Need Help with Character Development

[benjonson]

Hey folks,

I am new here and really getting into the roleplaying part of the game. I am having a blast creating stories and building up my character, but I could use some advice from those who've been around longer.

How do you make your characters feel real and interesting? I'm struggling a bit with giving mine depth and personality. A

Also, as my character goes through different experiences, how do I make sure they grow and change in a believable way? I want their journey to feel natural and engaging.
I also check this: Reminder about what your character knows and feemendix

Any help or stories from your own experiences would be awesome.

Thanks a bunch!

[Kavrick]

Generally when I go in to make a character, they're more or less a blank slate. I will think of things like their general disposition towards things and their background to shape who they are, but only to a vague degree. From then, whenever a decision comes up, whatever I decide at that time will shape who that character is, and in the future I'll attempt to make similar decisions to keep the character consistent.

I think making a 'believable' character is rather easy, but making an 'interesting' character is an entirely different kettle of fish. Weirdly enough, sometimes just sitting down and having an in depth discussion ICly helps a lot with figuring out your own character. I think having nuanced opinions that are further than just 'I like x', 'I dislike y' is what will actually make a character immersive and interesting.

A good way to decide how your character will change is to ask yourself a few questions about said character:

- Are they dogmatic? Will opposing opinions make them more likely to double-down on how they were raised or are they more likely to potentially be open to new experiences?

- What do they think about magic? Fear? Curiosity? Superstition?

- How do they view different races? Are elves all untrustworthy thieves? Are dwarves anything more than a slave race to your character?

- If they belong to a city state, are they patriotic? Are they likely to reply 'All lives for the High Lord' to a templar?

These questions may seem shallow at first, but the answers to these questions not only give you direct answers to how your character would react in related situations, but it should tell you something about their personality.

Finally, and this is probably my biggest piece of advice. Always ask 'why?' to your own actions, your characters motivations are the most important thing to shaping them as a person. Sorry for this wall of text, roleplay and character development are probably my favorite things about these games, if you have any questions, feel free to ask!

[bracken]

I concentrate on two things, most times.

First, their early life and the nature of their relationship with their "family" and authority figures, eg an old girl of mine had been dominated all her life by family, partner and children. One day she up and left Tuluk and the whole damned lot, and lived as an eccentric near Luirs. Her crankiness defined her, and it sprung from her past. Her future would be controlled by outside events (She was Arena'd, in which crankiness was a factor alas).
Second, the event, or circumstance that bring them to the Gaj that particular day. From there on, I let their daily life shape them.

[eska]

This is my recipe for creating a new character:

• Decide on what race, class and subclass I want to play,
• What profession my PC will pursue: like hunter, mercenary, soldier, merchant, crafter etc.
• Where his/her family hails from and where he/she is currently residing. For example, his/her family is from Allanak and he/she lives in the Labyrinth, or from a farming village of Allanak and lives in Allanak.
• His/her personality, beliefs, ideals, thoughts and general attitude towards other races/city states/magickers etc.
• Create a background. Start with the family: Father, Mother, siblings. What did they do in my PC's early years, where are they now, what are they doing now etc.
• Read the racial, class and clan documentation to add crucial elements as well. If you want to play and elven pickpocket that lives in the Labyrinth, I suggest you to read: Labyrinth, Labyrinth Details, Labyrinth Clans, City Elf, City Elf Roleplay, Pickpocket and Thieve's Bible helpfiles.

Once you create your PC and start playing, the events you live through will solidify the personality of your PC.

[Halaster]

Everything suggested here is great so far!

My approach has always been to flesh out a basic personality:
  some general likes and dislikes
  what motivates them or inspires them
  what drags them down or de-motivates them
  what was their upbringing and how did it shape their personality
  maybe a few phrases or manners of speech they might use

From there I kinda wing it.  I develop their personality as I go.  For example, maybe I'm in a situation where someone offers my character a certain type of food.  I make a quick, split decision "have they tried this before?  If not, do they like or dislike it?", and then go with something in the spur of the moment.  Then I write it down in a file for the character:  "finds raptor meat disgusting"

Do that for just a little while and the next thing you know you have a character that is believable.

[Lizzie]

For a first character I'd keep it VERY simple. You don't want to sink dozens of hours into the prep-work of a character, and then play for a day and get killed by a scrab.

Things to prep on, when you want to keep it simple:

Parents names, if known.
If not known, names of whoever raised you, and conditions surrounding the fact that your parents weren't those people.
Known siblings - are any still alive? Are you in touch with them (off-camera, usually - they'd be virtual for a first character).
What has your character's life consisted of, from earliest memory until "today" (today being - the first moment you log into the game with your character).
What one-line description would express your character's general goals?

Example of all the above so you can see how to fit it all into a short paragraph:

Amos was brought up by a band of desert traders after losing his parents to gith. He was positioned in Allanak, always with one of the traders, to learn the art of negotiations with the city folks. He has no other family that he knows of but considers the trade band to be his aunts, uncles, and cousins. Most now dead from dangerous travels and raids, he now sets out to make his way in the world without relying on the ragged remnants of his old crew.

[papertiger]

I typically come up with a major flaw to start. Usually these end up being some type of overzealousness toward something-or-other, even if its not something anyone else would care about. Playing some kind of extreme even as a character than is conservative or "normal" is fun. I also like to pick up quirks that specifically engage with pieces of the lore (true or false beliefs about the templars, magic, kruth) and just weird humanizing things (always cold hands, food preferences, tressy tresses). I dont always think of these right away, but usually pretty quick (in the first week or so). As the others have said, I define an overarching drive (the desire for belonging, status, success, or even just subsisting) and develop a web of motivations, some conflicting, over time. Inner turmoil is helpful for character development. Maybe your character won't ever admit to their turmoil, but they may act according to it. And you can always think strange thoughts in a crowded bar... heh. Good luck ♡

[RheaGhe]

I use a system I call cue card construction.

I decide on an inspiration, normally a solid character or characters to basis my depiction on. It could be pro-wrestlers. And then...

I have a set of cue cards in my head, these are 3 word tropes basically. Of various character archetypes. In various catagories.

I draw five and discard all but one.

And the repeat the process.

Normally my initial character sketch ends up looking something like this.


Inspiration: Graverobbing Batman/Indiana Jones

Motivation: For the money... Nah.

Nature: Thrill seeking daredevil

Oddity: Uses a whip. Corollary: Doesn't know how.

Appearance: Generic Mister Biz.

Family Life: Less than Tragic

From there I expand on each of these cue cards. And work each of these things into a background and try to strive to characterize them in a way that refines them beyond their initial concept.