Spiritual Machine

I like to imagine some random person finding a gun left behind by a forgetful or dead adventurer and going 'man this is tight, gonna use this all the time now.' Havoc ensues. Really, most if not all of the jobs in this game could be used by RPers in the 'similar or a little less powerful' skills and abilities. Most of the special jobs are 'off-limits' only in the strictest sense by how specific or particular the titles are like white mage and black mage. I'm very happy to see their job design veering away from the 'Chosen One' stories to just rare or only a certain title for a very particular type of training and association. Or so it seems anyway. Yeah, I don't like it when an MMO makes me out to be special, because they never, ever REALLY pull it off. They just don't have the tools that single-player games do for that narrative. It's nice to see things shaping up like learning to be any of these new Jobs, or even referring to yourself as one, wouldn't be too much of a stretch. They all sound about on-par with Paladins in that sense, their lore being based around currently existing societies and relatively recent developments.

Regarding which clan will be "more difficult" to roleplay as according to conventions of lore: I think the lore is pretty cut and dry. People should definitely not be roleplaying ANY Miqo'te. (Source: http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Miqo%27te#Demeanor)

Agree to disagree. I could write a compelling piece on how my 2yr old defeated Eorzea's best at the Grindstone, but that still doesn't make it plausible, even if it was executed properly. Exaggerated for effect. You undermined your philosophy when you exaggerated--such a thing would be inconceivable to execute compellingly and is therefore a bad example. Exaggerated yes, but the point pretty much stays the same. Just because something can be done, doesn't mean it should be done) I thought the point was whether or not something could be played out in a compelling fashion. I am not at all disagreeing with you that a mighty infant would be an implausible and ridiculous Final Fantasy XIV roleplay character idea. I personally find it dubious at best. I disagree that you could make it compelling though. I might disagree that anyone could, but, well, we may just never know. All I'm saying is that we should always judge the product, not the ideas used. How does one judge the merits of an idea alone? Passing judgment on all characters who employ x idea is just rather cynical, isn't it?

Agree to disagree. I could write a compelling piece on how my 2yr old defeated Eorzea's best at the Grindstone, but that still doesn't make it plausible, even if it was executed properly. Exaggerated for effect. You undermined your philosophy when you exaggerated--such a thing would be inconceivable to execute compellingly and is therefore a bad example.

I'm actually with you on this, but it's something I try to ignore. If we are to make a big deal out of this, then we should feel the same about the little 19yr female miqo crime boss that sips tea in the Quicksand all night talking about how deadly she is. (you know who you are) We'd also have to disagree with all the 20yr old combat jack-of-all-trades masters in axes, swords, archery, lances, daggers. At 20, you're the master of hardly anything. By the time we'd get done, there'd no one for us to RP with. On the contrary, I've found that narrows it down to a very splendid selection. Eh, I don't like to paint with a wide brush like that, personally. We're all guilty of falling into tropes from time to time--no original ideas and all that. It's better to judge a character by their execution than by their qualities, I say. Now, if someone makes a big fuss about their character's age/appearance/wealth/influence/power in roleplay, those are the sorts I look out for. They're the ones that don't strike me as team players.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but considering that fire is a plasma, would it not be possible to generate flames so hot that they take on the form of lightning? And I'd imagine the mudra would work two ways: Either a direct elemental call from the sky, as seen, or taking the element of lightning into the body to discharge it however the Ninja sees fit. Fire is technically just a chemical reaction, but you're right that if it's hot enough the reacting matter can ionize. At least one source in-game implies that ninjutsu is scarcely different from thaumaturgy, with both being a forceful manipulation of aether guided by the caster's will. There are even hard limits to the technique--a Ninja has to be focused when performing the Mudras, and there is a recovery period between usage of Ninjutsu due to the toll it takes on the Ninja. This is all covered in the opening Ninja Job quest (the only one I did), and it all just sounds like quick, cheap, taxing spellwork to me.

The topic of roleplaying Au Ra pre-Heavensward is a bit of a contentious one. It's already rare to find people doing it, but the scarcity of information about them means that a lot of what people are basing their characters around is headcanon. You may have a hard time finding other players who will share in the details of your character's time in Eorzea. I don't dislike the idea personally. It's challenging to base a character off of very little lore, but the writer's talent will ultimately bare out the character's success. I would suggest at least waiting a bit longer though. It's very likely that we'll see an Au Ra lore drop in the next couple weeks before the Benchmark. I think it will provide much needed grounding for some, and it may even inspire others to get involved earlier. You may find much more interest then! As for myself, I would definitely be interested in this idea post-launch!

I always thought that every great feat of skill in this game expended at least a little aether. I've seen pretty basic NPCs perform exceptional moves such as shooting a bow out of another archer's hand, discharging energy from a lance or fist, throwing multiple precision knives while spinning, splitting boulders with an axe... I've also seen aether transferred from one person to another so that they can perform even greater physical attacks. This is a magical world. Why wouldn't these things be possible or able to be learned by most adventurers? There's only two things I really think need to be considered in all this. One is that it's just not fair for your character to be objectively more powerful than any other character or undefeatable--roleplaying is a multiplayer affair where no one is the hero and everyone ought to be on more or less equal ground. The other is that your character ought not be entirely defined by your upper limit in combat. It should be acceptable to tone it back or to be defeated in combat, because that's not all your character is about, and sometimes tone and situations in certain scenes merit certain outcomes. The object of roleplay is for everyone to have fun. So be flexible, I say! All things in moderation--especially moderation.

We never learn anything about that Adventurer's past. So personally, I don't think that makes them a good example for a roleplay character. Often at least, roleplayers like to ground their characters in history and lore, the depth and richness of which depends on how important it is to the character as well as the player. Most definitely though, completely making things up does streamline the process of character creation. I think that's why it holds an intrinsic appeal to some people. It's just a plot device to justify why you need everything explained to you for the sake of being expositional about the story and lore, that's all. No-one should really read into the actual situation of the PC itself. Having said that, I think Blue's point was simply that there are always exceptions to the rule. I don't think that was their point. They were actually rebutting the sentiment that people might be jumping the gun by roleplaying an Au Ra without knowing anything about what they are, where they come from, or even how they are named. When it comes to creating a character, I don't believe making more exceptions necessarily makes a character more exceptional. It goes beyond the traditional history of a race to found a character in their race's lore. Where a character has come from in society, tradition, family and values has an impact on the shape of a character's personality. These elements introduce the avenues and context by which a character relates to others and interprets the world around them. Why nix all that and reduce a character's race to a cosmetic choice? Actually, I was exactly making that point. If you don't want to wait for the lore, you can RP an Au Ra even now just by saying you're an adventurer from an unknown land. Exceptions are possible and very well allowed, it's not impossible. Yeah, that's my mistake. You're right--you weren't actually arguing in favor of people playing Au Ra with the limited knowledge we have about them, because you still advocate for doing research. There wasn't even anything to research at all until very recently. I apologize for attributing that to you.

Well you did say that it needed the RPC's support... I'm willing to bet the actual reason people aren't jumping on this is because it's a solid, specific idea for a new in-game system, and its format and function aren't appealing to them. In my opinion, the idea is just superfluous--we already have quests and updates that introduce bonus outfits and emotes and such. I imagine most people just want more of that stuff. It's like how if you supported reform to combat global warming, you wouldn't just throw your support behind a costly and ridiculous proposal to build a heat-destroying Doomsday Weapon. There are probably better ways to raise awareness about an issue you're passionate about than by blowing up the sun with a Death Ray. Though I guess that would get people's attention. Anyway, I feel like if folks want the good elements and ideas in this to be upped and considered, then a thread with general pro-roleplay ideas should be promoted and discussed on the main forum.

We never learn anything about that Adventurer's past. So personally, I don't think that makes them a good example for a roleplay character. Often at least, roleplayers like to ground their characters in history and lore, the depth and richness of which depends on how important it is to the character as well as the player. Most definitely though, completely making things up does streamline the process of character creation. I think that's why it holds an intrinsic appeal to some people. It's just a plot device to justify why you need everything explained to you for the sake of being expositional about the story and lore, that's all. No-one should really read into the actual situation of the PC itself. Having said that, I think Blue's point was simply that there are always exceptions to the rule. I don't think that was their point. They were actually rebutting the sentiment that people might be jumping the gun by roleplaying an Au Ra without knowing anything about what they are, where they come from, or even how they are named. When it comes to creating a character, I don't believe making more exceptions necessarily makes a character more exceptional. It goes beyond the traditional history of a race to found a character in their race's lore. Where a character has come from in society, tradition, family and values has an impact on the shape of a character's personality. These elements introduce the avenues and context by which a character relates to others and interprets the world around them. Why nix all that and reduce a character's race to a cosmetic choice?

We never learn anything about that Adventurer's past. So personally, I don't think that makes them a good example for a roleplay character. Often at least, roleplayers like to ground their characters in history and lore, the depth and richness of which depends on how important it is to the character as well as the player. Most definitely though, completely making things up does streamline the process of character creation. I think that's why it holds an intrinsic appeal to some people.

First of many or not aside, right now many of the Jobs in-game are only available to the most distinguished and exceptional of adventurers, if only due to the limited number of people in the world who even know how to access that power, let alone teach it, and how highly they regard your amazingly heroic character before they consider teaching you. It's not outside the realm of possibility to be one of these Jobs (though at the very least there are lore reasons why characters who possess these abilities still wouldn't call themselves by their Job titles), given the right sort of character and background, and maybe a bit of how it would be written. Being more than one such Job would be pushing the limit even further... There are two reasons why such considerations should give you pause. First, to claim a Job is to claim tremendous and noteworthy power for a character. These are definitely feats beyond what normal characters are capable of. That in itself is not a bad thing, but consider realistically how long it would take to master such a rare and important talent, and what the sacrifices would be. Your hero character can do it because they are very special, and do nothing but adventure and solve the world's problems. If you commit strongly enough to a Class to attain and master its Job, you would have little time for alternative study and activity. That's ultimately the trade-off that maintains the balance of what a roleplay character is capable of, by giving characters inherent disadvantages, weaknesses or gaps in knowledge. And if your character spread their study around so as to delve into multiple Jobs, then can your character really have had the time to become skilled enough in any to claim their powers or titles? But there is a second reason to consider, one that clarifies the difference between a powerful character and a "Mary Sue." I posed the following question to myself when I began to give consideration to roleplaying a Summoner: How would this enhance the roleplay experience of myself and others. Power for the sake of itself is rarely ever a good justification for roleplay decisions, and the proof of that is in how many awesome characters all of us can name who had few if any notable powers and skills. In roleplay, the value of power is in how it is written. I could make my character a Summoner and justify his ability and opportunity to defeat a Primal and ensnare its power, acquire the necessary artifacts, uncover the right tome or the right people to gain the knowledge and insight to perform the rituals, and all that jazz. But then what do I do with all of that, realistically? Sit in a tavern and tell everyone about how many Chakras I've unlocked? Don't plan for power if your character can get by fine without it. Your standard disciplines already bestow incredible martial might and skill, and in the face of overwhelming power, it's been shown that preparation, guile and a little luck will always outlast and overcome. And we like stories like that, don't we? Eorzeans are the underdogs, and it makes for a good story. Your player character only gains more power in order to best even more powerful foes. A roleplay character doesn't require great power or great titles to be amazing, and so it all comes down to the purposes of such powers, both for the character, their roles, and the people they connect with. If you can't really think of a reason to give your character notable and renown powers, abilities and connections, where less would serve just as well, then my suggestion would be to go with the more "mundane" alternative. A good writer can make a simple Gladiator seem amazingly skilled and clever. When people look for Mary Sues, on the other hand, what they look for most often is undeserved and gratuitous power and status. That's the way I look at it, anyway.

For now I wouldn't worry too much about what plans might be implemented in future expansions, because those will surely be as unique from what is available to us now as the Jobs are from their respective Classes, if not moreso. I'd shy away from using terms like "Red Mage" in-game though, as the term is not canon. I once saw someone in the Quicksand touting their study of "Blue Magic" and "Green Magic" and I didn't think that was entirely kosher. Not every roleplay idea requires a label, especially one with a meaning that could change when and if it's added to FFXIV. Someone mentioned earlier the difference in aetherial manipulation between DoM classes, and I think it's important to note that contrary to what was said, Arcanists do not manipulate aether outside of their bodies as Conjurers do. I just did the Arcanist guild starter quest last night on a character, and the art is described clearly as one that takes advantage of ones own aether stores and shapes this aether via arcane geometry in order to influence the world. So it's obvious how Conjury is unique to other disciplines. As to how the field of Arcanima differs from Thaumaturgy, the latter pulls aether deep from within oneself, channels the power into a foci and directs that force into the world. The core practice of Thaumaturgy is to then shift ones aetherial aspect through deep understanding, and encourage a renewal of ones aether stores. Arcanima, on the other hand, relies less on arcane introspection and more on a calculated and measured understanding of the flow of aether itself. In other words it's less feeling and more thought. Arcanima developed by way of boiling down natural phenomena into mathematics. So it seems like what you do is take preconceived equations, express them geometrically, use this geometry to shape your aether and exert it upon an entity or the environment in order to create or recreate a desired effect. The practice of Arcanima is described to be very difficult and mentally taxing, because the limitations of their art require optimal application--employing the right equation in the right situation--thus demanding mathematical prowess and tactical insight. In contrast, Thaumaturgy is described as being more physically taxing, as an inexperienced Mage can drain all of their mana and be left without energy, or overdraw from their life essence and perish. So Arcanima can give you more for less--if used effectively. Now, in my opinion, you do already see a bit of crossover in disciplines if you look hard enough. Off the top of my head, I imagine Thaumaturgy employs some arcane geometry in any ritual requiring more than one participant or focus (though I see this behavior more frequently practiced by cultists for summoning). In the Summoner job quest line, meanwhile, your mentor instructs you to use deep introspection to formulate and draw forth the captured essence of a Primal imprinted on your aether using an Allagan soul crystal as a focus, which is not at all unlike basic Thaumaturgy.

Not a bad idea, but why would she have to learn Thaumaturgy in secret? Why would she be excommunicated for this, especially given Papalymo's status as a Gridanian hero? I haven't really seen anything to indicate that a path of embracing more than one approach to magic would be unacceptable. For one thing, the game pretty much encourages you to have one character that can learn any and all fields of magic. For another, the guilds are never played up as being discriminating against anyone who isn't evil, nor particularly binding to their members. Finally, Thaumaturgy and Conjury are not considered to be nearly as powerful nor as dangerous as Black and White Magic, so comparisons and anxiety over combining the two wouldn't happen. All E-Sumi-Yan ever says about Thaumaturgy is that the destructive power of Conjury doesn't rival it, but it makes up for this by being much better at protecting the user and their allies.

I only know Red Mages from FFXI myself. They weren't meant to be terribly powerful with White or Black Magic--they were jacks of all trades but masters of none, with their forte being enfeebling magic. As sort of an unexpected side effect of their potent job abilities, however, they made pretty excellent healers. It seems like in FFXIV, their job abilities got incorporated into Thaumaturges, and their duality and magical role resembles what you've got with Arcanists. I'd say to build something like a "Red Mage" you character could just be fairly well-learned in all magical fields, like FreelanceWizard's character. I believe cross-class abilities support this perspective, and I'm actually taking a very similar route with my own character--sort of a contemporary approach to aetherial manipulation that embraces function over form. I don't think a mastery of Black Mage or White Mage levels is feasible, but that probably isn't necessary either--when has power ever counted for more than versatility in roleplay, anyway?

I guess what I'm trying to say is, Miranda is not 100% "free" in that she would not willingly violate any law or contract when she felt like it, the way some Adventurers presumably would. However, she is still fairly independent-minded and emotionally sensitive by nature, and one of her core beliefs is that respect is not something that should have to be earned. I guess you could make the argument that Miranda has unrealistic expectations of the world as a whole (and that could be considered one of her flaws), but the fact remains that Raya-O-Senna loses her cool and verbally manhandles her poor Moggle minions AFTER she had already warned you that you must always control your negative emotions so as not to misuse White Magic as in the past. I think Miranda would catch onto this and sever all ties with those two Padjal after the cleansing ritual is complete, thus possibly incurring the wrath of the elementals, getting exiled from Gridania, or both. Working with the beastmen BLMs and in turn realizing that not all beastmen are bad, on the other hand, would likely be a pleasant surprise for Miranda, and it would fit her independent outcast persona. What I meant was that I thought the Thaumaturges' Guild represented both aspects of Nald'thal, and consequently they answered more to the Syndicate than to Thal (thus why Ququruka refers to them as "heretics"). Well, by that interpretation, the Arcanist's Guild is just as politically motivated as any of the others. Its members are just as prone to moments of weakness and hypocrisy, as well: So there's that, and then you see the Padjal get proven wrong and fallible and go through periods of introspection, and you see a bit of the shadiness in the practices of the Arrzaneth Ossuary as they ask you to placate angry patrons and keep belongings of the dead for themselves. The fact is that there really isn't actually a DoM guild with completely sterling members and principles, though personally I think that's actually rather nice to see. It makes the characters therein seem more real, more sympathetic, as you have to deal with mundane and realistic interpersonal issues within the guild, in addition to magical dilemmas. There really isn't a disadvantage to a character eventually disagreeing with the principles of these guilds and leaving, though. In fact, all the more reason to join the Scions, right? Adventurers do not violate the tenets of these guilds by continuing to adventure and leaving the guild behind, because when you hit level 30, the guild pretty much dismisses you to travel the world and do your own independent study and practice. I don't even think that there is an expectation of the player character to remain devoted solely to the cause of the forest in the White Mage questline. Though I seriously doubt that any roleplay character would go through the same experiences as the hero character does in that case (let alone be invited to learn White Magic by a Padjal), so I think the example is moot.

I was going to post some things with regard to the origins and nature of Conjury and White Magic, but Sounsyy did it much better and gave way more information than I actually knew. I'll add that through conversations with E-Sumi-Yan, it is stressed that much of a Conjurer's training goes into better understanding the elements that one is capable of manipulating, in order to both better respect the nature of ones duty as a Conjurer, and to improve ones ability to draw upon those elements. Indeed, E-Sumi-Yan says that "conjury is not the sole province of the conjurer." That's because you're essentially trained to be a Hearer in some measure as well by the guild, after you vow to serve nature and the will of the Elementals. So there are certain expectations made of a student of Conjury, right off the bat, that are unique to other guilds. But judging from the fact that your character's still an adventurer and not a Gridanian Hearer by the end of their training, I don't think those vows are particularly binding. I don't think it's indicated that Shatotto started that war. She was more a pioneer in the art of aetherial manipulation, wasn't she? It was ultimately the abuse of the craft she developed that led to its ill results. Strange to count Ul'dah's politics as a mark against Thaumaturgy, as they are only tangentially related to one another. Also, doesn't Sylphie's story turn out very well at the end with the help of the Padjal? And is it so bad to discover that Padjal are people as well, and suffer moments of weakness and fallibility? I suppose if this is about choosing a magical discipline for a character to pursue, minor trifles of politics and disagreements in practice only seem relevant if the character's intent is to remain a devotee to the guild and home nation. But as you said before, your character is casting their lot in with the Scions, so why do these issues matter? If anything, they're all the more reason to do so.

Hi there Haruka, and welcome to Balmung. First off, the answer to your question is that being KO'd results only in a reduction of your armor and weapon's Condition percentage. When the Condition of a piece of gear reaches zero, it becomes significantly less powerful until you repair it at a Mender NPC (or repair it yourself if you're the right type and level of crafter). Note that if you are under level 10, you don't suffer Condition loss when you get KO'd. However, your gear loses Condition percentage over time just by simply being used, so eventually you'll have to get it repaired even if you aren't KO'd. I have a bit of unrelated advice, as I see you making a lot of threads in this forum with brief questions and comments. See, a forum is best used to discuss topics, as responses can often be relatively slow but very long and detailed. If you post a question or comment here, you're less likely to receive a timely response--you could end up waiting a whole day for an answer! A better bet would be to try and get your answers in-game. There are a number of friendly OOC Linkshells on Balmung that you can request to join. Here's a link to the full list of Linkshells on the server. OOC Linkshells can also be a great way to find roleplay out in the world. One Linkshell I would recommend for your purposes is Intermission. Intermission is probably the biggest roleplayer hub that Balmung has, and so you'll have plenty of folks to meet and talk to there. Good luck out there!

Good catch! I actually just saw this today when I redid Qarn. So Belah'dia being a contemporary of Amdapor would be impossible. Probably more accurate to assume it was formed around the same time as Ul'dah and Sil'dih. Same text though does indicate that the Temple pre-dates the Belah'dians and that they just took it over for their own use. So there was a 5AE civilization that existed at Qarn, it just wasn't Belah'dia. Thanks for the fact check though, and I should probably fix my post above before someone references it! ^^ This is more or less pure speculation, but I get the feeling from how some of the NPCs talk about Belah'dia that it existed well before Ul'dah and Sil'dah, maybe as the precursor to those civilizations. For instance, when you first join the Thaumaturge's Guild, the receptionist tells you that Ul'dah "inherited its traditions from ancient Belah'dia, a city founded by the descendants of the first mages." Here Belah'dia is described as "ancient", despite being a Sixth Era civilization. Since Thaumaturgy first came about in the Fifth Era, this leads me to think that maybe Belah'dia was built upon the ruins of a Fifth Era nation by the mages that survived the Sixth Umbral Era (and who were possibly the previous citizens of that nation). Now on the topic of Scholars, it seems like a good number of Arcanist roleplayers give consideration to whether their characters will become Scholars or Summoners, or regard these jobs as the natural progression of an Arcanist character. Lorewise, however, there's not really a reason for a character to think this way. Arcanists have no history dating back to Allagan Summoners or Nymian Scholars. "The roots of arcanima can be traced back to the esoteric calculations practiced by the people of the south sea isles," says the Arcanist's Guild receptionist, who goes on to say that these mages, wishing to expand their knowledge, came to Limsa Lominsa by sea. This means that Arcanists have only existed in Eorzea for less than 700 years. It seems like the only reason the Summoner and Scholar jobs get tied into the Arcanist class is that those lost fields of magic took on a similar form to what those south sea mages developed, and contemporary Arcanists have sought to expand their knowledge of arcanima by reviving these practices. A character who is an Arcanist does not ever have to opt to become a Scholar or Summoner (especially since, as mentioned before, those titles don't really even exist anymore). Alternatively, an Arcanist could reasonably opt to learn both practices and more, since the whole milieu of Arcanists is expanding their knowledge and capabilities through study and practice. They're easily the most eclectic Disciples of Magic.

Well, the way I see it, there would be nothing more terrifying to a mage than a mad-man with an axe charging at them wearing heavy armor. As for Nym's contemporaries, it is believed that the nations of Nym, Amdapor, and Belah'dia were the 5th Astral Era equivalents to the modern day Limsa, Gridania, and Ul'dah. We know that Nym possessed marauder legions led by arcanimian tacticians called Scholars and their faeries. And we know that Amdapor was a nation of White Mages. It's never expressed, but given the time period, we can either assign Black Magic to Belah'dia or handwave the art as a commonplace magic practiced throughout Eorzea. Both are plausible. If the former, we can assume that Amdapor and Belah'dia (who are actually very close neighbors geographically) were in a near constant state of war. Whether or not Nym was engulfed in this power struggle between magicks, I can't say. The quest text for the Sunken Temple of Qarn calls Belah'dia a Sixth Astral Era civilization, so it probably wouldn't have been a neighbor to Amdapor. We really don't know much about the political landscape of the Fifth Astral Era--maybe because they kept blowing each other up or destroying themselves. It's not at all unlikely that the ones attempting to conquer Nym were White Mages at least (Thaumaturges and Black Mages both also being possibilities), if the conquerors were from Aldernard. However, all the resources I've found about the Sixth Era denote their decadence and hubris, but not much in the way of warlike tendencies. I could be wrong, though. Finally, if I recall correctly, the Scholar quests suggested that the thing that made Nym's armies the most terrifying and formidable to their enemies was the fact that, on top of being an army of mad men with axes and armor, they were also shielded with magic that both absorbed damage and healed them.

To be honest I used the arrogance of the Wildwood and the hypocritical and potentially endangering, secretive nature of the Conjurer trainer to enrich my Conjurer's backstory, as well as his opinion of Gridanians and of the Twelveswood in general. A strong case can be made for that whole society being terrible, but a strong case can be made to the contrary as well. It all ends up being a matter of perspective. Also, regardless of what guild you choose, you always have the option to bail after learning your craft. I still think the Thaumaturge line does little if anything to showcase an inherently corruptive nature in the guild itself. The one person who suffers this the most isn't even a Thaumaturge, just a wannabe who hadn't even been admitted into the guild in the first place because training them would be too dangerous. If anything I think that shows that the teachers of Thaumaturgy are responsible with the power they hold. A few bad circumstances don't diminish that, but rather illustrate why responsible training is so necessary. In any case, I think the Thaumaturges are even more lovably nerdy than the Arcanists. They're great.

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? 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. 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.

Thanks for that post, Sounsyy. I had some questions about the lore of magic in Eorzea myself, and you've really cleared some things up for me.

Of course it's worth it. The folks you see advertising OOC are only the most visible FCs available at a glance (for obvious reasons). Many of the FCs I've seen about encourage member interaction and sometimes attendance at events and gatherings before application is considered, so that you get to know folks IC and OOC and you have an IC reason for joining. It's done relatively naturally. Still other FCs I'm aware of ONLY recruit IC. The rub is that the more you handle things IC, the more you really have to go looking for these FCs. But trust me, they're out there.