Shadowmeld and Roleplaying

As one of the many introduced to the warcraft universe by wc3, shadowmeld has always been a significant part of how i percieved night elves. It was the visual confirmation that these were not "just" standard, fantasy elves, but had something mroe going on, at least when the sun goes down.

I wow roleplaying however, and on our server more so, there is this odd trend about being the everyday, average, normal guy. The skills and class features are notoriously downplayed. So how does a racial stealth button come off to you, as a roleplayer? How would you feel about shadowmelding being used in RP around you? How would prefer to see it used? Is it too powerful to be utilized properly in character?

Personally, I think it would help emphasize that night elves aren't just humans with pointy ears.

Imo shadowmeld is completely legit. I'd say it'd work just like the WC3 Shadowmeld, as in you can invis while not moving -at night-. So when the skybox turns dark nelves can shadowmeld.

I'd be pretty chill with somebody wanting to use it during daytime, too, but I personally would only use it at night (I imagine Darnassus/Ashenvale etc would be 24/7 use for some reason, also)

I'd say it's a legit IC mechanic and that it's more of a magic stealth tied to Elune/The moon and as such dark day enviroments wouldn't be enough and at night you don't need any sort of cover to be concealed.

I don't know the lore about shadowmeld, but shadowmeld, as much as the rogue's stealth, has the issue of being seen as OP and a bit godemoting. If taken too far, can become a sort of excuse for all-knowing chars and such. I'm all for rping using (most of) the game mechanics, the whole excuse "we play the world, not the game" to me stinks much, but I think it should be use with some criteria,. Rp is a social activity, and it's only right and fair to give the chance to people to answer and react to what you do. I'd emote the rustling of leaves, the perhaps an odd movement of the shadow,, the screeching of wood under the feet. And I of course would elaborate some kind of emoting for when I shadowmeld/stealth, and undo it, on the lines of:*X finally appears from the shadows he called to cloak himself from human sight*. As in game mechanics though I'd make it clear on an OOC level where I am if I was with a person who IC roleplays a char with magical attunement or abilities.

Shadowmeld can be likened to a defensive mechanism developed by the Night Elves during times of rest. One of survival.

When you're knee-deep in foliage and any sort of nasty creature can be lurking about wanting to get a nibble of you whilst you're asleep, it helps if you can just blend into the shadows and for all intents and purposes, become invisible to the World.

Add a few thousand years of shade/shadow from the canopy of the Forest and I can guarantee that any Nelf worth their salt should be able to find the smallest bit of shadow and blend almost perfectly into it, even in the day time.

Innate magical ability enhancing nurtured stealthiness? Maybe. Skill developed over thousands of years? Definetly.

Whereas Dec brought up the point of Godemoting, and here's where I have to disagree.

First of all Shadowmeld is a single use spell with no movement. You use it, you sit still, and hope to god whoever you're spying on comes within range of your /s. Second of all, they'll have either had to get there inhumanly fast to beat you to your secret meeting spot that they're practically god emoting anyway, or you're so noisy/obvious that your meeting spot has been compromised long before you even reached there. Finally, any RPer worth their salt that is using Stealth as an IC invisibility mechanic ought to have the decency to announce that they're spying on someone ICly, to give the others IC a chance to detect them. Far too often have I been spied upon and only found out a day or two after because of chinese whispers of my characters secret actions. There's nothing more irksome when you prep IC barriers to prevent that kind of spying, and yet someone powers through them with their OOC invisibility mechanic.

It shouldn't be used in the day time, but otherwise - yes it is perfectly fine! I don't believe it is shadow magic, I think it is quite literal in the fact that you become one with the night - as Tyrande uses it to evade Archimonde right in front of his eyes (but at night!)

I would also imagine it to be a skill they don't necessarily talk about in front of strangers, considering Archimonde thought she dissapeared entirely and if a big wise ol' Demon who has met their kind before didn't know about it, then they must be really sneaky with its use.

Just a few thoughts, but it can definitely be considered an IC trait.

4:30 for reference.



EDIT: As an extra note, that also means you can use it whilst being persued and still manage to trick people into thinking you have vanished completely. I'd hate for all players to know about Shadowmeld as even the demons didn't.

Vaell, what is Night to a species that lives in constant darkness under foliage?

I would like to say my bit on the stealth-part of this topic.

I tend to play out stealth at least semi-realistic, but to that would like to add, that stealth is the expertise of the character I tend to play it out with. She never really had the fancy ninja moves some rogues like to display IC, but she is damn good at staying hidden if she wants to.

When using stealth, I would make sure that my character is also positioned somewhat behind an object, or in a shadowy corner or in the nighttime. One of the things I implemented for myself, is that she is that cocky about her ability to remain hidden, she does not shy away from letting out a snide snicker when someone she is spying on says something she disagrees on, or you will see a trail of smoke coming from somewhere (if she really does not mind you knowing someone is there, like when she's guarding someone). This also gives people a chance to realize they are being watched and act accordingly, but still wouldn't let herself be found that easily. But I think it is silly to downplay the expertise of your character too much. (Although some people may have the problem of letting their characters be experts at everything.)

Aelrath wrote:Vaell, what is Night to a species that lives in constant darkness under foliage?

Sorry, I meant day time in most places - so like Stormwind City, for example. Though, I can imagine it is a power granted by Elune who is represented by the night. Night Elves usually sleep during the day, anyway.

Yep I have seen it used IC and yeah it is lore.

The human racial is lore too. Remember if there is ever a rout, you dont have to outrun the horde, just outrun the Gnomes.

I get ya, daytime where there is visible sunlight.

Although I'm not too sure on the cosmological cycle of Azeroth, I'm pretty sure you can see the (one of the) moon(s) still during the day time as you can on Earth. So I don't see why that would sever their connection to Elune who in your opinion is the one providing the magical part of Shadowmeld. You're right in that they sleep during the day, but I don't think it means that Elune abandons them during the day.

That being said, I do think there's a bit of a medium to it. Whilst I don't use Shadowmeld as a 'spell' or natural ability of the Nelves, I'd think their natural affinity for Stealth would allow the use of Shadowmeld during daytime hours (in bright places) in shadowed places as more of an advanced hiding technique, rather than a spell. That's at least how I play it, everyone's bound to have their own interpretation.

As a night elf roleplayer I use it IC all the time. Nothing wrong with it imo. (And I avoid doing it at more brighter places / times)

I am considering using it IC. At night. Close to bushes and shadows. Plus emote doing it.

I don't know why there should be a problem *shrugs*
If you don't want stealthed characters to steal your secrets, take precautions.

I don't mind if someone emotes melding into the shadows, or being stealthy, and I'll respect that.

I do mind when people meld, or stealth, without OOCly alerting anyone (afaik you CANNOT see emotes from a stealthed person you can't see/outside raid). It gives no chance to react to it. IMO stealth/shadowmeld -mechanics- should not be used; just emote and pop on some ethereal oil, wear dark clothes, whatever works.

If they're legitly invisible that's fine. But as an example I had -two- rogues spying on one group, "stealthing," and neither knew the other was there, the RPers didn't know they were there, and when "information on the group" was reported back... it's just silly to use the mechanics without permission, imo.

On the otherhand people get mad when stuff they say that is of a dangerous content ic is heard and reported on.

If you dont want it heard, best not to utter it really.

But yeah, work together as a team ect ect.

I have used sadowmeld myself on my nelf when I rp her as long as she is in a corner, under shade, neer a bush, in the dark.. pluss the occasional emote to say im there but hiding.. thow as my nelf is a dk.. her shadowmelding is now not perfect.. as such the glow of her eyes will usualy show threw.. espeshialy if its very dark.. the glow could infttc give her away

As long as people know you're there and you respect it if people don't want you around, go for it. (Akin to sneaking druids and those pesky rogues) Though as said, it's not as if you can move whilst melded, it'd be fun to see it used really well and more often.

To vanish into the shadows adds to the sneaky, secretive, shadowy flavours of nelf RP We aren't pointy eared humans after all.

On my Night Elf mage I used shadowmeld for a magical spell that changed the appearance of her robes to match the background. Pull her hat over her head and WHAM, camouflage.

It was great.

Lexgrad wrote:On the otherhand people get mad when stuff they say that is of a dangerous content ic is heard and reported on.

If you dont want it heard, best not to utter it really.

But yeah, work together as a team ect ect.

While that's true on one hand, on the other you end up with people behind closed doors in a forest meeting, and rogues/elves "hearing the conversation" through the ceiling, etc. I just don't like the in-game mechanics being used at all, for any reason.

You never know when someone might have some sort of extra sense/special ability that might let them see the stealthy, too, and without contact OOC you never -will- know. Then you get into messes like "I heard your entire conversation" followed by "err, the entire place was lit with torches IC to prevent this, did you miss the emote" and so on and so forth.

It's SO much better and safer to either be in raid for it, or just use oil + emotes. I don't think the mechanics should ever be used in RP personally, with very limited exceptions.

I don't use it during the day, there's no hard lore on it not being able to be used at day but in the shade, yet I personay think it can't. When we meet night elves in WC3 the night hides them, And ashenvale doesn't during the day. i would say that this gift of Elune only works during the time of day she reigns.

from what i understand shadow melding as an ability ic is to extend the size of a given shadow to encompas the night elf in quetion who then darkens said shadow enough to make it nearly impossible to see.. much like a foggy night with no moon.. such an ability will give away tell tale signes ic such as a slightly larger shadow perhaps with a sence of somethings not right yet you cannot quite put your finger on it... like the doctor who episode with the planet librery with dc moon.. and the shadowy things.. so banning a game mecanic that actualy represents a true night elf ability is rarther silly in my humble oppinion the question is it can be used if the nelf knows how to use it both ic and ooc properly

Monrena wrote:espeshialy if its very dark.. the glow could infttc give her away

All Elven eyes glow. Sin'dorei (Green), Quel'dorei (Blue), Kaldorei (Golden for Druids or special born and Silver naturally).

Shadowmeld should be a complete invisibility.

Shadowmeld IS magic invisibility. Tyrande claimed that it was an ability given to the night elves by Elune herself, so yeh. It's not just an innate affinity for being sneaky!

Aelrath wrote:

Monrena wrote:espeshialy if its very dark.. the glow could infttc give her away

All Elven eyes glow. Sin'dorei (Green), Quel'dorei (Blue), Kaldorei (Golden for Druids or special born and Silver naturally).

im treeting it because of the following
Shentin was only just an adault nelf at a sprightly young 312 years old when she caught the pluage and died.. only to be braught back to undeadhood just as the battle of lights hope was in progress.. the hold fell befor she had been trained and put threw the process fully into dk hood.. as a result she has neather the ability or skill to fully shroud herself with shadowmelding