Dragon Age: Origins/Characters/Playable Characters: Difference between revisions

** According to ''Awakening'' and [[Dragon Age II]], the warden disappears after a few years... so much for responsibility.

*** Although somewhat negated if {{spoiler|a Male Warden disappeared through the Eluvian with a romanced Morrigan, in order to see his child. The Warden ''is'' taking responsibility for siring an Old God child, knowing full well that if it is malevolent, the Warden will potentially have to slay his own son... not to mention the Old God inside of it ''again''.}}

* [[Awesome Moment of Crowning]]: In ''Awakening'', {{spoiler|a Dwarven Commoner Warden will discover that he/she, a ''Casteless'', has been named a '''Paragon'''.}}

** {{spoiler|A Female Human Noble romancing Alistair can become ''Queen of Ferelden''}}.

{{quote|'''Human Noble''': I want Howe dead '''NOW!'''}}

* [[Betty and Veronica]]: Depending on how the [[Romance Sidequest]] unfolds, this can exist between Leliana and Morrigan/Zevran for men and Alistair/Leliana and Zevran for women. A bisexual PC has the option of picking a [[Third Option Love Interest]].

* [[Bi the Way]]: Can be played this way.

* [[Blessed with Suck]] / [[Cursed with Awesome]]: Congratulations! You've been selected as a Grey Warden recruit—the highest honor you could ever aspire to! It means any birthright or title you had is now forfeit. But wait, you have yet to become a Grey Warden—first you have to {{spoiler|drink darkspawn blood, which will often kill you right away. If it doesn't, congratulations on becoming a Grey Warden! You can now sense the darkspawn and destroy archdemons at the low cost of obliterating your soul if you try the latter. Of course, they can sense ''you'' just as easily as you sense them. Oh, and you have about thirty years to live until the taint starts turning you into a darkspawn, at which point the Grey Warden instruction troubleshooting manual tells you to go on a suicide run against the darkspawn hordes. Oh, and good luck ever having children, especially if the other parent is also a Grey Warden.}}

** The City Elf Warden's Origin has the Male Warden taking revenge on Vaughn for the abduction of his bride and rape of his cousin, while the Female Warden kills her captors and cuts a bloody swathe to Vaughn, whom had planned to rape (and then murder) her.

** The Mage Warden can appear to display this towards Uldred for his atrocities in the Circle Tower.

* [[Kleptomaniac Hero]]: You can enter any dwelling and help yourself to anything that isn't nailed down, even if you need to pick locks in the process. Unlike pickpocketing, this never antagonizes the inhabitants, with ''very few exceptions'' (these being, if the person who owns the place is afraid you will find the dead body they haven't had time to dispose of).

** The mage origin ends with your senior mage asking you if you took anything from the dungeon you were just in. Tell the truth, and he'll take away a staff you took.

* [[Loved I Not Honour More]]: Wynne lampshades this, reminding the Warden that they ''will'' have to put their duty as a Grey Warden ahead of their romance when it comes to saving the world.

** By ''Awakening'' even if the Warden previously decided to travel with their chosen love interest at the end of ''Origins'', they are [[The Call Knows Where You Live|back in the fray]] serving as Warden-Commander of Ferelden only ''six months later''.

* [[Magic Knight]]: Mage Wardens can become ''Arcane Warriors''.

** Warriors can become a ''[[Your Soul Is Mine|Reaver]]'' and inverted as a ''[[Anti-Magic|Templar]]''.

* [[Manipulative Bastard]]: You can be an utter douche, kicking dogs, desecrating holy artifacts and supporting crazy dwarves while still having all your most noble companions falling in love with your every word. Just make sure you have a good (and sometimes ''really'' good) coercion rank, a lot of gifts, and careful consideration of who you bring along with you and when.

* [[Meaningful Name]]: The Dwarf Noble's last name is Aeducan, deriving from the dwarven word ''Aeduc'' meaning "Stone".

* [[Memetic Sex God|Memetic Sex God(dess)]]: Is an in-universe case in ''Witch Hunt''.

* [[The Messiah]] - [[Villain Protagonist]]: The Warden can be either and everything in between.

* [[Royals Who Actually Do Something]]: As a scion of House Cousland, second-highest in precedence among the noble houses of Ferelden, the Human Noble is just one step under being a prince(ss), and {{spoiler|can actually become King or Queen of Ferelden by marrying Anora or Alistair (the Warden is Prince or Princess Consort in the epilogue only).}} The Dwarf Noble ''is'' royalty, the second child of King Endrin Aeducan of Orzammar and the exiled former-Commander of Orzammar's Army.

** The Human Mage is also part of the Amell nobility of Kirkwall, but is unaware of this because mages are legally forbidden to hold titles.

* [[He Who Must Not Be Seen|S/He Who Must Not Be Seen]]: The Warden's actions had a very notable impact on [[Dragon Age II]], and they will get brought up directly by Varric, indirectly by Flemeth, and [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|the loading screen]]. Depending on your playthrough, they can also be mentioned by Anders, Merrill, Isabela, Bethany, Cullen, Nuncio, {{spoiler|Zevran, Alistair, Leliana, Nathaniel Howe, Sophia Dryden,}} a letter found in the Wounded Coast, an ex-werewolf, several Codex entries, and Hawke themself. Despite this, the Warden never shows up in-game.

* [[Shut UP, Hannibal]]: The Human Noble's defiant response during their final confrontation with Arl Howe.

* [[Gameplay and Story Segregation]]: Oghren has supposedly been banned from fighting or even bearing weapons in Orzammar upon pain of exile, but when he joins the party (in the city) he's carrying a battle axe, and from that point on you can traipse around the city having him kill as many Dust Town thugs and Proving contestants as you like without anyone saying peep about it.

** Look at it this way. Would ''you'' go up to the drunk violent dwarf with a large instrument of death who's cheerfully gutting people in plain view in the company of three other people who all give off the 'those guys are bad news' vibe each in their own way, possibly including a giant golem, a Qunari (which is more than twice a dwarf's size and similarly built like a brick) and a dog larger than most adult dwarves, and tell him he can't do that crap? Dwarves may be duplicitous, but they aren't ''suicidal'', usually.

** There's also the fact that simply being part of a Grey Warden's entourage seems to excuse you for a lot of things, like being an apostate mage.

* [[Gargle Blaster]]: His homebrewed ale will knock the PC out if s/he doesn't have a high enough constitution. {{spoiler|To him, Darkspawn Blood is barely this.}}

* [[Girl-On-Girl Is Hot]]: Both over Hespith and {{spoiler|Branka}}, and if a female PC brings him to the Pearl and gets a female whore, Oghren interupts:

* [[Ugly Guy, Hot Wife]]: {{spoiler|His wife, Felsi, in ''Awakening'', is quite a looker among Dwarven women.}}

* [[Un Entendre]]: For a dwarf with a perverted mind, Oghren makes a few of these when talking about weapons in party banter.

* [[Wouldn't Hurt a Child]]: Oghren may love to solve problems with an axe but killing Connor will casuse a huge loss of aproval from him, even more so than from idealistic and moral teammates like Alistair and Leliana.

 

=== Shale ===

* [[Amnesiac Dissonance]]: Shale is amnesiac and cannot remember much of what life (for a given value of "life") was like previous to Honnleaf. It is possible, through bringing Shale to {{spoiler|The Anvil of the Void to meet Cairdin}}, to unlock some former memories. Learning of of them, {{spoiler|especially that Shale used to be a dwarf}}, has this form of effect.

* [[And I Must Scream]]: Was frozen in place in a village for three decades, was fully aware the entire time, and could do nothing about the abuse and humiliation from people, dogs, and ''especially'' birds. Mostly played for laughs. Played less for laughs was Shale's indeterminate amount of time spent in complete darkness in the Deep Roads before Wilhelm found it.

* [[Anti-Hero]]: Type IV on the [[Sliding Scale of Anti-Heroes]].

* [[Arch Enemy]]: Birds, the damnable feathered fiends!

* [[Anti-Mutiny]]: Will try to pull this at Haven if he's at low approval. If he's at high approval instead, he'll just state his opinions and put it at that.

* [[The Atoner]]

* [[The Big Guy]]

* [[Blatant Lies]]:

** Interestingly enough, Sten ''does'' appear to have a sense of humor. If you comment that you find his deadpan snarking funny, you'll even get a big approval bonus.

* [[Commander Contrarian]]: Prone to questioning your actions once in a while, though he'll respect you more if you actually stand your ground in an argument.

* [[Cultured Badass]]: Oddly enough.

* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: Another one, and a ''master'' of the "deadpan" half.

* [[The Stoic]]

* [[Sugar and Ice Personality]]: He can eventually come to see the Warden as a close companion as he becomes a [[True Companions|True Companion]].

* [[Terse Talker]]: When he's being deflective.

* [[Undying Loyalty]]: If the Warden {{spoiler|recovers his sword}} and befriends him, he explicitly states that he trusts them with his life and calls them kadan, which is a qunari word meaning something akin to 'close to the heart'.

** Another [[Word of God]] states that Qunari don't have sex to show affection like humans do. Sex is solely for breeding and a qunari who has sex with someone they love is considered a serious oddball. So he could be in love with the Warden, it just has nothing to do with sex. Also, the [[Noodle Implements|Qunari act as described to Morrigan]] doesn't sound so fun.

*** Though, considering Sten's [[Deadpan Snarker|personality]], it is quite possible that he could have been exaggerating just to goad Morrigan. [[Nightmare Fuel|Or not]].

* [[Worthy Opponent]]: Is very fond of the Dog, viewing him as a warrior worthy of his respect.

** Also sees the Warden as this when his approval becomes high. When he voices his objection that the Urn of Sacred Ashes is taking them away from their goal of the Blight, he gains respect for the Warden when the Warden doesn't back down and bests him in a duel to decide who leads the group. Once the Warden helps him recover his sword Asala, Sten admits that he was wrong about the Warden and declares them a warrior worthy of fighting among the Beressad, later stating that the Qunari will inevitably invade Ferelden one day, but if that day comes Sten [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|will not look for the Warden on the battlefield.]]

*** If the Warden sacrifices themself, Sten explicity states to the Arishok when asked if he found any worthy warriors outside Par Vollen, he only found ''one''. We later learn in ''[[Dragon Age 2]]'' that to be considered "''Basalit-an'', an outsider worthy of respect" is the highest form of praise a Qunari can give.

* [[What the Hell, Hero?]]: He will get angry anytime you aren't focused on getting to the Archdemon, like going to Haven.

* [[You Can't Go Home Again]]: Not if you're a qunari warrior of the Beresaad and you {{spoiler|lose your weapon}}, you can't.

* [[You Do NOT Want to Know]]: Apparently having sex with a Qunari is at the least lethal for humans. Morrigan is initially interested, but Sten dissuades her when he tells her that she'll need some armor and that he might try to snuggle...

** [[Word of God]] is that Qunari don't have sex to express love(they feel love, just don't associate it with sex) or for pleasure, just for reproduction. It's likely he's just trying to freak Morrigan out to get her to drop the teasing. But with Sten, you never know.

 

== The Mages ==

* [[Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette]]: The first half of which is odd, considering she has spent most of her life outdoors. [[Fridge Brilliance]] kicks in when you remember her [[Voluntary Shapeshifting]] hobby.

* [[Even Evil Has Standards]]: Morrigan immediately expresses disgust that [[Proud Warrior Race Guy|Sten]] has been caged like an animal in Lotharing to serve as darkspawn chow by the "mercy" of the Chantry. Though he did kill innocent people, the game makes it clear that being captured by the darkspawn is one of the most horrible fates imaginable that ''nobody'' deserves.

* [[Evil Cannot Comprehend Good]]: The very idea of acting altruistically seems to be both alien and offensive to her for most of her time in the group, presumably due to Flemeth's teachings.

* [[Evil Counterpart]]: Could be considered this to a heroic Mage Warden.

{{quote|'''Leliana:''' So you're saying you're wild and uninhibited? I suppose he must like your shrieking, you sound like a genlock being murdered--a sweet, sweet sound to a Grey Warden. You should try a little harder next time he takes you. I don't think they heard you in the Anderfels.}}

* [[Impossibly Cool Clothes]]: The blouse of her 'robes' are loose and draping from the shoulders and down the front, yet has a laced cinch at the back. It's possible but difficult to make and impractical to wear. Especially implausible as most of what she knew about humans came from observation, but there are no role models shown for her design.

* [[Ineffectual Loner]]: Morrigan's not a "people" person. In camp, her tent is placed far from all the others.

* [[Insufferable Genius]]: According to Alistair, who tries to use a Chantry-related question to mock her for it.

* [[No Sympathy]]: A big part of her character. Morrigan just doesn't do empathy. She may surprise you every now and then, however—once befriended, she genuinely cares about the PC and their feelings, expressing sympathy over their mother's death or having girl talk with the Grey Warden.

** Interestingly, she shows a little bit more kindness to Alistair when the Warden reawakens in Flemeth's hut. She still accuses him of blubbering, but she is nowhere near as caustic about his grief while talking about it in private than she is to his face in front of the rest of the party. [[Fridge Brilliance|Perhaps she simply thinks that ripping into his angst is the quickest and simplest way of getting him to deal with it and become more effective.]]

* [[Not Good with People]]: She freely admits that due to her time in the Korcari Wilds, she's better at understanding animals than people.

* [[Not So Different]]: To Flemeth.

** She was not amused: "Zevran, I'm old enough to be your grandmother."

{{quote|'''Zevran:''' [[Likes Older Women|You say that like it's a bad thing.]]}}

** Oghren seems to think so too.

** Also jokes when Alistair compliments that she looks younger everyday, that he should watch who he flirts with... its not the first time she's woken up to a younger man beside her in bed.

* [[Informed Ability]]: She is supposed to be a skilled storyteller, but her storytelling skills really don't rise above the rest of the cast. Also by her accounts, the smooth talking, courtly-connivers seem to be stock in trade and a survival necessity for Orlesian bards. Yet her repartee is less evident than her loss of words; she's often flustered and easily embarrassed. Perhaps it's because she's less articulate in Fereldan, and therefore stumbles for correct phrasing, or perhaps her lack of verbal sparring explains the cause of her exile from Orlais.

** And if the Warden sleeps around on her, she comes off as painfully naive and easily lied to.

* [[Innocent Bigot]]: She'll make some well-intentioned but racist comments to you if you're playing as an elf. If you tell her you're offended, she'll apologize and thank you for [[Character Development|opening her eyes]].

* [[Jeanne D'Archetype]]: [[Action Girl]]? Check. Devoutly religious? Check. French (or [[Fantasy Counterpart Culture|the equivalent]])? Check. Visions telling her to fight? Check. Case closed.

* [[Love Interest]]

* [[Magic Music]]: Standard for a bard.

* [[Meaningful Name]]: Close enough to Leliana (apparently without a meaning) is the name Eliana, which means 'God has answered' in Hebrew. This fits her reasons for joining very well.

* [[The Mistress]]: Can become this (if Hardened) for a Male Warden who has asked for the Queen's hand. Leliana decides to stay by the Warden's side in Denerim, and even sends him a letter if he is exported to the ''Awakening'' expansion pack. However, perhaps due to a glitch, this can only happen if the player stops talking to her altogether (atleast until the epilogue) after having made the decision to marry the Queen. If talked to before the epilogue, she will immediately end her relationship with the PC, even if she was previously Hardened.

** Due to the brutally pragmatic environment bards usually work in she also seems to have come to terms with it much more efficiently than most examples of this trope.

* [[Reality Is Unrealistic]]: Leliana's Orlesian (French) accent is criticized as sounding fake, although her voice actress is actually French.

* [[Sickeningly Sweethearts]]: If romanced, she and the Warden come dangerously close to this if Wynne and Morrigan are to be believed.

* [[Single Woman Seeks Good Man|Single Woman Seeks Good Man or Woman]]: Her romance path requires a Warden to be particularly kind-hearted to NPCs and/or extremely generous with gifts.

* [[Freudian Excuse]]: Oh dear, where to start? His father (is implied to have) died before he was born, his mother died giving birth to him (which he seems to blame himself for), and he was raised in a whorehouse. At the age of 7, he was auctioned off to a ruthless assassination syndicate and had to endure severe torture. {{spoiler|He then fell in love with one of his colleagues, who was accused of betraying the Crows, and he was forced to watch as she was killed. He later found out that she was innocent.}}

* [[The Gadfly]]: See [[Likes Older Women]], though that's not the only way he harasses Wynne. He also does it to Leliana, but if hardened she gets to call his bluff on the lecherous behavior at least.

* [[Gay Option]]: For a male PC.

* [[Genre Savvy]]: Correctly identifies [[The Hero]] in both games, and knows how to appeal to the player to save his life. He approaches The Warden with a bit of a death wish, but later he's very opposed to dying at the Champion's hands.

* {{spoiler|[[Stepford Smiler]]: His backstory almost makes him [[The Woobie]]; if the PC enters the mage tower with him, his nightmare shows the torture he was made to endure to become an assassin. Aside from that, he allowed the woman he loved to be killed for betraying the Crows while she was professing her innocence and love for him - it turned out later on that she had indeed been innocent. Most of his cheerful perversity is the result of trying to accept his cruel and twisted upbringing.}}

* [[Tattooed Crook]]: Some of the tattoos (like the one on his face) have certain meanings within the Crows organization. Others (such as the ones that he implies are around his...* ahem* ) are just there for decoration.

* [[Token Evil Teammate]]: More pragmatic than outright evil, but yes, this game has ''three'' of them.

* [[Too Kinky to Torture]]: Rebuffs Morrigan's threats of bodily harm with this {{spoiler|but averts it in the Fade, where he briefly becomes [[The Determinator]] in his nightmare.}}

* [[Turncoat]]: Very willingly when the Warden beats him.

* [[Unusual Euphemism]]: When he tells the Warden about how he misses the smell of Antivan leather, the PC can ask if he's using this trope. In a subversion, he bursts out laughing and admits that he may as well be, but isn't (this time).

** Lampshaded when Zevran asks whether they're going to engage in the standard elf/dwarf banter. Oghren's response is "Nah."

* [[Weak but Skilled]]: Dialogue with Alistair and his own recounts of his past reveals that Zevran isn't exactly the best fighter. {{spoiler|He even reveals to Alistair that he was commissioned to kill the party because he was the only member of the Crows who actually signed up for the job.}} This can, of course, be subverted in gameplay.