Cliches you can't help but love

>The gods take on disguises and meddle with humans
>they drop hints every now and again and meddle further when they are discovered
Pic related, my group still hasn't caught on that half of notable lonesome travellers are supernatural in some way

Wait, a random NPC secretly having PC levels is asspull while a random NPC with inexplicable knowledge that happens to move the plot forward is acceptable?

>enemy joins protagonist to face a new opponent he dislikes even more

>the code that shuts down the BBEG's super weapon, is the nursery rhyme he used to sing to his daughter
>bonus if he's a hardass and his daughter is a former villain now working for the hero.

>Villainous, arrogant little shit that thinks himself much bigger deal than he really is, gradually undergoes charater development, realizes he's actually not that big deal and that being evil sucks, eventually becomes a sort of a grudging hero type
>Small creatures, hobbits and other underdogs, kicking inordinate amounts of ass and earning the respect of the big folk
>Casual low-level racism and antagonism without outright going into lynch mob territory

Kobolds are my favorite race.

>Villain's not evil at all, but the heroes fight him to give him the most epic fight he asked for. Even if it kills him. Even if he died a long time ago.

>Smug alchemist/shopkeeper who is smallfry but knows when to use their most expensive items to shut up arrogant PCs/mini-bosses

>The jaded veteran is the one who believes in Doing The Right Thing the most.

>Character A beats character B because "I knew you wouldn't EVER do X"/"I trusted in [title of B]"

>Ridiculous fantasy racism
>Edgy bounty hunter stalks the party throughout the entire campaign
>Clerics using mundane or improvised weapons (table leg, chains, shovel, ect)
>Clerics also having irish accents

How about fantasy bullying, don't you love to be treated like the dumb peasant you are until you rank up and people call you "Master"?

>The PCs and villain were allies before they were affected by amnesia/memory alteration
>Their memories are restored in an attempt to win them to the villain's side
>"We remember everything, but that changes nothing!"

>Collect the dragonballs
>dragonballs do nothing
>questgiver was BBEG in disguise so the party would get strong enough to sacrifice to power his doomsday device.

>All of the minor, incidental NPCs in similar professions are related.
>Big, climatic showdown devolves into a fistfight between two half-broken men.
>"Fuck the [goal], I just want you dead."
>The normally non-confrontational villain is secretly ripped.

>>Edgy bounty hunter stalks the party throughout the entire campaign

One.

>When everything goes just as the BBEG planned.
That thing you were born with? He put that there so you could grow up to bring it to X where his plot device A leads you to plot device B and C until you got here where your cumulative work has restored him to FULL POWER

>hero/villain always has his face hidden by armor and rarely speaks
>the ground beneath the villains feet decays/ignites/freezes as he walks
>Littlefinger-esque characters find themselves out-gambited by the heroes
>"the big guy", anywhere from 7 feet tall or possibly MUCH taller, especially when combined with the silent and faceless cliche

>Character belonging to a species that is generally evil as shit is actually a good guy

>basically the Parlor reveal where seemingly unconnected incidents are not only connected, but specifically orchestrated by the bbeg

>Asshole character is secretly a good guy working from the shadows
>The parties best bud was a traitor before they ever met him.

>>the monster(s) guarding the treasure IS the treasure
I don't think I've ever seen this. Do you have some examples?

The big golem/minotaur/monster that protects a child and or the weak

>Robot sacrifices itself for its human companions out of love, without a hint of hesitation.

>officious, bureaucratic NPC who always butts heads with the party
>doesn't hesitate to put himself in harms way when the chips are down, even if it means he gets himself killed

>>you're being tested
>>test covers something other than what you have been lead to believe it does, on purpose

I've never really loved that one, as the DM/GM usually pulled that out of their ass when the players actually do well, just to stick it in their faces they still failed.

All because the DM/GM didn't want the players to succeed, and couldn't stop them straight-up.

> Robot sacrifices itself for its human companions out of love, without a hint of hesitation.

I always like to question if the robot attained sentience or not, because feeling emotion is one thing, but could it also NOT be sentient because it does not feel pain or fear for its life like a sentient creature would normally?

>Final battle between the hero and villain cycles through all of their equally powerful ultimate attacks, until all they're left doing is fist fighting as everyone watches. No music, no cheers. Just the grunts and yells of rage and determination.
I gazed upon this post and knew you were my nigger.

You've had miserable DMs.

Aizen did nothing wrong

>the crazy talk from crazy people turns out to not only be entirely true, but the key to Saving The World

>Ancient lovecraftian horrors found in weird out of the way villages

My favourite instances of this kind of thing is where after the robot's death, it is subtly revealed that the robot in question defied core programming in order to save his friends. The true question of sentience is left unanswered.

>cool, collected villain shows their true colors and goes into a berserker rage when they find out all their careful plans were for naught or failed spectacularly. Even better if it was their own damn fault due to a miscalculation.
>Smug villains getting their just dessert and getting utterly humiliated
>Hero presses on with their journey despite losing everything and everyone, because he has to
>Hero goes on their journey, despite having every right to refuse, because it's the right thing to do

I think this one is my favourite to add a bit of chill to the whole situation.

Like, you don't need the fancy university or the biggest sacrifice. Joe Cotton and the ranch hands cultists could end the world at any time. We are literally seconds away from an ancient evil being awoken at any moment, but the tireless efforts of a few good men, and a whole lot of luck, has kept the world spinning this long.

>weak as shit npc stands up against the bbeg or your party not because he can take them, but because he has to at least try
> anytime someone speaks about how the human spirt is stronger then anything a monster can be or create

Love these things

I believe in you, mumen rider!

>As the renown of the PCs grows, they start to see village/city children re-enacting their adventurers with friends.

>Proud warrior, who genuinely cherishes battle because he believes its the most respectful thing someone can do. Never uses under-handed tactics. Sometimes willing to deliberately strip himself of a powerful advantage because it would be fairer on his competition. Cheers/encourages his enemy as he grows weaker.

>The lizardman was just waiting until you killed his boss
>He immediately joins the party because you freed him from the BBEG's dudes

>Pirate/Bandit/Thief Kings

I LOVE when there's an all-powerful bystander the adventurers can recruit, even if he really can't help out.
>The Arch-Solar I gave 20 levels of Paladin because I thought you guys would fight him laughs at your joke and sits down to listen

>Tales of the heroes' exploits against the forces of evil spread
>A small boy in a small village becomes completely enamoured, arming himself with a wooden sword and proclaiming himself the defender of the weak
>Starts taking on bullies twice his size to protect the smaller kids, even though all it generally leaves him with are bruises and admonition from his mother
>One day, a horde of bandits rides into town
>They round up the villagers, and begin to loot what little trinkets they can find
>The boy steps forward, wooden sword in hand
>As adults scream and cry, he walks up to the bandit leader, who smirks at him
>The boy yells and attacks, but is easily deflected
>The bandits howl with laughter. The leader cackles, asking if this is the best that the village can muster up
>The leader kicks the boy away, as his parents cry out in horror
>The boy stands uneasily, and everything grows quiet
>A large leather hand closes on his shoulder
>The boy looks up to see his warrior idol, side by side with his fellow party-members
>The warrior looks down and smiles
"Thanks for holding them."
>The party readies itself for battle

Mild-mannered pacifist who could easily mop the floor with whole roomfuls of goons, but won't because of his pacifist beliefs until a defenceless innocent is threatened.

Consider: Bitter jaded pacifist who's stronger than anyone and anything else in the whole setting, but have long abandoned a life of bloodshed.

FFXII is the only thing that comes to mind...

Unless you count the The Jewel of the Nile

>Your abilities have grown immensely. But it also does my heart good to see you remember the basics of what I have taught you.
>Even the flaws!

Well, there's always the Monster Hunter method of having the monster being the treasure

>The hero is broken, bloodied, punch drunk, spitting teeth, yet he still says something like "I ain't finished with you" "I can do this all day" etc
>Extra points if the hero is permanently crippled in some way or going to die soon, or can't stand up.
>Extra special points if he has the finishing blow prepped

>When the hero wins by having huge brass balls
I don't know a good way to phrase this one but basically everything in the Codex Alert books gives me this vibe

Including princess(male) ?

I just like it when a nonhuman comes off as being actually nonhuman. Especially the nonhostile ones.

You mean Prince

>Near unconscious person fighting an epic battle
>Standing, wobbling, very clearly out of it/can't even react
>Winner gloats, thinks it's over
>I. AM. NOT. DONE.
Stealing this for a current campaign, just have to find out how.

Big slow dude. Never does much, maybe carries shit around. People think he may be retarded

>fight happens
Dude is a god of war all of a sudden

>the pile of treasure swirls around you and forms into a golden golem

...meant to say sapient ones specifically, woops.

Whatever floats your boat, user.

Exactly where my mind went, sweet user.

Mine as well.

>Robot sacrifices itself for its human companions out of love, without a hint of hesitation.

It was still fairly soon after meeting him, and it may have turned out fine in the end, but this moment both warmed and broke my heart nonetheless.

Flawed as hell hero without any need for soul searching.
>Chop heads off left and right when needed
>Mouth off to nobility whenever it suits you
>Drink, whore, and get into bar fights
>Turn to crime whenever it pays well and only hurts people who are worse than you are.
>Do mercenary work on the side.

It makes for a fun character. Get found lying in a cart full of hay with two whores and a couple empty wine bottles after bringing an unruly noble back in line on the king's dime (and chopping the heads off several of his guards who got too big for their britches). Immediately segue to saving the town from bandits who assumed that the noble's house getting rolled meant no one was going to protect the town.

It's like being Robin Hood with a hangover and a healthy amount of blood lust.

>beast(s) you helped long ago won't harm you or will even go as far as to defend you

This one. Especially if said beast is a dog or wolf. Even more cliche, yet I love it even more.

I'm always a fan of the Tetsuo Umezawa rationale for flawed heroes.
>I'm here to save the world. No, it's not for any noble or just reason. It's because I live here, and you fucks keep trying to kill me.

>Experienced professional shows up party of heroes (either by defeating them in combat or by doing something they couldn't) despite being physically weaker than them and outnumbered
When done well, this can be amazing fun, and help show the party that brute force doesn't solve everything. When done badly it can be a shitty asspull, though.

Also:
>Elite soldiers are actually good at what they do and not just jobbers to set up the villain
I particularly like it when special forces and the like don't just fall apart at the first sight of the supernatural, but actually adapt and succeed, or at least do well enough.

>t. Gwyndolin

Making friends of your enemies by blasting the fucking evil out of them

>annoying bureaucrat actually has a good reason for stonewalling the party instead of just being a dick/corrupt

I've always been fondest of the horrible person who just decides that there's a line that shouldn't be crossed, and fights whoever was trying to cross it.