Kaaras Adaar/Tropes

* Affectionate Nickname: The Inquisitor can be given a number of different nicknames depending on who they romance:
** The Iron Bull will always refer to the Inquisitor as "boss," and the stronger the friendship, the more his tone indicates how affectionate the nickname is. If romanced, he'll eventually call the Inquisitor "kadan"; in Qunlat it's a catch-all term for anyone you're close to, including friends, colleagues and loved ones, but Bull clearly means it in a romantic way, claiming that it translates as "my heart."
** Sera will have a lot of different nicknames for the Inquisitor if romanced, such as "Inky", "Shiny" and "Teetness". She will also occasionally call a non-romanced female Inquisitor "Her Gracious Ladybits."
* Agent Peacock: A male Inquisitor who wears makeup is just as awesome as one who doesn't.
* All-Loving Hero/Dark Messiah: Or anything in between. The developers have said that the Inquisitor will be able to bring the other factions under their banner, either through diplomacy, alliances and mutual respect, or simply by crushing them underfoot and bringing the remnants to heel via force.
** Downplayed, however; in the game proper the Inquisitor can be many things, but is almost always a force for good. While many of your choices are morally grey, almost none of them can be interpreted as truly evil, no matter how many people it pisses off.
* Animal Motifs: Each different type of Inquisitor is given a picture of an animal in their card at the beginning, emphasizing traits their backstory gives them.
** The Qunari Inquisitor is a ram, known for its impressive horns and aggressive personality, two characteristics it shares with a Qunari mercenary.
* Anti-Hero: Downplayed; As explained earlier, no matter, how he or she is played, the Inquisitor is always a force for good. However, it is possible to play as a very sarcastic jerk.
* The Archmage: Like past mage PCs, a mage Inquisitor will be this. The human mage is noted to have been one of the most talented residents of the Ostwick Circle and the elven mage was the First to their clan's Keeper before becoming the Inquisitor. For either a Lavellan or Adaar mage, Vivienne will compliment them on being "remarkably skilled" despite their lack of formal education in magic, which is rather insulting in Lavellan's case as they were formally trained, just not in a Chantry-approved tradition.
* An Arm and a Leg: At the end of Trespasser, the Inquisitor loses the hand that bears the Anchor, with one possible epilogue slide showing that they end up getting a crossbow attachment to replace it.
* Asskicking Equals Authority: After Corypheus assaults and destroys Haven, the other leaders unanimously vote the Herald into the position of Inquisitor for this reason. There is no option on the dialogue wheel to refuse the appointment.
* Badass Baritone/Contralto of Danger: Harry Haden-Patton and Jon Curry (Jon Curry especially) both give the Male Inquisitor a deep, authoritative voice. Sumalee Montano lends Female Inquisitors a very deep voice, much more so than most of the other women in the game.
* Badass Bookworm: The human and elven mages by default. Other race-class combinations can take Inquisition Perks to gain this status.
* Badass Longcoat: Rogue Inquisitors start the game in this (after completing the prologue), but it's available to all classes through various types of generic armor schematics, usually the ones with "Armor" in their name (as opposed to Coat and Mail schematics).
* Badass Normal: A rogue or warrior Inquisitor is this at the beginning of the game.
* Bad Powers, Good People: Although the Inquisitor can't become a blood mage, they can become a Reaver and be played as a heroic figure.
* Barrier Warrior: As well as mages having barrier, with the Jaws Of Hakkon DLC all Inquisitors can gain the Aegis of the Rift ability, which summons a powerful barrier to block projectile damage.
* Beast and Beauty: The Inquisitor's romance can have shades of this, especially if a Qunari Inquisitor who romances Josephine (a huge, muscular, seasoned "oxman" mercenary with a kind, smart, gentle proper lady), or a Human/Elven Inquisitor who romances the Iron Bull (with him as the huge, grizzled, destructive "beast" to the female Trevelyan/Lavellan's comparatively petite, polite, waif-like "beauty", the more traditionally handsome male Trevelyan, or the very pretty male Lavellan).
* Big Good: You're able to play the Inquisitor as this, being The Leader of the main forces that opposes the Elder One and beyond.
* Big Damn Heroes: They begin the game as this, storming in on Corypheus holding Justinia hostage and immediately demanding answers. If they had not, the game, the series, and the world would have ended then and there.
* Blemished Beauty: The player may give facial scarring to the Inquisitor while otherwise making them incredibly good-looking, which gets taken even further at the end of Trespasser when the Inquisitor loses their left arm.
* Bling of War: The Inquisitor is not above wearing gold-hued, elaborately decorated armor in combat.
* Broke Your Arm Punching Out Cthulhu: The first attempt to stabilize the Breach leaves the Inquisitor unconscious for a few days. The second attempt goes better, but still takes everything they have. The plan to defeat the Elder One in Haven is to drop a mountain on him and hope they can escape the avalanche. They do, only to come close to freezing to death in a snowstorm. It takes a while for the Inquisitor to become truly badass.
* Brought Down to Normal: At the end of Trespasser, Solas takes the Anchor away from the Inquisitor, due to the fact that it's killing them. And in the following cutscene, the Inquisitor may even talk about how their adventuring days are over, probably because removing the Anchor required removing their forearm. But normal is a relative marker; a mage Inquisitor is still a mage.
* Cassandra Truth:
** Even if you insist you're not divine, and that you don't even believe in Andraste or the Maker or even have completely different gods, the devout will believe you're just being humble.
** At the beginning of the game, the Inquisitor tells Varric that they can't remember what happened at the Sacred Temple. Varric explains that this is the reason that he's a Consummate Liar; lies are more believable and less likely to result in premature execution.
* Catapult Nightmare: Not a nightmare, but the Inquisitor does wake up this way after realizing that one of the conversations they were having with Solas was taking place in the Fade while the Inquisitor slept.
* The Chains of Commanding: The Inquisitor can express grief and worry at several points over the burdens of judging people's fates and leading the force out to save the world.
* The Chessmaster: Despite being a complete newcomer to the Game, the Inquisitor quickly adapts and learns how to manipulate it to get the outcome they want.
* The Chosen One/The Unchosen One : Many people consider the Inquisitor this, having been sent out of the Fade by Andraste to close the Breach and save them all. The Inquisitor may or may not believe this as well. However, it's also possible for the Inquisitor to outright refuse this, claiming to not be chosen at all and just simply being lucky.
** It turns out, however, that the mark on their hand was intended for Corypheus, to let him enter the Fade physically, and that the woman who helped the Inquisitor escape the Fade was Divine Justinia. The Inquisitor just happened to be the random shmuck who walked in and provided a distraction that allowed the Divine to act, giving the Inquisitor the mark instead. Nevertheless some, including the Inquisitor, can still claim it was the Maker's will that caused that series of events.
** It can also be interpreted as a Double Subversion, since we learn that two elven gods were manipulating events, including one that specifically chose to mentor the Inquisitor. While he says he never meant this to happen, he clearly took many steps to put things back on track. He does insist he's not really a god, though.
** Further adding to this confusion is the fact that the Inquisitor can claim not to be chosen, but to have chosen. Effectively, they choose to be The Chosen One while denying any divine will or involvement. While a more pious character might despair over learning that it wasn't divine intervention that gave them the Anchor, a more pragmatic character will get increased resolve that this is a battle of men and magic that can be won with the very same, nothing divine about it.
* Cincinnatus: One possible endings of the Trespasser DLC is the Inquisitor choosing the "Our work is done" option and announcing that the Inquisition has done its job, and isn't needed anymore. Inquisitor: It is time for our soldiers to sheathe their swords and go home. To all who served: thank you. It Has Been an Honor. Effective immediately: the Inquisition is disbanded.
* Closest Thing We Got: The first two choices for Inquisitor were the Hero of Ferelden and the Champion of Kirkwall, but the leaders couldn't find either. The Herald only gets the job when everyone else realizes that they had been making all the big decisions for a while anyway. Until that point, they were technically just an agent in the field who was being used on high-profile jobs for PR reasons, with Cassandra being seen as the more official leader.
** The Inquisitor can even lampshade this by asking why they're asking for their opinion (on whether to side with the mages or templars). Leliana and Josephine bring up the aformentioned PR reasons (you might not believe your The Chosen One but the populace do so they might as well use it to their advantage), Cullen points out that you have the mark that can close rifts so it would be silly not to involve you and Cassandra even indirectly points out they use you as a mediator as they all can't agree/argue on what the best course of action is so they present you with the options and let you pick.
* Contrasting Sequel Main Character: To the Warden from Origins and Hawke from II.
** For the Warden, both can potentially be anyone from different walks of life, be it a member of nobility, a mage from the Circle, a dwarf, or an elf. Having said that, an Inquisitor Elf is strictly Dalish and not from any of the alienages, on top of coming off as haughty and snobbish whereas even a Dalish Elf Warden could be courteous and respectful to outsiders and humans. Races aside, the Warden as picked by Duncan to become a Grey Warden, either because Duncan saw potential in them or circumstances led to them having no choice but to join the Wardens (such as the Dalish and Dwarf Noble Origins, where they're afflicted with darkspawn taint and exiled to the Deep Roads respectively). The Inquisitor was one of the people invited to the Conclave and just happened to be the unlucky sod that was at the right place at the wrong time.
** Hawke and the Inquisitor are defined by how players shape their personalities through various emotional choices, though whereas Hawke was already a defined character, being the eldest of three children fleeing Lothering during the Fifth Blight, the Inquisitor is like the Warden in that they have a Multiple-Choice Past and can hail from various backgrounds, up to and including being a Vashoth.
* Covered with Scars: The Inquisitor can be given a particularly nasty set of scars rather than your standard "sexy customizable character scars", but you can use those as well. The intensity of the scarring can also be increased or reduced.
* Cultured Badass:
** Taking an Inquisition Perk in History Knowledge and/or Nobility Knowledge allows the Inquisitor extra options that reflect their cultural aptitude.
** Ending "Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts" without a Non Standard Game Over requires at least a rudimentary level of this. Ending the mission with a high Court Approval, on the other hand, demonstrates how well the Inquisitor has mastered the Grand Game of Orlais. The player can still choose to say how much fun it was or how much they hated every second of it.
* Deadpan Snarker: Like in the previous game, the middle option in the dialogue wheel tends to lean towards sarcastic remarks.
* Defector from Decadence: This is an option for every Inquisitor's Multiple-Choice Past; for example, a Dwarven Inquisitor can say that this is their one chance to escape the Carta, and a Human Noble can say their family are decadent assholes and badmouth them to the ends of the Earth. Double credit, however, goes to the parents of the Qunari (Vashoth) Inquisitor, who are specifically stated to have been running from the Qun when they were born, seeing it as oppressive.
* Demon Slaying: The primary threat the Inquisitor faces are the demons from the Breach until the end of Act I anyway. The "Mark of the Rift" Focus ability also deals extra damage to demons, possibly destroying them outright.
* Determinator: Their actions during and after the sacking of Haven show this, and spreads their legend throughout all of Thedas.
* Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: The Inquisitor can be an absolute dick to Solas, who is actually the elven god, Fen'Harel. The play even has the option to slap him. A female Lavellan who romanced him has slightly more justification for slapping him, seeing as he lied through his teeth for nearly their entire relationship, then ended the relationship when he finally came clean about his identity, and that in the conversation where you slap him, he reveals his plan to kickstart an apocalypse that will Restart the World to undo the last apocalypse he caused.
* The Dragonslayer: Unlike the previous games, which only had one (real) high dragon each, Inquisition has ten high dragons scattered across the game as Bonus Bosses. The Inquisitor can, if they so choose, make it their task to hunt down and slay as many of the beasts as they can; there is an achievement earned by killing all ten of them.
** The Jaws of Hakkon DLC adds another dragon for the Inquisitor to kill, bringing the total up to eleven.
** The Trespasser DLC adds a twelfth one, although this one is sort-of optional (it's trapped and severely weakened when you encounter it, and you have the choice to free it with only minor resistance).
* Dream Walker:
** A more literal example than mages who use lucid dreaming to travel in the Fade. The Anchor allows the Inquisitor and their companions to physically walk the Fade. Corypheus intended to use it to enter the Black City again, but was foiled when the Anchor fused itself to the future Inquisitor.
** The Anchor also allows them to dream with unusual focus - after your Fade conversation with Solas, he admits he was nearly as surprised as you.
* Dramatic Irony: The Inquisitor spends a good amount of Trespasser learning about the true story of Fen'Harel and the mysterious, present-day "Agents of Fen'Harel." Since Trespasser can only be played after completing Inquisition's main story and closing credits, the player knows that "Fen'Harel" is really Solas. This is especially poignant for an Inquisitor who befriended or romanced him.
* Dude, Where's My Respect?: Inverted. Random villagers are genuflecting to the Inquisitor as The Chosen One of the Maker even before the title screen, and it takes a while for anyone to tell them why.
** Played straight in Trespasser. Two years after saving the world, your allies (Orlais and Ferelden) now see you as a threat and a power hungry dictator.
* Emerald Power: The mark, like all things Fade-related, glows a bright emerald green.
* Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Usually referred to as the Inquisitor, the Herald, or "Your Worship." The Iron Bull bestows them with the Affectionate Nickname of "boss," while Varric will occasionally call them "Your Inquisitorialness." A very few characters will refer to the Inquisitor by surname, but unlike the previous examples of Shepard and Hawke, this is more of an exception than the rule.
* Expecting Someone Taller:
** Inverted as a Qunari, who is actually taller than most people expected.
* Featureless Protagonist: Like the previous protagonists, the Inquisitor is highly customizable, so much so that they don't even have an official "default" appearance (like Commander Shepard did); even the cover art depicts them fully-armored with an intentionally androgynous appearance and with their back to the viewer.
* Form-Fitting Wardrobe:
** The Inquisitor's default, armor-less outfit is a very fancy set of tights that neatly hugs the contours of their body and besets it with gems and precious stones. While you rarely see it in the beginning of the game, until Patch 10 this was the only outfit they could wear at Skyhold. Unfortunately many players thought the outfit looked more like pajamas than finery, rendering those parts of the game quite silly.
** Rogue Coats and Mail tend to be this way as well.
* Four-Star Badass: You lead the Inquisition.
* Frontline General: The Inquisitor has more resources than the Warden or Hawke, but still deals with most threats personally. Discussed at the Digiexpo preview: "As Inquisitor, one of our key goals is to lead from the front; to be an inspiration to the people that we protect and the people that serve with us."
* Genius Bruiser: Warriors of any race can take Inquisition Perks to gain knowledge of a wide variety of subjects.
* Giving Someone the Pointer Finger: Frequently when sitting in judgement over vanquished-but-not-slain enemies.
* Go and Sin No More: A possible Judgment option. In particular, this is a good option for the woman who unknowingly aided the Red Templars in Emprise du Lion. Since her only crime was being hasty due to desperation (the whole town was in danger of freezing or starving to death and selling them her quarry seemed like the best way to save them), you can just let her go with no punishment. She reacts with extreme gratitude if you do so.
** Also Ser Ruth, one of the Grey Wardens who killed other Grey Wardens for a blood ritual, is overcome with remorse for her actions and surrenders to your forces. One of your options is to invoke your role as the Herald of Andraste and forgive Ruth in Her name. She's more stunned than grateful, but responds by converting several people to your cause.
* Handicapped Badass: The Inquisitor becomes this following the conclusion of the epilogue DLC Trespasser. With the Anchor mark growing increasingly unstable, Solas is forced to remove it - at the cost of the arm. Still, they don't seem to let the lack of half an arm phase them even a bit; the next scene is of the Inquisitor striding into the Exalted Council with one arm of their jacket neatly pinned up, where they deliver either a Rousing Speech or a "Reason You Suck" Speech to the Council, and either pledge to serve as the Divine's personal honor guard to keep the peace, or disband completely. The scene after that involves them vowing to stop Solas' plans at all costs and stabbing a map. Even without their arm it's clear that the Inquisitor is far from being done.
* Hearing Voices: If the Inquisitor drinks from The Well of Sorrows, they will permanently hear the whispering voices of the well for the rest of their lives.
* The Hero: In Dragon Age: Inquisition. No matter the way you play, the Inquisitor's mission is to close the Breach and save Thedas. They are also intended to be more benevolent than the Warden or Hawke, who had the potential of being very ruthless bastards.
* Hope Bringer: As "Andraste's chosen," the Inquisitor is this for the people of Thedas. Blackwall explicitly describes them as such, even if the Inquisitor doesn't personally believe. This is really displayed after the fall of Haven when, in the middle of their Darkest Hour, the people they helped save look upon them with religious reverence.
* Humble Hero: If you so choose, the Inquisitor can be amazingly modest: frequently stating that they aren't anyone special, they're doing what anyone else would do, they just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time (or that it was divine will), they couldn't have done this without the support of the Inquisition, and so on. Invoked (depending on your dialogue choice) in your last conversation with Josephine before the final battle. Inquisitor: If this truly is the will of the Maker, then I pray He finds me worthy. Josephine: (fondly) And there is the modesty that everyone respects.
* Iconic Outfit: The Helm and Armor of the Inquisitor, which the marketed Inquisitor wears in every trailer. It's much less iconic in-game, due to the fact that the only way to find it is by beating the very difficult Bonus Bosses. Thus, a player may not see it at all until the tail end of the game, and by then they may also already have customized gear which can equal or even surpass them.
** The "down time" outfit that every Inquisitor wears also counts. Until Patch 10, every single Inquisitor, regardless of gender or race, wore the same Form-Fitting Wardrobe when wandering around Skyhold.
* Immortality Seeker: A Necromancer Inquisitor can tell Blackwall they "just want to be immortal." He's not sure if they're joking or not.
* Jerkass: Possible way to play the character, though admittedly, it's a lot harder to compare with Jerkass!Warden/Hawke. But it's also possible to be...
** Jerk with a Heart of Gold: No matter how much of an egotistical jerk the Inquisitor is, they will still fight to defend Thedas from the Elder One by any means necessary.
* Judge, Jury, and Executioner: Literally. The Inquisitor has the final say as to the fates of the Inquisition's prisoners and is often called upon to judge them, with no input or assistance. If the prisoners are sentenced to death, the Inquisitor carries out the execution personally - onscreen.
* Kick the Dog: The Inquisitor has the option to "Pull a Redcliffe" and abandon people to their fate at certain points, although the negative consequences of this course of action - large and small - will be addressed. It may also hurt their standing with some of their companions.
* Laser-Guided Amnesia: The Inquisitor suffers from this for a considerable portion of the game, unable to remember exactly how they survived the Breach. How long the amnesia lasts depends on whether "Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts" or "Here Lies the Abyss" is done first.
* Last-Name Basis: Everyone calls the Inquisitor by their surname, if a name is used at all.
* Like Brother and Sister: Can develop this sort of dynamic with non-romanced companions of the opposite gender. Arguably, it's most pronounced between Dorian and a female Inquisitor.
* Love Hurts: Several romance options can end up this way due to choices made. Cassandra, Blackwall, Cullen, and Sera may break up with you based on certain decisions. Solas will break up with you no matter what, due to his concern for you being dragged into what's going on with him behind the scenes. If the Iron Bull is encouraged to remain with the Qun, he will eventually return to Seheron and the Inquisitor can even ask if the relationship was just another job, though it's averted if Bull is encouraged to go Tal-Vashoth. Dorian may break off the relationship to return to Tevinter and start actively reforming it.
** In Trespasser, a Bull who was encouraged to remain with the Qunari will casually betray you to them without a hint of remorse (even Cole didn't feel any pain), forcing you to kill him. Dorian will return to Tevinter for good, although the two can still maintain a long-distance relationship — if the Inquisition is disbanded, he will be among the few people at the war table in the last cutscene. Solas returns long enough to reveal his true identity, past, and plan to destroy the current world to restore ancient Elvhenan, before he removes the anchor and leaves again. A romanced Lavellan cannot join him either, even if she wants to; she can only vow to either redeem him or stop him, and will be haunted with dreams of her beloved watching her sadly from a distance, yet he always disappears before she can reach him.
* Magic Knight: By default, all Inquisitors fall into this category because, regardless of origin, they have a unique control over the Fade. A mage Inquisitor can choose the Knight-Enchanter Prestige Class and fight with a magical blade, while a warrior Inquisitor can choose the Templar specialization, whose abilities are magic in all but name.
* Manchurian Agent: Can become one by drinking from the Well of Sorrows and becoming Mythal's slave for all eternity. As Morrigan notes, this means you could be doing Mythal's will at any point, and any time, without even being aware of it. You're even told, "I have no commands for you... yet."
* Messianic Archetype: The Inquisitor has many shades of this. They begin the game having physically entered the Fade (which has only ever happened once before) during the Breach, before walking out unscathed at the Temple of Andraste's Sacred Ashes, one of the holiest places in Thedas, with the ability to close the rifts. They obtain the nickname "Herald of Andraste." The final shot of the "Inquisition" trailer is even framed in a manner evocative of the Last Supper, with the Inquisitor at the center of a long table with twelve followers (nine companions and three advisors) gathered around them.
* Mind over Matter: There are certain objects that the Inquisitor can use the Anchor to move for plot purposes, regardless of their class.
* Multiple-Choice Past: The main character can be an elf, a dwarf, a Qunari, or a human, with their background being based on race-class combination. These backgrounds aren't playable like in Origins, however. They are as follows:
** A Qunari Inquisitor is a member of the Adaar family, Tal-Vashoth born outside of the Qun.note  The Inquisitor is a member of the Valo-kas mercenary company, which was hired to provide security for the Conclave.
*** A Qunari Inquisitor can discuss their views on the Qun - which they were raised outside of - as well as their involvement in mercenary work, including any particularly impressive jobs they completed.
* My Significance Sense Is Tingling: The Arcane Knowledge perk sometimes shows itself as an enhanced sensitivity to magical phenomena. In "What Pride Has Wrought" the Inquisitor uses this to figure out that the Well of Sorrows carries a Gaes, and in Descent they use this to figure out the true nature of the Titan.
* Nay-Theist: During the final battle, an atheist inquisitor can deliver the following comeback at Corypheus: Corypheus: We shall prove here, once and for all, which of us is worthy of godhood. Inquisitor: I don't believe in gods!
* Nice Guy/Nice Girl: Can be played this way; if they are, it becomes part of their reputation (alongside a warning to Beware the Nice Ones). For example, in the Jaws of Hakkon DLC, choosing to pardon Storvacker during her 'trial' will cause Thane Sun-Hair to remark that "The stories told of your kindness did not lie."
* Noodle Incident: During Varric's Wicked Grace game, the Inquisitor has the option to tell a story about themselves, and since we only hear the beginning and the end of the story, it becomes this trope. The story will be different depending on the Inquisitor's background. Every version somehow involves a rabbit, and Josephine declares it so scandalous that the Inquisition would be ruined if it became public knowledge (right before asking to hear it again).
** If the Inquisitor is a Qunari, the story starts with the Inquisitor's mercenary group hired to escort a merchant's caravan, and ends with the group's leader having a Let Us Never Speak of This Again moment with one of the caravan's donkeys.
* Not Afraid to Die: Averted. In the Trespasser DLC, after the anchor starts acting up and starts killing them, in a conversation with the advisers, the Inquisitor can admit that they don't want to die.
* Oblivious to Love: Possibly, depending on certain dialogue choices. For example, though you (the player) can choose romantic banter, very few lines the Inquisitor says are unambiguous flirting. A flirted-with Cassandra, for one, has a very disappointed reaction to learning that you've started openly romancing someone else and if you take the End Romance option, the Inquisitor acts puzzled as to why. You, the player, know why (since the game flat out tells you every step of the way), but the Inquisitor may not.
* Once Done, Never Forgotten: Adding heavy insult to injury, if you romance Iron Bull and he betrays you for the Qunari, the tavern minstrels will always mock about how the Inquisitor's romance with him led to the downfall of the Inquisition, with the associated slide implying that it is believed the Iron Bull bit the Inquisitor's arm off during the fight.
* The Only One: What the Warden did in Ferelden and Hawke did for Kirkwall, the Inquisitor now has to do for most of Thedas. (Lampshaded by the Inquisitor, who envies the fact that Hawke just has one city to worry about.) In fact, Cassandra wanted either the Warden or Hawke to lead the Inquisition at first, but when neither of those two could be found, the Inquisition needed another leader. The job falls to the Inquisitor, as the only person capable of closing Fade rifts and because surviving the explosion at the Conclave has led many people to think of them as The Chosen One.
* A Parent to Their Men: It's possible to play the Inquisitor as extremely protective of those under their charge, refusing to place them in needless danger for "the greater good". Inquisitor: Our people aren't tools to be used and discarded.
* Pajama-Clad Hero: For almost a year after the game's release, the only outfit the Inquisitor would wear in their stronghold was an outfit which looked exactly like a set of pajamas. The Inquisitor actually slept in them too, and the fact the outfit first appears when they're getting out of bed doesn't help the impression. Averted with patch 10, which introduced a wardrobe feature and a dozen new outfits to wear at the Inquisition's headquarters; however, it's only available on PC, Xbox One, or PlayStation 4.
* The Paladin: The Inquisitor can be one depending on the player.
* Pie in the Face: Sera throws one in their face if the Inquisitor agrees to take part in her pranking activities. The Inquisitor gets her back at the same time.
* Player Character: The replacement for the Warden and Hawke. Ironically, those two were both considered for the position of Inquisitor beforehand, but Varric wouldn't tell Cassandra where to find Hawke, and the Warden is either dead or can't be found. (If the Warden is alive, the Inquisitor can receive a letter from them late in the game.)
* Power Palms: The Inquisitor's left hand has a mark that is used to open or close the rifts to the Fade.
* Precision F-Strike: In the Trespasser DLC, the Inquisitor may utter the first one ever to be carried on the lips of a BioWare Player Character. Doubles as an Atomic F-Bomb if you're playing with the female British voice: Inquisitor: We saved Ferelden, and they're angry! We saved Orlais, and they're angry! We closed the Breach, twice, and my own hand wants to kill me. Could one thing in this FUCKING world just stay fixed!?
* Prestige Class: Unlike previous games, the Inquisitor is limited to one specialization per playthrough, but it has more impact on the plot.
* Pungeon Master: Though only briefly. While judging Storvacker, the Inquisitor suddenly develops an unbearable affinity for bear puns. It seems to be infectious, since it spreads to Leliana too if Storvacker is recruited as an agent.
* Reality Warper:
** It's implied that the Inquisitor could use the Anchor to do a lot more than simply open or close rifts (as we see in the game). But, because Reality Warping Is Not a Toy, there's not a lot of room to experiment.
** A Rift Mage Inquisitor is this, according to Cole. In fact, all Mages are technically low-scale versions of this, limiting their abilities to summoning pieces of the Fade and forcing it into something very simple. A Rift Mage summons the raw, unshaped Fade itself, and can thus manipulate it in a larger variety of ways.
* Rebel Leader: The new Inquisition, and the Inquisitor by extension, are initially seen by the other factions as merely the "young upstart" using the chaos to vie for power.
* Reclining Reigner: Regardless of whether you're a dwarf or a towering Qunari, the Inquisitor's standard posture on the throne seems to be "slouching back with crossed legs."
* Red Baron: Believed to be the "Herald of Andraste" by many, whether encouraged or not.
* Religious Bruiser: The Inquisitor can be this depending on the player. As a genuine Andrastian, the Inquisitor has the ability to express their faith in certain dialogue options or absolve certain defendants in trial.
* Reluctant Warrior: Has shades of this in the Inquisition trailer, due to being the only one capable of dealing with the Veil tears. The player can freely play them this way as well. Inquisitor: The world is tearing itself apart, but they say I can stop this.
* Right Man in the Wrong Place: Halfway through the game, it's revealed that the Inquisitor just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time, preventing Corypheus from succeeding before anyone knew what was happening, at the cost of creating the Breach. Some argue that this proves they are The Chosen One while others say that it was just dumb luck or coincidence. Qunari Inquisitor: I'm just a Qunari that was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
* Safe, Sane, and Consensual: An Inquisitor who pursues a relationship with Iron Bull practices at least some elements of BDSM with him. Very early in the pairing, Bull lays down ground rules, establishes a Safe Word, and assures the Inquisitor they do not have to be afraid and he will never do anything without their consent. Its treated very respectfully and accurately.
* Save the Villain: One of the possible last lines of the Trespasser DLC is that the Inquisitor tells their friends they're determined to save Solas from himself.
* Secular Hero: It's perfectly possible to play as an unbelieving Inquisitor in spite of them being in charge of an religious organization.
* Schrödinger's Player Character: Hinted to be averted in the same way as the Hero of Ferelden. The backstory for the Inquisitor at character creation gives each race a distinct history and reason for being at the Conclave. This implies, based on the precedent set by Origins, that all four possibilities were present, and the player's choice determines which one survived. Later in the game, it's revealed that the player chose which one overheard Corypheus and his agents attacking Justinia.
* Seeker Archetype: No matter how the Inquisitor sets up their priorities, their most important task is to find whoever is responsible for making Thedas even more of a Crapsack World than usual. Best encapsulated in this statement: Let those who would threaten us step into the light.
* Sex for Services: When trying to finish Josephine's quest to restore her family prestige, you must convince a judge to restore a disgraced family back into the ranks of nobility. You can offer her "an unforgettable night" in exchange for it.
* Shoo the Dog: Potentially to a number of love interests.
** Also potentially to the Grey Wardens as a whole. You can banish them from Orlais to keep them free of Corypheus's corruption.
* Sole Survivor: In the opening act of the game, the Inquisitor is the only one to mysteriously survive being at ground zero when the giant Veil tear opens in the sky, while thousands of people around them were reduced to char-grilled corpses.
* Spanner in the Works: They walked in during Corypheus's ritual, and all his plans unraveled from there.
* Speaks Fluent Animal: An optional scene in the Descent DLC reveals that the Inquisitor is capable of talking to nugs, or at least remarkably skilled at mimicking a nug's vocalizations.
* Spiders Are Scary: Apparently something the Inquisitor fears. When the Inquisitor is unconscious in the beginning of the game after being chased by spider demons, they occasionally muttered about "too many eyes". When stuck in the Fade later, nightmare demons attack the party; everyone sees them differently, but the Inquisitor sees all Nightmare related demons as spiders or with spider themes. The big demon Erimond was trying to bring through? [...] It's nearby? [...] Well, shit.
* Staring Down Cthulhu: The Inquisitor stares down the Elder One and his pet dragon at the end of Act I. In one scene when Iron Bull has the Inquisitor pretend to be a new recruit to see how their troops are doing, one soldier admits that seeing the Inquisitor stand up to such monsters and live to tell the tale was so inspiring that it convinced her to join the Inquisition.
* The Stoic: While the new "emote" wheel grants the Inquisitor a variety of emotional reactions, only the ability to be completely stoic is always available.
* Survivor's Guilt: The Inquisitor can be played as feeling this way about being the Sole Survivor of the Conclave. Also after The Reveal that the Inquisitor only stepped out of the Fade the first time because Divine Justinia stayed behind to perform a Heroic Sacrifice, and now only did so this time because Hawke or the Grey Warden ally (Stroud/Alistair/Loghain) stayed behind.
* Touched by Vorlons: The Inquisitor gains unique powers over the Fade from being at ground zero of the Breach. The Stinger reveals that the Vorlon in question is actually Fen'Harel, the Dread Wolf, in his guise as Solas.
* Trading Bars for Stripes: A fairly mild case; by the time the offer to join the Inquisition has been made, the Inquisitor-to-be has cleared their name... but only with the members of the Inquisition. As Leliana points out, they won't stop them from leaving, but if they want to avoid being lynched, executed, or 'merely' imprisoned for life, membership with the Inquisition is their best bet.
* Undying Loyalty: If he has a positive relationship with a party member, the Inquisitor is very loyal in return — even potentially to Solas, even after he'd revealed his plans to cause an Apocalypse Wow on Thedas. Inquisitor: We will save our friend from himself — if we can.
* Unexplained Recovery: How they alone survived the initial Veil tear, which killed thousands. The details aren't revealed until more than halfway into the game.
* Unique Protagonist Asset: The Inquisitor's Anchor immediately makes them indispensable to their allies.
* Unluckily Lucky: The Inquisitor goes through a lot of crazy experiences in this game, even by the standards of Dragon Age, and miraculously survives them all. This is why Varric truly believes that a higher power is looking out for the Inquisitor. The Inquisitor can lampshade this, asking Varric if their incredibly bad luck is really the reason Varric believes they're Andraste's Herald. Varric points out that, based on Andraste's own life story, "bad luck is kind of Her thing."
* Unwanted False Faith: People insist on following the Inquisitor as the Herald of Andraste, no matter how much they try to make them stop or whether they even follow the Andrastian religion. Even when the Inquisitor learns the truth behind how they got the Anchor in the first place, others will insist that they let the masses continue to believe that they're chosen because the truth will only terrify them. Alistair: You know that's not how they see it, though. They just saw their Inquisitor work another miracle. Inquisitor: Once they understand what really happened... Alistair: They'll know that you escaped by the skin of your teeth from a giant spider demon. I know which story I'd prefer.
* Vague Age: The Inquisitor will be an "indeterminate" age between 20 and 40.
* We ARE Struggling Together:
** A Qunari Inquisitor can say "Few [people] know what it's like to be Qunari," and Iron Bull immediately calls you on it and reminds you that you're not Qunari, you're Tal-Vashoth. You can counter that with the fact that you still grew up with horns in a land of mostly humans.
* Weirdness Magnet: Varric observes that everything that happens to the Inquisitor is weird. Falling out of the Fade, being sent into the future, getting attacked by dragons and ancient Tevinter warlocks... just for starters. When he mentions maybe writing a book based on their adventures, the working title is All This Shit is Weird: The Inquisitor [Surname] Story. At the end of the Trespasser DLC, it turns out that he really does call it that.
* What the Hell, Hero?: A mage Inquisitor can use the Rite of Tranquility on Erasthenes, Alexius, and Livimus Erimond. The Herald chooses to use the Rite, they will face blowback for this, in the form of the war table operation "Judgment: How Could You."
* Wild Card: The Inquisitor enters the playing field of world politics with no preset allegiances whatsoever (even to the Chantry), and is free to back whoever they want in any Kingmaker Scenario.
* Worthy Opponent: The Inquisitor is considered this, albeit begrudgingly, by the various other factions.
* Xanatos Gambit: During the "Wicked Eyes, Wicked Hearts" quest, the Inquisitor can allow Florianne to assassinate Celene, letting them sweep in, "avenge" her, and then replace her with a candidate they want.
* Xanatos Speed Chess: In fact, they become so adept at it, they can take just about any obstacle thrown their way and somehow make it work in their favor.
** It should also be noted that skill at the Game is usually seen as something that takes years, if not decades, to perfect. The Inquisitor nails it in one night.
* The Ace: The Vashoth Mercenary can tell Josephine they were one of the most sought-after mercs around - and their commanding officer always sings their praises.
* Meaningful Name: Like all Qunari, the Qunari Inquisitor's name was chosen to suit the Qunari's purpose. In this case, Adaar means "Weapon" or "fire thrower".
* Power Tattoos: Rather than helmets, Qunari Inquisitors wear warpaint that's toxic to other races.
* Private Military Contractors: If the Inquisitor is Vashoth, then prior to being in the middle of a giant magical explosion they ran the Valo-Kas Mercenary Company, which is... basically what it sounds like. And judging from various conversations, 'mercenary' may be the only job they've ever had.
* You Are a Credit to Your Race: Can receive this sentiment quite a few times for being vashoth.