Great topic froma, I'll contribute my two cents.
Back when I first got started roleplaying, it was in a very free-form kind of way. I had eventually created my character Cobalt who has always been a feline anthro race of sorts. Now, Cobalt has never existed in a pure high fantasy setting. The most milage he's ever gotten in a roleplaying situation has been a world of me and my friend's creation where all our characters originated. It's a bit of a grimy neon present day type of setting, similar to the kind of sci-fantasy worlds that the later Final Fantasys set up (6 onwards) Cobalt, in his original incarnation, is a former assassin turned mercenary. He's a miniscule guy of 4'5" but with the proportions of a lanky human.
Now, I could ramble forever about the Cobalt that'll never happen in a fantasy setting, but that would be pretty pointless for this topic. The point is to identify the origins of my roleplaying vocabulary and see how it's taken me in the past. Oddly, despite my character choices, I've never played a rogue or assassin type of role in any MMO. I'm not sure exactly why, as it's always been my type of origin. The problem may have stemmed from my inability to create the exact realization of Cobalt in a restricted character-creation fashion.
My first MMO was FFXI, and there were some initial choices that framed what I would do for the rest of my time there. I eventually chose the Taru Taru race due to its small stature and hilarious animations. My initial avoidance of the Thief class was that, in FFXI, it was simply a pain to play. Eventually I would choose Monk due to the kind of resonance it had with me. I loved using fist and claw weapons, and eventually the kind of abilities the class learned were very entertaining. Such as the minor self-heal Chakra, the ranged Chi Blast, and an assortment of devistation Weapon Skills that demonstrated I could kick arse even at 2 feet tall.
Since then, my resolve has always been fist weapons and pure dps. In City of Heroes, I played a Claw Scrapper and Spines Scrapper. In EQ2 beta I briefly played a Brawler and a Monk. However, once I came across WoW, I hit a dilemma: No monk class, no fist weapons. In beta I played a Druid, in the flirtation with shapeshifting that appealed to me. However, after learning the hard way in my 40s that Druids
had to be the healer, I grew agitated with the class. For retail, I started a Hunter for the sheer hope that since hunters could dual wield and use fist weapons, they'd eventually become prominant and I'd be able to be myself again. That never happened, of course. Some fist weapons were unfurled, but it was never an emphasis for Hunters. Rogues were benefiting greatly from some of the high-end claws, but it was too late. When I started playing again with other friends, for some reason I decided to start up a Warrior with the determination to play a different role. But I found myself wanting to not be a tank and instead DPS it out.
Flash forward to present day, and here we have the dilemma of an imminent new MMO. Here are the thought processes that parse down my options:
Race - My first stop, having originated from an anthro race, is to check out the ones available in the game and if they appeal to my aesthetic. Vulmane, to me, aren't appealing at all. Kurashasa unfortunately seem to fall into the catagory of "tall and buff" that I dislike among most western interpretations of anthro males. However, Raki look like they could be morphed into what I would view as Cobalt Katze. After seeing the customization in action at Fanguard, and seeing someone transform the model into a short and lithe guy, that'll be my first go-to for race selection. A reasonable secondary would actually be the Halfling. I usually dislike the race, since it's often exagurated as pot-bellied hairy little men that eat alot. However, Vanguard's Halflings look great and could fit my lithe youth projection.
Class - Here's where it gets difficult. Offensive dps seems to be my best bet in the situation. I would never play a Berserker, simply because that doesn't mesh with my aesthetic. However, the three that remain would all be worthwhile causes.
Monk is obviously my first choice. What I look for in the class is raw output, claw weapons, neat animations, and some ammount of chi abilities. What I like about it is the damage output that is influenced by the mind and spirituality rather than just raw beefiness. I'm not a strong person, and so that resonates well with me.
Bard is a close second choice due to the reflections of my personal self. Being a musician and composer in the realm of reality, I would be able to accurately portray such a character. The gameplay aspects of composing songs to play rather than simply twisting and multi-tasking sounds great. Especially when you tie in the possibilities of kicking just as much arse at the same time. FFXI Bards were a joy to play, but never did anything but support. Maybe a few pokes with the knife for 10 damage, but nothing substantial.
Rogue, after reading The Safehouse's writeup, is also a very very viable choice. It fits the assassin and gadgeteer role to a T, sounds challenging to pull off, and would most likely be very rewarding.
Ultimately it will come down to playing all three classes and discovering which one I enjoy the most in the level 1-10 finalization process.
RP-wise, I'm always neutral ever since my first step into roleplaying. As reflects my personality in reality, I like to remain on the sidelines and be a bit of an elusive character. When I started up Cobalt, he was more of a direct opposite to my real personality. I was quiet and introverted, Cobalt was happy, chatty and extroverted. Eventually as I matured, the character and I's personalities came to a bit of a middle ground. Now it's a bit more quiet introspection, but with also a social wit and sarcasm about him. Needless to say, I like having a good time now when I roleplay. If it's all drama or tragedy or serious high adventure, it's just a bit dull.
So there ya go
