Changing your Character's Class and Race - Can it be done with 100% credibility?
Hey all, I've not been in game for a bit (though subscription still going strong - go go BF 2!) but I've read a lot of stories to pass some time. I've wracked in my head and tried to look at it on paper this idea / concept:
How can one pose a race AND class change for their character IC-ly that is convincing, and void of Godmode?
I've seen notable stories on the blogs with class changes (prologues leading to present day, even some events in present day that shaped them -- Tanas going from Rogue to DK, Olaff going from Paladin to Rogue, to name 2 examples).
But race -- that's pretty titanic, especially lore wise! Perhaps goblin / gnomish technology? Creative use of surgery (any famed doctors / surgeons ic-wise on our server)? Death? I'm all into looking into many angles on how it can be pulled off!
Being that transporter
Being that transporter accidents and orbs of deception and stuff change people's races all the time, it's absolutely a possibility in the world of Azeroth. I think to make it passable though, the character has to have some kind of conflict with their new race, and make the transition part of their story. Koani did this magnificently in her transition from a Forsaken *male* to a blood elf *female*. I'm sure the blogs are here somewhere. I think if the transformation tells a story, it's a good deal. Some people might have a harder time believing it than others, but what matters is you being happy with your RP.
Class changes aren't that big of a deal. I've done tons of them. >..> I've always believed our characters are resourceful and can pick up new skills pretty readily.
And I wrap my fear around me like a blanket...
I'd have to agree that class
I'd have to agree that class changes are less of a big deal than others, depending. Going from a non-magic user to a magic class (mage, shaman, priest, warlock) needs a bit more of an explanation to me, but still really plausible (late-blooming talent, an accident with magic, a sudden epiphany of faith, etc.).
Race changes can be pulled off, due to the proliferation of magic and various ways that could go wrong. Death can make some races Forsaken/Death Knight easily enough. Divine interference would be more rare, but could be used as well in some stories, carefully.
Either way, careful plotting and reasoning and logial progression would work better than a sudden alteration, in most cases. If a change is sudden, then the fallout of the change is going to be the focus and again, require some consideration in how it affects the character and the people around them.
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Avatar by Luneaus
I was more in the thought of
I was more in the thought of a race change. But from a twisted point of view. The class would be the same, but the race would be a harder one for me in thought to pull off. In one sense, the particular toon I had in mind already bears some affiliations to the organizations in Azeroth. With that in mind, the rp I had in mind from that change going foward would be ok.
However, I thought of one scenario:
Imagine a Draenei Warrior --> Elven Warrior not from a transporter, but from capture by some sickos who performed excruciatingly painful surgery (skin grafts included ic-ly). Would that be far-fetched? How would others view that IC/OOC-ly? Is it even plausible?
“For every man that fell, ten orcs will fall. For every woman that fell, fifty orcs will fall. ‘Till every orc, demon, and enemy falls and my hunger filled. By the Light, my bow, my arrow, by Admeta Fetuilelagi Kourash shall it be.”
That would strike me more as
That would strike me more as a surgically deformed Draenei, as fundamentally they'll still be different from a Night Elf in things like internal organs and even blood (Draenei have cobalt based blood according to lore). Trying to change everything, internal and external, would likely be impossible at Azeroth's medical/scientific level without using magic, as well as taking years to do in stages and involving physical rehabilitation. So, to me, trying to change race through non-magical surgery would seem a bit far-fetched. Would be very Frankenstein's Monster-esque, but I really don't see it working without magic and/or alchemy and/or engineering wonkiness in the end, without killing the character.
That's my take on that idea, though.
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Avatar by Luneaus
Eeesh, that's a tough one.
Eeesh, that's a tough one. Along with the cobalt blood as Lirriel describes, you've got the issue of surgically altering a body made for for unguligrade legs to one with plantigrade legs (walking on hooves/toes vs. walking on the toes-heels). The legs would have to be totally rebuilt (TOTALLY, or transplanted) and the pelvis and spine would require major alteration in order for her to walk again. Plus you have to shave off the taela (OUCH) and sand down the horns, grow hair where the horns were, sand down the forehead demarcations, change the eyes (draenei eyes are almost entirely filled with light, whereas Night Elves have a more reflective silver or gold iris) and... the tail.
Oh god, the tail.
The Ineesa in me is curled up sobbing at this point.
Magic - yes. Transporter accident - sure. Soul-transplant - why the heck not? *Some* plastic surgery, sure. But to surgically alter a draenei into a night elf is just... a bit much, in my opinion.
*shivers*
And I wrap my fear around me like a blanket...
I'm still struggling with
I'm still struggling with this on Neun at the moment. I race changed her for play-time reasons, but I've been having a hard time figuring out how to expain her sudden change from Forsaken to....Human. I've toyed with transporter malfuctions, a sudden dislike for the direction her people are going and deciding to switch sides...even Goblin implemented surgery to maker her "living" again.
I feel like alot of scenerios I've come up with are a little over-dramatic or far-fetched, so I've yet to publicly announce her move to A-side.
Try Alchemy? A major, long
Try Alchemy? A major, long going transmute: undeath to life may work; I've heard of someone using that before. I can almost see it working for an undead, animated already with their soul trapped in their body. Just drinking a simple potion whipped up out of nowhere wouldn't go over so well; a transmute like that would likely take some research, practice, prep time, and maybe a long ritual to get a whole human-sized body back to real life.
I admit I've never been too fond of race changes (or even dual-classing in a game system that doesn't really allow you to multiclass effectively), but it can work for some folks and their stories depending on how they handle it. Like most things, I just like to see some thought and logic put into a story so my suspension of disbelief isn't shattered.
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Avatar by Luneaus
I actually started Ythgar as
I actually started Ythgar as a Forsaken warrior, then changed him with a reroll to a human warlock. I told the story that having learned of Apothecarium stuff, he'd rebelled and hunted down someone with a grudge against Forsaken/Scourge, and vowed his service to them (Burning Legion dreadlord representative) in return for a way to affect the living. Thus he became an affliction warlock who constantly used Drain life, with me actually determined that if he went too long without maintaining his facade of 'living', he would wither back to Forsaken. He never was a playable living man from the time his story began. Just looked 'human'.But I was always a bit unhappy with how purely caster he'd become as a warlock, as in my mind's eye, he's one heck of a swordsman and built like a football player, so after some hijinks, when Wrath came out, he was definitely a death knight. It fit his story to a T, I'd even semi-retired him by then going to face his 'maker' alone and vulnerable, so it worked perfectly.
There are a few classes which would easily permit the 'stolen life' angle if you don't go all sparklepire with it.. shadow priests and warlocks definitely come to mind. I can't recall what Neun is, but if either of those, learning how to siphon life/vampiric embrace to a truly potent degree through a RP breakthrough would perfectly justify a sudden reclamation of a human-seeming form. If it helps, also, I have this theory on the undead which I'll briefly outline, since it sort of ties into all of this:
Once raised as Scourge, a corpse gets the operating system Scourge 3.0. It's rough and crude but functional, and roughly hitches a control mechanism (the necromancer/Lich King's will) to the controlled corpse. Now, when and if the corpse regains free will, it learns how to operate its own corpse via this framework of necromantic magic, but it may not be phenomenal at it, like a puppeteer in training, for a while. There may be residual Scourge 3.0 commands functioning also, which is my personal explanation for the increasingly evil behaviour of the Forsaken in the new expac. And that framework could be vulnerable to a sufficiently skilled necromancer who can then hack it in a sense.
Now, pouring certain types of magic into the corpse may briefly give it a false facade of a living appearance, but to last, they require constant application. Why death knights don't look as rot-ty is that they get upgraded OS's; Scourge 7.0! This better caliber control framework is more tightly connected to the corpse's own innate systems, and therefore health can be quickly restored through tapping runes on the bound runeblade, or using a death strike to suck life directly from victims.
Anyway, that was my basic building block for working out how and where and when Ythgar could make himself look 'human', and all the developments since. I hope that helps you bring Neun into the Alliance fold RPly! And it also indirectly answers the OP's question at least in my own context. Class changes or additions aren't a HUGE deal for me with a lot of RP rationale provided. But a race change I honestly feel takes a LOT of thought, and can't be too whacky without some crazy Terry Pratchett-esque magical accident.
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Sir Thomas More: I think that when statesmen forsake their own private conscience for the sake of their public duties, they lead their country by a short route to chaos.
When a man takes an oath, he's holding his own self in his own hands like water, and if he opens his fingers then, he needn't hope to find himself again.
She's a mage, and while
She's a mage, and while primarily fire specced, I've always used the fact she can use frost and ice to keep herself semi-preserved (that and finding new body parts from the recently deceased as needed). She's also an engineer which has given me a few ideas as well. Thanks for the input, I just really need to buckle down and write instead of worrying how silly it's going to sound before I even put my fingers to the keyboard.
A wizard did it! Seriously,
A wizard did it!
Seriously, alchemy, magic, a lot can explain it. After all, polymorph spells seem to really turn the person into a sheep, cat, etc. And the extent of alchemy is never really explored with lore, so go nuts (I did!).
There are some race changes
There are some race changes that just make more sense than others (Human to Undead or Worgen, for example), and don't require too much suspension of disbelief, and some of those would pretty much require a class change.
A bit of surgery to take the appearance of another race seems reasonable to me as well (High/Blood Elf to Human, maybe?), but when there are large size differences involved, or something like a draenei that's completely different from the other races, it seems like a bit too much. You can't shave a tauren and dye it blue and call it a spacegoat. (Actually, that might work, but I really don't want to picture it.)
Magic or engineering seems like it would be a better explanation than surgery, so long as there's a good reason why the effect is permanent.
...and now I am thinking about how it might be interesting to see a night elf who got into demonic or arcane magics and is now passing for a very bulky, forest-loving blood elf.
After looking over each
After looking over each response, I must admit I've thought of engineering and magic mostly. I've known maybe off-hand 1-2 characters tops that might enlist the use of surgery to accomplish their ends. However, it was not race-changing for one of them, it's more the use of torture.
And now that I think of it, that theme is what I wanted to go with it.
Ponder for example A draenei laced with anesthesia (perhaps from the poison of a rogue), to remove the lower half of her legs post-kneecap. Her skin is painstakingly flayed, human skin is grafted on with the same amount of care. Horns are cut, as well as tail, and tendrils.
To eliminate the "issue" of eyes / orbs of light, she is given engineering goggles (could be infused with magic or fused onto her skull).
That was my idea, but it's been a rough sketch in my brain and I'm thinking magic could be heavily used in this concept. I'm more into Lirriel's PoV and objections, but I've rarely heard of any other opposing ideas. Any takers?
“For every man that fell, ten orcs will fall. For every woman that fell, fifty orcs will fall. ‘Till every orc, demon, and enemy falls and my hunger filled. By the Light, my bow, my arrow, by Admeta Fetuilelagi Kourash shall it be.”
I am a stickler for anatomy,
I am a stickler for anatomy, so I still have to say her entire lower body would have to be reworked in order for her to walk decently (unless you play her as having trouble walking/running.) At the same time, if I came across her in-game and learned she was a draenei turned into a Night Elf, I would buy it, for the sake of it being interesting RP. That's really a factor beyond everything else. Being that we're in a fantasy world, we choose whether or not to believe things on the basis of what we want to experience with open eyes in the game. As much as we could theorize or contemplate here, when it comes down to it, it's all about having fun and experiencing our characters. Work it out, and go for what feels comfortable to you.
And I wrap my fear around me like a blanket...
(( There is always the
((
There is always the "don't do it" answer as well. Why? Why not just created a new character. I assume you're talking about a paid race or faction change, not just creating a second character with the same name (similar name) and a different race. If you're looking for an IC reason though to explain that game mechanic, I don't know that I'd bother. Just start anew, perhaps.
That being said, I like the alchemy route best if you are going to do it. You could even go all Jekyl and Hyde with it, sprouting tails and horns at inopportune moments. That's a comic goldmine waiting to happen right there.
I have to say that there's
I have to say that there's something to be said for creating a new character. Having done one recustomization on a character and planning on another, you're given all the tools you need for a fresh start, including a name change. For a long time I knew I wanted to change my hunter from being Tavlo (named Tavvy in-game), as she currently is, but I didn't know what to change her to. When I got the inspiration for Echo it was like being given a gift, and now I can't *wait* to recustomize Tavvy and get in-game playing her as that highly-skilled hunter. Just waiting for Cata to roll around to make her human.
The hunter was originally Neesy, the hunter-form of Ineesa, and as I said she's currently Tavvy, the hunter-form of Tavlo. I have to say that although both of these renditions of the hunter were sincere and written into my RP, it's not as... easy or as opaque as having a natural singular character to fill the roll. I'm looking SO forward to having a character who is JUST the hunter, has a *real* name and not a distortion of another name, and isn't just an offshoot of a character I already have.
Basically what I'm saying is, if you take your current Draenei warrior and turn her into an elf, you might find it strains the character more than expected. On the other hand, with a bit of thought and inspiration, you could have a unique new Night Elf character that is fresh and exciting, and keep the Draenei warrior as well. I know it's not what you want to do, but having had the experience of stretching characters through recustomizations, I had to back up Eri's suggestion.
And I wrap my fear around me like a blanket...
Hmm, this is tricky. I would
Hmm, this is tricky. I would actually divide the topic into two sort of categories based more on the 'how to make it convincing' question you posed in general, rather than specific plot ideas.
1. How to write such a change? You sound like you have some definite ideas, so writing this idea shouldn't be any trouble for you. You can cover a lot of territory in a blog or series of blogs so that's not really a problem.
2. How to RP with others? This is MUCH more of an issue in my opinion. You will have an enormously complex situation to try and get over to others in a natural-as-possible way if you do it purely IC. Yes, OOC'ly you could have a very hefty FlagRSP etc description, but those are often too long to read (again, just my opinion ;) ) and there is also the fact that many people who do RP don't run those add-ons. It also depends not just on others but on you as well. For example, if someone of X race came up to me and said they were really Y after some horrendous surgery, Heulwen here would probably roll her eyes and say something along the lines of 'pull the other one, it's got bells on'. Especially if people don't have FlagRSP (which I don't run myself, for example) and can't see your details, you will have to understand if they treat you like a wandering lunatic :) There are some 'demons in skin' around the place who I've treated like crazies too because I can't see/know all their fancy anatomical features in RSP, so half the time I legitimately haven't known IC or OOC they're supposed to be something their in-game look doesn't show. Sooo......uh, where was I going with this. Yes! I think you could do it, but both sides of the RP interaction will have to be patient as you won't necessarily be on the same page at the start >.>
Overall, I think you can do it convincingly in a blog/blog series because you have the ability to describe in detail how the situation came about. In RP it will be exceedingly difficult in comparison, but can be done - and in this case the most SIMPLE explanation you have, the easier it will be to project.
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"(I) know what art is! It's paintings of horses!"
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The other trouble with RSP is
The other trouble with RSP is people putting in all the unnecessary description and information. If the RSP is what I can immediately tell that isn't much different from the outward appearance--smal details of appearance like visible scars and tattoos the model doesn't show, eye color (since that can't be altered for each face and on some models are just hard to see anyway), smells, general expressions/demeanor--then how and why is my character going to know every detail of all changes and history?
For a surgically tortured and altered character, there'd be odd scarring and screwed up motion (which likely should make it's way into some poses during RP as well), but no one'd know the why and how until they actually learned from the character what happened.
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Avatar by Luneaus
For Elle, who knows that the
For Elle, who knows that the great majority of the dwarf population of Grizzly Hills is looking for a troll, "disguising" himself as an orc will be, imho, a perfectly plausible explanation for a race change.
Just an example, but I
Just an example, but I thought Alexiia did a good job with her transformation from human mage to BE warlock.
I had a horde character once,
I had a horde character once, and for funsies, ((this is before I had the BC expansion, was still saving)) I rped her as an Orc female. Her background story was she was a very vain Blood Elf who actually dishonored a very powerful Troll Mage/Orc Warlock ((Wasn't really etched in stone then, since it was for fun you see)) but to punish her in a way, the powerful caster put a curse on her so she appeared to be an Orc female ((Which to the vain prissy BE was possibly the worse punishment in the planet)).
But Magic was my answer for that, until BC was purchased and the curse/spell was broken by her finding the caster and having it reversed. Then I just rerolled her as a BE myself ((I like leveling, it's quick enough for me to not want to waste money)).
I think it would be difficult to do it in the reverse perhaps, because even though you'd have a Draenei in a Night Elf body, the bone structure is definitely different, and skin graphing wouldn't be the best answer. I'd probably go more with magic/alchemy/some sort of molecule bone rearrangement, and it wouldn't have to be some horrific done on purpose sicko thing, it could easily be an enjoyable experience. Or comical accident?
It would be interesting! :]
Any remember when Undel put
Any remember when Undel put on purple paint, fake ears, and filed her tusks down so she could go to the Golden Leaf? Plausible enough for me!
I'm going to have to go through a class change with Hakka, but I'm not sure how I'll do it yet.