The Rat

I became fascinated with character and class combinations that seem to spit in the face of the meta. In EverQuest (specifically the Classic Era emulated by the Project 1999 servers), there were races that were just better than others at certain roles. Points of argument and circumstances could be made, but generally, there were certain concessions.

For example, Dark Elf Wizards were the best. They could use their natural ability to "hide" and regain mana without having to worry too much about getting attacked, their intelligence was very high, and they had some great options for deity-related items.

Trolls took the title on Shamans, with greater regenerative abilities and higher stamina, without as many penalties as the Iksar.

For Warriors, it was mostly Ogres. But you'd rarely ever see, a gnome.

Smaller in stature, lower in stamina, strength, and other aspects that normally accompanied a good tanking class from the get go. But that is what made it all the more special when you saw one. Someone specifically chose "hard mode," either because they wanted a challenge, the character spoke to them, or they just wanted to be different for difference sake.

I'll freely admit, whenever I saw a Gnome Warrior it made me stop in my tracks. I didn't play one myself despite my affection for the race design, so it was great to see plate armor and large weapons on the diminutive race of intellectuals and tinkerers from time to time. My brain would automatically start creating a lore behind it - maybe a Rock Lee from Naruto type character who didn't fit in or excel at the attributes known to the culture, so they had to just get really good at fighting through hard work and grit.

This one, I named "The Rat." Not only because of his size, but since he was never chosen as the primary tank due to his size, he had to get meaner, leaner, and often subsided on the scraps of both the city, and the job market. I would still love to do something larger with that idea some day. For now, this personal favorite of mine will reside here on this website, in that alley painted before you.