392 | ** In ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'', the usual trio of starting Pokémon are blatantly designed around this motif. Chespin, Quilladin, and Chesnaught are the bulky hedgehogs that grow chestnut armor as they evolve (fighters), Fennekin, Braixen, and Delphox are witch-like foxes with PsychicPowers (mages), and Froakie, Frogadier, and Greninja are ninja-like frogs (thieves). Their final forms are Grass/Fighting, Fire/Psychic, and Water/Dark respectively. |
| 393 | ** The legendary bird teams in ''VideoGame/PokemonGo'' utilize the trope, particularly in the titles. Team Valor is Fighter, Team Mystic is Mage, and Team Instinct is Thief. A case could also be made for the legendary birds themselves being an example of the trope, but it would definitely be less robust. While Moltres could feasibly be a Fighter, Articuno is a bit too defensive to be an archetypical Mage (even if its type, aesthetic, and move pool fit a Mage well) and Zapdos has {{Glass Cannon}} stats unlike most Thieves (even if it's most definitely a {{Fragile Speedster}} as well). |
| 394 | *** [[VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield The legendary birds of Galar]] on the other hand gain the aforementioned type triangle of Fighting, Psychic and Dark and have different stats and movepools that would fit more cleanly, with the Fighting/Flying-type physical attacker Zapdos as the Fighter, the Psychic/Flying Articuno now being a true special attacking Mage, and Moltres as the Thief due to its Dark typing. |
| 395 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'' does a similar thing with their respective starters, only which motif they adopt are swapped: Grass-typed Rowlet eventually becomes Decidueye, a Grass/Ghost owl with archer abilities (The thief). The Fire type Litten becomes bipedal and takes on a Fire/Dark {{Heel}} wrestler theme as Incineroar (the fighter) and the Water-typed Popplio turns into Primarina, a Water/Fairy MagicIdolSinger mermaid (the mage). |
| 396 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet'''s starters follow in the footsteps of their Gen VI and VII counterparts. Sprigatito becomes Meowscarada, a Grass/Dark speedy stage magician that relies on sleight of hand and critical hits (Thief), Fuecoco becomes Skeledirge, which is a Fire/Ghost that has MagicMusic and the highest Special Attack (Mage), and Quaxly becomes Quaquaval, which is a Water/Fighting DanceBattler with the highest Attack of the trio (Fighter). |
| 397 | * The two ''TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}}'' video games have differing support for this trope. The first, Strahd's Possession, even has a fighter/mage/thief NPC you can recruit to your cause. The second game, Stone Prophet, has fighters, thieves, and clerics you can recruit, but unless you bring a wizard with you, you will be without arcane magic for the entire game. |
| 398 | * ''VideoGame/{{Roadwarden}}'': During the opening of the game, you have the choice to be a fighter, mage, or scholar. |
| 399 | ** The fighter can perform different combat abilities while they have high vitality and start with a well-crafted battle axe, plus a crossbow with three bolts. |
| 400 | ** The mage can use their pneumia to perform minor magical phenomena (more healing while resting, creating light, magical blasts), and start with a simple battle axe and a set of magical amulets. |
| 401 | ** The scholar is the only literate class and is more knowledgeable of the world, starting with a simple battle axe, writing tools, the knowledge to perform basic alchemy, and a single healing potion. |
| 402 | * ''VideoGame/SacredEarthPromise'': Priel is a [[MightyGlacier strong and slow physical fighter]] who focuses on single-target damage, Perrine is a [[SquishyWizard fragile but magically inclined fighter]] who is the best at dealing group damage, and Relima is a speedster who is less powerful than the other two offensively while having better [[SupportPartyMember support skills]]. |
| 403 | * ''VideoGame/ShadowsOverLoathing'' follows in the footsteps of its two predecessors (''Kingdom of Loathing'' and ''West of Loathing''), including the pattern of animal-themed Muscle classes, food-themed Mystic classes, and music-themed Moxie classes: Pig Skinner is the Fighter, Cheese Wizard is the Mage, Jazz Agent is the Thief. |
| 404 | * Vyse, Aika, and Fina from ''VideoGame/SkiesOfArcadia'' fit this dynamic; Vyse being the front line physical attacker (fighter), speedy Aika backing him up with her trusty Boomerang and a number of useful skills (thief), and Fina supporting them both with powerful healing specials and buffs (mage). |
| 405 | ** Also applies for their cameo in ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles''; Vyse is a Shocktrooper, Aika a Scout, and Fina a medic. |
| 406 | * ''Videogame/SouthParkTheStickOfTruth'' has four classes: Fighter, Mage, Thief, and Jew (which focuses on Jew-themed attacks as well as gaining power the lower your health is). The only difference between classes are the abilities and otherwise fight mostly the same. |
| 407 | * The starting classes of ''Videogame/SouthParkTheFracturedButWhole'' are Brutalist (focuses on knockbacks), Speedster (focuses on outmaneuvering your enemies with agile attacks), and Blaster (focuses on ranged attacks). Later on, you can unlock up to a maximum of ten classes (twelve with DLC) and mix-and-match abilities from all of them, letting you fulfill potentially any role you want. Each of the companions also fit into various classes and roles, such as close-ranged attacks and tanking (Captain Diabetes, Super Craig, the Coon, Tupperware, and Call Girl), long-ranged attacks and support (Human Kite, Toolshed, Wonder Tweek, Professor Chaos, Henrietta, and Mintberry Crunch), or fast attacks and high mobility (Fastpass, Mosquito, and Mysterion). |
| 408 | * ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheWorld: Radiant Mythology'' has four basic classes you can choose, and three of them are a Fighter, a Mage, and a Thief. The fourth is a Cleric, which is basically a mage with healing magic. |
| 409 | * Played straight in ''The Tomb of the VideoGame/TaskMaker'': fighters can use the most weapons, magicians can use the most spells, and thieves can steal items and pick locks. |
| 410 | * ''VideoGame/{{Torchlight}}'': Destroyer is fighter, Vanquisher is thief (archer/gunslinger), Alchemist is mage. Like ''Diablo'', classes are fairly customizable, e.g. you can easily make a magic knight, a sneaky sorcerer, or JackOfAllTrades out of the Alchemist. |
| 411 | * ''VideoGame/{{Ultima}}'': |
| 412 | ** The series has the stats of strength, dexterity, and intellect, with the three Principles each related to one stat (Strength = Courage, Int = Truth, Dex = Love). The classes associated with the virtues derived from the principles also mostly work out, with the meleeist Fighter for Valor (courage), pure-caster Mage for Honesty (truth), ranged fighter Bard for Compassion (love), MagicKnight Paladin for Honor (truth and courage), more-agile fighter Tinker for Sacrifice (love and courage), more-agile caster Druid for Justice (truth and love), jack-of-all-trades Ranger for Spirituality (all three), and [[MasterOfNone mostly-worthless]] Shepherd for Humility (none!). |
| 413 | ** ''VideoGame/UltimaIV''[='=]s NES port also has the Avatar "class", which the PlayerCharacter (and the PC only) upgrades to upon achieving enlightenment in all Virtues. It's basically a PurposelyOverpowered version of the Ranger with access to all weapons, armor, and spells (depending on your INT), with the only real downside being that if you ever commit an unvirtuous act again, you're reverted to your base class and have to regain the enlightenment in that virtue again. In the original versions of the game, you were stuck with your normal class-restricted weaponry, with the Avatarhood benefit being you got access to the eight sets of Mystic Swords and Mystic Robes, the best melee and armor in the game for all classes. |
| 414 | ** ''VideoGame/UltimaIX'' gives you starting equipment based on what class you choose. The super-awesome Ranger gets an immediate boost to the three main stats, but crappy equipment. The super-crappy Shepherd, which gets no boost at all to the three main stats, gets equipment that other classes can't get for a least four or five hours. It pays to handicap yourself, apparently. |
| 415 | ** While ''VideoGame/UltimaI'' and ''[[VideoGame/UltimaII II]]'' had the standard roster of fighter, cleric, thief, and wizard, ''VideoGame/UltimaIII'' expanded this to include not only RPG standbys such as the barbarian and druid but also the illusionist and lark. |
| 416 | * Speaking of ''Valkyria Chronicles'': |
| 417 | ** Scout = Fighter (GrenadeLauncher) + Thief (good range) |
| 418 | ** Sniper = Thief (ranged damage) + Mage (OneHitKill) |
| 419 | ** Shocktrooper = Fighter (frontline combat) + Thief (agility) |
| 420 | ** Gunner = Fighter (MoreDakka) + Mage (keeps enemies from closing in) |
| 421 | ** Lancer = Mage (StuffBlowingUp) + Fighter armoured) |
| 422 | ** Engineer = Mage (healer) |
| 423 | ** Armoured Technician/Swordsman = Fighter (heavily armoured, equally heavy melee damage) |
| 424 | * ''VideoGame/WestOfLoathing'', which takes place in the same universe of ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'', has three choices of class: Cow Puncher (Fighter/Muscle), Bean Slinger (Mage/Mysticality), and Snake Oiler (Thief/Moxie), who specialize in physical damage, spell damage, and ranged attacks respectively. |
| 425 | * ''VideoGame/WildArms1'': Rudy is the Fighter (albeit his main weaponry is guns due to the series's wild west aesthetic) being slow but strong, Cecilia is the Mage while Jack is the Thief (albeit using a sword) due to his skillset focusing as much on speed as strength. |
| 426 | * Heroes in ''VideoGame/{{Wildermyth}}'' are classed as Warriors, Mystics, and Hunters, and you get one of each when you begin a new campaign. The lines between the classes can become a bit blurry in the late stages of the game depending on event-granted abilities and the fact that any class can use any weapon, but in general Warriors favor melee, Hunters favor ranged combat, stealth, and traps, and Mystics are the only ones who can use "intersoul" magic to manipulate and control landscape features around them. |
| 427 | * ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3'' features the surrogate family of Geralt of Rivia, Ciri, and Yennefer of Vengerberg, who all share the exact same fighting styles as the Fighter, Thief, and Mage, respectively. |
| 428 | ** Geralt's available skills are mostly grouped into Red (combat), Blue (magic), and Green (poison and alchemy) types, and his mutagens synergize based on those groups. |
| 429 | * ''VideoGame/XenobladeChroniclesX'' has this dynamic with its classes: |
| 430 | ** Strikers are tanky fighters who have high HP and an array of offensive and defensive arts. One branch of the class, Samurai Gunners and Duelists, increases the offensive capabilities of the class while the other branch, Shield Troopers and Bastion Warriors, focus on their defensive capabilities, including their ability to draw aggro. |
| 431 | ** Commandos occupy the "thief" niche, being nimble fighters who can deal a lot of damage very quickly. One branch of the class, Winged Vipers and Full Metal Jaguars, focuses on their ability to land and evade attacks. The other, Partisan Eagles and Astral Crusaders, favor raw damage. |
| 432 | ** Enforces fill the niche of "mage", specializing in long-ranged attacks and support. One branch of the class, Psycorruptor and Mastermind, focus on supportive arts to buff allies and debilitate enemies. The other branch, Blast Fencer and Galactic Knight, are MagicKnight classes that confer a mix of powerful melee attacks and supportive capabilities. |
| 433 | * The playable ES from ''VideoGame/XenoSaga III'' are Jr.'s bulky firearm-based tank ES Asher, Jin's fast and powerful sword-wielding ES Reuben (both Fighters), MOMO and Ziggy's quick but weak ES Zebulun, which uses drones, long-range shots, and various multi-directional Ether attacks (Thief), and Shion and KOS-MOS's ES Dinah, which can travel through hyperspace and use really strong Ether attacks and whose weapons are completely beam-based (Mage). |
| 434 | As for the party members on foot: |
| 435 | ** Ziggy and Jin are the Fighters. The former is a MightyGlacier tank that specializes in fists and martial arts, while the latter is a LightningBruiser samurai whose main abilities involve quick and powerful attacks with his katana. |
| 436 | ** MOMO and Shion the Mages, the former being completely ether-based (even her bows cause Ether damage instead of physical). She specializes in healing magic in the first game, while in the third she learns both healing and offensive spells. Shion uses a multi-weapon system and has a varied arsenal of attacks, including some weak physical attacks, but her main focus are beam attacks and healing spells. |
| 437 | ** Jr. is the Thief. He uses two guns, has great speed, and learns Psycho Pocket (AKA this series's equivalent of VideoGameStealing). |
| 438 | ** KOS-MOS and chaos are MagicKnight jacks-of-all-trades. While KOS-MOS is heavy on the Fighter side, she also has powerful Ether attacks, especially of the fire element like the X-Buster, a staple in her moveset, and the powerful D-Teneritas. chaos, on the other hand, is based on hand-to-hand combat but he can also use a lot of Aura attacks and weak healing. |
| 439 | [[/folder]] |
| 440 | |
| 441 | [[folder:Simulation Game]] |
| 442 | * ''VideoGame/TheIdolmaster'': A version of this dichotomy exists due to the fact that the game features a triangular stat system to determine how well a character does at specific categories of performing, with said stats directly affecting the player's score in the RhythmGame portions. If one quantifies "Dance" as physical prowess, "Visual" as charm and "Vocal" as magic, the resulting breakdown for the cast becomes: |
| 443 | ** Fighter: [[TomboyWithAGirlyStreak Makoto]] (though in later games she skirts the line towards being a JackOfAllStats, her skillset still primarily helps her dancing), [[GenkiGirl Yayoi]], [[TricksterTwins Ami, Mami]] and [[FriendToAllLivingThings Hibiki]] |
| 444 | ** Thief: Yukiho, [[CoolBigSis Azusa]], [[{{Tsundere}} Iori]] and [[BrilliantButLazy Miki]], (though the latter can become a MasterOfAll if conditions are met in the first game.) |
| 445 | ** Mage: [[CuteClumsyGirl Haruka]], [[BrokenBird Chihaya]] (whose overwhelming vocal ability is enough to pull her stat total into the highest tiers), [[BrainyBrunette Ritsuko]] and [[RichInDollarsPoorInSense Takane]] (who hovers on being a metaphorical Trickster, as her visual stat is also quite high.) |
| 446 | * ''VideoGame/YesYourGrace'': The three agents at Eryk's disposal by the end of the game fall into this: |
| 447 | ** Stan is the army's general. He's the only one of the three wearing armor and can get help from his subordinates, making him the one best suited for tasks requiring a good physical build. (Fighter) |
| 448 | ** Alena is a witch and effectively the CourtMage once she's hired, best suited for anything that requires magic. (Mage) |
| 449 | ** Velek is a HunterOfMonsters who works alone, relying on stealth, familiarity with various creatures, and mundane weapons to catch his prey. He tends to be requested for tasks suited neither for Stan nor for Alena. (Thief) |
| 450 | [[/folder]] |
| 451 | |
| 452 | [[folder:Strategy Game]] |
| 453 | * ''[[VideoGame/NintendoWars Advance Wars]]'' has a [[PowerTrio Power Trio]] in the first two games as main characters which reflect this trope. |
| 454 | ** Andy is the [[JackOfAllStats Jack Of All Stats]] whose powers serve to heal his own units. (Mage) |
| 455 | ** Max is the direct combat specialist whose skills allows him to fight the enemy head on with armored vehicles. (Fighter) |
| 456 | ** Sami, the infantry specialists, focuses on higher speed capturing properties to get map and income advantage. (Thief) |
| 457 | * ''VideoGame/TheBannerSaga'' never really had any literal thieves or mages, but the following classes make up for it: |
| 458 | ** The Varl Warriors and Shieldbangers are the fighters of the caravan, designed to deal and absorb as much punishment as a typical fighter. |
| 459 | ** The human Raiders, Landsmen, and Spearmen are the thieves, specializing in speed, agility, and hit-and-run tactics. |
| 460 | ** The human Archers and Menders, while not literally mages, might as well play as such because of their long-distance capabilities and higher willpower. |
| 461 | * ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'': |
| 462 | ** The Black Eagles and Adrestian Empire is the Mage. They have the highest percentage of mages in their house and mages make up more of the Adrestian army than the other two factions. Their faction leader, Edelgard, is also the only one of the three lords with an aptitude for magic. In the [[DownloadableContent Cindered Shadows]] DLC storyline, Linhardt represents the Black Eagles and is the mage. He uses magic to both heal and attack. |
| 463 | ** The Blue Lions and Holy Kingdom of Faerghus is the Fighter. They are known for their martial skills and tend to favor offensive roles, while only having two dedicated spellcasters; and even then, those two casters have prowess with physical weapons. The Knights of Faerghus also favor physical horseback classes over other types. Their faction leader, Dimitri, is also BoringButPractical in regards to his special classes, but can easily wipe the floor with enemies. However, in the [[DownloadableContent Cindered Shadows]] DLC storyline, Ashe represents the Blue Lions and is the ''thief''. He wields a bow and has the ability Lockpick, which allows him to open any treasure chest or doors regardless of class. |
| 464 | ** The Golden Deer and Leicester Alliance is the Thief. They have the most natural archers and commoners of the three houses, and while their average growth rates are slightly lower than the other two houses, they are WeakButSkilled and learn multiple utility skills. Their faction leader, Claude, also favors hit-and-run tactics with his unique classes. However, in the [[DownloadableContent Cindered Shadows]] DLC storyline, Hilda represents the Golden Deer and is the ''fighter''. She is an axe user, which are powerful but not accurate. |
| 465 | * ''Videogame/FTLFasterThanLight''[='=]s first 3 ships (one already available, the other two unlocked) fit into these archetypes. The Kestrel is a tough all rounder with strong recharging shields, the Engi ship has a small crew and weak weapons, but uses drones better than the rest, and finally the Stealth ship comes equipped with strong dodge and an augment which allows it to predict (and therefore avoid) dangerous beacons. |
| 466 | * In the iOS game ''VideoGame/{{Highborn}}'', the three Heroes are Archie, a knight/paladin; Enzo, a wizard; and Trillian, a rogue. |
| 467 | * Agents in ''VideoGame/InvisibleInc'' can be grouped in this way based on their starting equipment and implants. Fighters (Shalem, Nika, Sharp and Rush) have weapons or implants to make it easier to incapacitate guards. Mages (Internationale, Dr. Xu, Prism, [=Monst3r=] and Central/Olivia) have implants that aid in generating power and hacking computers. Theives (Decker, Banks, Archive Prism and Derek) have items or implants to aid in stealth and lockpicking. |
| 468 | ** Draco is the only agent who doesn't really fit into any of the three categories since his special ability is mostly about leveling up more cheaply than other characters. |
| 469 | * ''[[VideoGame/KingdomRush Kingdom Rush: Vengeance]]'' has the three free {{Hero Unit}}s obtained in the storyline: Veruk the Orc Gladiator is a durable melee Fighter focused on tanking and summoning units to tank hordes, Asra the Shadow Assassin is a squishy Thief focused on debuffing and attacking from range, and Oloch the Infernal Mage is a [[SquishyWizard squishy Mage]] who casts devastating spells from range. |
| 470 | * ''VideoGame/LordsOfMagic'': Warrior, Mage, and Thief are the three types of champions (single unit characters that lead armies) in its gameplay, and much of the rest of gameplay is influenced by this division. Unit production buildings are divided along these lines as well, with a "barracks" producing infantry, cavalry, ships, and warrior champions, a "thieves Guild" producing thieves, ranged units, and scouts, and a "{{mage tower}}" used to produce mages and magical creatures, as well as having an associated building for spell research. Each champion can be used to "train" at its associated building, improving the experience of units produced there, and each type of unit uses different types of resources to produce and maintain depending on its category. |
| 471 | * ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies2ItsAboutTime'' has this with three of the special zombie types in the {{Dark Age|Europe}}s time period. The Knight is the Fighter who can absorb huge amounts of damage thanks to his [[HeavilyArmoredMook armored helmet]]. The Wizard is (obviously) the Mage who [[ForcedTransformation turns plants into harmless sheep]] from the back lines. The Jester is the Thief who moves quickly and "evades" projectiles via [[AttackReflector reflecting them]], also gaining a speed boost while doing so. The Chinese version of Dark Ages includes a more traditional rogue in the Bandit Zombie, who [[StealthyMook uses invisibility]] to avoid being attacked. |
| 472 | * The ''VideoGame/XCOM2'' expansion ''War of the Chosen'' introduces 3 new Chosen enemies as well as 3 allied resistance factions and corresponding hero classes, each of which fits into one archetype: |
| 473 | ** On the Chosen side, we have: |
| 474 | *** The Assassin, who prefers getting into close quarters with her sword and shotgun combo as the Fighter. [[note]]She also has stealth abilities and disrupts enemies (Thief) and uses a single psionic attack to do the former or (like her siblings) summon allies (Mage).[[/note]] |
| 475 | *** The Hunter, who prefers keeping a distance with his sniper rifle and pistol, as the Thief. He's also snarky and voiced by Creator/NolanNorth, who also played Nathan Drake in ''VideoGame/{{Uncharted}}'', possibly the most famous snarky thief in video game history. |
| 476 | *** The Warlock, who uses his Psionic powers to disrupt the battlefield as the Mage. |
| 477 | *** There was also a fourth Chosen planned, who would presumably be the equivalent of a Grenadier and/or Specialist, much like its siblings are Rangers, Sharpshooters, and Psions. Thematically, the Commander is similar to another Chosen; only known by their nickname, background and identity unknown, and their special ability is leadership. Neither fit any of the three archetypes. |
| 478 | ** On the Resistance factions' side, things are slightly more complicated: |
| 479 | *** The Reapers serve the role of the Thief with their ability to remain hidden in the shadows while sniping enemies, though their Claymore mines and Remote Start ability gives them explosive ordnance akin to a Mage as well. |
| 480 | *** The Skirmishers are [[LightningBruiser Lightning Bruisers]] who combine Fighter and Thief characteristics with their ability to shoot multiple times per turn, quickly reposition themselves with their grappling hook and gain extra actions for even more firepower or mobility. |
| 481 | *** The Templars are [[MagicKnight Magic Knights]] who dash into melee and strike enemies with psi blades like a Fighter, collecting [[{{Mana}} Focus]] with each kill before using it to unleash Psionic powers like a Mage. |
| 482 | * And in ''[[VideoGame/XCOMEnemyUnknown XCOM: Enemy Within]]'', the expansion to the first game, there are MEC Troopers (Fighter), Gene Mod Soldiers (Thief) and Psionic Soldiers (Mage). MEC Troopers are big and bulky, heavily armoured and equipped with deadly weapons from {{BFG}} to PowerFist. Gene Mod Soldiers get a number of body upgrades that emphasis moving away from the group and striking from an unexpected angle - cloaking, jumping up to rooftops, etc. Psionic Soldiers don't have the survivability or mobility of the other two but the arcane power they bring to the field can damage, disrupt or support. |
| 483 | * ''VideoGame/PhoenixPoint'' has the three major human factions divide up these roles on the tactical level. |
| 484 | ** Synedrion is pure Thief, as their lightweight armor prioritizes stealth and speed over DamageReduction. Their laser weaponry is highly accurate but has no ability to pierce or shred armor, meaning they have to target lightly-armored points. They also have exclusive access to poison weapons, and their unique Infiltrator class is equipped with a silenced crossbow. |
| 485 | ** New Jericho heavily emphasises the Fighter role, producing the heaviest armor and hard-hitting Gauss weaponry. They also have some elements of Mage with heavy use of area-effect rocket launchers and incendiaries, and their unique Technician class is a SupportPartyMember that focuses on healing and deploying turrets. |
| 486 | ** The Disciples of Anu lean heavily towards Mage, having exclusive access to virus-based weapons that attack enemy willpower and cause panic, and their unique Priest class has an array of psychic powers. They also have elements of Fighter since their other unique class is TheBerserker and makes heavy use of melee weapons. |
| 487 | [[/folder]] |
| 488 | |
| 489 | [[folder:Survival Horror]] |
| 490 | * ''VideoGame/TheConsumingShadow'' features the characters for Warrior as the Fighter (can use melee attacks but has no gun), Wizard as Mage (has no melee, but can use magic without loose sanity), and the Ministry Man (who has more money, thus able to buy the best gear). The Scholar is the [[JackOfAllStats Universalist]], of whom all the other characters revolve around. |
| 491 | * The three starting killers of ''Videogame/DeadByDaylight'' can be seen as this: The Trapper is the Thief (sets traps to harm and incapacitate survivors), the Hillbilly is the Fighter (his chainsaw is a charged rush-down that is a OneHitKill), and the Wraith is the Mage (uses a bell to turn invisible). |
| 492 | ** The first three add-on killers also follow this pattern. The Nurse is the Mage, a floating ghost who can teleport and destroy pallettes remotely. The Hag is the Thief, an undead witch woman who can lay traps and magic totems. And [[Franchise/{{Halloween}} Michael Myers]] is the Fighter, a killer with no real gimmicks beyond the ability to [[StalkerWithACrush stalk]] survivors and eventually get to OneHitKill them. |
| 493 | * The three {{Eldritch Abomination}}s in ''VideoGame/EternalDarkness'' fit this mold in a villainous fashion. TheBrute Chattur'gha who has dominion over physical strength and matter is the Fighter, who can be taken down by the EvilGenius Ulyaoth whose domain includes magick itself is the mage, who is in turn easy prey for TheTrickster Xel'lotaththat who has dominion over the mind and the concept of sanity, represents the thief who would easily be ripped to shreds by Chattur'gha. [[spoiler:Mantorok is the GameBreaker.]] |
| 494 | * The initial three female playable characters of ''VideoGame/WorldOfHorror'' fit this mold: |
| 495 | ** Aiko Takahashi is the Fighter: she starts off with a boost to her attack speed, has a perk which boosts it even ''more'', and is a swimming team captain in her free time. |
| 496 | ** Kirie Minami is the Mage: she starts off with a random spell, has perks relating to the supernatural, and has a higher than average initial Knowledge stat. |
| 497 | ** Mizuki Hamasaki is the Thief: she has a higher than average Charisma stat, focuses on getting Allies to help her out (to the point that she starts off with one), and has a job as an IdolSinger. |
| 498 | [[/folder]] |
| 499 | |
| 500 | [[folder:Third Person Shooter]] |
| 501 | * ''VideoGame/{{Warframe}}'': The default Warframes you can choose when starting the game are Excalibur (BoringButPractical MasterSwordsman), Mag (DifficultButAwesome SquishyWizard), and Volt (ShockAndAwe FragileSpeedster). Previous iterations of the starter trio fit even better, with the stealth-oriented Loki serving as the thief to Excalibur's fighter and Mag or Volt's mage. |
| 502 | ** Because the various warframes and weapons have their own separate experience levels, you could say that they'd each fit into the fighter/thief/mage setups, themselves. With melee weapons being the fighter class, especially once you make full use of blocking; the primary and secondary guns being the thief, because unlike the melee weapons, you can't block with them, only dodge; and the titular warframes being the mages, because of their various magic spells to use, whether for attacking enemies or supporting allies. |
| 503 | [[/folder]] |
| 504 | |
| 505 | [[folder:Wide Open Sandbox]] |
| 506 | * The three protagonists of ''VideoGame/MiddleEarthShadowOfWar'': Talion seems to be the Thief archetype at first, using daggers stealth kills, and various tricks, but he becomes a "shaman archetype" (a Thief-Mage hybrid) when he becomes a Nazgul and gets the power to brainwash enemies and resurrect the dead. Eltariel is the Mage, as she uses the Light of Galadriel to cast powerful light spells for both combat and self-healing. Baranor is the Fighter, being a captain of Gondor skilled in weapons but unable to use any supernatural power or trick. |
| 507 | * ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' has the Illager mobs that fit this dynamic. Vindicators are melee combatants that attack with axes (Fighter), Evokers are magic users that conjure gaping maws and spawn Vexes to attack (Mage), while Pillagers attack from a distance with crossbows (Thief). A DummiedOut illager in the Illusioner can also count as the Thief, being a MasterOfIllusion that uses blinding and fake clones. |
| 508 | * In the late game of ''VideoGame/{{Starbound}}'', this develops. Staves and magic armor focus on energy, melee weapons and armor on health, while ranged weapons and armor form a middle ground. |
| 509 | * In the game ''VideoGame/{{Terraria}}'', weapons are classified into classes depending on whether they do melee, magic, or ranged damage. An update later added a fourth class that focused on summoning things to fight for you, but aside from that this trope is still played straight. |
| 510 | [[/folder]] |
| 511 | |
| 512 | ---- |
| 513 | !!Non-Gaming Examples |
| 514 | |
| 515 | [[folder:Anime & Manga]] |
| 516 | %%* The "Three Musketeers" from ''Literature/AccelWorld'': Takumu Mayuzumi [=/=] [[MultiMeleeMaster Cyan Pile]] (Fighter), Chiyuri Kurashima [=/=] [[TheMedic Lime]] [[TimeMaster Bell]] (Mage), and Haruyuki Arita [=/=] [[WingedHumanoid Silver Crow]] (Thief). |
| 517 | * ''Manga/BlackClover'': In their strategy against Vanica, Noelle, the one actually battling Vanica with her lance and attack spells, is the Fighter; Lolopechka, increasing the power of Noelle's Water Magic with her Ludic Sanctuary, is the Mage; Nero, inconspicuous as a bird to fly in and seal Vanica after she uses all of Megicula's devil power, is the Thief. |
| 518 | * In the penultimate battle of ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'''s arrancar arc, [[BigBad Aizen]] fights against three people: [[spoiler:Isshin Kurosaki]] mainly attacks with straight sword strikes, [[GuileHero Urahara]] with kido and careful planning, and Yoruichi with sneak attacks. |
| 519 | * The three main heroes of ''Literature/ACertainMagicalIndex'': Touma Kamijou, who relies on his AntiMagic [[GoodOldFisticuffs fist]] and [[{{Determinator}} inherent]] [[StoneWall toughness]] to beat bad guys into submission (Fighter); Accelerator, who is a super genius and relies on his SuperpowerLottery (Mage); and Shiage Hamazura, who is a skilled fighter like Touma but relies more on [[MacGyvering stealth]], [[CombatPragmatist tactics]], and [[TheGunslinger guns]] (Thief). |
| 520 | * Team Touden in ''Manga/DeliciousInDungeon''. The party at the start of chapter two fits the description perfectly, with Laios the Swordsman, Marcille the Magician, and Chilchuck the Trapmaster. Senshi is a mix of Fighter and Woodsman/Ranger. |
| 521 | * ''Manga/DemonSlayerKimetsuNoYaiba'': |
| 522 | ** The main trio of Demon Slayers definitely fit this trope. |
| 523 | *** Tanjiro Kamado is the Mage, being the most calm and collected of the three, and is capable of wielding both Water and Sun Breathing, the last of which is the most powerful of all Breathing Techniques. |
| 524 | *** Zenitsu Agatsuma is the Thief, being a LovableCoward and a FragileSpeedster who reaches his full potential either while sleeping or motivated by something that serves as his BerserkButton (i.e., girls). |
| 525 | *** Inosuke Hashibira is the Fighter, TheBerserker who is a duel-wielder and rushes head first into battle, usually without thinking. He's physically the strongest out of the three. |
| 526 | ** Muzan's top three lieutenants within the Twelve Kizuki also fit this trope very well. |
| 527 | *** Kokushibo, the Upper Rank One, is the Thief, being a powerful swordsman who is able to utilize Moon Breathing techniques in his arsenal. |
| 528 | *** Doma, the Upper Rank Two, is the Mage, with his Blood Demon Art being able to summon ice in his arsenal. He occasionally uses sharp fans for melee attacks. |
| 529 | *** Akaza, the Upper Rank Three, is the Fighter, who heavily relies on hand-to-hand combat, being a martial artist even before his demon transformation. |
| 530 | * The first three main antagonists of ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'' follow this theme. Devimon is the Mage, using the power of black gears to transform normally peaceful Digimon into savage monsters as well as amplify his own dark powers. Etemon is the Fighter, a powerful fully-evolved Digimon who is able to manhandle the childrens' Champion level Digimon as well as cause them to de-digivolve. Myotismon is the Thief, possessing intellect that matches his fearsome fighting abilities with a just a touch of dark power, although his intellect is lost when he digivolves into [=VenomMyostimon=] [[note]]In ''Anime/DigimonAdventure02'', upon becoming [=MaloMyotismon=], he becomes a mixture of all three, retaining his Thief intelligence while gaining Fighter strength to overwhelm the Digidesdants' Digimon as well as Mage-like dark power which he uses in his plan to unite both the digital world and earth under his rule.[[/note]]. |
| 531 | * Though they aren't perfect examples of the trope, the three main arc villains that follow Vegeta in ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' have certain characteristics that sync up with the triad. Freeza's main gimmick is his overwhelming powers, sadistic fighting style, and his reliance on an army to do his bidding, making him the fighter. Cell is only a threat because he stole power from countless humans along with most of the heroes and villains up to that point in the story, making him the Thief. Buu's signature move turns people into anything he wants, usually candy, and his abilities are far more eldritch and strange than anything that came before, making him the Mage. |
| 532 | * ''Anime/EngageKiss'': Shu's 3 love interests fit this dynamic in some fashion. Sharon is the Fighter, being a very skilled martial artist with brute strength, Kisara is the Mage, possessing supernatural powers due to her nature as an S-Rank demon, and Ayano is the Thief, relying on her company's resources and subterfuge, while also being a crack shot with various guns. |
| 533 | * The treasure hunters from ''[[Anime/FairyTail Fairy Tail Zero]]'' fit this [[spoiler:before they learn magic]]. Warrod is a MightyGlacier who can plow through an armed crowd, Yuri uses [[ShockAndAwe lightning bombs]], and Precht is a DanceBattler who favors chainblades. |
| 534 | * Etienne, Nicolas, and Guy from ''Manga/InnocentsShounenJuujigun'' make up one. Etienne is a chosen child with the power of making miracles through Godly force, Nicolas is a would-be knight with a lot of brute power, but little finesse or brains, and Guy is a literal former thief with underhanded tactics and fewer morals than Nicolas. |
| 535 | * ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure'': |
| 536 | ** The three major protagonists of ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventurePhantomBlood Phantom Blood]]'' are an interesting twist: Both Jonathan Joestar and Will Zeppeli are {{Magic Knight}}s due to their use of [[PowerOfTheSun Hamon]], yet their differing approaches to using it (such as Jonathan preferring to use it to enhance his physical attacks, while Zeppeli's experience allows him more versatile uses) make them the Fighter and Mage of the group respectively. Their other ally, Robert E. O. Speedwagon, serves as a Thief in part due to his criminal background and CombatPragmatist tendencies. |
| 537 | ** In ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable Diamond is Unbreakable]]'', the main three are this trope. While Josuke Higashikata and Okuyasu Nijimura's [[FightingSpirit Stands]], Crazy Diamond and The Hand, respectively, have similar offensive capabilities, Josuke is the Mage, due to Crazy Diamond's HealingHands being a heavily supportive ability, though one that can easily be used offensively when put in the right situation, while Okuyasu is the Fighter, as The Hand's PowerPalms [[PowerOfTheVoid of the Void]] is a short-ranged but absolutely lethal ability that can only really be used offensively. Koichi Hirose, meanwhile, is the Thief, as his Stand, Echoes, has abilities that require a lot of planning and trickery to use effectively, especially [=ACT1=]'s {{Written Sound Effect}}s and [=ACT2=]'s [[MakeSomeNoise sound manipulation]], and while [=ACT3=]'s GravityMaster ability is more offensive than the former two, it's usually used in ways that avoid direct combat. |
| 538 | ** Can also be seen in ''[[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStoneOcean Stone Ocean]]'' with the main trio, Jolyne's Stone Free can unravel herself into string which has lots of [[SwissArmySuperpower versatile applications]] making her the Thief, Ermes's Kiss has the most direct destructive power when her stickers peel off making her the Fighter, and F.F. is a colony of zooplankton that can use her abilities at a range and is the group's CombatMedic making her the Mage. |
| 539 | ** Each BigBad following the introduction of Stands have abilities that fit into this with [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders DIO]] having as stand that lets him fight head on with RapidFireFisticuffs and his own vampiric abilities amplifying his durability, [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureDiamondIsUnbreakable Kira]] being a SquishyWizard with abilities that let him turn objects into a bomb without having much in terms of physical combat, and [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind Diavolo]] relying on the confusion caused by his ability and preferring to end fights in a single strike. |
| 540 | * The main trio of ''Manga/JujutsuKaisen'' could be considered this. Yuji Itadori wields Sukuna's power, but is a MagicallyIneptFighter and uses said power to fight at close range, making him the Fighter. Megumi Fushiguro is the Mage who fights by summoning Shikigami and manipulating shadows, and Nobara Kugisaki usually throws nails charged with cursed energy, making her the Thief. |
| 541 | * It isn't long before they pick up more friends, but the initial crew of ''Literature/LogHorizon'' follows this. Naotsugu plays a Guardian, [[StoneWall soaking up damage]]; Shiroe plays an Enchanter, laying buffs and debuffs; and Akatsuki plays an Assassin, hitting the baddies hard and fast. |
| 542 | * Subverted in ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha'' where all combatants are mages. We have Nanoha (the Fighter+Thief who uses [[WaveMotionGun big and bigger lasers]], but they need time to charge; she has also the best defense and she is a CombatPragmatist), Fate (the Thief+Fighter who is the fastest and she is the only one who is specialized in melee combat, but has a poor armor; her MorphWeapon can also transform into a BFS), and Hayate (the Mage who is a PersonOfMassDestruction, but also a GlassCannon). |
| 543 | * The Big Three from ''Manga/{{My Hero Academia}}'' is this. Mirio is the physically strongest and more combat efficient as the Fighter, Nejire is more used to having a long-range advantage and is more distant as the Mage, and Tamaki's multiple unusual tricks and quiet nature make him the Thief. |
| 544 | * ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'': |
| 545 | ** The three main fighting styles are Taijutsu (Fighter), Ninjutsu (Mage), and [[MasterOfIllusion Genjutsu]] (Thief). |
| 546 | ** Many of the three-man squads can also be divided up this way, although some characters have traits of more than one class. This is possibly intentional, as the squads are designed to either balance out or specialise in certain fields. |
| 547 | ** The Ino-Shika-Cho Clans are a special case. The Akimichi clan can enlarge their limbs for extra strength, and are generally voluptuous in physique (Fighter), the Nara clan hone their wisdom and tactical skills, with many being among the smartest of Leaf shinobi, plus they can manipulate shadows (Mage). Finally the Yamanaka clan, don't steal riches like a usual thief would, but instead can steal your [[GrandTheftMe mind and body]], an arguably worse situation for their opponents (Thief). |
| 548 | ** The Sannin had a formation mirroring this trope. Jiraiya (Thief) was a notorious [[DirtyOldMan pervert]] who despite being powerful, mostly used his talents to peek on women. Tsunade (Fighter) acted like a Paladin, in which she was [[ActionGirl immensely strong]] but also a legendary healer. Orochimaru (Mage) was obsessed with immortality, of which he would study every known jutsu created, no matter how [[MadScientist deplorable they were]]. |
| 549 | * In ''Franchise/ThePowerpuffGirls'', Buttercup is the physically strongest member of the trio (Fighter), Blossom has her smarts and [[AnIcePerson ice powers]] (Mage), and Bubbles has her charms and the ability to speak any language and to communicate with animals (Thief). In the Japanese adaptation ''Anime/PowerpuffGirlsZ'', Buttercup, who now wields a [[CarryABigStick hammer]], keeps her spot as the Fighter; while Bubbles and Blossom swap places, making the former the [[MagicStaff staff-wielding]] Mage, and the latter the [[KillerYoyo yoyo-wielding]] Thief. |
| 550 | * The three most-prominent teenage martial artists in ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' are all technically fighters, but their respective styles let them be categorized this way: the strong, tough, unsubtle Ryoga is the fighter, the deceptive, concealed weapon-wielding and less physically-adept Mousse is the mage, and surprisingly it's the main protagonist Ranma, who is the fastest, most agile, and most reliant on cunning and trickery to win (due to following the [[CombatPragmatist Anything-Goes Martial Arts]] style) who counts as the thief. |
| 551 | * ''Manga/SpyXFamily'': The titular fake family has this dynamic. Yor, the mother, is the Fighter -- a deadly assassin who fights in direct combat with borderline superhuman physical capabilities. Anya, the daughter, is the Mage -- a young girl who is small and physically weak, but possesses extraordinary [[{{Telepathy}} mind-reading powers]]. Loid, the father, is the Thief -- a master spy who uses his skills to deceive his targets and perform heists while preferring CombatPragmatist methods over direct combat. |
| 552 | * ''Anime/{{Symphogear}}'': The main PowerTrio fit into this. Hibiki is a BareFistedMonk who excels at charging into close range and punching through barriers. Chris is the least physically fit but can manifest heavy ballistic and energy weapons, including [[MacrossMissileMassacre enormously destructive volleys of missiles]]. Tsubasa has a speedy, [[DanceBattler dance-like]] fighting style that incorporates {{Ninja}} techniques and flinging a StormOfBlades at her opponents. |
| 553 | * ''Literature/ThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsASlime'' |
| 554 | ** The main Blumund adventurer trio invokes the classic RPG classes with Cabal as the Fighter, Ellen as the Mage, and Gido as the Thief. |
| 555 | ** The Falmuth [[TrappedInAnotherWorld Otherworlder]] trio fit this with Shogou as the Fighter, being the brutal in-your-face physical combatant who relies on brute strength and a tough body; Mitsuni as the Mage, relying on her CompellingVoice to do the fighting with no physical abilities; and Kyouya as the Thief, being the most skilled weapon-master who uses finesse and dirty tricks via combat-based magic. However, they're only a team [[TeethClenchedTeamwork in the loosest sense]] and prefer to fight on their own. [[spoiler:Shogou flat-out ''[[TeamKiller kills]]'' Mitsuni himself in order to get a powerup and heal his injuries.]] |
| 556 | ** The Eastern Empire Otherworlder trio sent to spy on Tempest fit this as well. Shinji is the Mage, whose Unique Skill allows him to act as the {{Plaguemaster}} and the CombatMedic in one able to wipe out foes before they know what hits them. Marc is the Fighter, being the physical powerhouse whose Unique Skill lets him turn anything he can grab (even the ''air'') into a projectile weapon that could let him crush armies at his best. And Zhen is the Thief, whose Unique Skill lets him instinctively dodge threats, detect traps and danger, and discover hidden presences before they even attack combined with his own fighting abilities to run rings around people. With their honed teamwork, they're the first team aside from [[FakeUltimateHero Masayuki's]] to get past the 50th Floor of the Tempest Labyrinth with no prior knowledge. |
| 557 | * ''Manga/TimeStopHero'': Kuzuno Sekai's party members fit. Niña is a professional thief skilled at pickpocketing and lock picking. She does not fight but acts as a scout (Thief). Fury is a skilled magic user and knowledgeable about various forms of magic and lore (Mage). Swordmaster Leafa Colby is a master swordswoman. Leafa later leaves the group and is replaced by Ranga, an AmazonianBeauty with great strength and speed who uses an axe in battle (Fighter). |
| 558 | * The Barbarois in ''Literature/VampireHunterD: Bloodlust'' is a trio of mutants that fit this trope nicely: the werewolf Mashira is the Fighter, the shapeshifting Caroline is the Mage, and the shadowbinder Bengé is the thief. |
| 559 | * In ''Anime/YuGiOh'', the three main duelist protagonists, Yugi Muto, Seto Kaiba, and Katsuya Jounouchi, each center their respective decks to fit a certain playing style. Yugi's deck is very adaptable and focuses on strategy (Mage), Kaiba's deck is loaded with powerful cards and monsters and focuses on strength (Fighter), while Joey's deck uses a lot of chance-based cards and focuses on luck (Thief). As if it gets any better, Yugi's signature monster is the Dark Magician and Jounouchi has a card called Graverobber which allows him to steal a card from his opponent's graveyard, saving him on several occasions. |
| 560 | ** The Sangeshin/Three Egyptian God Cards in the anime also work in similar archetypes: |
| 561 | *** Obelisk the Giant God Soldier (Fighter): The big guy who's a consistent 4000 ATK and DEF beatstick with straightforward but extremely destructive effects and the most battle-oriented one. Fittingly used by Kaiba because of its huge raw power. |
| 562 | *** Ra the Winged God Dragon (Mage): The most powerful member with a huge amount of effects, capable of destroying cards and use LP as a power source as well as requiring ancient knowledge to be properly utilized. |
| 563 | *** Osiris the Heaven (Thief): The most resource dependent one. While often at risk of being the weakest in raw power terms, it can weaken monsters whenever they appear, leveraging the field and requiring some more dextary than its partners. |
| 564 | [[/folder]] |
| 565 | |
| 566 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 567 | * ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'' has the wise and intellectual druid Panoramix / Getafix (the mage), strong GentleGiant but not very bright Obelix (fighter) and Asterix who, although both smart and strong, often uses his wit and cunning to trick Romans (the thief). |
| 568 | * DC Universe: |
| 569 | ** The three main characters in the ''ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey'' comic each fit these archetypes: ComicBook/{{Oracle}}, who, with her hacking abilities, can gain knowledge and harm enemies from a great distance, but, being a paraplegic, is not as good (thought [[HandicappedBadass not completely helpless]]) in close combat, is the wizard; ComicBook/BlackCanary, who, being the best martial artist of the three, and having the canary cry for dealing with more powerful enemies, is the best close combatant, is the fighter (although her ability to soak up damage is not appreciably greater than the others'); ComicBook/{{Huntress}}, being the best at and most reliant upon stealth, and using a crossbow as her primary weapon, is the thief. |
| 570 | ** Their evil counterparts, the ''ComicBook/GothamCitySirens'', also fit the mold. Poison Ivy is the mage, having strange plant powers. Catwoman is the thief, duh. Harley is the fighter: her preferred weapon is a [[CarryABigStick giant mallet]], she has borderline superhuman athleticism thanks to a serum from Ivy, and she's also fond of explosives. |
| 571 | ** The post-Rebirth ''Trinity'' series brings Lex Luthor, Circe, and Ra's al Ghul together as a counter to DC's Big Three. Luthor's PoweredArmor makes him the fighter, Circe is obviously the mage, and the immortal assassin Ra's is the rogue. |
| 572 | ** All classic members of the ComicBook/JusticeSocietyOfAmerica fall squarely into one of the three categories. |
| 573 | *** Fighter: ComicBook/TheAtom, ComicBook/BlackCanary, ComicBook/{{Wildcat}}, ComicBook/{{Hourman}}, ComicBook/{{Hawkman}}. |
| 574 | *** Mage: ComicBook/GreenLantern, ComicBook/TheSpectre, ComicBook/DoctorFate, ComicBook/{{Starman}}. |
| 575 | *** Thief: ComicBook/TheFlash, [[ComicBook/SandmanMysteryTheatre The Sandman]], Doctor Mid-Nite, ComicBook/MisterTerrific. |
| 576 | ** ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1942'': The trio of superpowered martial artist Wonder Woman (fighter), OmnidisciplinaryScientist who can teleport allies into and out of just about anywhere Paula von Gunther (mage), and super spy ComicBook/SteveTrevor (thief) work together frequently. |
| 577 | ** ''ComicBook/SuicideSquad'': Rick Flag's three closest friends on the team qualify as this. Bronze Tiger is a trained martial artist, Nightshade has [[CastingAShadow shadow powers]] that allows her to teleport and [[ImaginationBasedSuperpower create objects made of shadow]] and Nemesis is a spy and MasterOfDisguise. |
| 578 | ** The trio of Donna Troy, Jason Todd, and Kyle Rayner in ''ComicBook/CountdownToFinalCrisis''. Donna is a FlyingBrick and LightningBruiser with combat training making her the fighter. Kyle's Green Lantern Ring makes him the mage. Jason takes the role as the thief being a BadassNormal who relies on guns and tactics to fight. |
| 579 | ** Most comic readers probably know that the Flash draws his power from the Speed Force, which grants him ridiculous SuperSpeed. Somewhat less known are the Strength Force, which grant its users control over {{gravity|master}} and mass, increasing their physical striking powers, and the Sage Force, which gives PsychicPowers and SuperIntelligence. The Speed Force is the Thief, the Strength Force is the Fighter, and the Sage Force is the Mage. |
| 580 | * ''ComicBook/RatQueens'' is explicitly a parody of RolePlayingGameVerse stories, and the four central characters are overtly a D&D Fighter-Mage-Cleric-Thief quartet. |
| 581 | * ''ComicBook/{{Spawn}}'': The Three BigBad of the Spawn universe could fit this mold. Malebolgia being a large hulking demon who leads an army is the fighter being physical match for spawn, Mammon is the mage relying his magic,wits,and artifacts, and Sinn/Cogliostro the thief who steals powers and life force from other hellspawns to grow stronger. |
| 582 | %%** Al Simmons aka Spawn is the Fighter, She-Spawn aka Jessica Priest is the Mage, and Gunslinger Spawn is the thief. |
| 583 | * ''ComicBook/UltimateFantasticFour'': After [[FaceHeelTurn Reed becomes the Maker]], the remaining heroic members of the Four fit this trope. Ben is the fighter (super strength and toughness), Johhny is the mage (attacks from the distance with fire) and Sue is the thief (can become invisible). |
| 584 | * ComicBook/{{Vampirella}} and her two main allies Pendragon and Adam van Helsing. Vampirella possesses the superior strength, speed, agility, and durability of a vampire, Pendragon is a sorcerer (though initially isn't very good at it) and Adam is BadassNormal who relies on weaponry and exploiting the weaknesses of his inhuman foes. |
| 585 | [[/folder]] |
| 586 | |
| 587 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 588 | * The three [[VideoGame/DragonAgeII Hawke siblings]] are this in ''Fanfic/BeyondHeroes: Of Sunshine and Red Lyrium''. Hawke is a rogue, and - as in the game - twins Carver and Bethany are a warrior and a mage, respectively. |
| 589 | * In the fanmade novelization ''Fanfic/TheMythOfLinkAndZeldaBreathOfTheWild'', Impa's role is ascended to equal importance to that of Link, Zelda, and Ganondorf. Even though there are four of them, they actually adhere to these roles. Zelda is the Mage, using her extensive powers of Din's Fire, Nayru's Love, and Farore's Wind, and eventually [[spoiler:the Owl Spirit]]. Impa is the Thief, using her Sheikah ninja tactics and extraordinary agility and skills with her RazorWind Devoted Kodachi in combat. Link and Ganondorf evenly split the role of Fighter. Link is the tactical fighter favoring effective strategy, and Ganondorf is the brute fighter favoring overwhelming strength. |
| 590 | * In ''Fanfic/ChildOfTheStorm'', the younger generation has two of these: axe-wielding Uhtred is the Fighter, Diana with her speed and agility is the Thief, while Harry, whose his vast [[UnskilledButStrong (but fairly raw)]] magical and PsychicPowers make him a GlassCannon, is the Mage, and (particularly in the first book) bad things tend to happen when he tries close combat against serious opponents. By the sequel, another develops, with Harry remaining as the Mage (albeit more of a [[MagicKnight Fighter-Mage]]), [[SuperSoldier Carol]] being the Fighter, and [[SuperSpeed Jean-Paul]] being the Thief. Indeed, while they don't battle together, Harry and friends act as this at Hogwarts: here, Harry's the Thief (mentality wise, he's much more of a master spy), while Hermione is the Mage (though very knowledgeable, and with extremely destructive powers, said powers tend to be hard to control at the best of times), and Ron is the Fighter (in mentality and in getting training from Sean Cassidy in Aikido). |
| 591 | * The Red Lotus Trio in ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainBlossomingTrail'' each fall into this category. |
| 592 | ** Fighter: Chloe Cerise, being the TokenHuman of the three makes good use of her steel pipe --sorry, ''donut holer'', Cheshire. |
| 593 | ** Mage: Lexi, a living book that's capable of manipulating paper into whatever form he wants and shapeshifting ''himself'' into whatever he fits. |
| 594 | ** Thief: Atticus, the small and swift corgi who attacks with bites and snarls. |
| 595 | * The BigBadDuumvirate in ''The Legend of Royal Blue and La Sylphide''. Ex-Terra favours brawling and uses [[PowerFist gauntlets]] (Fighter.) Ex-Aqua lets her magic do the fighting while using a parasol as a MagicWand (Mage.) Ex-Sol confuses the heroes with inane babbling and uses HitAndRunTactics with boomerangs (Thief.) This is reflected in the variant of [[MonsterOfTheWeek Spectres]] they summon: Ex-Terra's Spectres are {{Mighty Glacier}}s, Ex-Aqua's are {{Puzzle Boss}}es requiring out-of-the-box thinking to beat, and Ex-Sol's are {{Fragile Speedster}}s. |
| 596 | * In ''Fanfic/MyHuntsmanAcademia'', the three White Fang officers designed after WesternAnimation/TheThreeCaballeros fit the roles. |
| 597 | ** The Admiral is the Fighter. A LightningBruiser BoxingBattler, he puts [[TheHero Izuku]] on the ropes for much of their fight even with Weiss boosting his speed. Any one of his blows could have finished Izuku in a single, solid hit. He can take just as well as he can give, easily deflecting Izuku's 5% Full Cowl attacks and taking multiple hits from Izuku's 10% Full Cowl before going down. He's also hot-headed and prone to being TheBerserker but is also AFatherToHisMen. |
| 598 | ** Panchito "Pistoles" Rojo is the Mage with hints of the MagicKnight. He's a good close-quarters combatant with his taloned feet, but he truly shines at long range due to his powerful revolvers packed with high-grade Fire Dust. But for all of his firepower, he's sent sprawling into the water with one of Izuku's punches and later goes down to a 10% Beacon Smash. |
| 599 | ** José Cuérvo is the Thief. He's not great at direct combat, but he's a smooth talker and an excellent recruiter for the White Fang. He prefers to use every trick in the book to make up for it, attempting to kill the lights in order to inconvenience his Human opponents and baiting Katsuki into a trap by taunting him. He is also quick to consider a retreat when he realizes that he and his men are outmatched and utilizes hidden weapons like a SawedOffShotgun in his umbrella and a bowie knife. |
| 600 | * The Opress brothers from ''Fanfic/RunningWithLightningFeet''. |
| 601 | ** Savage is the Fighter. The Nightsisters magically enhanced his physical abilities and bloodlust in order to make him invincible, and he's the most HotBlooded one. |
| 602 | ** Maul is the Mage. He has been trained from infancy to use the Force and is shown to be much more of a manipulative bent. However, he's still able to fight with a lightsaber so has shaded of MagicKnight. |
| 603 | ** Feral is the Thief. For all his lack of fierceness and unwillingness to use the Dark Side, he effortlessly infiltrates a comm tower in order to sabotage it, and when discovered his knee-jerk reaction is to evade fighting, trying to talk his opponents into leaving or outright fleeing. |
| 604 | * In ''Fanfic/ShadowsAwakening'', Daolon Wong's new [[QuirkyMinibossSquad dark chi warriors]] fit this motif. Ironfist is a SmashMook, Tempest is a SquishyWizard with limited WeatherManipulation, and Fang is a MageKiller with AntiMagic energy daggers. |
| 605 | * ''Fanfic/YoullGetNoAnswersFromTheBlueSeaStar'': The three sisters are a classic example. Beth is the muscle who wades into mêlèe and smashes things, Kid stays back and acts as the magical equivalent of a tactical nuke, Jo spies and stabs and sneaks and snipes. |
| 606 | [[/folder]] |
| 607 | |
| 608 | [[folder:Films -- Animated]] |
| 609 | * Mirabel and her sisters in ''WesternAnimation/{{Encanto}}''. Luisa has SuperStrength who can lift buildings (Fighter), Isabela has a GreenThumb by growing plants (Mage) and Mirabel is the MuggleBornOfMages who uses her wits to survive (Thief). |
| 610 | * ''Creator/DreamWorksAnimation'': [=DreamsWorks=] tends to create a villain for each film of a certain franchise using this trope to give each a contrast from one another. |
| 611 | ** ''Franchise/{{Shrek}}'': |
| 612 | *** Not counting Lord Faarquad from the first film, the main antagonists in the three sequel films fill these roles: the [[FairyDevilmother Fairy Godmother]] utilizies magic, making her the Mage, [[PrinceCharmless Prince Charming]] fills the role of Fighter by forming an army made of fairy tale villains and forcibly taking over the kingdom, and Rumplestiltskin is the Thief, being a crafty trickster who employs [[DealWithTheDevil devilish deals]] via {{Magically Binding Contract}}s. |
| 613 | *** The BigBadEnsemble of the spin-off sequel ''WesternAnimation/PussInBootsTheLastWish'' form this with Goldilocks being the thief as the leader of the Three Bears Crime Family, relying on her wits and their strength to steal the map of the Wishing Star, "Big" Jack Horner being the mage, having an assortment of magical weapons to combat the heroes and the Wolf/Death is the fighter, being able to match and overpower Puss through pure strength and weapon skill alone. |
| 614 | ** WordOfGod confirms they did this for ''Franchise/KungFuPanda'' to create {{Contrasting Sequel Antagonist}}s. The [[WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda1 first film]]'s Tai Lung, a martial arts master who usually fights physically and can take a lot of punishment, is the Fighter. ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda2'' has Lord Shen, who relies on his intelligence, speed, hidden throwing knives and cannons to fight, and is the Thief. And ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda3'' has Kai, a supernatural being who uses chi to attack, who is the Mage. Fittingly, the theme also matches with the three aspects of kung fu: Body, Mind and Spirit. |
| 615 | ** The main human and draconic antagonists of the ''Franchise/HowToTrainYourDragon'' films all fit the archetypes. Stoick the Vast, who is arguably an antagonist to Hiccup of the first film, is an old-fashioned warrior who believes in brute strength and simple tactics and fits the Fighter mold while the Red Death, a powerful and ferocious dragon who bullies smaller dragons and relies on its own force, also can be considered a Fighter. Drago Bludvist, a vicious [[TheBeastmaster dragon tamer]], and his mind-controlling Bewilderbeast are the Mages, able to use non-physical abilities to pose a major threat to the heroes. Grimmel the Grisly and his Deathgrippers can be classified as Thieves, with their reliance on swift attacks, venom and dishonest tactics, although the Deathgrippers have the strength to be called Fighters. |
| 616 | * At the beginning of the Pixar movie, ''WesternAnimation/{{Onward}}'', [[spoiler:a party appeared in retrieving a goblet and fighting a dragon. The party consists of an Elven Knight (Fighter), a rogue Faun (Thief), and a Cyclops wizard (Mage).]] |
| 617 | [[/folder]] |
| 618 | |
| 619 | [[folder:Films -- Live-Action]] |
| 620 | * The three most iconic SlasherMovie villains in American cinema--[[Franchise/FridayThe13th Jason Voorhees]], [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Freddy Krueger]], and [[Franchise/{{Halloween}} Michael Myers]]--coincidentally fit the trope to a T. Jason is ([[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness in his most iconic form]]) a hulking [[TheJuggernaut juggernaut]] who wields a machete, Freddy is an ethereal demon who uses supernatural means to [[BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind enter his victims' dreams]] and wields a clawed glove, and Michael is an eerily silent stealth killer who prefers to hide in the shadows and covertly kill his victims with a simple knife. |
| 621 | * ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'' |
| 622 | ** This is embodied with their {{Big Bad}}s: Ra's al Ghul, the Joker, Bane. |
| 623 | *** Ra's al Ghul is the Thief, being a criminal mastermind leading behind the shadows of a terrorist organization with expert swordsmanship martial art skills. He occasionally uses technology in attempting to bring Gotham down, a prime example being Scarecrow's Fear Toxin. |
| 624 | *** The Joker is arguably the Mage, relying heavily on technology and other resources to enact his evil schemes, even ''using'' it in combat. He is much more of a mastermind compared to Ra's, as all of his plans are based on methodical planning and resources wielded. |
| 625 | *** Bane is easily the Fighter, relying more on brute strength and is much more combat oriented compared to Ra's and the Joker. All of his fights against Batman are solely hand to hand combat, without the need of any resources whatsoever. |
| 626 | ** The trilogy's major heroes also embody this trope as well. |
| 627 | *** Bruce Wayne/Batman is easily the Fighter, going on the front lines to stop the villains from plaguing Gotham City into crime. |
| 628 | *** Lucius Fox is the Mage, providing Bruce Wayne with technology for better on-the-field combat. He even ''helps'' Batman behind the scenes during the latter's fight with the Joker. |
| 629 | *** James Gordon is the Thief (ironic, considering he is a policeman). As part of the GCPD, he shows up in the front lines, but is far less confrontational than Batman. |
| 630 | * ''Film/DungeonsAndDragonsHonorAmongThieves'': Given the nature of the source material, this dynamic is present in the main party. Edgin (human bard) is the thief with his knack for strategy, charisma and diversion. Holga (human barbarian) is the fighter with the most brute strength and combat experience. Simon (half-elf sorcerer) is the mage who's capable of evocation spells once he gets over his self deprecation. Doric (tiefling druid) is a universalist that can fill all three roles, but mainly sticks to wild shape which allows her to be a stealthy insect, a high soaring hawk or a brutally ferocious owlbear. |
| 631 | * ''Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse'': |
| 632 | ** The original six Avengers have this in pairs. Captain America and Hulk both have enhanced physical abilities from super-soldier experiments (Fighter). Iron Man and Thor use magic or technology advanced enough to appear magical (Mage). Hawkeye and Black Widow have no powers but get by on skill, strategy and improvisation (Thief). |
| 633 | ** In ''Film/ThorRagnarok'', the Hulk, Thor, and Valkyrie (and [[HeelFaceRevolvingDoor sometimes]] Loki) have this dynamic. The brawny, musclebound rage-head Hulk is the Fighter, Thor (who loses his hammer Mjolnir, but learns to wield [[ShockAndAwe lightning magic]] without it) is the Mage, and the graceful and agile warrior Valkyrie is the Thief. When he's actually on Thor's side, the charming shapeshifter Loki also occupies the Thief role alongside Valkyrie. |
| 634 | ** In ''Film/BlackPanther2018'', this is the dynamic between Okoye, Shuri and Nakia. Okoye is the Fighter as T'Challa's bodyguard and head of the Dora Milaje. Shuri is the Mage as she is Wakanda's chief scientist and a gifted engineer. Nakia is the Thief as she is a War Dog spy who relies on cunning and subterfuge. |
| 635 | ** The three male Children of Thanos in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' and ''Film/AvengersEndgame'': Cull Obsidian is a towering bruiser (Fighter), Ebony Maw is a telekinetic EvilSorcerer (Mage) and Corvus Glaive is a StealthExpert who strikes from the shadows (Thief). Incidentally, all three female Children are a combination of Thief (as extremely capable assassins) and Fighter. |
| 636 | ** There are many trios in ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar'' that falls into this trope: |
| 637 | *** The three earth humans who go to space: Iron Man, who went toe to toe with Thanos, is the fighter, Doctor Strange is obviously the mage and the snarky Spider-Man is the thief. |
| 638 | *** The Guardians that went with Thor: Thor himself is the fighter being the most durable and having a newly forged axe, Groot, who helped forge the axe, is the mage and Rocket is the thief who even wanted to steal Bucky's arm. |
| 639 | *** The remaining Guardians: Drax is the fighter whose main weapons are his dual knives, Mantis is the mage who has psychic powers and Star-Lord is the thief who uses multiple gadgets. |
| 640 | *** The three ladies who fought Proxima Midnight: Okoye is the fighter who uses a spear, Wanda uses her chaos magic so she's the mage and Black Widow is a trained assassin so she's the thief. |
| 641 | ** By the time of ''Film/AntManAndTheWasp'', Hope, Scott and Hank fit this dynamic. Hope is the Fighter (being the most capable in direct combat and having more weapons at her disposal), Scott is the Thief (being an actual former thief and burglar who heavily relies on his guile and quick-thinking in combat) and Hank is the Mage (he created the Ant-Man and Wasp suits and mainly relies on his [[PestController ant-controlling device]]). |
| 642 | ** The Avengers Trinity of Captain America, Iron Man and Thor. Captain America is an experienced soldier whose training involves infiltration and stealth, Iron Man is the smartest of the three and relies on technology and science and Thor is the most physically powerful. ''Film/AvengersEndgame'' pushes this further in the final battle to add another dynamic to the ones they already have with Steve gaining the ability of Mjölnir and being able to go toe to toe with the heavy hitters, Thor focusing more on his lightning ability and Tony using his guile to make up for the fact that he's out of practice. |
| 643 | ** Scott's crew from the ''Film/AntMan1'' films. Luis' most notable ability is punching someone out with a single blow (Fighter), Kurt is a hacker who can change conditions inside a building (Mage) and Dave is the GetawayDriver (Thief). |
| 644 | ** Spider-Man's {{Big Bad}}s in his "Home" trilogy: [[Film/SpiderManHomecoming Vulture]] is the thief as he goes under the radar from the Avengers for 8 years and steals alien tech. [[Film/SpiderManFarFromHome Mysterio]] is the mage, he controls an army of drones that can appear like magic with holograms. [[spoiler:[[Film/SpiderManNoWayHome The Green Goblin]] is the fighter being a physical match to Peter and is the most brutal having given and received a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown]] |
| 645 | *** On the heroic side of the "Home" trilogy: we have Peter, Ned and MJ fulfilling this dynamic. Peter Parker is the Fighter as he's the only one with physical-based superpowers, Ned Leeds is the Mage who's MissionControl and [[spoiler:is capable of performing magic]] and Michelle Jones is the Thief who uses her wits and social skills to get the drop on things. |
| 646 | *** Then, in ''No Way Home'': [[spoiler:we have Peter-2 ([[Film/SpiderManTrilogy Raimi-verse]]), and Peter-3 ([[Film/TheAmazingSpiderManSeries Webb-verse]]) to Peter-1 (MCU-verse), both through skillsets and meta-related showings. Peter-2 is the Fighter who's the only counterpart with no fancy gadgets or uses scientific knowledge outside of being a superhero and mostly relies on his physical abilities and organic webbing, Peter-1 is the Mage who relies on technological gadgets and scientific expertise the most as well as being more intuned with his SpiderSense and Peter-3 is the Thief who performs all sorts of acrobatics and DeadlyDodging as Spider-Man and performed two crucial life-saving events in the final battle.]] |
| 647 | * ''{{Film/Mythica}}: A Quest for Heroes:'' When gathering her "team" to aid Teela, Marek herself is the mage, Thane the fighter and Dagen the thief. |
| 648 | * ''Franchise/{{Star Wars}}'': |
| 649 | ** The Sith: |
| 650 | *** Mage: Palpatine. The oldest, wisest and [[LargeHam most wicked]] of the Sith, who was infamous for using [[ShockAndAwe Force Lightning]] a lot and abusing the ancient sorcery of the Dark Side. |
| 651 | *** Thieves: Maul & Dooku. Elegant, swift fighters who use both speed and momentum to outplay their foes. Maul being more of a FragileSpeedster while Dooku was more [[RoyalRapier precise and refined]]. |
| 652 | *** Fighter: Vader. With historically the largest body count, Vader was the juggernaut who plows through his foes. He has the most direct and brutal fighting style, along with being [[TheBigGuy physically daunting in stature]]. Also Vader was the quickest to punish failure, mostly through Force Choking. |
| 653 | ** The Jedi Council: |
| 654 | *** Fighter: Mace Windu. The battle-hardened Jedi Master who was no-nonsence in both combat and moral. He was closest to defeating Palpatine in an open duel, but failed due to him badgering Anakin for assistance. |
| 655 | *** Mage: Yoda. Wisest of all Jedi and deeply intuned with the physical and mental ways of the Force. A logical and disciplined teacher with knowledge beyond the understanding of many. |
| 656 | *** Thief: Obi-Wan Kenobi. Cleverly strategic especially during the Clone Wars. He infiltrated and scouted many locations, looking for information on the Separatists. He even went into hiding, following Order 66 where he watched over Luke for years. |
| 657 | ** The most prominent professions in the Star Wars Universe: |
| 658 | *** The Sith (Fighters): An ancient tyrannical religion that desired [[TheDeterminator absolute power]] over the galaxy. The Sith built a legacy of war, power and domination. Their success comes from mostly [[TyrantTakesTheHelm force and subjugation]] with a code that demands them to be the [[ItsAllAboutMe best and rule all else]]. |
| 659 | *** Bounty Hunters (Thieves): Through greed, Bounty Hunters make a living from taking [[OnlyInItForTheMoney paid work]]. They are the [[JustFollowingOrders least loyal]] between the three groups and a few select individuals gain fame from their efficiency. Essentially, Bounty Hunters are hired help, many are prudent killers and merceneries. However they ultimately have no allegiance, towards good and evil, just whoever can afford them. |
| 660 | *** The Jedi (Mages): Jedi are the [[TheFettered most moralistic]] of the three groups. They abhor the dominating Sith and aren't too keen on Bounty Hunters either. Though they can be effective warriors, the wisest Jedi try to avoid [[BadassPacifist unnecessary conflict]]. The Jedi Code teaches peace, focus and spirituality, with many Jedi more concerned of its mysteries than its destructive means. |
| 661 | ** The three heroes who received medals in the ceremony at the end of ''A New Hope'': |
| 662 | *** Chewbacca (Fighter): The biggest strongest member of the team who may or may not rip your arms off as a response to losing a game. |
| 663 | *** Luke Skywalker (Mage): Jedi who wields a power that many don't believe exists. |
| 664 | *** Han Solo (Thief): Professional smuggler with no powers who gets by on piloting skills and the ability to come up with a new lie when cornered. |
| 665 | * ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'': The three Terminators sent into the past in the first three films. The T-800 from [[Film/TheTerminator the original film]] is the Fighter, a unit designed for front-line combat and has a muscular build, primarily using its strength and [[WalkingArmory a multitude of weapons]] acquired via BallisticDiscount to execute commands. The T-1000 from [[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay the second film]] is the Thief, [[BlobMonster a liquid metal type]] whose primary function is as an infiltrator and primarily attacks with melee weapons formed from its' limbs, but isn't as tough as the T-800 (the T-1000 is disrupted by large amounts of force while the T-800 could wade through automatic gunfire). The T-X from [[Film/Terminator3RiseOfTheMachines the third film]] is the Mage, which combines both models (liquid metal over a metal endoskeleton), is equipped with an array of built-in weapons and can reprogram other machines in the vicinity. |
| 666 | [[/folder]] |
| 667 | |
| 668 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 669 | * Unsurprisingly, a number of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' novels contain this trope: |
| 670 | ** ''[[TabletopGame/{{Ravenloft}} Vampire of the Mists]]'' has Jander Sunstar (fighter, although he has some supernatural abilities, and is quite stealthy, from being a vampire), Sasha (spellcaster, although he's actually a cleric, not a mage), and Leisl (thief). |
| 671 | ** ''[[Literature/DragonLance War of the Twins]]'' has Caramon Majere (fighter), Raistlin Majere (mage), Crysania of Tarinius (cleric, which, again, is a different kind of spellcaster in D&D), and Tasslehoff Burrfoot (thief, [[BerserkButton but don't you dare call him one]]). |
| 672 | ** ''Literature/DragonlanceTheNewAdventures'' has Davyn and Catriona (fighter), Nearra and Sindri (mage), and Elidor (thief). |
| 673 | * The main characters of ''Literature/DoraWilkSeries'' fall into these categories: Miron's fighter, the strongest and most experienced one, Joshua's mage, with his [[SquishyWizard attitude]] and skills, and Dora, tricky and cunning, is thief. |
| 674 | %%* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': |
| 675 | %%** In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'', each of the eponymous Deathly Hallows falls into one of the archetypes here: The Elder Wand (fighter), the Resurrection Stone (mage), and the Invisibility Cloak (thief). |
| 676 | %%** Three of the four Hogwarts houses fit the trope: Gryffindor as the Fighter, Ravenclaw as the Mage, and Slytherin as the Thief. Hufflepuff, the fourth house, conveniently works with the Cleric class; coincidentally their house ghost is a friar. Alternatively, they could also be seen as balanced universalists that do not overly specialize in any of the archetypes. |
| 677 | %%* The main characters of The Fire's Stone by Creator/TanyaHuff; Prince Darvish is the Fighter, Chandra is the Mage, and Aaron is the Thief. |
| 678 | * ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' the races of Middle Earth can be categorized into these, Humans and Dwarves are Warriors, Wizards and Elves are Mage, and the Hobbits are Thieves. The Legolas-Gimli-Aragorn trio is a subversion: Legolas is the Thief because he's a skilled archer and expert in acrobatics, Gimli is the Fighter, as he's a bulky axe-wielding tank, and Aragorn, despite having HealingHands and being able to heal victims of the Nazgul (Mage), not only completely lacks the typical characteristics of a WhiteMage, but does very few healing and is much more well-known for fighting in the front lines, having traits of a balanced Fighter-Thief hybrid that uses BowAndSwordInAccord. The only actual Mage of the Fellowship is Gandalf, but he rarely uses magic as a weapon. |
| 679 | * In ''Literature/{{Phenomena}}'': Alk (fighter), Ilke (mage) and Millian (thief) when they travel [[SeparatedFromTheAdults alone]]. |
| 680 | * In ''Literature/PleaseDontTellMyParentsImASupervillain'', the villain team called "The Inscrutable Machine" has this dynamic: |
| 681 | ** Ray Viles/Reviled is the warrior, being a LightningBruiser (speed, strength, stamina, and possibly enhanced awareness) and the most ready-to-fight of the three. |
| 682 | ** Penelopy/Bad Penny is a MadScientist. She fills in for the Mage with her inventions granting utility comparable to the Mages in the series, but has the least physical prowess. |
| 683 | ** Claire/E-Claire is the thief, being trained in burglary and stealth while also able to handle talking with the criminal underworld more readily than the rest of the team. |
| 684 | * ''Literature/PoolOfRadiance'': Shal, being an apprentice wizard who is now without a mentor, is definitely the Mage. Althro a cleric, Tarl starts off as more of a fighter as, other than his healing capabilities, is seen throwing his hammer over and over again as opposed to using holy spells. This compares to Ren who, before he decided to go back to his ranger ways, relied on his thief skills to help the party. |
| 685 | * ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'' has Beren's companions: Finrod is a WarriorPrince and MagicKnight (Fighter), Luthien is an enchantress (Mage), and Huan is a sleepless, tireless wolfhound (Thief). |
| 686 | * ''Literature/TheWheelOfTime'': Rand's three love interest: Aviendha is Fighter [[note]] as a ProudWarriorRaceGirl and ex-member of an AmazonBrigade [[/note]], Elayne is Mage [[note]] a very powerful channeler and graduate of the local WizardingSchool[[/note]] and Min is Thief [[note]] not very imposing and has a magical ability that's not much use in combat, but is clever and resourceful, and usually has a knife up her sleeve[[/note]] |
| 687 | %%** has the three protagonists: Rand is Mage/Fighter, Perrin is Fighter/Fighter, and Matt is the Thief/Fighter. |
| 688 | * The Mistborn of ''Literature/{{Mistborn}}'' are the jack-of-all-stats variety, inherently magi. They're mostly used for skulking, spying, stealing (usually information), and the occasional assassination. |
| 689 | ** The Lord Ruler's three types of Hemalurgic Constructs also fit into this classification; the [[OurGiantsAreBigger Koloss]] are Fighters, the [[RunOrDie Steel Inquisitors]] are Mages, and the [[DeadPersonImpersonation Kandra]] are Thieves. |
| 690 | * ''Literature/AdventureHunters'': Artorius is a former [[ThePaladin paladin]], Regina is a SquishyWizard and Lisa is a small and quick thief. However, there is one deviation; Lisa is both super strong and nigh-invulnerable. |
| 691 | * The main trio in ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'': Percy himself is a MasterSwordsman (Fighter), Grover is a satyr who can [[MagicMusic cast spells with his panpipes]] (Mage), and Annabeth uses a cap of {{invisibility}} and wields a knife (Thief). |
| 692 | * The three heroes of Literature/TheQuestOfTheUnaligned very loosely fit this trope. Alaric, though he is actually by far the most powerful mage of the three, doesn't know how to use his magic for the bulk of the book, and thus relies on his advanced training in hand-to-hand combat. Laeshana is an [[PlayingWithFire aesh]], and an exceptionally brilliant one at that, so she provides most of the magic side of things. Nahruahn is small, [[{{Keet}} hyperactive]], and as a ruahk has access to flight and teleportation magic. |
| 693 | * The three main Demons from ''The Elfstones of Literature/{{Shannara}}'' fit this categorization. The Dagda Mor is the Mage [[note]]An extremely intelligent creature with incredibly potent magical powers[[/note]], the Reaper is the Fighter [[note]] A single-minded, all but physically unstoppable killer[[/note]] and the Changeling is the Thief [[note]]A physically weak but clever and tricky shapeshifter[[/note]]. |
| 694 | * The ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse'' differentiates three types of Jedi who fit this classification--the Guardians, who specialize in lightsaber combat (fighter); the Consulars, who study more mystical aspects of the Force (mage); and the Sentinels, who use unorthodox tricks and are less prominent than the other Jedi (thief). |
| 695 | * The QuirkyMinibossSquad of ''Literature/ThePrincessBride'' counts: Fezzik, with his gigantism and monstrous strength, is the Fighter. Vizzini, the mastermind of the trio who is nonetheless crippled and useless in a physical confrontation, is the Mage. Inigo, the swordmaster and duelist with no armor but lots of skill, is the Thief. Obviously, this applies to the [[Film/ThePrincessBride film version]] as well. |
| 696 | * ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': Three of the central Stark children are this: |
| 697 | ** Bran, with his skin-changing power, visions, and magical training is the Mage. |
| 698 | ** Arya, with her observational skills, quickness with a rapier, and ability to change faces is the Thief. |
| 699 | ** Jon with his swordsmanship, survival skills, and leadership in battle is the Fighter. |
| 700 | ** As the series continues, Arya and Jon develop into the ''Thief + Mage'' and ''Fighter + Mage'' combinations respectively, both getting embroiled in the magical side of Westeros and developing abilities as wargs (and in Arya's case skin-changing) along with their existing skills. |
| 701 | * Shallan's three personalities in ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'': |
| 702 | ** Shallan herself, as a Lightweaver and devoted scholar, is the Mage. |
| 703 | ** Veil is the Thief. She enjoys spending time in seedier taverns and has a mind for subterfuge and trickery. |
| 704 | ** Radiant, the proud and deliberate personality that Shallan imagines being the perfect Knight Radiant, is the Fighter. |
| 705 | * ''Literature/ProphecyApprovedCompanion'': The three Potential Saviours of All Living Creatures, as summarized in the first chapter. |
| 706 | * ''Literature/TheSpectrumGame'': In combat, Silas and Valerie are pure Fighters, with Silas being a [[BarrierWarrior defensive]] MightyGlacier while Valerie is an [[LightningBruiser offensive bruiser]] with [[MagicallyIneptFighter no elemental magic]]. Makoto is a Fighter/Mage, being half WhiteMage, as his swordplay, though basic, is effective with emphasis on SpellBlade attacks, and he's the best healer of the bunch. Minori and Iago are pure Mages, with Minori being TheMinionMaster with puppets and elementals at her command, while Iago is a straightforward BlackMage with a powerful {{Familiar}} at his side. Inigo is a Mage/Thief, being half BlackMage, as he specialises in crippling foes through {{Status Infliction Attack}}s and swift, dance-like melee attacks. Azurine is a pure Thief, as she fights at a distance with her gun, which she uses to supplement her magic. Scarlett is a Thief/Fighter, as she is a close-ranged DanceBattler with a spear, who also uses her magic dances to buff herself and her allies. |
| 707 | * The pattern shows up a few times in ''Literature/TheCampHalfBloodSeries'': |
| 708 | ** ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians: The Lightning Thief'' has Percy as the BookDumb BigGuy "fighter", Grover as the NatureSpirit "mage", and Annabeth as the BookSmart GuileHeroine "thief". |
| 709 | ** Twice in ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'': |
| 710 | *** ''The Lost Hero'' has Jason as the swordsman "fighter", Leo as the GadgeteerGenius "mage", and Piper as the [[CompellingVoice charmspeak]]-using dagger-wielding "thief". |
| 711 | *** ''The Son of Neptune'' has Percy as the "fighter" yet again, Hazel as the [[DishingOutDirt geokinetic]]/{{gemstone|Assault}}-wielding "mage", and Frank (despite being the son of a WarGod) as the shapeshifting "thief". |
| 712 | ** "Percy Jackson And The Sword Of Hades" in ''Literature/TheDemigodFiles'' has Percy as (''again'') "fighter", the {{necromancer}} Nico as "mage", and huntress Thalia as "thief". |
| 713 | * In the ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'' saga, the three primary alien races--the Yeerks, the Andalites, and the Hork-Bajir--follow this pattern. The Yeerks are an aggressively imperialistic race of slug-like [[PuppeteerParasite brain parasites]] who covertly infiltrate societies by secretly taking control of the minds of living hosts (Thief); the Andalites are a highly advanced civilization of [[OurCentaursAreDifferent centaur-like]] creatures renowned for their great intelligence, and [[ProudScholarRace their greatest asset is their advanced technology]] (Mage); and the Hork-Bajir are a [[DumbMuscle primitive and simple-minded]] race of physically imposing reptilian creatures with bodies covered in fearsome blades, and they serve as shock troops for the Yeerks (Fighter).[[note]] Although it should be noted that the Hork-Bajir are ''not'' fighters by choice: when they aren't under the Yeerks' mind control, they're [[GentleGiant peaceful and pacifistic by nature]], and their blades are used for climbing and stripping bark from trees.[[/note]] |
| 714 | [[/folder]] |
| 715 | |
| 716 | [[folder:Live Action Television]] |
| 717 | * ''Series/{{Arrowverse}}'': The three main recurring villains fit this. Eobard Thawne has SuperSpeed and makes use of hit-and-run tactics, Malcolm Meryln is a master archer and martial artist, and Damien Darhk's future self gains access to the Lazarus Pits and the Khushu Idol. |
| 718 | ** The Arrowverse trinity is FlyingBrick Supergirl (Fighter), Flash whose powers come from the mysterious cosmic speed force (Mage), and BadassNormal Green Arrow, who started out as a literal Robin Hood style thief. |
| 719 | * The Minbari on ''Series/BabylonFive'' have the warrior, worker, and religious castes. |
| 720 | * ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'': Buffy is the Fighter (being the Slayer, she has superhuman strength, agility and combat skills); Willow is the Mage (she dabbles in magic to the point where she's the most powerful witch in the world); and Xander is the Thief (has no superpowers, but compensates through guile, resourcefulness and sometimes just plain luck). |
| 721 | * All of the main characters of ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' fit very clearly into these roles: Fighter (Aeryn, D'Argo, Crais), Mage (Zhaan, Stark, Jool, Noranti), and Thief (Rygel, Chiana, Sikozu). John and Scorpius are Fighter/Magic-User compromise builds. |
| 722 | * In ''Series/TheFlash2014'', the three {{Sentient Cosmic Force}}s introduced in the eighth season fall into these categories: The Strength Force is naturally the Fighter, the Sage Force bestows psychic abilities, befitting the Thief, and the Still Force is able to affect time, either by freezing it or changing it, making it the Mage. |
| 723 | * Olivia, Walter, and Peter on ''Series/{{Fringe}}'' respectively embody this trope. Olivia kicks butt and takes names, Walter's weird science qualifies as being nigh-magical, and Peter is the rogue with the checkered past. |
| 724 | * ''Series/GameOfThrones'': As the series develops, three of the House Stark children fit all three molds. Jon is the Fighter, skilled with a blade and tested in combat. Bran is the Mage, physically weak but possessing magical powers beyond the ken of men. Arya is the Thief, learned in disguise and trickery even before being trained as a terrifying assassin. [[spoiler:This culminates in the final battle against the BigBad, with Jon leading troops into battle, Bran using his visions to manipulate the Night King and Arya sneaking up to strike the final blow.]] |
| 725 | * ''Franchise/KamenRider'': |
| 726 | ** ''Series/KamenRiderDrive'': Drive has three base forms: the quick Type Speed (Thief), the strong Type Wild (Fighter), and the technologically proficient Type Technic (Mage). Later on, the first three Fusion Roidmudes also take up this role, with Sword being Fighter, Seeker being Mage, and Open being Thief. Funny enough, the next Fusion Roidmude after Open is ''named'' Thief. |
| 727 | ** ''Series/KamenRiderDouble'': Double's three standard forms exhibit this trope: [=CycloneJoker=] emphasizes agility and wind powers (Thief), [=HeatMetal=]'s access to fire and sturdiness makes it the Fighter, and [=LunaTrigger=]'s use of illusions and long-range attacks make it the Mage. |
| 728 | ** ''Series/KamenRiderGotchard'': The three main Kamen Riders qualify. |
| 729 | ** Gotchard is the Thief. Being the least experienced of the three in both alchemy and combat means he has to work harder to catch up. However due to his natural bond with the Chemies, myriad of forms and tools in battle, combined with a determination that seems impossible to break, Gotchard finds himself earning victory often, and usually against an opponent that thought they had HIM beat instead. |
| 730 | ** Majade is the Mage. While strong in her own right, Majade lacks in raw power compared to Gotchard or Valvarad. However, she can [[AntiMagic disrupt alchemy]] and use the Fantastic and Cosmic Chemies, all of whom possess unique abilities. This allows her to more easily surprise her enemies. |
| 731 | ** Valvarad is the Fighter. While Gotchard possesses a variety of forms and Majade can negate her enemies' abilities, Valvarad is just powerful. Really, ''really'' powerful. [[StrongAndSkilled And given his experience in combat]] as well as certain opponents having seemingly no other way to fight him other than via alchemy, he suffers no drawbacks from this seeming "limitation". |
| 732 | * On ''Series/{{Leverage}}'', [[TheBigGuy Eliot]], [[PlayfulHacker Hardison]], and [[ClassyCatBurglar Parker]] largely fulfill these roles, though Hardison is a hacker instead of a mage. [[spoiler:The series even ends with the three of them going off without the full FiveManBand.]] |
| 733 | * From ''{{Series/Merlin|2008}}'', Arthur, Merlin, and Gwen are a TwoGuysAndAGirl version of this. Arthur's the MasterSwordsman, Merlin's TheArchmage, and Gwen's a GuileHero. |
| 734 | * ''Series/OnceUponATimeInWonderland'': It appears initially that the show is setting up a PowerTrio in Alice, the Knave, and the White Rabbit. However, the Rabbit doesn't show up that much (probably because it costs a lot to animate a talking rabbit voiced by Creator/JohnLithgow). Further, it subverts the expected roles in that the Fighter is the girl, and TheMole is the Mage, not the Knave. |
| 735 | * In ''Series/ParkerLewisCantLose'' Parker himself prefers to use his wit and charisma to trick his rivals and enemies --like Miss Russo-- (Thief), Mickey is more an action man and a rebellious character (Fighter) and Jerry is the wise nerdy intellectual (Mage). |
| 736 | * ''Franchise/PowerRangers''/''Franchise/SuperSentai'': |
| 737 | ** ''Series/ChoudenshiBioman'': The three longest-lasting Beasstnoids fit the bill: Juou (The Fighter) is the DumbMuscle, Metzler (The Thief) uses stealth attacks, and Psygorn (The Mage) has PsychicPowers. |
| 738 | ** ''Series/KyukyuSentaiGoGoV'': The last three monsters Zylpheeza/Diabolico used fit the bill: Guuru/Thunderon (The Fighter) is TheBrute, Jiin/Falkar (The Thief) uses speed attacks and Zoodo/Demonite (The Mage) has a sword for a hand, magic feathers and for Demonite, a magic clone. |
| 739 | ** ''Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder'': The main trio fits this trope with their civilian powers. Ethan (The Fighter) has the ability to generate InstantArmor which grants him SuperStrength. Kira (The Mage) has a long-ranged power in the form of a SuperScream. And Conner (The Thief) has SuperSpeed that allows him to surprise his enemies. |
| 740 | ** In addition, Three rangers of ''Series/PowerRangersSPD'' fit this trope too with their genetic powers. Syd (The Fighter) has a matter-shifter PowerFist making her the physically strongest ranger (in their unmorphed form). Sky (The Mage) can create [[BarrierWarrior Force Fields]]. And Jack (The Thief) is an IntangibleMan in addition to his robber past. |
| 741 | ** In ''Series/PowerRangersMysticForce[=/=]Series/MahouSentaiMagiranger'', the three {{Dragon In Chief}}s fit this pattern: Morticon/Branken is the Fighter, not really big on planning and mostly relies on brute force to accomplish his goals. Imperious/Meemy is the Thief, coming up with complicated plans and using sneaky tactics while rarely fighting head-on. Sculpin/Dagon is the Mage, being powerful enough to fight the rangers personally while also using dark magic to carry out his objectives. |
| 742 | ** The Mystic Force Rangers themselves can all use magic, but some of them turn their staff into a melee weapon. There are two Fighters + Mages (the Red one, Nick, with a sword and the Green one, Xander, with an axe), one Thief + Mage (Chip, the Yellow Ranger, who shoots with a crossbow) and two pure Mages who only use their elemental magic (Blue Ranger Madison and Pink Ranger Vida). |
| 743 | ** Series/PowerRangersRPM has the three primary color rangers as a combination of two of the three archetypes each. Red Ranger Scott Truman as the Fighter + Thief, using his Street Saber sword and SuperSpeed, while Yellow Ranger Summer Landsdown is Thief + Mage, using a Zip Charger (some sort of remote-controlled AttackDrone useful for sneaky attacks) and KamehameHadouken attacks, and Blue Ranger Flynn [=McAllister=] is a Fighter + Mage, using a heavy explosive cannon from long range and being able to stop time. Black Ranger Dillon is another Mage + Fighter, a BarrierWarrior wielding a HandCannon who also has cybernetic implants and is the most proficient in martial arts among the team, and Ziggy, the Green Ranger, is a Fighter + Thief, combining a heavy axe with teleport ([[TheLoad not that he's good at using either of them]]). Gem and Gemma, the Gold and Silver Rangers, are both Thief + Mage, using daggers combined with fire and ice. |
| 744 | * ''Series/SheHulkAttorneyAtLaw'': The three established MCU heroes that make appearances in this series are super-strong Hulk (Fighter), Sorcerer Supreme Wong (Mage), and stealthy street-level hero Daredevil (Thief). |
| 745 | * The three main Alpha quadrant races conform to this in ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries''. The Romulans have the most advanced cloaking devices and are entirely taken up with subterfuge, deception, and backstabbing in everything they do. So thief. The Klingons are tough, proud warriors, renowned for having 3 spines, two hearts, and enough raw physical power to make melee weapons somewhat functional in a raygun future. So fighter. The Federation solves its problems using diplomacy and technical skill, possessing the most advanced holographic, replication, teleportation, and shielding tech out of the three. It isn't for nothing the Dominion Officers are revealed in a ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' episode to have already stereotyped the Federation as capable of utterly absurd feats of ingenuity and scientific creativity ("One of those famed Starfleet engineers who can turn rocks into replicators"). So mage. |
| 746 | ** This also heavily overlaps with CombatDiplomacyStealth: the ProudWarriorRaceGuy Klingons obviously prefer combat, the MartialPacifist Federation prefers diplomacy (but ''will'' use combat when pushed far enough), and the scheming Romulans prefer stealth. |
| 747 | ** Also as characters Star Trek TOS has action man Kirk (Fighter), wise and analytic Spock (Mage) and expert in medical tricks Bones (Thief). |
| 748 | ** ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' has the three main races of the Dominion: The ruthless Jem'Hadar soldiers are obviously the fighters; the mysterious, shapeshifting Founders are the mages; and the silver-tongued, devious Vorta are the thieves. |
| 749 | * ''Series/TheMandalorian'' develops a trio like this overtime. [[TheStoic Mando]] aka [[spoiler:Din Djarin]] (Thief) is skilled in many forms of tracking, survival and combat. Grogu the Child (Mage) who is [[spoiler:gifted in the Force]] from the Empire. Later [[ActionGirl Cara Dune]] (Fighter) allies with them, having a greater role later on in the series as a heavy blaster-wielding badass. |
| 750 | * The three adult members of ''Series/TheMunsters'' clan- tall, super-strong BumblingDad Herman is the fighter; Lily as the most rational, organized [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Woman]] with vampiric abilities but with the most physically weak build makes the mage; and MadScientist Grandpa is the thief, given that he usually resorts to slyness and spells behind the others' backs to solve problems. |
| 751 | * ''Series/UltramanZ'' uses this trope for Z's fusion forms, instead of the usual BalancedSpeedStrengthTrio the ''Franchise/UltraSeries'' uses for an Ultra's MultiFormBalance: |
| 752 | ** Alpha Edge, a fusion of Series/UltraSeven, Series/UltramanLeo and Franchise/UltramanZero, is a FragileSpeedster with the combined speed and skill of three martial artists, making it the Thief. |
| 753 | ** Beta Smash, a fusion of Series/{{Ultraman}}, Series/UltramanAce and Series/UltramanTaro, is a MightyGlacier themed after a pro wrestler, making it the Fighter. |
| 754 | ** Gamma Future, a fusion of Series/UltramanTiga, Series/UltramanDyna and Series/UltramanGaia, is a SquishyWizard skilled in dazzling beam attacks resembling sorcery, making it the Mage. |
| 755 | * In "Series/WandaVision", the three humans operating outside the Hex form this dynamic around episode 5. Jimmy Woo is the Fighter, being a trained FBI agent who throws the first punch when he and the others are being escorted off the site by SWORD soldiers; Monica Rambeau becomes the Mage once she gains her powers; and Darcy Lewis' hacking skills and eventual infiltration of the Hex (albeit accidentally) make her the Thief. |
| 756 | * ''Series/TheWitcher2019'': Geralt is the fighter, being a swordsman who knows a little bit of magic but mostly relies on physical power, and his plot initially focuses on fighting the MonsterOfTheWeek. Yennefer is the mage, being a witch (despite losing her powers at the end of season 1) and her plot is focused on her joining the witches at first, and later on regaining her powers. Ciri is the thief, her plot mostly involves running away from people and when she learns to fight in season 2 her style is more focused on agility than strength (since she lacks the physical power of a Witcher). All three are [[PhysicalMysticalTechnological mystical]], with Ciri being a rare mystical-thief archetype. |
| 757 | * ''Series/TheWheelOfTime2021'': Since Rand is mostly OutOfFocus, the three Ta'veren Egwene, Mat and Perrin fit this archetype: Perrin is the fighter, Mat is the Thief and Egwene is the mage. [[spoiler:Rand is all three at once, a fighter because he uses a sword, a thief because he's a skilled archer and a mage because he can channel, being the Dragon Reborn]]. |
| 758 | * ''Series/YoungSheldon'': The three Cooper children. [[InsufferableGenius Sheldon]] is the smartest out of the family, he's inquisitive, academic and very mature for his age (Mage). Missy is more manipulative and mostly relies on her looks to get by. She has the most common sense of the three, with Sheldon being far too logically-inclined, and Georgie being too low brow (Thief). Georgie is the eldest but not-so bright sibling, while he excels at physical work, he fails academically and even drops out of school. Georgie is also the first of the siblings, to become a father due to his charming nature (Fighter). |
| 759 | [[/folder]] |
| 760 | |
| 761 | [[folder:Manhua]] |
| 762 | * In ''Manhua/InfinityGame'': |
| 763 | ** The main group is made up of Meibo as the thief, Lu Xiao as the black magic mage (Long Wei is a cleric/white magic mage) and Hai An as the paladin - though he's never shown to use magic or that he can. |
| 764 | ** The remaining members of the [[spoiler:RPG Society]] has this: [[spoiler:Xia Sheng Xue]] is the cleric, [[spoiler:Yue Bo Cheng]] is the wizard and [[spoiler:Xia Yun]] is the barbarian. |
| 765 | [[/folder]] |
| 766 | |
| 767 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 768 | * A Russian FilkSong explicitly [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sN311p3c_fU plays up the adventures]] of such a team, though it adds a cleric. |
| 769 | [[/folder]] |
| 770 | |
| 771 | [[folder:Mythology]] |
| 772 | * In Myth/NorseMythology, you have the three gods who get the most screen time. Thor is the fighter, Odin is the mage, and Loki is the Thief. |
| 773 | ** Coincidentally, in the Marvel series these three are strongly associated with the colors red, blue, and green repectively. |
| 774 | * Myth/KingArthur (the fighter), Myth/{{Merlin}} (the mage), and Myth/RobinHood (the thief) were practically this to TheHighMiddleAges. Interesting to note that King Arthur was created during TheLowMiddleAges, with Merlin not joining Myth/ArthurianLegend until the 12th century A.D., and Robin Hood being introduced in his own separate mythology last, around 14th century A.D. |
| 775 | * In Myth/ClassicalMythology, the three sons of Cronus slot surprisingly well, especially during the Titanomachy. Poseidon uses a trident, a traditionally melee weapon, and is the fighter. Zeus uses thunderbolts from a safe distance and is the mage. And Hades uses a helmet which makes him invisible, making him the thief. |
| 776 | [[/folder]] |
| 777 | |
| 778 | [[folder:Sports]] |
| 779 | * [[UsefulNotes/AssociationFootball FC Barcelona's]] three-man frontline from 2014-2017, 'MSN', was this. Luis Suarez, the aggressive, [[CombatPragmatist pragmatic]], tenacious center-forward, was the 'Fighter'. The immensely talented, magically gifted talisman, Lionel Messi, was the 'Mage', and the tricky, unpredictable Neymar was the 'Thief'. The trio eventually combined for over three hundred goals in three seasons. |
| 780 | * The Big Three of the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation San Antonio Spurs]] from 2002-2016 had Tim Duncan, who as a big man played inside the arc and led the team on both offense and defense (the Fighter), Tony Parker, whose FragileSpeedster status made him good at getting layups (the Thief), and Manu Ginobili, known for flashy passes and other highlight plays (the Mage). |
| 781 | [[/folder]] |
| 782 | |
| 783 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 784 | * In keeping with the feel of the ''Franchise/DragonAge'' video games, the [[TabletopGame/DragonAge tabletop RPG version]] also uses the three-class structure of mage, rogue, and warrior. |
| 785 | * The [=True20=] RPG system, based off of the [=D20=] system for ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'', provides the three basic classes of warrior, expert, and adept. |
| 786 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Champions}}'' adapts this to superhero characters, with the Brick, Energy Projector, and Martial Artist types. (These are only suggested starting models and not part of the game mechanics at all-- but the Strength-type characteristic system, Power Frameworks, and the skills system are set up to make them efficient ways to build characters.) |
| 787 | * In the ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms setting there were three adventurers who quested to overthrow Jergal, the god of discord, death, and the dead. They were a warlord named Bane, an assassin named Bhaal, and a necromancer named Myrkul, making them an evil version of this trope. Each of them ended up being freely given an aspect of the god's power, as he'd become bored with the job. |
| 788 | * Although ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' usually have too much granularity and specific variations to not clearly have this division outside some parties (in stories and otherwise), the variant Generic classes in 3.5's ''Unearthed Arcana'' fall here -- Spellcaster for mages (being the spellcasting class), Warrior for Fighters (having the best attack bonus and hit points) and Expert for Thief (gaining the most skills and the best saves, making it easiest for them to qualify for the rogue-themed special abilities). |
| 789 | * Many retroclones follow either this or [=Fighter/Mage/Thief/Cleric=], being generally based on the Basic Expert version of ''Dungeons And Dragons'' |
| 790 | ** ''[[http://www.basicfantasy.org/ Basic Fantasy Role-Playing Game]]'' has four classes; Fighter, Thief, Magic-User, and Cleric |
| 791 | ** ''Beyond the Wall'' features Fighter, Rogue, and Magic User; customization comes through Apocalypse Engine style playbooks: The Self-Taught Mage will have a different skillset and spell list than the Witch's Prentice, who in turn will be different from the Devout Acolyte. |
| 792 | ** ''Dungeon Crawl Classics'' begins with the traditional four plus elves, dwarves, and halflings. |
| 793 | ** ''[[http://www.goblinoidgames.com/labyrinthlord.htm Labyrinth Lord]]'', another old-style D&D retroclone, uses the Cleric, the Fighter, the Magic-User, and the Thief. In addition, the other races are classes in their own: the Dwarf (basically a Fighter, who is limited to level 12), the Elf (a MagicKnight who combines the powers of a Fighter and a Magic-User and is limited to 10th level), and the Halfling (small fighters with a few thief abilities who are limited to level 8). |
| 794 | ** ''TabletopGame/MazesAndMinotaurs'': Player classes are categorized into three groups: Warriors, Magicians, and Specialists. The Warriors are the toughest with 12 base HitPoints and have combat-related special abilities. The Specialists' abilities are geared toward adventuring more than Warriors' (the exceptions so far are Archer and its variant, Slinger, which have combat oriented abilities but functionally count as Specialists). Only Magicians can use magic. |
| 795 | ** ''TabletopGame/StarsWithoutNumber'' has Warrior, Psychic and Expert. Warriors have the best attack progression and the ability to negate one hit per fight; Experts have the best skill progression and can reroll a non-combat skill once per hour; Psychics can use psychic powers. This is also true with its post-apocalyptic spinoff ''Other Dust'' |
| 796 | ** ''[[http://www.swordsandwizardry.com/ Swords and Wizardry]]'' uses five classes based on [=OD&D=]: the Fighting-Man (or Fighter), the Magic-User, the Cleric, the Dwarven Warrior (who was much like the fighting-man) and the Elven Adventurer (who could choose whether to be a fighter or a magic-user once a day). |
| 797 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Exalted}}'' does it, too--White Wolf has a thing for the number 5, and most types of Exalted have 5 subtypes. For example, the 5 castes of Solar Exalted are Dawn (Warriors), Zenith (Leaders), Twilight (Sorcerers/Smart Guys), Nights (Thieves), and Eclipse ({{The Social Expert}}s). |
| 798 | ** It's been noted that ''White Wolf'' games that stick to the five-by-five system usually have a familiar breakdown for the social splats: Leader, Warrior, Mystic, Rebel, and Spy. ''TabletopGame/WerewolfTheForsaken'' goes Blood Talons (Warrior), Bone Shadows (Mystics), Hunters in Darkness (Spy), Iron Masters (Rebel), and Storm Lords (Leader). ''TabletopGame/MageTheAwakening'' goes Adamantine Arrow (Warrior), Free Council (Rebel), Guardians of the Veil (Spy), Mysterium (Mystic), and Silver Ladder (Leader). ''TabletopGame/VampireTheRequiem'' divides by the clans of Ventrue (Leader), Gangrel (Mystic/Warrior), Mekhet (Spy), Nosferatu (Rebel), Daeva (Warrior/Leader). ''TabletopGame/PrometheanTheCreated'' has Ferrum (Warrior), Mercurius (Mystic), and Stannum (Rebel) with Aurum (embracing humanity and mortals) and Cuprum (remaining isolated from humanity and touching on the inner self) blending elements of Leader and Spy. |
| 799 | ** From TabletopGame/{{Exalted}} you have the Lunar who are the exception to the Creator/WhiteWolf usual trope of the FiveManBand by sticking more closely to this trope. The Full Moon (Fighter), the No Moon (Mage) and the Changing Moon (Thief). |
| 800 | * ''TabletopGame/HollowEarthExpedition'' is a glorious subversion. Due to the way how Ubiquity, the system the game runs on, is designed and calculated, it prevents characters from being pigeonholed and locked in specific bracket. Even the archetypes that the game uses are more of informative than a class-like compartment to put characters into, and the main rules explicitly state (with an example) that people can make widely different characters within the same archetype without much issue. As far as the game is concerned, every character can be brawn, brains or bluff when the situation calls for it. |
| 801 | ** This is further contrasted with the very similarly-themed ''Broken Compass'' RPG, which plays the trope completely straight. Characters from it can only be created within a pretty restrictive class-like system, and any attempt to not match the two starting tags will lead to a painfully incompetent MasterOfNone, on top of simply not matching thematically. |
| 802 | * A similar rating system is used for ''TabletopGame/OnMightyThews'', with Warrior, Sorcerer, and Explorer standing in for the thief. |
| 803 | * ''TabletopGame/LEGOGames'': Two ''Heroica'' sets have this with their playable characters: |
| 804 | ** Waldurk Forest includes Barbarian, Druid, and Ranger. |
| 805 | ** Caverns of Nathuz includes Barbarian, Wizard, and Rogue. |
| 806 | * The Eldar of ''Warhammer 40,000'' follow this trope with their non-phoenix-lord special characters. Eldrad Ulthran is the mage, being his race's most powerful psyker and a master of prophecy and subtle manipulations. Prince Yriel of Iyanden is the fighter, being a strong melee warrior and highly talented admiral/general (autarch in eldar parlance). Illic Nightspear is the thief, being a stealth expert and sniper who has spent millennia perfecting the arts of ambush, fieldcraft, and stalking. The Forgeworld exclusive Farseer Bel-Annath is a {{magic knight}} - a powerful psyker who has walked the path of the warrior beforehand (specifically, he was a fire dragon) and retains solid melee skills. |
| 807 | ** The Chaos Gods. Khorne is the straight forward fighter, valuing melee combat and physical strength, and rejecting sorcery. Slaanesh is the thief, utilizing seduction, corruption, and favoring speed and precision in combat. Tzeentch is the mage, primarily using intellect and sorcery as his main tools. Nurgle is between fighter and mage, preferring to use plagues and poison to weaken his foes, but his armies are quite resilient and are a danger in close combat. |
| 808 | * Legend in the Mist: The Tinderbox Demo features three premade characters who fall into these categories: the Apple Picker (a mischievious orphan who is agile and clever like a Thief), the Red Marshal (a town guard with martial strength and protective instincts that lean towards Warrior), and the Wise One (a reclusive sage whose knowledge of the old remedies and rituals makes them a low-level Mage). |
| 809 | * In the indie role-playing game [[http://www.stargazergames.eu/games/warrior-rogue-mage/ Warrior, Rogue, and Mage]], the attribute system doesn't rate how strong or fast or intelligent you are -- it rates you on how good a warrior you are, how good a rogue you are, and how good a mage you are. Every task in the game is assumed to be "something a warrior does", "something a thief does", or "something a mage does". There are also variants for other settings -- e.g. "Resolute, Adventurer, and Genius" for games inspired by 1920s pulp novels. |
| 810 | * ''TabletopGame/WerewolfTheApocalypse'' somewhat does this with the five Auspices. Ragabashes are the thief-type with gifts related to stealth and deception, Theurges and Galliards could be considered mages as their gifts don't give direct combat ability but can act as buffers/good for working with spirits to make magical effects, and Philodoxes and Ahrouns as the fighters with Philodox gifts more focused on [[StoneWall taking it]] and shrugging it off and Ahroun gifts more focused on dishing out punishment for extended periods. |
| 811 | * ''TabletopGame/TheWitcherGameOfImagination'' makes a nice subversion, as it is entirely possible to create an ''entire party'' of characters outside the triangle and still enjoy the game. |
| 812 | [[/folder]] |
| 813 | |
| 814 | [[folder:Web Comics]] |
| 815 | * In ''Literature/AegerothACheckeredHistory'', there's Davi, an officer of the law, Zambor, a sorceress, and Drivena, a thief. |
| 816 | * ''Webcomic/ProblemSleuth'', which was designed to imitate a video game, has its three main characters match up with the archetypes: Ace Dick is the Fighter, Pickle Inspector is the Mage, and Problem Sleuth is the Thief. |
| 817 | ** Defined by their high Vim, Imagination and Pulchritude, respectively. |
| 818 | * ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'''s main characters are a Fighter, two Mages (a straight example in [[BlackMage Black]], and a [[{{Munchkin}} deliberate]] JackOfAllStats in [[TheRedMage Red]]), and a Thief. (There's a White Mage too, but she wouldn't be caught dead hanging around with these people.) |
| 819 | * ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'': |
| 820 | ** Agatha, Zeetha and Violetta are essentially this (with Agatha as a [[MagicFromTechnology technomage]]). Zeetha points it out in [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20140509 this]] comic. |
| 821 | ** According to Franz the dragon, fighter, [[MadScientist spark]], cleric and thief is a [[https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20221121#.Y-hMtmxMHDs classic]] adventuring party composition in-universe. Though the “thief” in his party keeps insisting she’s a librarian. |
| 822 | * ''Webcomic/ChampionsOfFaraus'': Three of the protagonists: Skye goes in with a mace (Fighter), Flamel tries to stay out of the melee and uses ranged magic through his MagicWand (Mage), and Daryl uses a dagger [[spoiler:later along with a short sword]] while constantly moving around and occasionally employing some CombatPragmatism (thief). |
| 823 | [[/folder]] |
| 824 | |
| 825 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 826 | * When the LetsPlay/PartyCrashers appeared in [[https://www.youtube.com/@MagicTheNoah Magic the Noah]]'s ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons''-like videos, Brent filled the tanky Fighter, Nick filled the rogue class (making him the Thief), and Sophist and Vernias filled the {{Black|Mage}} and {{White|Mage}} Mages respectively. |
| 827 | [[/folder]] |
| 828 | |
| 829 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 830 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'': Anne, Sasha, and Marcy fill this trait. |
| 831 | ** Anne (Fighter) has been officially trained in Muay Thai and swordfighting, and can improvise in combat. |
| 832 | ** Sasha's (Thief) combat abilities are strong enough to impress even Grime, and while she's not as skilled as Anne is in a straight fight, she makes up for it by being cunning and willing to fight dirty |
| 833 | ** Marcy (Mage) is shown to use her intellect to build inventions to defend Newtopia and have a variety of tools on her. |
| 834 | * ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': |
| 835 | ** The ponies are divided into three tribes: Earth Ponies, who tend to be stronger than average (Fighter), Unicorns, who have the most powerful magic (Mage), and Pegasi, who are {{Fragile Speedster}}s in the air (Thief). |
| 836 | *** Interestingly, prior to the founding of Equestria, the Pegasus tribe was the ProudWarriorRace. |
| 837 | ** The Mane 6 have this ensemble in pairs each one. |
| 838 | *** Fighter: [[BloodKnight Rainbow Dash]] and [[TheTeamNormal Applejack]]: The most direct, brash ones and the most reliant on their physical prowess. Rainbow Dash is a pegasus who uses her speed and flight to quickly beat her opponents; whereas Applejack is the physically strongest of the main characters and with skills as a farm girl to keep up with the adventure. |
| 839 | *** Mage: [[TheArchmage Twilight Sparkle]] and [[GenkiGirl Pinkie Pie]]: The most versatile members and the most capable of overcome the rules of their setting. Twilight is a unicorn who studied magic for years and has a spell for virtually any situation as well as the smartest member who makes most of the team's strategies; while Pinkie Pie is the most likely to come up with unorthodox ideas and use party accessories out of nowhere as well as the one most likely to abuse from ToonPhysics. |
| 840 | *** Thief: [[ShrinkingViolet Fluttershy]] and [[TheFashionista Rarity]]: The less conflict oriented members who use different skills to defuse a situation. Fluttershy is a pegasus who nurtures animals and is the most likely to resort to pacifist methods; Rarity meanwhile has the best social awareness of the team and relies mostly on guile or precision attacks. |
| 841 | ** In the final season, [[spoiler:Tirek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow, the BigBadEnsemble, are this. Tirek is the fighter, growing stronger by feeding on magic and usually depends on his immense strength, Chrysalis, being a shapeshifting Changeling who can become practically any creature, is the mage, and Cozy Glow, who relies on her intellect and manipulativeness, fills the spot of the thief]]. |
| 842 | * The [[WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers Galaxy Rangers]]: Zach and Shane are the Fighters (and both the career military types). Niko is the Mage (Psychic Powers and a FragileSpeedster compared to the guys), and Doc is a classic Thief (breaking and entering, espionage, and computer hacking). |
| 843 | * ''WesternAnimation/QuackPack'': In "The Really Mighty Ducks" and its SequelEpisode "Return of the T-Squad", Donald's nephews [[SuperheroEpisode get superpowers]]. Louie gains SuperStrength and becomes Captain Muscle (fighter), Dewey gains PsychicPowers and becomes Brain Boy (mage), and Huey gains SuperSpeed and becomes Really Incredibly Fast Guy (thief). |
| 844 | * In ''WesternAnimation/MightyMax'', the three main characters definitely qualify. Norman, the huge and muscular guardian with the CoolSword, is the Fighter. Virgil, the [[ShorterMeansSmarter short]], [[SquishyWizard physically weak]] fowl who can foresee the future, is the Mage. Max, the KidHero who [[GuileHero always thinks on his feet]], represents the Thief. |
| 845 | * Ed, Edd, and Eddy of ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' fit this trope pretty well. Ed, the strongest, toughest, and most dim-witted of the three, is the fighter; Edd, the smart one, capable of building nearly anything from cardboard, and the squishiest of them all, is the mage; and Eddy, the sneaky, conniving one that comes with the underhanded scam of the week, is the thief. |
| 846 | * The Crystal Gems (excluding Steven) from ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' are an example of this trope. We have Garnet, who is strong, stoic, and almost always fights with melee attacks, as the Fighter. Pearl is shown to be the tactician and can create energy and light beams as the Mage and Amethyst will often resort to shapeshifting and is the least likely to resort to her weapon, thus making her the Thief. |
| 847 | ** This trope also applies to the Homeworld trio to some extent. Jasper is of course the Fighter, being a [[GiantMook Quartz]] type Gem. Lapis is the Mage, by far the most powerful single Gem seen in action, but exclusively fighting through the use of water constructs rather than her own body, and lacks the ability to summon a weapon. Peridot is the Thief in the old-school sense: the most adept at using technology and most likely to retreat from a face-to-face fight. |
| 848 | * ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'': |
| 849 | ** Dewey (fighter; the most eager to jump into action), Huey (mage; despite having no powers, uses his knowledge to get out of problems), and Louie (thief; is an aspiring con artist). |
| 850 | ** The three [[ArcVillain arc villains]]: Magica (mage - sorceress), Lunaris (fighter - warmongering general and skilled combatant), and Bradford (thief - director of a theft-based crime syndicate) |
| 851 | * The three races in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Gargoyles}}'' universe have this dynamic: Gargoyles are Fighters, Humans are Thieves, and the Third Race (Oberon's Children) are Mages. Gargoyles are a ProudWarriorRace known for their superhuman strength and their stringent [[HonorBeforeReason code of honor]]; Humans are far physically weaker than Gargoyles, but they're renowned for their cunning and their mastery of technology, though they're widely seen as untrustworthy; the Third Race are [[TheFairFolk a species of immortal spirits]] from various mythological systems and world religions, and they have natural magical abilities that far eclipse those of human sorcerers. |
| 852 | ** The trio also have this dynamic: Broadway is a BruiserWithASoftCenter (fighter), Lexington took to modern technology very quickly, becoming a GadgeteerGenius (mage), and Brooklyn is the strategic thinker (thief). |
| 853 | * ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' third episode "Final Exam" introduces evil PowerTrio of [[DumbMuscle Mammoth]] who is the Fighter due to his obvious SuperStrength, Jinx is the Thief as despite being a BlackMagicianGirl she is quite acrobatic and capable of fighting hand-to-hand and [[GadgeteerGenius Gizmo]] who is more of the Mage then the actual sorceress due to him being very reliant on his tech and take that away he is practically defenseless. |
| 854 | * The main trio of the Chan Clan in ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' fit this trope: Jackie is a fit martial artist and layman who ends up engaging in physical combat the most, [[MartialPacifist much to his chagrin]] (Fighter); Uncle is an elderly chi wizard whose main role is to do research about the magical artifacts and foes, in addition to concocting spells (Mage); Jade is a [[GuileHeroine cunning]] preteen master user of [[LoopholeAbuse loopholes]] and [[TheSneakyGal uncanny stealth]] (Thief). When the gigantic Dark Hand thug Tohru [[HeelFaceTurn joins them]], he's taken in as Uncle's student, making him [[GeniusBruiser a mix of Fighter and Mage]]. |
| 855 | * The three main female members of the 90s ''WesternAnimation/XMenTheAnimatedSeries'' cartoon seem to follow this pattern. ComicBook/{{Rogue}} is brash, quick-tempered, and possesses the most overt physical strength of anyone on the team, making her the Fighter. ComicBook/{{Storm|MarvelComics}} was poised, regal, and wielded awesome powers from a distance, fitting the Mage. And lastly, ComicBook/{{Jubilee|MarvelComics}}'s powers, while impressive, were rarely as useful to the team as her ability to move quickly and improvise, making her the Thief. ComicBook/JeanGrey was the odd one out, usually serving as a medic or secondary Mage character...at least [[SuperPoweredEvilSide most of the time]]. |
| 856 | * ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': |
| 857 | ** At the beginning, [[BadassNormal Sokka]] is the fighter, Katara is the mage (water powers, including healing) and Aang is the thief (airbending is mostly about avoiding damage and redirecting your enemy). This gets hazier as the team expands and Aang learns how to use other elements. |
| 858 | ** The females in the team in the latter half of Season 3 also qualify; Toph is the Fighter as Earthbending is about standing your ground and being open and direct in movements, Katara is the Mage again, and [[spoiler:Suki]] is a StealthExpert whose prowess is mainly in close-quarters combat. |
| 859 | ** Likewise, the three males qualify in the mix-and-match criteria. [[spoiler:Zuko]] is the Fighter/Mage as a MagicKnight being a firebender and MasterSwordsman, Sokka is the Fighter/Thief as the non-bender (thief) who can mix and match long and short-range attacks with his sword/club and boomerang (fighter), and Aang is a Mage/Thief; as an Airbending monk he switches back and forth between typical air bending tactics and augmenting strikes with his staff with his various powers. |
| 860 | ** Azula's team. Ty Lee is a BareFistedMonk, Azula blasts people with fire or lightning, and Mai doesn't seem to go anywhere without a few dozen throwing knives. |
| 861 | ** The {{Arc Villain}}s of each season. Admiral Zhao is an effective military tactician and is very hands-on in trying to capture Aang, making him the Fighter. Long Feng maintains control over Ba Sing Se through manipulating the Earth King, the [[SecretPolice Dai Li]], and {{Brainwashing}}, making him the Thief. Combustion Man's reliance on his combustionbending [[CripplingOverspecialization and nothing but combustionbending]] makes him the Mage. |
| 862 | ** Even the Four Elements themselves can be categorized in such a manner with how each bending style is utilized: |
| 863 | *** Earth involves having a firm stance, is the most defensive of the elements, and packs the hardest punch via manipulating solid rock (and later metal), making it the Fighter. |
| 864 | *** Water can control pretty much anything that has water in it, can be easily chaged into a solid, liquid, or gaseous state, and has the seeming magical abilities of [[HealingHands healing]] and [[PeoplePuppets bloodbending]], making it the Mage. |
| 865 | *** Air is all about movement, evading enemy attacks, and keeping them off balance, and since air is invisible this naturally makes them better at surprise attacks, making it the Thief. |
| 866 | *** Fire is the odd one out, as it's the most combat oriented and runs off of strong emotions, which would make it the Fighter, but it's also the only element that benders can create out of thin air and has a potent mental/spiritual aspect to it (the need for rage and/or passion), which would also make it the Mage. |
| 867 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra'': |
| 868 | ** Like in ATLA, three arc villains follow this theme: Unalaq is the Mage, being a strong Waterbender who makes a pact with Vaatu to become a Dark Avatar. Zaheer is the Thief: he leads an extremist anarchist cell specialized in the assassination of corrupt political leaders, and his power is Airbending. Kuvira is the Fighter, being a conqueror in command of a large army and having powers revolving around Metalbending, a more powerful form of Earthbending. Amon, the villain from the first arc, may be considered a Thief since his power mostly revolves around taking away other people's powers. |
| 869 | ** In the new Team Avatar, Avatar Korra is a JackOfAllTrades, having access to all four elements. Bolin is the Fighter, being a strong Earthbender (the most physical of the four elements and mostly close-range) who later develops the destructive Lavabending power, Mako is the mage, being skilled in long-range Firebending and Lightning Generation, and Asami is the Thief, being a non-bender that relies on technology to fight. |
| 870 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheDragonPrince'': In season 4, Claudia encapsulates all three roles on her own. She has to steal a powerful artifact for Aaravos (Thief), she engages in direct combat with Ibis (Fighter), and she is, well, [[ShapedLikeItself performing magic]] (Mage). |
| 871 | * ''WesternAnimation/ObanStarRacers'': The main trio falls into this, especially near the end as they confront the all-powerful BigBad. Jordan is a well-built guy with ImprobableAimingSkills as the Whizzing Arrow's gunner, making him the fighter; Aikka is a WarriorPrince who wields mystic arrows with different spells as the mage; and Eva/Molly is a small, plucky pilot who relies on her wits to get by, making her the thief. This is especially notable as she goes by "Molly" as an alias to get into the racing team. |
| 872 | * ''WesternAnimation/OKKOLetsBeHeroes'': The main trio that works at the Bodega: K.O. is the fighter, Radicles is the mage (he has powers such as telekinesis and shooting lasers), and Enid is the thief (she's a ninja). |
| 873 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheOwlHouse'': The episode "Hollow Mind" builds the dynamics of [[spoiler:the Coven Rebellion trio: the Abomination master Darius (Fighter), the magic music user Raine Whispers (Mage), and the sneaky and speedy Eberwolf (Thief)]]. |
| 874 | * ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'': [[Characters/StarVsTheForcesOfEvilMarcoDiaz Marco Diaz]] is tough and a skilled martial artist (Fighter). [[Characters/StarVsTheForcesOfEvilStarButterfly Star Butterfly]] casts powerful spells with a magic wand, though she is no slouch in hand-to-hand combat (Mage). Janna Ordonia, who later joins the other two on their adventures, is stealthy, mischievous, and a skilled pickpocket and lock picker (Thief). |
| 875 | * An episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Reboot}}'' has the protagonists (and Mike the TV) play a game where they become a Warrior, Mage, Thief and Archer. To Bob's dismay, he becomes the Thief and Mike becomes the Warrior. |
| 876 | * ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'': |
| 877 | ** Adora fights with a sword and gains SuperStrength in her She-Ra form (Fighter). Glimmer relies on her LightEmUp and {{Teleportation}} magic (Mage). Bow is agile, tricky, and uses a bow and arrows (Thief). |
| 878 | ** On the villains' side, Scorpia has SuperStrength and relies on smashing things (Fighter). Entrapta is a super genius and master of advanced technology (Mage). Catra is extremely agile, stealthy, and relies on whittling her opponents down with her claws (Thief). |
| 879 | * ''WesternAnimation/TangledTheSeries'': Rapunzel (mage - has MagicHair), Eugene (thief - skilled in thievery), and Cassandra (fighter - skilled in combat) |
| 880 | * ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'' has the main Decepticons on Earth. |
| 881 | ** Fighter: Megatron, leader of the Decepticons, the best at combat, uses a huge cannon, transforms into a gun and can use anti-matter and is a warrior at heart. |
| 882 | ** Mage: Soundwave, relies on his partners the casseticons for espionage, has sound based attacks and can read the minds of others, transforms into a cassette player and enjoys playing a background role for the most part. |
| 883 | ** Thief: Starscream, the fastest Decepticon who transforms into an F-15 Eagle jet fighter, relies in trickery and uses the null ray to shut down electrical devices and other transformers with one shot, being a treacherous conniving schemer. |
| 884 | * The Autobots seeking the Ark in the present-day form this dynamic in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersCyberverse''. Windblade with her psionic powers and wind-based attacks is the mage, Grimlock's raw physical strength and durability cast him as the fighter, and Bumblebee who relies on stealth, speed, and his [[StaticStunGun hidden shiv]] is the thief. |
| 885 | * The three who band together to slay Dracula in ''WesternAnimation/Castlevania2017'' fall into this dynamic. Alucard is the Fighter, thanks to his [[{{Dhampyr}} supernatural physical endurance, speed, and strength]] allowing him to overpower almost all his enemies, and is the only one who can physically fight Dracula head-on. Sypha is the Mage, a Speaker magician adept in most fields of magic and truly shines with offensive [[PlayingWithFire pyromancy]] and [[AnIcePerson cryomancy]]. Trevor is the Thief, relying on strategy and enchanted weaponry to give him an edge since he is a normal human, in addition to relying on his wits to make up for the situation going south. Do note that while Sypha is a Mage through and through, Trevor can also count as a Fighter when Alucard is not around. |
| 886 | * A clear example in a ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' episode, "D & DD", has Dexter's friends represent the triad: Valerian (Fighter), Macabros (Mage), and Falcor (Thief). |
| 887 | * ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': Of the three field operatives of Team Possible, Kim is the fighter (due to taking the bad guys head on), Ron is the mage (with his mystical monkey powers), and Rufus is the thief (due to being sneaky and more inclined towards stealth). |
| 888 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Fangbone}}'' has Fangbone, Bill, and Cid. Fangbone, being a BloodKnight from a ProudWarriorRace of barbarians, is naturally the fighter; Bill, as TheSmartGuy with diplomacy skills and a more fragile body than Fangbone, is the mage (even becoming a wizard in one episode); and Cid, as one of [[ThievesGuild the Shadowsteppers]], is the thief. |
| 889 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Redakai}}'' this dynamic is represented by the 3 types of attacks: Red Attacks are Strength, Blue Attacks are Intelligence and Green Attacks are Speed. |
| 890 | * ''WesternAnimation/BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand'' has Buzz's three companions: |
| 891 | ** Fighter: Booster, TheBigGuy who's bulk allows him to mop with almost any enemy he finds. |
| 892 | ** Mage: Mira Nova, [[IntangibleMan Intangible Woman]] with psychic powers with a lot of versatility. |
| 893 | ** Thief: XR, RidiculouslyHumanRobot whose body has a lot of built-in gadgets and utilery. |
| 894 | [[/folder]] |
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