characterclasses

[characterclasses]

Classing Avatar: The Last Airbender

Long ago, all four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Roll for initiative! 

Avatar: TLA is a world populated with rich, developed characters. So much so, in fact, that I’ve actually decided to class ten characters from the series. So flameo hotman, this is going to be a long one!

1. Aang

Let’s start with an easy one. Aang is so obviously a Way of the Four Elements Monk that it hurts. The kid grew up in a monastery, calls himself a monk numerous times, and the whole plot of the show revolves around him learning how to master the four elements. In fact, given how ubiquitous bending is in the show, it’s amazing that more characters aren’t monks as well. 

2. Sokka

Well, not Sokka, the meat-and-sarcasm guy. Sokka may not be a bender, but that’s never stopped him from stepping up and trying his best to protect what he loves, whether that be by defending his village from a Fire Nation raid with just a boomerang, or leading entire armies into battles that he strategized. Sokka might look like the token normal guy, but he’s a versatile and powerful warrior, which is why I’ve classed him as a fighter. Sokka isn’t just brawn though, he’s brains too. The guy is very intelligent (though somewhat low in wisdom, at least at first), and thirsts for new knowledge and scientific discoveries. Sokka is a Battle Master, someone who is learned not just in ancient battle arts, but academic fields as well, sometimes even obtaining artisan knowledge. Seems pretty fitting for the guy who helped invent the hot air balloon, no?

3. Katara

Katara may be a bender, but she’s not exactly a monk. Katara is a pretty spiritual person, especially after directly coming into contact with Tui and La (and Yue) in the first season. She’s also a powerful and dangerous combatant to go up against. This, along with the fact that she’s the healer of the Gaang, is why I classed Katara a cleric. Her mastery over waterbending makes her a Tempest cleric, as she reveres spirits of the sea and sky. Katara, even more than characters like Aang or Azula, is able to best embody the ferocity of a storm.

4. Azula

Speaking of Azula, this tragic, fourteen-year-old sociopath is an interesting character to class. Azula has power, and a lot of it. As a firebending prodigy, Azula’s devastating power comes naturally to her, which is why she can be best classed as a sorcerer. Her royal Fire Nation lineage makes Azula a shoo-in for the Draconic Bloodline background, too, which adds an extra layer of irony to the whole thing when you consider exactly what it was that her family did to the dragons, who they perceived as threats to their bending supremacy.   

5. Zuko

Of course, Azula isn’t the only heir to the Fire Nation, which is where her older brother Zuko comes in. Zuko is the perfect example of a redemption arc done right, so it’s no surprise that his character needs a bit more of a complicated classing to match his nuanced characterization. Like his sister, Zuko started out as a Draconic Bloodline sorcerer (in fact, it’s heavily implied that he wouldn’t have lived if he hadn't been one). But Zuko doesn’t have the innate raw power that Azula does, and to his father’s great disappointment, didn’t seem to level up nearly as quickly. After his exile, Zuko found himself with both the time and the necessity to hone his other great skill - his swords. It was at this point that Zuko began multiclassing into a rogue, specifically a Swashbuckler. This usually bombastic class may seem like an odd choice for the awkward, angry prince, but Zuko’s talents with his twin swords and his flair for the dramatic (think of the Blue Spirit persona!) actually makes Swashbuckler a pretty good fit. After his defeat at the North Pole necessitated going into hiding, Zuko began relying less and less on his firebending and more on his rogue skills to get by. It isn’t really until the middle of the third season, when he and Aang meet and learn from the dragons, that Zuko finally starts taking levels in sorcerer once again, and he grows into a bender who is more than capable of matching up with his sister. 

6. Mai

It’s no surprise that taciturn, deadly Mai is also a rogue, though not the kind that you might think. Mai is not, contrary to Azula’s beliefs, the perfect Assassin. Mai might be great with her throwing knives, but she also excels in blending quietly into the background, gaining all the information she needs until it’s time to strike, whether that be with her blades or with a well-placed word. She’s also not above seeing which way the wind is blowing and switching sides to protect herself and the people she cares about. Mai is a Mastermind to be sure, and while she’s a great ally to have, this makes her an even more formidable enemy to face. 

7. Ty Lee

Ty Lee however, is surprisingly not a rogue. This bubbly, acrobatic Fire Nation girl is a sneaky, underestimated fighter, but she’s also a childhood friend of a princess that an away to join a circus, of all things. Ty Lee’s style of combat is rooted in performance, and her performance is her combat, which is why I’ve classed her as a College of Swords Bard. College of Swords works well for Ty Lee precisely because she isn’t a bender and doesn’t use magic to achieve her results. Despite not actually using swords, Ty Lee certainly meets the criteria in terms of being a born entertainer who achieves her results both on stage and in the battlefield through daring feats of prowess and skill. 

8. Suki 

Ty Lee may have ended the series as a Kyoshi Warrior, but Suki was born one, and it shows. Everything Suki does is to protect her people and uphold the ideals of Avatar Kyoshi. This devotion to Kyoshi, both the island and the historical, near-mythic figure, makes Suki an excellent paladin. With her Oath of Devotion, Suki is determined to uphold the ideals of law, justice, and order that the history and culture of her people represent, and spirits help anyone who stands in her way. 

9. Toph

So Toph is a tough character to class, which I’m sure is something that would delight her to no end. At the end of the day though, Toph’s gleeful chaotic nature and unconventional bending make her a very unusual warlock. Like all benders, Toph’s power may be innate, but the Blind Bandit took a very unusual route to hone her skills. Toph learned bending directly from the badgermoles, the first earthbender in millennia to do so. The badgermoles gifted Toph not just with bending mastery, but with a form of “sight” with which she could independently navigate the world around her, and in this way act as her patrons. As creatures of legend that hold secrets long forgotten by mankind, the badgermoles act as a sort of benevolent Archfey equivalent, making Toph a very powerful warlock indeed.   

10. Iroh 

If Aang and his friends are the prototypical young protagonists out to save the world, then Iroh is the beloved archetype of the war-weary old adventurer who still has some tricks up his sleeves. Like Aang, Iroh is a monk, albeit a very different kind. While Iroh has a ton of raw power, he prefers to be subtle, letting enemies and allies alike underestimate him until it’s time to act. Even when he does strike, his foes don’t quite seem to grasp the full implication of what’s happening. Carefully choosing his actions like movements on a Pai Sho board, Iroh is a true White Lotus, a perfect example of The Way of the Drunken Master. He uses his facade of a tea-obsessed, doddering old man to feign incompetence and play the part of the fool in order to achieve his true goals, whether that be directing his young nephew towards the right path in life, or secretly working to bring balance back to the world. 

[characterclasses]

Classing The Witcher

Please note that I’m basing this mainly on the show, as I’ve never played the games and am only halfway through Sword of Destiny so can’t fully speak to the books. Due to the expansive cast, I’m also only classing the four main characters. If I started discussing how Calanthe was a barbarian, Mousesack a druid, Renfri a rouge, Fringilla a warlock, Cahir a paladin...yeah, we’d be here all day.  Anyways, here we go!

1. Geralt of Rivia

The thing with The Witcher is that translating the characters into DnD classes is almost too easy. I’m not trying to brag or anything, it’s just that this series is really, really compatible with a lot of aspects of Dungeons and Dragons. I mean, just look at the White Wolf himself. 

Geralt, along with every other witcher, is a bloodhunter. He is part of an ancient order that, in order to fight monsters, became somewhat monstrous themselves. Bloodhunters are feared, hated, and misunderstood by the general public, the same people they’ve dedicated their lives to protect. Geralt as a character was trained at the wolf school in Kaer Morhen, but as a DnD character, he’s part of the Order of the Mutant. These bloodhunters experiment with and take potions and elixirs to enhance themselves in combat, a process which tends to change them in strange and frightening ways. This all fits Geralt perfectly...perhaps too perfectly? Matt Mercer is a brilliant DM and worldbuilder, but in terms of inspiration for these aspects of the bloodhunter class he was not exactly subtle. 

2. Yennefer of Vengerberg 

Yennefer is a fascinating, complex character, someone who tries very hard to be the embodiment of true neutral but whose chaotic side just keeps coming through. While she does have a propensity for chaos, Yenn spent years studying and working hard for the impeccable skills and control that she has, which is why I’ve classed her as a wizard. Unlike her mentor Tissaia, who teaches from the perspective of the School of Enchantment, Yennefer is not actually most comfortable with spells that beguile and entrance (though she certainly tries to be, as is clearly demonstrated in episode 4). Rather, Yenn has a deep affinity for the School of Evocation. Whether it be directing blasts of lightning or creating a roiling storm of fire, Yennefer has a propensity for harnessing the chaos of the elements, often to devastating effects. 

3.  Princess Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon (a.k.a. Ciri)

Ciri is an impressively powerful character build, even if the show has only begun to touch on the extent of her abilities. Even without study, Ciri is able to unleash powerful bouts of magic, though not consistently and not with any sort of control. Like Pavetta before her, Ciri is obviously a wild magic sorcerer. Ciri may have started the show as a low-level sorcerer from a noble background, but ever since the fall of Cintra, she has had to adapt to survive. Ciri quickly learned how to lie and be sneaky, and even started to learn how to fight (and I don’t doubt that Geralt will teach her even more.) While starting off as a sorcerer, Ciri has clearly begun the process of multiclassing into a rogue. It is still a bit too early to tell what sort of subclass she’ll fall into, but given her levels in sorcerer and Yennefer’s inevitable involvement in her life, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Ciri ends up as a very powerful Arcane Trickster, just as competent with her magic as she will be with her sword. 

4. Jaskier

Jaskier really is the quintessentially stereotypical DnD bard, isn’t he? The only thing he loves more than his various lovers and flirtations is the inspiration for music that they bring, and the only inspiration better than that comes from the stories of adventure and daring that he gets from his party, a.k.a. Geralt. (And if he makes some of it up, so what? A humble bard’s entitled to some embellishment along the way.) Jaskier may not be a traditional DnD bard in that he doesn’t cast spells or even really fight, but he is an adventurer through and through. In the books, Jaskier is even associated with higher education, and is seen not just as a musician, but as a scholar. This helps narrow down his bardic subclass, as every DnD bard is associated with a college. Jaskier could easily be a member of the College of Valor. Unlike most valor bards, Jaskier may not be great with a rapier, but above all, these bards prioritize finding and telling stories of great heroes and daring adventures, ensuring that the public does not forget these impressive deeds, all while cementing their own place in the lore. Toss a coin indeed.

[characterclasses]

Classing the Umbrella Academy

Keep in mind that I’m going based only on the show here, as some of the characters in the comics have wildly different personalities and motivations. That being said, let’s get started!

1. Luther Hargreeves 

Luther is one of those characters who seem like a simple class build on the surface, but end up surprising you. Looking at this hulking, emotionally repressed man, one might immediately think that barbarian would be a good fit, but in my opinion you have to go deeper. Barbarians are defined by their rage after all, and Luther only really loses control once he gets high. Otherwise he’s generally very aware, even seemingly frightened, of his raw power (and the form that goes with it). The next obvious choice then, is fighter, as Luther is obviously well-versed in combat. While Luther does have the raw physicality of the Champion subclass, this isn’t quite right either. Unlike Diego, Luther relies solely on his physical strength and the mastery he has over it to get through fights, preferring not to use weapons other than his fists. 

It is for that reason that I finally settled on Luther as a monk, specifically the Way of the Open Hand subclass. These monks are the masters of unarmed combat, and literally pack quite a punch in a way that no other class does. Luther fits other aspects of the monk, too. Way of the open hand monks have abilities relating to meditation and tranquility. Luther spent years in isolation on the moon - just look at the shot of him from the very first scene in episode one, sitting on the moon watching the planet, and tell me that wasn’t the epitome of a meditative state. 

2. Diego Hargreeves 

In contrast to Luther, Diego is pretty easy to class. Everything about him, from the knives to the wardrobe, seem to scream rogue. And Diego is a rogue, no doubt about that. He’s most comfortable with his knives in hand, operating under the cover of darkness. His subclass is an easy one, too. Unlike rogues such as Patch, who is an Inquisitive archetype, Diego was trained to use his abilities in order to take out targets as efficiently as possible. Diego was trained as an Assassin, and despite his hero/antihero framing, has been using those deadly skills ever since. 

3. Allison Hargreeves 

Based on Allison’s powerset, it seems a little reductive to class her as a bard, but here we are. Allison’s not just a bard because of her rumors though. More than any other character, Allison inspires her siblings, from drawing Vanya out of her shell, to rallying the others to work together and take action to stop the apocalypse. More than even Luther, Allison knows what it is to be a team player. 

Which isn’t to say that she doesn’t love the spotlight! As a bard from the College of Glamour, Allison is all about giving enthralling, enchanting performances both on screen and in the field. Her rumors let her take center stage and ensure that everyone is paying attention. 

4. Klaus Hargreeves 

Okay, it’s obvious that Klaus is some sort of necromancer, let’s get that out of the way. I don’t think that he’s a wizard though; wizards study and work for every scrap of knowledge they have, but Klaus actively tries to drown out his ability with any sort of drug he can find. Klaus is a character intimately acquainted with life, death, and higher powers, and makes for a wonderfully reluctant cleric. Hell, the guy’s even spoken directly to God (though she didn’t really like him). As a Grave cleric, Klaus has a special relationship with the boundaries of life and death, including seemingly having the ability to manipulate souls. 

5. Five Hargreeves 

Five is...a complicated class build, which makes sense as he probably has the most complex character arc in the show. Five is a relatively new class build, one that debuted in Matt Mercer’s Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount. To put it simply, Five is a wizard, specifically a chronurgist. This is a type of mage that specializes in the probability of time magic, focusing in small moments in time and letting the consequences of the changes ripple out into the wider world. Sound familiar? Five certainly has the intellect for a wizard, and the single-minded focus needed to learn new spells (or in his case, figure out the equations needed to stop the apocalypse). Plus, that guy sure loves to cast Blink. 

But Five isn’t just a wizard, not after living the life that he did. Five spent decades surviving alone in the apocalypse, giving him the skills needed to multiclass into ranger. These skills are honed and eventually put into use as a Horizon Walker, a subclass of ranger that guards the world from threats coming from outside the plane - or outside of time. 

6. Ben Hargreeves 

For poor, doomed Ben I will be kind of reductive, just because at this point we really know so little about him. Ben is a warlock, in control of forces beyond understanding - or are they in control of him? In any case, the Horror that used Ben’s chest as a portal into our plane of existence definitely seems to resemble a Great Old One. I’ll also say that Ben has/had a Pact of the Tome, as why else would a ghost be casually reading a book? I know this class build is based entirely on stereotypes and first impressions, but now that Ben’s officially a main character as of season 2 I may revisit his class later as he develops. 

7. Vanya Hargreeves 

Vanya is a character with a mysterious, untameable, raw power - in other words, she’s definitely a sorcerer. As a Wild Magic sorcerer, Vanya’s power is explosive and unpredictable, and even she doesn’t yet know its limits or how to control it. Her unconscious surges of power can do anything from shatter glass, to make people enjoy her music, to blowing up the moon and ending life on Earth. Like many sorcerers, Vanya’s power is found to be threatening by those around her, and attempts by outside parties to suppress or control it tend to go very badly.