(07-16-2014, 02:49 PM)Auralily Wrote: What precisely qualifies as an Adventurer? I'm not expressly against the idea of being one, I never was. I probably just got defensive because being told how to RP without any constructive criticism irks me. Are the Grand Company soldiers considered Adventurers as a whole? Are people with a dedicated job, whether it's as Sultanasworn, Yellow Jacket, crafter, etc. considered Adventurers?
Now that's a complicated question.
If we're talking strictly about what we see in game through quests, the term seems to mean "free-roving mercenary troubleshooter without a primary affiliation to another organization." The MSQ and side quests show adventurers as people who professionally take jobs to clear out "bad guys" (the first three dungeon quests), who engage in freelance archaeology and search and rescue (prelude quests for Cutter's Cry, Wanderer's Palace, relic weapon, etc.), supply running (Ishgard side quests), etc. Basically, the game frames adventurers as wandering do-gooders who exist outside of the normal sociopolitical systems -- albeit do-gooders who typically expect to be paid.
So, Sultansworn, Yellowjackets, Grand Company regulars, and the like wouldn't normally be considered adventurers by this definition, since they have a primary affiliation to an existing political structure. The ones who join a Grand Company are, as others pointed out, members of a specific unit for adventurers, and are typically sent on "sensitive" missions that require particularly resourceful people (Dzemael Darkhold, Aurum Vale).If we're talking IC-wise, it seems that anyone who goes out into the wilds in search of fortune can plausibly call themselves an adventurer. We can joke about the "adventurers' license" one receives from signing on with the Guild, but realistically, if your character calls him or herself an adventurer, then they are one. Whether people accept that or not IC depends on the tales you tell, abilities you exhibit, and such.
The Freelance Wizard
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Quality RP at low, low prices!
((about me | about L'yhta Mahre | L'yhta's desk | about Mysterium, the Ivory Tower: a heavy RP society of mages))
