A Dungeons & Dragons game is only as good as the party of heroes at the center of the tale. And by extension, a Dungeons & Dragons story is only as good as that ensemble. And when you assemble that party, you want variety: tough warriors at the front, squishy mages at the back, and a deadly rogue coming from when you least expect them. The world's most famous roleplaying game is built to favor a balanced party where every character's weaknesses are buffed by another character's strength. You don't just pick a character class — this decision defines everything about them.

The upcoming film, "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" seems to know this well. I was invited to attend a preview event of the film's "Tavern Experience" at this year's San Diego Comic-Con and while the whole event was a ton of fun, it was the new images that sent my nerd brain into overdrive. Various screens throughout the exhibit/darkened fantasy pub (where the bright green booze flows like water) showcased our first public look (some footage played at CinemaCon) at the cast in-character (including Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, and Hugh Grant). And because I've been playing Dungeons & Dragons a substantial portion of my life now, found myself less interested in doing cool things like drink and socialize in the very cool pub Paramount had dropped into the middle of downtown San Diego and more interested in determining which character classes each actor was taking on. I'm that person. I'm sorry.

So let's take a look! Until official images are released, my photos from the event will have to do. And while I encourage you to put on your fantasy detective hat, they've made it easy on us. Each character was also accompanied by the symbol for their class.

Chris Pine Is … The Bard!

In perhaps the most surprising reveal of them all, dashing leading man and all-around-handsome dude Chris Pine isn't playing a noble fighter or cunning ranger. He is playing a bard, a Dungeons & Dragons character class that, while serviceable with weapons, uses music as their main offense and defense. A bard uses music like spells, clouding the minds of enemies, inspiring allies, healing wounds, crafting illusions, and generally offering support on all fronts. Pine, known for his smoldering onscreen charm, is inspired casting here — what is a traveling bard if not a charming louche looking for his next payday in a tavern full of violent mercenaries for hire?

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Michelle Rodriguez Is … The Barbarian!

Michelle Rodriguez is an actor known for playing simmering rage and, when necessary, boiling rage, so it makes sense she would play the group's resident barbarian. This is the character you see at the front lines of the fight, wearing heavy armor, swinging heavy weapons, and generally smashing all enemies in their way using an innate rage that plunges them into total berserker mode. Or, in many cases, getting smashed by said enemies so the wizard at the back of the party can ready that fireball spell. Quite frankly, the thought of watching Rodriguez smash monsters with a giant axe is why they invented cinema in the first place, right?

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Regé-Jean Page Is … The Paladin!

Sometimes, you just need a guy who is Good at Swords and says "No!" to evil, and that's where the paladin comes in. This is the Dungeons & Dragons class you want to play if you're a real goody-two-shoes and want to play a character who exists to face the darkness, and bring hope to those who need a ray of light. It's also a fairly flexible class, with players able to play them as heavy-hitting front-line soldier or a magically-infused warrior. It's not clear which version "Bridgerton" break-out Regé-Jean Page is taking on here, but yep, he certainly looks like a guy who is Good at Swords and likes to play by the rules. He'll probably be the kind of serious-minded warrior who will have it up to here with Chris Pine's charming scoundrel of a bard.

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Justice Smith Is … The Sorcerer!

You may think "Jurassic World Dominion" actor Justice Smith is playing a wizard. Or maybe a warlock. But the symbol next to his name makes it clear — he's sorcerer. He also appears to be an elf, making him the only obviously non-human member of the party. Sorcerers are folks who are born with inherent magical ability. Unlike wizards (who studied a bunch) and warlocks (who made pacts for their powers), sorcerers are natural-born mages, ready to throw fireballs from birth. They can do other stuff, too, but let's face it: they throw fireballs a lot. They also use nifty staffs as to channel their energy, as you can see in the images. This is the member of the party you protect at all costs — they're comparatively frail compared to a fighter or barbarian.

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Sophia Lillis Is … The Druid!

The Druid is one of the tougher Dungeons & Dragons classes to sum up, so here goes: they can call upon nature, and all its glory, to assist them in exploration and battle. This sometimes means talking to animals — or siccing those animals on their enemies. That sometimes means communing with the forest to find the next destination — or, uh, siccing those trees on their enemies. But of course, everyone really plays a druid because they can eventually shapeshift into animals and, you know, sic themselves on their enemies. Druids love nature, and they're not afraid to use that love to crush your face. "It" star Sophia Lillis feels like inspired casting for the kind of person who would talk about how much they love trees before, you know, asking that tree to kill you.

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Hugh Grant Is … The Rogue!

While the fighter is slashing at the front lines and the wizard is launching magic assaults from the back, the rogue is the one who leaps from the shadows and stabs the enemy in the back. Hugh Grant seems to be playing that role based on the symbol next to his name in the image below. This is the kind of character who fights dirty and rarely cares about playing fair — they're sneaky, stabby, and generally played by people who like to play lowlifes (it's me, I like to play rogues). It's easy to see Grant, who has seemingly found delight in playing villains lately, making a meal of this.

But will Grant actually be a member of the main adventuring party? Because he also looks to cleanly fit into another Dungeons & Dragons archetype — he's the spitting image of The Mysterious Guy Who Has a Problem And Assembles A Group Of Strange Adventurers And Assassins At The Tavern To Give Them A Job. That job sometimes involves stealing something valuable. It almost always involves dungeons (and sometimes dragons). And the mission-giver rarely tells the party the whole story. A rogue, indeed.

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"Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves" is directed by "Game Night" filmmakers John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein and hits theaters in March 2023.

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The post Breaking Down Which Character Classes the Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves Cast Are Playing [Comic-Con] appeared first on /Film.