The Trickster

Alternate Titles: Gambler, Fox, Imp

The trickster is a potentially difficult character to uncover, simply because the term is used in various different archetypal and interpretive traditions to mean a variety of different things, some of which are, and some of which are not, tricksters in the sense that we're using it here. For example, Joseph Campbell and his ilk tend to refer to any sort of tricksy character as a trickster -- including several heroic types (i.e. the Fool and the Magus) who use tricks or riddles in order to elucidate truths. It is also sometimes used simply to indicate that a character is liable to change alignment several times over the course of a story, as Gollum does in The Lord of the Rings.
Put all of that aside. The Trickster, as a distinct archetype, is a character that is both a) deliberately malevolant or mischeivious, and b) deliberately tricksy. Someone who flip-flops because they are in the throes of an interior moral struggle is discounted, as is the good character who uses trickery to thwart the villain.
The classic Trickster is generally engaged in some sort of swindle. He desires something that belongs to someone else -- be it a pile of pirate's gold or a churn of butter -- and he sets out armed with traps, snares, lies and cheats in order to attain it. He is never to be trusted, and generally works for his own gain. Occasionally, he will appear to switch sides -- to betray a Usurper to whom he is playing Sidekick -- but generally this is just ruse, and he is liable to turn again on those whom he has helped.
In Romance plots, the Trickster will generally appear as a sort of slimy-slick suitor, the sort of man who will take a girl for a ride, tear her away from the arms of her rightful suitor, and then abandon her at his leisure. He may look more respectable and desirable than his enemy, the Rogue, but in fact his superficial charm is merely the whitewash on a fickle and faithless heart. The Trickster is often an accomplished gambler, and usually smooth-tongued. In some cases, he seems to delight in causing mischief for mischief's sake, whether as an impish meddler who confuses the course of true love, or as a malicious plotter whose designs lead to wrongful and murderous revenge.

Archetypal Events: Gamble, lie, slieght of hand, flatter, steal, frame, one last chance

Common Trickster Plots:

The Big Con: The Trickster convinces a group of associates to go in with him on a scheme to get rich quick, often by scamming a Prince or a Usurper. He intends to take all of the money for himself, but since his associates tend to be lesser Tricksters, minor Usurpers, Nymphs and Sirens, they tend to have the same plan. This plot often ends with the evaporation of the reward into thin air.

Besmirch the Princess: The Trickster bears some sort of hatred or grudge against the Princess' husband (usually a Prince, but may be a Rogue or Usurper instead), so he concocts an elaborate scheme to demonstrate that the Princess has been unfaithful. The Princess is murdered or dies of grief as a result. In its comic manifestation, the Trickster's machinations are uncovered before the Princess actually dies, and he is punished for his trickery.

A Multiplication of Tricks: The Trickster goes about the countryside playing tricks on everyone he meets. Sometimes he gets something out of it, sometimes he only gets the satisfaction of laughing at his dupes. In many folk tales and fairy tales, this is the whole plot: he never comes to justice, and the moral of the story is "don't be a dupe."

The False Friend: The Trickster befriends a heroic character (generally a Rogue) and gives them advice on how to gain what they desire. He appears to be innocent, harmless, and even helpful until the treasure, or woman, comes into view. Then he attempts to snatch it for himself.

The Trickster's Hideout: The essential features of the Trickster's home is that it is either remote or difficult to find (through the secret door at the back of some apparently innocent establishment, for example), and that it possesses a back-door out of which the Trickster can escape at a moment's notice.
Credit Limit: The Trickster has a limited supply of credit or credibility; once it is exhausted no one will be fooled by his tricks anymore, or he will lack the start-up capital to finance his schemes. He commonly seeks an extension by claiming to be a reformed character, or by arguing that there are some sort of extenuating circumstances that render him trustworthy in this one case.
The Trickster's Poison-tipped Secret Concealed Stab-in-the-Back: The Trickster's weapon may be a throwing knife, or a spring-loaded cyanide fountain pen, a booby trap, a dagger concealed in a stuffed animal, or a south-american blow-dart. The essence of the weapon is that it is concealed, is used for surprise attacks, and that it requires no courage to use it.
Gloves: Just as the King's crown becomes the Rogue's concealing hood, the Usurper's ring becomes the Trickster's glove. Whereas the hood hides who the Rogue is, the gloves hide what the Trickster is doing.
The Last Laugh: Although all of the Trickster's machinations are often directed towards the acquisition of a huge stack of money, what he actually wants is the satisfaction of having duped everyone else. In its redeemed form, this becomes a Rogue's laughter when he loses his prize at the end of a quest.
Minor Symbols: Cards

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