RP Gear Complation! (by Baelthun)

~ALLIANCE~


Human


Stormwind Footman
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/zypher2/SWFootman-1.png
(Shield: Aegis of Stormwind(World Drop) - http://thottbot.com/i1203#A:::-3
or
Shield: Commander's Crest(Drop from SFK) - http://thottbot.com/i6320)

Stromgarde Footman
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/zypher2/SGFootman-1.png

Lordaeron Footman
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/zypher2/LFootman.png

Theramore Footman
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/zypher2/TMFootman-1.png
(You can substitute Bonelink Helm or Champion's Helm for the Steel Plate Helm.)

Kul Tiras Marine
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/zypher2/KTMarine.png

Dalaran Wizard
http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/4977/dlwizard.png


Dwarf

Ironforge Guard
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/zypher2/IFGuard-1.png

Ironforge Mountaineer
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/zypher2/IFMountaineer-1.png
or
Mountaineer
Head: Conjurer's Hood http://www.wowhead.com/?item=9849
Chest: Fungus Shroud Armor http://www.wowhead.com/?item=17742
Legs: Veteran Leggings http://www.wowhead.com/?item=2978
Hands: Chainmail Gloves http://www.wowhead.com/?item=850
Feet: Archer's Boots http://www.wowhead.com/?item=9856

Dun Garok Mountaineer
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/zypher2/DGMountaineer-1.png

Bael'dun Mountaineer
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/zypher2/BMMountaineer-1.png




Nightelf

Silverwing Sentinel
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/zypher2/SWSentinel.png
Armor
- Augmented Chain Helm
- Silverwing Tabard
- Augmented Chain Vest
- Lavender Mageweave Shirt
- Polished Scale Gloves
- Polished Scale Belt
- Augmented Chain Leggings
- Polished Scale Boots

Kalimdor-sky-blue(Sentinel)

http://img541.imageshack.us/img541/5997/sentinel.jpg
Armor
-Jouster's Chestplate
-Jouster's Greaves
-Jouster's Girdle
-Formidable Shoulders
Weapon
Quiver (just picked one in a matching colour)
Bow (just picked a random wooden one)
Don't forget to add: Owl Companion Pet

Ashenvale-tree-purple

http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/8717/sentinel2.jpg
Armor
-Felstone Spaulders
-Skettis Chestpiece
-Skettis Legguards
-Skettis Footwraps
-Skettis Belt
-Skettis Gauntlets
Weapon
Quiver (just picked one in a matching colour)
Bow (just picked a random wooden one)
Don't forget to add: Owl Companion Pet

Draenei

Exodar Vindicator
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/zypher2/Vindicator.png
Armor
- Gladiator's Ornamented Spaulders
- Chestguard of Exile
- Aldor Heavy Belt
- Gladiator's Ornamented Legplates
- Marshal's Lamellar Greaves
- Gladiator's Ornamented Gloves
OR
- Imperial Plate Armorset
Weapons
- Hammer of the Naaru

Exodar Peacekeeper
Armor
- Glyphed Epaulets
- Enduring Breatplate
- Rich Purple Shirt
- Astrid's Riding Gloves
- Celestial Kilt
Weapons
- Blackout Truncheon


Gnome

Gnomeregan Soldier: Variant 1
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/zypher2/GG1.png
Armor
- Goblin Rocket Helmet
- "Sage's" Armorset
Weapons
- Gnomeregan Bonechopper

Gnomeregan Soldier: Variant 2
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/zypher2/GG2.png
Armor
- X-52 Rocket Helmet
- Bloodscale Pauldrons
- Conqueror's Breastplate
- Red Linen Shirt
- Scarlet Gloves
- Conqueror's Legplates
- Scarlet Boots
Weapons
- Baron's Scepter
- Gizlock's Hypertech Buckler


Other

Menethil Guard
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/zypher2/MHGuard-1.png

Knight of the Silver Hand
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/zypher2/SHKnight-1.png

Honor Hold Footman
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/zypher2/HHFootman-1.png






31

Avanor
The Sha'tar
1. Re: RP Military Uniforms and Outfits 18/04/2010 11:03:03 PDT
~HORDE~


Orc

Generic Grunt
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/zypher2/OGrunt.png
Armor
- Big Bad Pauldrons
- Sentinel's Vest
- Sentinel's Bracers
- Sentinel's Gloves
- Sentinel's Belt
- Sentinel's Pants
- Sentinel's Boots
Weapons
- Bullova

Northrend Orc Grunt
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/zypher2/NGrunt.png
Armor
- The Crusader's Resolution
- Blood-Tempered Spaulders
- Engraved Chestplate of Eck
- Orgrimmar Tabard
- Spiked Metal Cilice
- Gauntlets of Capture
- Legguards of Brutalization
- The Darkspeaker's Iron Walkers

Orc Shaman
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/zypher2/OShaman.png
Armor
- Helm of Lupine Grace
- Witch Doctor's Beads
- Primitive Kilt
Weapons
- Left-Hand Claw
- Right-Hand Claw


Blood Elf

Blood Knight
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/zypher2/BloodKnight.png
Armor
- Warlord's Lamellar Pauldrons
- Blood Knight War Cloak
- Warlord's Lamellar Chestplate
- Blood Knight Tabard
- General's Lamellar Gloves
- Goblin Girdle
- General's Lamellar Legplates
- General's Lamellar Boots
Weapons
- Archmage's Guile
- Blood Knight Defender


Tauren

Tauren Bluffwatcher
Armor
- Ranger Shoulders
- Feral Harness
- Feral Leggings
- Feral Shoes


Forsaken

Undercity Deathguard
Armor
- Shadow Hood
- Scalemail Vest / Blackforge Breastplate
- Scalemail Gloves / Nethersteel Gauntlets
- Scalemail Belt
- Scalemail Leggings
- Scalemail Boots / Malignant Footguards
Weapons
- Light Scimtar
- Bandit Buckler
- Eerie Stable Lantern






31

Avanor
The Sha'tar
2. Re: RP Military Uniforms and Outfits 18/04/2010 11:04:05 PDT
NEUTRAL / OTHER

Alterac / Syndicate Footman
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/zypher2/AFootman.png
Armor
- Bonechewer Sincloak
- Heavy Mithril Breastplate
- Heavy Mithril Gauntlets
- Light Chain Belt
- Heavy Mithril Pants
- Heavy Mithril Boots

Scarlet Crusade Footman
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/zypher2/SCChampion.png
Armor
- Blood Knight Helm
- Mantle of the Desert Crusade
- Crimson Mail Hauberk
- Tabard of the Scarlet Crusade
- Overlord's Bracers
- Scarlet Gauntlets
- Stormpike Girdle
- Inferno Forged Leggings
- Scarlet Boots
Weapons
- Solid Iron Maul
OR
- Footman's Longsword
- Standard Issue Shield / Shield of the Wayward Footman / Aegis of the Scarlet Commander

Twilight Cultist
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a77/zypher2/TCultist.png
Armor
- Twilight Cultist Cowl
- Twilight Cultist Mantle
- Twilight Cultist Robes
- Knitted Sandals
Weapons
- Bloodscalp Channeling Staff

The Guide to roleplaying beyond GOOD and EVIL (by Kalitari)

As a sort of continuation to Exaythes guides to Good and Evil I decided to write a bit about how to bring depth into characters by having good heroes commit evil deeds, having evil villains do good, how to change sides from evil to good or vise versa and why it is difficult to roleplay a true neutral character. I recommend reading Exaythes The Guide to... GOOD and The Guide to... EVIL before this one. In here we go past the simplified good and evil, leave the white and black behind… Welcome to the Shades of Grey.

Alignments:

This is mainly a guide on how to play your character beyond the limits of conventional D&D alignments and thus the D&D terms (like Lawful Good or Neutral Evil) are not used. In the following text the terms “good” and “evil” are used in as in conventional morality. For example, to kill is evil (sometimes a necessary evil, but still something that should ultimately be avoided if possible), to help people in need is good (sometimes impossible but you should always strive to do so) and so forwards.

When Good does Evil:

Good characters commit evil things all the time. People lie, steal, commit violence and kill in the name of their religion, family, friends, country or just plain old “common good”. The thing is that a Good character should never do evil things without some sort of emotional response. When your good paladin is forced to kill fellow humans to defend Stormwind against Defias Brotherhood he should feel at least a bit bad about it. He doesn’t kill other humans because he enjoys it, or because it makes him feel powerful. He kills because he has to and he feels bad about it. He asks the Light to forgive him for all the slaying. He tries to find other methods instead of solving all problems with violence. At least he should… otherwise he isn’t really good anymore. Remember, very many things your “good” character does will be evil objectively and (especially) subjectively. It’s not the actions, but the motives and the emotional responses that define your character as one of the good guys.

How to play good doing evil:

- Don’t just think what your character does, think how he or she feels while doing so.
- Hesitate when appropriate. A hero who hesitates to kill but does it when necessary not only seems more real, but also more heroic than a robotic automaton who kills without batting an eye.
- Speak and discuss options, even when you already know what must be done. Sometimes you know you must lie, steal or kill because it’s the only option. You should still discuss it and say that you don’t like being put into that situation.
- Show mercy when appropriate.
- Don’t be afraid to bend the rules for good purposes. Laws might be harsh and sometimes even too harsh… Don’t be afraid to break laws if your character feels it’s the right thing to do. Still, you might feel a bit guilty for not acting according to laws as was expected of you.
- Never, ever do evil just because your character “enjoys” or “likes” it… Unless you are ready to change your character from Good to Evil. Do it because you "have to", "its the right thing to do" or, preferably, because "its the only choice left".
- Its alright to play desperate, disillusioned and cynical... and still have a "good heart"


Example #1 Hunters choices:

Naroin is a troll hunter who lives by the ancient traditions and customs of the Darkspear tribe. He hunts animals for food and leathers to make clothes. He defends his tribal territories. The Darkspear see him as a good troll warrior with a heart and soft spot for troll children who he takes hunting to teach them the skills and customs of the hunt. However, to Alliance Naroin is evil incarnate itself. Literally dozens of alliance humans and dwarves have been found in the forest , slain by Naroins arrows. Almost always the bodies, when found, were mutilated.

This is because Naroin believes he must defend his homeland against alliance invaders and he the Loas might curse his family and tribe if he does not kill those who disrespect the Loas by wandering into holy ground without giving the required sacrifices. After killing a human or dwarf he always cuts open the bodies to help the spirit escape the body, easing its passing from the land of the living into land of the dead. He doesn’t want to leave any ghosts around, after all. Sometimes he cuts a piece of flesh from the fallen and eats it. In this way he makes them part of himself and ritually shows that he killed them not out of hate or loathing but out of necessity. During his travels Naroin sees many humans and dwarves and most of the time he just watches them from the shadows, waiting and hoping they would go away. Only when they step into holy grounds and start to dig the ruins for treasures he intervenes, quickly slaying the trespassers, before they can anger the Loas and bring a curse on everyone.

For all practical purposes Naroin is actually a good character, but he does evil things both objectively (he kills because he believes it is necessary and regrets it) and subjectively (alliance see him as a true monster who murders people, mutilates the bodies and eat them).


Example #2 Deathknight who cares:

Katya was a human mercenary who was captured and killed by Lich Kings troops and made into a deathknight. Along with her Ebon Blade companions she rebelled against the Lich and later joined the alliance forces to fight the Scourge. Her methods are far from those used by Stormwind troops or Argent Crusade paladins. She regularly uses ghoul, gheist and gargoyle allies, treating them as a cannon fodder, and is known to kill Twilight Cultists, necromancers and plague ridden humans without hesitation. Most of alliance think she is crazy, depraved and evil. The speeches she gives about only wanting to revenge Arthas for what was done to her do little to sway the general opinion.

However, Katya has served unwillingly in the Scourge troops and knows exactly what they are capable of. She resurrects dead bodies as ghouls and gheists with little concern because she doesn’t want to give any new troops to Scourge. She thinks it is far better for her to raise the dead to fight the Scourge… otherwise Lich King would do it anyway. She kills “lost” humans like cultists and necromancers with little hesitation because she wants to save them from Scourge infection and eternal damnation of the undeath. After all the distrust people of Stormwind have show her she rarely bother to explain herself deeply, its far easier just to say she is doing this to get even with Arthas. Simply put she does what she thinks must be done to save the Azeroth. Sometimes late in night she sees horrible waking nightmares and cries for her lost life, humanity and everyone who has been sacrificed to stop Arthas. Katyas motives are pure and good (all she wants is to stop Scourge) but her methods and appearance make her seem like a monster.


Example #3 The Last Line of Defence:

Kamakhya is a gnome warlock in service of the gnomish secret service (and thus the king Magni Bronzebeard of Ironforge). She sees demonic magic as a sort of “engineering specialty” of hers. Some people study electricity or steam power or the basic concepts of mechanical engineering. She studies the twisting nether, the outlands and the demons. Her most famous inventions so far include “how to use Void Walkers as a semi-portable source of energy” and “how to use imps for instant messaging service”. In addition to making inventions and finding new uses for demons she also studies methods for banishing demons and warding places and people against demonic influence.

Lately she has been often tasked with spying the Horde and fighting against Horde incursions in Arathi Basin. She uses these opportunities to test her demonotronic inventions and magic in combat. She is confident that if the Forsaken would try to attack Ironforge the gnomish secret service arsenal of demonic magics is necessary to save the people of Ironforge. She has also been a part of secret project to mine the Deeprun Tram so that if Stormwind would ever fall to enemy the gnomes could blow up the tunnel, cutting the enemy from reaching Ironforge through the Deeprun Tramway. She is worried that if the time came to destroy the tunnel, it would be filled with refugees who would die horribly in the explosions and the collapsing of the tunnel but she hopes this plan will never need to be put into action.

In reality Kamakhya is pretty much as good as you can get in the secret service. After all, she is just a normal scientist with a bit of a strange job and even stranger specialty. She works lojally for king and country to protect thousands of dwarf and gnome civilians… At the same time she is inventing demonic weapons of mass destruction, planning a demolition of Deeprun Tram and killing of hundreds or even thousands of innocent human refugees. 

When Evil does Good:

Only the very depraved and psychotic do evil without any motivation at all. Almost everyone have some reason for it and most of the time the motive might be very different from the results. Its easy to see an evil character as evil because he maims, mutilates and kills just for bloodlust and hatred, but what if the reason for his horrid deeds isn’t so simple? What if his motives are pure but his methods are unsound and he has started to enjoy his bloody work, embracing evil methods even when other options are available? Yes, he is “evil”… but with a twist. Also, not all evil characters are lone, sociopathic killers… Actually in MMORPG you’d wish most weren’t. Lone monsters are pretty one dimensional and boring for other players… and not really contributing to story or the fun. Even evil people have friends and family who they might care about. And sometimes, just sometimes, even the truly twisted and evil must do something good that ultimately leads to greater evil. That’s the really fun part.

How to play Evil doing Good:

- Think of what your character wants and craves for, but do it in secret.
- Do good things just to keep up appearances.
- Be friendly and helpful to your own friends and family but refuse to help people you don’t know
- Expect to be rewarded or gain something for yourself when doing something good… But never say it aloud.
- You can be petty, vengeful and bitter if your good deeds are rewarded with simple “thanks” instead of “thanks, here is 10 gold for your troubles”
- Communicate OOC with other people. You are *playing* a double-faced, ungrateful and greedy bastard but you don’t need to *be* one.
- Always have ulterior motive. Always. Don’t reveal it too easy but let your evilness show a bit through the façade.
- You don't need to be evil all time and in all things, you just need to be evil when it really counts.


Example #4 “The Good Shepherd”

Niles is a priest of light in Stormwind. He is a good speaker and listener and finds it easy to gain the confidence and trust of others. He has helped many people by just being there for them and being always ready to listen to their worries. He is also a one of the best “recruiters” for the Church of Light in Stormwind and has managed to convert dozens and dozens of people to join the Church of Light. Most people who came to the church for him feel eternally grateful for Niles.

Inside, Niles is a greedy, power hungry and deceptive. He loves the feeling of control he has over all the new converts and he craves for the respect and recognition his converting gives him amongst the other priests. Sometimes if he fees a convert hasn’t shown enough gratitude and respect for being guided into the church he will use his position and knowledge to humiliate and hurt them. He likes to keep his own hands clean and will always try to manipulate one of his more “loyal” coverts to do the actual dirty work.

When meeting law-breakers, heretics or cultists Niles won’t hesitate to set the guards and paladins on their tail. He will always demand for maximum punishments for criminals and likes to show himself as a “firm and unflinching defender of justice and faith”. Secretly he revels in the power and control his position gives him. Niles could easily make your confess your deepest secrets, comfort you for a moment, give you absolution and send you home more relieved… Just to judge you next day when the Stormwind guards kick down your door. And the last thing you would see before being dragged into dungeons would be his patented “holier than thou” smile.


Example #5 The Physicist

Sir Morgan was a talented and respected physician and alchemist who kept his own clinic in Lordaeron... That is, untill the Scourge came. First turned into undead by the Scourge he was freed from Lich Kings servitude by the Banshee Queen Sylvanas and joined the ranks of the Forsaken. Free to pursue his own destiny as one of the Forsaken he found out that there wasn't really anything left for him. Lordaeron, his family, his town, even his King were all destroyed. Every day he found himself sinking deeper into madness, but one day he got a revelation: He would find a new land, a new town and continue his life as nothing had happened. The only problem was that he wasn't welcome amongst the humans anymore... but he had a solution. He would find his dream town and infect it in secret, turning all its inhabitants into undead forsaken. Then he wouldn't be no different from them and they would accept him as one of them.

The only problem remaining was how to infect a whole village easily at once? Sir Morgans answer was simple, he kindnapped a young high elf child, hired a couple of blood elves to act as the childs "family" and started to move the pieces across the table. His plan was to give the children a normal, happy childhood with the surrogate family while slowly building up the childs tolerance to his alchemical plagues. In a few years the child would have enough tolerance to carry aa huge dose of extremely virulent plague without being killed too fast, dose big enough to infect a whole village full of people if need be...

To blood elves and most of the Horde Sir Morgan is just like any other forsaken, except that he seems unusually sane, polite and friendly to the outside. He seems unusually tolerant of the living and even saved an orphaned high elf child from the Scourge, bringing it to Silverymoon and seeking out a young blood elf couple to raise up the orphaned elf. He seems to care for the child very much and regularly gives the child medicinal mixtures to keep it healthy. At least this is what Sir Morgan wants the horde to see... and very few blood elves would be cynical enough to suspect anything as horrible as the real truth is.

The truth is that Sir Morgan has been lost in his own madness and cares for nothing else except his absurd dream of getting his own undead dream town to live peacefully in. The fact that he is raising up an innocent child to be a biological weapon and might easily infect a good few thousand of blood elves don not worry him one bit. If anything he loathes all of horde and wants nothing to do with any of them but hides his true feelings behind a mask of polite and friendly behavior.


Example #6 The Sentinel

Amanya Nightbreeze is a night elf sentinel known in the Darnassus city as fair and just sentinel who is always ready to defend the night elf lands against invaders and who is enthusiastic keeper of the old night elf traditions. In Darnassus or Teldrassil it is almost impossible to find a night elf who would speak against her. Outside the safety of Teldrassil things aren’t quite the same, however…

Amanya has dedicated her whole life in defense of the night elf lands and to keep the old traditions alive. This also means that any meeting with her in Ashenvale or Stonetalons is likely to be swift, lethal and the last meeting you ever have unless you are a night elf. She kills all orcs, trolls, tauren, forsaken and blood elves without a second thought and wouldn’t shed a single tear if tasked with killing a village full of orc civilians… Actually she has done that several times, already, purging orc logging camps in Ashenvale. She is very racist towards other alliance races, too, any dwarf, gnome, human or draenei met in Ashenvale is likely to never even see Amanya, even if they are in trouble. She thinks anyone trespassing into night elf lands pretty much deserves to get lost in woods and be eaten by local beasts. If she must intervene she will do so quickly and decisively and won’t forget to chastise the outlanders for their stupidity in coming to Ashenvale.

If you are a night elf serving in Amanyas regiment you would probably find her as the best commander you’ve ever met. She is just, supportive and always ready to help people learn more. As long as you are a female, that is. As a strict traditionalist Amanya despises any male night elves joining Sentinels. How could such a big, clumsy thing like male with mind lacking the cunning of a female brain ever expect to be a Sentinel?

As a loyal Sentinel Amanya would never openly act against Darnassus Council so she won’t kill alliance members or kick out male sentinels without a reason, but for curiously enough so far no male has survived the tests to join Sentinel regiment Amanya commands and it is quite clear that her regiment has reported only a handful of situations where they’ve assisted alliance members in need of help. Her regiments enemy body count, however, is one of the highest of any Sentinel units and the other regimental commanders suspect that Amanya regularly lists orc civilians as “enemy combatants” in her reports.  

Falling into Darkness and Redemption:

One of the most interesting things in long term roleplaying is to have your character develop. People attitudes and priorities change during the life and even a persons whole outlook on life can change over a time. This means that given time and opportunity a good person can become evil and evil person can become good. Changing your alignment is a difficult porsess to roleplay correctly but it can also be very rewarding for yourself and everyone involved in the storyline.

The first thing you must remember is that a person must always have a reason why his outlook on life changes. Something has happened that made him or her change his priorities. It maybe a one-time traumatic event or a longer process but there is always a reason.

Possible reasons for Good to turn into Evil:

- Revenge for traumatic loss of friends, family or loved ones
- Being disillusioned with his or her own part in the world
- Losing faith (in God, Church, king, government...)
- Mental disorder

Possible reasons for Evil to turn Good:

- Falling in love
- To repay some evil he or she did not really want to do
- Gaining faith (in God, Church, king, government...)
- Wanting to be remembered for something good
- Having children and wanting to make the world better for them
- Being disillusioned with his or her own part in the world


Second thing you must remember is that no-one changes overnight. A do-good paladin doesn't start to kidnap children and chop them up in dark cellars in a blink of an eye. A dark undead lord won't change into a eccentric but good hearted mage in one week. The process of slipping into darkness is a gradual one and climbing up from the dark side to the good is slow and painfull.

How to play Good becoming Evil:

- Delay emotional responces when committing evil things. Act increasingly cold-hearted and feel guilty only when someone else shows you what you have done.
- Always explain away your evil deeds with "necessity" and "it had to be done"
- Grown increasing impatient and take the shortest, most effective answer (for example violence) because "you can't waste time"
- Adopt increasingly extreme methods over time: At first phase you arrest cultists... next you torture them to get them give up other cultists... In no time you find yourself kidnapping families of suspected cultists, terrorizing whole communities and executing civilians for "protecting" people who might be cultists.
- The goal becomes more important than methods... everything is allowed for you
- Start to speak and act as if there is no end goal... This war will continue forever and there will always be new enemies to meet
- Lose hope
- Involve other players well ahead so they know what the story is and can act accordingly when they notice your character slowly slipping into evil
- Get unhinged... Even though the reason you turn to evil wasn't mental disorder your actions may have started to break up your mental health. Acting increasing strange and psychotic also lends to the correct atmosphere of your "Good falling into Evil" -theme


How to play Evil becoming Good:

- Have a solid motive
- Involve other players and have their reaction affect your development (be friendly when they are friendly and so on)
- Have lapses. Sometimes you still stick to your old methods and attitudes.
- Feel bad after lapsing into evil.
- Find hope
- Start to speak and act as if you had future plans and goals (not involving world domination and destruction of your enemies)
- Increasingly question your methods even when the goal is right
- Sometimes act desperate and tired because world doesn't change even though you do.
- Act friendly and even funny when appropriate. Evil characters are hardly ever funny as light atmosphere isn't really right for them... But when you start to become Good you will want others to be more relaxed and comfortable around you to give the situations the positive spin the "Evil becoming Good" -theme needs.


Examples:

You can find reasons and motives in any of the previous examples to change alignment. For example:

#1 Naroin could lose his family and village and go into bloody spree of revenge. Or he could start to enjoy killing alliance a bit too much, slowly lapsing into madness and killing spree.

#2 Katya could lose hope... Scourge just won't end, Lich just won't die. She could get even more extreme and desperate with here methods and stop caring about who she has to kill.

#3 Kamakhya could be absorbed too deep into the shadow world of epionage and secret plans. She could lose her mental health, become and paranoid and start to use those "Last Line" plans and weapons beforehand... Just to be sure.

#4 Niles could fall in love... or maybe commit some evil he didn't want to. He could start to see the suffering he has caused and try to fix things.

#5 Sir Morgan could find people who accept him... Maybe befriend a group of Forsaken or blood elves and realize that his plans won't get him anywhere

#6 Amanya could find a good-hearted friend who will make her see her methods as evil. Or she could fall in love with human or draenei... which would certainly be traumatic enough to force her chnage her outlook in life and world.  

The guide to...GOOD (by Exaythe)

Good characters contribute greatly to the community, without absolutes there can be no conflict and clash of views and without that there is little role-play. Again, when player makes grave mistakes the role-play turns into drama and is hardly enjoyable. This guide is mostly meant to illustrate the different ways of role-playing good: it is not all about smacking people with a big hammer!

Alignment

Again, D&D system doesn’t provide enough nuances so I have decided to talk about archetypes rather than alignments. Not to anger the D&D fans I will say which alignment I believe fits with each archetype. (N – neutral, NG- neutral Good, LG – lawful Good, CG – chaotic good, LN – Lawful Neutral)


Kind neighbor(N, NG,LG, LN)
Entire village talks about the kind old man next doors; when somebody needs help like chopping some wood or repairing a table – he will be there. When somebody has run out of food, he would share his. He is always there when you need him and his house is always full of people looking for his advice, or simply trying to lift the burden from their shoulders. While bigger do-gooders focus on world-wide problems they might ignore the small, every day matters. This is where the king neighbor excels the most.

A kind neighbor shall never have far-fetched idealistic plans of justice and good, he will never think about virtues and holy crusades, he will help you because it is his nature. He will not perceive himself as good, nor take credit for what he does. When faced with real evil the kind neighbor will react as any other person: probably run or put up a vain fight. Such character never fights evil or injustice, he simply tries to do Good towards others as far as his humble abilities allow.

I think that it is very hard to play such character: you are no hero, no villain but just a man. If you enjoy casual role-play and do not want to participate in big battles, ongoing struggles of good versus evil and criminal versus law Role-play then this archetype will work should you desire to play a good-aligned character. If you have a group of people you role-play with constantly, you can even build a substantial reputation of a kind, reliable and supportive person. This archetype can also be useful if you combine it with some other one, it surely can bring more depth to your character.

Tips:
-avoid heroic acts. You cannot defeat two cultists abusing that innocent girl, call the guards!
-being kind doesn’t mean licking people’s shoes. Of course having your good and charity abused is a way of role-playing your character as naïve, and it is an option.
-offer your help to those in need; try not to miss your chances: there won’t be that many.
-a degree of wisdom and life-experience can add an additional dimension to your character.
-try not to be too pushy with your help: even the Good should be dosed.

Man of duty (LN, LG)
Man of duty values his honor, his reputation and his duty – he stands ready to serve his country or his faith to the very last, shall always avoid doing ill deeds judged by his code of honor and will maintain a reputation of a reliable, honorable person. He shall fight invading armies, protect the civilians and oppose villains to the best of his humble abilities, but is usually lacking personal initiative and relies on others to give him directions.

Man of duty may sometimes be pushed towards a vain, stupid action by his honor and sense of duty and die a romantic death for his faith and country. You can find such people among the best within the guard regiments and the military, local nobility and even citizenry – they behave exactly as the society expects a good person to behave. In time they can grow from a loyal and devoted executor of orders into an ‘officer’, giving orders and keeping true to his honor and goal.

When role-playing this archetype you will probably face challenges and temptations which will lure you away from the path of honorable actions, unless you have the OOC presence of mind and tenacity to keep true to the archetype you are likely to fail. Also you will probably have the temptation to become a far greater force of good, smiting evil, showing initiative and going on a holy crusade – this is a viable option for character progression, but if you wish to remain within the frames of this archetype – don’t.

Tips:
-develop a strong sense of honor and duty, which are never doubted.
-be a good executor of orders, accept them with dignity and carry them out with conviction.
-never take law or justice in your hands.
-being in a military or guarding regiment is the best opportunity to play this archetype
-you might benefit from a patron, somebody to direct, guide and give orders to your character. Become right hand of a warlord or politician, influential cleric or squire of a paladin.
-keep a cool head when more High-up characters take credit for your actions: duty comes first, glory second…if at all.

Naïve idealist (N, NG, LG, CG)
Idealists refuse to believe that the world is plagued by darkness and evil. Where others see criminals they see poor misguided individuals, pushed down the path of crime by outside factors. Naïve idealists value life and cannot stand when somebody, somewhere comes to harm.

They fiercely oppose executions and public punishments; champion the cause of peace and often cultural and religious relativism and respect. When faced with evil or corruption they will most likely be oblivious to the severity of the situation and simply try to talk sense into the perpetrator, and then take his word on not doing it ever again unconditionally. These individuals are usually pushed aside by more practical do-gooders who shun their affiliation and protection of cultists and criminals. Naturally you may still pick this more active approach and take on the whole world: but it will be hard.

If you wish to play this archetype: be prepared to be disappointed, be prepared to be demonized, be prepared to be the one in the wrong. Your actions should always come unconditionally and from within your heart – even if the mind tells you that it is stupid. The moment you start thinking, analyzing and doubting that people are actually good and speak the truth, is the moment you stop being a naïve idealist. If you do not have the heart to stand being used and shunned, to fail and be in the wrong…don’t try this. It will end up with a lot of drama

Tips:
-your character champions the cause of peace, respect, order, cuddliness and cuteness and if he succeeds RP dies as it is built on conflict and clash. People want to have fun when playing the game, so do not expect to succeed; you are more likely to fail most of the time.
-avoid trying to take on the top of more practical do-gooders; they are more cunning and powerful than your character. You are better off doing your good deeds from down below, unless you are prepared to face the consequences.
-one betrayal, one dishonorable deed anything bad will ruin your credibility forever. Stay pure, always. (tea with sugar and log-out are best tools here)
-if you wish to pursue more active form of idealism and improve the whole world then you should be ready for a very rough ride. 

Shepherd (LG, NG)
Shepherds are wise men with the knowledge, charisma and dedication to guide others, preach Good and fortify souls through inspiration. These characters usually make up the ranks of clergy: preaching their faith and guiding others in the ways of virtues of their creed.

You are unlikely to find these characters in the midst of battle or in any form of action whatsoever – they are good at talking and inspiring while they might completely lack any practical skill. These men seek to teach others in the ways of their faith or philosophy, support those in need, offer guidance to those who wander and help others reach spiritual integrity. Ideally this archetype is wise, calm and of strong spirit; but we know that seldom you meet a pure archetype. You can still role-play your character as a fierce preacher, suffering no fools and no heresy.

Whatever role you choose, you should be able and ready to lead: people will come to you for instructions and woe to you if you cannot provide the answers they seek! Preaching in the open might not be a good way of spreading the message, people hate yells. I think that one on one session and sermons in religious places are the answer. You don’t have to be part of a church or religion; you can simply be a wise man or a philosopher, as long as you fulfill your role as a source of wisdom, inspiration and guidance.

Tips:
-keep good track of the spiritual integrity of your character! It is your bread and butter. You can of course play a slightly mad, confused preacher.
-if you do choose to play an insane character, then mixing some childish naivety will do great job, mix in some naïve idealist archetype!
-organize small events from time to time, showing that you organize events and create fun for others will improve your credentials.
-don’t miss an opportunity to give a lesson or a sermon, but do not force your way into everything!
-getting an apprentice can spice up your role-play, I am sure there are some around willing to follow you.
-again, you are no hero! When you see an evil Dark Lord coming at you and your sermon has failed to force him to repent…it might be wise to run. Or pray to your gods.

Crusader (LG, NG, CG)
Crusaders have good realization that evil is a part of this world, that people suffer and enemies always encroach on his homeland and faith. A Crusader shall seek to identify evil in whatever form it is hiding and take a fight to it, refusing to offer it any chance to exist, let alone grow roots. The crusaders are bound by a rigid code of honor and conduct which they either impose on themselves or let their church of king do so for them.

A crusader shall always act predictably and honorably, at least within own culture and faith. He also knows a difference between the darker hues of grey which manifest in worst kind of men: thieves, corrupt officials, criminals and true, absolute evil which seeks to destroy the world as he knows it. A crusader is unlikely to bother with purely human evil, leaving it to the guards, but he shall smite the cultists, demons, undead and all those who seek to bring ruin upon the world.

When role-playing a proper crusader you have to remember that you are not an insane zealot – you are a champion of Good. You should be kind and warm towards your friends, lenient to these less powerful in mind, body and soul. You should protect those who need your protection and give charity to the poor, frown upon all evil, disgrace, indignity and wrongdoing and try to stop it to the best of your abilities. But remember, do not waste strength on petty criminals….greater evil is out there somewhere!

Tips:
-try to be respectful to ‘simple’ people, even if they are stupid. Know that those of lesser strength of soul might be arrogant, foolish, vindictive and spiteful because they know no better.
-Do not let evil go unwelcomed! Always speak out against it.
-Hunt down true evil with unstoppable conviction and dedication.
-never make deals with shady characters, honor and straightforwardness!
-you are a crusader, not a berserker…hammer is always good for hitting nails, but it is not always good for fighting evil.
-This archetype pleas you to be courageous, but remember that when surrounded by ten cultists your courage will lead to death. So either play along or accept the consequences of your defiance.
-sometimes seeing world a bit more black and white than it actually is, is a good thing when playing a crusader.
-You don’t have to be a paladin to be a crusader: orc shaman fighting demons and undead and protecting his kin is as much a crusader as Uther himself! *hopes Uther didn’t hear it*

Arbiter (LN, LG)
An arbiter is a keeper of law, justice and tradition – he is by his nature a conservative. Arbiters shun all those who deviate from the established code of laws and virtues, fight back all form of heresy and are adamant at upholding the law and order. An arbiter is usually no warrior, so it is unlikely you will use force of arms to fight back heresy and injustice. You have to rely on others, or on your own persuasiveness and charisma. The arbiters eat and breathe the status quo.

These characters are lawful to the point of being absurd, honor the traditions and rites of their ancestors and protect their culture – they live their lives by the book and are unlikely to break even the smallest rule. Arbiters are usually perfectionists, unable to accept anything flawed. They hate watching people work with half their effort or leave work unfinished. Most importantly, these characters are the loyal hounds of law and will bite off the head of anybody to break or threaten it.

When role-playing an arbiter you should be ready for a wall of hate coming your way: nobody likes people who know everything better and tell others what to do. Think your steps through with great care, you should never break the laws or go against the virtues you uphold, doing so will result in instant loss of credibility and metamorphosis into a corrupt prince. Never let crimes and misdoings go unpunished, even if you have to bite your way through the castle walls – justice shall be done! Never let heresies and deviations roam unopposed, smite them down with your persuasiveness and stubborn conservatism…change; only a fool can believe in it!

Tips:
-carefully study the laws, culture and traditions of the community you are part of
-follow what you preach and uphold!
-do not let injustices go unpunished, do not give up and keep up the prosecution
-always challenge heretics and (hopefully) beat them in debates and discussions
-crack down with the strength of colliding trains at anybody who dares question the status quo!
-a little arrogance and self-righteousness goes a long way.
-You will be hated for doing this: always correct people when you see them act not as they should!
-doubt? Not in a lifetime! You should tattoo “stubbornness” all over your body, just in case you are about to forget its meaning.  

Fanatic (CG)
Fanatics have taken their creed and code to an extreme and have elevated their convictions to the status of the holiest of holiest. Naturally there is only one way to lead your life in a good way – other roads are delusions and heresies. It is your duty to force them to follow the truth, for their own good!

Occasionally people are not only blind to the truth and grace of your conviction, but also addicted to their heresy. They won’t abandon their false ways, no matter what. You know what to do, don’t you? There is only one way to save them from themselves: stakes, torches, swords and hammers! You shall never tolerate any deviation from the One truth, One way of life and One ultimately good and benevolent set of virtues…those who doubt you and your convictions deserve to die.

When role-playing a fanatic you must be fully aware that people don’t want their characters to die, and that your holy war on heresy might not go as expected. Always be on the lookout for alternative ways to punish heretics: torture, disgrace…the list goes on. Don’t be surprised if people get enough of you and try to arrest you though, this all is part of the fun. Your character thinks he is right and benevolent, but as player you know better….don’t you?

Tips:
-unlike your character be open for ideas, criticism and suggestions. Respect your fellow role-players
-be on lookout for willing victims, for without them you are nothing but a sad joke!
-if you want to play a ranting annoying fanatic who never acts, ignore the previous point.
-Your character knows only One truth, everything that is “almost” true is still a lie!
-Even if with great restraint and fear of law you might forgive those who think differently, you cannot stand those who preach heresies!
-for the Emperor, play anything related to Warhammer and Warhammer 40k.
-don’t take your character’s misfortunes too close to heart OOCly, he is a fanatic…you are not.
-Never do something invasive and permanent to other characters without discussing it out of character first. You won’t be able to stand the drama.

Saint (LG, NG)
Saints sit on the other extreme of faith and conviction; whilst fanatics bring down the hordes of heretics and cut down whole forests to fuel the fires of inquisition the saints turn inwards to seek spiritual integrity and peace. A saint doesn’t necessarily have to be a hermit or an outcast, as long as he maintains unbreakable faith and devotion.

Being a saint is usually associated with an ascetic life-style, refusing all decadence and comfort and leading a simple, humble and sometimes poor life. Naturally you will ask what is the fun with this character, the potential is endless I answer. You can try and help others like a kind neighbor would, or wage a systematic war on evil as a crusader. This archetype is probably boring by itself, unless you enjoy wandering around and having passive Role-play, waiting for others to approach you.

What you have to remember is that your character is a saint- an embodiment of virtues and ideas he follows. This archetype allows for no deviation, no doubt…but also no zeal in the bad sense of the word. Your character is wise enough to know that taking faith to its bad extreme of fanaticism causes nothing but evil. If you wish to role-play a saint then you have just signed up to put a lot of thought, effort and dedication into your character because you have to act like a saint. Consider your every step carefully, speak and act no more than absolutely necessary.

Sometimes you might wish to have a following, becoming more of a powerful hierophant whom evil fears and good reveres. Just as the evil Dark Lords you have to let others do most of the job and avoid coming on the scene too often: only through these actions can you create an aura of mystery and power around your character and force darkness to flee in righteous terror when it sees you approach.

Tips:
-polish your characters ideology to perfection, work on it for so long that you start to hate it with your heart and soul
-stick to your faith, take it slowly, and never act brashly!
-never speak or act too much: it is hard to remain wise and pure otherwise.
-Your wisdom is enormous: your characters knows all the pitfalls of faith and would never succumb to reckless zeal.
-Never give the impression that you are eager to fight, make it appear that you were actually –forced- to and don’t enjoy it even a bit.
-do not neglect loyal and enthusiastic followers! They have the power to turn you from a ragged saint into Good Incarnate  

The guide to...EVIL! (by Exaythe)

Evil Roleplay enriches the community if done properly; it creates great opportunities and plots, stuff for discussion. People gather in the taverns and in the inns, discussing recent developments and cultist attacks. Good-aligned characters get motivated, bond together and fight back. But the evil role-play can also result in drama and annoyance if not done properly. In this short ‘guide’ I will try to express my vision on different types of evil role-play and give tips I believe to be useful. Whoever reads it, abandon all ye hope!

Alignments

Most people stick to the conventional D&D division along the axes of Good vs Evil and Law vs Chaos. Because this guide only speaks of evil alignments, it gives me an opportunity to introduce some greater nuance here. Instead of alignments I shall discuss ‘archetypes’ of evil characters: desperate thief, highwayman, crime boss, corrupt prince, anarchist, evil visionary, spineless cultist, acolyte of evil, psychopath, defiler, dark lord. Naturally, you are unlikely to meet any pure archetypes: most characters are a combination of several ones. Every time I shall also mention a D&D alignment which I believe fits the archetype (CE = Chaotic Evil, NE = Neutral Evil, LE = Lawful evil, N = Neutral, CN=Chaotic Neutral)

Desperate thief (NE/N)
Some people are pushed beyond the line of poverty, or become exiles and pariah for various reasons while lacking any kind of devotion to evil and hatred for the community. These individuals would try to steal anything they can, but might not be capable of armed robbery or assault. They are usually cowardly, pitiful and driven by desperation and hopelessness.

Desperate thief might not be a very interesting choice when it comes to role-playing a character, and probably the best way is to make an alt for this purpose. Such characters, cowardly, pitiful, desperate and ragged will probably earn the wrath of law for their criminal actions, but also the pity of the good-hearted clergy. It is very likely that your character will end up imprisoned or taken ‘in’ by the Church (if you play alliance). In either case it will be impossible to play a desperate thief any longer.

If you wish to put energy and time in such a character, and wish to continue playing one for a longer period of time, then you should stay away from really good-hearted people and their charity and role-play among thugs and criminals, running around, covering in the corners and grabbing whatever is not being watched.

tips:
-Wear ragged clothes and talk with a stutter, emoting casting your gaze down and being hunched.
-people usually take off their hats or set weapons against the walls when they sit down, and sometimes don’t pay close attention to their stuffs: grab your chance!
-begging on the streets is much safer than stealing!
-have a heart-tearing story of how you ended up so poor and pitiful ready to tell any guards who try to arrest you.

Highwayman (NE)
Unlike the desperate thief, highwayman is audacious, shameless and robs and steals because he believes it to be a lucrative business, rather than a necessity. Most thugs you see are highwaymen: some more intelligent and less direct than others. These characters are usually egoistic, greedy and pay close attention to their reputation or ‘street cred’.

These individuals perform armed robberies, thefts, assaults and kidnappings without much shame; but a less violent option is also available if you prefer being a more business-related mafia-like character. Highwaymen are no super-villains: they do not have powerful magic or any superpowers, so to escape the authorities you should either act smart, hide well, or always be prepared in case they do come after you.

I believe that such characters need ‘friends’ to be able to play out an arrogant, thuggish, tough person and accompany them on raids and assaults (it is also more fun and more realistic with a group!). If you put some energy and time into getting a little gang of your own, you can contribute to the community with your thefts and kidnappings as well as having great fun.

Tips
-watch all mafia-related movies!
- talk tough! Think of your street credentials!
- Make sure not to god-emote while assaulting, and talk to people out of character before kidnapping.
- do not do your shady deeds in broad daylights surrounded by a crowd of role-players. It is silly
- do not forget good old blackmail! Some espionage might provide some good material for it.

Crime lord (LE/NE)
They either have started with sufficient wealth and power through heritage and trade or made it the hard way while being a highwayman. Crime lords prefer to stay clean, meddle in politics and let others do their dirty job: whatever happens, they have never been involved!

They do not go out on the streets and smash faces; they have people do it for them. They own bars, taverns, public houses, smuggle drugs and booze. Being a proper crime lord is not for everybody, since you will probably spend more time planning, bossing around your minions and trying to organize community events like player-run taverns, businesses. Such restraint is not for everybody.

If played well, you can run your own little smuggling empire, trading drugs: approaching unwary citizens on the streets (not yourself! Send your thugs) and getting them hooked up. If you are good at making events and organizing you can own a player-run tavern, or smuggling operation to support other criminal characters and gangs. Extort businesses own by others. Possibilities are countless; why not join up with goodies in their government and law enforcement? Bribe guards?
Tips:
-again, watch the mafia-related movies!
-do not do things yourself, do not get involved, and do not send orders signed with your name! Have your thugs do everything for you.
-spend some time hanging with nobles and priests, warriors and rulers, officials and guards; you need connections, connections and more connections!
-open a tavern or a pub: your thugs need a place to relax and ‘socialize’. It will also serve as your HQ!

Corrupt prince (LE)
‘Corrupt prince’ is most likely a noble or an individual of considerable power, either political or monetary. These characters crave high standing and power; they are ready to do everything to get what they want. You are likely to find them running trade empires, serving in government administration or simply belonging to the class of nobility.

Role playing such an arrogant, power-hungry character might be hard if you wish to do it good: remember that despite your power you are NOT invincible! Discretion is still the key. You rely on trust and good will of other people, so make sure to be arrogant and *#!*%y only to those who cannot benefit you in any way. I know it is very tempting to show the whole world how evil you are: but this is exactly the challenge of being a corrupt noble! Show restraint and enjoy your wickedness in solitude. If you are discovered, you may as well delete your character or change the concept.

Not every community supports such a character: what you are looking for is one with a form of government or ‘high class’, you need a community with a slightly elitist bunch thinking itself higher and more important than the rest.

Tips:
-look up the quotes of Machiavelli, they are very helpful!
-be polite to those with power and arrogant to those ways below your class.
-keep your hands clean: let others do the dirty job.
-keep quite! Your character will be ruined if you are discovered. 

Anarchist (CE/CN)
Anarchists denounce any form of government and power, organization and law and crave a lawless, free society. You can be a hippy-like anarchist, but since this is a guide to evil we shall discuss the revolutionary-type, armed to the teeth and quick to butcher his enemies.

Anarchists hate nobility, high standing, hereditary merits and governance: both religious and royal. Your actions may remind of a thug: armed robberies, assassinations, kidnappings, blackmailing…but your intentions are different. Unlike the thug you seek publicity; you make use of people’s feelings and propaganda to appear to be fighting for a Right cause, earning support.

Remember, that if you are too active or successful you might end up in a situation where you are hunted so heavily that you can no longer role-play without it becoming silly, or you end up being in power. In the latter case you either have to change the concept, or let somebody else take the reins of power, wait a month, and then oppose him. You must make sure to balance successes and defeats, and not get too close to your goal: reaching it will most likely end your role-play (but you can arrange a temporarily success, of course. Why not be in charge for a month or so?).

Tips:
-store up on good, moving speeches and excuses to justify and hallow your end-goal
-always justify your evil deeds: murders, assaults, innocent casualties.
-make use of preaching and propaganda: if you cannot do it yourself then team up with those who can.
-remember that unlike thugs, you have a firm set of convictions and personal virtues which you believe in, and are ready to kill and die for.
-never miss an opportunity to discredit the authorities!
-starting a revolutionary newspaper is a good way to contribute to the community and gain publicity!

Evil visionary (LE/NE/CE)
I am Evil? No, I am a visionary! These characters are likely to be highly intelligent or spiritually powerful scholars, philosophers or fallen clergy men who either crave power by means of public deception and demagoguery or actually believe in their delusions and heresies.

If you wish to successfully role-play such a character, then you must have a passion of thinking and debating: you will do a lot of both. You need to show great integrity in your beliefs and convictions, have a believable body of ideas, goals and promises and skill in the art of conversation to win unwary souls for your cause and fight back rival preachers.

Remember, your character either believes that he is right or wants to make others think that he is: there is little room for self-doubt unless you believe it will make your point stronger (may be you are nihilist denying every value and every virtue?). You must work hard to collect material to properly discredit existing government and values and replace them with your own; you need to make research in other people to find best ways of converting them to your cause. Oh, and you must be prepared to be chased out with torches and pitchforks.

Tips:
-sit down and work on your character visions, opinions, ideas and convictions.
-constantly investigate other ideas, the ways others defend them and look for weak spots in both your own ideology and that of others.
-do not neglect weak-minded, easy to convince characters: they might become your most fierce zealots and followers.
-remember that your power lies in words, not in violence. Being violent only gives the authorities an excuse to arrest or kill you.
-do not yell speeches in public places, it makes you look desperate and gives you little following.

Spineless cultist (NE/CE)
Cults often attract weak-minded individuals: they are pitiful, weak, spineless and eager to please their masters – but they can also display great treachery. Spineless cultists are not powerful and certainly not attractive characters. This is the reason they are so rare. But remember, that your submissiveness, fear and bootlicking greatly contributes to the ego of your master – which gives you a very good position out of character! Dark lords will KILL to have you as their minion.

Your character is cowardly and weak, most likely serving only out of fear of punishment, but he is also very eager to please his master, lick his boots and make sure to earn his favor and attention. It is likely that such a pitiful, weak state gives your character unbound hatred for everybody else, which justifies backstabbing and torment upon others. You are wicked, twisted and sadistic – ready to make others suffer just as you do.

If played well, you will be a much liked player and people will fight each other to have you as their minion: while your character’s position is lowly, your position as a player will be quite strong; it will surely make up for your character’s degenerating position.

Tips:
-be fearful, submissive and never show initiative (at least not in-character)
-always seek to flatter and bootlick your master(s) and perform even the silliest task with zealous conviction.
-your character has great hatred stored deep within: vent it out on those in even weaker position than you!
-you don’t really have your own opinion; you just mindlessly follow these of others. You do not discuss it; you are not ‘clever’ enough to defend it. Let your little dagger do the talking instead.

Acolyte of evil(LE/NE)
Unlike a petty cultist your character has chosen to serve the forces of evil: demons, dark lords, scourge...whatever. You either crave power, or are twisted enough to share the dark schemes and desires of your masters. Acolytes of evil are zealous and wicked, justifying their actions with great ease and craving greater power or ability to serve their masters better.

You will most like get involved in torture and rituals, assaults and assassinations, fights and struggles – if you do not like emote-duels then this character archetype is probably not for you. Remember, you are a fearless champion of darkness with indescribable hatred for anything that opposes your master’s visions; you take pleasure in making your enemies perish in most cruel ways possible.

Remember that being a champion of darkness probably means that you will not be accepted in any normal community: you either put up with it and accept this, or will have to rely on your evil ‘friends’ for casual role-play. Your character is evil – and everybody knows it; be ready to be attacked and chased away wherever you go.

Tips:
-do not miss an opportunity to show your cruelty and wickedness
-do not show weaknesses or fears, it discredits you as a proper champion.
-never doubt the dark schemes you are following.
-loyalty! You might be evil, but you are also dedicated to the servitude.
-do not socialize with good and neutral people, it will end up silly and discredit your evilness (or tempt you to go goodie)

Defiler (NE/CE)
Defilers are preachers without a cause, changing ideas and visions as they see fit. This might seem chaotic, but if you look closer you shall see that they only desire to corrupt and twist anything that has purity or spiritual integrity. They take great pleasure in making good men sink to great evil, powerful mind become broken and indecisive.

To play a proper defiler you should be ready and willing to be flexible in changing your beliefs, good at persuasion and trickery. You should always think many steps ahead and weave magnificent webs of plots and schemes. You must also be prepared to be attacked and hunted for ‘no apparent reason’ as goodies realize your danger and will seek to put you down.

Well-played defilers contribute greatly to the community and are fun to have around… but they are extremely hard to play. If you think you have what it takes: flexibility, persuasive power and tenacity to push on with your hard work, then please roll such a character for the greater evil!

Tips:
-spend some time thinking on people’s desires and secret wishes
-learn to spot any doubt or wavering
-never miss a chance of abusing naïve characters!
-never underestimate impulse! People who have been treated unjustly by the church might be fuming for an hour or two, and are easily turned to your side…but make sure there is no going back for them!
-every person has his hidden demons! Make sure to put goodies in a bad light this way.
-try to show politeness and spiritual integrity, this classifies you as a credible leader.  

Dark lord (LE)
Dark lords are the most abused character archetype, everybody wants to be one but most fail miserably. Dark Lords combine qualities of leadership with untold power, devotion to evil, affinity to scheming and corrupting. Most people who try to pass for dark lords believe simply god-emoting everything to death is enough, no it is not!

To be believable as a dark lord you will need followers, you need to have the power and the charisma so that they become obsessed about you and constantly threaten goodies with your wrath. You must not appear too often, let your legend grow beyond any proportions! A poor Dark Lord will run around attacking people, a proper one will stay behind the scenes most of the time…but when he does appear the goodies will run in fear without any need for god-emoting!

Since you will be a leader, you need to be able to organize events, take responsibility for the actions of your minions and keep talking to leaders of the goodies out of character all the time: lack of communication will ruin your schemes and get you out of the game in no time. With time, after you have put titanic work into your character and minions, you may pull back slightly as your officers and lieutenants will do a lot of work for you.

Tips:
-get a following! Dark Lord is not credible if he has no minions
-Do not talk too much…you are a schemer, not a preacher.
-avoid fights! Every time you fight, another person will believe that he almost (or completely) beat you – this discredits you as a powerful lord of evil!
-Avoid being seen too often, but make sure you are spoken about. The legend is far more powerful than a man (a preacher revering you is your greatest asset!)
-be original! Make moves people do not expect, and do not rip off Darth Vader!

Psychopath (CE)
Psychopaths are dangerous, erratic and unpredictable individuals driven by mad fantasies and cruel desires. Best examples are serial murderers who dismember their victims or evil doctors running horrible tests on their subjects. As a psychopath your character is likely to be unpredictable and eccentric, but remember that psychopaths are ironically enough known to be very charismatic and charming (when not practicing their wicked ways).

To pass for a psychopath your character must be unpredictable, cruel beyond bounds and his motives should be unreasonable and impossible to understand for others. It is very hard to role-play one since you will have to hurt and maim others: something players do not like happening to their characters.

If you succeed and find good victims, the people will talk about you, fear you. You will become a great asset to the community and it is even likely that people will ask you out of character to hurt them. When this happened: you have succeeded, it is time for champagne!

Tips:
-constantly look for willing victims! Whisper your friends, look around for hardcore Role-players. You are nothing without victims!
-watch Hannibal and Saw movies.
-being kind and charming when not doing evil is likely to make you even more scary
-if you play an eccentric, do not miss an opportunity to make a whacky joke or remark.
-keep talking to your victims out of character, this avoids drama!  

Heroic virtues, heroic flaws (by Edanna)

Heroic virtues, heroic flaws
From The Sha'tar EU

To all who have just begun their adventure with actual roleplay.

Introduction

Have you ever played a game where you choose an advantage for your character in exchange for the game docking some XP? Or a disadvantage which weakens him but gives extra XP?

Good.

Because heroic virtues and flaws are nothing like it.

For starters, in RP heroic virtues and flaws give you absolutely no combat nor social advantage, no mystical bonus or penalty all other players have to comply with and take into account. Their sole function is to provide inspiration and help roleplayers – especially newbie roleplayers – flesh out their characters.


What is a virtue?

A virtue is a defining trait of a character's personality, inner strength or an ability which helps him overcome the many obstacles fate may place in his way. A virtue can make the character larger than life, a true hero in dark times.

Some Heroes can call upon vast reserves of courage when needed. Some can pierce through veils of lies. The very presence of some can calm emotions and restore peace of mind. Some are just plain lucky.


What is a flaw?

A flaw is also a defining trait of a character, but of the negative kind. You may think “disadvantage,” yes, but the difference between a heroic flaw and a disadvantage is that the heroic flaw does not give you any kind of bonus points in return.

A heroic flaw helps you play a dramatic and even potentially tragic character. It is a fatal hubris of the character's personality. When the character fails and loses, it is usually the flaw that brought him low. Whether due to pride, vanity or misplaced loyalty, it's the character who brings disaster upon himself.

Remember that these are still heroic flaws. Your character may be envious or lecherous or greedy, but that doesn't make him automatically a villain - that depends only on you, the player! Think carefully: would you like to travel or socialise with a megalomaniac albino who kills puppies and babies on sight?


What are they not?

They are neither superpowers, nor godmode abilities, nor gameplay or RP guarantees of any kind. A Commanding character won't immediately have the respect and leadership over a squad of troops, an Insightful character will not know everything about the personality and problems of anyone he casts a glance at, a Fortunate character won't be invulnerable because of his luck, a Courageous character won't be completely immune to fear in RP and not resistant at all in PvX.

Treat them as seeds which, if given proper care, will blossom into great RP.


So what do virtues and flaws as presented here actually do?

Should you choose to pick a virtue or flaw, you probably want to make the chosen trait define your character, to have the greatest impact and influence on his behaviour.

All other traits of his personality are secondary, his other advantages are not as pronounced, his other flaws are just quirks. They serve to flesh the character out even more, not as the primary, driving force.


How many heroic virtues or flaws should my character have?

Too many of each cramp one's style. If you're a beginner, either choose neither, or one virtue, or one flaw.

However, if you feel experienced and feel up to a challenge, you can try making a character who is both virtuous and flawed or has multiple of any.


Doesn't that make characters one-dimensional?

Remember that a virtue or flaw is a major, but not the sole trait of your character's personality. If you allow the primary trait to overcome and quell all other personality traits then yes, he becomes one-dimensional. A zealous worshipper who won't speak of anything but his deity and duty is fun for a short while (usually five minutes), but gets incredibly boring if such state is prolonged.

The best idea is to go with the flow, idea behind the character in mind and allow the details to fill in as the story unfolds.

Some roleplayers might want to use popular character diamond, although in a slightly modified way.

The diamond is set on its point, with the sides facing diagonally. The corner pointing upwards is the character's primary trait, the one essential to his or her personality and outlook. The bottom point is always the opposite kind of trait to the top point (Flawed heroes get a virtue, Virtuous heroes get a flaw). This is because heroes, no matter how flawed or broken, need some redeeming qualities. Even the most virtuous heroes are hardly ever saints without the slightest traces of dirt under their fingernails. With that said, the bottom point of the diamond should only play a minimal role in one's RP and come up only if circumstances specifically demand it.

The middle points of the diamond are obviously there to make the character stand out among other characters with the same primary trait. It is up to the player to decide whether to use more virtues or more flaws. Think this way: If the top point, primary trait is the main dish, then all others are only condiments that represent the tastes of the cook - the player. 

Alphabetical list of Virtues and Flaws

Flaws

Ambitious: You crave power. Money is good, but what you really want is power and it does not matter whether it is magical, military, social or otherwise. You are likely to be brought down by attempting a risky grab for the form of power you so desire. At RP: You speak of your plans and dreams - loudly! You constantly try to make friends with powerful, established and influential characters even if you utterly dislike them. A monetary reward for a successful quest is nice, but what you really want is reputation and political favours. You consider eager followers to be your greatest assets. Arrogant: You think you are better than others. Your clothes are the most fashionable, your sword the sharpest, your armour the shiniest, your ideas the best and you have to let everyone know how much better you are. Boastful: You are a showoff. You boast, you gloat, you tell everyone about your accomplishments and disparage your enemies. And when you have 'em lying down at your feet begging for mercy, you simply cannot resist the urge to monologue on and on about your superiority. At RP: You keep telling stories about your accomplishments. You take mementos from defeated foes and show them off in public, often in a derisive, taunting manner. Every blow comes with a personal insult to match and when your foe pulls off an impressive manoeuvre you make a big show of your disdain. Brutal: As opposed to what people say, you know the meaning of mercy. You just are very unwilling to show it - ever. You just prefer to hit things until they stop moving at all. At RP: Unlike a hot-headed character, you fight with a cold, calculating demeanour. While a hot-headed character might leap into the fray to decimate foes quickly, you focus on abilities which cause pain and trauma rather than - or in addition to - damage. Compulsive Liar: In fact, you value truth very much. So much that you've taken to yourself to meticulously avoid expending or giving away as much of it as you possibly can. As a result, every bit of that precious, glittering thruth is wrapped in a thick, protective layer of lies, half-truths and enigmas. Conservatist: You firmly believe that the old ways are the best ways. The traditional system supports everything that is noble and important and any kind of change brings only chaos and destruction. At RP: At best, you prefer tried and true methods over new ideas. They have worked before and you won't abandon them in favour of new ways which might or might not work better. You like order and stability, which makes you very predictable. At worst, the very thought of altering the old and traditional ways of your people fills you with irrational dread. After all, if we cannot trust our rituals which we have practised since time immemorial, what can we trust? Cowardly: Perhaps a better word would be “has a strong sense of self-preservation.” You don't like to risk your life and limb, even if circumstances demand it. Daredevil: You get a rush from dangerous stunts. You are perfectly willing to risk your wealth, reputation, health and even life just for the kicks and exhilaration. At RP: You open a door even if it's probably trapped, you taunt that nasty-looking guy with big, spiky spaulders, you rush into enemies even though no one is prepared (Goddamnit, Leeroy!), you drink a potion even if it's probably poison, you put on a necklace even if it's probably cursed. Envious: For some reason everyone has it better than you. They have shinier armour, better toys of war and more money. You tend to get envious over the smallest things. Greedy: Money makes your eyes light up with joy. The more the better, as long as it spends. Hedonistic: You like pleasure and having a good time – a bit too much. You like good food, fine wine, luxuriant clothes and there's no better way to spend your free time than enjoying the finer things in life with your friends. Hot-headed: You have a chip on your shoulder and a bit of fish too! Your fuse is short and you're ready to get in a scuffle at the slightest hint of insult or things not going your way. At RP: You speak in short, curt sentences. When battle approaches, you use your best spells and abilities right away to dish out tremendous punishment as quickly as possible and vent your anger. Inattentive: Your mind has the tendency to drift off at random. Your thoughts flow so fast that you have trouble focusing on the here and now. Indecisive: You have trouble making difficult choices or split-second decisions. If you are faced with a choice between letting a villain escape and saving your sweetheart, you're likely going to agonise over the situation until your hand is somehow forced. Judgemental: You form opinions quickly and change them slowly. Worse, you have the habit of judging people according to their appearance or stereotypes. An Orc, no matter how gentlemanly, is always a cruel, savage animal as far as you're concerned. A man in black leather is always a thief and scoundrel and a woman with revealing clothes is always a prostitute. Lazy: Whatever you have to do today, do the day after tomorrow! You'll have two days' worth of free time. Either due to a warped time perception or a natural idleness, you are incredibly slow to act. Lecherous: You just can't keep from chasing skirts. A fair woman (or handsome man, however your tastes run) is an almost irresistible temptation. Loyal: You find it very difficult to abandon a friend, even if it's only to run and get help for them. As for leaving a fallen comrade to die – forget it. You may also be completely loyal to an employer, no matter how badly you're treated, how wrong it is or how low it might bring you. Naïve: Mentally you're a wide-eyed child who would never believe there are individuals who would lie or deceive you. After all, people are basically good, right? At RP: You make social gaffes due to your insular outlook. Others work their way with tact and aplomb, you stumble around like a bull in a china shop. However, you mean well and your naivete gives you a certain charm. Overconfident: Nothing is beyond your capabilities. You could conquer all of Azeroth single-handedly, it's just you haven't yet found a reason to do so. And that evil spell will surely only tickle a bit. Overzealous: You can only have strong opinions. Everything you believe, you believe as if your life depended on it. Everything you hate, you hate with a passion. Proud: Don't they dare pity you! If a gift or offer has the slightest feel of charity, you grow indignant and refuse it. Rash: You have the urge to stick your fingers between the doors and its frame when somebody's about to shut it. If you hear a scream in the back alley, you're likely to investigate no matter how dangerous. You're not stupid, but your curiosity often gets the better of you. Reckless: You lack the emotion of fear. Unfortunately, that makes you do foolhardy things. You won't flinch when a demon roars in your face, but you also will never run when severely outclassed. Righteous: You are more than ready to commit more than questionable deeds in order to achieve a noble goal, fight fire with fire, so to say. The ends justify the means, but this kind of thinking alienates those who would support you if you weren't using such heavy-handed methods. Star-crossed: You are Amour's practice target, you just keep falling in love – constantly and with all the wrong people like daughters of nobles with Names To Run Away From or dashing SI:7 agents. Stubborn: You don't often change your mind – if you do at all. Once you've decided on a course of action, you will pull it through no matter what the consequences. Attempts to convince you will usually wash off you like water off a duck. Unfortunate: Your luck isn't terrible; you'd be already dead if it was. It's just that lucky breaks happen to other people. Look at it this way: if you need some blind luck to get out of some funny affairs, expect to have some fun for a while. Vain: You adore and admire beauty, you live to see it, savour it, perfect it - but not just any beauty. The only beauty worth tending to and worshipping is your own. At RP: Carry a comb and pocket mirror with you at all times, or - if you'd like to roleplay it hardcore - a whole satchel of cosmetics. Use them often. Ask others what they think of your looks. If threatened with disfigurement, your resolve will likely melt like a snowflake in a flamethrower. Vengeful: You have a grudge against a specific creature type, organisation, country or individual. Perhaps they have killed your family, torched your village or teased you when you were a kid. One thing is sure though, they will suffer. 

 

Virtues

Adaptable: Thanks to lightning-quick mental reflexes you adapt easily to sudden changes around you. If someone jumps from a height directly at you, you casually step aside. If scything blades come out of a wall, you have the presence of mind to get out of the way. Altruistic: You like to help people. In fact, you may even be better at helping others than pursuing your own goals! Challenger: Your quest is not that of fame, reputation, riches or even saving the world. What you strive for is constant self-improvement so that you might one day achieve the absolute pinnacle in your chosen path, whether it be combat, magic, stealth or any other ability. Charming: You go out of your way to observe social niceties. You might or might not have ulterior motives. Chivalrous: If you play a Paladin or Warrior, you are the chevalier sans peur et sans reproche, the knight without stain or blemish, a lone and unreachable summit of honour and righteousness, a paragon of virtue, comparable only with others with the same virtue and looked up to by all others. If you play any other class, your honourable behaviour could put many Knights and Paladins to shame. Remember that the concept of honour varies wildly from race to race – be creative! Comforting: You have a certain soothing, motherly quality about you, perhaps a soft tone of voice, the way you move or a general “feel.” One thing is certain: if you stay calm and play your cards well, you soothe emotions and drive fear away with ease. Commanding: You have a quality of a leader or father about you. Whether it's a firm, authoritative tone of voice, a particular stance or an aura of confidence and composure, you may experience that during larger battles people will gather around you, protecting and awaiting orders. Courageous: True courage is not the inability to feel fear, but rather finding enough inner strength to resist it and keep going. Many beasts and spellcasters of Azeroth and Outland can rouse fear in the hearts of mortals, whether through sheer power or malevolent spells. When something or someone is used to people fleeing in his presence, the sight of a person who stands and fights can be pretty unnerving to them. Creative: You are prone to sudden flashes of inspiration. You might notice the scent on a site of murder is a perfume used by a lady you have met nearby or that the number of knobs on an artefact is equal to the number of etched pillars in an earlier chamber. This could well help you deduce who the murderer might be or that the pillars might contain some hints about the nature of the artefact. Disciplined: You are rigorous and structured in your personal endeavours. This might manifest itself as constant combat training, regular meditation or prayer, monitoring the food you eat and the liquids you drink and any similar action. Dutiful: You strive to fulfil all your duties and your word is worth as much as solid gold. If you commit yourself to any project, your integrity, truthfulness and trustworthiness will see to it that everything you do, you do to the best of your ability. Exemplary: You lead by example. You are good at showing others the exact movements needed and getting them to coordinate their efforts with you. Focused: You can concentrate all your efforts on a single task. Your world narrows until only your work remains. This allows you to accomplish a lot using limited resources. Fortunate: those annoying quirks of misfortune that plague others... plague others. Your horse won't throw a shoe during a chase, now will you stumble while performing an easy combat manoeuvre. Your luck is good, but remember that even the luckiest people can have a bad day. Friendly: You have an open, outgoing personality. If you play your cards well, people warm up to you quickly. Insightful: You understand human (or orcish, or dwarven, etc.) nature. You can quickly determine the defining characteristic of another person's personality. This helps to ferret out weaknesses and gain forewarning of strengths. Inspirational: Being around you spurs people to greater efforts. You are always encouraging others and helping them find that little bit of potential necessary to accomplish a difficult task. Intuitive: You know things which you shouldn't. Bits of information mix and boil in your head and sometimes lead you to conclusions you'd never have guessed. This gut feeling doesn't give you answers, but seems to lead you in just the right direction. Martyr: You willingly and even eagerly put your life on the line for a greater purpose. This purpose might be a cause, an organisation, a single person, a group of people or just about anything else. You are willing to die for this purpose and, in fact, expect to do so. However, you refuse to die in vain - your death must have a greater meaning and it must inspire others to greatness. Passionate: You are at your best when sliding down a rope to prevent a loved one from crashing on the rocks below or tossing yourself in the way of a bullet or arrow in order to save a friend's life. At those moments you can pull off feats of amazing heroism. Perceptive: Your senses are drawn to some details. You notice a brown stain on a knight's mantle, the nervous behaviour of a liar, the relocation of a prized signet ring from the finger of one lady to another. Such observations are second nature to you and you hardly ever overlook important clues. Perspicacious: In order to fight evil one must understand evil. You may not like it, but you can put yourself into a villain's shoes and understand him. Propitious: You can't say why, but things seem to happen just at the right moment for you. You get thrown into prison on the eve of a major outbreak, the opponent is somehow hindered right before he finishes you off, a deathtrap you and your party have been thrown in has an easy, convenient escape method. This is powerful, so use very sparingly and always consult others who are with you in the scene before doing so. Reformed: You are a former villain. You have gone through a significant change in life and learned that kindness does pay. Perhaps you are an ex-criminal turning over a new leaf or maybe a new devotee of the Holy Light but either way, that former vile person is gone even if his or her deeds and enemies are not. Sage: You might be self-righteous and condescending, you might be humble and kind, but the one undeniable fact is that you know a lot and like spreading your knowledge around. Self-controlled: The verbal slings and arrows people hurl at you roll of your back. You see through seduction attempts and laugh them off. And of course, nobody ever intimidates you. Temperate: Aristotle once said "Virtue is the golden mean between two vices". You've been holding on to that tenet all your life, striving to choose the option that neither falls short nor exceed what is right. Uncanny: Some people think you've got a sixth sense, others that your secret are sharp eyes and a keen mind. Whatever the reason, you can sniff out when trouble is coming and coming fast. Wilful: Simply put, there is nothing that can stop you from your goals. Nothing. You may back off for a moment, but only to muster more strength. Worldly: You've been around, you have seen it all and you possess much practical how-know. 

 

FAQs and hints

I have chosen, what now? Can you give me some hints?

Virtues and flaws belong into RP, not RSP.

I can't stress this enough. Writing “Grand Marshal-General Marius Parutznikus Ravenus von de la Marysueshire has an aura of leadership and everyone around him feels compelled to follow his lead and orders” is not RP at all. It's godmoding. Act your virtue or flaw out, just as you would do with any other kind of trait. The only things that belong into RSP (MRP, IRP) are things which actually affect your character's looks, posture and voice.

“Captain Karl von Pannewitz walks in a straight, proud posture, has a firm, resounding voice and speaks in an authoritative manner – as if he was in charge, regardless of the situation” and actually giving him quotes that make him sound like a solid, experienced and respectable fellow works wonders.

Cut yourself some slack.

No one can be a tormented lover, an unflinching stoic, a well of inspiration, a judgemental jerk or a determinator* 24/7, 365 days per year. From time to time remove your main trait from the spotlight, allow for a change of pace and climate, let your flawed hero win, let your virtuous hero lose.


So it's either epic or tragic for my character?

Of course not! Your RP style depends on you only! With a bit of creativity you can very easily make your character a comedic one. Lecherous and Star-crossed are especially prone to this – who doesn't like an ineffectual wannabe Casanova who gets slapped on a daily basis?

If RP in darker tones drives your fancy, it is also possible – a Chivalrous character may experience a crushing defeat because he did not use any underhanded tactics to help him win, for example.

Hey! I've seen this in--!

Of course you have. This means you read books and have access to culture. Archetypal heroes and villains are as old as fiction literature is. Gandalf is Inspirational, Rincewind is both Cowardly and Propitious, Romeo and Juliet are Star-crossed, as is Wuntvor the Apprentice, while Lady Macbeth is Ambitious.

Do you plan on making a similar list for villains?

Yes, if people are interested.

*http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Determinator


Heroic Deeds
Those are situations and ways you can implement your Virtues in. Have fun using them or designing your own!

Adaptable: Danger sense is one thing, the question is how to make it heroic danger sense? The answer is deceptively simple: a true hero would use this "free action on an ambush" not to simply dodge, but rather to, say, push a friend out of harm's way.

Altruistic: True selflessness is usually portrayed as caring about others' health. You are proof of that - your determination and compassion allow you to save people who are on the brink of death. But the true Crowning Moment comes when through your efforts, unaided by anything but your pure desire to see others through, you manage to actually bring back a recently deceased person.

Challenger: Issue a formal challenge or try to taunt the villain with the degree of your mastery over a skill - or perhaps you are going to be taunted? In a direct contest of skill, you have the potential to truly shine and prove that your quest of improvement has been successful - so far. Your Crowning Moment comes when you impress a Villain so much that you become Friendly Rivals - giving the Villain a better thing to do than pursuing evil plots.

Charming: Ulterior motives? Doesn't sound particularly heroic, does it? But there's always a way. The Charming Hero acts as a diplomat in most cases, brokering whatever deal is needed and - more importantly - quelling hostilities within the group before they cause it to break up. The Crowning Moment comes when his tact and grace he manages to make the villain abandon his ways of evil. 

 

Chivalrous: This Virtue deserves some special thought. While real-world chivalry had its rules and regulations, I'd like you to think of the Chivalrous character as having all virtues you can think of - and none of the flaws. But won't this make the character unrealistic and impossible to RP properly? I think not. The Chivalrous character isn't exactly a Hero - think of him as a miracle with two legs, a symbol of everything that is Good and Right in this world. He doesn't need a Crowning Moment to reach his pinnacle - he's already there, all the time.
So how do we make this meta-virtue shine? by having it questioned and challenged. The Chivalrous character is like the best gunslinger in town, sooner or later someone will come up and say "Let's see how good you really are". It doesn't even need to be a person - the price of being the best is, well, being the best. All the time, 24/7. Never a break, never a breather, no matter how stressed and tired it makes you. Will the character endure?
And what if the danger comes from those who love and admire him? Who want to be just like him? Think of the tendrils of envy and nothing else needs to be said.

Comforting: "Don't worry. Everything will be all right".

Commanding: A Hero with this Virtue shines during larger skirmishes at events. When things get chaotic, he starts barking orders and acting generally competent, sometimes even usurping leadership for the duration of the battle. There are two typical Crowning Moments for a Commanding hero: one happens when he assumes leadership after the original leader falls and then manages to win the battle. The other Crowning Moment is when through his sheer audacity he manages to turn a band of confused, panicked characters into a formidable fighting force. Remember, of course, that the Virtue does not necessarily grant the character tactical skill and knowledge - it may well be that the character takes over only to lead everyone to their doom!

Courageous: As said in the trait's description, those who use fear as a weapon are often weak against it. In a Crowning Moment, your show of defiance and courage effectively reflects the fear the Villain projects right back at him.

Creative: This Virtue mostly comes into play during Roleplay events, when the group faces a puzzle they cannot solve by themselves. It's then that a flash of inspiration is likely to strike the Creative Hero, in the form of a (requested) relevant hint from the Storyteller or an easier puzzle.

Disciplined: You go through a meditation or exercise regimen at a fixed daytime. If you miss it, you feel uneasy about the lapse in routine for the rest of the day. In your mind, your body is a tool as much as your armour, weapons and spellbooks; it needs rest and proper care. For example, you insist on getting a full night's rest whenever possible and expect others to meet your standards. Because of this, you have the potential of becoming an excellent trainer and turn a band of green cadets into crack troops.

Dutiful: You greatly value your duties and obligations and will allow nothing to stop you from fulfilling them. This basically turns you into a Determinator whenever fulfilling a duty faces obstacles.

Exemplary: The Hero's attitude combined with his skillset (which he probably has) make him an expert teacher and coordinator of effort. His Heroic Deed comes when he's able to teach others a difficult skill on the fly, while performing the task that requires it or, say, under enemy fire.

Focused: I don't endorse mixing game mechanics with RP when the former are not suited for the latter, but think of this Virtue as a temporary on-demand boost to any stat you need at the time. The wimpy Mage lifts a sizeable boulder, the antipathetic Death Knight acts nice for once, the clumsy Priestess manages to walk a tightrope... But do you think this comes freely?! A moment of complete focus comes at a high price, leaving the character weakened for an amount of time (typically till the end of the RP event and a day afterwards).

Fortunate: Saying "deed" is cheating, as this Virtue is all about circumstance and environment. Think of it as small luck that manifests itself often.

Friendly: Does anything else need to be said? Perhaps only that while a Charming character is simply polite and well-mannered, a Friendly character genuinely likes people and is more likely to be liked back. That's a lot of liking. Also, see that grim, hulking warrior over there? He's the target. Go cheer him up, boy!

Insightful: This Virtue might be a little problematic as it involves all-out metagaming. Its use basically consists of whispering the person in question and asking something in the lines of "Hi, sorry to bother, but my character is Insightful and I'd like to know a few details about your character". The other person is by no means obliged to comply, but if he does, he should give the person asking one or a few relevant or irrelevant details about his character. Good things to mention are the character's own Virtues (or Wiles) and Flaws, his alignment (if you believe in such things), or where his loyalties lie.

Inspirational: I'm going to be cynical here and say this Virtue makes the character a walking self-help booklet. "You can do eeeeeeeeet~~!"

Intuitive: This Virtue is quiet and not very showy. There are no set situations when it comes to play. Rather, whenever the Storyteller believes that you are lost, he might decide to whisper you a hint, piece of information or a suggestion to help you get back on track. Because of its nature, the Virtue is recommended for beginner RPers. Of course, feel free to veto the information if you like.

Martyr: The only thing a Martyr considers sufficiently heroic is actually being Offed For Real, just to inspire a new flock of Heroes.

Passionate: A Friend In Need, a Beloved In Peril - everything comes into crystal clear focus when these words appear within your mind. To directly save another's life - and only then - you can surpass your normal limitations.

Perceptive: Failing A Spot Check is not an option for you.

Perspicacious: Understanding a Villain's mindset does not sound impressive, but is actually an invaluable asset, helping you accurately predict his next step. Your Crowning Moment is when you correctly guess not only the next step, but the entire track the Villain will take.

Propitious: Saying "deed" is cheating, as this Virtue is all about circumstance and environment. Think of it as big luck that manifests itself rarely.

Reformed: If your ex-peers do not know of your change of heart, you can make an extremely effective spy for your fellow Heroes. Even if your cover is blown, you retain the ability to plan and plot as well as extensive knowledge of all the metaphorical levers and knobs you have once been using.

Sage: Some sages are keen at explaining kinships, natural connections and one's purpose in life, serving as spiritual guides. Others maintain vast amounts of concrete, useful information. Many specialise, and some turn to adventuring to improve their knowledge by way of observation. Their Heroic Deed usually happens behind the scenes, when they correctly interpret the clues and knowledge they have gathered. Remember to learn your lore by heart if you do not wish to blunder and make yourself the laughing stock of your peers.

Self-controlled: Outwardly, a Self-controlled and a Temperate hero are almost identical, but in fact there are strong differences between them. A Self-controlled Hero experiences emotions just like other people, but bottles them up and does his best not to show them. For example, a berserker with this Virtue wouldn't enter the typical Unstoppable Rage, but rather a Tranquil Fury. For everyone else, this equates of having Nerves of Steel and being nigh-unshakable... outwardly.

Temperate: Outwardly, a Self-controlled and a Temperate hero are almost identical, but in fact there are strong differences between them. A Temperate Hero experiences emotions like any other person... but not as strongly. He gets angry, but not berserk. He feels joy, but not ecstasy. Often, he will use this stance to Take a Third, moderate, Option.

Uncanny: It's clichéd, but this virtue shines by making you know when it's quiet. Too quiet. An Adaptable character may be able to react to an ambush, but you can get a forewarning.

Wilful: You laugh at those who become Heroes by the one-in-a-million chance. You are the hero when the one-in-a-million has been spent and everything has reached the bottom or is on its merry way there.
When the tyrant is already crushing the world under its iron boot, when everyone is bloodied and battered and unable to stop the villain, when the Doomsday Device has been activated thirty-five minutes ago... Then, and only then, this Virtue activates. There is only one UND PRECISELY VON way the adventure can end.

Worldly: This Virtue can work in one of two ways: either skill-based or connection-based. A Hero with a skill-based Worldly Virtue will me your resident Man Who Can Do Everything. Artistic flower arrangement? Done that. Suspension bridge engineering? Easy peasy. Perfume production? You've probably won a prize or two for that. A connection-based Worldly Hero won't have such a broad skillset, but knows a lot of people who do.