Whether you’re just starting a new character or you’re looking to enjoy a different style of game-play, getting into role-playing can seem a bit overwhelming at first. There are tons of possibilities for character development, back story, personality and social interaction. There are also tons of “rules” or bits of RP etiquette that you may be completely ignorant of. I’m no role-play expert, but I do like to dabble now and then. If you really want to dig into the world of role-play, there’s a plethora of amazing blogs to help you out with that (and I’ll link them at the end of this post). Today, I’m simply going to share some food for thought for those of you looking to role-play a Hunter.
Types of Hunters
In role-play, the type of Hunter you play isn’t limited to the three talent specs available to the class, and even working within those three specs offers a lot of potential for different spins on the overlying theme.
Inspiration from Lore
Of course, there are tons of amazing hunters in Warcraft lore that you can draw from for inspiration. Now keep in mind, there’s a difference between inspiration and plagiarism. Avoid god-moding (making your character unreasonably strong) or copying your back story from established NPCs in lore.
Rangers
Rangers can vary in style and focus, but they’re primarily known as deadly foes with keen tracking abilities. Rangers can excel at either ranged or melee combat, and may or may not use pets. Rangers will often utilize their tracking and trapping abilities to devastating affect. Elves are the most common racial choice for rangers, since the elven races are known for grace, speed and subtlety–all key traits for rangers. Rangers also make excellent scouts for larger war parties. A good talent spec for a ranger would be Survival.
Notable rangers in lore include: The Windrunner sisters: Sylvanas, Alleria and Vereesa, Lor’themar Theron, Raene Wolfrunner, Thalressar, Rellian and Nathanos Blightcaller.
Beast Masters
When most people think of hunters, they think of beast masters: hunters whose connection with their pet is so strong that the two make an extremely deadly combination in battle. Like rangers, beast masters can excel at either melee or ranged combat, but unlike rangers, beast masters would be nothing without their pets. The beast master and his pet are two halves of the same whole. The two commune with one another and communicate on a level outsiders cannot understand. The two are fiercely loyal to one another, one ever willing to die for the other’s well-being. Any race with a natural affinity for nature and inherent ferocity would make an excellent beast master, though Orcs are the most common. As you might expect, a good talent spec for a beast master would be Beast Mastery.
Notable beast masters in lore include: Rexxar, Tagar Bearclaw and Leoroxx.
Marksmen/Archers
Marksmen differ from rangers in that they specialize in one particular aspect rather than being jacks of all trades, and typically will forgo the use of pets. Marksmen are precisely what the name would imply: foes with keen eye sight and deadly accuracy with ranged weapons. Marksmen will shun melee combat, always seeking to stay a good distance from their foes. Marksmen see their bows, guns or crossbows as extensions of themselves, similar to how beast masters view their pets. Most commonly, elves, dwarves or humans have the physiology and temperaments most suitable to marksmanship, though any race which can foster keen eyes and a steady hand could be adequate marksmen. Again, as you might expect, a good talent spec for a marksman would be Marksmanship.
Notable marksmen or archers in lore include: Galamav the Marksman.
Demon Hunters
Demon hunters have embraced the darker arts to turn those shadowy powers against those who would use them for evil, sacrificing their own purity for the good of society. While demon hunters are shunned by the majority of elven society, their effectiveness due to their selfless sacrifice cannot be ignored. Typically demon hunters will favor either melee or magical combat, using their war glaives or dark powers to vanquish foes. Ritually blinded, demon hunters develop what they call “spectral sight” which enables them to track and identify demons and undead with greater ease. While any race may become a demon hunter, they are most commonly elves. A good talent spec for a demon hunter would be Survival.
Notable demon hunters in lore include: Illidan Stormrage, Loramus Thalipedes, Theras, Netharel, Alandien, Altruis the Sufferer and Leotheras the Blind.
These are but a few examples for possible types of hunters you could choose to role-play. You may identify with one, all or none of them, and you can choose to mix and match as you feel is appropriate for your character and his or her story.
Creating a Back Story
In order to really get into character, you need to know who your character is. To do that, you need to know their history, their likes, their dislikes, their personality. These things are always a work in progress as you role-play–your character will be ever growing, learning and experiencing the world, and this will change them just as real life experiences change us, so don’t feel like you need to develop your character’s memoirs right off the bat. Start slow, think about basic personality traits and personal history and go from there.
Racial Traits
Remember, your character’s race matters. Whether that means your character will go against the grain in regards to stereotypical social norms for their race, fit the stereotype to a tee, or somewhere in between is entirely up to you. But race means something to all of us and it should mean something to your character as well.
Individuality
While it’s important to set your character apart from the millions of Drizzt knock-offs out there, it’s also important to know when enough is enough to avoid going overboard. We all have personality traits that set us apart from others, but we also have lots of things in common with the people around us. This is no less true for your character.
Don’t Forget Your Furry Friend
We’re Hunters! Don’t forget to include your pet in your back story and character concept! Even if you don’t plan on using a pet in your role-play or your pet won’t play a pivotal role in your character’s story, you should at least have some explanation of how your pet and character relate to one another. If you’re running sans pet, explain why. Did your pet die in battle and you haven’t the heart to replace it? Or perhaps your character never had a pet–either you never learned how to tame one, were never interested in taming one, or tried to tame one with tragic results. The options are endless, but make sure you give it some thought.
Social Interaction
Many feel that Hunters are a “loner” class. Will your character fit that mold, preferring the quiet of the wilds, or will you attempt to be more social and accessible to other players (or NPCs)?
Getting Started
Once you’ve put some thought into the type of character you’ll be playing and have a handle on your back story, it’s time to log in and start role-playing!
Realm Choices
If you’re rolling a new character, before you jump right in you’ll want to research the different RP realms out there to find a good fit. It can be extremely discouraging to come up with an awesome character only to find the realm you’re on is a place you just don’t enjoy being.
If you have friends that are already established role-players, it’s a no-brainer to go where they are. If you’re out to sea all by yourself, look around for online communities that have cropped up around RP realms. The Earthen Ring community site is a great example. Additionally, think about whether a standard RP or RP-PvP server is right for your character.
First Interactions
Once you’ve found a server and created your character, it’s time to start role-playing! If you’re new to role-play, your first few sessions may feel a bit stilted and awkward. Don’t be discouraged! It won’t be long until you find your stride. Until you do, there are a few bits of “RP etiquette” you’ll want to be aware of to help ease your way into your new community.
1. Pay attention to IC and OOC norms on your server
Most servers have their own sets of “rules” on IC (in-character) and OOC (out-of-character) behavior and communication. If you’re not sure what those “rules” might be, check your realm forums to see if there’s a thread explaining them. If there isn’t–ask! Once you’re aware of these conventions–follow them!
2. Know the lore you’re working with
If you plan to work bits of WoW lore into your character’s story, make sure you’re familiar with the lore you’re referencing! There’s a lot of lore in the game, and no one expects you to know everything, but at least know the bits that are relevant to your character.
3. Avoid meta-gaming
Simply put, meta-gaming is using your own knowledge of the game and world to react to events that your character would be ignorant of. For example, you may know that the Argent Tournament is going on, but if your character has never been to Northrend or communicated with anyone who has, they wouldn’t know much (if anything) about it.
4. Initiate contact with other players with care
Arrens has covered this topic much better than I ever could, and with much more detail. Go read more about initiating contact!
Getting Help
If you’re stuck for ideas for your next role-play session, there are tons of great resources out there to help you. The great thing about role-play is that inspiration can come from anywhere. Don’t be afraid to talk OOC with other role-players in your community who may have some words of wisdom to share with you. (Just make sure you check to make sure they’re open to OOC communication first!)
RP Information Sites
Here are a few sites to get you started (if you know of more that I’ve missed, link them in the comments!):
- Through the Eyes of Death
- Too Many Annas
- Loregy
- LoreCrafted
- RP Made Simple
- Warpriestess
- WTT: [RP]
- Know Your Lore
Additionally, the folks on Cenarion Circle hold weekly RP clinics to help new and veteran RPers alike share their knowledge. Level 1 alts are welcome (if Cenarion Circle isn’t your home realm), and you can find more information about these clinics on the Cenarion Circle forums.
RP Communities
If you’d like to get involved in some role-playing forum communities, either for practice or additional RP out of game, here are a few good places to check out:
Role-Playing Addons
Just like every other aspect of the game, role-playing has a ton of addons to help you out as well. Here are a few common ones that you might like to start out with.
flagRSP (WotLK) – This addon will allow you to enter background information about you and your character that’s viewable to other players with the addon. This is an extremely common addon on many RP realms to help players initiate contact with one another.
AddEmote – This addon allows you to create custom emotes for use in-game, to give your actions a bit more personal flavor and makes reusing common personal emotes much easier.
These two addons are a good start, but RP Made Simple has a much more comprehensive list of RP-related addons that will really help you customize your experience.
Get Your Feet Wet
We could talk about RP all day and still not adequately cover the myriad of sub-topics out there. It can easily take years to fully grasp most aspects of role-play. But don’t let that discourage or intimidate you. “The longest journey starts with a single step.” And role-play is no different. Reading will only get you so far, and don’t forget–the time you spend reading about role-play is time not spent role-playing! Hopefully this very basic overview will serve as an adequate introduction to role-playing to get you interested and out there.
Happy Hunting!
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Nice post.
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