User blog:Njalm2/Nanja's Arsenal: Introduction

Greetings everyone and welcome to my very first installment of Nanja's Arsenal, where I'll discuss various character archetypes, offer suggestions on how exactly to go about making a character in each "Class" and provide some advice on how you might go about dealing with characters of that specific archetype in a roleplay setting. I intend to make the guides simple to follow and lead to you getting a fleshed out RP Character of the intended type.

Keep in mind that these are at the end of the day suggestions, and are by no means set in stone. In this very first installment I'll make a short introduction of each Archetype I intend to write about at a later date. This will be very strongly focused on character abilities and powers. And in certain areas, fighting and roleplaying such things.

With the short introduction out of the way, here's the archetypes in question. There might be more than this, but these are the ones I could mention off the top of my head.

Keep in mind that these archetypes might not fit your characters perfectly, and it is indeed possible for a character to be a mixture of several archetypes.

The Archetypes
The Fighter: These are naturally gifted at combat, and they relish in the chance to test their mettle against other strong opponents. Characterized by their virtually unstoppable nature, they're often supremely skilled with a single weapon and rarely shy away from injury. These are the juggernauts that seem to never go down, even as they cut a swathe through entire armies. Many of them don't care too much if they're hit as long as they hit harder.
 * Common Traits in Fighters: Damage Reduction, extraordinary reiatsu, battle-enhancing abilities, dominant wills, great physical strength and weapon mastery.
 * Canon Example: Kenpachi Zaraki.
 * Fanon Example: Undecided
 * Common Weaknesses: Typically weak to magic, due to their focus on honorable combat.

The Assassin: Among the more difficult archetypes to pull off is the Assassin, which is defined as an individual with abilities and talents which makes them exceptionally strong in one on one battles. But much weaker in terms of overall scope. Their abilities are frequently capable of overcoming common defenses, and they can dish out immense damage very quickly as a consequence. Fighting one of these in a duel is a very dangerous venture, as chances are that you'll find yourself at a major disadvantage very quickly. Often your character dying to one of these is a very real possibility, because most of their techniques and abilities are geared towards that.
 * Common Traits in Assassins: Extraordinary Mobility, self-synergizing abilities, great duelling potential, lethal attacks, unfair advantages, defense-ignoring techniques.
 * Canon Example: Sui-Feng
 * Fanon Example: Kenshin Yagami (Spirit)
 * Common Weaknesses: Low scope beyond their ability as duelists.

The Disciple: While Fighters are extraordinarily hardy, and focused on raw skill and power, Disciples adhere to a concept or pursue mastery as a way of life. These are the premier martial artists and zenjutsu specialists. Individuals who devote themselves to mastering a discipline such as Hakuda, Zanjutsu or Hoho. They're perhaps best characterized by their ability to utilize this field in a way which renders the use of other skills and abilities unnessecary. Whatever their opponent, individuals like these always find a way to make their mastered field effective, and their techniques are frequently supernatural.
 * Common Traits in Disciples: Utter Dedication in a single field, varied and ingenius applications of their specialities. Varied techniques, unique tactics and strategies tied to their specialty.
 * Canon Disciples: Undecided
 * Fanon Disciples: Seireitou Kawahiru
 * Common Weaknesses: Few, Disciples are very safe in that they frequently have few obvious weaknesses. Whatever weaknesses they have are on an individual basis.

The Mage: Ah, this one is undoubtedly my favorite. As well as the one I've got most experience with, the Mage is similar to the Disciple in multiple ways, but the difference between them is that magic is an infinitely expansive art, and their method of combat is rather unique. Mages eschew things like Zanpakuto, Martial prowess and most else in order to pursue true mastery within the way of magic. Not all of them possess magic geared towards offensive purposes, some weave enchantments, curses and the like sooner than they might obliderate someone with spellfire. Mages tend to rely exclusively on Kidou, Ginto or other magical disciplines, and gain vast power from this dedication.
 * Common Traits in Mages: Peerless versatility, wards, tremendous destructive and defensive power. Very high levels of Reiryoku, strategic.
 * Canon Mages: Hachigen Ushoda
 * Fanon Mages: Hiroya Ginkarei
 * Common Weaknesses: Low mobility, overreliance on magical protections, many of them are also not particularly battle-hardened.

The Aide: Most stories have one such as this, characters (mostly women) with minimal use in actual combat beyond healing, shielding or otherwise assisting everyone else. Their powers may be inordinately powerful, but their general mindsets makes them feel most comfortable on the sidelines. Although many of these are magic users, they differ from actual mages in that while the former are the heroes of their own story, the Aides lack their panache and raw power. Regardless, making one can be a surprisingly interesting and rewarding experience.
 * Common Traits in Aides: Healing, shielding, unique abilities of great if situational power, they also frequently bestow powerful boons on others.
 * Canon Aides: Orihime Inoue
 * Fanon Aides: [[Otoya Kurogane}}
 * Common Weaknesses: Extremely weak combatants, frequently reliant on fighting alongside an ally to be of use.

The Stranger: Now this might be a bit of a weird title for some, but believe me, it does work wonders. So what exactly is a Stranger? Well, it is someone who doesn't fit into any of the other archetypes to even a slight degree, as they tend to rely on things which is completely separate from battle techniques, skills or zanpakuto. Their abilities are frequently weird and bizarre, and often stem from science, technology or chemistry. Their way of conducting combat vastly relies on their ingenuity and preparations. If you've seen a character who is just so bizarre and different that you don't know where to place them, odds are high that they are a Stranger. It's hard to define what they excel at, because truth be told, no Stranger is alike or truly similar.
 * Common Traits in Strangers: Bizzare physiology, abilities dependant on outside factors, body modification, high intelligence and eccenctricity.
 * Canon Strangers: Mayuri Kurotsuchi.
 * Fanon Strangers: Undecided.
 * Common Weaknesses: Relies more on their unique contraptions, modifications or gadgets than their actual skill in combat. Beyond that, each case is unique.

The Jack: Shortened from the mouthful Jack of all Trades, the Jack is simply put a character defined by how extremely diverse their talents are. They're typically good in all fields, but master of none. Consequently they rely on their wealth of tools to find creative solutions to their problems. Rather than utilizing highly advanced skills to get the job done with maximum efficiency. Whether it be kido, hakuda, hoho or zanjutsu, the Jack can always device a proper answer to a foe, provided they're roleplayed by someone with the right mindset.
 * Common Traits in Jacks: Extremely expansive skillsets, high versatility, good fighting potential if used properly. Ability to combine abilities from multiple disciplines. Wealth of options.
 * Canon Jacks: Hisagi Shuuhei
 * Fanon Jacks: Undecided
 * Common Weaknesses: Hard to roleplay effectively due to possessing many low-impact skills. a specialist is usually far superiour to one within their field, rendering them obsolete. Is fairly weak on their own.

Conclusion
This concludes the very first installment of Nanja's Arsenal. Let me know what you think, and if you've any suggestions to make come with them.

Also if you're curious about how your character doesn't seem to match any single archetype, that is normal. Most characters aren't this one-dimensional, even if they're drawn particularly to one archetype, most have two. Such as my own Nobu Kageyama being a Fighter-Mage.