All characters that are initially locked from players, and require a certain condition or quest fulfilled to become available. Because the names of the classes are hidden, they are identified here by their class symbol.
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Circles
Aesther Summoner
- Black Mage: Besides the skills that summon additional allies and otherwise support them, the character class have access to a wide variety of damaging spells and curses. In fact, it can be built and played as a straight-up mage without any minions, which will make the class name somewhat non-indicative.
- Damsel in Distress: In her personal quest resolution, she gets trapped on the Plane of Water held by a Lurker King. When rescued, she offers a magical staff in payment, helping the party command summoned allies.
- Dimensional Traveler: as all Aesthers. Notably, Summoner specializes by calling creatures from the other worlds into this one, turning them into unwilling examples of this trope as well.
- Familiar: In a way. The Summoner's aggressive spells use four different elements - Fire, Wind, Earth, and Darkness. Among her summons, there's one for every of these, which Charges it by making a standard attack - and as the summoned minions act immediately before your character does, they effectively serve as a power conduit that allows you (or another party member) to spam particularly strong abilities one after another without wasting the previous turn to set them up.
- The Minion Master: The sheer number of summoning abilities in the character's deck is staggering - not to mention, that some of them create two, or even three minions at once! On the other hand, this tactics is severely limited by her short hand; every such card is effectively Lost the moment it is used, so to avoid exhausting herself, Summoner usually has to keep two or three abilities active at most.
- Sadistic Choice: The Unending Dominance card. You can use it either to restore up to four previously Lost cards (which is really important, considering Summoner's limited stamina), or to summon a particularly strong Lava Golem, which can bulldoze through a scenario if properly used and supported. Either option locks out the other one.
- Summon Magic
Eclipse
Aesther Nightshroud
- Casting a Shadow
- Crippling Overspecialization: Most classes have at least a few things they can contribute, by the Nightshroud essentially functions only as a fast melee assassin. The entire class basically revolves around setting up Darkness and/or Invisibility to enable extremely powerful single-target attacks or executions. That said, the "crippling" part can be argued. Covering ground and killing enemies are probably two of the most universally important things in the game, and the Nightshroud is good at the former and great at the latter, so even without flexibility, it's often considered one of the better classes in the game.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Downplayed. The two personal quests that unlock him, are focused on exploring the particularly distant and remote regions of the game map, rather than straight-up violence and killing: However, the Nightshroud himself may have any personal quest, even a virtuous one. His character backstory also says that Nightshrouds, as other Aesthers, are mostly pursuing some hidden secrets and mysteries that Man was not meant to know, although their methods of finding and learning those are far from cleanest. In addition, his personal quests involve finding and routing out an evil force of assassins known as the Sin-Ra.
- Glass Cannon
- Invisibility: The class that actually has this as a core mechanic. since it's basically his only means to survive.
- One-Hit Kill: As a dedicated assassin archetype, he has some of those available from the Level 1.
- Video Game Cruelty Potential: Nightshroud becomes available when a party reaches a certain negative number on its Karma Meter (making him one of the few characters that can be accessed in three different ways).
Helmet
Orchid Doomstalker
- Armor-Piercing Attack: One of his Doom effects will grant Pierce 2 to all attacks on the target.
- Attack Animal: True to his 'forest ranger' image, Doomstalker can summon several animal allies to his side, such as a falcon, or a boar. Some Doom effects even synergize with them further.
- Doomy Dooms of Doom
- Guest-Star Party Member: Redthorn, an Orchid who frees himself from slavery as the party arrives in his location. After helping him rescue his village, he will join with the party, allowing the Doomstalker envelope to be opened. His is the only class that can be obtained this way in addition to Personal Stories.
- No-Sell: Unique among playable characters, he has the ability to prevent enemies from Flying.
- When He Smiles: Averted. The Doomstalker is so serious that when he smiles, it's considered weird.
- You Are Already Dead: Basically, the core mechanics of the character. First, Doomstalker "marks" a certain single target with an effect called Doom (there are several of these, with wildly varying effects), and then focuses on the single-minded annihilation of that particular foe, often receiving additional bonuses against the Doomed target. For a more literal example, one of his Doom effects does exactly nothing, but automatically kills the targeted enemy after several rounds pass.
Lightning Bolt
Inox Berserker
- Barbarian Hero
- Cast from Hit Points: Some of her actions allow her to spend her own Health to increase her damage or movement range.
- Critical Status Buff: Berzerker's core principle. The less health she has, the more dangerous she is.
- Heroic Second Wind: Is able to completely heal herself even from the brink of death - once.
- Horns of Barbarism: As befitting to an Inox.
- Lightning Bruiser: She has high mobility and can dish out some of the strongest single target attacks in the game.
- Mechanically Unusual Class: The Berserker turns Health into a resource, as she has many actions that either cost Health or become more powerful when she is at low Health.
- Normally, I Would Be Dead Now: As many other characters, Berserker has abilities that allow her to completely ignore incoming damage, although hers explicitly work against attacks that would otherwise be fatal.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Between the two playable Inox characters, Berserker is the one focused on the offense and aggression, and is represented with the red color.
Music Note
Quatryl Soothsinger
- All Work vs. All Play: Gives out that vibe, when compared with the other Quatryl character - the science-affiliated Tinkerer.
- Magic Music: Her Songs grant special persistent abilities. She can only have one at a time unless she plays Melody and Harmony, which allows her to have two. She can also apply blessings and curses with her chords, somehow.
- Mind Control: The Soothsinger can control an enemy or ally with some of her music.
- No Self-Buffs: The songs that she uses to buff her teammates have no effect on herself. This makes her significantly less capable in a two-person party, where only the other character will receive these benefits.
- Support Party Member: The most definitive example of the bunch. The overwhelming majority of her abilities either boost her teammates, or debuff her enemies. Notably, she has little to no healing abilities among those, averting the Combat Medic associations.
- Wandering Minstrel: Never seen without her lute, and goes on adventures.
Saw
Human Sawbones
- Combat Medic: The closest thing in Gloomhavne for the dedicated healer, yet at the same time, he acts as a frontline fighter.
- Deadly Doctor: Wields a massive bonesaw and an arsenal of status-effect causing syringes.
- Good Is Not Nice: He is a healer and will treat the injured. He will also saw off your leg if you try to harm him.
- Mechanically Unusual Class: Comes with a stack 'Medical Pack' cards that can be placed in the hands of the other players. Medical Packs not only heal the user, but also can be used as a standard attack or move action. This allows the character not to spend their own cards, which immensely helps those with naturally shorter hands, such as the Summoner.
- The Medic: Has several abilities that heal, remove negative status effects, and reduce incoming damage for allies.
- One-Hit Kill: Do No Harm attack, that will immediately kill the target, but will also Immobilize and Disarm the Sawbones as a punishment for breaking the oath. The Euthanize action also instantly kills an adjacent enemy suffering from 2 or more status conditions, but you need to inflict these effects first, making it a two-hit kill at best. Coincidentally, one of his actions does inflict 2 status conditions at once, and can be used on the same turn.
- This also combines beautifully with one of the Scoundrel's L9 cards which inflicts two statuses on every target.
- Status Buff: Several of his abilities can grant a 'permanent' buff to an ally, be it a Shield, life regeneration, or a blatant immunity to all negative status effects.
- The Paralyzer: Has multiple cards which inflict Stun, Disarm, or Immobilize, allowing him to completely shut down enemies if used correctly.
Squid
Harrower Plagueherald
- Area of Effect: A true master of this in Gloomhaven, the Plagueherald has many abilities that damage and/or apply status effects over an area, including multiple abilities that hit all visible enemies (and, in one instance, allies). To balance that, these are relatively weak in damage, and the character deck completely lacks strong attacks.
- Blue-and-Orange Morality: Plagueheralds believe that their work is for the betterment of society, that those who survive will be stronger for it and propel themselves to greater heights.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Harrowers in general have something of a poor reputation among the other races due to their alien nature, and the plagueheralds in particular are distrusted for their willful spread of death and decay, but they don't do so out of malice, just an unusual and possibly misguided attempt to better civilization.
- Fixed Damage Attack: One of the Plagueheralds minor specialties is abilities that inflict small but unblockable damage to targets, usually those affected by poison.
- Friendly Fire Proof: Averted, a possible build for the plagueherald focuses on poisoning and damaging allies to make its own attacks stronger.
- Logical Weakness: The Plagueherald's reliance on area of effect abilities and application of status effects make it very effective against large numbers of enemies, especially those with low health and high shields. Even against tougher enemies, its debuffs can give allies an easier time against them. But against bosses, who are almost universally immune to status effects, the Plagueherald's usefulness drops off dramatically.
- Plague Master: If the name didn't give it away, the Plagueherald is all about spreading disease and illness.
- The Worm That Walks: Each Harrower is a colony of thousands of insects that take a roughly humanoid form.
- Token Heroic Orc: While most intelligent races of the setting are represented by two classes each, the Plagueherald is the only playable member of the Harrowers, who otherwise act as strong late-game opponents.
- Unless the party successfully completes the puzzle in one of two Personal Quests
Sun
Valrath Sunkeeper
- The Atoner: Sunkeepers are said to be atoning for the warlike Valrath past.
- Enemy Mine: Some Sun Demons do this to her (or try very badly at it) and also the party after she retires. According to the demons, humans need the sun as much as the Sun Demons do.
- Healing Hands: She can Lay on Hands to heal an adjacent party member to full.
- Mighty Glacier: The Sunkeeper is designed to be this. She is slow (both move- and initiative-wise), yet very durable, and packs quite a punch for what you assume to be a healer tank.
- The Paladin: She is explicitly built as one: A tough warrior who has some healing and holy powers.
- The Power of the Sun: She utilizes light for healing and attack, typically consuming it to gain power and advantage.
- Red and Black and Evil All Over: Inverted. Despite looking the part, the Sunkeeper is one of the most morally upstanding character classes.
Three Spears
Valrath Quartermaster
- Cynic–Idealist Duo: With the Sunkeeper. She's the setting's equivalent of a noble Paladin. He's a practical tradesman who will deal with the worst of the worst, as long as they have the gold to spare. It's even reflected in the Personal Quests unlocking the pair - for the former, you need to donate loads of money towards the local temple; for the latter - hoard said loads.
- Badass Normal: This character explicitly relies on his wargear and equipment, not magic or other supernatural abilities.
- Item Caddy: Quartermaster's primary specialization.
- Jack of All Trades: Similar to the Cragheart before him, he can function at long and short range very well. Although he'll want to purchase as many items as he can.
- Multi-Melee Master: His role as a fighter. He may be not the most proficient with any particular weapon, but he's good enough with all of them to always find the one that fits better for the situation at hand.
- Walking Armory
Triangles
Savvas Elementalist
- All Your Powers Combined: Elementalist manages to juggle four basic Natural Elements even better than Spellweaver does, with many of his attacks charging or using two or more at once. He is able to wield Light and Dark too, although much less proficiently; there is a lore-based reason for that, listed below.
- Dangerous Forbidden Technique: One of the side missions establishes that Savvas people normally cannot tame the Darkness and the Light, and those who do, risk to Go Mad from the Revelation, as one of the boss enemies, called the Colorless, had done. True, the class's Ability deck holds fewer number of such cards; and yet, enough that you may build him as the dedicated Yin-Yang Bomb.
- Fat and Skinny: When compared with the short and stocky Cragheart, Elementalist looks noticeably taller and leaner - especially for a being made of rock and stone.
- Magikarp Power: The Elementalist can feel a bit weak at lower levels, where you're mostly dependent on cards and expendable mana potions to generate the elements he needs to be effective. Once you've unlocked all of his element-generating perks, however, you'll likely have the ammunition you need to make him a damage machine.
- Master of All: Of the elemental magic, as opposed to Cragheart being a Master of None.
- Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: A literal Rock Monster in a Badass Cape, who is basically the Avatar of the setting, throwing all kinds of lightning bolts, fireballs, and lightning balls at his opponents. Arguably, it's one of the coolest and most original Playable Character designs in the entire game.
- Sword and Sorcerer: Maintains this dynamic with the other playable Savvas character. Whether they actually fight together in the same party, or will their backstory involve being Yin Yang Siblings to each other, is entirely up to the players.
Two-Mini
Vermling Beast Tyrant
- Attack Animal: Which even comes with a personal miniature, when all other summonables in the game are represented by the simple stock tokens.
- Bears Are Bad News: And it looks like a Panserbjørn straight of His Dark Materials.
- Gondor Calls for Aid: After he retires, he asks the party to help his grove. And summons creatures from the land to help fight: Wolves and bears.
- Mind Control: Can take control of his bear using various techniques.
- Quantity vs. Quality: With the other Vermling character class. They both heavily rely on summons - but while Mindthief uses hordes of rats to do her bidding, Beast Tyrant is based on having a single, but quite formidable ally.
- Although he does have the ability to Summon up to six more allies, the second most in the game.
