Creating a Character:

    What you get out of a role playing game usually depends a great deal on what you put into it.   Of course you'll want to talk to the GM first, because some of the things that he or she has decided will be vital for you to know when trying to come up with a character concept.  Obviously the type of campaign the GM plans to run will have a great deal of influence in your character, but there's more than that.  Another important factor is to find out what style of campaign the GM is going to run as well.  If the GM plans to run a long-term, serious campaign, then you'll probably want to put quite a bit of thought into your character's background.  If, on the other hand, the GM plans to run a hack-n-slash campaign where characters are dropping like flies and around every corner instant death awaits you (don't laugh, these types of campaign are more common than you would think), then you're not going to want to spend a lot of time thinking up the character's background... all you need for that kind of campaign is a pencil, character sheet, and a bunch of dice.  For the purposes of this web page, we'll assume that your GM plans to run a more serious campaign and that your characters will last quite a while.

A Hero is Born:  Character Conception

    One of the first things that you need in order to create a good, believable character is a character concept.  In order to do this, you will need to find out (if you don't already know) what sort of campaign the GM is running.  After all, it wouldn't do to come up with a brilliant space-marine character, complete with history, quirks, personality, etc., only to find out that the GM wants to run a fantasy campaign.
    Once you have the setting for the campaign, you can go ahead and start thinking about the world, and decide what sort of character you would like to play in that world.  Your character concept might be something that sounds like it would be fun to play, it might be from a 'character template' out of the particular gaming system your GM has chosen, or it might be based on a character from a movie or novel.  There are numerous sources that a good character concept can come from.  At this stage, all you need is a general idea of what type of character you want to play.
    There are some gaming systems that require certain character statistics before you can be a specific type of character.  The next thing to do is find out from your GM if he's using a system that has specific requirements for your particular character concept.  If so, you will need to generate your character's statistics before going much further.   Go ahead and do that now, and when you're done and are certain that you have the appropriate stats to fulfill your character concept, continue on.

Figuring out the Basics:

    Now that you have a character concept, (and possibly your stats), it's time to make a few decisions about your character.  You don't have to write a paragraph for each of these.  Right now, you just want to get a basic framework.     These questions will give you a good basis for building your character.  You can detail out each of these questions later if you wish.  Remember this while going through this list of things to consider:  The more you give your GM to work with, the easier it's going to be for him or her to build adventures that pertain to your character, and the more the action is focused around the things you came up with, the more you will enjoy the adventures and playing the character.  These details that the GM can use to help generate adventures are often called "character hooks."  The more hooks you have for your character, the better.

Statistics:  What your character is made of...

    If you haven't already generated your statistics, now is a good time to do that.  Based on the questions you answered above, you should have a good idea of what you want or need for statistics.  In general, there are two basic systems for generating character statistics, depending on the game system used.  Most systems either generate character stats by dice rolls or you are given a number of points with which to 'buy' your statistics.  With randomly rolled stats, there are varying degrees of control you, the player, have over your character's stats, ranging from no control (What you roll is what you're stuck with), to moderate control (Usually you roll a set of numbers and assign the numbers to stats as you see fit).
    If you are using a point-based system, then you have nearly complete control over your character's stats and skills, and you can decide what trade-offs to make in order to make your character's stats fit the concept you came up with.  The big thing to remember in point-based systems is not to try to be good at everything.  As a general rule, a starting character doesn't have enough points to be good at more than one or two different things.  Pick one or two things that you want your character to be able to do well, and concentrate on those areas.  This is not to say that you can't have a well-rounded character.  Just don't expect to be able to be the best at everything when you're first starting out.
    In many game systems, you are allowed to gain extra points or other bonuses by taking "disadvantages" for your character.  Disadvantages can be anything from physical or mental problems to enemies that are out to get your Character.  Each game system handles disadvantages and advantages differently (and some don't have them at all).  The questions you answered in the section above will help you determine some of your disadvantages ahead of time.

Character Background:

    Now it's time to put some thought into where your character has been and what experiences he or she has gained.  This is where you can really insert a lot of character hooks for the GM to use, so take some time and put some serious thought into detailing your character's background.  Here are some questions to think about that will help you detail your character.     Anything else you wish to add about your character's background is fine too.  You don't have to answer every single question above, but you should at least give some thought to them all.  You might even want to write up your character's background as a sort of story.  At any rate, it's a good idea to write at least a paragraph about your character's background, and try to address at least some of the questions above.

Some Final Advice:

    You should be almost done at this point.  We know who your character is, what he or she looks like, what he or she is capable of.  We know where your character comes from and where he or she is going.  We know who your character's friends and enemies are, who to trust, and who not to trust.  You are nearly ready to set out into the world to try to realize your goals.  But before you go, here are a few bits of advice:     If you talk to experienced gamers, I'm sure that they'll have plenty of other advice for you.  There are also some things that you'll just have to learn for yourself, but that's a good part of the fun of role playing.  Hopefully the above information has helped you generate a character that is more than a bunch of numbers on a piece of paper.  Your character should almost have a life of its own, and the adventures your character has should provide memories and stories as vivid as anything you read in a novel or see in a movie.  You may even find yourself growing attached to your character.  Keep in mind it's all just a game, though, especially if something bad happens to the character you've invested a lot of time and effort into creating.  The main thing is to have fun... that's what role playing is all about.  Good luck, and good adventuring.


Back to main page
champgm@yahoo.com