[QUOTE=Omi no Kami]
I’m currently installing WoW, and I’ll post my avatar details in the main thread once I’ve created one… however, I’m wondering if I could ask for some basic advice on character design? I’m going for either a rogue or a mage (probably a rogue, since I dig the dps vibe). If I end up with a rogue I’ll probably go with Skinning and Leatherworking as my professions, and obviously hit the poison and lockpicking secondaries. However, I’m going into this completely blind, and it’d be nice if I didn’t accidentally gimp my character by neglecting some common-knowledge strategies in chargen and the early levels.
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As you’re new, I’d reccomend rather than going skinning/leatherworking you go for skinning/herbalism or skinning/mining. This is not because you probably can’t handle leatherworking, but rather because you haven’t learned many of the moenymaking tricks some players know. Going two gathering professions can net you some spare change to use (not as much on a new server, but you can get some at least).
Rogues aren’t my absolute expertise, but you may want to google “rogue builds” as rogues aren’t the most complex class ever they only have a handfull of builds and most differences tend to be “take the sword based talent or the dagger based talent?” As for tricks of the trade, not much to offer other than do your quests and ask us for help if you get stuck. All I know is that I’ve heard rogues aren’t particularily good at killing mobs (abbreviation for “mobile object” meaning a monster/enemy) many levels higher than them so you may want to not push your limits too much, but still try and see how good you can do some have talent some need to work for it.
[QUOTE=Demo]
You can choose all your professions once you’re in the game, and they are not fixed. The only thing you need to choose that is fixed when you roll is your sex and race. For horde, my preference for a rogue would be undead, for the racial abilities Will of the Forsaken, which breaks any movement impairing effects and/or fear and also cannibalize, which allows you to regenerate your health by eating corpses. 
Other classes have decent racials as well, but undead would be my choice.
Also, lockipicking and poison are rogue skills, so you don’t need to choose them at the sacrifice of other professions.
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Will of the Forsaken isn’t any movement impairing effect, it’s jsut charm, fear, or sleep. Not any movement impairment (i.e. no dispelling entangling roots with it) Which pretty much limits it to a handful of effects (though it can be REALLY useful, such as in a certain room in Sunken Temple). But undead do make nice rogues.
Other classes have decent racials as well, but undead would be my choice.