Abspell's Amazing Character Creation Guide [part 1]

How to Create an Amazing Character
-The Zibyl Edition-

Created by Abspell (Zibyl).

intro

So, you've just joined this awesome role-playing
site. Maybe your friend pulled you into it, you
got sucked in from some other site, or you just
happened along it by chance. Whatever the
modus operandi was, you're here. Congrats.
But wait, before you can begin to RP, you
need something called -and maybe I'm
pronouncing this wrong- a carrac-tuhr.
Sounds interesting.

But while you could randomly throw
together something without looking, and
then hope it turns out okay, do you really
want that? There is a harsh and realistic
different between a passable character,
and an amazing one.

This guide is for both newbies who have no
idea what to do, and old-timers who may
want to improve their charas. Whatever
your reason, I hope you'll enjoy this simple
guide.


chapter 1: baby steps

I've been asked before as to how exactly
one should start making a character. There
really is no one true way to going about
this, so I'll use the ultimate my method
as the example.

While you may be tempted to choose a name
for your character right away, I'm going to
shatter your dreams with a big,
fat, ugly NO.

Names are very important. They may
give a general idea of who we are, how
we act, or what the hell our parents were
thinking. Don't name your character until
you have a general idea of how they behave,
what they look like, etc etc etc.

If you're a real stickler, like me, you might
look up various names and their meanings
on your spazzy friend, the interwebs.
[see links]

Back to the character process. Usually I
start by creating an image of the character's
appearance in my head. General hair and
eye color, posture, height: nothing particular.

If you're an artist like me, then you might
choose to draw the character in your head.
However, since I'm just randomly guessing
that none of you are artists, you have two
one option. You can search the webs
for a picture that instantly makes you
think it's a dead ringer for the chara in
your head*. Or you can take pity on
starving artists and commission Abspell to
draw your chara for you.

Here's the example pic I chose: [X]

Hmm. Let's see... she looks a little shy, and the book
makes me think she's an avid reader. Something tells
me the name Bernice would fit her, since it seems like
a name a quiet girl would have.

Welcome to the world, Bernice!

Bernice: . . .

Now, how can I make Bernice even better? I
could just stop here... but wait! I must push to
make Bernice the best character ever! Hmm...
what should I do?


[ * - of course, good luck finding an exact match. You'll
probably have to compromise ]


chapter 2: cheez whiz adds...personality, personality

The personality is probably the most crucial
piece of your character's puzzle. Personality
defines how your character acts, how they
interact with people and/or objects, and how
they approach challenges.

To do this, you may need a couple minutes to
sit down with your character. Are they a winner,
or a loser? Athletic, or a couch potato? Love books,
or hate books? Simple stuff like this makes up the
building blocks of a personality.

Now for Bernice. Hmm. I'd say she's quiet and
introspective, and usually solves problems with a
cool head. She's an avid bookworm too, but she
also loves rollerblading.

You may also want to think of your character's
favorite things too. For example, I'm going to
say that Bernice's favorite color is turquoise,
while her favorite food is Caesar salad. Your
character's choices will often affect their decisions.

Bernice: . . . -reads novel-


chapter 3: to shoot, or not to shoot

In many roleplaying sites, your character may have
the choice to become some sort of fighter and
wield a weapon.

Choosing a weapon is more complicated than
you think. You always need to keep your character
in mind while choosing a weapon. Firstly, and most
important, is whether or not they're a pacifist and
to what degree. An extreme pacifist will usually,
if not always, choose to run over to fight.

Don't forget practicality either. While Cloud may
be able to lift a massive sword over his head
without destroying every muscle is his arm
the rest of us have to make-do with reality. A
petite little girl will not be able to lift a claymore
over her head, and a massive beefy guy is not
suited for throwing knives. Ever. Think about
which weapon would suit your character best.

Next is whether your character fights close- or
long-range. Close range fighters are a group
composed of martial artists, people who fight
with daggers or the sort, or perhaps people
who have powers or abilities that requires
contact. The disadvantage of close-range
fighters is that they can't attack well from far
away, they may be useless with a long-range
weapon in hand, and they need to end a fight
quickly to avoid injury.

Long-range fighters are a different sort. They're
the ones that use guns, swords, arrows, cross-
bows, and/or spears. Long-range fighters can
also be people with powers or magic that
works better from a distance. Commonly summoning
if the 'universe' allows it, or most forms of magic.
An advantage to long-range weapons is that,
to put it simply, they have a long-range and can
injure people from a distance. However, this
is also a disadvantage as long-range weapons
are useless at close-range.

Of course, you may be tempted to make your
character both a long- and close-range fighter.
Don't. This is so overplayed it hurts. A good
character has weaknesses, and it's easy to do
this if your character is one or the other, not both.

On every other occasion, Bernice is a pacifist. But
let's skew reality for a moment and make her a
fighter. I'm going to make her a gunner, so she's
a long-range fighter. While she has mobility,
sneakiness, and power on her side,
she's also useless in close-combat, has
an unpredictable weapon, and said weapon
needs to be reloaded after a certain number
of shots.

See how it works?

Bernice: -_-;



[TBC]