Post by ☾☾ Aniu ☾☾ on Apr 16, 2015 4:23:48 GMT
Aspects of Personality
Self-Perception: Their self-esteem, perspective on themselves, and how much impact that has on their interactions with other characters. This is an important aspect of character development that is sometimes neglected. If a character is snarky, this section seeks to explain what (if any) internal motivations cause this trait to arise.
Presentation and Interaction: How the character presents him or herself to others is important. Their “presentation” describes how they try to act toward others. Some characters may revel in being a jerk; others would never dream of offending a fly. Thinking about how your character presents themselves to others is a good way to get a head start on personality.
History
The character’s past and history, from birth to the present day. You don’t need to detail every single second, of course! It may help you to write a list format of your history. Flesh it out with further detail, if you wish, or simply leave it in a list format (they are easy to digest, after all).
Aspects of History
Family: Think about the relationships between your character and family members. It’s super easy to write something like, “When so and so was twelve, his parents died and he was orphaned.” This character, naturally an only child, survives completely on his own and his history makes no reference to any other people or influences or friends or anything. Do you know anyone like that? Probably not, huh? Good or bad, relationships with others are an important part of writing a character history.
Historical Shaping: Think about how the history has shaped the personality. This is to make sure your personality and history match. You don’t want a baddie with unexplained random violence (if you already took care of that in the personality, good!).
Appearance
The way the character looks. This part of the character profile is generally easy and fun! If you’re having trouble, try to look up your character’s species, race, etc. if it exists in reality. You can use a photograph to get yourself started. Alternatively, you can try searching artwork of your creature. Refer closely to your role-play’s guidelines regarding appearance realism.
Aspects of Appearance
Verbalization and Body Language: How they speak and what kind of body language they use. Verbalization may help others imagine your character’s voice, while body language may emphasize the personality. Make sure your body language and personality match — a confident person generally wouldn’t cringe, while a timid person would not stand legs splayed, hands on hips in the face of a threat.
Beginner’s Mistakes
One beginner’s mistake I’ve seen over and over again is too much focus on history and appearance. Novice players rely on using a unique history or appearance to set their characters apart. It’s understandable — these are the easiest ways to make your character stand out, after all. Personality, however, is what really gives characters playability and longevity. The right personality, too, can make your character way more unique than history or appearance.
Realism
Remember that your game’s level of realism and what’s acceptable in-game will be different from any other RPG. Make sure you thoroughly read your game’s rules and information. Adjust your created character accordingly — and if you aren’t sure, ask before you assume.