Roleplaying in WoW
This page has an interesting article about rolling characters on an RP realm.
It includes a bunch of questions to help you brainstorm a new character, or flesh out an existing one.
So I picked a couple of my RP characters and answered the questions.
Is your character known by a nickname? Is there a reason why they received the name they did?
OBSIDIA: No nickname, although it gets shortened to "Obs" in chat sometimes, which I imagine she hates. Too bad since Ony and Nef have shortened nicknames. ;)
I actually made up the name long before they added an actual dragon with the same name in the Blade's Edge Mountains. It's a natural, considering the pattern other black dragons have in WoW lore.
MAELDAN: I suppose he could be "Mael" but that's a bit too much like "Kael" for Kael'thas. It's only two syllables, anyway, what does he need with a nickname? :P
His name is a combination of his parents', Illidan and Maiev. Maieldan looked too weird so the spelling is a bit different than you might expect. ;)
Does your character prefer Common/Orcish or its racial language? Does it know Common/Orcish well, if at all?
OBSIDIA: Obsidia is fluent in Common and Draconic. Dragons seem to have a knack for picking up languages so I suppose she could manage with others if she had to.
MAELDAN: He's more of a polyglot. He doesn't mind speaking in Common most of the time, but is obviously fluent in Darnassian as well. I imagine he has a conversational level of the Sindorei language, too, since they're rather similar. In my fic I also had him casting a long incantation in a number of languages, both ancient and modern, but reciting and speaking are two different things.
Does your character have a disability? Is it lame? Does it stutter? Does it hiss? Does it see well?
OBSIDIA: Hmm...she's easily distracted by shiny objects! ;)
MAELDAN: Not really, unless you count being snarky and antisocial.
How old is your character?
OBSIDIA: I'd have to look up the aging process for dragons in WoW lore, but she's the draconic equivalent of like 17 or 18.
MAELDAN: 4000-ish. I could be totally wrong about that, too, though. Non-human ages are confusing. ^_^;
Does your character have a last name?
OBSIDIA: Prestor, of course. ;) Not that I include that in my Flag RSP addon description, since people would be like "ZOMG how unoriginal you're ripping off Onyxia." :p
MAELDAN: Technically would be Stormrage, I guess, but for the same reason as Obsidia's surname, I have his Flag RSP surname set as "Stormshadow"--again, half of each parent's name. (Stormrage + Shadowsong)
Where is your character from? Why did that character leave that place? Why did your character become an adventurer?
OBSIDIA: The comic explains it all.
MAELDAN: The fics (especially this one explain his origins.
Does your character hate the opposite faction? Does your character hate civillians from the opposite faction?
OBSIDIA: They're all mortals, and as such they're all beneath her. I imagine she has a bit of a soft spot for goblins due to their role as servitors to her father in the past, but otherwise they're just crunchy snacks.
MAELDAN: Maeldan likes Blood Elves. He's fairly indifferent to the rest of the Horde.
Why did your character chose the path they did (class)?
OBSIDIA: Lore-wise, WoW's black dragons are associated with fire and shadow magics. These conveniently are the base for the warlock class. ;)
MAELDAN: Shadow priest is the closest thing to a night elven sorcerer that the game will allow.
Is your character sane? Are they passionate about life? Are they melancholic? Do they hate their life?
OBSIDIA: Sane...ish. Heehee. ;) Certainly more sane than her father, anyway. She's alternatively resentful, frustrated, determined to prove herself, and bemused by her situation.
MAELDAN: Sane, but doesn't hesitate to take risks that more cautious folks would shy away from. He's also driven to prove his worth, and hungry for the most magical power he can get.
Is your character an alcoholic? Has a heart condition? Has a short temper? (No, your character does not have AIDS, cancer or gonorrhea and it does not have leprosy.)
OBSIDIA: Uh...none of the above. LOL!
MAELDAN: Fairly short temper, but otherwise...none of the above.
Is your character homosexual? Asexual? Bisexual? Pansexual?
I don't have any romantic plotlines for either character, but I imagine they're straight. Obsidia has a bit of a crush on Lord Bolvar, although that's mostly just to irritate her sister. ;)
Which god does your character follow? Do they follow the light? Do they honor them, or do they just not care about it?
OBSIDIA: She has a vague sense of reverence for the Titans who gave her father and the other Aspects their powers. That's about it.
MAELDAN: He reveres Elune (he was raised in the temple, after all) but he sees her blessings as totally inadequate for dealing real damage and power. If he has to wander into other, darker playgrounds to get what he craves, so be it.
It includes a bunch of questions to help you brainstorm a new character, or flesh out an existing one.
So I picked a couple of my RP characters and answered the questions.
Is your character known by a nickname? Is there a reason why they received the name they did?
OBSIDIA: No nickname, although it gets shortened to "Obs" in chat sometimes, which I imagine she hates. Too bad since Ony and Nef have shortened nicknames. ;)
I actually made up the name long before they added an actual dragon with the same name in the Blade's Edge Mountains. It's a natural, considering the pattern other black dragons have in WoW lore.
MAELDAN: I suppose he could be "Mael" but that's a bit too much like "Kael" for Kael'thas. It's only two syllables, anyway, what does he need with a nickname? :P
His name is a combination of his parents', Illidan and Maiev. Maieldan looked too weird so the spelling is a bit different than you might expect. ;)
Does your character prefer Common/Orcish or its racial language? Does it know Common/Orcish well, if at all?
OBSIDIA: Obsidia is fluent in Common and Draconic. Dragons seem to have a knack for picking up languages so I suppose she could manage with others if she had to.
MAELDAN: He's more of a polyglot. He doesn't mind speaking in Common most of the time, but is obviously fluent in Darnassian as well. I imagine he has a conversational level of the Sindorei language, too, since they're rather similar. In my fic I also had him casting a long incantation in a number of languages, both ancient and modern, but reciting and speaking are two different things.
Does your character have a disability? Is it lame? Does it stutter? Does it hiss? Does it see well?
OBSIDIA: Hmm...she's easily distracted by shiny objects! ;)
MAELDAN: Not really, unless you count being snarky and antisocial.
How old is your character?
OBSIDIA: I'd have to look up the aging process for dragons in WoW lore, but she's the draconic equivalent of like 17 or 18.
MAELDAN: 4000-ish. I could be totally wrong about that, too, though. Non-human ages are confusing. ^_^;
Does your character have a last name?
OBSIDIA: Prestor, of course. ;) Not that I include that in my Flag RSP addon description, since people would be like "ZOMG how unoriginal you're ripping off Onyxia." :p
MAELDAN: Technically would be Stormrage, I guess, but for the same reason as Obsidia's surname, I have his Flag RSP surname set as "Stormshadow"--again, half of each parent's name. (Stormrage + Shadowsong)
Where is your character from? Why did that character leave that place? Why did your character become an adventurer?
OBSIDIA: The comic explains it all.
MAELDAN: The fics (especially this one explain his origins.
Does your character hate the opposite faction? Does your character hate civillians from the opposite faction?
OBSIDIA: They're all mortals, and as such they're all beneath her. I imagine she has a bit of a soft spot for goblins due to their role as servitors to her father in the past, but otherwise they're just crunchy snacks.
MAELDAN: Maeldan likes Blood Elves. He's fairly indifferent to the rest of the Horde.
Why did your character chose the path they did (class)?
OBSIDIA: Lore-wise, WoW's black dragons are associated with fire and shadow magics. These conveniently are the base for the warlock class. ;)
MAELDAN: Shadow priest is the closest thing to a night elven sorcerer that the game will allow.
Is your character sane? Are they passionate about life? Are they melancholic? Do they hate their life?
OBSIDIA: Sane...ish. Heehee. ;) Certainly more sane than her father, anyway. She's alternatively resentful, frustrated, determined to prove herself, and bemused by her situation.
MAELDAN: Sane, but doesn't hesitate to take risks that more cautious folks would shy away from. He's also driven to prove his worth, and hungry for the most magical power he can get.
Is your character an alcoholic? Has a heart condition? Has a short temper? (No, your character does not have AIDS, cancer or gonorrhea and it does not have leprosy.)
OBSIDIA: Uh...none of the above. LOL!
MAELDAN: Fairly short temper, but otherwise...none of the above.
Is your character homosexual? Asexual? Bisexual? Pansexual?
I don't have any romantic plotlines for either character, but I imagine they're straight. Obsidia has a bit of a crush on Lord Bolvar, although that's mostly just to irritate her sister. ;)
Which god does your character follow? Do they follow the light? Do they honor them, or do they just not care about it?
OBSIDIA: She has a vague sense of reverence for the Titans who gave her father and the other Aspects their powers. That's about it.
MAELDAN: He reveres Elune (he was raised in the temple, after all) but he sees her blessings as totally inadequate for dealing real damage and power. If he has to wander into other, darker playgrounds to get what he craves, so be it.