(04-15-2014, 12:52 AM)JFrombaugh Wrote: Okay, well, assuming none of them have a personality archetype or requirement, the dillemma is this - I would say all three disciplines have pros and cons:It doesn't disqualify her at all. The history of Scholars has little to do with the art itself, however the art is a pretty rare one--you'll find few teachers. Those you do find are just that--scholars, as in arcanists and historians.
-Conjury is the school of magic Miranda would probably be the most interested in; I'd say their beliefs are most similar to hers as well. However, Gridania isn't known for tolerating outsiders, and she would be appalled to see the two Padjal WHMs acting like those arrogant questgivers she opposed.
-Limsa Lominsa is more accepting of adventures, and the Arcanist's Guild doesn't worship a particular god. However, it is still a tough and militant town of pirates and thugs, and I'm not sure how well Miranda would like doing cargo inspection as a job while learning her art...
-With these revelations, Thaumaturgy makes the most sense as an art Miranda would take up as a necessary means of fending for herself, but the guild itself has a lot of internal corruption going on, and in many ways Ul'dah represents the worst aspects of Gridania and Limsa Lominsa combined. It's interesting to hear that Thaumaturges aren't as strongly associated with Ul'dah as the other DoMs are with their cities though...
(04-14-2014, 05:59 PM)Sounsyy Wrote: Well, Merlwyb is a Musketeer, not an Arcanist or Scholar, so I think you're safe there. Scholars are actually quite rare, but yes, they were the tacticians of Nym. But Nym and Scholars are, for the most part, no more.
What I meant was, since Miranda's temperament is not very well suited to being a commanding officer in a military order, wouldn't that pretty much disqualify her from becoming a Scholar?
Best not to hold solely to the stereotypes of the guilds and city-states, really.
For example, you actually won't find a lot of corruption in the Thaumaturge's guild. I was wrong before, as well--Sounsyy has the right of it that the Thaumaturgists of Ul'dah are also the priesthood of Thal, and they handle funeral rites and rituals for the city-state.
Given that, you're probably more likely to interact with the common folk of Ul'dah than your character might prefer. However, the slimy and corrupt sorts represent more of the stereotype of the city, and perhaps some personal development can come from your character learning that most folk in Ul'dah are just regular people like her.
Similarly, the Gridanians as a whole are known to be unwelcoming of outsiders, but this has changed drastically as of late. Adventurers are becoming a welcome and appreciated sight. The Padjali themselves are at the forefront of encouraging this welcoming attitude (contrary to being arrogant and discriminating as some Wildwood tend to be). Even the elementals are becoming more friendly to outsiders, at least to adventurers--the residential district in the Black Shroud is open for adventurers to build homes in with the blessing of the forest itself.
Worship is not a requirement of any guild, though a reverence for the powers that be is not uncommon. That said, you're right that the Arcanist's guild is more detached from the reverence of higher powers. However, Limsa Lominsa is also not dangerous on the whole. It's become a lot less rough under the strict reign of Merlwyb, and that guild in particular is probably the safest place in the whole city.
Their typical work isn't always safe, but Arcanists are the sort to take precautions. One may call their work boring, but training often is. You don't get to the fun bits until after you master the basics.
My advice to you is to play the first fifteen levels of each DoM class if you haven't yet. You may as well, since you'll want the cross-class abilities eventually anyway. It's a good way to sample the common characteristics and practices of each guild, including the nuances that defy the common misconceptions.
May as well do a few of the quests in each city as well, since they're a great source of city lore, and they introduce you to the regular folk of the area. Maybe in this way, you can start getting in the mind of what company your character would most prefer if she had to choose.
