Disciple of Land/Hand Classes and RP

[ndoto]

Hi, all! I've lurked the forum here for a while and have read through other topics regarding both the separation and integration of game mechanics from roleplaying, but there is one aspect I am curious about hearing more opinions on: the gathering/crafting classes.

 

Personally, I love crafting and gathering, and FFXIV's are very fun. Were I playing OOCly, I would probably pick up every DoL/DoH class but try to focus on the ones that were most pertinent to my class; this way, I could easily craft myself things like ingots and rubber, which are commonly used by Leatherworking, for instance. ICly, however, my character is ill-suited to be an Armorer or an Alchemist.

 

Everyone likely has different views on the topic and on how tightly woven they want to keep it with their characters. What are your thoughts and how do you approach these classes? Do you strictly limit yourself to only fitting DoL/DoH classes that your character would have a real interest in? Do you treat the gathering and crafting as game mechanics that remain divorced from your character's RP? Or do you walk a middle line, treating some professions as IC but less fitting ones as OOC?

 

Thanks very much for reading, and I appreciate your input!

[Dromwald]

IC my character concentrates on alchemy, carpentry and fishing because those are what Vespino is interested in. OOC I dabble in all the DoL/DoH crafts because like you I really enjoy crafting.

[D R E N]

Based off the nature of my character, I tend to focus more on the gathering/crafting professions of FFXIV more so than the combat classes as well, but they have to be something that my character would be interested in. Begin the daughter of a farmer, her main focus is on fishing, botany, and cooking. She'll dabble in some carpentry and alchemy, but that is far from where her heart lies.

 

Her ultimate goal is open up Wildheart Bakery somewhere in Gridania or Limsa Lominsa, so it doesn't make sense for her to practice in Blacksmithing, Armorsmith, or Goldsmithing, despite my interest in wanting to learn those crafts eventually. Perhaps that will be saved for another character and another time.

 

She takes great pride in knowing that there aren't many who know the lay of the land and waters of Eorzea as well as she does. Throughout RP events, I typically wear my fishing gear as it's definitely something she would wear to most occasions with it's multitude of little bags and pouches for food, Gysahl Greens, and other useful items.

 

http://i.imgur.com/xDNDg9b.jpg[/img]

 

Unfortunately, FFXIV made it so that you can't unlock leve's of field/tradecrafts unless you have a combat class equal to that level range. If it were up to me, I would only level fieldcrafts and trades.

[FreelanceWizard]

I treat these classes the same way I treat all other classes -- I only pick up the ones that are appropriate for my character, since I don't personally have abilities in game mechanics that don't match my character concept. L'yhta ranges from "middlingly average" to "complete klutz" at everything related to mundane trades, so she doesn't have any synthesis or gathering classes. This is despite the fact that I actually rather like the crafting systems in ARR. I may ultimately end up creating an alt for crafting to scratch that itch, so to speak.

 

I'm a bit surprised to hear that you can't pick up tradecraft and fieldcraft leves without a corresponding combat class of the appropriate level. That seems a bit silly, given the DoL stealth abilities and the fact that tradecraft doesn't require you to even leave the area of the levemete if you don't want or need to. Perhaps they'll change that in a subsequent patch.

[AkhutaiAngura]

I'm a bit surprised to hear that you can't pick up tradecraft and fieldcraft leves without a corresponding combat class of the appropriate level. That seems a bit silly, given the DoL stealth abilities and the fact that tradecraft doesn't require you to even leave the area of the levemete if you don't want or need to. Perhaps they'll change that in a subsequent patch.

 

I think it's more a limitation of the questing system itself, than anything anything else.

 

Every outpost you to go with a levemate, you have to pick up a quest to 'prove' yourself to him, to show that you can handle his crap. That quest is always a combat-oriented quest... Or atleast, it has been for me - But my crafting professions have fallen far behind, as of late.

 

Now, as far as myself - I tend to do the same as what others have listed. I'll level the stuff that pertains to my character first.. So Kaln's getting his monkism leveled primarily. Then, I'll go to work on his leatherworking/weaving.. As a character, he would be the type to mend and make his own stuff out of the crap he finds lyin' around in the field. As those get worked on, I'll probably do the three gatherings intermittently... And then I'll move on to doing all the other craftings, for guild functionality. IF someone needs something, I want to be able to help out.

[Naunet]

I wholly intend to level every single class, combat and gathering/crafting both, on Antimony eventually. The vast majority of them will have no relation to her IC persona, though. I often tend to roleplay characters who can't really be defined by their in-game class, though, so I long ago learned to segregate a good chunk of gameplay from my IC story.