Although the term has gone through several changes in meaning over the years, today most people use the term “hacker” to describe a person who breaks into computer systems for fun and profit. While some hackers practice their electronic breaking and entering for legitimate profit (for example, working as computer security consultants) or as a…
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Editor’s Note: Starting with this week’s exciting episode, new Archetypes of the Week will go up on Thursday instead of Wednesday. The fixer is a person who solves problems, often using methods that are not entirely legal. While most fixers deal in material goods (especially illegal or hard to get ones) to some extent, the…
Zombies are the reanimated (often decomposing) corpses of deceased humans. Although many zombies retain the ability to speak, they otherwise exhibit few signs of higher intelligence. The zombie’s only motivation in unlife is to satisfy its desire to feed on human flesh (brains in particular), though zombies do exhibit rudimentary self-preservation instincts and can use…
The psychic is a character who has paranormal abilities of some sort. Some psychics gain their abilities through mystical training or encounters with supernatural entities. Most, however, are simply born with their unusual abilities. Facebook Twitter Reddit Tumblr Email
The magician is, as the name suggests, a character skilled in the use of magic. The type of magic the character is able to use and the specific tradition that he or she follows depends on the genre and setting. The flash-bang style of magic found in most role-playing games, for example, has no precedent…
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The monster hunter’s role in fiction is pretty self-explanatory: He fights monsters. Some people fight supernatural baddies because it’s their destiny, some because it’s their job, and some because they just keep running into to the damned things. It should be noted that we’re using the term “monster hunter” in its purest sense, meaning people…
Anyone can bust out a window and steal some stuff, but if you want to rob someone blind without drawing too much unwanted attention, you need a cat burglar. Cat burglars have the experience, skills, and (most importantly) style to get the goods and get away without arousing any suspicion. The really good ones have…
Most warriors fight for a higher cause: king, country, God, or honor. The soldier of fortune fights for a much more practical reason: to earn a living. In theory, the soldier of fortune is a mercenary whose only loyalty is to his own self-interest. In practice (at least in fiction), soldiers of fortune often discover…
