Draenei Shaman - info needed.

[The Madgod]

Checking facts, I'd agree but in general I always found the Shaman as an offensive attacker, while the Druid would be a bit more... Passive isn't the word. The Shaman would focus on rage but the Druid would be calculating... If that makes sense? Again, I'm working off WC3 biases :P Spec wise, Feral (I think more bear/Guardian) would be the raging Druid and Resto shaman the calmest Shaman.. But remember, water can be calm like in a pool or as raging as a tidal wave, how destructive can a tree be? :P

Kerath, anytime. RPing a Draenei that eventually became a Shaman for years brings a little insight

Well according to novels Shaman don't necessarily use rage exclusively as much as empathy. They use all kinds of emotions to appeal to the elements to convince them to lend the shaman their power. Rage actually is one of the worst ways for a shaman to appeal to the elements, as it can lead to anger at the elements themselves which could offend them and make them not wish to give the shaman their power at all. Druids work in a very similar way, but with nature instead.

But of course these are all post WC3-release date novels, so yeah haha.

[Captain Noctus]

I think Velen should generally be considered as an exception than a rule. Sure a Draenei could perceivably live from Argus to Azeroth but the chances of the Draenei not being killed by, for example, the Orcish attack on Shattrath. It's more down to probability than lifespan. (Bare in mind my own Shaman is from Argus originally, but survived due to being more aloof from the cities when the Orcish attacks happened ) There are also those that conjecture that Velen is only the age he is from constant contact with the Naaru. Needless to say, conjecture is bad, but if your Draenei is from Argus they probably wouldn't be the most energetic.

I believe that there are several Draenei NPCs that mention living on Argus, which would imply that living for thousands of years isn't that huge of a feat for the Draenei, and that Velen is quite a bit older than that (Since 25,000 years previous is when Sargaras took Argus, no?).

[Khorianas]

Well according to novels Shaman don't necessarily use rage exclusively as much as empathy. They use all kinds of emotions to appeal to the elements to convince them to lend the shaman their power. Rage actually is one of the worst ways for a shaman to appeal to the elements, as it can lead to anger at the elements themselves which could offend them and make them not wish to give the shaman their power at all. Druids work in a very similar way, but with nature instead.

But of course these are all post WC3-release date novels, so yeah haha.

Exactly what Maddy said. One thing I have to add, that might help our train of thought, is a major similarity between Shamanism and Druidism: both are branches of animism. The belief, if you wish to call it that, they share is " Everything that is, lives." While druids mostly emphasize on nature, shamans go even further with their view that, at first sight inanimate matter has a "soul" which then manifests in the elemental spirits. Shamans do also share the belief in a Spirit of the Wild (the essence that represents all living things). And both groups believe in a balance of the universe. A balance between predator and prey, life and death, fire and water, and so on. Their goal is to preserve this balance with help of the powers they are granted.
If we start from this base, the aggressive nature of Shamans in WC3 could be attributed to the fact that they mostly fought demons, which are a threat to the cosmic balance. So the elements would aid their powers eagerly, and the shaman wouldn't have to perform a ritual to summon fire of lightning but just let his emotions, for fire mainly anger and rage of course, formulate the plea for him.
In times of peace, or for less black and white issues the shamans need way more effort to persuade the elements to help. Drek'thar for example plead the melting snow not to flood a village in alterac, to do so he had to sacrifice some incense and formulate a respectful plea.

[darqhur]

Just my two cents.

I always see people trying to RP as these old/immortal/epic past/long flowing backstory. I (my personal opinion) think it's garbage and possibly a result of two much anne rice "Interview with a vampire" inspired story telling.

For me the craziest idea is this: You heard about the earthen ring and decided to join up. As you level you get more info and training. It's like working your way through a craftsman process. You start at the bottom (lvl 1), and get more and more powerful (learning skills and abilities as you level). That is the most epic concept. Avoid all the lineage of the mind stories and I knew a god once garbage.

Maybe you were inspired to be a shaman because the earthen ring were at the center of restoring order from chaos during cataclysm. Who knows? I suppose there probably isn't totem quests anymore for any of the races. The draenei used to have them. I could be wrong but those might have had some character development stuff. Been a while.

Just please. please. Don't be a half vampire, half troll, half giant son or daughter of a titan.

[Synaxis]

Just my two cents.

I always see people trying to RP as these old/immortal/epic past/long flowing backstory. I (my personal opinion) think it's garbage and possibly a result of two much anne rice "Interview with a vampire" inspired story telling.

For me the craziest idea is this: You heard about the earthen ring and decided to join up. As you level you get more info and training. It's like working your way through a craftsman process. You start at the bottom (lvl 1), and get more and more powerful (learning skills and abilities as you level). That is the most epic concept. Avoid all the lineage of the mind stories and I knew a god once garbage.

Maybe you were inspired to be a shaman because the earthen ring were at the center of restoring order from chaos during cataclysm. Who knows? I suppose there probably isn't totem quests anymore for any of the races. The draenei used to have them. I could be wrong but those might have had some character development stuff. Been a while.

Just please. please. Don't be a half vampire, half troll, half giant son or daughter of a titan.

I think you are mistaking 'bad roleplaying' for 'thorough roleplaying.' Trying to be a hundred million things at once with ties to all the famous lore characters and demigod powers is awful. Having a long, detailed history that starts long before you start playing the character is just thorough, especially if you don't even RP in the game.

[Khorianas]

Just my two cents.

I always see people trying to RP as these old/immortal/epic past/long flowing backstory. I (my personal opinion) think it's garbage and possibly a result of two much anne rice "Interview with a vampire" inspired story telling.

For me the craziest idea is this: You heard about the earthen ring and decided to join up. As you level you get more info and training. It's like working your way through a craftsman process. You start at the bottom (lvl 1), and get more and more powerful (learning skills and abilities as you level). That is the most epic concept. Avoid all the lineage of the mind stories and I knew a god once garbage.

Maybe you were inspired to be a shaman because the earthen ring were at the center of restoring order from chaos during cataclysm. Who knows? I suppose there probably isn't totem quests anymore for any of the races. The draenei used to have them. I could be wrong but those might have had some character development stuff. Been a while.

Just please. please. Don't be a half vampire, half troll, half giant son or daughter of a titan.

I have a quite contrairy opinion in this case. Many of the WoW Races have a great focus on their heritage and the past of their people. Playing a character without a thorough background is just not good. Of course you are right, the half vampire/demigod/Lovechild of Arthas and Illidan stuff is bad. But we weren't even close to that in this thread. It just happens to be the case that Draenei among other races have a very long lifespan, which makes a long backstory necessary.
You have to know what your character did, how he reacted to certain historic events. If you would for example meet a Bloodelf and asked him about the Troll Wars or the Third War and he wouldn't really have a opinion on it that is as bad roleplaying as gming imho. A detailed backstory also helps you to get into character, and stay in your role. The more you know about your character the better you can think on your feet playing him.

And an edit: Imho, Character development ingame is rather me, since you just silently take your quests and are on your way. the most storytelling you get are scripted events. So developing your chracter through that is not really cutting it for me personally. Also, since you mentioned Totem quests, while those were rather well done (Did the orc ones back in classic) The only thing i really think that fitted was the "attune to the element" part of the quest. The trainer then just giving you the totem just was not logical for me. I would think a shaman would craft his own totem, maybe even with some connection to his homelands. For example a Mag'har shaman crafting his air totem ouf of Nagrandroc tailfeathers. Again, everything a personal opinion

[Kerath]

I hope it's ok to 'necro' this thread from quite some time ago, but I just wanted to post an update, and thank everyone (again) for their input. It was really helpful.

So I haven't forgotten this. In fact, I have been thinking about it quite a lot.
I've run with the idea of presenting this as a 'short' story, with several short chapters. I'm about half way through at the moment - work has left me with mushy brain syndrome most nights, so it has been pretty slow progress so far.

I decided against presenting her as a very old Draenei - the immortal/not immortal/life span questions and information are just too vague, and I felt like filling in thousands of years of life history was just too much for me to take on, given how little info I could find about Draenei comings and goings in between their escape from Argus and their arrival on Draenor (as well as my own time constraints).
So I've put her at about 800 years old (and thus, born on Draenor, if my understanding of the timeline is correct!)

As to her path to Shamanism, I have focused on the desperation and fear that must have pervaded the tatters of Draenei society after their lives were turned upside down yet again. I think for younger Draenei in particular, this could have lead to a great deal of disillusionment and questioning of their way of life - even for those who were not physically Broken, I think all of the Draenei must have been broken or suffered in one way or another - even if just emotionally and/or spiritually.

Anywhut - if it's alright with the people here, I'll post up what I have so far later - and I'll welcome comments, criticism or suggestions.
Thanks again for the helpful suggestions and insights!

[Khorianas]

We generally allow necroing Character related threads, since they can and should change over time. And I'm looking forward to your story.

[Rhaazyk]

I see that Draenei are also listed on Wowpedia as an immortal race ... interesting. That I did not know.

Draenei are immortal in the sense they don't age and die like the other races tend to do. They do say in the BC strategy guide that it's been so long since any Draenei has died by any other means barring accident or violence that no living Draenei remembers it. Velen is over 25K years old and if HE doesn't remember it, you know it's likely they are immortal. In fact, Velen is very spry for 25K+ years and likely not to be 'old' as we understand it.
Another thing people don't consider. When people RP them they forget that these people have all the time in the world to do stuff, so if they go off and pursue other things it wouldn't be out of character. Only the sense of the urgency to save Azeroth may sway them. You also have to change your mindset to a being that basically lives forever to understand why they feel the way they might and why some things that concern the other races don't concern them. It's actually changed the way I think in day to day life, teaching me that some things are just not important enough to bother myself with. It's something we all could learn from.