Day 9: Babylon 5 TTRPG Classes
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babylon5_loveLike hamsterwoman, I am fond of sorting fictional characters into little boxes. I also have a fondness for tabletop gaming. Unfortunately, the traditional alignment chart is, frankly, restrictive, and D&D has a bad habit of assigning alignments to entire races, so instead I've assigned (D&D 5e) classes to most of the major players in the series. Below the cut is my list, as well as a brief rundown of why I chose that particular class. I'd love to see other takes on those I've assigned, as well as anyone I may have missed!
Check out the guide at dndbeyond here if you're interested! It's focussed on character creation, but it should give you an idea of the substance of the class.
Sinclair - dragonborn ranger. Sinclair as a ranger makes sense to me in more ways than just the obvious. Upon first glance he might read more as a monk or some kind of caster, but to me, the ranger class boils down to protecting society from nature. In this case the "nature" he is protecting from isn't literal nature (is space nature?), but rather human or other sentient nature. (Incidentally, I slotted him as a dragonborn because his reputation and appearance can be intimidating, but that doesn't necessarily follow through in all his interactions.)
Ivanova - aasimar cleric. Clerics are chosen by their deity, who is also the source of their casting ability, so it's possible for a cleric to hate their deity or even not believe in that deity. I really enjoy the idea of Ivanova as a sort of reluctant chosen one, and the questioning and arguing with her deity would echo her Jewish identity in show canon (note that I'm not Jewish myself, so my grasp of the cultural norms might be inaccurate; if anyone more knowledgeable wants to chime in please do).
Garibaldi - bugbear paladin. In contrast to the cleric, a paladin's power comes from the strength of their belief rather than from the deity or ideal they are sworn to. Garibaldi's strong convictions, stubbornness, and single-minded determination to do what he believes is right reminds me strongly of a paladin. He's so painfully human and flawed, and in show canon he tends to throw himself wholly into one task or idea. I like to think his sacred oath is to the concept of justice.
Franklin - elf sorcerer. I don't think Franklin got as much consistent development as the rest of the cast, more's the pity. Being a caster, he's not meant to take a beating, but he's resilient in a way a (stereo)typical wizard isn't. A sorcerer's power is inherent, it comes from within, so I liked that desire for self-determination matching with him defying his father's expectations. Also, a lot of sorcerers choose offensive capabilities, so being a doctor is another little defiant act.
Talia - yuan-ti monk. The monk class is mostly just regular folks who've managed to push their bodies to do things beyond natural capabilities, which seemed fitting for a telepath. Her desire to be tranquil and claims that she's calm seems to fit with the monks' on-paper intentions, but just like many monk characters wind up being played as wild and out of control (there's a whole "drunk monk" subclass!), she's using her mask of a commercial telepath to hide her real sense of humor and desires. (I'm not sure if I'm articulating this one right.)
Lyta - orc druid. Druids are basically the opposite of a ranger, and they can either be played diametrically opposed or as uneasy allies. Where a ranger protects society from nature, a druid protects nature from society. In Lyta's case she's protecting her fellow telepaths and fighting against a society that wants to commodify them, control them, and/or ostracize them.
Londo - human wizard. Londo absolutely isn't suited for a martial class, or even a half-caster, so wizard seemed to fit best. A wizard is academically oriented and learns magic by studying (and not necessarily doing any practical magic), which tracks with Londo's political maneuvering without understanding the practical consequences.
G’kar - (earth) genasi bard. I went with what was to me the obvious choice. I mean, show canon has him writing books and songs! He has a high charisma stat, and is fearless about performing, whether it's in his position as ambassador or one of his creative works. Bards also tend to be dramatic, eclectic, and have a large presence, all of which fit G'kar as well. (I picked earth for his genasi type because he's strong and difficult to start moving, but it's slow and inevitable.)
Delenn - dwarf monk. Delenn reads as a monk to me for a different reason than Talia. Principally Delenn is a tradition-oriented person who pushes herself and her people (loosely, whether as an ambassador, or part of the Grey Council, or later as Sheridan's right hand), seeking a destiny. She goes full throttle at everything she sets her mind to, and that comes across as monk more than anything else.
Lennier - halfling fighter. This one I'm not sure about. The fighter as a class doesn't really have a backstory. They just go around and hit things, and they do it really well. Lennier has enough depth to him as a character that I don't like leaving him as a fighter, but barbarian doesn't fit him and I don't know what else to choose. I wanted something that reflected his convictions, fighting ability, and how he can sometimes be ruled by emotion, but paladin didn't seem quite right so I went with fighter. (But absolutely please argue with me!)
Ta’lon - kobold barbarian. I was originally thinking of setting Ta'lon up as a paladin, then as a rogue, but I settled on barbarian -- paladin for his convictions, rogue for his diverse skill set, and barbarian with his honor code and fighting style. Barbarians as a rule are angry people, and I think Ta'lon being quietly simmering just below a boil fits with his prickly personality. As a sort of wandering warrior, Ta'lon also has the barbarian distrust of unfamiliar allies.
Na’toth - aarakocra sorcerer. Na'toth initially comes off as a martial class, but I think she works better as a sorcerer. (Also, I like to pick characters and make them nontraditional in their class path.) She's strong and powerful and can take care of herself, but people sometimes underestimate her. As a sorcerer she probably has taken mostly offensive spells, and she's also more physical than most.
Vir - gnome cleric. Whereas Ivanova is a nontraditional cleric, Vir embodies a lot of commonly associated cleric traits. He's essentially a medic, in that he's running around slapping metaphorical band-aids on serious metaphorical wounds (in show canon, they're mostly Londo's political and personal mishaps). He's also genuinely trying to do his best, both for his job and for the people he cares about. If I were to assign him a traditional alignment, he would be almost textbook neutral good.
Marcus - tiefling rogue. While I was tempted to put Marcus down as a bard, upon further reflection I decided on rogue. The particular skill set he has lends itself more to rogue skills than bardic performance; while he certainly likes to put on a show, that isn't where his (show canon) power comes from. As a rogue, he relies less on physicality and more on stealth, since he'd prefer to settle things without a fight but can hold his own when he needs to.
Sheridan - human warlock. This one was fairly easy to sort out also. He's almost a warlock in show canon. I mean, Lórien is basically the equivalent of a warlock's patron, and the deal he struck granted him extra time rather than the ability to shoot lightning out of his hands. As a warlock he has a (mechanically) different magic use system from other casters, which also fits with the eccentric way he goes about things, especially at the end of the series.
Thanks for taking the time to read this post. I welcome any discussion, clarification, or pushback about what I've brought up here, as well as any of the other characters I may have forgotten or chosen not to include in the post. Happy love month!
hamsterwoman, I am fond of sorting fictional characters into little boxes. I also have a fondness for tabletop gaming. Unfortunately, the traditional alignment chart is, frankly, restrictive, and D&D has a bad habit of assigning alignments to entire races, so instead I've assigned (D&D 5e) classes to most of the major players in the series. Below the cut is my list, as well as a brief rundown of why I chose that particular class. I'd love to see other takes on those I've assigned, as well as anyone I may have missed!Check out the guide at dndbeyond here if you're interested! It's focussed on character creation, but it should give you an idea of the substance of the class.
Sinclair - dragonborn ranger. Sinclair as a ranger makes sense to me in more ways than just the obvious. Upon first glance he might read more as a monk or some kind of caster, but to me, the ranger class boils down to protecting society from nature. In this case the "nature" he is protecting from isn't literal nature (is space nature?), but rather human or other sentient nature. (Incidentally, I slotted him as a dragonborn because his reputation and appearance can be intimidating, but that doesn't necessarily follow through in all his interactions.)
Ivanova - aasimar cleric. Clerics are chosen by their deity, who is also the source of their casting ability, so it's possible for a cleric to hate their deity or even not believe in that deity. I really enjoy the idea of Ivanova as a sort of reluctant chosen one, and the questioning and arguing with her deity would echo her Jewish identity in show canon (note that I'm not Jewish myself, so my grasp of the cultural norms might be inaccurate; if anyone more knowledgeable wants to chime in please do).
Garibaldi - bugbear paladin. In contrast to the cleric, a paladin's power comes from the strength of their belief rather than from the deity or ideal they are sworn to. Garibaldi's strong convictions, stubbornness, and single-minded determination to do what he believes is right reminds me strongly of a paladin. He's so painfully human and flawed, and in show canon he tends to throw himself wholly into one task or idea. I like to think his sacred oath is to the concept of justice.
Franklin - elf sorcerer. I don't think Franklin got as much consistent development as the rest of the cast, more's the pity. Being a caster, he's not meant to take a beating, but he's resilient in a way a (stereo)typical wizard isn't. A sorcerer's power is inherent, it comes from within, so I liked that desire for self-determination matching with him defying his father's expectations. Also, a lot of sorcerers choose offensive capabilities, so being a doctor is another little defiant act.
Talia - yuan-ti monk. The monk class is mostly just regular folks who've managed to push their bodies to do things beyond natural capabilities, which seemed fitting for a telepath. Her desire to be tranquil and claims that she's calm seems to fit with the monks' on-paper intentions, but just like many monk characters wind up being played as wild and out of control (there's a whole "drunk monk" subclass!), she's using her mask of a commercial telepath to hide her real sense of humor and desires. (I'm not sure if I'm articulating this one right.)
Lyta - orc druid. Druids are basically the opposite of a ranger, and they can either be played diametrically opposed or as uneasy allies. Where a ranger protects society from nature, a druid protects nature from society. In Lyta's case she's protecting her fellow telepaths and fighting against a society that wants to commodify them, control them, and/or ostracize them.
Londo - human wizard. Londo absolutely isn't suited for a martial class, or even a half-caster, so wizard seemed to fit best. A wizard is academically oriented and learns magic by studying (and not necessarily doing any practical magic), which tracks with Londo's political maneuvering without understanding the practical consequences.
G’kar - (earth) genasi bard. I went with what was to me the obvious choice. I mean, show canon has him writing books and songs! He has a high charisma stat, and is fearless about performing, whether it's in his position as ambassador or one of his creative works. Bards also tend to be dramatic, eclectic, and have a large presence, all of which fit G'kar as well. (I picked earth for his genasi type because he's strong and difficult to start moving, but it's slow and inevitable.)
Delenn - dwarf monk. Delenn reads as a monk to me for a different reason than Talia. Principally Delenn is a tradition-oriented person who pushes herself and her people (loosely, whether as an ambassador, or part of the Grey Council, or later as Sheridan's right hand), seeking a destiny. She goes full throttle at everything she sets her mind to, and that comes across as monk more than anything else.
Lennier - halfling fighter. This one I'm not sure about. The fighter as a class doesn't really have a backstory. They just go around and hit things, and they do it really well. Lennier has enough depth to him as a character that I don't like leaving him as a fighter, but barbarian doesn't fit him and I don't know what else to choose. I wanted something that reflected his convictions, fighting ability, and how he can sometimes be ruled by emotion, but paladin didn't seem quite right so I went with fighter. (But absolutely please argue with me!)
Ta’lon - kobold barbarian. I was originally thinking of setting Ta'lon up as a paladin, then as a rogue, but I settled on barbarian -- paladin for his convictions, rogue for his diverse skill set, and barbarian with his honor code and fighting style. Barbarians as a rule are angry people, and I think Ta'lon being quietly simmering just below a boil fits with his prickly personality. As a sort of wandering warrior, Ta'lon also has the barbarian distrust of unfamiliar allies.
Na’toth - aarakocra sorcerer. Na'toth initially comes off as a martial class, but I think she works better as a sorcerer. (Also, I like to pick characters and make them nontraditional in their class path.) She's strong and powerful and can take care of herself, but people sometimes underestimate her. As a sorcerer she probably has taken mostly offensive spells, and she's also more physical than most.
Vir - gnome cleric. Whereas Ivanova is a nontraditional cleric, Vir embodies a lot of commonly associated cleric traits. He's essentially a medic, in that he's running around slapping metaphorical band-aids on serious metaphorical wounds (in show canon, they're mostly Londo's political and personal mishaps). He's also genuinely trying to do his best, both for his job and for the people he cares about. If I were to assign him a traditional alignment, he would be almost textbook neutral good.
Marcus - tiefling rogue. While I was tempted to put Marcus down as a bard, upon further reflection I decided on rogue. The particular skill set he has lends itself more to rogue skills than bardic performance; while he certainly likes to put on a show, that isn't where his (show canon) power comes from. As a rogue, he relies less on physicality and more on stealth, since he'd prefer to settle things without a fight but can hold his own when he needs to.
Sheridan - human warlock. This one was fairly easy to sort out also. He's almost a warlock in show canon. I mean, Lórien is basically the equivalent of a warlock's patron, and the deal he struck granted him extra time rather than the ability to shoot lightning out of his hands. As a warlock he has a (mechanically) different magic use system from other casters, which also fits with the eccentric way he goes about things, especially at the end of the series.
Thanks for taking the time to read this post. I welcome any discussion, clarification, or pushback about what I've brought up here, as well as any of the other characters I may have forgotten or chosen not to include in the post. Happy love month!
no subject
Date: 2019-02-09 10:24 am (UTC)Sinclair as Ranger makes sense to me, but really anything with high charisma and wisdom and a bunch of ranks in diplomacy would work for me? :)
With Susan I’d suggest fighter. She’s such a career soldier. She does, of course, have a religious background (to some extent, Hamster and I had a very interesting discussion on the Samovar she receives as a heirloom in TKO once upon a time), but it doesn’t seem to inform her professionally, does it? Neither her skills nor her actions seem to be touched by her beliefs as far as I can tell?
With Garibaldi, I’m not sure about Paladin. We’ve just done a rewatch of Deathwalker last night, and he’s been complimenting Jeff on not being okay with the “the end justifies the means” attitude. Whereas I tend to read Paladins as you know... lawful? Garibaldi strikes me as the sort of person who’d not bend over backwards to uphold the law if he disapproves of it? (You know smuggling things onto B5? Letting Susan get away with the calls to her dying father? Talking to Stephen rather than the authorities on his worries about the stims?) On the other hand he *does* voice his disapproval about Sheridan breaking away from earth. So huh. Maybe...
Stephen I’d throw into Cleric with Life & Knowledge as his domains? Or possibly Druid, to account for his “I’ll put my beliefs (that all life is sacred) over the law” attitude? But you know, if I’ve ever come across a healer character, I’d say it’s Stephen. And I’d say pretty much Chaotic Good?
I can see your point regarding Talia and Lyta. :)
Londo as a wizard is interesting. But don’t you think warlock would be more fitting? The summary you linked us to says “A wielder of magic that is derived from a bargain with an extraplanar being”? And his power noticeably increases after he’s been contacted by Morden? --- Maybe he has been something of a fighter initially though? He does talk about leading military campaigns when he was younger, doesn’t he?
I very much agree on G’Kar being a bard. But I’m tempted to offer Cleric/Bard as a multiclass. With high charisma, growing wisdom and taking every skill focus in “perform” he can get his hands on. :D He’s very much a spiritual person (he carries his book of G’Lan where he goes, and when he prepares for his potential death wants to leave it to Na’Toth in the hopes that it might lead her to a spiritual path) and he definitely believes the warnings his religious texts offer him. And he takes his religious ceremonies seriously. - And of course the book he writes does inspire people to see him as a spiritual leader?
I’m half-way tempted to say Wychalaran for Delenn - and turn Lennier into her Barbarian, I could totally see him enter Beserk mode if you touch his witch. But that’d solely account for that fealty-to-you connection, and how much him breaking those vows is completely beyond her comprehension, like it never occurred to her that that could happen. I don’t think he otherwise really reads as Barbarian, although I could see Delenn read as witch. On the other hand...
Delenn - is a pretty convincing cleric in my book, with her beliefs informing her every step at least early on. And I’d say War & Trickery as domains, when she wishes she’d chosen Life & Light, which most people assume she picked till they get to know her better? - Of course part of me would want to throw her into Paladin-Crusader instead, because she’s a religious zealot when we meet her and it’d account both for her extremely high charisma and for her loss of powers after she turns against the Council. But she’s just too comfortable with bending the rules and breaking them for a lawful class. And of course she’d deserve some bard ranks because heck, listen to her speeches... *laughs* Maybe she realized that she’s got higher charisma than wisdom at some point and decided to move classes? Like... she already made it to epic in cleric but then decided to switch to bard and now she’s working on her bard skills till she gets her cleric skills back? -And help anyone in her path once she does...- (I know Delenn is roughly as old as Londo and G’Kar. But from what we see I’d reckon that she’s had a much more focused training than either of them.)
With Lennier I’d go monk. Not just because he was raised in temple or because he’s been trained in martial arts (I know he doesn’t use his fists, but he does use his hands to fight for the better part of canon). But we also learn that ranger-Lennier has perfected his breathing technique to a level where he survives against all odds when he should have run out of air? - And as with Delenn, I’d like to throw a couple of levels of bard at him (“Did this come naturally to you, or did you attend some special martial arts class for the philosophically inclined?” -Marcus, 3.19-) because he’s pretty good at motivating people into risking their lives for Delenn.
Ta’Lon. Yes, agreed. Although part of me wants to suggest another multiclass. Hah, paladin-berserker-thief would be hilarious to sell to people as your character’s class. :D
With Na’Toth I’d go rogue. Ruthless when it comes to tricking the guy trying to kill G’Kar to the point that she tortures G’Kar to be convincing. (And she’s not sorry about it either.) Sneaking about to find out stuff and/or steal things for G’Kar (you know, when Delenn sends Lennier to steal something, Lennier will knock out the people guarding it and bring it back to her, when G’Kar sends Na’Toth to steal something nobody can prove she’s the one who took it). What’s holding me back a little is that she chooses to rush at Deathwalker and try to kill her immediately when she could’ve followed her to a more secluded place and taken her out without witnesses? But that’s once. And I mean heck... an extremely loyal thief? Can’t really go much further out of typical class behavior than that, I’d reckon.
Vir. Yes agreed. Either cleric or druid. Because Vir cares so much he can barely stop... ever. - Seriously, I wished Vir and Stephen had had more of a chance to hang out. Particularly if they could’ve combined their efforts to help the Narn.-
Marcus. - Very much agreed.
How about Sheridan as a fighter who crosses to Warlock after Z’Ha’Dum?
Again, it’s been years since I played. And even then I didn’t play nearly all available classes. So feel free to ignore this. But it was fun to give it a try, thank you! :)
no subject
Date: 2019-02-09 07:32 pm (UTC)For Susan, I definitely see where you're going with that. I think we were both trying to get at similar things, but your explanation is more concise and convincing. :g:
Garibaldi -- I admit to a bit of bias here; I'm very fond of him and also paladin as a character concept. I'm not sure paladins are always end-focussed, I've always read paladin as more of a "do what is right because that will advance your ideals" rather than "advance your ideal because that is right." But I can understand your uncertainty.
I also like your thoughts about Delenn and Stephen as clerics. You've definitely sold me on Delenn, but I'm still attached to Stephen having inherent power rather than power bestowed by a deity. Maybe a multiclass would work for him there, started out as a sorcerer who then took the rest of his levels as a cleric to help with his healing skills?
Rogue Na'toth is absolutely a great idea. I like your analysis a lot and I'm about to go change that in my text file of class builds right now!
Londo. I have to admit I mostly wanted 1) a human Londo regardless of class, and 2) not to leave wizard out of the list completely. You're right, his arc definitely tracks with warlock.
I'd totally buy cleric/bard multiclass for G'kar! You make a good point about his spirituality, which really isn't something I tend to associate with strictly bardic traits.
Glad you enjoyed the post! Thanks for commenting.
no subject
Date: 2019-02-09 08:54 pm (UTC)Well you said you like your characters slightly out of the ordinary for their classes? Wouldn’t a religiously inclined fighter fit that? :)
When Paladins were introduced to me as a concept they were pretty much made out to be these “I uphold the law even if I disapprove of what that entails” sort of characters. Which in turn means that I’m not particularly fond of them. But if that is different from your reading I can see how Garibaldi might work better with your reading of what that class is about.
I’ve decided that Delenn’s a cleric who was on the verge of reaching epic (Chosen One of the Grey Council) only to decline that honor and go Bard. But that’s just me. -Admittedly, part of me just wants G’Kar and Delenn to basically have the same class to account for how much they care about religion and how good they are with giving speeches.-
We can definitely put Stephen into a different class initially if he becomes cleric soon thereafter. But maybe wizard rather than sorcerer to account for him having to actually study to gain his skills?
Aww, glad you like Na’Toth as rogue. I think she’d do splendidly. Also... a rogue accompanying a cleric/bard just makes my day as a concept.
I can relate to wanting wizards around. Maybe we’ll just need to study a bunch of the other characters out there. Or possibly Talia? Mental skills you worked for?
And hey, Londo can totally be a human warlock.
This is fun. We should consider more of them. :)
no subject
Date: 2019-02-11 05:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-02-11 04:36 pm (UTC)Anyway... glad you like Na'Toth as rogue. :D
no subject
Date: 2019-02-09 11:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-02-10 05:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-02-10 12:30 pm (UTC)Sinclair - ranger, yes, but maybe a ranger/paladin mix.
Ivanova - hm, not really what she does. I would see her as someone who perhaps started out as cleric, took a level or two, and then switched to fighter.
Garibaldi - similarly, he seems like someone who used to be a paladin, but right now is kinda, hm, not really following that path anymore. Paladin/fighter, maybe.
Franklin - a healer sorcerer seems, uh, very unusual. I like the idea that it was an innate power that set him on his path, but I can't really see him as a sorcerer. 3.5 had the Healer as a class, not sure if 5e has that.
Talia as a monk and Lyta as a druid fit well. Though I kinda like the idea that the Psi-Corps trains people as monks, so Lyta would be monk/druid.
Londo: I have trouble seeing him with the dedicated search for knowledge and discipline that I associate with a wizard. What's a politician's class? ...bard? No. On the other hand... Later, Warlock.
G'kar: of course he is a bard, no question.
And I pretty much agree with
no subject
Date: 2019-02-10 05:33 pm (UTC)Thanks for the thoughts!
no subject
Date: 2019-02-11 04:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-02-11 05:21 am (UTC). I really enjoy the idea of Ivanova as a sort of reluctant chosen one, and the questioning and arguing with her deity would echo her Jewish identity in show canon
As a Russian Jew myself -- I like that echo suggestion :) (Also, I think 'reluctant chosen' works well with the latent telepath thing, although of course she doesn't go along with that set of powers being thrust upon her).
While I was tempted to put Marcus down as a bard
Bard as my first thought for Marcus, but I like how rogue works for him, too!
P.S. Oh, and I love your reasoning of the druid pick for Lyta.