I’ve previously discussed how Stranger Things has encouraged and promoted people into becoming interested in D&D, but I would now like to go into how Stranger Things can actually help you decide what kind of D&D class you’d like to play as.
D&D classes are an essential part of character creation and will affect your character’s abilities and progression throughout your campaign, so it is important that you pick a class that you will enjoy playing as. This is where Stranger Things comes in; I will be listing the characters of Stranger Things and what class types fit their personalities to make it easier for you to have a basic grasp on what certain class types will be like.
First up we have the Barbarian class
Barbarians are fierce warriors of primitive backgrounds, that can enter a battle rage. This to me sounds very much like Jim Hopper (David Harbour). Hopper is fiercely loyal and protective of those he cares about, and we have seen him enter a rage-type state on more than one occasion whilst fighting. Hopper is, in that respect, a typical Barbarian.
Next up are Bard’s
Bard’s are inspiring magicians whose powers echo the music of creation. There can be many different types of Bard’s, but all have the power to inspire others, whether that be in battle like Mike Wheeler (Finn Wolfhard), in who they are like Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn), or in doing what they believe is right like Robin Buckley (Maya Hawk).
Druid’s:
Druid’s are priests of the Old Faith, wielding the powers of nature and adopting animal forms. There is only one character in Stranger Things that I believe encompasses all qualities of a Druid; that is Argyle (Eduardo Franco). Argyle is the embodiment of a nature-loving Druid, I would go into the why, but I think we can all guess.
Fighter’s
Fighters are masters of martial combat and skilled with a variety of weapons. Fighters are adaptable to any given situation and are more often than not, in the thick of the battle. I would put Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) and Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin) in this class type as they are usually put into difficult or unfamiliar situations that they must adapt to quickly, whilst also being heavy participants in combat.
Monk’s
Monks are masters of martial arts, harnessing the power of the body in pursuit of physical and spiritual perfection. Monk’s are typically agile and fast on their feet, so Max Mayfield (Sadie Sink) and Murray Bauman (Brett Gelman) come to mind. As we’ve seen throughout the seasons, Murray has a proficiency for martial arts, while Max has both discussed and shown how quick she can be. Which would make both of them exceptional Monk’s.
Paladin’s:
Paladin’s are holy warriors bound to a sacred oath. In my opinion, this sounds a lot like Jonathan Byers (Charlie Heaton) and his promise to find, and keep his brother safe. We have seen Jonathan trying his best to fulfill this promise throughout the show’s run, and I don’t doubt that he will continue to do so in the coming season(s).
Ranger’s:
Ranger’s are warriors who combat threats on the edges of civilization. Most people will assume that being a Ranger means using a bow and arrow, which you can do, but it is also possible to use guns within the world of D&D, which should give you a clue into which Stranger Things character I think belongs to this class type. Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) has grown over the show’s run from timid teen to badass gun-wielding woman, and it is for her gun-slinging skills that I believe she is the perfect fit for the Ranger class type.
Rogue’s:
Rogue’s are scoundrels who use stealth and trickery to overcome obstacles and enemies. I did debate putting both Nancy and Robin in this class type at one point, as they both possess Rogue traits, but I ultimately decided that only one character embodied ALL the qualities of a Rogue. Erica Sinclair (Priah Ferguson) has shown us time and again, that although young and small, she is very capable of being a helpful, and sometimes essential, asset to the team
Warlock’s:
Warlock’s are wielders of magic that is derived from a bargain with an extraplanar entity. Whether or not the person knows that they have made this sort of deal, is up to the discretion of the player. I think that this class type suits Eleven’s (Millie Bobby Brown) abilities perfectly, although I did briefly debate if putting her in the Sorcerer class would be more fitting, after refreshing my memory of the class types, I do think that she is more suited to Warlock’s
Now a similar class to the previous one, Wizards:
Wizard’s are scholarly magic users capable of manipulating the structures of reality. What’s interesting about this class type is that one character has actually confirmed that they play as this class in their own D&D game(s). Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) talks about playing as a Wizard in the very first episode of Stranger Things and reiterates this in seasons three and four.
We are now onto the final two classes, there are more but these are the classes that I found the characters of the show fit best.
Artificers:
Artificer’s are masters of invention, they use ingenuity and magic to unlock extraordinary capabilities in objects. Now the Artificer class is not available in the basic starter books/kits for D&D, it is accessible through an additional D&D book, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. But I found that this class was so befitting of Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo) that it would be a disservice to not mention it.
And finally, we are at the last class type. Like Artificer’s this class type is not from the basic edition of D&D, in fact, it is a Home Brew (Homemade) class from Critical Role co-creator Matt Mercer.
Blood Hunter’s:
Blood Hunter’s are willing to suffer whatever it takes to achieve their goals, these adept warriors have forged themselves into a potent force dedicated to protecting the innocent. I feel the same way about this class type as I do about Artificer’s; it would be a disservice to the sacrifices and hardships of Joyce Byers (Winona Ryder) to associate her with any other class type. Joyce is a Blood Hunter through and through, you need only watch the show to see the abundance of evidence to support that claim.