RimWorld Characters & Roles guide screenshot

Characters & Roles

Characters & Roles Guide for RimWorld



RimWorld does not have fixed classes or heroes. Instead, each colonist (pawn) is a unique individual defined by their backstory, traits, skills, and health. Their role in your colony emerges from how you specialize them. This guide covers all major character types and roles available in the base game and DLCs (Royalty, Ideology, Biotech).

---

Base Game Colonists



#### Crashlanded Start Colonists
These are your three starting pawns from the classic crashlanded scenario. They are randomly generated with two backstories (childhood and adulthood) and traits. No two are alike.

  • Background: Survivors of a transport ship crash on the rimworld. They have suffered some minor injuries and must build a colony from scratch.

  • Strengths: Adaptable; you can choose any starting equipment for them (weapons, items) via the loadout system.

  • Weaknesses: No special abilities beyond their skills and traits. Usually have one major passion and several minor ones.

  • Playstyle: Foundation of your colony. Assign them roles based on their passions: e.g., a doctor, a builder, a researcher. Their backstories provide starting skill levels.

  • How to Obtain: Always present in Crashlanded scenario. In other scenarios or via random joins, you get similar pawns.

  • Recommended Equipment: Early game – bolt-action rifle, pistol, or survival rifle. Melee backup: steel knife. Apparel: tribalwear or dusters.

  • Team Synergy: Best when diverse: one combat specialist, one builder/miner, one social/medical. Cross-train all in basic shooting and melee.


    • #### Wanderer Joins/Random Recruit
    Pawns that join your colony via events (wanderer joins, chased refugee, or captured and recruited). They have random backstories and traits.

  • Background: Varied: former pirates, ascetic monks, urbanite workers, etc.

  • Strengths: Can fill specific skill gaps. Sometimes have rare traits like Industrious (less sleep) or Tough (50% damage reduction).

  • Weaknesses: May come with liabilities: chemical fascination, pyromaniac, or rapid aging. Backstories may give major health drawbacks.

  • Playstyle: Use as specialists. Manage their mood and expectations.

  • How to Obtain: Random events, prisoner recruitment, or buying slaves.

  • Recommended Equipment: Depends on role. Combatants get best weapons; laborers get tools like the Drill (if modded) or just good tools.

  • Team Synergy: Pair a tough brawler with a trigger-happy shooter. Avoid putting a pyromaniac near stored chemfuel.


    • ---

    DLC: Royalty – Nobles and Psykers



    This DLC adds a hierarchy system based on imperial titles and psychic powers.

    #### Nobles / Honor-Bound Kings
    Pawns who earn imperial titles (Knight, Baron, etc.) through quests or favors.

  • Background: Can be any starting pawn; title is earned through favor with the Empire faction.

  • Strengths: Title gives specific demands and permits (e.g., orbital bombardment, worker permits). Higher titles allow more permits and access to powerful psychic powers.

  • Weaknesses: Nobles require lavish lifestyle: throne room, royal beds, fine meals, specific apparel. Refusing causes mood penalties and relationship loss with Empire.

  • Playstyle: Build a dedicated royal wing. Keep the noble happy with constant recreation and luxury. Use permits strategically (e.g., for raids).

  • How to Unlock: Gain honor by completing Empire quests. Titles range from Yeoman to Countess.

  • Recommended Equipment: Royal apparel (eltex garments, psychic hoods, prestige armor for combat). Weapons: persona weapons (rank S) or uranium maces for melee.

  • Team Synergy: The noble remains in colony; heavy protection teamates (in brawler/picket line) to guard them in battle. Psykers in background.


    • #### Psykers (Psychic Users)
    Pawns with psychic sensitivity, able to cast psycasts (spells) after linking to a specific psylink.

  • Background: Any pawn can become a psyker if they have a link (from quests or artifacts). Empire can also grant links. Some backstories (e.g., "Psycaster") give starting sensitivity.

  • Strengths: Versatile abilities – crowd control (Stun, Berserk), healing (Charm, Nature?), damage (Painlance), utility (Teleport, Skip).

  • Weaknesses: Psycasts cost neural heat; overheat causes pain and unconsciousness. Requires meditation daily in a focus room. High psychic sensitivity also makes them vulnerable to psychic droners.

  • Playstyle: Use as support/control caster. Keep out of direct combat to avoid neural heat from pain.

  • How to Unlock: Obtain a psylink from Empire quests, crashed psychic ship (risk of infestation), or via permit. Then assign a pawn to equip the link item (e.g., Psylink Neuroformer). Train psycasts through meditation and gaining levels (max 6-7).

  • Recommended Equipment: Eltex apparel (increase psyfocus gain), high quality. Weapon: a good long-range weapon (charge rifle, sniper) or skip-focused melee.

  • Team Synergy: Pair with a tough frontline to take advantage of Skip or Mass Chaos for crowd control. Combine with brawlers for teleport ambushes.


    • ---

    DLC: Ideology – Roles and Precepts



    This DLC adds a custom religion system with roles for colonists.

    #### Moral Guide
    A colony role that provides mood buffs via preaching, leading rituals, and converting prisoners.

  • Background: Any pawn. Usually a high social skill pawn.

  • Strengths: Great for converting captured pawns, increasing colony mood through sermons. Can lead ceremonies (like festival).

  • Weaknesses: Must be assigned to this role; takes time away from other work. If mood drops from conversion failure, can worsen colony.

  • Playstyle: Keep him in good mood, hold regular rituals. Build a temple or altar.

  • Unlock: Activate the Ideology system and assign a pawn to the "Moral Guide" role in the ideoligion screen.

  • Recommended Equipment: Royal or prestige apparel for style. Melee weapon for self-defense.

  • Team Synergy: Works with all pawns; especially valuable if you have many prisoners or large colony.


    • #### Leader
    A pawn designated as the colony's leader; grants bonuses to work speed, mood, and ideoligion satisfaction for all pawns.

  • Background: Any pawn with high social and leadership traits (like Persuasive, Kind).

  • Strengths: Provides a constant mood aura. Can also wield persona weapons? (Not exactly; leaders can have special weapon from quests).

  • Weaknesses: If the leader dies, major mood penalty. Also, leader must have a private bedroom and fine meals.

  • Playstyle: Assign as leader early. Keep them alive and happy.

  • Unlock: Designate via Ideology screen after unlocking leader role through a quest or tech.

  • Recommended Equipment: Best armor (prestige marine or recon). Good ranged weapon.

  • Team Synergy: The leader is the face; keep them in the central part of colony. Other high social pawns can assist.


    • #### Role: Specialist (e.g., Warden, Doctor, Researcher)
    Ideology can also create limited specialist roles (via certain precepts). These restrict the pawn to only that job type but greatly boost efficiency.

  • Background: Any pawn with high skill in the chosen field.

  • Strengths: +50% work speed in that skill, faster skill gain.

  • Weaknesses: Cannot do other work types; must have other pawns to fill gaps.

  • Playstyle: Min-maxing. Example: a Warden specialist with high social can recruit prisoners 50% faster. A Doctor specialist heals faster.

  • Unlock: Select the specialist precept during ideology creation or via development role system.

  • Recommended Equipment: Gear that boosts their specialty: e.g., advanced bionic arms for doctor.

  • Team Synergy: Pair with a generalist to cover other tasks.


    • ---

    DLC: Biotech – Mechanitors and Children



    This DLC introduces genes, mechanoids, and children.

    #### Mechanitor
    The ultimate mechanoid controller. A pawn who connects to the Mechanitor helmet (Helixien) and can direct friendly mechs.

  • Background: Any pawn can become a mechanitor by crafting the Helixien gas and helmet from research. Existing mechanitors appear in events.

  • Strengths: Control up to X mechs (based on skill). Direct mechs to mine, haul, fight, construct. Mechs don't need food or sleep, only recharging at a mech recharger.

  • Weaknesses: Mechanitor themselves are weaker – no combat enhancements. Mechs can be destroyed, losing resources. Mechanitor must be near a mech link to control; range is limited without link extension.

  • Playstyle: Build a mech hive. Use haulers (Lifters) to automate hauling, Agribots for farming, Constructoids for building. Combat mechs: Scyther, Lancer, Centipede. Manage bandwidth and recharge time.

  • How to Unlock: Research "MechTech" then build Mech Repairs? Actually: craft standard mech chips and Helixien. The first mech arrives via quest or you can build a basic one from mech assemblies (from crashed mech ship parts or trade).

  • Recommended Equipment: Focus on mental boosting gear: psychic sensitivity, traits like Tough. Gear to survive: good armor. The mechanitor must stay alive to control mechs.

  • Team Synergy: Works well with a self-sufficient colony; mechs handle labor while colonists do skilled work. Pair with a builder to repair mechs quickly.


    • #### Children (Born or recruited young)
    Children grow up over 18 in-game years (18 quadrums). They have
  • Background: Born from two colonists (via love) or purchased/saved. Human, or with custom genes (xenotypes).

  • Strengths: Can be molded from birth: raise skills with proper training, assign traits through growth moments (Biotech).

  • Weaknesses: Long time to become adults. Children are small, slow, can't do most work until they reach age 3? Actually children can do minor tasks, but heavy work restricted. They require care, food, and sleep.

  • Playstyle: Invest in a dedicated nursery or child-rooms. Use growth vats for quick aging (5x speed if resources available). Prioritize good bedrooms and recreation.

  • Unlock: Enable children in settings; they can be born via love (both pawns must be assigned to same bed and not using contraception). Or purchase child slaves/prisoners.

  • Recommended Equipment: Child-specific clothing for comfort. When they reach adult, assign them to best roles.

  • Team Synergy: Requires a dedicated caretaker (high medical skill to treat childhood illnesses). Good for long-term colony sustainability.


    • #### Xenotypes (Genetic Races)
    Biotech adds gene editing and xenotypes like Neanderthals, Highmates, Genies, Hussars, etc.
  • Each xenotype has inherent strengths and weaknesses:

    • - Neanderthal: +5 melee, +5 mining, -2 intelligence, faster melee cooldown, dark vision. Weak: social and crafting.
    - Highmate: +2 social, beautiful, rapid sex? Actually: +2 social, ×60% more love, no violence precept? Highmates cannot attack humans or animals (pacifist). Very weak in combat.
    - Genie: +4 crafting, -2 shooting? Actually: Genie has high crafting, medium research, low mining. Excellent crafters.
    - Hussar: +2 melee, +2 shooting, but aggressive and require go-juice (need wake-up). Very fast moving.
    - Sanguophage: Vampire-like, need hemogen (blood), can infect others. Nearly immortal but weak in sun and must feed. Powerful combat abilities.
    - And most importantly: custom xenotypes via gene assembler.
  • Playstyle: Choose xenotypes that fit your colony needs. Hussars for soldiers, Neanderthals for miners and melee, Genies for crafting, Highmates for social/ handling. Sanguophages are endgame powerful but need strict control.

  • How to Obtain: Random chance for pawns to belong to a xenotype based on faction. Can be created via gene extraction and implantation from a custom xenotype.

  • Recommended Equipment: Tailor equipment to exploit strengths: give Neanderthals heavy plasteel maces, Hussars go-juice injectors plus bionic legs for speed, Sanguophages get night vision and melee weapons.

  • Team Synergy: Mix xenotypes to cover each other's weaknesses. For example, a Genie fixes weapons while Neanderthals tank.


    • ---

    Special Named Characters



    Some events introduce fixed backstory pawns:
  • Prisoner Rescue: A rescued prisoner may have unique backstory like "Genius Researcher" or "Ex-Bounty Hunter".

  • Refugee: Random backstories.

  • Space Refugee: From a drop pod; similar.

  • Wandering Trade Ships: Provide temporary colonists (you can accept them via joining).


None of these are fixed "heroes" but they can become legendary.

---

Final Advice



Role assignment is fluid – you can reassign any pawn to any role through job priorities. The best colony has balanced skills and low conflict traits. Always monitor mood, and remember: RimWorld’s story comes from the unexpected. That pawn with a depressive trait and a passion for art might become your master sculptor and keep morale high.

---
This guide covers all major character types and roles as of RimWorld 1.5 with all DLCs. Future updates may add new roles.