Death Knight Guide, and Myths busted!

[Vorce]

Well, I didn't want to double post on Grakor's guide, so I'm going to ask my question here XD

Would Death Knights who were once spell casters still be able to make use of the arcane, and like, cast spells? Or does the ritual which turns a person into a Death Knight remove that ability? Do note that not all spell casters are Magi, and that there are those who were trained in both spell casting as well as physical combat. Also, how does Death Knight magic work? Do they use arcane energy and shtuff or does it originate from a more sinister source? ><

[Kaghuros]

Death Knight magic is more inherently alien and evil than Arcane magic (If that can be said, since the Arcane is inherently alien and evil in its own right). Compare to Negative Energy in D&D.

Death Knights who used to be anything else can't use their abilities once they become a Knight, barring the interesting trivia that a Rune Master turned Knight can use his previously rune-inscribed fists as a Rune Weapon. That said, magic-oriented dead will gravitate towards Necromancy and Ice magic over any sort of fighting.

[Vorce]

Ahh... I see... thanks a lot Kagh ^^ I was thinking that my Death Knight could still, like, levitate stuff XD heh

[PiesOfNub]

Flying Death Knights? It'd be the death of us all!

ONTOPIC: Kag is right on with this one. Though, I think that Necromancy is a sub-class of the Arcane. Death Knights can use minor necromancy, so I GUESS they can theoretically use a very small bit of arcane magic.

I dunno really.

[Harmonic]

I just want to say in here... after discussing it with a few players, that I have found nothing about some sort of hunger that makes Deathknights want to consume flesh when they are not with their swords. Yes, there is a certain ammount of bloodlust that they have... but this is a game where war is constant, and for a Deathknight to suddenly say "OH WELL ZOMBIE TIME" just isn't rational. If this was the case, I -highly doubt- the major factions would accept them in any manner.

To the response of the "quest" pertaining to said hunger... it was one when Arthas was also speaking in your head and giving you heavy influence.

[Yunnemaria]

What of Draenei Death Knights? The question being - do they exist? Because draenei are very light-based... would they attempt to commit suicide the moment they understand what they've become?

[Vorce]

Kag is right on with this one. Though, I think that Necromancy is a sub-class of the Arcane. Death Knights can use minor necromancy, so I GUESS they can theoretically use a very small bit of arcane magic.

I dunno really.

What about frost magic? Would Death Knights be able to start flinging frostballs like a mage? XD

[Terant]

What of Draenei Death Knights? The question being - do they exist? Because draenei are very light-based... would they attempt to commit suicide the moment they understand what they've become?

Yes, they definitely exist. The fact that they are Light-based would actually be a deterrent to suicide, since it is against the tenets of the Light. Also, a Draenei would probably be smart enough that he/she could do more good in a Death Knight form than completely dead.

[ManDudely]

What of Draenei Death Knights? The question being - do they exist? Because draenei are very light-based... would they attempt to commit suicide the moment they understand what they've become?

Yes, I saw one in the Ebon Hold. I tried to ask him his story but he wasn't in the mood for talking. They exist, and Draenei Paladins are just as likely targets for transformation as other races, but I'm not nearly lore-knowledgable enough to point out where the Lich Kings forces would have crossed with the Draenei. I think he was at Outland at one time or another... but I don't know if that was before or after the battle for Lights Hope Chapel where the Death Knights were freed.

[Azheron]

This guide totally makes me wunna make a death knight.

Or, it makes me want to RP mine. Which I fail.

[PiesOfNub]

Based on the difference between the year BC is base in, and the year Wrath is based in, minus a month of training, it gives Draenei about 11 months to be captured by the Scourge to be used as Death Knights. Based on the fact that Draenei would have to adapt to Azeroth's germs/bacteria, quite a few Draenei would die even from a single infected cut.

So it's not an argument about whether or not Arthas was ever in Outland (he wasn't) but rather an argument regarding how a Draenei could die within 11 months of coming to Azeroth.

[Unahim]

I was wondering, is there actually a reason why you'd have to die before being converted to a Death Knight?

Sure, the PCs on blizzard servers all got converted in that way, but that might be because blizzard never personalises story lines.
I'm just thinking, if Arthas didn't have to die, it's possible you could be converted to Death Knight while alive, isn't it?

Now, the reason why they would do this... Obviously, it's easier to kill people and bring back their corpses, so they'd probably not actively go for this method(if it is indeed possible), but they do seem to have the occasional prisoners(even if it's prisoners stolen from the Scarlets) and in those cases they might opt to skip the killing them part.

I'd reason that not having to resurrect the corpse at the same time of converting them might actually be easier, and they'd probably more readily keep their relevant skills(such as sword fighting, or the crafters of the Ashen Verdict) since their memories are a lot clearer.

I'm just theorising though, be sure to point out my mistakes

[Etmosril]

It's possible to have Death Knights who haven't actually expired. Most have though, for reasons of practicality (it's easier to collect corpses).

[PiesOfNub]

The process in which a corpse/prisoner becomes a Death Knights isn't affected by the victim's state of mortality. However, the spell which is cast ALSO serves as a "Raise Dead" to a degree, which I assume would require quite a bit more energy to cast, on top of the conversion.

So, all said and done, a person who is currently alive CAN be converted into a Death Knight, but it is a lot easier to fetch a pile of corpses, rather than live victims. Although, if the conversion is purely to antagonize a victim, then I assume doing so while they're alive would cause a great deal of pain and torture.

[Unahim]

Ah, I see! Thank you both for this reply. The reason I asked is because I have a DK on retail who I roleplay as not having died. I assumed it was possible, but I wasn't sure until now.
Out of interest, what source do you get your information from? The Warcraft RPG books? If so, I might look into them sometime.