Demon Hunter among the Kaldorei (Edit got my question answered, thread is ready to be deleted)

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Greetings I was thinking to RP as a Demon Hunter but not as a edgelord or any of that. I know in the Legion story you can pick between Altruis over Kayn in the Demon Hunter story. Altruis being the independent that believes the Demon Hunters can pick their own path over following illidan. I was considering this with my so called “Illidari”

So here is the problem the way I see it, how would the Kaldorei view him? The who lore is a bit shady in my eyes 2022. But I would still like some advice if let’s say I decide to go and RP with other Night Elves or people in so called “Alliance Guilds”

For example, would it be alright if he is a bit unorthodox with his attire and pick other type of cloths than illidari ones. For example simple shirt and pants etc.

Stormwind as a society doesn’t seem to mind Warlocks or Void Elves etc… or in my case Demon Hunters. It is a bit different in 2022 than what it was back TBC I’d say. Still help would be appreciated. :slight_smile:

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I’d expect distrust and in many cases outright hostility – after all, that’s a pretty core feature of the demon hunter class fantasy. Elves who gave up any chance of true coexistence with their people, in order to claim the necessary power to protect said people.

Night elf RP tends to play on such themes, with many characters being quite socially conservative in their own context.

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This, pretty much! To this day you wouldn’t expect to see Demon Hunters casually hanging out in Night Elf settlements, and they’re often treated with distrust or caution. That said, there’ll always be some more open-minded characters too. Though my own character adventures with a Demon Hunter, in our stories most of the night elf NPCs treat the DH outright poorly or in the manner of “we tolerate you, but we don’t like you”.

I see no issue with this in itself, we’ve seen DH NPCs wear many different types of outfits from kilts to leather armor to Illidan’s rather simple trousers.

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This is a case of player behaviour not mirroring the lore. Warlocks are (as I recall) often conscripted to the army rather than be left to their own devices, and Void Elves tend to keep a low profile due to their abhorrent nature. They stick to the shadows, metaphorically and literally.

Demon Hunters are somewhat the same. Jack and Jill RPer might be utterly fine with a demonically mutated elf, but most citizens and guards would be apprehensive at best. Short of being on a hunt or requiring aid/supplies found only in cities and settlements, Demon Hunters generally aren’t a sociable lot.

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I think that’s a miss. Even Altruis is still an edgelord, it’s core to being a demon hunter, and you should embrace it.

the kaldorei have always held their demon hunters in low regard, far as I know, though they’re generally vaguely tolerated.

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Altruis’ example is perfectly fine.

Well, they are tolerated. But I wouldn’t expect people acting as if their job is indifferent to them. Warlocks and void elves are likely somewhat distrusted.

There’s nothing wrong with that.

Seeing as you picked Altruis, I’d consider using his role as a template - he’s a lone wolf, fighting against the Burning Crusade in his own way. As you put it, he picked his own path.

Such a character could perhaps join a mercenary/adventurer company - perhaps one where he can fight demons and other dangerous creatures… and assist his newfound with his magic and fighting skills. Perhaps, he’d remain a bit of a loner even in a guild (care: loner RP often backfires!) and eventually become friends/closer with a a small group of friends that understand and respect his choices.

For the above concept I also recommend being the sole DH of the guild, acting as a sort of advisor against the demons. Alternatively, have a friend role-play as your DH buddy, your shan’do or your apprentice.

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This is the concept I was looking for! I don’t wanna be a Overpowered illidan wanna be when I Roleplay. I prefer to keep things simple even with the choice of my attire that being said my Demon Hunter has no horns and he walks around with a black shirt and dark troso with no weapons on his back. As the only tattoos my DH has is the Kaldorei one. Anyone would see him as a Normal Kaldorei unless they spot the fel magic inside of him but I was gonna ask if a Demon Hunter is forced to use fel or can they use simple fire? If someone asks he will of course tell but otherwise I tend to keep things in a simple manner.

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Tolrated is better than nothing I suppose! However like I asked above, when it comes to “Fel” is a DH forced to use fel or does ember works instead as magic of source?

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In regards to this, I’d say don’t do it. A demon hunter’s tattoos have a very specific purpose: they’re arcane runes specifically tattooed onto the hunter so their fel energies and demons are kept under control, and every demon hunter has them.

Generally, demon hunters have a craving for fel energy. You could roleplay a follower of Altruis that seeks to abstain from this for whichever reason, but they’ll always have a craving for it — that’s just tied to their mutated being.

I don’t know exactly how fire magic works, but I know characters like Jayce could no longer cast the arcane (fel counters arcane, after all) after becoming a demon hunter.

I wouldn’t roleplay a demon hunter if you’re going to try and make him look, walk and talk like a normal night elf; in that case, the demon hunter class doesn’t add much to the character and you might as well roleplay something much more accepted in night elf society. They’re mutated outcasts that gave everything for their people, and should largely be portrayed as such.

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Agreed, the more I read the more it seems like you want a fiery swordsman rather than a demon hunter.

Pretty much, yes. The mutations they undergo in training to become a demon hunter make it extremely hard for them to use any magic they might have before. All the demon hunters we see stick with fel and shadow. (though overwhelmingly the former of the two)

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There’s a lot of really great RP depths to mine with Demon Hunters after Legion. I think trying to reintegrate with a society that you left behind and are now reviled by is a really interesting hook, but as the wise posters above me have pointed out there are some significant crutches that need to be addressed as part of that if you want to do it the proper justice and not devolve into a tired RP trope of Death Knight having a drink at the pub every night.

Ultimately the core of a Kaldorei Demon Hunter is someone who spat in the face of their kin and defiled their bodies and minds (in the eyes of the Sisterhood and the wider community) to get their vengeance at all costs. Few would be willing to extend the olive branch easily and overlook the very obvious and permanent changes that resulted from drinking from the cup of demonic energy once all is said and done.

Think about why your character joined the Illidari, what was their motivation for turning their back on their kin and why would they now want to engage with them again? Do they have any family connections or close friendships that could help bridge the gap? Would those connections even be willing to help?

Are they looking to atone? If so what does that look like, what steps are they trying to make? I think it’s fair to say that an unrepentant Demon Hunter is unlikely to find friends among the Kaldorei, and will always be treated as an outsider and someone to be kept at arms length.

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They use demonic energy - it’s a major piece of their class identity: fighting fel with fel.

What about the eyes, though?

It’s hard to imagine a demon hunter who doesn’t have spectral sight, wouldn’t the fel eyes (or the fold) be a dead giveaway?

The demon hunters’ apparent blindness belies their true powers of perception. They rely on magically augmented sight to detect enemies, even those that hide behind obstacles

As for the topic of having no runes, that is technically fine, but in the canon they’re not just for show, they serve to dampen the fel’s influence. So it would be a disadvantage.

Arcane energy counters fel energy, thus they mark their bodies with arcane runes to keep the fel forces in check.
From Wowpedia: Demon Hunter.

If you’re taking distance from all of the defining traits of demon hunters (demonic magic, spectral sight, iconic weapons), what is even left of the class? At that point - as Tehya suggested - a battlemage (warrior/rogue x mage hybrid) with a tragic backstory seems a better choice.

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After have given a good read on what people has adviced me on this thread, I think I am gonna go with my tame Demon Hunter however I’ll see how thing goes if I enjoy the RP or if not. The worst thing that can happened is that I just decide to make a Warrior instead. However out of my experience when it comes to Alliance RP I’ve seen people been part of military organizations that are far worse than a Demon Hunter.

I guess it comes down to see how things plays out in in practice rather in theory. In any case thanks for the feedbacks!

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Wait so…

You want to play a Demon Hunter who is:

  • Not a part of the Illidari
  • Doesn’t use Fel Magic
  • Has no horns or demonic tattoos
  • Dresses in regular clothes instead of Demon Hunter gear
  • Isn’t Edgy
  • Would be accepted by wider Kaldorei society and the Alliance as a whole

So…
Not a Demon Hunter at all?
I mean by all means, go ahead, there’s certainly worse that one can do with Demon Hunters but I really have to question why you’d even bother.

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Which one of those would you reccomend I pick if I had to keep some? :slight_smile:

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Like others have said, while the character is far from a bad one - night elves don’t need to be demon hunters to use fel magic (at least from a roleplay perspective) - but the traits that you’d prefer to remove are key features of the class fantasy.

At the very least, demon hunters need the tattoos. It’s been explained already, but to reiterate: they’re arcane markings, designed to keep the fel magic inside the hunter under control. Without it, they would be overwhelmed with all that ‘evil’ magic inside of them. It would actually be counter-intuitive to the character you want to play, because it would make more obviously demonic because there’s nothing restraining it.

Given your preferences, I think your best bet would be to depict the character as some kind of spellblade, using fel magic instead of the arcane. You can still use the DH class OOC, but the character you want to play, with all the removals and changes, simply isn’t one.

I don’t intend this as a rude shutdown, take away the demon hunter label and there’s nothing wrong with the character you want to play.

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Can you explain more what a Spellblade is and how you RP as one?

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A spellblade is very simple conceptually – it’s someone who multi-classes as a fighter-class and a magical-class. The most notable example is Spellblade Aluriel, a boss in the Nighthold.

In the context of a night elf using fel magic, it could be as straightforward as channel demonic energy through their blades, or using it to augment their body (think a really cool depiction in-character of demonic claws or something).

A fel-empowered night elven warrior in demon-forged armour, as another example, would be pretty rad.

A paladin is actually a good example too, since they’re effectively a multi-class of warrior and priest, using their (holy) magic to empower them in battle.

If you’ve played Skyrim and had a character use a sword in one hand and magic in another – yup, that’s a spellblade too.

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Could it be something like this, that he was persuaded by Illidans words that fire should indeed be fought by fire. But instead of joining him together with the other Illidari’s he didn’t betray his people and remained at Kalimdor. However he sought other powers and was successful to find Fel-Magic.

However not to be completely overcome by it he was forced to tattoo arcane into his frame inorder to prevent it to take over him completely, and in the process he was blinded by it.

Nevertheless, if so is he still allowed among the other kaldorei as a Spellblade?

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Much like Loras (and others) have said, most of our feedback is not meant to force you to take a path that makes you uncomfortable. However, any concept has original takes that is in your interest to consider from a critical point of view. In role-play there is no “this has to be right, this instead has to be wrong” but it is important to have an organic vision of your character and know how it connects with the existing lore and setting.

Well. Using fel would very much be seen as a betrayal for all what the kaldorei stand for. Up until recent times, I don’t see a way in which a fel user would be welcome in the traditional night elf society. Fel magic is deeply despised and for a good reason: to use fel magic a caster has to drain life and souls. It’s a very wicked form of magic. Most kaldorei, who are in sync with nature, won’t like that.

I think a non-demon hunter night elf which uses fel to emulate Illidan’s teachings, but yet remains in close contact with his kaldorei family can’t be done. Fel is a big no-no to them. And even arcane magic was outlawed by Malfurion after the War of the Ancients…
So, let’s imagine that your character is a spellblade, even if he decided to use arcane magic, which is far less dangerous as a source of power, he would have been tolerated (and likely frowned upon) only after the Cataclysm, when the highborne of Eldre’Thalas were introduced. Before? Very much an attack on sight!

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My next question would be, why keep Illidan as a father-figure/reference? It’s not wrong but it feels unnecessary, seeing as a spellblade would be tied to the Kaldorei Empire’s tradition. If we go with the idea that your character isn’t a demon hunter anymore, why keep a background connected with Illidan’s ideals, only for your character to reject said ideals right away?

• Some ideas for the Spellblade thing below:

He could be related to the highborne of Eldre’Thalas. He was exiled with them, but introduced back to society as of the Cataclysm. Or if that’s not your thing, perhaps a young warrior seeking to mix his sword skills with magic, learning from the highborne after they were introduced to society?

Perhaps they lost someone dear to them as the Burning Legion invaded, and decided to reach out for a night elf that could empower his weapons with magic. Then, he decided to do it on his own, and combined magic with weapons. I’m just tossing out ideas…

But if you want to keep a demon hunter vibe instead.

Keep some of the edge: demon hunters have a very tragic backstory on average!
Retain the spectral sight (ie. use a blindfold to cover the eye), use demonic magic, apply it to your weapons etc (but you don’t have to go as far as using a metamorphosis and exploding with fel novas).

As a result, you’re not likely to be very loved by your night elf comrades, who will look at you with distrust, but you can use more standard clothes and go around without horns.
(Ie. Look at classic demon hunters, like Loramus Thalipedes).

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