From Sefun Post on the old Sundown Website

This guide is pretty helpful to learn from, please read it if you're pretty new. This guide is found on ffxiv-roleplayers website ^^


In-Character versus Out-of-Character

Throughout this guide you will see the abbreviations IC and OOC (or the selfsame adverbs: ICly and OOCly). This refers to your character speaking in-character or out-of-character. That is to say that there may come times when you'll need to explain something to someone in a way that you as the player will need to do as opposed to the character. Most often this is done through the various chat channels by the use of single or double parentheses. For example: "((This reminds me of something I saw once on a soap opera!))" or "((I need to go afk to take a quick restroom/WC/bio break))"

I have also seen other methods of expression OOC such as {braces} or – sometimes text after hyphens. But generally the preferred method is parentheses.

Speaking only for myself, I use [brackets] to express if the following text is being spoken in a particular manner or tone. This can be used to indicate sarcasm, annoyance, jubilation, a sing-song voice, etc. You cannot actually convey this through the text itself, so it is sometimes helpful.

As an example: [sarcastic] "He was /really/ helpful…"

The degree of acceptance of OOC varies from RPer to RPer and from group to group. Some are more tolerant of it than others, and this is one of those things to be mindful of when selecting a group with which to RP. As a general rule of thumb - when others are RPing and behaving in-character, you will want to avoid disrupting that as much as possible and conduct yourself in-character as well, unless there is some specific reason not to. The ratio of IC to OOC also seems to be one of the biggest differences between RP that is classified as 'light', 'medium', or 'heavy.' This conveniently brings us to our next section…



Classes of RP:

Role-playing can be divided into three classes: casual, moderate, and heavy. These are by no means the full spectrum and many role-players fall somewhere in between certain categories.

Casual Role-player: A light mix between being out of character and in-character. They enjoy their out of character activities but still enjoy engaging in role-play from time to time. They may or may not participate in deep character development and/or plotting. They may enjoy a form of "no-strings-attached" role-play.

Moderate Role-player: This player tends to lean more towards their role-play than their out of character goals. They enjoy engaging in deep character development and prefer only a light amount of out-of-character conduct. He/she typically has a good understanding of their character’s traits, habits, and other details.

Heavy Role-player: Full on immersion. This player enjoys staying in character as often as possible. They may still engage in out-of-character activities, though it is by no means a priority. They enjoy deep character development and plotlines, having an intimidate understanding and connection to their character.

Freelance role-players, while not a "class" of RP, deserve mentioning as well. The term "freelance" refers to the role-players not affiliated with a particular RP group.


The Lore, and How to Use It

Hydaelyn is an expansive world, full of intricacies. It's the staging area for a war between an Empire and three city-states that have their own interior issues. There are other nations remarked upon as well, including one which was conquered 20 years ago. Five races make up most of the playable characters, each race broken further into two distinct clans. Moreover, other beings exist such as Padjal, Moogles, Beastmen, etc. Polytheism is the norm for most Eorzeans, and Twelve deities are celebrated across all of its nations. There is limited technology, and the use of magic is described by relations between the elements and what is known as "aether" - which is also a sort of life-force that flows between living beings and the planet. The scope of this guide doesn't aim to include the lore of Hydaelyn, but rather encourages any new RPer to seek it out. I'll include a few helpful links to aid you in getting started. Once you're more familiar with the world in which your character will be residing, it will be easier to develop his or her mannerisms, preferences, and other important characteristics. Taking some time to learn this will pay off exponentially.


Here is a handy guide with the name of many of the geographical locations as well:

* Hydaelyn - The entire planet
* Eorzea - The smallest subcontinent of the planet where the entire game (so far) takes place
* Aldenard - The main continent of Eorzea (pretty much the entire game map except for the islands)
* Sharlayan - The city state to the northwest. Culturally focused on knowledge and rumored to be currently in ruins. (currently closed)
* Dravania - A mountainous region between Sharlayan and Ishgard (currently closed)
* Ishgard - A towering city in the mountains (currently closed)
* Coethas - An area leading to Ishgard
* Xelpkatol - More mountains north of Gridania (currently closed)
* Ala Mhigo - A city state in the western high-lands conquered by the Garlean Empire in 1542
* Gyr Abavia - The area surround Ala Mhigo
* Gridania - A city state directly west of Ala Mhigo and one of the three cities a PC can start from
* The Black Shround - A thick forest surrounding Gridania. Also known as the Twelveswood
* Mor Dhona - A barren area between three main city states. This area has been the site of two major battles between the Garlean Empire and Eorzea.
* Ul'dah - A mercantile city state on the southern edge of Aldenard and one of the three cities a PC can start from.
* Thanalan - A desert-like region surrounding Ul’dah
* Vylbrand - A large island of the southwest coast of Alenard
* Limsa Lominsa - A nautical city on the coast one of the three cities a PC can start from.
* La Noscea - A hilly, grassy region immediately surrounding Limsa Lominsa
* O'Akomoro - A region covering the northern end of Vylbrand
* Garlean Empire - While not a geographic region per se, the Garlean Empire has expanded from the small country of Garlemald to cover most of Hydaelyn. This area is not shown on the map so we do not have any specifics about its size or location.

forum.square-enix.com/ffxiv/forums/491-Lore <–– SE Released a lore forum


Reasonable Deviation from the Lore

At times you may find that some characters will conjure up elements in their stories for which there is no basis in the game's lore. For instance, a character may have been raised in a village which doesn't actually exist in the game, or has ties to a seemingly made-up faction. Usually this is deemed to be acceptable for most, so long as it's done in a way which doesn't encroach upon anything that is within the lore of the game. At times this can be risky because as NPC's are added and the game's lore expands you may find that what was once a genuine possibility is negated by something that new lore states. This could then result in a certain amount of backpedaling. It happens, and most times other RPers are willing to play along with this so long as there is no direct impact on their own stories.

If you regard the game's lore like a block of swiss cheese - there are holes in it where you may take certain artistic license and add certain elements to make your character and his or her backstory a bit more tangible and interesting. You may find that some RP groups are more or less free with this, depending of course on the nature of the deviation from the game's lore.
In certain cases, some RPers may go so far outside the scope of the game's lore that they're bringing in elements specific to other games, television, mythology, anime, etc. The lumping in of these non-lore elements is often frowned upon by those RPers who adhere more closely to the game's lore, but these are merely guidelines and are very much open to interpretation. Some groups will be more or less accepting of this sort of thing.


How to Get Started

"First your ear, then your tongue." Advice from the Introduction that I would reiterate for its importance. Too often I have seen folks new to RP try to dive right into a character - whether inspired from another character they know (or possibly even have RPed) - and get frustrated at why they're not regarded in the way they might expect to be. The simple fact is that most realistic characters will often be suspicious of someone overly comfortable in new and unfamiliar settings or willing to divulge their entire life story to a complete stranger over a pint of ale. While some characters may be very comfortable around strangers, a RPer must keep in mind that this is only half of the equation and they can have no control over how their character will be perceived by others. Many RPers find this daunting or frustrating. Some I've found want to be liked by everyone, and this seldom is possible. In the end it's best to make a character that you, yourself, will find interesting and fun to be.

There will be linkshell directories, and the RPC forums may be utilized to introduce yourself and describe your style, and also read up on what sort of linkshells and companies are available with which to participate. Most folks there will be glad to guide you to like-minded RPers based on your own individual preferences. Speaking to the leaders of a group or even observing an event may help give you an idea if it's something you'd like to join.

Take some comfort in that very early on you can always decide that you don't like the character, and re-roll and create something different. Perhaps you find a linkshell you really like, but the sort of character you were planning to RP has already been done. Or maybe you're adamant about RPing that sort of character but there's just no niche for it and you want to explore some other linkshells/companies. It may take awhile for you to find a sort of groove where you feel your fit comfortably with another group of RPers.

Almost certainly the best thing you can do early on is observe what other RPers are doing, how they're behaving, and think about the reasons for that behavior. Eventually you'll do this for your own character, but I've found it helps to take notice of it first in others.

There will be no need to draft a longwinded character backhistory. You don't need to know everything about your character's preferences. In fact, a lot of this will kind of develop itself as you go along. Maybe you'll draw upon some aspects of your own personality and embellish upon them. Maybe you'll idealize some things. One important quality that many characters have that makes them both realistic and also interesting is flaws. No one is perfect, and a perfect character would be boring. There are lots of ways to introduce flaws to your character. Perhaps they're arrogant, or vain. Perhaps they're not so bright. Maybe they're physically weak, or unable to use any sort of magic. Maybe they're prone to gambling or drinking too much or any number of other things.

Ideally you'll want to try and strike a balance between creating a character that starts off small in some way so that he or she may grow as their time in Eorzea passes. They should have some positive qualities as well as some character flaws. There are a myriad of wonderful combinations, and then you can even begin to think about the reasons for these characteristics. This may even help you flesh out the character's history, as you think on it. Really, the sky is the limit!

But no matter what you ultimately decide for yourself and your character (or characters), you will certainly want to understand the people with whom you will be RPing, and the best way to do that I've found is just to kind of quietly lurk and observe. By all means talk, and engage in friendly conversation, but it is often wise to hold off on making any grand plans for your character without fully understanding how he or she will fit into the rest of the puzzle. Showing interest and asking questions will also help you get a feel for things and may help fill any "dead air" if it happens to be a group that is quiet or isn't as active. You will probably know when the time is right to step up participation or introduce more of your own character's story to the rest of your friends.


Pitfalls to Avoid:

1. Godmoding - This is the over-powering of one's character in some way that bends or breaks the rules of nature entirely. This may manifest itself as invincibility, immortality, some sort of extreme influence, or unnatural or supernatural powers that interfere with the natural laws fo Hydaelyn. Godmode will often conflict with the game's lore in some way. The guideline here is to keep things realistic and remember that any ability your character exhibits should be on par overall with what is accepted as the norm. It also poses some questions in a world where there are spells and where magic may enhance your character in some ways. For instance RPing a skilled swordsman is fine, and describing a winning streak at the collisseum makes for an interesting story. But when he's pit against another RPer who is also a skilled swordsman, you should be prepared to make some allowances for the opponent's skill as well - perhaps communicate with them and RP a close match, a draw, or find a way to determine the outcome in advance if neither is willing to budge (/random is popular). Accept, however, that your character is not infallible. As a footnote to this, it is often considered godmode to tie your character very closely to some famous NPC, declare your character is some sort of highly influential governing authority like a king or princess, or otherwise expect any sort of special treatment that any other RPer would not receive. Godmode is often a gray area with varying shades of acceptable and unacceptable depending on the situation (for instance, some "villain" characters need to be regarded as larger than life so certain allowances may be made to accommodate this). If you are unsure whether something you are planning for your character is acceptable or not, a good idea would be to ask on the RPC "RP Discussion" forum to see how others in the community may feel about it. It is often a subjective thing and opinions may vary from one RPer to the next.

Examples of Godmoding:

RPing the spawn or incarnation of a god
Being from another world (like Vana'diel or the forest moon of Endor)
Having the power to level cities
RPing a prince with supreme influence over the nations' leaders
RPing a character so powerful that he can dodge every attack thrown at him constantly
RPing an emote which assumes control over another character in some way


2. Metagaming - Simply put, metagaming is the transferrence of OOC knowledge about some character/event/thing from yourself as the RPer to your character. This is highly frowned upon in the RP community. Characters have Wikipedia pages, stories, and private journals posted all over the place that describe personal information and recount events which are often very interesting and entertaining to read, but also to which your character would probably not be privy. You must be able to separate yourself as the player/reader from your character. This can be a as blatant a thing as your character knowing the details of another character's background simply because you as the player have read them. This sort of thing will upset other RPers. Metagaming may also be as simple as your character intentionally showing up someplace that you know another character will be. While this latter example is usually fine for the sake of fostering some RP (and arrangements for this sort of thing happen often using the OOC/Intermission/Backstage linkpearl), you will want to try to at least make sure that your character has some practical reason for going to that particular location at that point in time - something more than just meeting others for RP without there being some premeditated IC discussion about it first.

3. Retconning - The rolling back of a timeline and changing of past events is considered retconning. Each other character that your character interacts with is molded or changed in some small way through the experience. Even simple acts may have a profound impact on another character depending on the circumstances of their backgrounnd. To casually undo a good portion of the character's history without giving regard to all the other characters that may have touched is considered a no-no. I encourage all RPers to try not to paint themselves into corners, but even when they do there are often creative ways out rather than to just proclaim that "all that never happened." In some instances this may be acceptable for a very small window of time if only a few characters are impacted and all RPers agree to it. Generally you should regard all events that have happened as being etched in stone. Other characters may write journal entries about the interactions your character had with theirs, and to simply say it never happened is a slight to the time and energy they put not only into the RP itself but also recounting it and the way it may have changed their own character. There are some other instances where this may be deemed more acceptable, such as the release of new canon lore which contradicts existing storyline for instance. Some care should be exercised when making these retcons to minimize the impact upon other characters. Furthermore, those brand new to RP may be given a little more freedom with making some changes as they are still working to develop their character's background. In these cases, again, consideration should be given to those who might be affected by such changes to minimize the impact to their own stories.

4. Copycatting - The taking of aspects of another character's story, personality, behavior, etc. While immitation may be the highest form of flattery, it is often frustrating when someone kind of picks an RPer's style that they like and then emulates it almost exactly. There are plenty of niches for interesting characters and drawing inspiration from an admired character to try and create something entirely new should be more the way to go. With a game that (at the time of this writing) has only 7 basic combat jobs, there are obviously going to be some characters who are similar in their combat styles, and may exhibit similar appearances or similar attitudes about things. As a kind of footnote to this topic, with regard to another character's NPC's (that is non-playing characters such as those which may appear in his or her storylines) most RPers would be flattered to share a character like that, and this will often present some interesting opportunities as well, but you will certainly want to communicate this first before simply using another's NPC without permission.


RPing Combat Effectively

This has been a touchy subject for a lot of people, and in your time RPing you may not ever need to RP a fight with another character. Moreover, PVP will be introduced in ARR which may offer another feasible alternative to RPing out a battle between two characters. A thread about PVP as an RP element for combat was recently created in the RP Discussion forum if you'd like to see what some other RPers think.

If you do find yourself in a situation where you are RPing a physical conflict, it helps to communicate with the opponent. Most of the time this can be done using the /tell channel and you can kind of figure out roughly how the fight should go.

Use of the /random (random number generator) feature can also help determine the outcome of either the overall fight, or just one particular round of combat. Often this is best conducted in a turn-based manner where each combattant responds to the previous attack, and initiates one of their own. The ability to play nicely and realistically is important here, and being willing to lose a battle gracefully (at least OOCly) goes a long way.

As an example, if there is a sparring match between a seasoned marauder and someone who has been practicing with the axe casually for awhile, the advantage would likely go to the seasoned marauder. If you wanted to add the random element to give the underdog a fighting chance, you might use the /random to determine the outcome of each round. There are a lot of different methods that describe how this can be done so I won't go over them in detail, but a helpful link that describes this method of combat may be found here: ffxiv-roleplayers.com/showthread.php?tid=1166

Alternately if you're comfortable enough with the RPer with whom you're sparring, you might just talk out the outcome in advance. A simple tell proffering something like, "I'm happy to lose this bout since you're more skilled with hand-to-hand fighting than I, but I do have some skill so let me get a few shots in, perhaps give you a black eye before getting knocked out?" The rest can kind of happen naturally over several lines of emoted text. Continuous communication as you go may or may not be warranted, depending on the situation. If you're ever not sure though, or if something seems unclear in their emote, it's always best to send a quick /tell and ask before responding.


RPing Injuries and Healing Methods

Another frequent point of contention between RPers of differing styles is the handling of physical (and sometimes non-physical) injuries and the various methods of treatment. Our characters live in a world where magic is real if not everyday/routine, and healing can be performed by anyone with even minimal skill in white magic. This sometimes trivializes the process for those who make it their life's work. Moreover there are less magical means of healing such as herbalism, field medicine, first aid, nursing, etc. There is a lot of discrepancy about how healing works, but at the end of the day I've found the most effective "doctor-patient" relationship is one where there's some sort of communication between the healer and the wounded. There are some circumstances where a wounded person may want to remain wounded for an extended period of time (such as taking a brief break from the game for a week for vacation or such), and this is usually not intended as a slight to the healer's ability. There is often some middle ground - albeit it sometimes a fine line - between what is acceptable to the healer and the patient. I find myself once again deferring back to the earlier section on "Communication", as once more this will help ease any potential misunderstandings.


Gil and Wealth

The currency of Eorzea is gil. And most RPers I have spoken with do not treat this as a true measure of the character's wealth. A wealthy character may RP that they've inherited a fortune from their ancestors. Or many characters prefer to RP humble beginnings and aspirations for fame and fortune. Even upon acquiring a great deal of gil, you may want to regard this separately from what your character possesses ICly for the sake of continuity in your storylines.

If you are starting a new character, consider carefully how they will be regarded if they are wealthy, comfortable, impoverished, or middle-class. Think about how this will affect their attitude towards other characters, their decision-making process, and their regard for possessions and things. Consider also what other characters may think of yours depending on his or her financial standing. You may also think about what sort of attire your character would wear in various circumstances as well.