Forsaken Roleplay Pitfalls II: Too Crazy Tom

This is the second of three three entries I'm doing on common Forsaken roleplaying pitfalls. You can find the first one, the Forlorn Spirit, here.

Too Crazy Tom

 All the races in World of Warcraft have compelling cases for mental issues and insanity. Azeroth is a world in constant turmoil and the effects of its wars influence each race deeply. Adding to your character by giving them something like post traumatic stress disorder, depression, or substance abuse can deepen and add more realism to your roleplay. Though for Forsaken, your substance abuse choices are limited (fel magic) unless you're going with the placebo effect.

Forsaken can easily make a strong case for being crazy. Dying and being risen again may cause some of them to believe they have transcended or mastered death, particularly Forsaken Death Knights, who've done it twice. Forsaken that served the Scourge during the Third War and remember their time as ghouls vividly could easily suffer side effects. I remember an appliciatant to my guild that had a character who had become trapped in a grain silo as a ghoul (he was raised by an armature Necromancer) and remained in it for months after he had regained his sentient thought and free will while the Lich King was weakened. That's going to make you a little nuts.



However, Too Crazy Tom is, like the name implies, too crazy. The character is erratic and high energy, running around Brill like a small child who has eaten a mountain of sugar. He's curious, he's angry, he's in love, he's a magpie - he's just not very much like a Forsaken.

What's wrong with it:

First off, while Forsaken make a powerful case for insanity, they don't exactly fit the bill for that brand of hyperactive, 'purple-monkey-dishwasher' type of crazy that just screams of fourteen year olds on instant messaging programs going: "LOL, ur so random!! :)". Their muted feelings don't blend well with high-energy changing emotions in roleplay, unless it comes across as something the character is doing intentionally because they are lacking true emotion; which is something I would suggest only very experienced roleplayers attempt.

Secondly, the Forsaken are very merciless to their own kind as well as others. They order new Forsaken to hunt down the other newly risen that lost their minds, or were too afraid and ran off into the woods upon being raised by Val'kyr. Forsaken captives of the Scarlet Onslaught in Northrend are killed in their cages by the Horde, on order from a Forsaken High Executor, since they were foolish enough to get caught. Only the Cult of the Forgotten Shadow really seems to speak of compassion to other Forsaken, and even then it's considered optional.

Which begs the question, what do you think would happen to a jabbering mess like Too Crazy Tom? It's likely he'd be taken out by annoyed town guards, mistaken for Scourge, or considered to be of no use to the Dark Lady. Azeroth is a tough place and lives are lost easily, just look at that guy who got kicked off the boat to Vash'jr

As an aside, some Forsaken (and otherwise) roleplayers use insanity as an excuse for bad roleplay. It's all too often I'll see a character behave in a way completely outside their race, and then I'll get a whisper out of character explaining that the character is "a little crazy". Too Crazy Tom does this too, whipping out the inanity card when someone criticizes their character or mentions lore errors they've made.

How to fix it:

Tone it down. Try to make the insanity a part of your character rather than the entirety of them. Do some homework and look up mental disorders and see if you can find some inspiration. If your character has a ton of mannerisms and quirks because they're crazy, try just picking one to start, and add more as you roleplay them. Also, be consistent with your character's mental instability, rather than spewing things randomly and having them act erratically - there's  more than one way to be nuts.

Keep it believable. If you can, try and tie the insanity of the character to their death, or what they do as Forsaken. An undead character might whisper and talk to a weapon they had in life and recovered from the site of their death; giving it a name and considering it their last precious connection to their time alive. Considering how the Forsaken are, a character they consider to be insane might speak of love for humans and peace between them.

Triggers are also good for crazy characterization and are a sure way to make sure you don't go overboard. Your Forsaken might be normal until someone mentions peacebloom, then they erupt in furry and start foaming at the mouth, claiming that peacebloom was a major component of Arthas's campaign in the Third War. He could think the necromancers used it to empower themselves and further spread the plague through an elaborate system of pipes and shadow magic. Be creative!