White Mage Lore

[Kazuhiro Williams]

Can anyone link me to a page with good white mage lore or tell me here. I have been can't seem to find any myself. I am trying to see how lore breaking or not is rping your character as a white mage.

[Tara]

Can anyone link me to a page with good white mage lore or tell me here. I have been can't seem to find any myself. I am trying to see how lore breaking or not is rping your character as a white mage.

Oh you've just opened a can of worms my friend.

Um....to most people, WHM is very lorebreaking to rp because historically only the Padjal are White Mages and the city of Amdapor-the heart of White Magic in years past- was destroyed and hidden.

[Michaux]

Here's a relevant thread: FFXIV jobs in RP

 

This is definitely a very contentious issue in the FFXIV RP community. Given what we currently know, it's pretty much impossible to play a lore-compliant white mage.

[Seriphyn]

First post by this user! Given this topic, be gentle, RPC!

[V'aleera]

White Magic is extraordinary and arcane, but not impossible to learn via a small variety of means and circumstances.

 

If you are considering roleplaying this job give some thought to what the specific lore of White Magic offers your character over Conjury.

[Sounsyy]

Can anyone link me to a page with good white mage lore or tell me here. I have been can't seem to find any myself. I am trying to see how lore breaking or not is rping your character as a white mage.

 

I've put together a compilation of lore on the many facets of being a Conjurer or White Mage that you may find helpful.

 

-Conjury and White Magic Lore Compilation

 

In brief, many roleplayers feel that it is impossible to play an accurate White Mage character while abiding by the lore that we know. Others feel that there are certain, only-slightly lore-bending ways that one could go about it. But a decent percentage of both parties agree that the overall gain from your character claiming to be a White Mage instead of a Conjurer or Hearer outside small rp circles isn't worth the drama that usually accompanies this topic. I'd encourage you to explore the above link and read some of the threads it references to get a feel for the lore of both Conjurers and White Mages and decide for yourself which profession you'd most want to portray.

 

Hope this helps! ^^

[Faye]

Oh no, this again. To make the answer short, it's very lore-breaking. Others have linked the lore, so I won't be redundant there, but you may find ways to fudge it. But I wouldn't personally consider it worth all the griping you'll get from a large portion of the RP community if they hear about it.

[Yssen]

Soussny has posted up spiffy lore things to comb through, it is quite comprehensive and spiffy. As to how lore breaking, really up to each individual's personal opinion. I would add the caveat that the lore we have is fluid and mutable. What is "super lorebreaking" now, could easily shift as new stuff lore bits flow from the Devs or game itself. By way of example (and my personal favorite example), it was "super lorebreaking" to most to RP an actual Dragoon. 90% of the people that said that started eating crow after Heavensward. Delicious delicious crow. The lore changes, it is a thing. We all deal with it in our own way. That said here are some things to think on in the form of a few bullet points. Yay! Bullet points!

 

1. While Kojifox himself has said there is an alternate method to snagging White Magic other than going through the Elementals, we know little of it other than "it is nefarious." It is uncharted/undefined territory, and the method exists as pure speculation and theory craft at this point. 

 

2. White Magic is a Forbidden/Lost/Weird to have art. There is no getting around that, no matter how your character may have it. Keep in mind that this will not only affect how other player interact with you when your character flips the Prestige and tosses out a "Holy" or "Assize" or "Regen." You should also how the World/NPCs will react. It opens up a big can of plot worms. Not that plot worms are bad. Plot worms are awesome, they make the story happen. A few examples: Other casters might want to chase you down to learn how you got it, so they can get it for themselves. Fanatical Gridanians may want to stone you to death and/or leave you in the cornfields to appease the horrific seven year old children that rule over them like so much Twilight Zone episode. Depending on method, your "woodsin" might be through the roof. This may lead to giant, walking trees trying to chase you down while you are in the Shroud. These are just examples to help you with the plot worms that lead to good story.

 

3. If you decide your character is a WHM, keep the "Assassin Example" in your brain. The "Assassin Example" is basically this - In general, no assassin is going to say "HEY! I'M AN ASSASSIN!" to a room full of strangers. This example applies to many things that can be RPed and serves as a simple reminder that exactly 0% of the population is going to have any idea what you are RPing, unless your character tells them ICly. If your character is doing that, consider the "Why are they doing that?" factor. You have weird stuff, most characters with weird stuff keep it secret and keep it safe. This is also an elegant solution to some of the RPers out there who may state "if you are RPing a WHM, I am totally not RPing with you!" What they don't know, won't wreck day. Unless they Meta, but if they Meta screw 'em.

 

4. Does your character have to walk out into the world on day 1 as a WHM? What about day 30 or 40? The story hook of walking the path to wielding White Magic can be just as awesome as already running around with it. It starts with learning to wield magic and study and fun stuff. It can also lead to a pretty neato plot bus for people you drag along for the ride. The possibly delayed gratification solution also has the side benefit of there being a bit of extra time for new details to emerge from the lore. Remember, the only constant with the lore bits is that they are constantly changing. By the time your character takes the steps on the path to wielding that delicious delicious Succor, we might have learned that being a WHM is about as "super lore breaking" as being a Dragoon. Or a Scholar. Or a Warrior. Or a Monk. Then again, it is also possible that does not happen. No one really knows, BUT either way you have built a good story foundation as you ply your character in the direction you wish.

 

Hope this was helpful. Yar. ^ ^

[Warren Castille]

Lots of good advice from the above posters, and plenty of thought to chew on. I'd like to offer a contrary point to consider, if you'd really like to play a White Mage regardless:

 

Don't ever explain yourself. There's no need or inclination for your character to explain to any random people in roleplay how or why your character has access to Succor (what makes White Mage, er, a white mage!). Better, White Magic as a practice isn't even widely known in the realm, so the number of people who could legitimately press the question is extremely limited.

 

Just don't go broadcasting yourself as what you are, if possible. Conjurer might seem pretty plain compared to an iconic Final Fantasy job title, but it's plenty powerful on its own and you don't need to go that route if you don't want to. In XIV, White Mage is much less of a description of your role and much more of a job; They're a faction dedicated to protecting and preserving and serving the Twelveswood.

[LiadansWhisper]

Oh bother. I show up to this thread at 4am and even Warren has gotten here before me.

 

 

Seriously, OP, the previous posts have been very accurate and Yssen's had some great ideas.

[EternalKindred]

Yessen makes a very good point. Learning White Magic is not impossible, as one RPer mentioned to me a while back, one would imagine after the Seventh Umbral Calamity the need for White Magi to heal the land increased, forcing the Padjal to teach non-Padjal. Of course this is debatable but it is also reasonable to assume with the damage Bahamut did to Eorzea and certainly it's Elemental denizens. The "Amdapori Way" as I call it (nefarious White Magic) is, as Yssen mentioned theorycrafting at best, though the logic could be drawn from other inspiration sources. I like to consider White Magi as Shamans, so, what about a Dark Shaman-esque archetype (Warcraft reference)? It can be speculated rather than working with the Elementals, you could force your will upon them and drain aether  without consent from nature to fuel your spells (Similar to Defilers from Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Sun.)

 

That's strictly theory though and someone could either agree or rebuttal the idea. If you want to RP a White Mage, I say - do it, ultimately you pay the money for subscription to enjoy the game, and if you can forge a realistic reason for encountering White Magic (like the journey to GET said White Magic) then by all means: whip out those Holy and Assize spells! Just be mindful of the IC ramifications of it, like Gridanians hating you, and perhaps even fanboys/fangirls wanting to follow in your footsteps.

[Valence]

I would add the caveat that the lore we have is fluid and mutable. What is "super lorebreaking" now, could easily shift as new stuff lore bits flow from the Devs or game itself. By way of example (and my personal favorite example), it was "super lorebreaking" to most to RP an actual Dragoon. 90% of the people that said that started eating crow after Heavensward. Delicious delicious crow. The lore changes, it is a thing. We all deal with it in our own way. That said here are some things to think on in the form of a few bullet points. Yay! Bullet points!

 

Yeah well, and they could have designed the dragoons in Heavensward to be inaccessible for players lore-wise, written clearly in red ink everywhere, and you would have been the one to eat crows.

 

It's a gamble really. Nice it paid of for you of course, but I have had to deal with that kind of things so many times on RP and MMOs in general that when it sadly turns the other way around, characters often tend to get binned, or retconed heavily...

[Yssen]

I would add the caveat that the lore we have is fluid and mutable. What is "super lorebreaking" now, could easily shift as new stuff lore bits flow from the Devs or game itself. By way of example (and my personal favorite example), it was "super lorebreaking" to most to RP an actual Dragoon. 90% of the people that said that started eating crow after Heavensward. Delicious delicious crow. The lore changes, it is a thing. We all deal with it in our own way. That said here are some things to think on in the form of a few bullet points. Yay! Bullet points!

 

Yeah well, and they could have designed the dragoons in Heavensward to be inaccessible for players lore-wise, written clearly in red ink everywhere, and you would have been the one to eat crows.

 

It's a gamble really. Nice it paid of for you of course, but I have had to deal with that kind of things so many times on RP and MMOs in general that when it sadly turns the other way around, characters often tend to get binned, or retconed heavily...

 

I actually, do not RP as a DRG. This is merely and example of why getting too dogmatic with what is "lore breaking" tends to be a bit of a silly practice. Lore drawn from an MMO or any sort of ongoing content is always mutable. Always. We are not the creators, and we do not know everything. Like so much John Snow, we know nothing. At least, we know nothing that does not flow from the Devs and creators themselves, and that is okay. Everything else we make an educated guess while combing over the "text" for clues. This is also okay. It would be slightly understating things to say that those that predicted the world of many DRGs jumping here and there and everywhere (GUMMIBEARS!) just had just had it "work out" for them. It was not fully a gamble, there were clues comma lots that this was the case. Still, you are correct that nothing was fully confirmed until the Heavensward trailer (MOAR GUMMNIBEARS!). Buuuuuut... this is not the point. The point is that I and others, could have absolutely been wrong. Absolutely possible, but when all these "Can we RP DRGs?" discussions were happening in the way back time there were people that chose to speculate (with evidence) on how it could be possible. Get dogmatic about a something, and you close your mind. Close your mind based around something is mutable, shifting, and wibbly-wobbly sets you up for a fall more often than not (and absolutely miss out on the fun stuff of the possible). The focus should always be on a concept can work based on the lore we currently know, not explaining 90 different reasons that a thing is not. Yar.

[Aurou]

Can anyone link me to a page with good white mage lore or tell me here. I have been can't seem to find any myself. I am trying to see how lore breaking or not is rping your character as a white mage.

 

You've been given some very sound advice and lore links here already. Something else to take into consideration - What type of RP are you looking for? Are you more of a casual or serious RPer? Do you just want to have some day-to-day interactions with random people or something more in depth with a set group?

 

If you choose the White Mage route you will get some serious side-eye from certain circles that might even just ignore you all together. That's the plain and simple truth. Others won't care at all because they write equally 'lore breaking' characters themselves or simply don't care. Some of the more in-between groups will just think your character is a little off the wall or might not take them as seriously as you might want.

 

At the end of the day you are paying your own subscription fee and writing your own choose-your-adventure story. Do you want to fit in and conform to the more narrow view of strict lore-followers or go with the more free flowing crowd? Both are great in their own respects.

[Valence]

There is a difference between "based on the lore we currently know" and "based on hypothesises or whims", in my opinion. Maybe I never totally got what pushed people to always want to play the things that are lore delicate, or why they always feel the need to world build lore general facts instead of focusing on local details without much consequences on lore...

 

I totally understand your view on that, and i'm definitely the last that will go tell people how they are doing it right or wrong (who cares, the better for them!). It's just not how I see things. As I said, I would rather prevent a retcon when I'm proven wrong than having to tell all my friends and contacts "so guys, it would appear that I played something that now totally contradicts the new lore, I knew I was betting on a gamble, and so i'll have to retcon everything that I played with you all up to that point, thanks". Basically.

 

I'm also fine with a bit of lore bending, but there are limits for me.

[Nero]

There are a number of threads you may find useful.

 

What it boils down to is this: roleplaying as a white mage is very implausible lore-wise for a number of reasons and making a justifiable reason for it that lore-adhering players will accept is unlikely.

 

Being a conjurer VS. being a white mage

Is it really impossible to RP if I want my character to become a White Mage?

Lore Reasons: White Mage?

RP Issue with White Mage

Becoming a White Mage

[LiadansWhisper]

There is a difference between "based on the lore we currently know" and "based on hypothesises or whims", in my opinion. Maybe I never totally got what pushed people to always want to play the things that are lore delicate, or why they always feel the need to world build lore general facts instead of focusing on local details without much consequences on lore...

 

I totally understand your view on that, and i'm definitely the last that will go tell people how they are doing it right or wrong (who cares, the better for them!). It's just not how I see things. As I said, I would rather prevent a retcon when I'm proven wrong than having to tell all my friends and contacts "so guys, it would appear that I played something that now totally contradicts the new lore, I knew I was betting on a gamble, and so i'll have to retcon everything that I played with you all up to that point, thanks". Basically.

 

I'm also fine with a bit of lore bending, but there are limits for me.

 

Which is, I think, why the "easiest" way of portraying a White Mage is to simply keep it a closely-guarded secret and never speak of it in RP. That way, if it ends up that there's literally no way to do it, you don't really have to retcon anything.

 

Of course, this begs the question, then, of why it even needs to be on your sheet, but I think a case could be made that the internal story (i.e. what is going on in your character's head at any given moment that is not known by anyone else) can be just as important to a player as the external story everyone sees.