BioWare/Characters

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As already mentioned on the main page, these games tend to be Strictly Formula and, as a result, many characters fall under specific archetypes and many organizations and locations will have some similarities. See also this and this

In a nutshell, if it's a BioWare game, expect to encounter the following during the course of the game:

Party Members

The Sensitive Guy

This character is almost always the male lead and will always be one of, if not the most important party member relevant to the plot. He will be motivated by a backstory that will contain just enough angst to make him sensitive and sympathetic, but not enough that makes him as broody as The Troubled Special One. He will always, always, always be the Mr. Fanservice Love Interest for the female Player Character and, since Most Fanfic Writers Are Girls, you can expect this character to have an extremely high presence in the fanworks.

The Perky Thief

This character is usually female and will always be the most optimistic of all your party members. If you're playing as a Villain Protagonist or trying to be the world's biggest Jerkass, expect very bad things to happen to this character. Always a fan favorite, admitting to being mean to or not liking them can result in an adverse reaction from other players.

The Troubled Special One

Troubled but Cute if male and a Broken Bird if female. They begin the game completely closed off towards you as they are haunted by their past, so expect the mother of all tragic backstories when you finally get them to open up. Maybe it's their species or maybe it's a powerful and sought after ability they possess, but this character will have an obvious and specific trait that sets them apart from your other party members. Always a Love Interest, this character will rely on the Player Character as an emotional crutch and will try to distance themselves when they realize they've fallen in love. Betraying their trust in you is not advisable.

The Arrogant Magic User

This archetype is defined by three traits. One: The character is always specialized towards magic, or the game's equivalent to magic. Two: The character will be incredibly arrogant about their powers and will usually always be a Deadpan Snarker and has a tendency towards being disliked by most other characters in the party as a result. Thirdly, they tend to be evil-aligned and supports ruthless and not-noble decisions on the Karma Meter. If the game allows for closer friendships/romance they will inevitably turn out to be the Troubled Special One beneath the arrogance, and will become a Defrosting Ice Queen.

The Expositing Magic User

By contrast with the Arrogant Magic User, the Expositioning Magic User is usually magical, but usually humble and good-aligned. Instead, they get their comeuppance by the plot, as this character is inevitably 'special' and is somehow specially bonded to the Player Character. They will always turn out to have some special role to play somewhere down the line. They tend to be Love Interests as well, just to deepen the 'bond' further.

The No-Nonsense Soldier

It is usually very difficult to cause this party member to quit.

The disillusioned Proud Warrior Race Guy

Starts out opposed to the party but later joins

Ax Crazy Yet Strangely Humorous

This character frequently expressed a desire to kill people, and is probably not even a person itself. Either that, or the character uses so many mind-altering substances (such as alcohol) so as to become rather different than a sentient person. Nevertheless, this character is also resistant to quitting the party. By the way, did we mention that this character really likes killing people?

Organizations and Places

The Doomed Starting Area

It is not necessarily the hometown, but it is doomed nonetheless.

A Higher Organization

This organization is either above the law in some way, or is otherwise able to provide special resources to the player character.

The Lost World

The location of the Lost Technology of the Precursors, conveniently forgotten by modern civilization. Either the place of the final showdown with the Big Bad, or a key to reaching it.

The Party Headquarters

Where the party members rest between missions and hand out their personal quests to the player. Has a high probability of being attacked at some point.

Villains

The Knight Templar

The villain (sometime The Dragon) is a fearsome and powerful leader with underlings that worship him and follow him fanatically. Combat will be inevitable at some point. May be redeemed (or not) through dialogue options.

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