Hello!
I'm Hixxi. I'm a very experienced RPer both online and offline, but I am very much new to FFXIV, it's community and lore! (Well, relatively speaking anyway.) I've spent the last couple of days reading around the game itself and learning the ropes, in part the information on this website which is really helpful for learning race stuff. I'm so excited to get to join in with RP!
I do, however, have a couple of questions!
1. How many emphasis do people put on job importance? By this I mean, currently I'm levelling up a conjurer/arcanist so that I can turn her into a WHM. If I wanted to RP a White Mage though, is that OP? Are there certain jobs that, in the game, people tend to shy away from or raise an eyebrow at because, well, their place in the setting itself tends to make them very unique and it's not really reasonable that Joe Bob the Adventurer #51 would be one? I quite fancied RPing a travelling healer type, but whilst this might be feasible in other systems, would it be okay in FF? Would it perhaps make more sense to stick to RPing a conjurer?
2. What sort of IC reactions should characters have to other races? One of the things I've liked from games in the past that offer multiple races, is that sometimes the game tailors its NPC responses to what the player is. I haven't really seen any of that in FF thus far which isn't bad, because I can understand how this could make the game way heavier to design, but it doesn't provide me with a very good base for IC reactions. Should the two elezen clans normally be a bit cagey and aggressive towards each other? Do the Au Ra look down upon one another for being so different? Do people reflect this in their character actions for the most part?
Thank you very much for reading. I hope to be gaming with you on Balmung soon!
(12-30-2016, 04:12 AM)Hixxi Wrote: [ -> ]1. How many emphasis do people put on job importance? By this I mean, currently I'm levelling up a conjurer/arcanist so that I can turn her into a WHM. If I wanted to RP a White Mage though, is that OP? Are there certain jobs that, in the game, people tend to shy away from or raise an eyebrow at because, well, their place in the setting itself tends to make them very unique and it's not really reasonable that Joe Bob the Adventurer #51 would be one? I quite fancied RPing a travelling healer type, but whilst this might be feasible in other systems, would it be okay in FF? Would it perhaps make more sense to stick to RPing a conjurer?
It's a lot easier to justify RPing a Conjurer because of how restricted it is to become a White Mage. The questline in-game heavily implies that the
only non-Padjal White Mage is the Warrior of Light. However, the lore book that was recently published words it a bit more openly, allowing that the Padjal are overseeing a "revival" of the discipline. Whether that means that the Padjal are actually teaching non-Padjal the art is kind of up in the air, but you could probably get away with saying it.
Black Magic is more complicated, as their Heavensward questline indicates that the only way to use Black Magic without incinerating yourself is to wield a Black Mage soulstone. Ostensibly, there aren't many, and they are extremely difficult to come by, being that the entire art is forbidden and people do not want Black Mages around.
Beyond that, however, White Magic - like Black Magic - is
forbidden, and both arts are highly destructive to the land itself when abused. Displays of either - but especially of Black Magic - are likely to get you odd looks, or in some cases, attacked.
Quote:2. What sort of IC reactions should characters have to other races? One of the things I've liked from games in the past that offer multiple races, is that sometimes the game tailors its NPC responses to what the player is. I haven't really seen any of that in FF thus far which isn't bad, because I can understand how this could make the game way heavier to design, but it doesn't provide me with a very good base for IC reactions. Should the two elezen clans normally be a bit cagey and aggressive towards each other? Do the Au Ra look down upon one another for being so different? Do people reflect this in their character actions for the most part?
Thank you very much for reading. I hope to be gaming with you on Balmung soon!
The races basically tolerate each other, but there's a simmering undercurrent of racial hatred. They interbreed so rarely that half-breeds are almost unheard of, and those that do show up are generally ostracized. Wildwood hate Duskwights, and vice versa. Ishgardians in general (regardless of race) have issues with Au Ra because of their reptilian features (many believe the Au Ra are some kind of dragon hybrid). I don't know enough about Au Ra themselves to tell you about internal conflicts within the race.
Perhaps Sounsyy will show up to drop the lore train! *waves the Sounsyy flag*
Hi and welcome!
On 1), yes, a lot of jobs imply a good level of power and some of them even a certain amount of uniqueness. WhM is probably the most restraining job ever since only the Warrior of Light as far as we know was granted that magic by the Elementals and Padjals. But even for milder 2.0 jobs, like bards, keep in mind that they still were able of feats like turning the whole tide of battlefields by the power of their songs. You might get more luck looking at the 2.4 and 3.0 jobs though, that are way more reasonable, or at least open to more various levels of power and accessed more easily. I can go into more details on every job if you wish.
2) As said above, racism is widespread and most races have come to live with each other in the current city states only recently, when those were created. On Auri internal conflict, the civilized doman Raen tend to see the tribal Xaela as warmongering barbarians, while the latter see the former as people that forgot their roots and went to live as (doman) Hyurs.
To add to the posts above, people rarely enough express their IC racism trough roleplay. Most player characters tend to be very tolerant, however lorewise the races, and nations, do have some friction between them! Gridania is awful for Duskwight Elezen and Miqo'te Keepers of the Moon for example. Limsa on the other hand has zero qualms with people, even beasttribe individuals can live their lives there, unlike the other city-states. So basically, yeah! There's a lot of racism and nationalism going on, but you rarely see player characters acting upon it. There's still a few around here and there though!
Wow thank you all for the very knowledgable responses and for answering my questions in such a detailed way. I have sooooo much reading to do, but I would love more detail on the place of the jobs in lore, that would be very helpful to know.Â
For now I am reading around the racial lore collections. They're all so great. I want to RP all of them haha.
I think a lot of this is going to depend on what group you are RPing with. If you are looking to get into a very heavy lore based group that wants to run strictly off the canon. You can expect some more of the rigid class/race based roles.
One thing I would keep in mind is well is that you do not have to RP your in game class/job as it appears in game. Race is a little trickier to get around but I am sure some people do that as well. For example, if you wanted to RP a profession or even just be a commoner you could RP that as well which would not really have an in game class/job equivalent. I RP a character that has absolutely no magical talent in game who has a pretty similar role identity to being a warrior, this however does not stop me from actually playing the game as a lvl 60 scholar or any other magical class. I just don't RP as a scholar when I interact with other people with my RP flag.
Ultimately this is my opinion, but in RP I want people to be who they want to be and play a character they enjoy even if it doesn't mesh with mechanics or lore. If you want to be the worlds only white mage that breaks canon, 100% do it and you can justify it as much or as little as you want. Will that turn off some RPers? Sure it might, but if that is what you enjoy playing I would never hold that against you.
Oh that said! Conjurers are really powerful as well. Lots of people think just because the 'job' is the better version of the class, in roleplay it doesn't always work that way. You can still be a conjurer and kick some serious ass.
Also, if you think "Blargh, boring healing this CNJ" I strongly suggest you to have a peek at the 1.0 version of the class. And no, it isn't retconned! It simply isn't taught any more (I think).
1.0 CNJ Skills Link
On top of that many races have shamans and the like. The Ala Mhigans have them, and the Xaela, so that might be something looking into as well! We ain't 100% sure what they are though, but given the Ala Mhigan Shamans use conjuration spells, they are probably some sort of conjurers.
Next to that you get Arcanist, Scholar and Astrologian, although Scholar is a bit iffy seeming you have to find a certain soulstone of an ancient civilisation. It isn't unheard of, but it is a bit like 'do you really want to be that person who HAPPENS to find that stone' type of deal. But that comes down to personal taste and roleplay style ultimately.
Arcanist is a healer as well. Not as 'diverse' as a Conjurer, but they get pets and the like again. You don't HAVE to use your pets after all though! But they are heavily focused on mathematics and patterns unlike Conjurers.
Astrologian? It was unheard of in Eorzea until Heavensward came out. The Sharlayans have Astrologians, and its being taught in Ishgard since Heavensward came out. So you would either need to have a Sharlayan character, a character who has travelled there in the past to be taught, or a 'newbie' trainee from Ishgard. Also they are basically some sort of time mages. Ish.
In any case, there's a cheap of ways you can go as healer without being the dreaded White Mage. According to some vague lore who they never explained further, there is a way to become a White Mage without the consent of the Elementals, but we don't know the details. So I personally wouldn't go down that route either, because you probably cripple yourself more then add to you roleplay beyond being 'special'.
Basically; any other healer is viable lorewise if you adjust your character. White Mage is simply off limits, looking at a purely lore perspective. But ultimately, if you want to go crazy and be a White Mage? Go ahead! But as with all roleplay communities; you can decide who to RP with, and what styles you mesh with, but so goes for others.
In any case, good luck!
My rule of thumb is rp what you will so long as it is not lore breaking. The jobs listed are not just keep in mind it is difficult to obtain the white mage training so to speak. But I have seen many carry out the story on how they pulled it off in roleplays very well. ^^ I try to avoid the final tier of the classes but that is just my preference and it makes little sense for my character lore wise to be a full fledged warrior.
As far as races and such.. the only things I ever hear anything about are normally personal quails with characters and others. I have had a few distrust my character for being a Duskwight but at the same time she has her own reasons for disliking a Lalafell so no harm no foul there. I'm sure people missed a lot of opportunities for some interesting rp stances when the new race was added for any of the Ishgardians out there as well. ;P
But another rule of thumb I play by here.. if you are unsure or want to play on some dislike towards another.. ask them ooc first if you are worried about hurting someones feelings. ^^ Never hurts and it could lead to adding quite a bit of realism to the story.
(12-30-2016, 10:30 AM)Rosekitten Wrote: [ -> ]But another rule of thumb I play by here.. if you are unsure or want to play on some dislike towards another.. ask them ooc first if you are worried about hurting someones feelings. ^^ Never hurts and it could lead to adding quite a bit of realism to the story.
100% this. Anytime you are going to have a somewhat antagonistic encounter with another player it is essential to communicate and make sure you are both on the same page with expectations.
I think you could find some FC/LS's that cater more towards the racial tensions in their plotlines if that is what you are looking for as well.
If I can give an advice, the FFXIV lore is generally heavily vague, and relies a lot on what the devs call individual bias, where the NPCs saying things doesn't in fact always represent the perfect, naked truth. Except for the lorebook of course, the lore is generally very permissive and allows for a lot of things that can be explained one way or another.
After having checked if something breaks the lore, the real question is generally more often, "if it's possible, should I do it or not?" It's where you can start to draw the limits of your suspension of disbelief, your personal take on powerlevels, special snowflakism and the likes.
In regards to RPing professions rather than classes: this is definitely an option! But I've always super enjoyed healing type characters. But I think I could get away with doing even a surgeon or almost an alchemist type without relying on magic? That would also be very interesting and fun to RP! It is very good to know that WHM and other classes just don't work well in the setting from an RP perspective depending on what type of RPer you are.
I guess the base classes you can choose at character creation are the standardised and more lore-friendly options, whereby a good portion of the higher level jobs are, as a general rule, unique to the 'hero' of the story and 'out of bounds' so to speak? Such as, for example, the WHM lore that has been explained to be on the thread.
I thank you all for the time you guys have invested in providing really good information. Learning a new game that is so expansive is a bit daunting but it's always nice to have folks in communities that are newbie-friendly.
I'm an advocate for playing classes over jobs. I see jobs as mere specializations, not objectively superior. Every sword user in RP seems to be a free paladin (lorefriendly version of playing PLD), which to me is a bit odd. Kale's 20 year experience as an Ul'dahn soldier is going to crush any 21 y/o waving around the free paladin title IMO, though I always leave RP PvP to rolls.
You also don't need to look any further than the major NPCs as examples of masters of their class. Raubahn is arguably the strongest disciple of war in the realm, and isn't a PLD or DRK. Y'shtola isn't a WHM, and Thancred not a NIN.
(12-30-2016, 12:46 PM)Hixxi Wrote: [ -> ]In regards to RPing professions rather than classes: this is definitely an option! But I've always super enjoyed healing type characters. But I think I could get away with doing even a surgeon or almost an alchemist type without relying on magic? That would also be very interesting and fun to RP! It is very good to know that WHM and other classes just don't work well in the setting from an RP perspective depending on what type of RPer you are.
I like that character concept a lot and I think there is a lot of room for creativity. I think a surgeon or even some type of herbal healer would be fun to play and still fit that archetype you are looking for. I know there is some type of medical help linkshell where they take in wounded or respond to field injuries if you are looking for that type of action.
(12-30-2016, 01:40 PM)Deahfel Wrote: [ -> ] (12-30-2016, 12:46 PM)Hixxi Wrote: [ -> ]In regards to RPing professions rather than classes: this is definitely an option! But I've always super enjoyed healing type characters. But I think I could get away with doing even a surgeon or almost an alchemist type without relying on magic? That would also be very interesting and fun to RP! It is very good to know that WHM and other classes just don't work well in the setting from an RP perspective depending on what type of RPer you are.
I like that character concept a lot and I think there is a lot of room for creativity. I think a surgeon or even some type of herbal healer would be fun to play and still fit that archetype you are looking for. I know there is some type of medical help linkshell where they take in wounded or respond to field injuries if you are looking for that type of action.
Actually a herbal healer would be very reasonable. My character's smother I described as a field medic but had no talent with magic so to speak so she used natural or herbal remedies. Not to mention some characters I have run into distrust or just flat out dislike magic. Even for healing they will fight against someone using it on them.
It should be noticed that an "alchemist type" would be very easy to play since there is an Alchemist crafting profession in the game! Complete with ALC-specific outfits. So you could easily mix and match conjury (or arcanima or astrology) with surgery and/or alchemy however you'd like to present your character's healing abilities. Don't be afraid to have some fun with it, too - I'm pretty sure we've had FFT Chemist-style types who just throw potions at people and people with healing bullets for their MCH guns.