Classy Roleplaying: Mage by Creic
With some recent free time I have had Iâve started to level a Mage, oddly enough itâs not one class I would have seen myself choosing due to the fact I curse and swear about them in Battlegrounds and Arena. But, not the point! It has interested me to do some casual Roleplaying with this character when I get some more free time and experience the class.
However, there are so many different forms of roleplaying I have seen with this class from different players that it becomes hard to see what is in guidelines and what is just maybe impossible. I was spending some time in Dalaran after a few battlegrounds and found âThe Schools of Arcane Magicâ and decided to see if I could get them all, I am still missing one, but a friend was nice enough to provide me with the written information on that missing one, so here goes-- Oh, and I know some of the books just seem to have completely unserious comments in them, some of which made me laugh. But Iâm posting these up as a sort of âguidelineâ, considering these are in-game lore!
The Schools of Arcane Magic:
- Abjuration
- Transmutation
- Necromancy (Not sure of this one?)
- Enchantment
- Conjuration
- Divination
- Illusion
Now, I noticed that Evocation was missing from that list, but after some research the most known lore character to be trained in that school was Queen Ashara, so Iâm guessing that is why that book is missing?
Abjuration:
<Penned by the skilled hand of Archmage Ansirem Runeweaver>
Abjuration is the study of protective magic and one of the most important schools for a young mage to study. The most generalized abjuration spell is the mana shield, a spell that transmutes raw mana into a barrier that protects the caster from attacks. Properly executed, this spell can protect the mage against even the most formidable of attacks - but the mana shield is very difficult for a novice to master. It often takes a mage months of practice to even conjure a simple mana shield, and thus, more basic alternatives exist.
A series of elemental armor spells were invented to aid the traveling mage in the unfortunate case that he or she might be attacked. These spells require far less raw energy to cast then a mana shield and are more easily maintained over time, but lack the raw potency of the mana shield. Rather than stopping an attack completely, a frost armor spell might simply decrease the effectiveness of the assault. The more advanced armor spells grant other benefits - for example, the potent mage armor spell actually assists the caster in regaining magical power more easily.
Practitioners of the arcane arts are often ambitious, and we frequently find ourselves in situations where magic may slip just slightly beyond our control. It is for this reason that the ward spells exist. Ward spells are quick, potent incantations to protect the caster against a form of elemental damage - damage which is often caused by the caster attempting one of the other schools of magic. This is why studying abjuration early is so imperative.
One of the most renowned practitioners of Abjuration magic is Prince Kaelâthas Sunstrider. While the prince is quite formidable in all schools of magic, Kaelâthas has created a variation of Mana Shield that is practically unsurpassed in among the residents of Dalaran. Also notable is the Arcanist Doan, who has perfected a spell that combines Evocation and Abjuration to shield himself for a short time while preparing a powerfull area-of-effect spell. This Detonate spell provides Doan with a degree of near invulnerability for a precious few seconds, but few mages have the capacity to cast it safely.
Transmutation:
<Penned by the skilled hand of Archmage Ansirem Runeweaver>
The ninth and final school of magic is transmutation. It is among the most popular and useful of all of the schools, allowing a mage to manipulate time and space. Perhaps the most iconic Transmutation spell is Polymorph, which allows a mage to turn something - or someone - into something else. Fortunately for many of my students, the effects are not permanent. Iâve seen more than one unwary apprentice turned into a sheep, pig, or worse - donât even ask what âworseâ means.
The second most famous use for transmutation magic is teleportation. The most basic teleportation spell is blink, and it remains among the most useful. Blink can be used to quickly escape a foe - or save a mage who has accidentally fallen off a cliff. Do not attempt to use blink to escape falling to your death unless absolutely necessary. This is the kind of trick you can only fail once.
Make absolutely certain you know your destination before attempting to teleport. Thereâs a reason we have very specific spells to teleport to certain locations - attempts to cast a teleportation âon the flyâ often result in one very dead mage inside a wall, chair, or another mage. And I donât mean in a fun way.
Spells that manipulate time also fall into this category. The ever-popular slow fall spell is an excellent alternative to falling to your death (and much more reliable than Blink at this function). More advanced practitioners of the arcane arts can also learn a spell that slows the movements of their enemies. Iâve heard rumors of a spell that increases movement speed as well, but Iâve never seen it in practice.
Lady Jaina Proudmoore is a skilled practitioner of transmutation magic. She has developed a powerful variation of the popular mass-teleport spell that is capable of moving a significant percentage of her army with minimal effort. This spell helps make her extremely unpredictable on the battlefield.
Necromancy:
<Penned by the skilled hand of Archmage Ansirem Runeweaver>
Necromancy is the study of magic involving the dead. It is highly illegal and should be avoided at all costs. I discuss necromancy here only because it is our obligation to have a basic understanding of the magic employed by our enemies - and make no mistake, any practitioner of necromancy is your enemy. Necromancers and their followers are the enemies of all living things. Their influence must be avoided at all costs.
Necromantic magic has many functions beyond simply raising the dead. Masters of this tainted field of magic can conjure festering diseases, harness the shadows into bolts of incendiary energy, and chill the living with the power of death. Necromancy can also be used to reconstruct the flesh of undead creatures, allowing them to function again even after the foul monsters have been destroyed.
The former archmage KelâThuzad is perhaps the most notable example of a modern necromancer. He greatly contributed to the initial spread of the Scourge and the fall of Lordaeron. Now, KelâThuzad reigns as a lich from the floating citadel of Naxxramas. His ongoing existence poses an imminent threat to us all.
Enchantment:
<Penned by the skilled hand of Archmage Ansirem Runeweaver>
Enchantment is the process of imbuing an object - or person - with magical power. Some enchantments are temporary, while others can offer permanent benefits. Enchanting can be difficult to learn, but it is one of the most potentially lucrative forms of magic to study. I highly encourage the study of enchanting, as it is one of the studies of magic that is least likely to culminate in my own destruction.
Disenchanting is the process of dispelling or removing magic. The dispel magic spell is among the most important in a mageâs arsenal, as it can potentially reverse the catastrophic effects of a misfired spell. It is also possible to permanently disenchant a magical item. This produces a unique form of crystallized mana that can be used in the process of imbuing another item with magical abilities. While this can get expensive, it is often one of the best ways for a young mage to study the enchanting process.
While he has already previously been mentioned for his skill in abjuration, Prince Kaelâthas Sunstrider is also considered one of the foremost masters of enchanting in our time. He has not only mastered the creation of potent magical weapons, but the prince has also learned to manipulate these objects remotely, allowing them to fight on their own. This can quickly allow the prince to fight as if he was defended by several skilled guardians even when he is completely by himself. A potent defense, indeed.
Conjuration:
<Penned by the skilled hand of Archmage Ansirem Runeweaver>
Conjuration is the study of summoning - both creatures and objects. Ever really, really wanted a fresh drink of spring water when youâre in the middle of nowhere? Conjuration, my friend, is the answer. There is nothing more enjoyable for a mage than creating a fresh slice of bread or a glass of water. Just ask any of us!
More formidable specialists in conjuration can summon several glasses of water at once, or perhaps even a tankard. A few daring wizards have occasionally attempted to summon water without remembering the glass - and thus, the art of summoning water elementals was born. Water elementals are a wizardâs best friend. (Felhounds are not, in fact, friendly at all.) A summoned elemental is a formidable ally in combat, a great listener, and they even taste great!
There are several wizards who have chosen to follow the refreshing path of conjuration. Captain Balinda Stonehearth is a fine example of a mage who has chosen to adapt conjuration magic for battle. Perhaps the most famous conjuror of our time, however, was the beloved Archmage Nielas Aran. Aran was not only noted for being able to summon several elementals at once, he also perfected a recipe for conjuring sparkling cider. It should be noted that Nileas Aran was no simple jester. Thatâs what magic is all about.
Divination:
<Penned by the skilled hand of Archmage Ansirem Runeweaver>
Divination is the school of magic dedicated to gathering information. Powerful divinations can allow the mage to see targets from a great distance, or even view what may normally be invisible. One of the most common uses of divination magic is scrying, which is the art of seeing something that may be far away - perhaps even on another plane of existance.
Iâd like to take this time to remind my apprentices that scrying pools are not a toy. They are absolutely not to be used for displaying students of the opposite sex on a pay per view basis. Consider this your last warning.
The legendary archmage known as Medivh is perhaps the greatest known master of divination. His potent spells allowed him to peer into the world of Draenor from our Home in Azeroth - and perhaps even beyond. We can only speculate at the true depths of the power that Medivh once held.
Illusion:
<Penned by the skilled hand of Archmage Ansirem Runeweaver>
Illusion is the art of deceiving reality itself. The mists of illusion can make a mage invisible or inaudible to the world or twist the image of a location into something entirely different. Illusion can be used for disguise or manipulation, but beware, spells to counteract illusions exist in the divination school. It is not viable to base your entire career on illusionary magic.
Contrary to popular belief, illusions are far more than mere parlor tricks. The spell of invisibility is among the most integral in a battle mageâs repertoire, as you will often find yourself in dangerous situations and in need of a quick method for a strategic retreat. Illusions can also be used to deceive your opponents into thinking that you are elsewhere, or even trick your enemies into fighting each other. This is no easy task, but the accomplished illusionist can turn allies into enemies - and his or her own enemies into allies.
The former archmage Jandice Barov - may her soul rest in peace - was an excellent example of a talented illusionist. In life, she developed a spell that displayed several images of her body that were nearly indistinguishable from her real form. These images duplicated her actions from different locations, making it nearly impossible for her enemies to find her. It was almost infallible. Which brings me to another lesson - almost is simply not good enough.
So, my main question is. What do you think of these books? Do you think these are proper guidelines which -should- be seriously looked at when considering the option to play a Mage?
Other books which I noticed on a search on Wowhead:
Blinking Rules & Regulations
Short range full-body instant cast teleportations have specific rules and boundaries which must be adhered to at all times. This book is a guideline for proper usage of this travel option, to ensure a safe and expedient teleportation.
Rule #1: Never blink into space occupied by anyone else. Blink, as it has been taught, replaces the air and water from the casters target position, to the casters starting position. The spells success and widespread use is based on its simple elegance: The real objective of the spell is to replace the casters body with whatever is in front of them - the fact that the caster is moved to that area is the side-effect.
The spell is elegant enough to recognize and avoid people most of the time. Immense Kirin Tor resources are being spent to perfect an already nearly flawless spell, but be warned that deliberate blinking into others may result in one of three outcomes: The caster replaces the target, the target replaces the caster, or both occupy the same space, creating a sickly abomination the likes of which even The Scourge would exile from their ranks. If you would like to prevent one of these three tragedies, please be mindful of your blink target areas. Which brings us toâŚ
Rule #2: Look where youâre going! After a staggering number of incidences that were the product of people violating Rule #1, the Kirin Tor has moved this rule up from its previous position at #8 to here. We understand that accidents happen, but some accidents are not so easily remedied. Remember mages, look both ways before crossing the Astral Plane!
Rule #3: Donât blink to anywhere you canât see. This is a variation of Rule #2 that deserves special mention, due to the fact that this rule is the one most commonly broken on purpose. Like Rule #2, we have gotten increasing reports of mages meeting tragic ends with their blink. Some mages admitted to consciously trying to blink through walls, into dark areas, and even inside crates in a desperate attempt to hide from pursuers. We cannot stress enough how foolish this is.
Solid matter is connected to itself rigidly enough to, well, make it solid. Unlike air and water, which can be easily separated and swapped, the bonds of solids WILL translate onto the caster. The Kirin Tor feels obligated to list all documented Small Claims Disaster Cases pertaining to blinking inside solid objects. Memorize these claims, and avoid making the same mistakes yourselves:
10012-c: âRemoval of bar stool from hip of Squibly Ratchetdibble via fire. Collateral burns minimal.â
19798-g: âRemoval of (3) mithril support rods from head of Jenus Killian via corrosive brew. Thanks to RAS for donation of mentioned brew. Side-effect: Permanent hair loss of affected area.â
14761-aa: âRemoval of Cynthia Wallerby from side of barn via Goblin Shredder. Collateral damage is, unfortunately, severe. However, Mrs. Wallerby can still enjoy a full life with one hand and foot.â
16616-x: âRemoval of Harland Wilson from statue of General Turalyon via magma, shipped from Ironforge. Collateral damage moderate. Mr. Wilson was unharmed, but nearby school children witnessed the General being melted to retrieve him, and were consequently scarred for life.â
11773-c: âRemoval of (6) Snapvine Watermelons from torso of Sinella Redblade. Collateral damage minimal. (4) melons salvaged and donated to local orphanage.â
<This goes on for hundreds of pages>
Polymorphic Rules & Regulations
Species altercation has the highest potential for abuse and disaster, and is the source of the most number of complaints to the Kirin Tor. Polymorphic study has been under constant scrutiny and threat of removal for years, but only recently have these tribulations increased exponentially. In order for this spell to continue to be sanctioned certain guidelines must be put in place to throttle the increasing number of tragedies reckless polymorphs have caused.
Rule# 1: Do not turn a creature of lesser intelligence into a creature of higher intelligence - Cerebral brain function rarely translates in a polymorph⌠But sometimes it does. Voracious creatures such as serpents and wolves need not have their predatory instincts honed with a human mind. We feel obligated to quote Small Claims Disaster Case 12651-B, Labeled, âBartholomew: The Bear who Bears Arms.â
Rule# 2: Use simplified creatures for polymorphs - Many rogue mage disciples sanction exotic creature polymorphic studies. But in a desperate effort to lower Kirin Tor insurance claims we are ceasing to support these types of creatures. Sheep are acceptable creatures for any situation. But there are several other common creature types that are supported (Read the latest edition of the Kirin Tor Monthly for an up-to-date list). Polymorphing into creatures like oozes, ethereals, silithid, and worst of all dragonkin is severely punishable which brings us toâŚ
Rule# 3: Polymorphic debaucheries are to be disposed of in a timely and DISCREET manner - The Public need not bear witness to the horrendous abominations wrought from a botched polymorph. Accidents happen, and the KirinâTor understands this. However public viewing of creatures like the Were-Whale, Mur-Elf, Amphibious Worgen, Flying Ooze, Grypho-Hippo-Wyvern, Qiraji Bunny, and the infamous âBlue-Checkered Cubeâ give us all a bad reputation.
Rule #4: Do not polymorph a creature into another more powerful creature - While this looks like plain common sense, we feel obligated to quote Mildly Severe Claims Disaster Case 8791-E, Labeled, âMagus John Quint: Liquefied by Sickly Deer turned Violently Confused Molten Giant.â
Rule #5: Do not polymorph anything that is halfway through a portal - This has yet to not cause an explosion. This is also covered in âThinking with Portals: A Memorandum on Proper Portal Usage.â
Rule #6: Do not polymorph inanimate objects! - We canât believe the KirinâTor is receiving reports of this, but such a heinous act caused the development of the brand new Highly Severe Claims Disaster Case 1-A, âMy Kingdom For A Horse: The One Hundred and Fifty Reasons Why A Kingdom Should Not Be Turned Into A Horse.â
<This goes on for hundreds of pages>
Thinking With Portals - A Memorandum
It is not our intention to replace popular transportation methods such as ship, zeppelins, and flightmasters. These are cheap, practical, and safe methods of transportation. Portals, when used properly, are just as safe and certainly faster. HOWEVER, in practice portals have a history of being a burden on any society in which it is offered to the general public. Of all the major spells developed and maintained by the Kirin Tor (including polymorph), portal technology is the closest to becoming banished from anything but emergency usage.
Why all the trouble? First, Ley Lines donât grow on trees. Massive traffic through a Line from all over Azeroth wears down the infrastructure and must be periodically replaced. We charge the mage for every portal via reagent taxes, and encourage mages to pass off these charges to those using the portal. But these taxes donât even begin to cover the time cost of replacing a Line, only the materials.
Remember that a portal most used is a portal most efficient: More persons using a single portal causes no further stress to the Ley Lines, and is encouraged. A âPortalpoolingâ program is in the works that will give tax breaks to mages who create portals for no less than (5) persons. Read your latest issue of âKirin Tor Monthlyâ to see the progress of the Portalpooling program.
Second, while a properly used portal is just as safe as your average zeppelin trip (maybe more so considering the engineering practices of goblins), an improperly used portal can potentially yield dire results. Here is a list of immutable regulations for appropriate portal usage:
Rule #1: Do not create a portal to anywhere but the designated Kirin Tor drop-off zones. The most dangerous aspect of the portal spell is its vast potential. We realize itâs easy for a mage to create a door to anywhere, so our only way to combat such potentially deadly acts is to make it punishable by death. Special Issue License D-6 permits open portal usage, but is rarely issued. Speak with your local Portal Trainer about qualifying for this license.
Rule #2: Create a portal in the proper place, and use it in the proper way. Do not create a portal beneath the feet of someone. Do not linger halfway in and out of a portal. The portal is not a garbage disposal. The portal is not a shield. Do not use a portal like an umbrella, or any kind of shelter from the elements.
Do not back out of a portal after partially entering it. Do not try and âgrabâ the edges of the portal, either from the inside or the outside. A portal does not create âhandlebarsâ to assist usage, and disruption of its boundaries is dangerous.
Rule #3: Never force or trick anyone to go through a portal. Not only is this a great way to lose repeat customers, itâs also incredibly dangerous (See Rule #2).
Rule #4: Do not have someone who is polymorphed enter a portal. This has yet to not cause an explosion. This is also covered in âPolymorphic Rules & Regulations.â
Rule #5: Do not remove the liquid filter from a portal spell. Portals innately prevent large amounts of flowing water through them so that they can be cast underwater. To allow for water elementals to use a portal, this filter can be omitted when casting. Do not omit this when underwater! We feel obligated to mention Moderately Severe Claims Disaster Case 34-zz: âThe Great Lakeshire Drought & The Great Ironforge Flood of 24 A.D.â
Rule #6: Standard Portal dimensions are 3 yards, 1 foot, and 3/4 inches tall, 2 yards, 8 feet, 9 and 15/16 inches wide. Double-wide portal creation requires Special Issue License G-16, and is commonly issued to mages with a clean portal record of 8 years or more. Speak with your local Portal Trainer about qualifying for this license.
<This goes on for hundreds of pages>
Personally, the last three just look like a bit of a âtrollâ in a sense, but they are still there in-game and deserve to be recognized. But, to the question at hand which is posted above:
So, my main question is. What do you think of these books? Do you think these are proper guidelines which -should- be seriously looked at when considering the option to play a Mage?
Additional information (Extracted from deep dark articles of Wowwiki):
In your characterâs eyes, you have spent years studying the arts of magic, so donât be afraid to get a little cocky of yourself from time to time. You can belittle a Warrior for being a âbruteâ or âbarbarianâ. Priests and Paladins are extremely religious and more than likely, they wont like you too much. Paladinâs believe that Mages hate the âHoly Lightâ and believe you will NOT ever be cleansed of your evil ways, no matter what you do.
Mages are the overall damage dealers on WoW, but they arenât very good at melee or taking damage. If you take a hit, make it devestating and make sure people know youâre hurt. After all, youâre wearing cloth armor and youâre not the strongest person in the world. If youâre pretending to be a strong muscly Mage, make a Warrior.
Alchemy - Alchemy is a great job to choose mainly because all you have to do is make magical potions, which fits your role perfectly.
Herbalism - The best thing to choose for money making or making some well-deserved potions with Alchemy.
Engineering - Not the first choice for most Mages, but it counts as a logical pursuit and could fit well with you if you do it right.âThe Four Laws (Extracted from Wowpedia)â
Magic is Powerful.
Magic in Azeroth is the difference between a slave and a master, a foot soldier and king. Few races and nations can operate without powerful mages and warlocks. The use of arcane magic is growing; historically, each time this has happened before, a great disaster shortly follows. However, even though the history of the arcane is well known, mages and their patrons invariably come to the same self-serving conclusion: It wonât happen to them.
Magic is Corrupting.
Magic corrupts the soul; if the humblest person in Azeroth became a practitioner of the arcane, by the time the practitioner reached the higher levels in their art, all traces of her humble roots would be lost. Magic breeds pride and arrogance. Magic corrupts the body; it ages the caster before their time and hastens the blight that the world inflicts on things fair and beautiful. Those who claim that only Necromancy and Fel Magic have a corrupting influence are fooling themselves.
Magic is an Addiction.
When one feels the power of an arcane spell coursing through oneâs body as itâs being cast, resisting the urge to cast it again is difficult. Frequent use leads to a desire for more and, eventually, to a desire for the evil fel energy.
Magic attracts the Twisting Nether Like Flies to Honey.
The Burning Legion has invaded Azeroth three times, drawn by the power of the Well of Eternity and those who employ it. Magic is a literal gateway drug that allows dark titans such as Sargeras to bring evil influences to the world. Those who employ arcane magic must deal with demons and other servants of the Twisting Nether.
Necronomicon: guide to necromancer RP by Vredd
âAll too soon, my choice was made. Too late did I realize that such power does not come⌠without a price.â - Archlich KelâThuzad
Contents
- Introduction
- Capabilities
- Races
- Classes
- Appearance
- Raising the dead
- Minions
- Personality
- Conclusion
Introduction
As described in âThe Schools of Arcane Magic â Necromancyâ:
Necromancy is the study of magic involving the dead. It is highly illegal and should be avoided at all costs. I discuss necromancy here only because it is our obligation to have a basic understanding of the magic employed by our enemies - and make no mistake, any practitioner of necromancy is your enemy. Necromancers and their followers are the enemies of all living things. Their influence must be avoided at all costs.
Necromantic magic has many functions beyond simply raising the dead. Masters of this tainted field of magic can conjure festering diseases, harness the shadows into bolts of incendiary energy, and chill the living with the power of death. Necromancy can also be used to reconstruct the flesh of undead creatures, allowing them to function again even after the foul monsters have been destroyed.
Capabilities
As we can see from âThe Schools of Arcane Magic â Necromancyâ as well as other sources, necromancers do have a number of capabilities beyond raising the dead, though this does remain the bread and butter of the class.
Iâll list some of the capabilities the necromancer will or may have based off of what we have seen in-game:
Raising the dead - this is a no brainer; simply put, a necromancer isnât a necromancer if they donât have this ability.
"Conjure festering diseases" - we can only assume that this refers to abilities similar to the ones death knights use i.e. Blood Plague and Frost Fever. Also this has been seen before since necromancers are often responsible for the spreading of plagues, such as the one spread across Lordaeron.
"Harness the shadows into bolts of incendiary energy" - this most likely refers to Shadow Bolt which, though used by warlocks, is in fact also a necromancer ability. This can be seen from mobs such as the Anubâar Necromancers in Azjol-Nerub and the Dark Necromancers in Stratholme. However, necromancers appear to harness the shadows in a number of other ways too, such as the Auchenai Necromancers who use Drain Soul (also used by warlocks) and an ability called Shadow Mend.
"Chill the living with the power of death" - since most necromancers are former mages, it wouldnât be too far a stretch to assume that necromancers use darker and far deadlier forms of frost magic. Death knights use these sorts of abilities, even having an entire specialization dedicated to them.
Cripple - in Warcraft 3, this ability was used by the necromancer unit to slow a targetâs movement and attack speed, as well as reduce the targetâs damage dealt. Besides this however, many necromancer mobs throughout the game use it too, including the Deathâs Head Necromancers in Razorfen Downs, and the Shadowy Necromancers in the Battle for Mount Hyjal.
Corpse Explosion - this rather fun ability has been used by necromancers. The Scholomance Necromancer mobs use this ability as well as the Acherus Necromancers who use a variation called Ghoulplosion. Also, death knights used to possess a minor glyph which allowed them the use of this ability, though it didnât deal any damage.
Unholy Frenzy - unholy death knights will be familiar with this ability. This was also used by the necromancer unit in Warcraft 3 where it had a similar effect, in which attack speed is increased however health is drained. Other necromancers who have used this ability include the Shadowy Necromancers in the Battle for Mount Hyjal.
Bone Armor - similar to Bone Shield used by blood death knights, many necromancer mobs use this ability in which it absorbs damage taken, like Power Word: Shield. Examples of mobs who use this ability include the Malefic Necromancers in Icecrown and the Thuzadin Necromancers in Stratholme.
Soul Tap - this ability is similar to Drain Life and was used by the Thuzadin Necromancers in Stratholme. It leads to the idea that necromancers may use similar life draining abilities.
Drain Mana - a former warlock ability used by the Dark Necromancers in the Culling of Stratholme.
Races
Practically every race is capable of becoming a necromancer. After all, necromancy is ultimately another school of arcane magic. In that case, any race who can become a mage is capable of becoming a necromancer. Also, with the death knight class, every race except pandaren is shown to use necromancy. Here is a list of all the playable races and the extent to which it is possible for them to become a necromancer.
Alliance
Humans - many humans crossed over to necromancy surrounding the events of the Third War, tempted by power, immortality and as KelâThuzad described, âan ideal society free of all the burdens the existing one forced upon its citizenryâ. Therefore, they make up most of the Cult of the Damned and are highly capable of becoming necromancers.
Dwarves - though all dwarves can become adept in arcane arts, the Dark Irons are the ones who study far darker forms than their Bronzebeard cousins, even bringing warlocks into Ironforgeâs ranks. Dwarves are therefore also highly capable of becoming necromancers.
Gnomes - gnomes are found in the Cult of the Damned, and really thereâs no reason why a gnome wouldnât attempt to delve into the dark arts. Their curiosity is often far greater than that of other races, and so necromancy may tempt a gnome or two. Also, theyâre shown to be powerful users of arcane magic, and so one could easily become a powerful user of necromancy.
Night Elves - necromancy is the enemy of all living things and the balance of life and death. It would therefore be strictly forbidden by night elf society. Necromancy upon night elves was witnessed during the War of the Ancients, and only one night elf wasnât disgusted by it: Illidan, and we all know what happened to him. Despite this, night elves are capable of wielding arcane magic, especially after accepting the Highborne back into night elf lands. So the possibility is there.
Draenei - though draenei would completely forbid this, as it goes against their reverence of the Holy Light, we have seen draenei necromancers in Auchenai Crypts. Therefore itâs possible for draenei to become necromancers, however note youâd be exiled and disgraced by draenei society and possibly even executed.
Worgen - worgen are ultimately cursed humans and so would be just as capable of wielding necromancy as regular humans.
Horde
Orcs - as mentioned before with Gulâdanâs necrolytes, orcs are more than capable of wielding necromancy.
Trolls - troll necromancers have been seen. Zalazane is an example and Zanzil could also be considered a necromancer. Despite this, Zalazaneâs death was due to his usurping of the domain of Bwonsamdi, the troll loa of the dead, who wasnât too pleased with him for this. So you may have to keep that in mind as a troll necromancer.
Tauren - tauren, like night elves, would also view necromancy as an enemy of nature and so would react in the same way. Tauren necomancers are possible, however, as we have seen tauren mages among the Grimtotem tribe, so it isnât that far fetched to suggest one of them may have gone down a darker path.
Forsaken - Helcular and Gunther Arcanus are both examples of Forsaken necromancers. Sylvanas would have recruited many necromancers into her ranks, but only for the sole purpose of sustaining her race.
Blood elves - high elves will also count here. DarâKhan Drathir and Instructor Malicia are examples of high elf necromancers and the elves make up quite a bit of the Cult of the Damned. Due to their lust for arcane magic, both blood elves and high elves can easily stumble upon necromancy.
Goblin - as we saw from goblin warlocks and shamans, goblins will exploit any form of power just for profit, and so because of that, I donât see why a goblin wouldnât try and exploit necromancy. How heâd gain profit out of it Iâm not sure, but it would certainly be interesting to see RPed. I hear undead minions make good cheap labour.
Neutral
Pandaren - this is an interesting one. Though you have pandaren mages, the pandaren very much respect their dead and so necromancy would not be accepted nor tolerated. Pandaren necromancers could still be possible but having a good reason for them becoming one would be difficult to play out. It should be noted however that we have not seen any pandaren use necromancy throughout the game with them even being the only playable race who canât become death knights.
Classes
As necromancers are not a playable class, itâs important to use a class that best suits how theyâre both described and seen in lore and in-game. There are four main classes which work best:
Unholy Death Knights â since Legion, unholy DKs have become even more necromancer-like than they were previously. They still retainin their ability to raise a minion and keep that minion out as a âpetâ. Aside from this however, they also make use of diseases like Virulent Plague as well as the emphasis on Festering Wounds; they can summon a variety of other undead minions such as a gargoyle, an extra skeletal minion through All Will Serve and even an abomination through Sludge Belcher; finally, with their artifact weapon they can summon even greater armies of the dead in addition to the classic Army of the Dead spell.
Despite this, problems with the death knight include that they canât wield staffs (however this can be replaced with a tome or a polearm) and theyâre undead, meaning that using them to RP living necromancers will not be the best idea. Therefore there are other suitable options include:
Affliction Warlocks â an affliction warlock is a borderline necromancer due to how they dabble with souls and use shadow magic to casts various curses and afflictions. For instance, the Haunt spell is rather necromantic in nature since it states that it sends a ghostly soul into the target. In the section below, you will see how there are a number of warlock gear sets which can be used to brilliantly portray a necromancer.
Shadow Priests â shadow priests clearly use shadow magic and so could also make use of the Realm of Shadows the Scourge uses. In Icecrown you do see Cult of the Damned mobs in Shadowform who are casting Mind Flay. Therefore shadow priests could work.
Mages â most, if not all, necromancers are former mages, and as we saw from Darkmaster Gandling in Scholomance, when you become a necromancer you donât necessarily âunlearnâ your previous abilities. Therefore, you could RP a necromancer who continues to incorporate spells they learned as a mage. Frost mages would most likely work best however, because as mentioned before, necromancers possess frost-related abilities.
The biggest problem with these other options however is that they canât raise the dead, which some would argue, makes them unable to roleplay necromancers. In the âundead minionsâ section Iâll present ways to compensate for this.
Appearance
Cloth gear works best for necromancers, though there isnât really any reason why they wouldnât wear something a little heavier, as they generally donât move around much and instead send in their minions. The key really is to use âdark-themedâ gear, after all a necromancer is a very shady person and not the most attractive looking person either. In the RPG books it states that necromancers âgradually take on the characteristics of the dead â hollow eyes, shambling gaits, pallid and sunken skin, foul odors and so forthâ, and though this is technically non-canon info being in the RPG books, the appearances of necromancer NPCs nonetheless support this idea.
Take this set as an example of a necromancer look, or alternatively look at the various necromancer mobs throughout the game such as the ones I mentioned in the abilities section: [Dead link, removed]
Raising the dead
I thought Iâd dedicate an entire section to this as itâs something that as a necromancer youâll frequently be doing.
In order to raise the dead, unlike the death knightâs Raise Dead ability, youâll need a corpse. This should be pretty obvious, but what it means is that the necromancer can sometimes be limited and have to rely on offensive and defensive magic due to the lack of corpses.
Despite this however, it can be argued that sometimes a necromancer will summon rather than raise the dead, from a place known as the Realm of Shadows. For example, in Acherus we see the trainers creating minions for their disciples to fight, however Acherus is a big metal fortress in the sky. Therefore, the best possible explanation for this is that these undead minions werenât raised and were instead summoned from the Realm of Shadows. This will therefore give you a way to create an undead minion without the need of a corpse. For more information on this realm, see:
http://wowpedia.org/Realm_of_ShadowsMost of the time however, youâll raise the corpse of a fallen soldier in battle. If youâre in the midst of battle and someone falls you can therefore raise them into undeath to do your bidding, which is of course, aid in killing your enemies. Necromancers will most often not be found in a place without some trace of death, which is why many are found scheming in the Plaguelands.
Undead minions
Necromancers can raise/summon a variety of minions, and as we see throughout the game, they come in all shapes and sizes. Some of the types of undead that necromancers can summon or raise can be seen here: >>http://wowpedia.org/Undead
However I will list some of the main types:
Ghouls - seen from both the death knightâs Raise Dead ability and the fact that ghouls are seen to act as the shock troops for the Scourge such as during the Battle for Lightâs Hope Chapel.
Skeletons - the ability to raise skeletons was the main ability used by the necromancer unit in Warcraft 3. They fall into two types: skeletal warriors and skeletal mages.
Geists - executed criminals reborn as undead due to necromancy.
Zombies - in Stratholme we saw thousands of these, with all of them being reanimated from the corpses of Stratholme citizens. Should be noted however that zombies are in fact reanimated corpses who have not yet completed the transition into the âtrueâ undead form of ghouls.
Unfortunately, affliction warlocks, shadow priests and mages donât have the benefit that death knights have of actually raising the dead. Death knights donât have to worry about this section as they can simply use either Raise Dead, Army of Dead, or even Raise Ally. Non-DKs on the other hand, read on.
There are a couple of approaches to compensating for the lack of raising the dead:
Items - there are items in the game which can briefly summon an undead minion, such as Book of the Dead, Antique Cornerstone Grimoire and Abracadaver. Other than these there are probably other items in the game which have similar effects that I havenât listed, so look around and see what you can find.
You can have someone RP a minion for you - this can be done in a number of ways. Any class can use Noggenfogger Elixir and so RP a skeleton. As skeletons are the basic form of undead a necromancer can raise, this can work very well. Even better if theyâre a mage and so can RP a skeletal mage. The rogue T10 armor is highly reminiscent of geists and so a rogue wearing this gear can RP one. Even the undead race in general could work as a minion as theyâre, well, undead.
Pets - another thing you can do, as suggested by some, is use some of the various undead battle pets you can obtain (thank you to Elenthas for listing these):
- Restless Shadeling - Early morning spawn near Karazhan (Resembles a Shade)
- Fossilized Hatchling (Troll Necromancers) - Fossil Archaeology (Skeletal raptor)
- Ghostly Skull - Dalaran Vendor 40g (Floating Skull)
- Lost of Lordaeron - Tirisfal Glades spawn (Resembles blue ghost)
- Macabre Marionette - Day of the Dead (Resembles a humanoid skeleton)
- Unborn Valâkyr - Rare spawn around Northrend (Resembles chibi Valâkyr)
- Senâjin Fetish (Troll Necromancers) - Argent Tournament 40 Seals (Floating tiki head)
- Scourged Whelpling - Rare(?) spawn in Icecrown (Plagued whelp model)
- Frosty - WotLK Collectors Edition (Resembles frost wyrm whelp)
- Stitched Pup - Gluth, Naxxramas (resembles Gluth)
- Blighthawk - Western Plaguelands (Resembles undead hawk)
- Sinister Squashling - Hallowâs End (Resembles a sinister squashling)
- Withers - Darkshore Quest/Vendor(?) (Resembles a grey, withered treant)
- Cockroach (Various) - Theyâre cockroaches, thereâs a lot around.
- Disgusting Oozeling - Rare World Drop (Resembles a black ooze)
- Arcanomicon - Hillsbrad Foothills, near Dalaran Crater (Resembles floating magic book)
- Jade Oozeling - Hinterlands (Resembles smiling green ooze)
- Arcane Eye - Deadwind Pass, possible rare spawn(?) (Floating blue eye)
- Toxic Wasteling - Love is in the Air event (Green non-smiling ooze)
- Viscidus Globue - Viscidus, AQ40 (Resembles Viscidus)
- Darkmoon Eye - Darkmoon Pet Supplies Rare Drop (Giant orange Darkmoon Eye)
- Ethereal Soul Trader - TCG Reward, super rare and expensive! (Resembles Ethereal)
- Gusting Grimoire - TCG Reward (floating magic book)
- Living Fluid - Primordius, Throne of Thunder, LFR Difficulty(?) (Resembles blood-red ooze)
- Nordrassil Wisp - Mount Hyjal (Resembles Wisp)
- Spectral (Tiger) Cub - TCG/Battle.Net World Championship Shanghai 2012 (Resembles spectral tiger cub)
- Viscous Horror - Primordius, Throne of Thunder (Resembles darker blood-red ooze)
- Devouring Maggot - Howling Fjord (Resembles Maggot)
- Mr. Grubbs - Rare Drop Eastern Plaguelands (Resembles Maggot)
- Son of Animus - Dark Animus, Throne of Thunder (Resembles a mini-Dark Animus)
Personality
Though not all necromancers are the same in terms of personality, there are a few general character traits which would likely apply to all:
-As someone who frequently toys with the balance of life and death, you donât value this balance in any way other than a tool for you to defeat your enemies.
-Youâre unlikely to gain any ties with anyone, instead carrying a callous view that theyâre all flesh and bone, ready to be manipulated.
-Youâre also very likely to be a megalomaniac, relishing in the ability to summon and command minions who obey your every whim as well as seemingly being able to have control over death itself.Of course, take these away as mere pointers and not necessarily defining character traits. Ultimately all necromancers are individuals and so will have their own unique qualities as well as these aspects of their personality.
Conclusion
Thank you for reading my guide and hopefully it will help anyone interested in roleplaying a necromancer out there.
An Indepth essay on Night Elf politics by Barlowe of the Earthen Ring
Itâs hard to tell, but the broad approach of the Night Elven authorities seems to be that they donât meddle in very many thingsâŚbut when they do, they do it with an iron fist.
I had a long discussion about this on another forum once but it seems to be inaccessible, so Iâm going to see about getting hold of it. In the meantimeâŚ
The Sisters of Elune are described on Wowpedia - citing an official Blizzard encyclopedia now seemingly also inaccessible - as âthe major active night elf political factionâ, fulfilling âthe role of magistrates, officials and the like for the night elf government.â Their highest members are âprivyt to the governmentâs most major secrets.â The Night Elven government is basically a theocracy: the Temple is in charge, with the priestesses representing Eluneâs will on earth and the Sentinels as the Templeâs military wing enforcing Her dictates. The Cenarion Circle is an alternative centre of power, but not one likely to offer any kind of political opposition or strife when led by Malfurion, effectively married to the Templeâs head. Certainly the druids are not supposed to mess with politics and government. Things seem a little different with Staghlem there, just as the situation now is generally more complicated than before the war. There are also many semi-independent forest creatures, Ancients, Dryads, Grovekeepers, etc, who presumably operate their own community power structures distinct from the Temple but loyal to it as long as it protects the sacred forests of which I would assume mainstream night elves to consider themselves the divinely-appointed stewards.
If you check out the wowpedia page on âNight Elfâ, most of which is ripped from lore books, youâll find that âvirtually all remaining kaldorei consider it their sworn duty to maintain the safety and balance of the natural world.â This idea of a universal duty does not really sit well with the idea of a forgiving authority; neither does their description as âa strict but just and sometimes even compassionate people.â Compassion and mercy exists, but within rigidly-defined boundaries that I suspect are made up of explicit laws and implicit social taboos in equal measure. Remember especially that their entire social organisation is effectively a response to one of the worst wars Azeroth has ever seen - and a response to the form of government that allowed that war to happen. That means they are a revolutionary state (they did after all purge the mages), and revolutionary states are not known for their laxity.
Towns and villages seem to be ruled by councils of their elders, maybe elected semi-democratically, who are left to draw up and enforce their own local mores as long as they donât transgress against the Temple. I tend to go out on a limb and imagine that many other forms of mini-society are possible as long as they donât mess. So, for example, my character in times past was part of an all-male scholar cult venerating Aviana (messenger-goddess of knowledge) as well as paying respect to Elune, tending to barrows full of ancient texts. In my own personal and mostly private conception of Kaldorei lore, there were a few such cults, who were allowed to exist as long as the Temple was assured that their primary loyalty would be to Eluneâs order. Technically the night elves are polytheistic and worship the Ancients and various demigods too, but Iâm pretty sure they consider Elune to be the âruler of the godsâ as it were, so you may well have a situation where little devotional cults are allowed, but remain subordinate to the state cult, i.e. the cult of Elune.
So in short a weird mixture of anarchism and authoritarianism - anarchism within certain bounds, swift and merciless state action to maintain them. Maive offers a hint as to just how âswift and mercilessâ it would be. Until recently these bounds unquestionably excluded use of the arcane (at least among natives), but Iâm not sure what the situation is now. It may be like Death Knights in Stormwind - itâs allowed on the condition that itâs accountable to a particular group/faction, i.e. the exile magesâ court. The bounds still very strongly exclude all fel, demonic and shadow magic, and may also forbid unsupervised or large-scale employment of technology.
Similarly, the class system is both simple and strange to us. Before the Sundering, the Highborne were an incredibly hierarchical society; I think of it like an ornate bauble of a government enforcing rigid and fine distinctions between a thousand classes of nobility. The Sisters of Elune (i.e. the Temple - I reckon Night Elves would say âThe Templeâ in the same way that Americans say âWashingtonâ or âThe White Houseâ) were one of the few merit-based organisations. Even the army of the old regime was class-based. Lore says the Temple were the ones who reorganised the army and who were the main organisation taking charge immediately after the apocalypse. So class doesnât exist as such. The big distinction is: are you a civilian, or are you a Priestess/Sentinel? If youâre the former, who cares? And if youâre the latter, you have your own structures of rank. Of course in such a long-lasting and static society there might be quite ossified ideas about what one does with oneâs life, producing many fine gradations that arenât quite in a hierarchy - town elves, councillors, scribes, craftsmen, wanderers, hunters, religious cultists, etc⌠so maybe class is just like the organisation of society generally: pluralistic but dominated by a unitary distinction.
All of this fits very well with the loreâs claim that Kaldorei are âcontradictoryâ creatures - âboth highly spiritual and pragmatic, an often sophisticated paradox.â The parodox here is how a strict, powerful state maintains a pluralistic society. Of course, maybe itâs not that much of a paradox after all: a society that is so long-lasting, where old people stick around for so long, and where the same faces are seen for hundreds of years, is going nowhere fast, and will generate extremely strong social taboos that may actually regulate peopleâs individual behaviour as strongly and as harshly (with de facto punishments like rumour and ostracisation) as laws might otherwise. That said I donât think the majority of night elves around now are the same ones that were alive in the Sundering. I have my doubts about the limits of any mind to cope with proper immortality, and I think it is indicated in lore that many Kaldorei, after a few hundred or a couple thousand years, wander off and just kind of disappear. Maybe they follow a sort of thousand-year curve from youthful vigour through responsible adulthood to reclusive old age to wild wandering to eventual disappearance. Maybe ritual suicide is a common thing, but maybe itâs taboo to let anyone see it happen, so everyone just âdisappearsâ. And of course some do genuinely stick around for ten thousand years. It probably depends on the individual. I deliberately avoided the problem by playing quite a young night elf - only a few hundred years old and very sheltered.
In any case, since the Kaldorei are also described as âhono[u]rable to a faultâ, I think this paradox combines with an OOC lore paradox to give us a decent conception of what night elven âhonourâ means . The OOC paradox is: how is it that the Night Elves have maintained a 10,000 year empire that is supposedly utterly without political strife, when no possible conception of intelligent creatures and their behaviour allows for that long without any arguments? And anyway, how would anything be interesting without arguments and conflicts? Maybe the answer is that night elven honour is about drawing a distinction between talk and action, or rather between minor and major action.
You can talk all you want, disagree with someone, spit on the ground before them. But when it comes down to it, when youâre threatened, you have your duty and you do it. Night Elves may argue, but theyâll drop the argument in a second to fight Orcs. And it may be a pluralistic society, but when the enemy appears on the horizon, everyone falls into place, ready to fight and die. Barlowe, with his decidedly un-kaldorei pseudonym, would prefer to think of himself as having entirely abandoned the traditions of his people. But his analytical brain manages to be willfully blind to the fact that he advocates exactly this kind of behaviour. As a doctor, he treats his patients even though he thinks most of them would be better off dead. And his frequent criticism, from a Republican perspective, of Royalist âhonourâ - that itâs about allowing your stupid emotions and stupid pride to pollute your ethical behaviour, that you so often choose not to help someone because they offend you - is also in fact a disguised criticism from a Kaldorei perspective of human behaviour in general. Honour among elves: you do what you like with your life, but when duty calls you to protect the forest, thatâs your goshdarn job; you say what you like to your friends, but when the war begins you stand to attention.
Of course, thereâs one big thing weâve forgotten: gender. In WoW, Blizzard made it so that females and males were all equal because they did not want the controversy of having an in-game race that was actually sexist. But, wanting to have their cake and eat it, their lore is full of statements that gender was overwhelmingly divided before the Third War. Any player characters now will be dealing with the legacy of that divide, whether or not theyâve got over it.
During the Long Vigil, the Kaldorei were a matriarchy. That means that all the apparatus of political power was in the hands of females, which means that a lot of attendant ideology will have grown up around the divide. Since men had some of their own power structures, it wonât exactly be the same as how women have been treated in our own history: you should think in terms of a âdivideâ, equal and equally bitter on both sides, than exactly oppression. Nevertheless, men were locked out of the highest levels of political participation (though they were probably able to be village elders or serve on similar councils) and that will have had an effect. They had their own structures.
If youâve already read the link above youâll have seen that I imagine cults to have been one of these âoutletsâ for male participation. It seems to me ludicrous to propose that every male was a druid, though a big proportion of them might have been. Men must also have been threaded through the ordinary lives of some communities, but, depending on the place, might have had their little corners: imagine a village where most of the population are women but where sometimes young women go out to court the all-male charcoal burners on the edge of the nearby forest, or the all-male fishermen who live by the river. And of course, there were wanderers: transient populations travelling the limits of the empire, just passing through.
What myths would this create? Well, as Nhani (a night elf RPer on my own realm) argued in the link I have failed to find and intended to summarise but have in fact spent a good couple of hours building upon in full that females would have a broad belief in menâs unsuitability for government. This was supported by the vanished encyclopediaâs reference to âa common belief that the deepest mysteries of Elune can only be comprehended by womenâ, which I think gives broad assent to the idea that gender norms and gender myths are incredibly important to Kaldorei culture. Nhani reasoned that females might see government as their own business, because theyâre stable, compassionate, social, communal, responsible creatures who stick things out and care for territory like a mother bear. They might equally consider males to be inadequate for ruling because theyâre savage and volatile, propelled by instincts, by their anger and sexual desire. Of course, my feminist convictions demand I claim that these attitudes probably came about from each sexâs place in the structure of government (i.e. women are seen as good for government because they ARE the ones in government, and government always justifies itself), rather than the other way round. Imagine the Sentinels going to war assisted by a company of all-male mercenaries; imagine a matriarchâs attitude to these soldiers (âsavage things, but good as a weaponâ). Males ruined the empire before because of their petty striving and their starry-eyed slavery to Azshara; tussling with each other for her affections, their drives towards sex and death collaborated in their destruction. Females, on the other hand, have created an order that still stands after ten millennia.
Male attitudes to females might conversely owe much to the duality between the two most prominent female divinities availabl: Elune and Aviana, the mother and the harpy. Of course, Avianaâs a pretty benevolent diety, but for thousands of years her harpies have raged out of control. For the male with strong sexist beliefs, females might represent solace and care, peace and stability, but also grasping possession, the strictures of government, winding you in rules, trying to enfold you in her wings. These opposites combine in the figure of Azshara, the beautiful, smiling head of government who dispenses her affections and favours in accordance to vicious power politics. Really misogynist night elves with no first-hand experience of the old regime might well talk in private about major continuities between it and the new one. Naturally I donât mean to overstate the case: there are probably plenty of males who are okay with women in government. Either way, after thinking about these kind of attitudes in the night elves, I realised they were once again on display in my character, even though heâs an ostensible humanelf. ADULT CONTENT APPROACHING While I have never bothered to fully imagine his sex life, being unsure whether Iâd prefer it to be filthy and active or rare and frustrated, I can see him seeking comfort in the bed of a particular favoured harlot for a few months before deciding that he has to âkickâ the âaddictionâ, never seeing her again, and eventually falling off the wagon into a different pair of arms. Nobody escapes the legacy of 10,000 years of gender separation.
What would that separation have meant in practical terms? For a start the sexes may have wished to stick to themselves. Literacy might be more common among females than males, because the females operated the government and thus had to run its bureaucracy and courts (although in such a long-lived society maybe everyone learns to read and write at some point). It may mean female domination of the literary canon, though, at least post-Sundering. It may have created intricate courtship rituals if courtship between males and females is seen as âcrossing a divideâ. It may also have resulted in a form of sexual conservatism as regards role-swapping, even sexual role-swapping. I would expect the figures of men and women equipped with the genitalia of their opposites to crop up frequently in Kaldorei oral and written culture, either as objects of revulsion or of satire; likewise the image of the eunuch or castrato and the image of the masectomised amazon. It would likely mean that swear words and curses were specific to the genders: females might profanely refer to violatory, acid-dripping members, while men to thunderous, toothy cavities. Both genders would mix this language with invectives against the fel and the arcane.
Meanwhile, the Darnassian language (quite why itâs called âDarnassianâ is difficult to work out) probably has gendered terms for inanimate objects; as an example, imagine that âswordâ is gendered as male. This isnât implausible (language will be continuous with language before the Sundering) and would cause lots of jokes about females grasping swords etc etc. If your night elf doesnât speak very good Common, consider having him or her refer to individual objects as âheâ or âsheâ, perhaps even developing your own scheme to work out which ones would be gendered which way, taking into account the structures of gender before and after the Sundering, and at whic point the object would have been more common. An astrolabe could be female, because male mages consulted them and âviewedâ them (this wouldnât have changed ever since, there being few astrolabes in Kaldorei use); a bow on the other hand might be female, because it is a primary weapon of the Sentinels. Cue jokes from the males about females grasping bows and caressing their strings. You just canât win! Of course, in this society, maybe itâs the females that make jokes about the men trying to operate a bow, and failing miserably because it doesnât respond to them. Or being impaled by swords.
A Guide to Quest Herbs by FĂŠral
This is just a listing Iâve been drawing up of plants, herbs and cures, poisons and so on not found in Herbalism, but rather in various quests throughout WoW. Itâs hardly comprehensive, but I figured that if anyone wanted RP fuel (i.e. if youâve a particular malady that needs remedying and a long journey for a cure is in store, or if youâre in a zone on a campaign between events and gathering something up might be useful), that such a list might come in mildly handy. Iâve a cross-referencing list afterward so you can search by zone or use if you like.
Additional notes: If you know of any not on this list, shout and Iâll try to add them as soon as possible; same thing goes for any errors. Some OOC information has been given a slightly IC flavor. Plain and common things such as carrots arenât in here. Iâve tried to be as accurate as I can but some things are unclear, ex. whether something is magic, or simply natural in its healing properties. Lastly, Iâm not suggesting that everyone must take things like burning seeds or Emerald Acorns ICâitâs just there for the sake of being as complete a list as possible. Use it if you want, how you want, but common sense applies.
Key
(M) - Magic
(H) - Healing
§ - Poison
(D) - Dark Magic / Plague
Aloe Thistle (H)
Description - Spiked, thick green leaves growing in clusters
Location - Karnumâs Glade, Desolace
Uses - Unspecified, but if similar to reality, then the liquid within may be used topically for burns and other skin issues.
Source - Quest: A Time to Reap
Azure Snapdragon (H)
Description - Deep blue, faintly-glowing orchid-like plants with violet-blue, oak-like leaves
Location - Near Azure Watch, Azuremyst Isle
Uses - The bulbs of these rare plants are claimed by some to be a panacea, or cure-all. They are used to waken a night elf from her coma, though mental trauma seems to knock her back out, so the herbâs efficacy could be debated.
Source - Quest: An Alternative Alternative
Bileberries (D)
Description - Disgusting fruits with pus-like ichor and leathery skin
Location - Blackhornâs Penance, Mount Hyjal
Uses - Harvested from purple, orchid-like plants known as Wailing Weeds, which are corrupted by demonic presence. These plants fight back and are mobile once attacked, and fighting one will agitate others nearby as well. The berries, once harvested, are crushed into a pulpy liquid which absolutely stinks. This âbottled Bileberry Brewâ can be poured down the throat of the newly dead to reanimate them as a thrall, for example for questioning, for a mere minute or two. The body will remain broken, voice wavering, and mind subjugated.
Source - Quests: Seeds of Their Demise/A New Master
Bitterblossom (M) (H) (?)
Description - A tall, stalklike reedy plant with sagging foliage and spiky, lavender-colored flowers
Location - Goldrinnâs Shrine, Mount Hyjal
Uses - The buds are heavy with stored liquid; the plant grows right around the waterâs edge. It is combined with Stonebloom and Darkflame Embers (a cool-to-the-touch stone even when still burning, found in Twilight braziers) to create a draught which, when drunk, snaps Old-God-brainwashed people of various races from their state. It is unknown whether it can cure advanced madness, or merely wipes away brainwashing. The âcleansing draughtâ must be boiled, and is chunky and reeks of rotted cabbage.
Source - Quests: From the Mouth of Madness/Free Your Mind, the Rest Follows
Blackroot (H)
Description - A grassy herb growing along riverbanks
Location - Western rivers of Grizzly Hills
Uses - The juice of this plant is a laxative.
Source - Quest: Just Passing Through
Bloodberries (M)
Description - Red berries on thick green bushes
Location - Isle of QuelâDanas
Uses - This bush grows wild in many areas of Azeroth, and has long been considered merely a nuisance. Those exposed to the power of the Sunwell, however, and thus potentially other arcane sources, can be distilled into an elixir that is consumed to enhance oneâs natural abilities.
Source - Quest: Open for Business
Bloodbloom §
Description - Small leafy plant, green and red, with hues of orange and violet
Location - Valley of the Four Winds
Uses - This plant leaches minerals out of the soil, leading to its dark crimson tint. It is used along with Cave Lily, Ghostcap and Violet Lichen to create a âwounding poisonâ used on Virmen.
Source - Quest: Haohanâs Vote III: Pure Poison
Bloodkelp (M)
Description - A reddish seaweed
Location - Carried by the naga of Alcaz Island, Dustwallow Marsh
Uses - Bloodkelp can be used as a reagent to power divination spells. It can also stain clothing red, perhaps finding use as a dye, were it not so difficult to obtain.
Source - Quest: I See Alcaz Island in Your Future
Bloodthistle (M)
Description - Small green bush with bright scarlet flowers resembling roses or tulips, with yellow pistils and a pungent smell
Location - Eversong Woods, near areas of high Sindorei magic usage
Uses - This is often used by blood elves to enhance their magical abilities for a short time. It causes withdrawal afterward; frequent users are sometimes known as Thistleheads, and thereâs some indication that Shattrath, at least, rules Bloodthistle illegal.
Source - Various lore sources, including Quest: Of Thistleheads and EggsâŚ
Bogblossom (M)
Description - A very fragile plant, green with an orange cap
Location - Growing atop the giant mushrooms of Zangarmarsh
Uses - These may explode violently if mishandled. When combined with equal parts ancient lichen and dreaming glory, and then mixed in a vial of moonwell water, Bogblossom creates the Ward of Wakening: a viscous, shimmering potion. When this is forcefed to a druid whose spirit is in the Emerald Dream, it forcibly wakens them, leaving them vulnerable for a time as their spirit returns.
Source - Quest: The Ward of Wakening
Briaroot (M)
Description - Unknown
Location - Azshara, presumed
Uses - Carried by the Blackmaw furbolg of Azshara, Briaroot is brewed into a bitter, pungent herbal tea with spicy overtones. This tea will place one into a trancelike state where the imbiber will begin to speak the tongue of the Blackmaw furbolg.
Source - Quest: A Pale Brew
Burning Seed (M)
Description - A tiny, brown seed
Location - Firelands
Uses - These seeds emanate power enough to mark them as having come from Nordrassil itself, though they are twisted black by the Firelandsâ flames, harnessing the essence of fire granted to the Druids of the Flame. Consumption by normal druids twists their feline form, at least, into one of fire.
Source - Item Tooltip
Burstcap Mushroom (M)
Description - A soft, spongy fungus, black and pulsating, with sickly-green outgrowths
Location - Zangarmarsh
Uses - These can explode if not handled properly. The Darkspear witch doctor situated in Zangarmarsh insists that these are powerful, and uses them to read omens.
Source - Quest: Burstcap Mushrooms, Mon!
Cactus Apple
Description - Small, red fruits resembling apples
Location - Cacti of Durotar
Uses - It is said that nothing will cool you off quicker than a Cactus Apple Surprise made from these fruits. Whether this is a magical effect or a healing one, or simply fresh taste, is unknown.
Source - Quest: Galgarâs Cactus Apple Surprise
Cave Lily §
Description - A beautiful, small white lily
Location - Dark, damp caves in Valley of the Four Winds
Uses - Combined with Bloodbloom, Ghostcap and Violet Lichen to create a âwounding poisonâ used on Virmen.
Source - Quest: Haohanâs Vote III: Pure Poison
Cave Mushroom (H)
Description - Unobtrusive fungus: short, dull pink-grey with paler spots
Location - Clustered in pairs in the caves of the Storm Peaks
Uses - These are ingested to slow the poison of Jormungar stings long enough for antitoxin to be obtained and administered.
Source - Quest: Cave Medicine
Coconut Milk
Description - Viscous, white liquid
Location - Coconuts such as those growing in Unâgoro Crater
Uses - Can be used as a replacement for mechanical oil in some machines, as well as nutritional.
Source - Quest: Repairing A-Me 01
Crying Violet (M)
Description - Small, delicate purple blooms with yellow eyes
Location - Felwood
Uses - These flowers, which shiver their petals at the slightest sound, are used to âbind wordsâ to carry the voices of the user over a distance to the listener. It may also be used along with other arcanist-favored herbs to infuse glass vials. These vials can then be used to gather and purify fel-corrupted moonwell water, used to cleanse demonic corruption and so on.
Source - Quest: Crying Violet/Purity From Corruption
Dahliaâs Tears (M)
Description - Golden butter-colored flower with broad green leaves
Location - Ruby Dragonshrine, Dragonblight
Uses - Growing in soil cleansed by red dragonsâ breath, this plant imparts a feeling of hope even on merely touch. They can be infused with dragon magic to create a powerful, magical cleansing cure.
Source - Quest: Dahliaâs Tears
Darkblossom (H)
Description - A spiky, dark violet flower with yellow pistil and green leaves
Location - Darkmoon Island
Uses - Used for everything from treating wounds to seasoning food, as well as being pretty to look at, the exact blends used for this flowerâs various applications are known only to members of the Darkmoon Faire.
Source - Quest: Herbs for Healing
Death Cap
Description - Bright gold with white spots and blood-red âveinsâ at the base
Location - Caves of Darkshore
Uses - Presumably toxic, this fungus was combined with Scaber Stalks to produce a potion of unknown purpose by local night elves
Source - Quest: Cave Mushrooms
Doom Weed
Description - A small, spiky green-and-violet bush
Location - Graves of Tirisfal, north of Brill
Uses - Rumored to be used by the Forsaken for unknown, but undoubtedly nefarious, purposes. Easily confused with many other local plants, including the similarly-named Gloom Weed.
Source - Quest: Doom Weed
Dreadshade §
Description - Red, spike-petaled, green-leaved and -pistiled flower
Location - Venomous Ledge, Dread Wastes
Uses - This musky-scented flower is an extremely potent poison. It is said that even one drop of dreadshade nectar can stop a kuchongâs heart. They appear to be safe to handle, but not to eat. The exception is the local wildlife, who consume dreadshade, causing them to become quite venomous. It is unclear how the wildlife can eat it, howeverâperhaps having evolved a resistance, or perhaps only certain species are affected.
Source - Quest: A Shade of Dread
Dreamleaf (M)
Description - Green-leaved, evergreen-looking bush
Location - Around the shrine at the eastern side of the Pools of Purity, Valley of the Four Winds
Uses - A slender-branched sprig of Dreamleaf, coated in sticky leaves, can be brewed with lotus root to make a tea. This tea allows one to have âthe Golden Dream,â actually a vision of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms in reality. The knowledge on how to brew this tea is held by the Pandaren of New Cifera.
Source - Quest: The Golden Dream
Drycap Mushroom (H)
Description - Beige-pink, thick mushroom
Location - Cave at the Great Fissure of Hellfire Peninsula
Uses - This very rare mushroom can be made into a healing salve which restores strength to debilitated people, for example those who have drunk contaminated water.
Source - Quest: A Debilitating Sickness
Emerald Acorns (M) (H)
Description - Large Acorns
Location - The Emerald Dream
Uses - Infused with a powerful restorative magic, can used for healing and cleansing.
Source - Quest: Hope Within the Emerald Nightmare
Emerald Shimmercap (M) (H)
Description - An eerily-glowing green mushroom whose surface shimmers with the energies of the Emerald Dream
Location - The green pools of Felwood
Uses - This fungus is infused with the magics of the Emerald Dream, and does not feed from the fel of the pools, but rather works to cleanse it. It can be consumed as a mushroom paste to cleanse fel taint from those afflicted; it seems to bind to the energy while still in the stomach, and is then vomitted back out.
Source - Quest: A Slimy Situation
Fel Cone (D)
Description - A pinecone billowing with green smoke
Location - Beneath the trees of Teldrassil
Uses - Used, at least, on demons to temporarily polymorph them, twisting their form into that of a frog in the example seen.
Source - Quest: Seek Redemption!
Fenberries (H)
Description - Red berries on green bushes (Fenbushes)
Location - Wetlands
Uses - These bushes, growing at the waterâs edge, are often muddy when foundâbut can be washed and prepared into a dwarven folk remedy for hangovers.
Source - Quest: Fenbush Berries
Fire Lotus
Description - Unknown, but likely fiery or crimson in appearance
Location - Kun-Lai Summit
Uses - This plant is used as an incense by the Grummles of Kun-Lai to inspire bravery even in the most reluctant or cowardly of individuals.
Source - Quest: Instant Courage
Flushbloom
Description - Unknown
Location - Alterac (?)
Uses - Little is known of this herb bar that it is, or was, addictive and that Lord Aiden Perenolde of Alterac was a user.
Source - Book: Lands of Conflict
Fulgore Mushroom
Description - A small, green mushroom that gives off a soft glow
Location - Zangarmarsh, near Teldredor
Uses - Used as a light source; propogated through spores.
Source - Quest: Fulgore Spores
Fuming Toadstool (H)
Description - Sickly yellow cap, cream stalk
Location - Damp areas among the crumbled stones of the Ruins of Lornesta, Darkshore
Uses - Can be mixed (with unspecified ingredients) into a salve which will close wounds and lessen pain.
Source - Quest: Unsavory Remedies
Ghostcap §
Description - Pointed and slender, grey-purple mushroom with violet spots, giving off an eerie glow
Location - Caves in the Valley of the Four Winds
Uses - Used with Bloodbloom, Cavy Lily and Ancient Lichen to create a âwounding poisonâ used on Virmen.
Source - Quest: Haohanâs Vote III: Pure Poison
Haze Leaf (M)
Description - Weedy-looking, green-stemmed and purple-flowered plant
Location - Northwestern Grizzly Hills
Uses - Mixed with Waterweed fronds to create a vial of visions, then mixed with troll mojo to communicate at a distance with a particular troll. It is unknown how the elixir is attuned, nor how it can be adapted to others.
Source - Quest: Vial of Visions
Hellfire Spineleaf (H)
Description - A golden-brown, spine-leafed plant
Location - Southeastern Hellfire Peninsula
Uses - This rugged plant can be either consumed for sustenance or made into a salve to dull pain.
Source - Quest: Preparing the Salve
Imperial Lotus (M) (H)
Description - A stalk of pale flowers growing over âuglyâ green leaves; gives off a pungent odor
Location - Ruins of Dojan, Krasarang Wilds
Uses - According to folklore, Lotus Tea will cure any Mogu poison or curse; in addition it is used to impart strength to those in pain or depressed.
Source - Quests: Herbal remedies/Lotus Tea
Kafaâkota Berry
Description - Pink berries growing on pale, grey-green bushes
Location - Kota Peak, Kun-Lai Summit
Uses - When eaten or brewed into a drink, these berries give intense energy bursts followed by periods of lethargy or even withdrawal. A âgourmetâ version is brewed from berries predigested by the mountain goats and plucked from their droppings.
Source - Quest: Gourmet Kafa, various in-game lore, buffs, debuffs and tooltips
Limes
Description - Green fruit. Theyâre limes!
Location - Carried by pirates of Stranglethorn
Uses - Limes are crated in barrels and taken to sea, and then eaten in key lime pies or drunken in sweetened juice to prevent scurvy.
Source - Quest: The Bane of Many a Pirate
Lunar Fungal Bloom (H)
Description - Tiny clusters of pale silvery-white mushrooms
Location - Caves of Darkshore
Uses - These add potency to a poison-curing salve which is based on the poison itself (ex. tainted water), which is mixed with earthroot for its curative properties.
Source - Quest: Gathering the Cure
Magmolia
Description - A small, lily-like white flower
Location - Lava lakes of the Molten Front
Uses - This continues to give off heat even after removed from its heat source.
Source - Quest: Steal Magmolias
Mao-Willow
Description - Cattail-like flowering branches, fluffy light and prickly to the touch, of delicate violet and lavender shades
Location - The fields of Townlong Steppes
Uses - These are made into a soothing paste and layered between bandages to create poultices for wounds.
Source - Quest: A Proper Poultice
Marrowpetal § (D)
Description - Oddly heavy for its size, blue-green with bright violet petals
Location - The bottom of Stillwater Pond, Tirisfal Glades
Uses - Combined with briny sea cucumbers and Xavrenâs Thorn herbs, and possibly other ingredients, to create a particularly painful and virulent plague. When consumed, the concoction turns the imbiber into a ghoul; they die shortly thereafter.
Source - Quest: Variety is the Spice of Death
Meadow Marigold
Description - A large, healthy, fragrant flower, gold-orange in color
Location - Fields of Valley of the Four Winds
Uses - This is used as a dye, food flavoring and coloring, and a traditional decoration during Day of the Dead ceremonies. (OOC note: the food bit is a real-life quality of the flower. The real version tends to smell rather pungent rather than fragrant, however, so there may be various differences.)
Source - Quest: Yellow and Red Make Orange
Moonleaf
Description - A silvery-leafed, bushy plant
Location - Blackwald, Gilneas
Uses - Moonleaf grows on its own or in large patches near the tree Talâdoren. When a feral, uncured worgen is nearby, the scent of this plant aids their mind in growing clear for a time. It is also used in the ritual cure ceremony that allows worgen to gain mastery over their forms.
Source - Comic: Curse of the Worgen; Quest: Preparations
Moonpetal Lilies (H)
Description - White lilies with tall golden pistils, and bright magenta/flame-colored interiors
Location - Waterâs edge in Shadowglen (Teldrassil)
Uses - These can be combined with other (unnamed) ingredients to create an antidote to spider venom.
Source - Quest: Iveronâs Antidote
Muddlecap Fungus § (?)
Description - Clusters of large, blue-gray mushrooms with orange beneath the caps
Location - Drakâagal, the waterlogged area near the Argent Stand of ZulâDrak
Uses - These mushrooms, which apparently smell quite bad, yet are eaten, can be consumed (with troll mojo or perhaps alone) to muddle the mind of the imbiber. Tooltip and quest text seems to indicate that itâs eaten for this effect, perhaps recreationally.
Source - Quest: Mushroom Mixer
Murkweed § / (D) (?)
Description - A small, spidery purple bush with green leaves.
Location - Eldritch Heights, Dragonblight
Uses - Toxins in Murkweed render the imbiber unconscious, so powerfully so that their spirit is âfooledâ (Murkweed elixir is said to separate the body from the soul for a short time), allowing them to enter the âworld of the deadâ or âworld of the forgottenâ and speak with the spirits of the dead.
Source - Quest: The Murkweed Elixir
Mushan Urine (H)
Description - Not an herb.
Location - Pandaria, ex. Townlong Steppes
Uses - The urine of Mushan beasts, gathered sometimes as whole bladders from slain animals, serves as an excellent natural antiseptic.
Source - Quest: Natural Antiseptic
Musquash Root
Description - A huge, thick, spike of a root
Location - Erupting from the soil beneath Loch Modanâs dam, Wetlands
Uses - When mixed with a Tear of Tilloa, it can be brewed into a poisonous drink. The creator calls it Blackclaw Stout, though this may not be well-known outside of underground warlock circles. The drink tastes simply like a stout that packs quite a punch. The imbiber then falls dizzy, feels hot, and then dies.
Source - Quest: A Noble Brew
Netherdust Bush
Description - A pink-based, blue-green-tipped bush that sparkles with nether energy
Location - Netherwing Ledge and surrounding area, Shadowmoon Valley
Uses - The pollen of the Netherdust Bush is used by Dragonmaw orc mages and shamans, for unknown purposeâperhaps as a mana source.
Source - Quest: Netherdust Pollen
Olemba Seed (M)
Description - Fist-sized seeds taken from pale, glowing blue cones
Location - In and around the trees of Terokkar Forest
Uses - Olemba seeds contain an oil that can be used to coat a weapon, seeming to somehow enhance the intellect and casting ability of the wielder. (Note: generally, OOC buffs arenât included in this guide, but these effects are mentioned in the quest text and NPC dialogue)
Source - Quest: Olemba Seed Oil
Pine Nuts
Description - Small nuts obtained by roasting pine cones
Location - The best are from the trees of Thunder Bluff
Uses - These can, quite simply, be eaten. (OOC note: simple foods are not generally included, either, but pine nuts are not mentioned much and so are likely not well-known)
Source - Quest: Pining for Nuts
Plague Tangle (D)
Description - Twisted, decayed grasses
Location - Western Plaguelands
Uses - Growing around the corpses of diseased animals, plague tangles seem to absorb the plague and can be used to generate it anew.
Source - Quest: Latent Disease
Prayerblossom (H) (M)
Description - Broad, spear-shaped leaves with a vertical stalk of butter-colored blooms
Location - Swamp of Sorrows
Uses - Said to grow skyward even in the darkest shadows, and to have an affinity with the Light (perhaps in the form of hope), these flowers are used to soothe even great pain. They are also used in cures meant to combine various elemental reagents to call upon the Light.
Source - Quest: Prayerblossom (there are A/H versions)
Razorthorn Root (M)
Description - A small, thorny root buried under hard-packed dirt
Location - Razorthorn Rise, Hellfire Peninsula
Uses - The roots are used as a reagent by Shattered Sun herbalist-alchemist Marânah, though their exact purpose is unclear. The unusual aspect is their acquisition, which often involves slaying a Razorthorn Flayer, then using its pheromone glands to entice Razorthorn Ravagers to dig the roots up.
Source - Quest: Discovering your Roots
Root Trapper Vine (H)
Description - Vines taken from slain lashers
Location - Azure Watch, on Azuremyst Isle
Uses - When properly treated, these vines can be broken down into a healing ointment.
Source - Quest: Medicinal Purpose
Rotberries (D)
Description - Small red berries growing on green bushes, which pulse with a faint, red glow
Location - Eastern Plaguelands (far northwest)
Uses - Purportedly used, along with bits of the undead, in counter-plague research. They are said to âtaste like sweet, sweet deathâ though whether thatâs a flavor or theyâre deadly isnât clear.
Source - Quest: Counter-Plague Research
Rot Blossom (D)
Description - A reddish, almost cabbagelike flower
Location - Tranquil Gardens Cemetery, Duskwood
Uses - This plant grows âin strange placesâ and tends to flourish on dead things. It is used to brew âzombie juice,â described as an alcohol potent enough to wake the deadâexcept itâs involved in necromancy.
Source - Quest: Gather Rot Blossoms
Ruby Lilac (M) (H)
Description - Broad, spearshaped green leaves that glow faintly red, with a veritcal stalk lined with pink blossoms
Location - Ruby Dragonshrine, Dragonblight
Uses - The power this flower holds is said to be strong enough on its own to create a vaccine for local wildlife, which protects against the plague of undeath.
Source - Quest: In Search of the Ruby Lilac
Sanguine Hibiscus
Description - Blood-red, spike-petalled flower with a âpassionateâ fragrance
Location - The Underbog of Zangarmarsh
Uses - Eaten by the local denizens; the Sporelings have a variety of unnamed purposes for it.
Source - Quest: Bring Me a Shrubbery!
Scaber Stalk
Description - Blue mushroom with pale, cream-colored spots and green âveinsâ at the base
Location - Darkshore caves
Uses - Combined with death caps to create a potion of unknown purpose, by a local night elf.
Source - Quest: Cave Mushrooms
Scalding Shroom
Description - Undersea mushroom or mushroom-like plant, with a blue stalk and golden cap
Location - Northwestern Abyssal Depths, Vashjâir
Uses - Can be used to treat and preserve corpses.
Source - Quest: Scalding Shrooms
Serpentbloom (M)
Description - A low-growing green plant with red and violet tips and center
Location - The Wailing Caverns of the Barrens
Uses - Said to hold untold power in its ability to prevent druids from falling into Nightmare.
Source - Quest: Preemptive Methods
Serpentâs Scale
Description - A pale-stalked, orange-brown-capped mushroom with a slightly âhairyâ appearance. Pungent-smelling and soft and spongy to the touch.
Location - The Jade Forest, north of The Arboretum
Uses - Said to be healthful (though tough and not particularly tasty) to cloud serpents, providing important properties and nutrients for them.
Source - Quest: Serpentâs Scale
Shadelight Truffle
Description - A faintly-glowing golden-orange fungus with a white base
Location - The Skyrange of the Valley of the Four Winds
Uses - This rare fungus is only used for flavoring foods, and is replaced by spore replanting when harvested.
Source - Quest: The Truffle Shuffle
Shimmerweed (M)
Description - Unknown; stored in baskets.
Location - Dun Morogh
Uses - Grown by the trolls of Dun Morogh and used in their rituals, this plant is also used by adventurous dwarves experimenting with new brews. They claim that Shimmerweed has a unique taste. (Note: this may simply be hallucinogenic rather than magical!)
Source - Quest: The Perfect Stout
Spideroot
Description - A thorny root
Location - West of Halfhill, Valley of the Four Winds
Uses - The sour-tasting liquid within is used in the concoction of a local farmerâs weed-killer; it nourishes plants while killing off weeds.
Source - Quest: Growing the Farm I: A Little Problem
Stoneblossom (M) (H) (?)
Description - An egglike, dried âfungal bloomâ
Location - Grows in clusters in the Shrine of Goldrinn, Mount Hyjal
Uses - It is combined with Bitterblossom and Darkflame Embers (a cool-to-the-touch stone even when still burning, found in Twilight braziers) to create a draught which, when drunk, snaps Old-God-brainwashed people of various races from their state. It is unknown whether it can cure advanced madness, or merely wipes away brainwashing. The âcleansing draughtâ must be boiled, and is chunky and reeks of rotted cabbage.
Source - Quests: From the Mouth of Madness/Free Your Mind, the Rest Follows
Tarblossom
Description - A beautiful green plant with reddish-tinted leaftips and red-and-violet flowers.
Location - Within the Lakkari Tar Pits of northern Unâgoro Crater
Uses - This highly-valued and rare flower is prized for both beauty and durability, with its petals being tougher than leather.
Source - Quest: Hard to Harvest
Tear of Tilloa §
Description - A tiny white-blue flower
Location - Manor Mistmantle, Duskwood
Uses - When mixed with Musquash Root, it can be brewed into a poisonous drink. The creator calls it Blackclaw Stout, though this may not be well-known outside of underground warlock circles. The drink tastes simply like a stout that packs quite a punch. The imbiber then falls dizzy, feels hot, and then dies.
Source - Quest: A Noble Brew
Terokkar Chokeberry (M)
Description - Red berries plucked from green bushes
Location - Terokkar Forest
Uses - One of many reagents used to neutralize dark Arakkoa wards, by combining said reagents into a charm.
Source - Quest: The Final Reagents
Thornwood Trees
Description - Thick, dark-barked trees with curling roots, red-pink leaves and massive spikes (man-sized or larger) that act as thorns
Location - DrakâAgal, the waterlogged area near the Argent Stand in ZulâDrak
Uses - The dead roots of these trees resist moisture and can be burned as firewood even when taken directly from the water.
Source - Quest: Creature Comforts
Thorny Stankroot (H)
Description - Hideously smelly, very thorny large and pale silver-green root, with green foliage
Location - The Twilight Highlands
Uses - When steeped in water it boils into a powerful cure-all for gryphons and possibly birds, though it gives humanoids terrible cramps.
Source - Quest: Rootsâll Do 'Er
Violet Citron (H)
Description - Clusters of dark blue flowers
Location - Dampsoil Burrow, Townlong Steppes
Uses - The pollen has a strangely acidic, citrusy smell and is a component used to counteract mantid poison, particularly potent in young swarming mantid. The venom will chew through skin, infect blood and make for a slow and excruciating death if not treated. Violet Citron must be âmixed properlyâ (how is not specified) and will then eat away at the poison without doing any âlastingâ damage to the body. It is applied infused in bandages.
Source - Quest: Treatment for the Troops
Violet Lichen §
Description - Thorny purple moss
Location - High altitudes in the Valley of the Four Winds
Uses - Mixed with Bloodbloom, Cavy Lily and Ghostcap to create a âwounding poisonâ used on Virmen.
Source - Quest: Haohanâs Vote III: Pure Poison
Volatile Blooms
Description - Spiky red-orange shrubs
Location - Low-altitude green regions of northeastern Kun-Lai Summit
Uses - Even the smell of the red-hued blooms burns the nose. The plant has an affinity with fire, whether due to oil within the leaves, magic, or something else is unstated. It is easily flammable, to be kept away from open flames; hands are to be washed after handling. Many can be gathered and brewed in an unspecified mixture to create a rather effective explosive liquid.
Source - Quest: Handle With Care
Water Poppy (H)
Description - A silvery-green, bushy herb with a flowery base and a larger violet flower on top
Location - The water at the Drakâsotra Fields of ZulâDrak
Uses - Used in a salve that binds to bandages, which are then used to greatly reduce pain.
Source - Quest: Something for the Pain
Waterweed (M)
Description - Bushy green underwater plants
Location - Northwestern Grizzly Hills
Uses - Mixed with Haze Leaf to create a vial of visions, then mixed with troll mojo to communicate at a distance with a particular troll. It is unknown how the elixir is attuned, nor how it can be adapted to others.
Source - Quest: Vial of Visions
Wiggleweed §
Description - Strangely-glowing seaweed with a tantalizing pattern growing across the stem
Location - Grown around the Vashjâir stronghold near Deepmist Grotto
Uses - Fed to prisoners; extremely addictive, causing severe bowel pain due to withdrawal illness. It may be used simply to keep prisoners from fleeing. One may be able to slowly lower dosage of the sprouts they eat until the addiction is gone.
Source - Quest: What? What? In My Gut?
Winter Hyacinth
Description - Colorful, somewhat spiky purple and blue flower
Location - Grows only on the ice flowing from the Ironwall Dam of Icecrown into Crystalsong Forest
Uses - Rare and seemingly only decorative.
Source - Quest: A Worthy Weapon
Witchâs Bane (M)
Description - A large, fern-like green bush with layered, violet-red flowering stalks
Location - Grows all over the northern peninsula of Dustwallow Marsh
Uses - When burned, for example as a torch, the smoke will draw out âevil,â exposing it from where it hides.
Source - Quest: The Witchâs Bane
Wolfsbane
Description - A small, thorned and coiled green-brown root
Location - Northern Grizzly Hills, around Silverbrook
Uses - Repels worgen, though efficiency, range and effects are unstated.
Source - Quest: Wolfsbane Root
Wyrmtail (H)
Description - A plant of green, coiled stalks that seem to pulsate
Location - The Dragonmurk and Wyrmbog of Dustwallow Marsh
Uses - Wyrmtail can be used to help heal wounds and to dull pain.
Source - Quest: To Catch a Dragon by the Tail
Xavrenâs Thorn (D)
Description - Golden-orange plants with paper-thin, razor-edged leaves
Location - Rocky cliffs northwest of Brill, Tirisfal Glades
Uses - Combined with Marropetal and briny sea cucumber, and possibly other ingredients, to create a particularly painful and virulent plague. When consumed, the concoction turns the imbiber into a ghoul; they die shortly thereafter.
Source - Quest: Variety is the Spice of Death
Herbs by Location
Eastern Kingdoms
Alterac Mountains - Flushbloom
Duskwood - Rot Blossom, Tear of Tilloa
Eastern Plaguelands - Rotberries
Eversong Woods - Bloodthistle
Gilneas - Moonleaf
Isle of QuelâDanas - Bloodberries
Stormwind City - Blood Nettle
Stranglethorn Vale - Limes
Swamp of Sorrows - Prayerblossom
Tirisfal Glades - Doom Weed, Marrowpetal, Xavrenâs Thorn
Twilight Highlands - Thorny Stankroot
Vashjâir - Scalding Shroom, Wiggleweed
Western Plaguelands - Plague Tangle
Wetlands - Fenberries
Kalimdor
Azshara - Briaroot
Azuremyst Isle - Azure Snapdragon
Darkshore - Death Cap, Fuming Toadstool, Lunar Fungal Bloom, Scaber Stalk
Desolace - Aloe Thistle
Durotar - Cactus Apple
Dustwallow Marsh - Bloodkelp, Witchâs Bane, Wyrmtail
Felwood - Crying Violet, Emerald Shimmercap
Mount Hyjal - Bileberries, Stonebloom & Bitterblossom
Mulgore - Pine Nuts
Teldrassil - Moonpetal Lilies, Fel Cone
Orgrimmar - Blood Nettle
Unâgoro Crater - Coconut Milk, Tarblossom
Wailing Caverns - Serpentbloom
Northrend
Crystalsong Forest - Winter Hyacinth
Dragonblight - Dahliaâs Tears, Murkweed, Ruby Lilac
Grizzly Hills - Blackroot, Haze Leaf, Waterweed, Wolfsbane
Storm Peaks - Cave Mushroom
ZulâDrak - Muddlecap Fungus, Water Poppy
Outland
Hellfire Peninsula - Drycap Mushroom, Hellfire Spineleaf, Razorthorn Root
Shadowmoon Valley - Netherdust Bush
Terokkar Forest - Olemba Seed, Terokkar Chokeberry
Underbog - Sanguine Hibiscus
Zangarmarsh - Bogblossom, Burstcap Mushroom, Fulgor Mushroom
Pandaria
Krasarang Wilds - Imperial Lotus
Kun-Lai Summit - Fire Lotus, Kafaâkota Berry, Volatile Blooms
The Dread Wastes - Dreadshade
The Jade Forest - Serpentâs Scale
Townlong Steppes - Mao-Willow, Mushan Urine, Violet Citron
Valley of the Four Winds - Bloodbloom, Cave Lily, Ghostcap, Violet Lichen, Dreamleaf, Meadow Marigold, Shadelight Truffle, Spideroot
Other
Firelands - Burning Seed
Darkmoon Island - Darkblossom
The Emerald Dream - Emerald Acorns
The Molten Front - Magmolia
Herbs by Property
Dark Magic/Plague
Bileberries, Doom Weed, Fel Cone, Marrowpetal, Xavrenâs Thorn, Plague Tangle, Rotberries, Rot Blossom
Healing/Painkilling/Cures
Aloe Thistle, Azure Snapdragon, Blackroot, Cave Mushroom, Dahliaâs Tears, Fenberries, Fuming Toadstool, Hellfire Spineleaf, Imperial Lotus, Lunar Fungal Bloom, Mao-Willow, Moonpetal Lilies, Mushan Urine, Prayerblossom, Ruby Lilac, Thorny Stankroot, Violet Citron, Water Poppy, Wyrmtail
Magical
Bloodberries, Bloodkelp, Blood Nettle, Bloodthistle, Bogblossom, Briaroot, Burning Seed, Burstcap Mushroom, Crying Violet, Dahliaâs Tears, Dreamleaf, Emerald Acorns, Emerald Shimmercap, Hazeleaf, Waterweed, Moonleaf, Netherdust Bush, Olemba Seed, Razorthorn Root, Serpentbloom, Stonebloom & Bitterblossom, Terokkar Chokeberry, Witchâs Bane
Poison
Bloodbloom, Cave Lily, Dreadshade, Ghostcap, Muddlecap Fungus, Murkweed, Tear of Tilloa, Violet Lichen, Wiggleweed
Other/Unknown (includes herbs whose exact method of operation is undefined):
Cactus Apple, Coconut Milk, Darkblossom, Death Cap, Fire Lotus, Flushbloom, Fulgor Mushroom, Kafaâkota Berry, Limes, Magmolia, Meadow Marigold, Pine Nuts, Sanguine Hibiscus, Scaber Stalk, Scalding Shroom, Serpentâs Scale, Shadelight Truffle, Spideroot, Tarblossom, Volatile Blooms, Winter Hyacinth, Wolfsbane
Lovely initiative, this! (Do let me know if youâve finished posting everything, Iâll delete this one. :o)
Also, Iâm very tempted to write a Human guide, and a Paladin oneâŚ
I have everything that was salvaged up now, sans a thread of useful transmog appearances by Aerandul where the pictures were hosted on an unfortunately now broken upload service.
Guides that are up to date and accessible help everyone, even if itâs just with inspiration!
The feeling when it takes 5 mins to load the thread. ;p
Awesome work, Rog! Iâll try and remember to use this thread whenever itâs needed!
Great summary, but I was just considering regarding this: While no doubt the -vast- majority of Worgen in the Alliance are from Gilneas, what of those Worgen who are Kaldorei in origin?
Iâm not overly well-read on the details of Worgen lore - and from skimming the details, it looks like the guide in question was written sometime around Cataclysm or Mists of Pandaria. A re-write or update from someone more intimately familiar might shed some light on the topic.
For now, this section of the Wowpedia page about Worgen lore might be worth a read.
cool
Added this thread to start fleshing out the essays/discussion list, since it already contains a few good pointers, and no doubt will get some more as time progresses.
Exceptional and stellar work as always Rog, if only now we can get Blizzard to sticky this. Shame we lost the old forum layout with all the helpful threads.
Added this thread of toys that serve as a good inspiration for toys, trinkets and effects that can help enhance visuals in roleplay: Useful Trinkets for Roleplay
A useful thread to keep active.
Goodness. Itâs almost humbling to see a guide again after more than 10 years after I created it (The Crusaderâs Guide), being still used in a âUseful threadsâ section, despite me being a bit more ehmâŚgrey now. Ahem.
It also makes me blush a little to see itâs a little bit filled with typoâs and itâs a -little- bit outdated. Perhaps when I have a bit more time I could spent some time to spruce up the original and repost it (as I believe the original one is now lost to the ether with the forum swap).
Thanks for retrieving the original guide and archiving it for future use.
Feel free to give me a prod when/if you decide to make an updated version, Iâll swap out the old version Glad to see thereâs still plenty other âoldiesâ around.
Added this thread:
https://eu.forums.blizzard.com/en/wow/t/lore-tidbits-6/
To begin fleshing out out the essays and discussions category again (and to keep this thread open) - if anyone has other noteworthy threads to add to this category, do get in touch!
A useful thread to keep current.
A useful rp resource
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