For Those Having Trouble "Creating" your Character
This is a pretty long list of questions you can answer to help flesh out your character. Given you only need to answer the ones that apply to what you need help with, this can be used as a decent template for a character you plan on keeping for a while.
Character Chart
Character’s full name:
Character's Race:
Reason or meaning of name:
Character’s nickname:
Reason for nickname:
Birth date:
Physical appearance
Age:
How old does he/she appear:
Weight:
Height:
Body build:
Shape of face:
Eye color:
Eye Accessory:
Skin tone:
Distinguishing marks:
Predominant features:
Hair color:
Type of hair:
Hairstyle:
Voice:
Overall attractiveness:
Physical disabilities:
Usual fashion of dress:
Jewelry or accessories:
Personality
Good personality traits:
Bad personality traits:
Mood character is most often in:
Sense of humor:
Character’s greatest joy in life:
Character’s greatest fear:
Why?
What single event would most throw this character’s life into complete turmoil?
Character is most at ease when:
Most ill at ease when:
Enraged when:
Depressed or sad when:
Priorities:
Life philosophy:
If granted one wish, it would be:
Why?
Character’s soft spot:
Is this soft spot obvious to others?
Greatest strength:
Greatest vulnerability or weakness:
Biggest regret:
Minor regret:
Biggest accomplishment:
Minor accomplishment:
Past failures he/she would be embarrassed to have people know about:
Why?
Character’s darkest secret:
Does anyone else know?
Goals
Drives and motivations:
Immediate goals:
Long term goals:
How the character plans to accomplish these goals:
How other characters will be affected:
Past
Hometown:
Type of childhood:
Pets:
First memory:
Most important childhood memory:
Why:
Childhood hero:
Has your character ever been arrested? What for?
Has your character ever crossed anyone?
Does your character have any enemies?
What are your character’s goals in life?
Where did your character learn or train their skills?
Present
Current location:
Currently living with:
Pets:
Occupation:
Finances:
Family
Mother:
Relationship with her:
Father:
Relationship with him:
Siblings:
Relationship with them:
Spouse:
Relationship with him/her:
Children:
Relationship with them:
Other important family members:
Are your parents still alive?
If one or both of your parents are dead when and how did they die?
Who raised you after your parents died?
Do you have any siblings? Have any of them died?
If any siblings have died how did they die?
What do your siblings do?
Favorites
Color:
Least favorite color:
Music:
Food:
Literature:
Form of entertainment:
Expressions:
Mode of transportation:
Most prized possession:
Habits
Hobbies:
Plays a musical instrument?
How he/she would spend a rainy day:
Spending habits:
Smokes:
Drinks:
Other drugs:
What does he/she do too much of?
What does he/she do too little of?
Extremely skilled at:
Extremely unskilled at:
Nervous tics:
Usual body posture:
Mannerisms:
Peculiarities:
Traits
Optimist or pessimist?
Introvert or extrovert?
Daredevil or cautious?
Logical or emotional?
Disorderly and messy or methodical and neat?
Prefers working or relaxing?
Confident or unsure of himself/herself?
Animal lover?
Self-perception
How he/she feels about himself/herself:
One word the character would use to describe self:
One paragraph description of how the character would describe self:
What does the character consider his/her best personality trait?
What does the character consider his/her worst personality trait?
What does the character consider his/her best physical characteristic?
What does the character consider his/her worst physical characteristic?
How does the character think others perceive him/her:
What would the character most like to change about himself/herself:
Relationships with others
Opinion of other people in general:
Does the character hide his/her true opinions and emotions from others?
Person character most hates:
Best friend(s):
Love interest(s):
Person character goes to for advice:
Person character feels responsible for or takes care of:
Person character feels shy or awkward around:
Person character openly admires:
Person character secretly admires:
Most important person in character’s life before story starts:
Personal Life
How old is your character?
Is your character married?
Does your character have children?
Does your character have any heroes or inspirational figures?
Does your character have any significant personal items?
Is your character religious?
What is your character’s view on magic?
Is your character guided by a prophecy?
How important is the accumulation of wealth?
If your character died tomorrow what would they be remembered for?
Role in Society
What social class is your character from?
How has their upbringing affected their world view?
How did your character get started in their chosen class?
Has your character ever served in the military?
Edited to include ravensaurus's additional questions.
Posted May 23, 2014, 8:08 PM UTC · edited
Nice. Darkest secret is key. Whenever I ask for new characters, I require them to have a "dark secret." Doesn't necessarily have to be "dark"—it just has to be something that they wouldn't volunteer or discuss, even to close companions. It helps create a multidimensional character, and when I finally weave it into the plot they're generally blown away.
I magically darken my hair.
Jim? Of the New Hampshire Dark Magic's?
Doves. Everywhere.
I agree. Generally not many players flesh out their characters this much, and its not a bad thing, but I like my characters to have a lot of depth, I kinda connect with my character in a way. It also helps give your character some dimension, like you said.
It can be difficult because so many classes lend themselves to one-dimensional characters. Oh you're a paladin who fights for justice? An ardent defender of the impoverished? With a strict moral code you never waver from? And you're telling me you've never murdered anyone? Ever? Yawn. And don't forget the pious cleric, the flippant rougue, the stupid barbarian.
Of course, part of the burden is on me as the DM. If I don't want one-dimensional players, that means I shouldn't overly support one-dimensional play. If someone wants to max/min, that's fine. But if someone wants to develop a non-traditional skillset (e.g., the barbarian wants to learn how to read), I should reward their decisions as well.
Which, TBH, paladins, and clerics, they don't need to be so one dimensional. Paladins may have to be lawful good, but it doesn't mean that they aren't having some inner conflict that could affect how they behave. However, it does tend to be easy to just do the flat 1-d characters.
Also, as I always say, "Lawful Good doesn't mean Lawful Nice."
I'm not currently playing a paladin (druid), but my character is ardently opposed to killing. I was captured by a magic-controlling government agency for assaulting poachers and loggers in the Pacific northwest and forced to work for em. One of reasons they caught me is that eye-witness accounts of the "Redwoods Wildman" leave enough evidence to track me down. I always left my targets alive due to the shame and guilt of accidentally killing one early in my career as an ecoterrorist.
It makes the increasingly probing questions from my fellow players lead to much better roleplaying as I try to hide the truth.