How to roleplay a pandaren

The proud, enigmatic Pandaren became playable with the release of Mists of Pandaria. If you decide to play as one on a role playing realm, there are a few things to take note of.

Factions
While in-game mechanics dictate your pandaren character to be of the Wandering Isle, pandaren that have wandered beyond the mists on a giant turtle, events in the Mists of Pandaria timeline allow pandaren from Pandaria to be accurately playable as well. Basically, you can play a pandaren that was born on the mainland rather than on the Wandering Isle. Although the Alliance and Horde set foot on Pandaria with the release of the expansion, events in 5.1 made that much more prominent, with boats and airships coming in by the dozens from each faction. This allows your mainland pandaren to be able to then choose between staying in Pandaria or setting out to explore Azeroth with the inclusion of these two new alien factions.

Pandaren of the Wandering Isle believe in 2 philosophies; Tushui and Huojin. Depending on your philosophy depends on your side in this war. The philosophies are:


 * Tushui- to live a venerable life through meditation, rigorous training, and moral conviction. These Pandaren join the Alliance.


 * Huojin- inaction is the greatest injustice, and that there is no shame in defending one's homes and loved ones regardless of cost. These Pandaren join the Horde.

Warrior
Pandaren Warriors may find their relatively tall stature and large body mass in conjunction with their interest in traditional weapon usage to place themselves on the offensive or defensive to protect their people and, as of Mists of Pandaria, the many races of either the Horde or the Alliance. Judging by the character animations between weapons, Pandaren are clearly avid weapon users and smiths. A reason for your warrior could potentially be that your family line is famous for weapon creation and preservation.

Mage
Pandaren are quick thinkers and would be more than willing to learn about the challenges and complications of arcane, fire and frost magics to give them strength. Pandaren are big, and they like food. Perhaps Pandaren magi, due to their natural interest in foods and drinks, can use their abilities to conjure many different foods and beverages and mix them together with other conjurations. Greetings, Chef!

Rogue
Pandaren rogues aren't necessarily your lockpicking, pickpocketing, murdering or stealing assassin type, though they can be. A vast underground black market system calls Pandaria home, run by the elusive Madame Goya. Perhaps your pandaren is an acquaintance to the black market. Pandaren rogues can be scouts, spies or informational retrievers. Though Pandaren are commonly described as warm-hearted, good people, they aren't an exception to the rule of change. With the coming of the Horde and Alliance and having to pick a side, your Pandaren could very well be changed by whatever side they're on into a different person. You can even be a member of the Shado-Pan, Pandaren who pledge their allegiance to the fight against the Sha. These are usually ninja-like Pandaren.

With the threat of the Sha lowered, it's possible that some Shado-Pan members feel the calling of a purpose to protect other areas across Azeroth, though be careful with this choice. The Shado-Pan are strict, and they'll protect Pandaria with tooth and nail regardless of the dangers of the Sha, instead focusing on helping others from the Mantid, Yaungol and other threats. It's likely that by choosing to leave Pandaria, your character may no longer be considered a Shado-Pan member.

Shaman
The Pandaren are very in tune with the natural elements as they respect the spirits of the land (Water, Earth, Fire & Air) and will go as far as to take on the abilities of the elements to defend their people and lands.

Priest
Pandaren Priests don't seem to follow anything similar to the Light, working best as medics on the field or exorcists. A Pandaren Shadow Priest might sound odd, but you can make it creative. Perhaps your Pandaren has been corrupted by the violent, hatred-filled emotions of the Sha and therefore emits their disturbing aura through darkness.

Monk
Monks play an important part in Pandaren history and are therefore relatively integral to their society. Through vigorous training and other limitations, Monks are taught to live through a simple and focused lifestyle. As a Monk, you are likely to be very respected by other Pandaren. You're also less likely to be, well, evil, considering Monks' primary source of defensive power is Chi, which is a person's innermost energy within their body.

Hunter
The Pandaren eat lots of food, and one of the most obvious sources would be the wild beasts that roam the land. Hunters could use their skill to track down and slay said beasts, and use their flesh to provide delicious banquets, perhaps tying in with the cooking profession. They could also be scouts and marksmen.

Cooking
A very fitting profession for Pandaren considering their love for food and drink. Being large in Pandaren society is considered a sign of health. In Mists of Pandaria, different types of cooking can be learned from the Way of the Brew and Way of the Grill to the Way of the Wok and so forth, allowing more interesting and diverse recipes. As a Pandaren, it could make sense for your character to collect many recipes. If you're really truly dedicated, collect as many recipes as you can. You'll be the ultimate chef!

Herbalism
A sort of secondary profession within Cooking, it makes sense for a Pandaren to want to hunt for his own ingredients in the wilds, like exotic herbs and spices to cater and further his delicious creations.

Alchemy
Many Pandaren are curious and outward, and will more than dedicate themselves to a task if they so please. If you choose Alchemy in conjunction with Herbalism or otherwise one other profession, your Pandaren chooses to use his curiosity with creativity to mix-and-match ingredients together. You can also be a Brewmaster with this profession using your vials and Herbalism gatherings to brew up awesome concoctions.

Fishing
The shores of Pandaria are rich with life and, as a result, Pandaren use the nature to their advantage to catch marine wildlife, perhaps even for a living, to sell, survive or use with their cooking. There have been many new factions added and one of these are the Anglers, a group of Pandaren and other races (they have a Tuskarr!) to supply the people of Pandaria with a fair amount of food from the oceans and rivers of Pandaria.

Inscription
Mentioned earlier, there are new factions in the new expansion. One of the coolest and most lore-rich are the Lorewalkers which inscribe and write down known history for a living, most notably their own. Perhaps if you choose Inscription, your Pandaren can be a wise man or woman that records history or something else. You can also be the traditional but highly-useful scribe, who writes down runes and symbols (perhaps, in this case, the Pandaren language) to strengthen themselves in different ways.