Need Help With Dark Character

[Madda]

Hihi.

 

So I was about to brush off the old healer character and was wondering if I could get some help with a character idea I've been having for her. My goal was to be a kind of "underling" for a darker/evil kind of group forced in by whatever means.

 

They would have grown up from a somewhat poor family, prioritizing their own money and self before all else, but find it hard to turn help away from people in desperate need. While not exactly deep in the dark end, they'd still find it within their interest to help out a group for shady needs as long as the coin and such were good.

 

1. What kind of race would fit the personality the base?

2. Would you have any critique you'd like to give to a person wanting to RP an underling / potential criminal?

[GentleGiraffe]

I don't think any race is inherently more criminally aligned than others in the lore. That said!

 

Duskwight Elezen: thanks to the persecution they suffer in Gridanian territory (and any other Woodwild-dominated territory, with Ishgard being something apart) many Duskwight turn to banditry. 

 

Ala Mighan: They are treated very poorly in Ul'dah, a city where your monetary wealth is valued above everything. A refugee could easily become a criminal in order to try and alliviate the poverty and suffering they live under.

 

And any character coming from Limsa Lominsa and its surroundings can have a pirate/criminal background really.

[Kazukata]

Considering the specific "desperate and shady for the coin" subset of criminality, Ala Mhigans are the ones who most "stereotypically" fit the bill (or so in-game cultural/racial biases would have you believe), but the various races are really open-ended in what they allow, and even within each race, there are numerous different nationalities and cultures that would change your character's backstory (such as, for example, Ala Mhigo). Any can fulfill what you're looking for in some fashion or another. You could be a Miqo'te who left their tribe and couldn't make it in a city-based society, or a pirate who didn't get with the changing times and lost everything fighting against Limsa Lominsa. You could even be an Ul'dahn Dunesfolk Lalafell merchant baron who's fallen from grace and been stripped of riches, reduced to petty crime. Hell, you could be that same merchant baron without even being a Lalafell.

 

The ways your character could find themself bankrupt and turning towards crime are many, so I'd focus on picking a race you like for that race's flavor first, then figure out how you want to make them poor and desperate. Look at some of the other aspects of the races (Miqo'te clan structure, Au Ra's far eastern lore, etc.) and see which race's quirks speak to you. Once you've gotten that far, you'll probably have some inspiration working inside that racial framework of what you want to do for a backstory to make your criminal tick.

 

The one direction I would nudge you in is the city of Ul'dah. The city's overrun by more refugees and impoverished individuals than the government knows what to do with, and, as already mentioned, the city has extremely sharp divides in social class based on wealth. Desperate petty criminals like you're looking to make are a dime a dozen there, so you'd fit right in, though you could likely find circumstances to also place your character elsewhere if the city's lore isn't to your liking.

[Nebbs]

Well, I would take on the inept side of all henchmen and lackies. Never have the master in play, just always be on a mission or errand for them. There are numerous references you could use, probably a few tropes.

 

Some plots:

• Out shopping for some extra dark ingredients as a surprise banquette so that your Master may notice you
  
• Sent to spy on some other denizen (good for dungeon RP)
  
• Trying to purchase innocents in the markets of Ul'dah
  
• Organ dealing for your Master who is trying to build a Frankenstein thing
  
• Wanting to hire a group to steal something your Master wants
  
• Hire a clean up crew to clear out the dungeon that you Master wants to take over (now I have an image of an all Maid Dungeon crew)
  
• Selling off some dark items as your Master is running low on cash
  
• Maybe your Master has left and you are just going through the motions to keep up the illusion they are still active, because you know they will be back
  

[Thunderbolt300]

I can't offer much on your first question since everyone has hit on that already, but as for question number 2? Network network network. Be willing to approach other players OOC to decide the means of resolving an IC conflict. Criminals, underlings, and villains are very dependent on working collaboratively OOC with other players to succeed. It means a lot of effort to do well, but it's worth it for an amazing experience for everyone!