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Dark Knight Lore


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Thinking about making my character a Dark Knight. I just want to know a lot more about the lore however. I know it's like much of an emotional class and whatnot. My character is kind of a sociopath, so would that even work? Also, how would one rp as a Dark Knight?

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An older post on Dark Knight lore and history can be found here!

 

RPing a Dark Knight depends really on the character. Traditionally, a "Dark Knight" is someone fed up with the status quo and seeks vigilante justice for (sometimes) perceived wrongs against them or those they care about. To wield the powers of a Dark Knight, they need to harness their strongest emotions. These don't have to be negative ones like jealousy or wrath. It can be extreme happiness too, but given the types of characters who walk the path of the Dark Knight, the typical range of emotions tends to veer into the darker ones. 

 

They don't have to be Ishgardian or from Ishgard, but that is where the art was born, is focused, and where the known line of possible teachers/soul crystals seem to be situated. Alternatively, a Dark Knight doesn't need to harness the dark arts to be a Dark Knight, originally they were just swordsmen. Also, you don't have to call yourself a Dark Knight if you just want your character to wield a big sword, if you find the lore behind them is not really what you're looking for in this character. 

 

Hope this helps!

Edited by Sounsyy
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Playing a sociopathic dark knight sounds interesting to say the least... At first glance it looks totally contradictory to what motivates a Dark Knight and fuels their Darkness considering that a sociopath would have a very difficult time to actually even want or try to protect anyone and bring justice like batman since they would probably be the least susceptible to feel any compassion for the oppressed. 

 

However I still think it can be interested to have a Dark Knight only caring about themselves and the wrongs they could have suffered, and the justice they could just look for themselves?

 

One of the main themes you could/would be exploring in my opinion with such a character would be a rather gritty and ruthless Darkness, maybe more than usual, and fueled by loads of selfishness, destroying everything in the DRK's path without them even giving two shits about it. I mean, if I hear sociopathic dark knight, that's the first thing that crosses the mind. Lacking any form of compassion, that sure sounds like a character that would see everything standing in their way to be discarded like nothing more than an annoyance.

Edited by Valence
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Bear in mind that if your character gives in to the darkness, they will be taken over by the darkside and there is no known cure for that. It is the constant struggle every dark knight faces. The battle between their inner self that tells them to kill.

you would need some sort of counter balance to not succumb. Or maybe you could just embrace it and play a succumbed DRK. That is possible and fits the sociopath persona. Just bear in mind the darkside is not exactly...A sociable creature.

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1 hour ago, Koro Dotharl said:

Bear in mind that if your character gives in to the darkness, they will be taken over by the darkside and there is no known cure for that. It is the constant struggle every dark knight faces. The battle between their inner self that tells them to kill.

 

You know, I've wondered about that. The whole idea of losing yourself to the Darkside, that sounds obviously destructive when your Darkside is fueled by negative emotions like anger and whatnot. But it's been mentioned that any strong emotion can fuel the Darkside.

 

... What happens if you succumb to a Darkside wrought of love?

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6 minutes ago, Gegenji said:

 

You know, I've wondered about that. The whole idea of losing yourself to the Darkside, that sounds obviously destructive when your Darkside is fueled by negative emotions like anger and whatnot. But it's been mentioned that any strong emotion can fuel the Darkside.

 

... What happens if you succumb to a Darkside wrought of love?

 

To use an anime term, probably a yandere. I'd imagine a darkside created with an emotion like love would be blind to other serious faults or perhaps so obsessed with the target of that love, they would do -anything- to keep it, whatever the cost. While we typically think of love as something good, it can be easily corrupted just like any other emotion. 

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16 minutes ago, Unnamed Mercenary said:

 

To use an anime term, probably a yandere. I'd imagine a darkside created with an emotion like love would be blind to other serious faults or perhaps so obsessed with the target of that love, they would do -anything- to keep it, whatever the cost. While we typically think of love as something good, it can be easily corrupted just like any other emotion. 

 

Yeah, that sounds about right. I was just throwing it out there as a thought experiment since we're talking about the obviously "darker" emotions with regards to succumbing. One that has succumbed to one of the more generally "positive" strong emotions gone wrong like that would be an interesting character concept.

 

... Or at the silliest, you have a DRK team not unlike the bosses of MGS3.

 

THE PAAAIN.

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The question is - do you want your character to be a Dark Knight (tm), or a guy with a big sword?

 

Game mechanics restrict who can wield what weapon, how one is trained, etc.  Realistically, nothing prevents anyone from picking up any weapon. There are plenty of people who use two handed swords who are not Dark Knights. Not everyone who uses a bow or spear went to Gridania to train. Just because someone is using a sword and shield doesn't necessarily mean that person spent time as a Gladiator in Ul'dah.  And so on.  A lot of these situations become even more ridiculous when you consider that there are people from Ishgard, or Garleans, or the Far East who are just as skilled as anyone from Eorzea.

 

So, if you want your character to be a guy with a big sword - go for it. Don't let game mechanics hold you back. You don't need a fancy crystal to swing around a long piece of steel. In-character you may not have the "powers" of a Dark Knight, but it's not hard to tweak things a little to make them work in RP - NPCs break the rules all the time! The end effect of a skill may be similar, but how your character enacts that skill can be very different.

 

And if you do want a sociopathic Dark Knight, that's not necessarily out of the question. Being a sociopath doesn't necessarily mean being entirely devoid of emotions, there is a spectrum. Your character may have to reach a little deeper than most others, but just because someone isn't screaming like some anime character doesn't mean those emotions aren't there (unless, of course, you want your character to scream like an anime character when he enters 'rage mode' or whatever).

 

The game mechanics are guidelines, not set-in-stone laws.

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