~Creating Characters~

[Housemaster]

~How to Create a Character~

It's hard to imagine your favourite story without its characters. Imagine Star Wars without Han Solo, Hitchhiker's Guide without Marvin, Game of Thrones without Tyrion... etc, etc. They're important, and I'm sure you don't need me whipping out metaphor after metaphor to express it. Seeing how they're so important to any plot, how should you go about making one? What's the magical recipe? If a tree falls down and no one's there to hear it, is it a prime location for a Nickelback concert?

~Brainstorming~

Alright, so you're thinking of joining an RP and thus wonder what kind of character you want to make. Here are some tips in thinking up some basic ideas!

"What kind of RP is it?"
This should be a very "duh" kind of question. If the roleplay you're joining is a comedic one, perhaps the orphaned child who grows up into the vengeful and destined warrior isn't the best fit. Knowing the plot and knowing where the GM wants to take the RP can help you on your quest in creating the great character that RP deserves!

"Does the RP require a certain type of character?"
The RP that's gotten your interest happens to be a fantasy RP. We have three possible classes - Warrior, Archer, and Mage. So far everyone has picked warrior, and a one other mage. It does a great deal of justice to the RP to utilize all of the GM's stock. Character variety doesn't only help the GM, but it helps the the story branch out in more colourful sparkling moments which cannot be possible with seven clones of the same character.

"What is the situation?"
So, we have an RP... there's most likely going to be some sort of plot, and where there's a plot there's a situation. So, what's the situation? Are we trapped in a room filled with nibbling mice? Are we travellers heading en route to a lost temple? Rugged soldiers fighting a never ending war? Silly men wearing false-moustaches robbing a supermarket? Your character needs to fit the situation, regardless as how fun it'll be to RP as an suicidal wolf-hybrid who murders for a specific batch of strawberry cupcakes if the story is in fact about a office employees solving an water cooler mystery.

"Are there any characters willing to work with mine?"
Sometimes we can work with other members to weave interesting, and often times fun, character webs. Character interactions are key to any RP, and if you've got someone who is willing to bounce back ideas of possible interactions, it'll help you sculpt your character to a much finer fit to the Roleplay, chiselled abs n' all.

"Habba dab herp bo?"
You are drunk... go home!

~Making the Character Sheet~

This is basically your resume to the GM to show you're not a complete brain-dead wanker. Character sheets range from all sorts of different kinds of variations, but they all follow somewhat of a structure. Hopefully the RP you're interested contains adequate information on what each section of their Character Sheet requires... which will send you off in the right direction!

To make this as educational as possible, lets throw down some simple RPs so you can see what I mean by variation.

Spoiler: Fantasy Exmaple 

-A Fantastic Fantasy-

Plot: It was to be a clash of Empires. Four kingdoms, each complete with grand halls and wondrous culture have fallen into the terrible ire of war. Darius XI, King of the Arian Empire with its golden market cities that border the high sands of the Duna Desert - their people well versed in the technological era which swept across the cities. Elea Soo, Empress of the rich mountainous country of Quai, lush with jungles of bamboo and a energetic people - the country hosts an array of magical creatures. Bejo Fransa, the 'High Tem' of the religious lands of Rulgia steeped in tradition and touching the most eastern shore of the ocean, famous for its college of magic.. Haladin Struma'thro, the warrior King of the northern empire of frozen stone and metal, found across mountains and brushing against lowland tundras.

A claim has been put forth in ownership of the continent, a claim which immediately became contested by all four rulers. How will politics and battle shape the future of these kingdoms? Only time will tell.

*I'll be updating this list with more tips as time goes on*

Feel free to ask any questions or ask for help in making your character!

[Wattz]

I have a question, if I may!

How do you approach the dialog of your characters? I have this problem where I get stuck in a loop of making my characters have similar-sounding dialog when they have vaguely similar personalities, or if I'm at a loss for how to make a character speak. I've noticed that your characters have very unique dialog, so I was wondering if you had any tips for practicing linguistic variety. Thanks a bunch! If the question is poorly phrased I'll try to find a better way to describe what I'm trying to get at .

[Housemaster]

I have a question, if I may!

How do you approach the dialog of your characters? I have this problem where I get stuck in a loop of making my characters have similar-sounding dialog when they have vaguely similar personalities, or if I'm at a loss for how to make a character speak. I've noticed that your characters have very unique dialog, so I was wondering if you had any tips for practicing linguistic variety. Thanks a bunch! If the question is poorly phrased I'll try to find a better way to describe what I'm trying to get at .

Exuberant question!

Dialogue, for characters who use it, is the most common way of presenting their personality to others. Getting it right is important if you want to properly display your character's thoughts.

"What's your character's persona?"
Knowing your character is key to finding suitable dialogue. Is your character cheerful? Pessimistic? Wrathful? Deceiving? Traits like these can be used to your advantage while coming up with talky-words. A useful example would be to imagine your character in everyday situations - like grocery shopping or getting rejected at a job interview...

Sandor the Warrior goes shopping:
"So you say my coupons are expired? Is any ounce of your being clueing in to whom you are speaking with, to whom you're accusing of having dated discount certificates? Lets make this perfectly clear... either I pay the price this coupon advertises, or your business experiences misfortune. The Stallion is not to be trifled with."

Iggy Starchewer at a Job Interview:
"Ya wonderin' bout my work 'istory eh? Can't imagine why you be needin' that... s'not like bein' a supply-boy who unloads them lorries requires a historical account of my bein'.... What you goin' on about? What police record? Look, them pigs ain't have no business muckin' through my apartment! Ain't no fault of mine they found my cricket bat hurlin' towards their faces! Drugs? What drugs? Oh... those drugs? Yea, I've got some in me pockets, wanna have a go?"

Hu'natu lost in a shopping mall:
"Hooh! Ummm, pardon me... Oof! Apppppoooologies young cre- oh? Well I ammm aw-fully sorry. Hmmm why yesssss, I do love nnnnnature! P-pardons? Sssssscented soaps? Nnnno thanks... I am quite mmmmm alriiiight... What is this 'mmmmoney' you fleshlings keep mmmmumbling and tumbling about?"

Audibly imagining your character's dialogue helps tremendously! It helps you find words and form sentences that feel unique to the character's personality.

"Is your character inspired by others?"

Lets face it: Original Characters Don't Exist Anymore. I'm not sure why I capitalized those letters, but that's besides the point. Every character has been done time and time again, so the originality does not come from the character's identity, HOWEVER, originality does comes from how we take old character ideas and present them in a new way to a new audience. If you made a character chances are you got some inspiration from other sources. You can use those sources to your advantage, draw from previous dialogue, take what you think works and incorporate it into something you're comfortable with.

I've based my dialogue for Thornberry Jack off numerous detective novels, including Sherlock Holmes. Adding my own twist of silliness, I mixed it to form a workable blend of intelligence and madness.

Thornberry Jack jumping the line:
"Pardon me madam... Oh? Why I'm simply diverting a devastating chain of events and altering our timeline! Of course I'm not on drugs, quite funny you should mention those because the alternate timeline I've just prevented was heavily involved in drugs - nasty ones too. No madam, that smell is simply all the ice cream I've been eating, helps me prevent these things you know! For your benefit and my own! Here's my card should you ever need to find your missing pottery... oh course I knew about them, I'm a professional! Now, now... no need to alert the authorities..."


Hope this helps!

[Wattz]

Delightful! Thank you so much, this is super helpful. Plus the dialog examples gave me a good chuckle

[Soundless Voice]

I have a quick question.

Normally, when I enter a new roleplay, I recycle my characters and edit them to fit the roleplay's scenario. Some need a high amount of editing, like making them human if they're not while keeping the common traits, but it usually worked out fine.
The only reason I do this is because I have a lot of OCs I have made in the past, so I find it hard to make new ones, mainly character names and stuff.

Would that typically be accepted here?

[Elizabeth16]

I would say yes, as long as the characters fit each role play as needed. There is nothing wrong with reusing characters, especially if it is what you are most comfortable with! I personally would rather see a well-developed, well played character that is re-used/re-modeled for multiple RPs than 5 mostly weak and non-remarkable characters. No problem with it, it my opinion.

[GreyStoryteller]

I would say yes, as long as the characters fit each role play as needed. There is nothing wrong with reusing characters, especially if it is what you are most comfortable with! I personally would rather see a well-developed, well played character that is re-used/re-modeled for multiple RPs than 5 mostly weak and non-remarkable characters. No problem with it, it my opinion.

^ Well that is good to know, as otherwise my most developed character would not see use.

To my own question, as it is a concern I have had both as a GM and a Player, should not the power of a character be based on setting and for curtsy sake be kept balanced with the other characters a part of the roleplay?

As a GM, how should I explain that a character has wonky or uncertain balance/power to my player and way?
As a player, if the GM has not made it fully clear, should I consider what powers or abilities my character should have if any?

[G]

Grey - you're absolutely right, what you're talking about is referred to as a OP or overpowered character, and is generally frowned upon in rp ettiquette. When creating a character, or revamping one for a roleplay, you should always take into consideration how your character compares with the rest of the cast. It's a lot more fun, and allows for much more character development when you give your char. some flaws or undesirable traits; let's face it, no-one is perfect or all-powerful, so why should you character be?

In the latter scenario, (where you are the player) a good rule of thumb is always; if in doubt, ask! If you're not sure whether powers/abilities are fitting for a particular rp, just pose the question to the GM; most good GM's encourage questions, and will be happy to help you create the best possible character for their rp.

As for GM'ing yourself, there's absolutely nothing wrong with letting a player know that aspects of their character are overpowered, or unsuitable for your rp. Just be respectful, and constructive in your criticism. Of course you're not going to say 'well that's just crap, not welcome here!' But let them know that changes are necessary, and perhaps give examples or suggestions on how they could edit their character to better suit the roleplay.

Hope that helps!