Why We Fight: Roleplaying the warrior
by Anne Stickney 
Nov 26th 2011 at 2:00PM
When you're roleplaying a particular class, you can either choose to ignore the class aspects of what you play, or you can fully incorporate it into your roleplay. A studious magic user or priest can be just as much fun as a sneaky, devious rogue or a dark and brooding warlock -- and death knights are a little bundle of joy, as we discovered last week.
But what about the warrior class? Strong, steadfast and fiercely devoted to bashing heads in, it's a wonder to anyone what exactly goes through a warrior's head. Some incorrectly view them automatically as less intelligent -- after all, if you deliberately go out to get your head bashed in on a regular basis, what does that really say about your level of smarts? But warriors, as simplistic as they may appear to the outside observer, can be multileveled bundles of fun to roleplay, just as much as any other class out there.
This is not to say you can't play your warrior as a character who is dumb as a brick -- heck, sometimes it's fun to do for comedic relief. But there are other aspects to the class and to the character to bring forward, even if the warrior class is lacking in a particular organization dedicated to their cause.
Warriors are a particular breed of person, regardless of race -- people who are interested in the art of combat but not the sneaky ways of the rogue. Warriors prefer to be in your face, but would rather you know that they are in your face, quite possibly before they even get there. They may be expert with weapons or simply have a knack for swinging them around. They may either be exceptionally good at blocking blows or just not particularly care one way or another if they get hurt.
What you should look at when playing a warrior is who he is and where he's come from. Does he come from a long line of warriors? Is he the first in his family to tread this path? Was he swinging a sword from the time he could pick up the thing, or did he have a different background altogether? How was he raised? Does his family approve of what he's doing, or would they rather he just settle down and run the family farm?
When you choose to roleplay a class and wish to incorporate that class into your roleplay, that background is utterly important. It fills out your character's history, and it helps give your character a solid background that defines who he is and why he decided to choose one of the more difficult paths to follow.
But a background isn't the only thing you want to look at with a class like the warrior. Your character is throwing himself into danger on a daily basis, in the most abrupt manner possible. While others choose to fight from afar or slip around in the shadows, a warrior is the front line in most scenarios, the first to rush in and the one to take the blows, the person who keeps the dragon's attention while everyone else works behind the scenes. What drives a character to take that course of action? Why does he fight?
It's probably the most important question you can ask about your character when you're roleplaying a warrior. Sure, something drove him down that path -- but there's something else, something intangible that keeps him there, something that drives him to continue being the first line of defense day after day, year after year. For most, one night in front of a dragon's snoot is more than enough to convince them it was a terrible idea; for warriors, one night is never enough.
So what makes your warrior tick? Does he have a deep-seated need to protect those around him? Does he simply like the adrenaline rush of surging forward into battle? Is it like an unspoken addiction for him? Is he fighting for the sake of revenge against an enemy or group that has somehow done something so wrong that he would do anything to make it right and have his vengeance? Or is he simply resigned to fighting because it's all he thinks he can do, that he has no other skills and therefore no other options?
Was this a career choice for your character, or was this a decision made on an emotional level? You can tie this back into your character's background, or you can take the opposite tack and make it a completely random decision if you wish. But when you're considering what warriors throw themselves into willingly every day, there should be some sort of defining reason behind that -- even if they don't choose to share that choice with others around them.
Speaking of others, another thing to look at with a warrior character is what exactly he chooses to do with his downtime. After all, he spends every day willingly placing himself in the line of danger -- so what does he do to unwind? Is he a drinker -- does he go cause a ruckus in the local bar? Does he celebrate his victories and look forward to the days to come, or does he quietly drink to ease the emotional and physical stress? Is he loud and boisterous, a party animal, or is he quiet and introspective?
How does your warrior relate with others? A warrior's path is different than any other around him, and the mindset behind the class is one that others may simply not understand. Does he look at the scholars and healers around him and wonder what they are thinking? Does he view them as comrades in arms or as somehow lesser creatures because they aren't brute forces of nature like himself? Does he see them as evidence of what he is there to protect?
Is he brusque with others, or is he friendly and outgoing? Does he want to know more about the people around him? Is he interested in their lives and what makes them tick, or would he rather soldier on in relative ignorance? Can he relate to their troubles and woes, or does he view those troubles as petty in the face of what he has to deal with every day? Does he have a lot of friends, or is he a loner?
Is he a man of few words, saving his voice for shouting at his enemies, or is he talkative, full of colorful stories about prior exploits and scrapes he's gotten into and out of again? Does he happily talk about his past, or does he prefer to turn the focus on others, keeping his thoughts to himself and letting others take the limelight?
It's easy to fall into a stereotypical warrior personality when roleplaying one -- a brutish man or woman with little flair for social graces and a complete lack of interest in anything involving intelligent thought or discourse, the type of person who is loud, unruly, and rude, in your face and lacking in brains or charm. Most people expect that kind of response from a warrior character, and it can be fun to ham up the big, dumb brute if that's what you're looking for.
But it's also a great deal of fun to take the completely opposite side and run with it, largely because people don't expect it to begin with. A warrior who is devoted to the study of poetry and verse, who meditates when he is not ripping it up on the battlefield. A warrior with a keen interest in science or history, who spends his days off in the library instead of a bar. Or a friendly, chatty individual who is polite, well spoken and mannered, and terribly considerate to those around him, a willing ear to listen to their troubles and woes, no matter what they are.
The reason it's so fun to take the unexpected side is because it's completely unexpected. Roleplayers that are used to interacting with one type of character are thrown for a loop, and it keeps them on their toes. A roleplayer coming into a situation where they are interacting with a warrior may have a preconceived notion of what that character is -- and giving them the exact opposite can create a multitude of opportunities for some really fantastic roleplay.
Though a warrior may not have a dedicated organization behind him other than the kingdom's army, they don't really need on in order to be a well-defined character. A warrior may seem simple enough at first glance, but they have the potential for being a particularly deep and multi-leveled character, even without the exotic background of the other classes. It's just a matter of who they are, why they are driven to fight, and why they continue to fight every day.
All the World's a Stage is your source for roleplaying ideas, innovations and ironies. Let us help you imagine what it's like to sacrifice spells for the story, totally immerse yourself in your roleplaying or even RP on a non-RP realm!
Filed under: All the World's a Stage (Roleplaying)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Shinae Nov 26th 2011 2:33PM
Considering that rage is the warrior resource, the emotions of warrior characters are a useful thing to consider in RP. And not just anger, of course. They could be driven by their feelings out of combat, too.
Another possibility for character background, especially for warrior, is sexism. Some racial cultures are such that a female warrior may have received resistence from her male peers for taking up arms. This could be applicable in races like human, dwarf, orc, and troll. Gender equality has improved in recent times in Azeroth, but there could be males who still look down on females who stand in the front lines. (And vice versa for night elves.)
Meerkatx Nov 26th 2011 2:48PM
I didn't write what's below, but I find it to be satisfying.
"I am the Warrior.
When you see me, I will, most likely, not be attired formally. I will be encased in my steel. It will be dirty, bloody, and battered. I do not have a quick tongue or eloquent speech. I know nothing of the manners of the King's court, or the etiquette of the formal ball.
I am known by many names. Tank. Meatshield. Fighter. Brawler. Corpse.
I am the Warrior.
I have not the capability, nor the inclination, to hide. I cannot strike from stealth with devastating blows, then fade into the darkness. I cannot incinerate a foe from twenty paces away. I cannot deal death from a distance, safe from the return attacks of my enemy. In order to kill, I must close with the enemy. I see his eyes. I smell his breath. I taste his fear. And he tastes mine.
I cannot bend Nature to do my bidding. I cannot tap into the Nether and force it to do what I command. I cannot study the arcane and master it to my control. I command nought but my mind, my body, and my will. It is by those, and those alone, that I stand or fall.
I have no friends on my journey. No walkers of the void, summoned from the Nether as servants and bodyguards. No loyal beasts of the plains or woods, to defend me and comfort me in my pain. My sole companion is my weapon. I must care for it better than any hunter has ever cared for his beast. I must master it more than any warlock has ever mastered his demon. Without me, it is useless. Without it, I am nothing.
I cannot heal. I cannot shield. I cannot call upon the gods and see my prayers answered. I call to the spirits of my ancestors in the heat of battle, and they are silent. My only ability to protect is to offer myself, my blood and bone and sinew, as a sacrifice. To draw the attacks of our foes. To take the blows that would kill a lesser being, and continue to fight on.
I cannot kill with the speed and grace of the rogue, the suddenness and shock of the hunter, or the flamboyance and power of the mage. When I kill, it is a slow business. Slow and bloody for all concerned, myself included. I fight on, pummeled and battered so that my companions may receive the glory of the kill and the wreaths of victory. If I die and they yet live, it is an expected sacrifice.
I come in all races, all sizes. I fight under a thousand flags, on a million battlefields. I am dismissed by the highborn, scorned by the noble, lectured by the priest, and forgotten by the peasant. Until the time when the trumpets of battle sound, and those who would destroy them come forth. And then the cry goes up..."Where, oh where, is the Warrior?"
Pray to your gods that I continue to answer that call.
Few do answer the call. Fewer still survive. It is a long and hard road, this way of the Warrior. Along it lie pain, and fear, and death. Scant rewards and scanter gratitude. At the end, for most, is an anonymous grave on some windblown battlefield. If they are lucky.
And yet, I fight on. I do not even know why. Perhaps for glory, perhaps for fame, perhaps for money, perhaps for my country, perhaps for my family. Perhaps it is simply all I know how to do. But fight I will. Whether you appreciate it or not. Whether you even notice it or not. I will be out there, on the battle lines. Fighting. Killing. Dying.
I am the Warrior.
Death is my business.
Be it yours...or mine."
" As the copper that is traded throughout Azeroth, so is our blood on the battlefield, with only the promise of enduring over time in endless battles, I shall seek a quick end to my demise, though fortitude and will guide me, it is the rage of battle which fuels me.
Knowing I move in by morning and leave at night, I am humbled each day, by each sunrise and sunset.
It is only fear that I fear, with the blood of my ancestors I press on in there footsteps. I seek the worst Azeroth has to offer, knowing my weapon only will be remembered for who's blood it bears, it offers a legacy to those to follow in our path.
If we should meet on an open battlefield, I should be slain with haste, for it is the blood of battle that makes me stronger, and the cries of fallen warriors that enrages me, should a swift death be granted, you have spared your life and made those to come after me stronger.
As the fires spread and the battles rage across Azeroth, you will find me, not dead, but alive and full of fury, like a whirlwind I will reap the battlefields and stain them red, for it is all I know, and I should think that someday there will be no more wars, because someday the chaos should be subdued by those brave enough to sense the urgency, and yeild to the call.
My armor is not shiny or polished and my weapons are not cleaned, I should kneel before kings and nobles, for it is not my matter to mingle in the politics of such affairs or speak with great words. My honor, my courage serve me well and are cast before my companions to protect those who can entertain such grandeur.
I am rarely fortunate enough to escape my foes, and it is this that has made me master my weapons and raise them in defiance.
If I should see death and know it is mine, I shall intercept it, I will demoralize it in defiance before I go, I will shred its tendons and slow its progress as it seeks out my faction, and if time permits I should disarm death so that it may overtake itself.
Should our weapons cross, and our wills collide, may the better warrior win. /salute "
Linedan Nov 26th 2011 6:19PM
BTW, I'm the original author of the first two-thirds of that piece (the bit up through "Be it yours...or mine"). I wrote the first version back around 2000-2001 when I was playing a warrior on Everquest (Linedan Granite on Innoruuk). A few months after I rolled my current main, Linedan the Tauren warrior on Feathermoon in 2005, I drug that out and re-worked it, posted it on the forums, and promptly forgot about it. It's really kind of weird in a cool way (or cool in a weird way) to see it still pop up from time to time. I don't know who appended the extra bit on the end, by the way, but that's not bad either.
Jabadabadana Nov 26th 2011 6:42PM
Hmm, I was going to post this, but I guess it's been reposted enough that someone else would do so.
I'm only used to the part that stops at "Be it yours... or mine." Unless those are meant to be separate passages in the same post.
And that's interesting that you claim it, Linedan. Because the earliest citation I could find for it was Gammelsmygen, who the only instance of a character I can find named that is on EU-Sunstrider, though the post citing him is also 2005. (Yes, I went looking awhile ago because I was curious.)
Awesome Nov 26th 2011 8:40PM
I very much love that first one. It really embodies a warriors determination and badassery perfectly.
Snuzzle Nov 27th 2011 2:10PM
Warrior specs, summed up:
Tank: I am my allies' shield, and they are my blade. I would gladly lay down my life for them, and die with honor.
Arms: With finesse, skillful swordswork and careful planning shall I defeat my enemies. I know their vital points and how to best strike my foe for a clean, merciful kill.
Fury: BLARGH! SMASH! BLOOD!
Beltar Nov 28th 2011 11:59AM
@Jabadabadana:
Maybe Gammelsmygen reposted it, or added the last third of it? Unfortunately I have no way of proving my authorship of the original bit, but I did write it. I just took the original version I wrote for Everquest, updated it for WoW, and posted it on the old Warrior class forums. I think I may have actually put it up there first back during the dark horrible days of "rage normalization" in vanilla, where we were getting absolutely gutted and all our rage bars were full IRL (and Tseric was telling us to "pop Enrage").
My main, Linedan, isn't exactly the classic dumb warrior, but he's no intellectual. He just sees the world in very simple black-and-white terms...non-threats are to be left alone, and threats are to be eliminated in the minimum possible time with the maximum possible violence so the situation isn't dragged out any longer than it has to be. What he really is, is a perfectionist, because fighting is all he knows how to do other than shaping metal. He's the kind of guy who would be working out in a boxing gym or a karate dojo for hours and hours at a time, very dedicated, very focused, very quiet. But there's a lot of built-up rage and issues under that stoic exterior, and he's also the kind of guy who would have a button pushed during a sparring session and explode, ending up sending his opponent to the hospital without wanting to.
He's prot mainspec and fury offspec, so he's constantly trying to strike a balance between being a defender and a berserker. Sometimes he blows it.
Beltar Nov 28th 2011 12:01PM
Also, this is Linedan...why the heck am I showing up as "Beltar" on this computer but "Linedan" on my home computer? o.O Weeeeird.
DeadeyeC Nov 26th 2011 2:57PM
My warrior is a simple man. He fights for one thing: the safety of the Alliance.
Why does he fight? Because when he was young he listened to his father recount the orcs razing Stormwind to the ground, because in his youth he and his family lived in mortal fear of orcs.
Now, although the Horde itself is a different entity altogether, some of its members and leaders are the same orcs that tried destroying part of the place he calls home. He will not tolerate an aggressive Horde threatening, if not already making war on the Alliance; if Garrosh and his allies want war, they'll find it as he wades into battle, mutilating and slashing any Horde foolish enough to get in his way.
If they want Stormwind to fall again, it will be over his dead body... if they can.
But he wasn't always a violent man... while his father pursued military life well into old age, he took up the other life his father left behind; the life of the woodsman. He hunted, fished, tanned and cut lumber for his coin. He wasn't a violent man, and wasn't so quick as to write of an orc because of his race, although a degree of caution was still there.
In fact, in the days before the Wrathgate, he was cheerful.
Then the letter came in; his father, killed by the same people that Thrall claimed to have control over. And then, news of the BRoken Front.
Mom couldn't take it...
He had enough. When what was left of his father's arms returned home, he took up his blade, sold the unessential parts of his parent's estate and bought himself some armor. He was fed up of doing nothing as the horde continued to escalate the conflict, threatening to bring it to his very doorstep in the hills of Elwynn Forest.
Now, he is a changed man. A trained soldier, a commanding officer of the Alliance armies, and a frightening force to face in combat... if you live to avoid a swing of his greatsword.
He is Harthlock Ravencroft, member of the Alliance armed forces and Commander of the Dog Teeth Brigade. And though he was a peaceful man before, war changed him.
Awesome Nov 26th 2011 3:29PM
Another interesting thing to bring up if your a warrior is if your warrior has an inferiority complex due to the fact that they have no special powers. I have a human warrior I role play here and there, who is very jealous of Paladins and does not like them, having grown up in a Light worshipping society, working hard to become a Paladin, but learning he is not been blessed by the Light, so he does his best using the armor and weapons he CAN use, in an attempt to be a role model for others with no Light powers, and an attempt to prove that anyone can be as good as a Paladin. His hatred of Paladin's eventually ceases as he learns their place in society, and the kind of things they have gone through with Arthas's betrayal, but he still keeps a scathing view of them, and retains a small sense of jealously despite his goal.
However, I have a question. Anne, or Mike, could it be possible to write an article about (A) switching classes for RP purposes? Cuz I have a Belf warlock, who is eventually betrayed by his demons he thought he had complete control over, and he eventually switches to being a Holy/Shadow priest, But I want to know how I could handle that? Should I train a character in the offtime? or Wouldn't it make more sense to have him start from level 1? The thing is I he still takes part in what goes on in the World? This problem wasn't as hard as when I had my Orc warrior die at the Wrathgate battle and come back as a Death Knight.
(B)or explaining using racial moves in an RP situation?
A lot of them seem like last moment situation, like Bloodfury. The average reformed Orc today wouldn't tap into that old bloodlust now unless they were in a seriously dangerous situation. How should we RP using these moves?
Awesome Nov 26th 2011 8:43PM
Matt*
excuse me. I mix you guys up some times cuz of the "M"
wtb an edit button
Matthew Rossi Nov 26th 2011 3:53PM
Pretty much every warrior in those screenshots is a warrior because a strange, semi-otherworldly force seemed to compel it. Something about "One of every race". They didn't catch it all.
totemdeath Nov 26th 2011 4:18PM
Another type of warrior not mentioned would be the gladiator. Here lies either a sportsman of blood making coin in the arena, or a slave thrown into a very deadly game. Either way, he realizes he has both courage and skills and can actually make a living at this sort of thing. And the best part is that there is a rich tradition of gadiatorial combat in WoW
Rufin Nov 26th 2011 6:22PM
My warrior was a soldier in Lordaeron who lost his life at Northrend on the night Arthas betrayed them. After fighting across the country of Lordaeron he was freed by Illidan's attack on the Frozen Throne. He joined up with the Forsaken and like many others thought Sylvanas to be the best choice for a leader.
He served in the Deathguards for a while before the Forsaken joined the Horde. After that he journeyed all over the world to help get rid of prejudice and hatred against the Forsaken by helping all those in need.
Jordan Nov 27th 2011 5:23AM
I think my tuaren warrior, for the most part, isn't an idiot, but he lacks the smarts of his Blood Elf compatriots (the Priestess, Paladin, and Hunter) - there are times he feels intellectually inferior when they talk of the light, the hunt, and their strategies in taking on their foes. He's a follower - whether tanking or taking up the dps - however he always excels in the battle field, often times being fast on his feet and saving a friend from a vicious foe. At these times he feels he is an equal - and that makes him rather happy and proud.
I think many people play the warrior as a simple man or woman, and that's sort of where they are. Any smarter and perhaps they would be a warrior of the light rather then just the sword.
Gozzix Goldgear Nov 26th 2011 7:53PM
I myself have three warriors.
My first is Gozzix Goldgear, a gnome, though he is not what most would call a warrior. He is a self proclaimed "Self-protection warrior", using his thick armour and sturdy shield to keep himself safe from danger. Others may just refer to him as a coward, but he shrugs it off and/or runs away from them if they seem intimidating.
The second is Drok Boulderskin, an orc, and a fanatical fighter for the Horde. He used to be a higher ranking officer in the Orcish military, but was demoted to a Blood Guard after "accidentally" headbutting his commander.
My third warrior is Rogik Facepounder, a freelance goblin bruiser. Rogik never had the knack for engineering like his father, so he instead took after his mother and became a bruiser. On Kezan he helped as security in a Kajamite mine, but after Kezan was destroyed Rogik decided to travel the world looking for strange and exotic things to beat mercilessly.
Sentess Nov 26th 2011 8:37PM
Tak'nar, the orc I roleplay. Is a warrior who will take a good time of thinking and patience before he rushes to grab his weapon and out on the field.
He is often found meditating on his past, just looking up into the sky and all.
Then I also had a warrior named Tazkram, another orc. He was a some what sterotype grunt orc. Yet he had his own specific traits which made him very fun to roleplay. That he wasn't actually a mindless zombie of war, but instead just went to war because... he had nothing else left.
Warrior RP
Luke Nov 26th 2011 8:44PM
I'll admit. I'm rather conventional when I roleplay a Warrior. It's kind of my comfort food, so to speak. I can still be funny and witty, but for the most part it's just a lot of fun to always be the person suggesting the most brutal and headstrong approach to a problem.
Pick the lock? Nah I'll just cut off someone's head and bash the lock with their skull.
Outnumbered? Well... who wants to live forever?
I think KMFDM sums up my approach to the Warrior:
"Forged from steel, iron will, shit for brains, born to kill."
Awesome Nov 26th 2011 8:52PM
I very much like RP'ing warriors because the concept of a warrior, because they are very down to earth. It is rare if there at all, to see a warrior megalomaniac, especially when they are around other people with supernatural powers and face supernatural beings. Although possible, you wouldn't see a warrior gloating of their power, or not taking an enemy seriously. That is what I love about them. They get in, do their job right, and get out alive.
deepred Nov 27th 2011 5:43AM
http://www.wowpedia.org/User:Deepred/Kurenaikamen