The Five-Man Band and Your Party (Something to Think About)

Most of us know that the general purpose of an adventuring party is to make sure that everyone contributes a different strength to the group. The idea is that if one member can't handle a task (interpreting an ancient text, sneaking past the guards, smashing in the ogre champion's skull), then another member can step up and take point on it. This makes everyone a main character, and equally responsible for moving the story as it unfolds around them.

However, examining the literary trope behind this setup can be quite useful. If you've never come across it before, it's called the Five-Man Band.

The short version is that a balanced party, using this blueprint, consists of the following members according to TV Tropes.

- The Leader (Lead Singer): If the party had a protagonist, it would be this character. Whether it's the charismatic paladin who draws their friends into their adventures or the mastermind who runs the team for the heist, the leader is the one the others tend to defer to when it comes time to speak for the group.

- The Lancer (Lead Guitar): The Lancer is the balance to the Leader. They are, in many ways, the opposite side of the same coin, providing the elements the Leader lacks. If the Leader is clean-cut and noble, the Lancer may be grizzled and pessimistic. If the Leader is an opportunist who's more than a little amoral, the Lancer often acts as their conscience, etc.

- The Smart Guy (Keyboardist): This character is immediately recognizable across genres. The wizard, the hacker, the antiquarian... the Smart Guy is the one who knows things. Often physically weak, they tend to be good friends with the Big Guy... the Loki to their Thor, if you will.

- The Big Guy (Drummer): The bulk of the band, this guy is the tank. Sometimes the Big Guy is reluctant to really bring their strength out, like we see with Colossus in the X-Men, and sometimes they revel in it, like whenever the Hulk is let off the chain. Sometimes the Big Guy is slow on the uptake, sometimes they're mute, but they're the only ones who can literally carry the party.

- The Heart (Vocals): Typically referred to as The Chick in the classic Five-Man Band setup, the Heart is more often than not the only female character in the group (though this is changing as time goes on). The Heart is the one who brings everybody together, and who helps maintain balance while keeping a happy medium. It's argued that if the Heart is male that it's not a Five-Man Band, but for anyone who saw the episode of Captain Planet when Mati wasn't included (and the Captain was a merciless, uncaring force of pure destruction let loose on the world to scour it clean), we can all agree that a Heart is a necessity.

Incidentally, for anyone who wants to make a party that is also an actual band, you might want to take a moment to check out 100 Fantasy Bands for a little inspiration.

Ask Yourself What Your Job in The Band Is

Something I have come across a lot, both as a player and as a dungeon master, are folks who design their PCs in a vacuum. They know, academically, they're going to be part of a group, but they haven't really thought about how that's going to work.

This is why understanding the Five-Man Band, and seeing it in action in fiction, can be quite useful.

Avengers fans are already ahead of the curve on this one.

Even if you know your character's role mechanically (meat shield, fire support, buffer, healer, debuffer, terrain control, the list goes on), it's worth thinking about where they're going to fall into a group in general, and the group you're planning on joining in particular.

It's also worth considering that different characters can sometimes take up different roles when they're placed on different teams. Captain America is basically the Leader no matter what squad he joins up with, but Thor is more often the Big Guy when he's with other Avengers, while he can become the Leader when he's paired with other Asgardians. That makeup of the rest of the team matters, and even if you saw your character in one role, they might fall into another when paired with a different party.

Just as with mechanical roles in the party, it's important to ask if the story role you need has already been filled. Because you may have a similar skill set to another character, but a wildly different story position.

For example, your party's Big Guy might be Helgar Hopswithe, the Silent Knight. A towering figure in black armor, his lance is almost as deadly as his sword, and he stands as the party's muscle. Crayton Bloodacre, the Rager of Render's Deep, might seem to be a very similar character at first glance, because he fills a similar role mechanically. But while the barbarian and the fighter may have similar styles and purposes once initiative is rolled, Crayton is instead the Lancer to Amelie Steadfast, the dwarven cleric who heads up the party. Amelie is noble and determined, and Crayton is the brutish opportunist who tries to get her to be reasonable... even if reasonable for him is amoral to anyone else.

While there's nothing that says a party can't have more than one of these roles (two Big Guys, for example, or two Smart Guys), you can end up stepping on each other's story beats the same way you could get crowded if two of you are basically using the exact same character build.

It's a Template, Not an Absolute

There is nothing saying your party needs to ascribe to this setup. If you want to completely ignore it and do your own thing, or double up on roles, you're free to do that if it makes for a better story that you and your table enjoy.


However, with that said, it's still important to think about story in the meta-context. And for those not used to analyzing a game, this trope is often a very useful place to get started.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. Hopefully you found this suggestions useful!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!