Getting Started With WoW Roleplay - Undead
Fleshing Out Your Forsaken RP Character In World of Warcraft
Jul 31, 2009
One thing that sets the Forsaken aside from any other race is that a character could be role played as human or elf and still be within the lore. The queen of the Undead, Lady Sylvanas Windrunner, was in life the leader of the Blood Elf forces, and there is no reason why a character should not make use of that possibility to create an individual character.
An Evil Race?
Traditionally, most Forsaken are dedicated only to their own interests, and are feared and hated by outsiders. The reason for this is explained in the in-game introduction to an Undead character, which says: "As one of the Forsaken, you must eliminate any who pose a threat to the new order – be they human, undead, or otherwise."
Not all Forsaken are evil, but it is more rare to find a good Undead, with World of Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game describing them as as "pretty despicable, and their motivations as a race are evil and destructive".
Role Playing Possibilities
But despite this perception there are some who, while still furious at what has been done to them, try to resume the life they had before dying. These characters can provide an interesting role play setting, especially if other role players understand something about the history of the race, and the player has to build up trust and an understanding with other characters.
Forsaken are essentially corpses, and while the necromantic magic used to create them keeps them preserved in that state, natural decay still happens. Players could use this as a backdrop for role play, creating a Forsaken that has been driven mad after noticing the effects of this decay, or one which is working to try to find a cure for this decay.
A Word About Death Knights
Although the Death Knight class is available to all races, an Undead Death Knight may not be the easiest character to role play. To become a member of the Forsaken, the character would have had to have died and then be brought back to life. Death Knights have a similar story.
To be a Forsaken Death Knight, the character would have had to have been incredibly unlucky to have died and been ressurected twice. It is not impossible for a character to have been so unlucky but, it is unlikely. However, if a player chooses to use this back story, there is scope to create a very interesting character who may well be seriously mentally traumatised by their experiences.
Speech And Language
The Forsaken speak Gutterspeak and Orcish, the common language of the Horde, although it could be argued that they should be able to understand Common – the language of the humans in WoW – as well, as most Undead were human when they were alive.
Unfortunately for players, it is against Blizzard's rules to use any add-ons which allow Horde characters to understand an Alliance language, so while the understanding of Common may be part of an RP character's biography, it will not be a practical skill within the game world.
Choosing A Name
For the most part, the Forsaken keep the names they had when they were alive, and as most were human, these names are generally human. There is also the possibility of using Blood Elf or High Elf names as well, as some of the Undead would have come from their ranks.
Upon resurrection, some Forsaken suffer from acute memory loss, meaning they can't remember what they were called in life. In these cases they make up a suitable name, either by choosing something from a headstone or creating a new name which reflects their purpose in life.
Some examples of male names are Roberick, Fenwick, Timmy and Lansire, while female names include Yellen, Limmy, Stasia and Mierelle. Some of the family names used by non playing characters in the game are Darkmar, Fallshadow, Ghoulhunter and Blastlich.
Have Fun!
No matter how well prepared a role player is, the very nature of the game means a player is likely to come across a situation or another player that throws them and creates an unusual challenge for their character. However, if a player can stay in character, a situation can become an interesting and fun experience.
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