User:An Adventurer/Guides/Role-Playing Guide
This guide is meant as an addendum to the official guide provided by Turbine, Role-Playing in Dereth.
Character Name
Your character's name is both an minor and major factor in role-playing. While your name does not restrict your ability to role-play, having an out of place name can be detracting to yourself and others when attempting to role-play. A male Sho character named Jhou Zhing is more fitting for a role-player than Carl's UA Guy. That is not to say you must stick to the naming guidelines of your heritage. A character named The Lone Warrior would be just as appropriate, and a bit more mysterious as well.
The following are the general naming guidelines for heritage and gender provided during character creation:
Aluvians
Males:
- Many Aluvian men have only a first name, with no surname. Examples: Hundreng, Cuthstan, Wothgryn.
- Others use a first name, plus 'the' and a word. Examples: Osgeld the Clever, Burwylf the Wary, Forstlan the Ox.
- A few use a proper surname, with the suffix '-sun' {meaning 'son'). Examples: Scingrim Emersun, Arbrim Rynesun, Rimgar Ethsun.
Females:
- Many Aluvian women have only a first name, with no surname. Examples: Lissith, Ulewinn, Sothlal.
- Others use a first name, plus 'the' and a word. Examples: Domlan the True, Arryn the Cat, Ethew the Fair.
- A few use a proper surname, with the suffix '-mad' {meaning 'daughter'). Examples: Dirnmod Blodmad, Hasbroc Grithmad, Cenhar Estmad.
Gharu'ndim
Males:
- There are three ways Gharu'ndim men's names are formed:
- 'ism: A first name, with no surname. Examples: Sunnuj, Tiqabar, Abham.
- Hisba: A first name, plus 'al-' and a surname. Examples: Ma'whar al-Qutuz, Uzik al-Zaraf, Fadlmar al-Tuwah.
- Nasab: A first name, plus 'ibn' (meaning 'son of') and a surname. Examples: Abdiris ibn Mauki, Tashtal ibn Yufa, Dharilal ibn Qa'yam.
Females:
- There are three ways Gharu'ndim women's names are formed:
- 'ism: A first name, with no surname. Examples: Jaidmala, Di'zarafa, Hajliya
- Hisba: A first name, plus 'al-' and a surname. Examples: Qaysbah al-Halras, Nuhnada al-Thudadh, Majqiya al-Ruz.
- Nasab: A first name, plus 'bint' (meaning 'daughter of') and a surname. Examples: Ashrifa bint Yazman, Shulima bint Bashr, Khayla'ida bint Tiqiq.
Sho
Males:
- Sho men's names have the surname first and the 'first name' last. Examples: Ninwa Xaojhen, Fenping Banli-Zan, Shui Chon-Po.
Females:
- Sho women's names have the surname first and the 'first name' last. Examples: Jyigo Anming, Chueh Zho-Gau, Houlai Youh.
Viamontians
Males:
- Commoners tend to have a given name followed by a surname. Examples: Anton Silezzi, Lorca Sammel, Daved Coppocilla.
- Noblemen have a given name followed by the article 'di' which precedes the name of their fief. Examples: Darren di Marden, Lorenzo di Ricci, Carlo di Cenza.
Females:
- Commoners tend to have a given name followed by a surname. Examples: Lurissa Falzohn, Dinala Roma, Sina Luchezzi.
- Noblewomen have a given name followed by the article 'du' which precedes the name of their fief. Examples: Eleonora du Bellenesse, Catlina du Cenza, Marena do Lotila.
Character Backstory
Giving your character a backstory can help define their motivations and goals on Dereth. With few exceptions, all human characters are from the world of Ispar. They arrive on Dereth, an island on the world of Auberean, through mysterious portals. When creating a rich backstory, some knowledge of the history of Ispar is helpful. As a general rule, if you do not know if the lore would allow it, do not create it, as it might get contradicted with official lore later. A 'light' history on Ispar will not make your character on Dereth any weaker.
Helpful history links:
When creating a personal past, it is best to avoid an over-the-top or dramatic history. Examples of this would be: Your parent(s) died when you were at a young age, you never knew your parents, you grew up in an orphanage, your parent(s) are/were royalty or some other major character, you yourself are royalty or some other major character. On the other hand, it is also best to avoid 'perfect' characters with no flaws or only a few minor ones, as they are unrealistic.
Alignment
When creating and playing a character, some sort of moral and ethical code is very helpful. One good option for choosing a general set of values is to use the Alignment System created for Dungeons & Dragons. There are two axes of alignment: Good vs. Evil and Law vs. Chaos. The possible alignments are as follows:
Lawful Good Neutral Good Chaotic Good Lawful Neutral Neutral Chaotic Neutral Lawful Evil Neutral Evil Chaotic Evil
Associations
Looking over the lore for the Factions in Asheron's Call can be very useful. It will help define who your friends and enemies are. Your character's alignment can help decide which factions you support or vice versa.