AD&D Character Considerations
Someone looks at your character. What do they see? This something that many players tend to overlook in designing their characters. Back to the fantasy novels. In fiction, hundreds of faceless extras trudge grayly through dusty streets and crystal palaces alike. That's not you. Think instead about the characters that strike you. Features described intricately, styles of clothing intricately linked to role, mannerisms that leave their mark on the memory. That's your place. Remember that awful cough of Rastlin? That's what we're after here.
Some things to consider:
1. Your height, weight, and build. This could be important for anything from passing as another person to fitting into their armor after they've fallen.
2. Your Hair and Eye color, and your skin tone. A pallid mage might sunburn heavily in the desert day. The unshaven thug across from a half-orc at the card table might lose confidence when he notices the subtle glint of red lurking ancestrally in his eyes.
3. Facial features. This is something that is often completely forgotten.
Ever played one of those computer games where the only thing you could alter between character portraits was clothing color? The PC's shouldn't be a squadron of lantern-jawed clones differentiable only because of their varying haircuts. The more detail you can go into here, the better. It's very important. Imagine your character looking into a mirror. What's there. Visualize it. Could you describe your character's face to an artist, and end up with an accurate illustration? Try thinking about it in those terms. "No, the face is a little more heart-shaped." "Her eyes are very bright...and maybe kind of almond-shaped." "His face around his mouth is very fleshy and expressive." Once you have a very specific picture in your head, let it simmer down to the essential features and describe it to others that way.
4. Hair. Beyond color, is your hair, say, very wavy and as stiff as brush-wires? Or perhaps fine and silken? Dull or lustrous? How is it cut, and how is it worn? Braids and such are popular with many fantasy characters, for example. A reckless sorcerer might diligently shave off all his hair, fearing the backwash of pyrotechnic magic. Does your character pay much attention to the state of this stuff?
5. Comeliness. How attractive is your character to others of your race? To other races? To the opposite gender? Does comeliness influence your charisma? Do you act a certain way to accomplish goals or in the company of certain people?
6. Clothing. Just what do you wear? Armor over bare skin tends to chafe something awful, and those annoying Paladins will consider such behavior entirely too risqué. What colors? Solid color tunics and hose are common, but don't limit yourself. Do you prefer checks, stripes, or complicated embroidery? Vain PC's, given money, might splurge on silvery epaulets and ostrich feathers. Others prefer dusty old rags, held together by a long legacy of patches and darning. Do you own more than one set of clothing? Adventuring brings the dust of the road, and adventurers also have the unfortunate tendency to develop great bloody rents in their fine silk shirts. Do you affect any decorations? A flower tucked into the hair, or an old leather band to tie it back?
7. Demeanor. Without your saying a word, yet what does the world see in you? Does your stance, your movement, reveal anything of your personality? Does it conceal you? Are you perhaps pokerfaced? Do you radiate indifference? Seem constantly relaxed and at ease, or always anxious?
8. Voice and Speech. A voice entirely different from your own, maybe. Some of your modes of speech will not be suited to your character; your character should have some of her own. Consider your character's intelligence, education, and background. What can you tell about a person from their voice? You might even want to develop a specific voice or accent for your PC, and speak in it while in character, but mind that you don't make it a silly one. Also think about things like the length of your sentences, or how loud you speak. Do you often raise your voice? Do you use big words? Why or why not might give a good insight into personality. Do you avoid them, thinking grandiloquence pompous, or do you lack the knowledge, or just the motivation. Do you prefer polysyllables for just the opposite of any of these reasons?
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