If you haven’t read this awesome “The Loniest Wolf” article, take a minute and give it a once-over. That’s pretty much everything you’ll need to know about lone wolf characters. So rather than rehash my esteemed colleagues over at the TPK blog, I’d like to come at the loner character from another angle.

I think that there’s a moment that comes in the development of every RPG player. One day you’re plugging along with your super-cool badass of a character, decapitating ogres and smiting demons like it ain’t no thang. You know your guy’s backstory, you’ve got a pretty good personality built for him, and you’re pulling your weight in combat. Everything is going great until you look across the table at your buddy the rogue. She’s been struggling the past few encounters, and hasn’t had much of a chance to scout ahead or pick any pockets. So you call a halt.

“They’ll expect a frontal assault,” says your super-cool badass PC. “Friend thief! Do you think you can find us a back way in?”

The others look around in surprise. A stealth approach? And coming from Sir. Kick The Door no less? But the rogue’s face splits into a grin, and you’re all treated to an elaborate plan involving summoned eagles, flash grenades, and an apparatus of the crab.

RPGs aren’t just about being a cool character in your own right. They’re about enabling all your buddies at the table to share the spotlight as well. It’s a real aha moment when you can bring yourself up out of your character, look around the table, and say, How can I set up the cool moment for the other guy? What I’m suggesting is this. Being part of a team is about more than stepping out of the brooding queue. It’s also about letting your pals get the killing blow or the cool one-liner every once in a while. It’s about being an ensemble, and making the game cooler by enabling your pals around the table.

Any of you guys ever have a moment like that?

THIS COMIC SUCKS! IT NEEDS MORE [INSERT OPINION HERE] Is your favorite class missing from the Handbook of Heroes? Maybe you want to see more dragonborn or aarakocra? Then check out the “Quest Giver” reward level over on the The Handbook of Heroes Patreon. You’ll become part of the monthly vote to see which elements get featured in the comic next!