In role-playing games and certain other works, characters often have classes that define their abilities.
Introduction
A central element of many role-playing games and video games (especially RPGs and MMORPGs), character classes define the types of characters, their playstyles, their attributes, and their skills.
Classes
Abjurator: A mage who specializes in protective spells, used to block and banish enemies far away or into other dimensions.
ex: wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)
Alchemist: He is a master of alchemy—the art of objects, materials, and substances—and can create powerful spells by combining potions and/or objects. In fact, he is a chemist who, in addition to magic, delves into more practical fields. He is also skilled in the art of creating golems.
ex: Rikku (Final Fantasy X)
Animist: He can alter the status of his enemies, his allies, and himself.
Archer (or hunter): He can fight both up close and from a distance. He is an outstanding archer with great skills in this area. He can fire multiple arrows at once and can summon animals to help in battle.
ex: elves (Dungeons & Dragons), Ranger (Path of Exile)
Assassin: He uses specific techniques to inflict as much damage as possible or to defeat his opponent with a single blow. He doesn’t bother with a long duel to kill his enemy. For him, efficiency goes hand in hand with speed.
ex: Assassin (Fate/stay night)
Barbarian: He is a brutal warrior, not one to think things through, and he detests magic—yet he is naturally resistant to such attacks.
ex: Conan the Barbarian, the Barbarian of the Dungeon of Naheulbeuk
Bard: He is a poet, musician, acrobat, juggler… and can cast spells through his art. He can also help his allies with his support abilities.
ex: Bard (Dungeons & Dragons), Orpheus (Greek mythology), Edward (Final Fantasy IV)
Berserker: Enraged, the berserker relentlessly attacks the enemy. He is an uncontrollable ally with astonishing strength.
ex: Umaro (Final Fantasy VI), Berserker (Dungeons & Dragons), Berserker (Fate/stay night), Orson (The Chronicles of the Lodoss War)
Bishop: He can cast healing spells, as well as offensive spells, but the elements of these spells are not the basic ones (wind, water, earth).
Blue Mage: He combines the powers of white and black magic into special techniques (flamethrower, healing wind, etc.) that he learns from his opponents (about whom he has extensive knowledge). Unlike other mages, he can wield a sword. However, he is not as strong as a warrior, and compensates for this weakness with his magic.
ex: Kweena (Final Fantasy IX)
Bretteur: He is comparable to a fencer. He is a master duelist skilled in a variety of fighting styles. His art is highly technical, often stemming from a school or a great master.
ex: Raphaël (SoulCalibur 2 and 3), Fiora (League of Legends), Duelist (Path of Exile), Virtuosa (For Honor)
Cleric: A member of a religious order, the cleric wields magic rooted in the divine (clerical magic) to protect the weak, aid allies, and ward off evil.
ex: cleric (Dungeons & Dragons), priests and clerics of the Empire (Warhammer)
Dancer: He performs various dances that produce certain effects, such as dealing damage, healing, or altering the status of opponents…
ex: Mog (Final Fantasy VI)
Dark mage: He isn’t necessarily evil and is skilled in dark magic. While a white mage uses only healing and protective spells, a dark mage uses only offensive spells.
ex: Bibi (Final Fantasy IX), Lulu (Final Fantasy X), Karla (The Chronicles of the Lodoss War), Popp (Dragon Quest: Dai’s Quest)
Devin: He is a mage who specializes in divination, omens, and prophecies.
ex: wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)
Dragon: see lancer
Druid: He is skilled in the use of weapons and can take on an animal form to fight. He is also an excellent mage thanks to his knowledge of druidism; however, he refuses to wear armor. He knows the forests well and reveres the Earth as a mother, as well as the stars and certain trees.
ex: Merlin, Deedlit (The Chronicles of the Lodoss War)
Elementalist (or geomancer): This wizard uses the location where he is fighting—and everything in it—to cast his spells. Unfortunately, depending on the circumstances, he can do almost nothing.
Enchanter: He possesses a range of spells that grant him special abilities or allow him to bend others to his will.
ex: wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)
Evocator: Using pure energy, he is able to create objects, weapons, and so on…
ex: wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)
Gladiator: A fierce, brutal, almost barbaric fighter who uses powerful techniques. In addition, he can imbue his blade with magic (fire, ice, or lightning).
Gunner: This class uses a firearm and can fire special bullets that inflict status effects. Its greatest strength is its long range, which exceeds that of the archer.
Healer: This is the specialist in treating altered states (blindness, aphasia, morpheus, petrification, etc.).
Illusionist: He creates illusions to deceive the enemy, manipulating their perceptions to the point where they may turn against their own side.
ex: Slaanesh magic (Chaos Army, Warhammer Battle), wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)
Infantryman: An archer who uses special techniques to camouflage himself and alter the opponent’s status. This is the advanced version of the archer.
Knight: He can wield any type of one- or two-handed weapon. He is a formidable attacker and highly resilient. Loyal, he adheres to a code of honor that compels him to help the weak and his allies.
ex: Parn (The Chronicles of the Lodoss War)
Lancer (or dragon): a fighter, armed with……a spear. He can charge at an opponent to inflict heavy damage, and since he is as well-protected as a warrior, he is very resilient. He can also drain his enemies’ vital and psychic energies.
ex: Kain (Final Fantasy IV), Freyja (Final Fantasy IX)
Mime: He is able to replicate the attacks of his allies or enemies. These are often spells and combat techniques.
e.g., Gogo (Final Fantasy VI)
Morpheur: It can take the form of a monster (though not always). But it fights like one in any case.
ex: Gau (Final Fantasy VI)
Necromancer: An expert in necromancy, he brings the dead back to life in the form of skeletons or zombies. More generally speaking, the necromancer manipulates, creates, or destroys anything that contains life energy.
ex: Vampire Counts and Kings of the Tombs (Warhammer), Heroes III and IV, Wizard (Dungeons & Dragons), Necromancer from Guild Wars (NCSoft)
Ninja: He uses techniques from this same art (stealth, infiltration, etc.) and possesses various skills, such as taking the enemy by surprise, facilitating an escape, throwing weapons, and fighting with a weapon in each hand…
Paladin: A paladin is a warrior who adheres to a code of honor (chivalry, the ability to negotiate, protecting a weaker ally, etc.) and who fights against the forces of evil. In addition, a paladin has a quest to fulfill, one that is tied to his god.
ex: paladin (Dungeons & Dragons)
Priest: A warrior devoted to his god. He can also cast divine spells.
ex: priest (Dungeons & Dragons), Etoh (The Chronicles of the Lodoss War)
Ranger: He possesses numerous scouting and tracking abilities.
ex: Ranger (Dungeons & Dragons), Hurin (The Wheel of Time)
Red Mage: He can also use certain spells from the white and black magic schools. He uses them in the same way. However, he does have a few unique techniques of his own (protection, the ability to cast two spells at once).
e.g., Strago (Final Fantasy VI)
Rogue: He has skills in setting ambushes, stealth, trap detection, dodging, and more…
ex: rogue (Dungeons & Dragons)
Sage: He has mastered the less common elements (water, wind, earth).
Samurai: Armed with katanas, he can dodge his enemies, block their attacks, and even kill an enemy with a single strike.
ex: Yojimbo (Final Fantasy X)
Sentinel: This character is a defender, and as such, he has skills suited to that role. He can increase his resistance, restore health, and cure status effects.
Shaman: a kind of primitive sorcerer. He often calls upon spirits (his gods, his ancestors, his predecessor shamans) to cast spells, receive visions, and communicate with the afterlife. Shamanism is deeply rooted in this concept of the world of the dead.
ex: orc and goblin shamans (Warhammer), Pirotess (The Chronicles of the Lodoss War)
Soldier: A warrior who uses techniques to weaken opponents (reducing their strength, magic, etc.).
Sorcerer: He can cast various spells, but his greatest strength is his ability to summon a magical creature (a familiar) that serves him and helps him in battle.
ex: sorcerer (Dungeons & Dragons)
Summoner: Extremely powerful, this character can summon mighty creatures (chimeras, monsters, etc.) and send them into battle. Sometimes, he is also a white mage.
ex: Rydia (Final Fantasy IV), Dagga and Eiko (Final Fantasy IX), Yuna (Final Fantasy X), wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)
Swordfighter: A warrior who uses fairly brutal techniques. He is not a barbarian, but a powerful warrior.
Stormmage: A sorcerer capable of controlling the skies and the weather, even to the point of causing natural disasters.
Tamer (or trainer): He tames monsters in the heat of battle to use them against his opponents.
Templar: He uses soul-based techniques. He is similar to the monk, who is affiliated with the clergy, but unlike the monk, he belongs to the branch of the clergy known as the Knights.
ex: Templar (Path of Exile)
Time Mage: He specializes in time-based magic to slow down enemies and increase the speed of his allies or himself.
ex: Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Transmuter: It can physically transform people or alter certain abilities.
ex: wizard (Dungeons & Dragons)
Thief: agile, clever, and fast. He has combat skills for moving around (jumping, climbing, etc.) and for dodging attacks.
ex: Locke (Final Fantasy VI), Zidane (Final Fantasy IX), Woodchuck (The Chronicles of the Lodoss War)
War Mage: This class is a mix between a warrior and… a mage. While he doesn’t always excel at both (not always), he still knows how to make use of the abilities from both sides. Most of his spells are designed to help him in battle, so he can deal more damage.
ex: Beate (Final Fantasy IX), Dai (Dragon Quest: Dai’s Quest)
Warrior: He is similar to a soldier.
ex: Ghim (The Chronicles of the Lodoss War)
White Mage: Dedicated to good and white magic, he heals, revives, restores health, and protects his allies with various spells (Heal, Esuna, Life, etc.). He also possesses formidable offensive spells against his enemies (sacred or celestial). Sometimes, he is also a summoner.
ex: Rosa (Final Fantasy IV), Slayne (The Chronicles of the Lodoss War)
White Monk (monk or warrior monk): He fights with his bare hands or with a staff. He may be a lone fighter, a student of a master in his discipline, or a member of the clergy. In the latter case, the character also possesses abilities to combat evil creatures, especially the undead.
ex: Kilik (SoulCalibur 2 and 3), cleric and monk (Dungeons & Dragons), Leona (Dragon Quest: Dai’s Quest)
References
Image: Gemini
Dernière modification le 24/06/2026.
