Roleplaying in Final Fantasy XIV
Welcome to RP Mentors! We're here to answer questions and help people get started with RP. With RPM, you can create connections, make friends, and learn more about the hobby we love.Not new to RP? You're welcome too. You'll find a friendly place to meet others, share knowledge, and promote your events and communities.
The events calendar is a separate entity from RP Mentors.
To submit resources, join the Discord and submit in #resource-submissions.You are welcome to share this carrd and the invite link for RP Mentors' Discord.We hope you enjoy RPing in FFXIV!
Learn About RP
This section is a collection of original resources created for RP Mentors.
. Common Terms .
There' are a lot of words and acronyms involved in talking about RP. Don't sweat it! Here are what the most common ones mean.. Posting .
How does RP work in game? What makes it RP? How do you know that you're reading RP? The basics of RP can be found here.. Using Dice .
Dice can be used in RP. Coin flips, games of chance, and combat often use them. This section will explain how they usually work.. Combat .
Now that you know how to use dice in RP, let's take a look at a common use for them: combat. Combat can be a lot of fun, and we cover the basics you need to understand how it works.. Etiquette .
RP is a social hobby. Like anything social, there are certain expectations and standards for behavior. Here, we share some of the most common things many of us wish we knew when we started.. Lore .
The role of lore and the relationship between the Main Story Quests and RP.. Characters .
Character creation, longevity, profiles, and more.. Social .
This section covers different ways to find RP in game.. RP Tips TikTok Series .
Below, you'll find a compilation video of the original RP Tips TikTok series that lead to the creation of RP Mentors!
Common Terms
Don't feel pressured to memorize these. You don't need to know all of these words to begin to RP! You can bookmark this page and check the meaning of a term at any time. These are just commonly used words that are not always explained when they're used.
. Roleplay (RP) . Roleplay is a game. You write one character's story. In your RP, you play with other people who are doing the same. RP can be done as a tabletop game, as a live action game, and through text online.. Lore . The lore of the game is the backstory, history, and world building. This is the story told in the game. You can learn lore through quest text and the environment. RPers use the lore to help tell their own stories and make their own characters. Not every RPer will stick to only the official lore.. Out of Character (OOC) . OOC means Out of Character. It means you're talking as the player and not as the character. You can use [brackets] or (parenthesis) to show that you're OOC.. In Character (IC): .IC means in character. Talking about things happening IC means you're talking about stuff that happened in your RP.. Post/Posting: .Your character's actions and words are shared in chunks of writing called posts. Posts can be just a few words or even a few sentences.. Mirror: . Some people will say that they write 'mirror' length posts. This just means that they will match the length of their posts to the people they are currently playing with.. Paragraph / Para RP: . Paragraph RP means writing many sentences for each post. Players writing paragraph posts in game might need to send more than one message for each RP post.. Short Posts: . Short posts have one sentence or two short sentences in them. Short posts are good for crowded places, or to add variety. A short post in the middle of paragraph RP can draw attention to something. It can be very useful.. Scene: . A scene is a sequence of events in RP. This has a beginning and an end. It's very similar to a scene in a book. Scenes can be simple or complex.. Plot: . A plot is a story line. This is a series of scenes that are all in the same story. A plot can contain many characters and places. Plots can be long or short, and contain one or many scenes. Some plots can be finished in a single sitting, and some plots can stretch out for years of game play.. Continuity: . You can think of this as a timeline. The continuity of RP is the idea that story lines happen over time. Without it, things go back to the way they started when the scene is over.. Logs / Log Files: . When you save the text from an RP, that's called saving a log. You can copy and paste straight out of the in game chat box. Google Docs is a common place to save logs. Only share logs with people who weren't in the RP if you have permission from the people who were in it.. Non-Player Character (NPC): . This means Non-Player Character. NPCs are usually a backdrop or supporting character. They are used like props in the story. Control of NPCs might be shared, or they might belong to only one person.. Game Master (GM): . GM means Game Master. In tabletop gaming, a Game Master is the person who is running the RP. In game, a GM is an employee of SE who does customer support. GM can be a confusing term because of this. Dungeon Master can be used instead.. Dungeon Master (DM): . The DM is the person who is running an RP. They guide players along through the story. In game, there is not always a DM.. RP Free Company (RP FC): . Free companies that focus on RP will have backstories. These set the theme for their members. Players usually have shared interests.. Linkshell (LS): . Linkpearls can be used in RP. Players can create chat channels called linkshells. They are usually used like an in character voice chat in game.. RP Venue: . A venue is a place where organized events happen. Not every venue is an RP venue. Venues are privately owned and will have their own rules.. RP Event: . An event is a planned occasion. They can be public or private. They can take place in venues or in public spaces. There are many different kinds of events. There is a calendar where many are shared.. Persona Play: . Persona play uses custom emotes and can look like RP. But players will talk about real life. They are looking to chat, not be part of a story. It is a very engaging way to spend time with friends.. The Fourth Wall: . The fourth wall comes from theater. The fourth wall is where the audience is sitting and the actors don't engage with them. If they do engage with the audience, it's called breaking the fourth wall. The fourth wall also applies to comics, tv, and RP. TV Tropes has a good article on the topic.. Headcanon: . A headcanon is something that players have made up for their own use. A headcanon is not a part of the official lore. Headcanon can fill in gaps, or replace existing lore. Everyone can have a different headcanon.. Walk Up / Tell (WUT, WU/T): . Sometimes you'll find WUT or WU/T in a player's search info. WU means walk ups, and t means tells. This means they are open to being approached for RP.. Mature RP (MRP): . This means that the RP can have mature topics. This includes stuff like violence, criminal activity, and sex. Dark topics are common. Mature RP doesn't always have all of these.. Erotic RP (ERP): . This means erotic roleplay. ERP will contain sex and other adult topics. This form of RP is for adults only.. Fade to Black: . Fade to black is used to end an RP scene. This is a tool that RPers can use to move forward in the timeline. It can be used to skip things that are boring or repetitive, or that make the players uncomfortable to write.. Lamping: . When you lamp, you're watching RP. It's like being a lamp in the background. Your character isn't in the scene. You're an audience to what is happening.
Posting
So, how do you actually RP in game? In this section, we talk about how RP works in game. By the time you finish reading, you will know the basics of how RP works.
Channels
When you RP in game, you use the chat to send your posts. Below we talk about each chat channel and how they can be used in RP.. Say (/s): .The say channel has the shortest range. When you send a post to say, only people who are close enough will see it. When you post in say, it's most common to send only dialogue and to wrap it in quotation marks "like this." Say chat makes your mouth move. You can turn this on or off in the game's settings.. Custom Emotes (/em): .You can make custom emotes. They have the same range as the say channel. This is done using /em. When you post, it makes a sentence that starts with your character's name. As an example: /em nods in agreement.. Yell (/y): .Yells have a wider range. People who are further away can see them. In public RP, yell can be used for yelling. But at events the yell channel is often for event staff to use. Yell also makes your mouth move.. Shout (/sh): . Shout can be heard by everyone on the map. It's rarely used in public RP. In events, it's almost always for staff or participants. Many players have it muted. Shout also makes your mouth move.. Party (/p): .Party chat is private. Only your party can read it. Party chat is great for RP that you don't want strangers to see.. Linkshells (/ls#): .Linkshells are private chat channels. Some groups will make in character linkshells that use their in character linkpearls.. Tells (/t [first name] [last name] & /r): .Tells are private. Only you and the person you send the tell to can see it. They can be used for entire scenes, in character whispering, or private calls. To reply to the last tell you got, use /r.
How to Write Posts
As you see above, there are many different channels you can use for RP. For public RP, you can use say, custom emote, yell, and shout. For private RP, you can use tells, party chat, and linkshells.So, how does RP work? You write posts that show your character's actions and dialogue. Other players then write their own posts to reply to you. This continues on and builds a story together.For example, you might post:. /em takes a seat at the bar, setting their bag down beside them. They wave at the bartender, "Hello!" .Posts can be longer or shorter than the example above. The length of your post will vary with every single post, so don't sweat it if you're writing smaller posts than those around you. With time, you'll learn your own preferences for post length.Watching RP happen can help you get used to how it works. Watching RP is called lamping, and lamps are welcome at RP Mentors events. Check out our Discord for the latest news on upcoming events.
Posting Order
When you're playing with three or more people, you might choose to use a posting order. This means that each person takes a turn in a set order. How the order is decided is up to the players. Posting orders can keep things organized and easier to follow, but they can sometimes slow a scene down. Decide together if you need a post order for the scene.
Using Dice
Dice are useful for RP. With dice, you can decide a lot of things, from coin flips to combat. The specific way people use dice will be different per person, but once you understand the basics it should be easy to pick up. Can you think of any fun ways to use dice in RP?There are two ways to get dice results in game: /random and /dice.. Random (/random & /random #): .Using /random will give you a number from 0 to 999. You can add a number to it to limit the highest number it can roll, and you can set that for anywhere from 2 to 999. So you can /random 20 to get a number from 0 to 20. People who are close by can see the number you get.. Dice (/dice& /dice #): . The only difference between /random and /dice is where the number is shown. Using /dice will send the results into your active chat channel. Not every channel can have dice used in it.
Ideas for Using Dice
Now let's look at some of the ways dice can be used in RP. If you need to make a choice, you can let the dice choose for you. For example, if your character is afraid of fire, you can roll a dice to see how well they handle the situation when there's fire involved. When rolling for just yourself, you make up the rules on the spot.Dice are also good for coin tosses and games like rock, paper, scissors. If you don't both already know who you both want to win you can roll dice. Whoever rolled highest can be the winner.Fighting NPCs or struggling against the weather can also be handled with dice. You can make it as simple or complex as you want.
Combat
Conflict, as many writers say, is the heart of story. This is true for RP as well. In RP, conflict can become combat.Combat doesn't require dice. Both players need to agree how they will handle combat when they agree to RP a fight. When not using dice, the players each decide what hits or misses their character. This is good for friends who enjoy writing together.Dice systems are popular. The most popular combat rules are called Grindstone. They're named after a combat event on Balmung that has been running since 2013. You can check out their carrd here.Grindstone uses random rolls. To decide who attacks first, the players each roll. The highest roll will go first. The first person will write their attack and then roll a random. The second player will then roll. The attack will only land if the attacker's roll is higher.The second player then writes their response to the first attack, and then their own attack. Then, both players roll. This continues on until one of the players has landed three attacks.The Grindstone's carrd has some great tips about combat RP in their OOC Guidlines section. You can also check out their Mechanics section for their breakdown of the system.Grindstone is not the only combat system. Reign Style and RoughHousing are two examples styles that have been used by other events, but they aren't as well known or often used as Grindstone. You can even make up your own with your friends.
Things to Remember
When your attacks land, you don't get to choose what happens. You can only make suggestions. In the end it's up to the person whose character is taking the blow to choose what happens. But, characters should not die from combat without both players agreeing that it can or should happen. It's rude to try to make someone's character a killer without their consent.
Etiquette
It's important to share our expectations. When it comes to RP, there are many things we need to talk about to make sure we're all on the same page. Here are some things worth thinking about.. Writing Style: . In public RP, as long as the people you're playing with can understand your posts, you're doing fine. RP can happen fast, and there isn't always time to edit posts. For private RP, talk with your friends to discuss preferences for writing style and post lengths.. Post Length: . How long your post should be will be based on where you are RPing. In crowded venues where there are many players RPing in public, it's polite to write shorter posts. This is because long posts take up more of the screen at a time. This makes it very easy for people to miss things. In less crowded venues, where there are fewer people playing and the chat is moving slower, longer posts are easier to deal with.. Capability: . Many players are afraid they will get left out because they aren't good at things yet. People's skill at typing and writing aren't a good way to measure their interest. Having strong writing and typing skills aren't required to enjoy RP. A slow typist can be just as invested in a scene as a fast typist. Skills will grow over time.. Sharing the Spotlight: . It's important to be self aware. Don't hog the spotlight, let other characters have a chance. Be mindful of how often your character is the central figure of RP scenes. If you feel like you're hogging the spotlight, do what you can to share it. It's all about working together to create a fun and engaging story for everyone.. Trauma Dumping: . Trauma dumping is bringing up traumatic topics without warning. This can make players uncomfortable. Not everyone wants to talk about such things. Make sure it's OK before you bring up traumatic topics.. Heavy and Triggering Topics: . Heavy and triggering topics need consent. This includes but isn't limited to things like death, abuse, and mental health. Check in regularly with the other players if scenes involve sensitive topics. As long as all the players in the scene consent, there's nothing wrong with RPing heavy topics.. Racism: . Racism is serious. Many players experience racism in their real lives. It's an easy topic to mishandle. Never use "but my character would do or say that" to justify unacceptable behavior. Instead, analyze why you would like to play a character that has these harmful views. This is a heavy topic. Everyone has the right to say no to RPing with racist characters. Always keep in mind the effects your actions may have on other people, and make an effort to make the roleplaying experience enjoyable for everyone.. Adult Content: . Not everyone is comfortable with adult content, and it's not welcome at every venue. Never start sexual content without the other player's consent. Always make sure that all players involved are adults. Be respectful of boundaries. Make sure it's allowed where you want to play it. It's best to keep adult RP to private channels such as party chat.. Consent Rule: . RP needs mutual consent from all players. This is consent for their characters to interact and build story together. All players have the right to withdraw their consent and leave the RP.. Romantic Relationships: . Having an RP ship doesn't mean you're in a relationship in real life. You and your partner should make sure you're on the same page about that. When you're RPing in public, make sure you're not paying attention to only your partner. When showing affection in public if a behavior is inappropriate in real life it's probably inappropriate in RP.. Metagaming: .This is when a player uses something they know but their character doesn't. For example, imagine you know that your friend's character is afraid of fire. But, it's never been brought up in character. Your character has never seen or heard that they are afraid of fire. If your character still knows about the fire fear, that's metagaming. This can be frustrating if it's done with major plot points. Metagaming can happen on accident. If it does, just talk it over. You can always go back and fix it together.. Godmodding: . You only get to control your own character. You can acknowledge the actions other players took in their posts and react to them, but you cannot control the other player characters. If you try to say what someone else's character does or says, it's called godmodding. This doesn't apply to NPCs. But, if the NPCs belong to someone else, ask before you control the NPC. This also covers when your character is unfairly powerful compared to everyone else.. Respecting Boundaries: . Players have the right to set boundaries. Even if you don't understand the reason for them, they need to be respected. Players come from all over the world, so you never know what someone has had to deal with. When a boundary is stated, it needs to be respected.. Apologize and Listen: . If you cross someone's boundaries it's important to take steps to make things right. A sincere apology is a good first step. Listen to the other player and talk about what happened. Learn from the experience and do better.. Respecting Time: . Respect other players' time. Being on time is part of being a good RP partner. If you have set aside time for an RP or event, let people know if you can't make it as soon as you know. Try not to get distracted while RPing with people who might be left waiting on your replies.. Retcons: . A retcon is when you go back and rewrite something. You can take stuff out of your character's past or put new stuff in. People choose to use retcons for many different reasons. Always make sure you talk to your RP partners about any retcons you do. They might need help changing things that impact their character to make sense.. IC and OOC Divide: . RP is just a game. Always remember that players are not their characters. Good RP will make you feel a variety of emotions, both good and bad. Remember that in character and out of character are different. You could be best friends with a player whose character is your character's mortal enemy.. Take Breaks: . Your health is important. This includes mental health. It's important to take breaks from RP if you need to. Sometimes stepping away from things can give you a new perspective. If you're feeling drained or out of ideas, you might need to play something else for a while. Always let your RP partners know if you need a break. It's helpful to find a reason for your character to be gone, or to agree what's happening off screen. This is especially important for characters with close relationships. If you're feeling stressed or depressed about your RP, give yourself some space.. Real Life is More Important: . Your friendships with other players are real and they do matter but real life comes first. If a player needs to cancel or leave a scene, it's not a sign that they don't care about the RP. Always remember that RP is a hobby and it should never take priority over taking care of yourself and your real life obligations.. Red Flags: . Watch out for red flags. This includes harassment, abuse, or disrespect. When people are disruptive or refuse to respect boundaries, they can make RP less fun for the people around them. Trust your gut.. Lamping: . When RP is happening in public, it's usually ok to lamp. But if the RP is somewhere that isn't easy to get to lamps might not be welcome. Always permission ask before lamping on scenes in private places.. Item Trading: . Some people like to trade items during RP. For them, it can increase immersion. This includes real gil. Other people find it deeply immersion breaking. Using game mechanics in RP is not a requirement. The long time standard for RP is that all gil and items are imaginary. If a trade is declined it doesn't mean the in character item is declined unless it's stated in RP. The real items vs rp items topic is an issue of RP approach and style.
Lore
In this section, we talk about the relationship between lore, msq, and RP.
The Role of Lore
There are many players who have the most fun sticking close to the lore. They may do very little straying from the official lore. There are also players who treat the lore more as a point for inspiration, building on it with their own ideas and concepts. Then, there are people who throw the lore out entirely and do their own thing.None of these people are wrong! Each way is a different and valid way to enjoy RP. Finding what makes you happiest will help you find what you want to do in RP. Knowing your preference will help you find players who feel the same way.Below are some of the different approaches people have to lore.. Lore Strict: . Lore strict players like to stay as close to the official lore as they can. They make sure their RP doesn't stray far from what the story shows us is possible. This includes magic, history, and geography. These players often enjoy researching the lore to make their characters and stories fit.. Lore Bending: . Lore bending players like to be creative. They use the official lore as a starting point and make things up from there. Many of them like to make their additions make sense in the story, but they aren't concerned with sticking to the letter of the lore. They will create new things that they feel believably fit the lore.. Lore Breaking: . Lore breaking players don't feel the need to stick to lore at all. Some of them have a complete disregard for it. These players feel no need to explain anything in the context of official lore. Instead, they take the ultimate creative liberties and make their own thing. Lore breaking is usually incompatible with lore strict RP.. Power Level: . Plots and characters both have power levels. High power level means lots of magic and powerful items. Low power level means that things are more like reality, with magic and items more in line with a civilian than a hero. Some people like only one or the other. Some people like a blend.
MSQ and RP
How important is the MSQ to RP? Because of the strong story behind the game, a lot of players enjoy playing along with the MSQ. But, in a world where there are thousands of RPers, we can't all be the main character from the MSQ.. MSQ and Public RP: . Public RP happens in public places, and often with strangers. This means that everyone there could have different thoughts about the MSQ. It's possible for players to have conflicting ideas.Most RP characters at public events are not tied to the MSQ. Outside of world changing events from the MSQ, most of the main story doesn't find its way into public RP.A good way to think about it is that the major characters from the MSQ are celebrities. Your character might be aware they exist, or familiar with their names, but it's not likely that anyone in the room has ever met them. There is some wiggle room, but it's usually best kept impersonal.Players who want to play in direct contact with the MSQ will often form private friend groups to play with. There, they can do anything they want, exploring the story the way that's most fun for them.. MSQ Characters: . Some players like NPCs from the MSQ so much that they roll the character and play them in game. Some even RP them. There is nothing wrong with playing the NPCs, but it can become complicated in public RP.There is a chance and more than one person will show up to an RP event as the same character. There's also a chance that a player will meet the same MSQ character at different events, but not played by the same player. Let's say a character meets Thancred Waterz at a cafe then later meets Thancred Woters at the Grindstone. Woters won't be aware of anything that happened with Waterz.This can cause an issue with continuity for some players. Because of this, some players will choose not to play with NPC players, or they will pick only one and stick with them, ignoring others.While there is nothing wrong with playing MSQ NPCs, there are many people who will choose not to play with them when they arrive at public events.. The Warrior of Light: . Playing the Warrior of Light in public RP will lower the amount of people willing to play along with you. Everyone who plays the MSQ will have their own thoughts about the story. Realistically, we can't all be the main character from the MSQ in a public RP. There's just too many people. So in public if the Warrior of Light is mentioned at all they're best left nameless and gender neutral.Some players will make a public RP version of their character and a Warrior of Light version. They will keep the two separate as Alternate Universes.. Alternate Universes (AUs): . AUs are usually private. They let players have more than one version of their character. The most common AU for a player to have is the MSQ AU. This is sometimes a headcanon with friends. This might even include how they glamor their character. The clothes their character wears in RP could be very different from the clothes they pick for them when playing the game.The MSQ AU is sometimes a private RP. Sometimes it's just something players enjoy talking about. AUs can be anything. Original settings. Future versions. What Ifs.. Private RP: . A private RP only includes people who are invited to it. This is usually friend groups or free companies. Everyone in the RP has agreed to play along. In a private RP, the group can play anything they want. The MSQ can be used to the fullest extent. Everyone in the private RP has opted into the setting and terms. The sky is the limit.
Characters
In this section, we cover character creation, longevity, profiles, and more.
Creating Characters
There are a lot of ways to make characters. A quick search on Google can find dozens if not hundreds of ways. Everyone will do it a little differently. Below we cover some things worth thinking about as you create your character.Your character doesn't need to be fully fleshed out before you start to RP! Character development is an ongoing thing, and the more you play the more you can come up with. Leaving a few things unknown, even to you, is perfectly fine.Some of the ideas covered here (values, ambitions, goals) come from a book called How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method.. Finding Inspiration: . What makes you want to RP? What kind of stories are you interested in? You can get inspired by the media you enjoy or events from your real life. Whatever your inspiration is, you can make the character your own with a bit of creativity.Study the stories you love and find the things about it that most make you want to RP. You can use these as guides for making your own characters.. Values: . A character's values are something they take for granted. They believe that they're obvious and that everyone knows it. A value is a statement: "Nothing is more imporatant than...". Your character can have a lot of values.A few examples:
Nothing is more important than making money.
Nothing is more important than family.
Nothing is more important than perfecting my craft.Your character might not be able to explain why they believe these things. Some of these values might even conflict with each other! This creates internal conflict, which can be fun to explore in RP. This gives a good opportunity for character development.. Ambitions: . Ambitions can drive your character forward. These are big picture, abstract things that they want. Usually, an ambition is something that would take a lot of work to make happen, if it's even possible at all.A few examples include:
Become wealthy.
Never have to work again.
Abolish the current social structure.
Take revenge on someone and regain something that was lost.
Become the new ruler.
Become the greatest warrior in the land.
Find long lost family.Ambitions should line up with the character's values. They should make sense together.. Goals: . From your character's values and ambitions you should be able to come up with some goals. When you're writing a story, you only need a few solid goals, with at least one big enough to carry the plot. RP is different because the goals don't need to be huge.An RP character's goals only need to be big enough to keep their story moving. Their goals will be changing and evolving as the character develops. When a goal is finished, it can be a big moment for your character.It's important for goals to be solid, straight forward, and attainable. Your character should be able to reach some of these goals, and those goals can bring them a little closer to their ambitions.You may find your character between goals sometimes, and that's fine. You can take that time to help your friends' characters realize some goals of their own while searching for your character's next goals.Goals give your character a direction and a motivation. They make them feel more like a real person.Some example goals:
Learn what their friend is hiding.
Find someone to teach them how to become a great cook.
Defeat a local group of bandits.
Win their friend's heart.
Win a combat tournament.
Make their first sale.. Conflicts: . Conflicts can keep characters from achieving their goals. They are problems that must be overcome. They can be internal or external. Only once they've overcome the conflict can they manage to achieve their goal.The exact details of each conflict will be different. You'll get to decide if you want this to be something you handle on your own or with your friends. Conflicts can be great plot points for RP with friends. This might involve creating and using NPCs in your RP or having friends write for a temporary side character.. Evolution and Ends: . There are players who keep the same characters going for decades. How do they do it? By keeping goals changing, ambitions growing, and values evolving, you can create a character who feels real and lasts the test of time.Not every character can or will last that long, and that's fine. Sometimes we need a fresh start, and a new character might be just the thing for it. It's possible to retire a character but bring them back years later when new inspiration strikes.There's nothing wrong with setting a character aside when you feel like they've reached a point where you can't play them anymore. If you leave their retirement open ended, you can bring them back later if you want.
Character Profiles
Finding people to RP with can be hard. Many players choose to make profiles for their characters. These profiles tell prospective RP partners about their characters and what they're looking for. Profiles are not required to be able to RP, but they help with finding people to play with.Profile links can be shared in your search text, social media, forums, Discord servers, or sent directly to other players during chat.. Places they can be hosted: . There is no one place you need to make your profile. If you can easily share the link with others it can be used to make your profile. Below are a few suggestions for places to host your characters' profiles.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Carrd | Simple, free one-page sites for pretty much anything. Pick from templates or make your own. Carrd is a drag and drop style editor, no coding needed. The free version lets you have three sites. Some of the functionality is behind a paywall, but every Black Friday they have a really good sale on their paid yearly plans. The basic, free version is good enough for most purposes. |
| Crystal Archives | Character profiles for XIV characters in NA! Based on Chaos Archives. |
| Chaos Archives | Character profiles for XIV characters in EU! |
| RP Repository | All your characters fit under one account, but no one needs to know they're your characters if you want to keep it a secret. Drag and drop customization for profiles. No coding knowledge required. This site is also a community where you can meet other RPers of basically any style or genre. |
| Toyhouse | Toyhouse currently requires an invitation code. Store characters, set up profiles and upload image galleries. Organize characters into folders, tags or worlds. Protect content by only allowing access to images, characters or folders to authorized users. Auto-generate watermarked versions of images with custom watermarks. |
| Google Docs | A Google Doc is more than enough to share your character's profile. The URLs can be long so you can use a URL shortener like Bitly. |
. Structure: . Every profile can be different. Think of it as an advertisement for your character. You can show a lot of their personality through your design choices. You can also choose how much or how little of your character to share.A common thing to share is a description. Think of what another character would see when they glance at your character and highlight that. This is important if your character looks different from how they look and dress in game. You can also share bits about personality, age, and history.. Picking Hooks: . A hook is something that helps RP start. It can give someone a reason to approach your character. The best way to illustrate is by example. Below are some hooks from my own carrd. You're welcome to use them for your own if you like them and they suit your character.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Mercenary Work | In need of a hired blade, healer, or something like that? Your character could meet Alphaeus by hiring him. |
| A Healer's Work is Never Done | Injured? He can help. |
| A Life of Learning | Alphaeus is deeply interested in expanding his knowledge. Is your character prone to speaking at length about history, magic, or science? Is your character a teacher, a historian, a specialist of some sort? His attention can be easily caught with this. |
| Wine About It | Does your character have red wine? Does Alphaeus lack wine? Sharing a bottle is a fast track to conversation. |
| Duel-ly Noted | Alphaeus enjoys a chance to practice his blade and spell work. Fancy a spar? |
| That's My Lunch Money | You're welcome to attempt to mug him, but please whisper me first before jumping in to that. |
Character Art
Art is a great way to share what your character looks like. There are a few ways to get art for your character, including making your own or paying an artist for a custom piece.. Why You Can't Use Random Art You Find Online: . No matter how much you love art that you find online, you don't have permission to use it. Art is covered by copyrights from the moment it's created. Somewhere out there is an artist who created that work. While it's fine to be inspired by that art, you can't use it without permission.. AI Art: . If you are not an artist yourself and can't afford to commission artwork, it may be tempting to use AI generated images for your character profiles. However, AI art is controversial and many RPers will blacklist anyone who knowingly uses AI. The majority of AI image generators were trained on unethical data sets. That means they stole art to train the AI without compensating the artists whose work was used.. Commissions: . Many artists offer commissions. This means that they can be hired to draw for you. Every artist will handle commissions in their own way. This will cost real money. Remember that spending gil on art is against the Terms of Service. It's considered RMT.
. Art Scammers: . Beware of art scammers. They are very common on social media and Discord. There are even bots on sites like X/Twitter that will automatically respond with a sales pitch to posts using keywords. On Discord, you might receive a random DM from a stranger that uses phrasing like "Actually, I'm an artist and I'm looking for commissions", or someone claiming they need emergency commissions for some bill. Remember: real artists will never cold call you.. Commission Platforms: . If you're looking to buy commissions you can try sites like VGen, which has a no-AI policy. Artists&Clients is another site you can buy commissions on.. Modding: . Some players choose to use third party tools to change their character's look in game. Only people using the same tools who have paired with them can see these changes. The use of third party tools is against the Terms of Service. The use of visual mods are entirely a personal decision. Never pressure other players to use them if they don't want to. Using visual mods is done at your own risk. They are never required to be able to RP.
Resources
These resources are external links collected and shared with the community.Looking for gameplay and non-RP guides and other resources? Check Here.
RP Guides
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| The FFXIV RP Events Calendar | The events calendar, by Erroch, is an incredible resource for finding new places to RP. There is also a bot that can be added to your Discord servers. |
| The Kweh! | A beginner's guide to RP. |
| FFXIV-Roleplayers Archive | Guides saved from an old (now defunct) community site. Click on Preserved Guides for a google drive link. |
| So You Wanna Start Roleplaying In FFXIV | A guide for new RPers, by Nevi. |
| Balmung/Mateus Locked? | A guide by Nevi, regarding visiting locked servers. |
| Uncommon RP Locales | In-world locations for RP! These are out in the world, not the housing districts. Covers the starter zones. |
| "Does my character idea work?" | Character development resource - Also touches on moving away from the term 'Mary Sue' |
Videos
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| How to RP in FFXIV- The Guide | The first in a playlist of videos by The Floor Tank, short quickstart guides for RP. |
| RP Quick Tips with Sass | The first in a playlist of videos by The Floor Tank, short videos with tips for RP. |
| Lilith Stormchaser XIVRP Guides | A series of short video guides providing information about how to roleplay your character in FFXIV and other online games. |
| Everything You Need to Know About FFXIV Roleplay | A 6 minute and 21 second video from AvyCatte |
| How Roleplaying in FFXIV Changed Me | A video from AvyCatte |
| The Eorzean Archives | THIS CHANNEL CONTAINS SPOILERS. This Youtube channel contains several videos that take a close look at Lore from the video maker's perspective. |
| Synodic Scribe | THIS CHANNEL CONTAINS SPOILERS. This Youtube channel contains several videos that take a close look at Lore from the video maker's perspective. |
Lore
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Mirke's Menagerie Lore Index | A large compilation of lore topics, this is a top-recommended resource. Made by Sounsyy. |
| Final Fantasy XIV Lore: Ishgard | A 121 page Google Document deep-diving Ishgardian lore. This document contains spoilers. The introductory page discusses how to avoid some of those spoilers. Most spoilers are for before Patch 3.3 Revenge of the Horde. |
| The Highhouses of Ishgard | A wiki entry covering the high houses. |
| Botanica Eorzea | A guide to the flora, including fungi and seedkin. For reference in writing and roleplaying. Contains spoilers. |
| Keeper of the Moon Lore Compendium | A lore compilation for Keepers of the Moon. |
| Aether | Final Fantasy Wiki's entry on Aether. |
| FFXIV Drugs and Illegal Substances | A short guide on illegal substances. |
| Auracite | Final Fantasy Wiki page on Auracite. |
| Dragonspeak Dictionary | A lore post on the official English forums. |
| Tome of Ichthyological Folklore | Fish of FFXIV, and the gems of lore hidden in their tooltips. |
| Minerica Eorzea | Lore compendium of ores, metals, stones etc, by GrimalkinsQuill |
| Garlean RP Character Primer | CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR MSQ. A primer for RPing Garleans, with an in-depth dive of the lore. |
| Dictionary of the Official Languages of FFXIV | Document compiling all translations or mentions of words in various languages found in the descriptions in the Fish Guide, Gathering Log, Crafting Log, Triple Triad cards, sightseeing logs, mount and minion descriptions, NPC dialogue, Encyclopedias Eorzea, forum posts, interviews, and various other sources |
| Translated World Map | World map, translated to English. Includes a slider to reveal the Eorzean. |
Tools
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Levequest Generator | Offers roll tables for quickly creating quests or story concepts. Useful for RP events or private scenes. Created by Ry'lah Dinhe of Mateus. |
| Eorzean Calendar to Gregorian Calendar | Translate dates between IRL calendar and IC calendar. |
| Kaito's Emote Timing Guide | "If you're a performer in #FFXIV (or are interested in trying it), I've put together a guide with the timings for various emotes and abilities, which I plan on updating and expanding to eventually include all race/gender combos" - Kaito via Twitter |
Non-RP Resources
These resources are external links that don't involve RP.
Most of them are related to FFXIV in general.
Sorted in no particular order.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| HGXIV | One stop shop for all things housing, including up to date guides and tutorials |
| Housing Snap | Housing screenshots for inspiration! Site is mostly in Japanese. |
| Creating Character References | A tutorial on taking character reference shots, great if you're looking to commission art. |
| GPose Tips: Portrait Photography | A guide on taking portrait shots in GPose. |
| Gpose Tips: Dark Skin | Some tips to help with taking screenshots of dark skinned characters. |
| GPose Guide: Facial Expressions | Some tips for posing facial expressions! |
| How-To: Orbit Camera | Guide on how to make an orbit-camera video (WITH A KEYBOARD/PC) |
| FFXIV Venues | A well put together venue list - it includes every kind of venue, from RP to non RP, check the tags to find what you're looking for! |
| Random Name Generator | By Antioch. Great for quickly naming NPCs in your RP. |
| A How-To for Carrd | A carrd that explains how to make a carrd. |
| Eorzean Font | A font that uses the Eorzean alphabet. |
| The Phookas | A website that shares infographics covering almost everything in game. Very new player friendly. |
| Worldbuilding Magazine | "this might actually be a very solid resource for folks with developing characters, the areas and places they come from, backstory etc; worldbuilding magazine has a wide, wide spread of handy articles and useful information across their various issues and podcasts " |
| Garland Tools | A website you can use to search any in game item or quest. Easily track down where to find something. |
| Unlockable Content | All unlockable content, sorted by level. Scroll carefully to avoid spoilers. |
| FFXIV Crafting | A useful website to help you create crafting lists. It can export to a spreadsheet, or export to Teamcraft. |
| Teamcraft | A website that also has a downloadable desktop ap. Great for working together with others to craft large lists or FC subs/airships. You're able to share your list with others. |
| Rietty's Crafting Leveling Guides15-70 | 70-80 | 80-90 | Warning: mildly inappropriate artwork included on two of these, a panty-shot and one of chest groping. Three spreadsheets to help calculate leveling DoH/DoL 15-90 via Leves, Facets, collectables, etc. |
| Crafting and Leveling Guide | Want a different approach to leveling crafters? This one is a little less updated, but typically solid for getting the job done. |
| XIV Hunt | Maps marking hunt spawn locations. |
| Heavenswhere | See locations of daily hunts, Sightseeing Vistas, Aether Currents, and Treasure maps. |
| FFXIV Gardening | Everything about gardening in XIV. Includes Island Sanctuary. |
| The Balance | This is the 'go to' community for PvE in XIV. |
| Icy Veins | A site with some easily understood guides to PvE and leveling. Covers multiple games, too. |
| XIV Bars | Create hotbar layouts, export as macro, and share. |
| Submersible Information Thread | A guide for the FC workshop's submarines. |
| Doman Mahjong | Official guide for Doman Mahjong |
| Chocobo Racing | A blog that covers chocobo racing. |
| Chocobo Color Calculator | Tells you what to feed your chocobo and how to attain the color you want. |
| Server Status | Tells you if the servers, including the lobby server, are online. |
| XIV ToDo | Synch with your account to get a to-do list of PvE objectives! Completionism and dailies/weeklies. |
| Macros to Make the Game Manageable | By Erah’sae Zhwan @ Balmung Version: 1.0 |
| “Crazy” Dizzy’s Discount Macro Hut | A guide for using macros for RP and shit by @DizzyWizard / Pearl Pliskin & Velma Speakeasy v.1 |
| Additional Set-up for FFXIV Chat Logs | 5 additional options to explore for personalizing your chat log. |
| UI Cloning in Windows | A guide for Windows users. This will let you fully copy your UI set up from one character to others. |
| Meowlo's FFXIV Quest Archive | Contains quest spoilers. Videos of quests. |
| lovjbini carrd layouts | Videos you can follow along with to make some creative carrd layouts |
| Words for Skin Tone How to Describe Skin Color | Writing With Color is dedicated to writing and resources centered on racial, ethnic and religious diversity. |
Free Company
RP Mentors has official Free Compaies on:
Mateus, Balmung, and Maduin.You don't need to be a member to participate in official RP Mentors events.
Locations
. Mateus: . Mateus - Empyreum - w25 p6. Balmung: . Balmung - The Goblet - W7 P6. Maduin . Maduin - The Mists - W4 P49
Info
. The Lore: . As retainers of the Mysterious Benefactors Society, the members of this company have one job: bring joy to the realm. They do this by hosting events and parties open to the public.. The Characters: . Members of this FC can be adventurers, artisans, general staff, or wealthy society members in disguise.. Community First . Events run by the FC should always be designed for the community at large, aiming for a wide range of audiences.. Overall Goals .
•To help people grow as RPers.
•To offer a place for shy and anxious players to experience RP.
•To help players learn how to plan and host events.
•For members to move on to creating their own things!
. How to Join: . Join the Discord and post in the channel 📥│join-request to request an invite to the FC.ORContact a member in game to request an invite.ORSubmit an application via our FC House placard.. Rules Etc: . General behavior rules for the Free Company are the same as for the RP Mentors Discord community.. Discord: . We use the RP Mentors Discord as our FC Discord. There are two channels dedicated to the FC: a chat channel and a channel for planning events.. Open for RP: . The Mateus FC House, located at Mateus - Empyreum - w25 p6, is open for use for walk-up and random RP.
Alumni
This section will provide links to RP events, communities, and free companies run by current and former members of the RP Mentors Free Company!
Social
This section covers different ways to meet people in game when seeking RP.
Finding people to RP with is one of the hurdles that everyone faces. There are plenty of ways to meet other RPers, and we'll cover some of the most common ones.. RP Events Calendar: . Attending public RP events is a sure way to find other RPers. If you're attending an event that interests you and your character, you'll find people with similar interests. The fastest way to find RP events is to use the FFXIV RP Events Calendar. This calendar has been serving the RP community since 2015.. Adventure Plates and Search Text: . With Adventure Plates and Search Text, you can share a few words about your character and link to their profile. A few short phrases are also common, such as WU and T, or WU/T. This means that you'll accept RP from people who walk up to you, or RP from people who send you tells.. Communities: . Communities are great for meeting other RPers. RP Mentors allows communities to advertise themselves in our Discord. You can find the Communities forum in the Networking section.. World and DC Travel: . You're able to World Visit on your data center by using the aetheryte in Ul'dah, Gridania, or Limsa. You're able to Data Center Travel in your region by using the character select screen.