Combat
Chain mail and great sword. Two rapiers. Poisoned darts. Crossbow and twenty bolts. Spell book and component pouch. Holy symbol and mistletoe sprig. Disguises and shadows. With all of this preparation, you are adept at combat. When confronted, you and your party are ready to settle the score.
Roleplay
As an adventurer, you assemble a character. You give it an alignment, a background and a personality that makes it unique. You take on great adventures with fellow characters in pursuit of honor and reward. At the table, you put on the voice, don the hat, and wave your hands in the air to cast magic missile. With this repertoire at hand, you are ready to persuade monsters, intimidate villains and laugh with all your friends.
Exploration
Your character really needs thieves' tools and a high sleight of hand check to open the poisonous lock on the chest. Back a few rooms ago, stumbling on that secret passage sure was a helpful detour past the green dragon. Your character certainly had never seen a grick before while stumbling blindly through the Underdark before - and plans to never do so again. The amazing part is the adventure to new places with new peoples never ends.