Planning A Character

This guide is intended to give you a place to start, and break down character creation into layers. Making a character is one of the most fun parts of roleplaying, but it can also be a little daunting if you're unfamiliar with a good method to follow. If you're a new player, you don't need to feel obligated to know everything and go in-depth as you make your first character. If you just want to dive in, stick with the Basics. Later, if you like, you can always add more details, such as those in the Expanded section.

Think of the whole process like a swimming pool; it's more fun when filled up, but if you're just starting out, you might want to avoid the deep end. And sometimes, it's more fun to splash around a little first.

Starting Points

Molding Around Gameplay Desires

One of the most common starting points is deciding, for example, what race you want to be, or what general class theme you want to play. Maybe you like magic and want to be a mage; perhaps you want to help others as a curate. It might be the case you just want to punch people. There's nothing wrong with making that decision first, and it can often help you come up with facets to fill in later, such as 'where did they learn to do this?' or 'why do they prefer this?'.

Playbys

Also known as 'faceclaims'. Basically, a character from another piece of media that you can use as the basis for your character concept/appearance. This can also be a helpful starting place, but can be decided later just as easily. Note that basing your entire character on another this way is against the character creation rules. So, while you are allowed to have your character's 'playby' as Goku, and make them look like Goku, you are going to run into trouble if you also name them Goku and start firing Kamehamehas.

Basics

This is the most simple and straight-forward of character details. If you're new to roleplaying, you don't need to go beyond this, unless you want to flesh out your character more. It covers the essentials;

1. Appearance - What someone who's looking at you will see.
2. Disposition - How your character might act when speaking with others.
3. Background - Answers to 'small talk' questions that they might get asked.

Let's take a simple example sheet;

Character Sheet

Name	Thalon Minsz
Gender	Male
Race	Kaelensia (Lupine)
Physical Details	6'1", 120 lbs, Blonde Hair, Green Eyes
Job	Mercenary
Disposition	Friendly
Simple Background	Born in Telegrad, Thalon was sick of the farming life and left for Meiaquar. He became a mercenary in hopes of exciting adventures and good fights. He likes to fight with clubs.

As you can see, we now have a character.

Disposition relates to their personality; how does this character react to others? In Thalon's case, he's a friendly guy. He likes to talk to people and might be nice to them. Some other examples would be 'shy' for characters who might also be nice, but have trouble approaching others. A 'rude' character might also be social, but kind of a jerk. Simple Background and Job gave Thalon a place of birth, what he does, and why he does it, all things someone might ask him about.

One word of caution is that playing characters who are 'loners' makes it difficult to break into RP with others. It may create a reliance on others to approach you, which isn't always common, and you may feel hesitant to be the one to engage people first because 'my character is a loner so it feels wrong'. You are still welcome to do so, of course, if you desire.

Expanded Details

When you get more used to roleplaying, or if you simply want to flesh out your character more, it's all about asking questions of them, and coming up with answers. Not only does it help you define your character, but it can help guide you towards IC goals. Using Thalon, let's add some extra details;

Character Sheet

Likes	Cats, Drinking
Dislikes	Being told what to do, hot weather
Morality	Good-leaning, but pragmatic.
Trade Skills & Education	Literate. Knows a thing or two about farming (but hates to do it).
Goals	1) Earn enough money to buy a mansion. 2) Become the most popular and feared fighter around.
Expanded Background	A lettered man who wants to forget his mundane past and believes he's destined for great things. He has always been envious of the rich nobles who looked down on him, even if he hates them.

We've also given him a set of simple goals. Goals are a very useful thing to consider when making your character, for a few reasons.

1. Goals can give your character motivation to put themself in situations they might not otherwise enter.
2. They can serve as a guide if you find yourself in an idle spot and unsure of what to do next.

For example, Thalon's pursuit of money might give him reason to jump into a dangerous situation if the reward is good enough. Or, it might allow him to be tempted by another character's promise of wealth into doing something he might find morally questionable.

Hooks

A 'hook' is something about your character that others can latch onto. They are by no means mandatory, but can be very helpful in generating RP around you, as others who are interested in RPing with you will have reasons to do so. There's nothing wrong with someone just being friendly, walking up and saying hello, of course. But more options can lead to more interaction.

In general, a hook becomes more effective with greater exposure. This might mean putting the hook in your profile, so it's seen when others examine you, or hanging up posters, and so on. Let's come up with a couple of hooks for Thalon - this should be pretty easy, given his occupation.

Character Sheet

Profile Hook	A keen eye might notice the trio of rainbow colored feathers hanging from his belt. Some might recognize these as belonging to a certain bird youkai...
Posting Hook	A poster hangs on the notice board for all to see. THALON MINSZ Reliability for a reliable price. I've been a soldier for the past ten years, and I'm not afraid of getting my hands dirty. If you need something done, I'm your man, and my rates are modest. Send a letter, or find me in Meiaquar.

Here, our poster has left the door open for almost anyone to interact with Thalon for any reason. You don't get much more efficient than that. As for the feathers that belong to a certain youkai, it might lead to some interactions with other characters who are summoners, should they take notice and bring it up.