[glow=purple,2,300]Character Creation[/glow]
IntroductionOne of the most difficult parts of Role Playing, before you even get to posting, is creating a character. What makes a good RP is a combination of many things, but one of the most important parts that result in success is starting with good, and appropriate characters. Something that beginners often do, and I did it as well, is to jump into a role play without first considering character development. They end up making things up as they go along, which is a very bad thing to do, and could almost constitute Godmoding. Because your character is your window into the world in which you are role playing, it is essential to have a good character to work with and you must do all of this before you even type one word.
Some RPs will give you guidelines on character creation that are specific to that game and it would be best if you followed those, since this is only a rough guide. It should be noted that this is how I create my characters. It is not, however, the only way to do so. There are plenty of other methods which work just as well, though the one detailed here is one which I have found to work best for me. You may wish to modify it to your own liking and that's just fine.
The first thing you should do is decide if you want to create a completely new character, use an old character, or even use another character that isn't your own. In the case of the third option, you should always, ALWAYS, ask the express permission of the owner of said character, and respect their right to refuse. It is, after all, their intellectual property.
You may be thinking it is easier to take an old character and then jump right in, but you'd be wrong. Old characters, in theory, should be well developed which means they're not adaptable to a situational RP. And always remember that old characters are old. I'm not saying don't use them, I'm saying that the same principles of character creation which I am going to teach you can also be used to polish the ancient ones in order to make them fit the appropriate role.
Let us now work under the assumption that you are creating a character from scratch. What you should do is make a character sheet. This can be a handy point of reference for both you and the other RPers and many RPs require that you submit one before joining. Even if they don't, it is best to make one for your own use.
There are guidelines to character sheets all over the place, some are specific to a type of Role play, like those of Dungeons and Dragons, and some are much more generic. Below is a generic character sheet with the points that are ESSENTIAL to a character.
Name:
Gender:
Age:
Species:
Appearance:
Personality:
Abilities and Traits:
History:
And here, a character sheet with more specific information that you may or may not need.
Name:
Nickname:
Gender:
Age:
Species:
Height:
Appearance:
Personality:
Clothing and Armour:
Weapons:
Magical Capabilities:
History:
As you can see, there are a few more categories to fill, but there are others I've left off there. Things like eye colour, hair colour/style, complexion and suchlike. These all fall into the description category and it is silly to break them up further. I will go through each of the categories listed and point out some details and give some examples.
NamePeople will say there is much in a name, but for me, the name is simply a title for convenience and nothing more. There are few guidelines for the name side of things, but you should pay attention nonetheless. The first thing to note is that the name must be pronounceable. This means that you must have a decent number of vowels. The other thing to note, is that if the name is too long or too hard to remember, other RPers may get annoyed.
Gender, Age and SpeciesAgain, there are only a few guidelines. The age and gender are pretty much up to you, but they should be in fitting with your character. If you are creating a Dragon that supposedly lives for thousands of years, you should take that into account, the same goes for gender.
Species is a little more complicated. You can either use a species that already exists, in which case you must pick one that is appropriate to the style of the RP and the character itself. If you're joining an RP set in space, don't create an anthropomorphic animal character. If the RP is set in the realistic past, don't go all stereotype and have a perfect knight in shining armour. Be real and use your common sense.
Appearance and PersonalityThese are perhaps the most important parts of your character. Not only what they look like so that others can picture him/her, but also what they're like, how they act and what they would do in any given situation. My personal opinion is that you should know your character like you know your close friends. You should be able to be in touch with your character enough to know what they would do, and then make them do it.
The description is important, not only for yourself, but for other RPers too. It should be detailed enough to give them a strong mental image, but it should also allow others to further interact with your character. Certain descriptive aspects give them an indication of how their character might react upon meeting yours. It is a good idea to spend some time, maybe half an hour, reading and re-reading other character descriptions to give yourself a good idea of what they're like. You should know them well enough to picture them, and a little of what they're like.
The more detailed the description, the more you can develop your character, and the easier other RPers will find it to interact with and include you into the role play.
Another mistake often made by beginners is to focus only on a character's physical description and ignore their personality. This is an awful mistake because a personality is essential for you to be able to accurately control your character. It is also far less interesting and dull when there is a character involved with no personality. Your character needs to be deep and detailed, you need to know them like a real person in order to make them realistic. Otherwise, you will find yourself with contradictions.
The easiest way of describing a character's physical attributes is to start from the head and work your way down. It is also a good idea to structure your description like you would a normal RP post, except with the focus on the character's attributes, rather than their actions. Treat it like any piece of creative writing. Vary your sentence structure and try to blend the personality with the description as you go.
So, you've read the character sheets for everyone else in the RP and now you want to make your own. Start with a physical description because the personality often forms during the phase.
Short and squat, Alice's light brown hair tumbles down in a mass of curls to her shoulders and brushes the collar of her crisp white shirt, framing her round face. Her pale green eyes are wide and staring, while her ruddy features make her appear dour.
Her posture is one of slumped and crooked spine. Aice keeps her head bent forward and her eyes downcast, a testament to her poor eye sight. She wears pearly round glasses that magnify her eyes and give them a clouded, inferior look while her bushy eyebrows and lashes are etched in close detail by the lenses.
The sleeves of her starched shirt end in chubby hands which make clumsy, halting movements born of her years of study at the college and her plain black skirt and stockings, with polished black shoes complete the all over plain look.
I started this description with very little idea of what I wanted Alice to be. I just picked a hair style and went from there, slowly developing a very basic idea of what she looks like and, thus, a little of her personality. Already we can tell from this that she is, or was a student at some point, is plain and rather sour and probably boring to most people.
This is where details count, because the more detail you put in the initial description, the more the personality emerges and the easier your future tasks will be. You can always go back and add finer points like a closer description of Alice's eyes, but for now, we'll work with this very simple idea.
Here is where I must point out the danger of a cliché character. There are so many stereotypes around that it is easy to fall into one. Things like the expert swordsman, the wise old mage and the the werewolf who does nothing but look badass all day long. I’m not saying they're bad, but they must be done very well if they're to stay away from the generic and bland character type that they so easily fit.
Back to Alice, we can already see parts of her personality emerge. From these little points, we can then begin to flesh out what she is really like and decide who she will ultimately become.
Abilities and TraitsA character's abilities and traits are skills that he or she has, and the things that set them apart from others. These can be merged with the description and personality stage, or they can be their own entity, but either way, a well defined set of abilities and traits can make or break a character.
Some mistakes in this phase are to give a trait to a character that just doesn't make sense. Your description is a good guideline to what your character is, and it is also a good way of fleshing out who your character is, so stick close to it. It makes sense that a knight can fight well with a sword, but it doesn't follow that he can do awesome ninja moves or that a pirate can track an animal through the jungle. It must make sense or you must give a reason for that ability that is better than "It sounds cool." You must also avoid adding abilities as they are 'needed' during an RP. Don't just say that your character can do something because that ability is needed, it makes the whole thing difficult to keep up with.
It also pays to research the abilities your character has or needs to give yourself an idea of how long it takes to acquire that skill set and what is actually required of them. You may also find alternative abilities that fit better with your character and, thus, you can make the whole thing more realistic.
An example would be a pirate character. Lets say he can fight fairly well with his cutlass, but he would have spent a good few years learning this skill, and he would need to practice on a regular basis in order to maintain it. It makes sense for him to be able to use that weapon, or even others that are similar. It does not make sense, however, for him to be able to pick up another weapon and use it effectively without having first been trained in its usage. Further to this, if your character is proficient in many types of weapon, they must then have devoted themselves to study in order to do so.
It is also important to strike a happy medium between physical weapons and magic but I will cover this in more detail later on. Just remember that everything requires some balance. If your character is too powerful, others will not enjoy RPing with you as you will likely dominate the whole plot and spoil it. Moderation is the key here.
Think of it like university (or college if you're on the other side of the world). You hava a major, the subject in which you devote yourself. It is your main skill and most often you will have only one; some will have two. Then, if you're that way inclined, you'll have your minor(s). Subjects in which you are devoted, but not quite to the extent of your major, and then you may have other subjects that fall at, or below the level of your minor. In this way, you have a select few skills with a few supporting skills and a few more minor skills in which your character may dabble.
Remember the old saying, "Jack of all trades, master of none."
Now, back to Alice. We can see from her description that she is short and fairly plump. This indicates that she is not a fighting character, she has no muscle or physical strength to her, so we can rule out any combat skills right away.
We also see that she has a curved spine, perhaps from bending over books too often with her bad eyesight, so she is a book worm, probably very smart and a bit of a social outcast, taking to books instead of people. Perhaps she even has an aversion to people, difficulty in communicating, so I'll give her a stutter.
Note that giving your character a disability isn't a bad thing, but it should be used sparingly because it makes for a difficult RP. If your character is deaf/mute, then interaction is limited. Try compensating with another sense, but not too much.
Being well read gives one quite a bit of knowledge. From this point, I could give Alice almost any ability that you can read about, but I'm going to go with moths. Her understanding of numbers and her quick learning would logically result in the ability to break codes, so maybe she works for a government, or even treasure hunters. I'll go with the latter because it makes for a more interesting character.
Already we can see abilities and traits emerging.
Abilities- Understanding of numbers and codes
- Pattern recognition
- Quick reader
Traits- Works for treasure hunters
- Very smart
- Social outcast
- Stutters
You can see now how, using her description and a few choices on my part, Alice has begun to emerge as a character with skills and traits that match her personality. Further to this, each of the traits and abilities we gave her matched each other, as well as Alice. The fledgling code breaker character is beginning to take shape. The more details you put into your description, the more you can develop your character and the more interesting he or she will be at the end of the road.
Now you can work your abilities and traits into your description to give other role players an idea of what your character is like.
HistoryHistory is important for several reasons, the foremost of which is that it explains why your character is the way he or she is. In the real world, the events that we experience influence the choices we make and the way we are shaped. Don't just say your character's backstory is unknown unless they've lost their memory and that is a hard character to play.
If the description is the meat, and the abilities are the salad items, then the history is the bun that completes the burger. It should tie everything together in a neat little package that you can box. It should explain everything about your character, why they say and do the things they do, how they got their abilities and the reasons behind their traits.
As with the description, when writing a history, it is best to go chronologically through their past and roughly outline some points, but detail those that are important in your character's development. Also, try to stay clear of the common stereotypes like orphaned at a young age by a tragic attack or whatever. It’s dull and unimaginative. Be creative with this part.
Alice had always been a reclusive child, from a very young age her family had seen that she did not interact with others often and even her brother found it difficult to include his younger sister in games and sports. She never said much, but many thoughts were hidden behind her liquid eyes.
Her father noticed early on that she rarely smiled, that her face was always set in the same pert and sour expression which so many of her peers found to be undesirable. She made no friends at school but kept her nose buried in the books that became her best friends, her teachers, her whole world.
Alice progressed through her childhood, becoming even more reclusive and silent. Often she would go for days, even weeks, without uttering a single word.
One night, she was late home after her day of study at the library. Her father began to worry and so went out to seek her. He found her standing and gazing at a wall upon which was scribbled some graffiti. When her father tried to pull her away, Alice shrugged him off, ignoring his protests and simply said that the seemingly random combination of letters was a code, an anagram.
Fostering her newly revealed talent, her father primed Alice in the art of codes and their various forms until she began seeing codes in everything around her. She wondered what each code meant.
Overheard while decoding a pattern of leaves on the pavement, Alice was confronted by a shady character, cloaked and cowled. Her instincts were to run, but logic overpowered the urge to act so foolishly. The man turned out to be a friend of her father's and a treasure hunter. The rest, as they say, is history.
Ok, not a great backstory, quite rushed and I'm tired, but its decent and detailed enough. In the process of writing that, I ruled out several options for Alice and picked some paths of development that would lead to the fateful meeting with the treasure hunter.
The backstory of any character will give an idea of what their perceptions of the world will be. Alice, who is so suited to the task, sees patterns and codes in everything around her, even if there seem to be none to see. This will affect how she interacts with characters, an important aspect of any RP.
And at the end of it all, you have a character. Not complete, but mature and in depth. The backstory adds another dimension to the character, gives him or her some grounding and a way to explain and to shape.
Putting the Puzzle TogetherA quick summery of the points I have covered.
Do:- Be generous on detail when writing a character’s description.
- Take time to research different aspects of a character.
- Be creative.
- Have reasons for giving characters certain abilities and traits.
- Be reasonable with the amount of abilities you give your characters.
- Write a backstory.
Don't:- Be generic with description
- Create a stereotypical character
- Leave out a character’s abilities for later. More often than not, you’ll end up creating them when the need arises, which is technically godmoding.
- Dismiss a backstory as unimportant.
Likes and DislikesThis should, without a doubt, be the last thing you do in the character creation process. It’s like the sesame seeds on top of the burger bun and, although it isn’t essential, it does add considerable dept to your character. Think about your own personality and your likes and dislikes. You’re complicated. You can’t sum up your personality in just a few points, so you’ve got to give it some filler.
It would take ages to create such a character for use in-game, but you can do your best to come close. Part of this is introducing their likes and dislikes. I’m not talking about their favorite dessert; I’m talking about their preference for things that will matter.
The first thing you should note before attempting this is that every like and dislike, as with everything else regarding your character, must make sense within the given framework. If your character has had a violent past, it is natural that they would hate violence or perhaps think that it is normal. The same principle applies for every other like or dislike you may wish to attribute to your character.
When making these lists, try re-reading your character’s description, personality and backstory. These three are what makes the character and from them, you can glean information that you have inadvertently created.
Let us do another example, shall we? We'll use the same example used before.
Short and squat, Alice's light brown hair tumbles down in a mass of curls to her shoulders and brushes the collar of her crisp white shirt, framing her round face. Her pale green eyes are wide and staring, while her ruddy features make her appear dour.
Her posture is one of slumped and crooked spine. Aice keeps her head bent forward and her eyes downcast, a testament to her poor eye sight. She wears pearly round glasses that magnify her eyes and give them a clouded, inferior look while her bushy eyebrows and lashes are etched in close detail by the lenses.
The sleeves of her starched shirt end in chubby hands which make clumsy, halting movements born of her years of study at the college and her plain black skirt and stockings, with polished black shoes complete the all over plain look.
Now here is the fun bit, because so much of this is open to your own interpretation. You can take things from this and reate elaborate notions about your character. Together, on three... 1 ... 2 ...
See the two parts I've bolded? Both give evidence to suggest that Alice likes cleanliness and dressing smartly. She may also, by extension, dislike those who appear unkempt. On the flipside, one could state that, due to her constantly smart state, Alice has grown to dislike such things.
So basically, you can do whatever you like as long as you link it in. A good rule of thumb is to have 3-5 major likes and dislikes respectively. These should, at a glance, sum up your character's main attributes. Don't forget to go through the other descriptions regarding your character to clean stuff from those as well.
DevelopmentCharacter development is one of the most important parts of a role play in that it allows a whole new dimension to be constructed based off experiences. If you just created a character and they didn’t change at all, they’d be somewhat bland and 2-dimensional. When you allow for the effects of events and the changing of their opinions and goals, then you have truly created something unique.
There are four main parts of character development.
1. Alignment
This is what dictates your character’s moral standing. If they’re evil, good, semi-good or misunderstood evil. Whatever you decide, it must, as always, but in keeping with the way your character is built. There is a lot of scope to be used in this instance since you can have any degree of alignment you wish depending on your character’s moral stance regarding certain things.
Let’s say you’ve created a knight character who follows a code of chivalry. But perhaps his past was less than honourable and he grew up thinking that petty theft was not a crime. There’s nothing in the code of chivalry about petty theft and unless someone in a position of authority explains it to be otherwise, the knight will continue to believe this. It doesn’t by any means make him bad, but you get a supposedly righteous character who pickpockets for extra money.
Notice how his belief is explained by his history. Another example of tying everything together in a nice neat burger-shaped package. Choose what fits your character and, if you’re not happy with the end result, go back and change something to make it fit. Never hesitate to edit your character any way you wish. After all, they are yours.
2. Goals and Intentions
This is the starting point and should technically be included in the creation process, but because it affects development so directly, I figured I’d put it here instead. You will need to figure out your character’s alignment and, with that in mind, decide on some goals for them within the context of the role play. Look at the setting and where your character fits into all of that and then have a think about what that character might want out of life in general.
If we use the example of the pick pocketing knight, his alignment is generally good and honourable, but he’s still a bit of a rat bag to those he steals from. His history indicates that he wasn’t given what we might call a ‘proper’ upbringing but he somehow managed to become a knight. Perhaps it is his goal to escape the shady past of his family, and to right the wrongs they did to the world. It may also them be a short-term goal of his to quite having sticky fingers.
Perhaps your character is a gambler and his or her goal would be to earn back their money or a child whose goals extend only to the next day when she wants to ride a horse. You don’t have to list them all, but at least have one or two long-term, and a few short term goals in your head and try to think about them while composing each post. Remember, your character is trying to achieve these goals and will be looking for opportunities to do so. You should be as well.
3. External Influence
This is a huge one and it may get wordy because I think it important to hammer home the point. Think back to one year ago in your life and think about what happened to you during that year and then think how those events you experienced and the people you met have changed you, even in the most subtle ways. Your character will be exactly the same.
Throughout the role play, your character will associate with other people’s characters. He or she will experience events and work through situations and each one will have an affect your character to some degree. It may only be minute and it really is up to you to decide how the effect changes your character, but there has to be something in order for growth to occur. In the same way that your past has shaped who you are, so your future will shape who you are going to be.
Don’t limit yourself to the typical affects, either. Make sure you think about this logically and decide which direction you should take. It should be both true to your character’s experience, as well as constructive to the plotline. (When I say constructive, I don’t mean that every effect should be positive. Quit a good proportion of effects should be negative since we change for the worse as well as the better.)
Perhaps your character experiences an ambush and loses one of his friends. Your character’s reaction could be utter grief. He could scream and cry, he could get angry and violent, he could be calm but sad, he could become cold and distant because he’s afraid of losing someone he cares about. This is a common effect, the reasoning being that, if he doesn’t let himself care about anyone, he won’t have to go through the pain of loss again.
It doesn’t even have to be a huge event. It could be something as small as a friend telling your character that they’re awesome. Perhaps your character lacks confidence and this would boost that confidence. Anything can happen when you’re playing with other people. Role plays aren’t like computer-generated games that have only a set number of responses to the actions you take. You are playing a real story and you can do what you like (within the rules of the RP) and so can those around you. They could try to kill you, be your friend, ignore you or fall in love with you. No matter what, always remember that events and people change who your character is.
4. Internal Influence
CONT.