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GreenEarthPFC
2013-03-14, 04:28 PM
Do you follow a process?

Do you let it flow?

Do you visualize what you want mechanically and then try to make something fluffically that makes sense with that mechanics and then adjust both as needed?

Do you follow a checklist?

Do you like green eggs and ham?

And does your way of doing things work well for you?

Rhynn
2013-03-14, 04:40 PM
In Artesia: AKW and a few others (like Sengoku), I let the dice do the creating. The tables are wonderful and produce great backstory with very little input.

In (A)D&D, it's much the same - roll the stats, then see what you qualify for. For NPCs/henchmen, I use the 2E DMG tables to roll two personality traits (major and minor).

In some others (Twilight 2013, Aces & Eights), I pick a basic concept (usually a career) and just work from there.

In D&D 3.X, it's always a very mechanical exercise: choose role, allocate points. I create my PCs on a whim; the last campaign I was a player in was an urban assassin campaign, so I just created a bunch of different assassins (rogue/assassin, psychic warrior, swordsage, etc.) and picked the one that most caught my fancy when my current PC died.

I hardly ever create complex backstories or descriptions. If I can't sum up (the non-mechanical parts of) a PC or a NPC in one paragraph, preferrably 1 or 2 sentences, and definitely under 100 words, I need to tighten it up.

CarpeGuitarrem
2013-03-14, 04:43 PM
It really depends on the system I'm playing, because a lot of them have very different methods. However, I almost always start with the rules. I look for an interesting concept that pops out of what I've got, and I go from there. I like to browse through lists of character options until I find one that appeals to me.

(Ergo, lifepath-style chargen like Traveller and Burning Wheel is an utter boon to me. I can start one place, and start exploring the options! Also, *World games, because of how they lay out the how and when of "what your character will do in the game".)

Zweisteine
2013-03-14, 04:43 PM
I, for one, tend to come up with a character concept and go from there. Sometimes it's a cool backstory, other times it's a idea for a cool new combat strategy.

I'd write more, but I am being forced off the computer so my brother can read OOTS...

Strawberries
2013-03-14, 04:50 PM
I usually start with the setting. I read the setting, come up with a race, sex, personality and a very rough background, and then I think about what class qualifies better for what I want to do. Then I fill the mechanical bits on the sheet (which, for me, it's always the most boring part), then I go back on the fluff and expand on background/contacts/friends/enemies/similar.

There are times when I go "I want to play a....[insert whatever here]", but those are the exceptions, not the rule. Usually, it's the setting that inspires me.

kardar233
2013-03-14, 04:54 PM
I rarely play actual game systems these days, my group having gravitated towards free-form at this point.

When I have the time to really create a character, I go the whole hog with them. I start with a basic personality template generally derived from characters and concepts that I like and then refine that, fixing their projected personality in my mind by spending time in-character just reacting to everyday things. I then take the essential parts of that personality, find a song that reflects them and then use that as a mnemonic for that character.

Then, I'll look at the setting that they're in. I'll imagine what kind of circumstances could have produced this character in-setting, figure out what kind of skills they would have learned and hobbies they've picked up and decide what they do to earn, mooch or be served their bread.

Finally, I'll pick a couple of possible scenarios that they might end up in and imagine their reaction.

dethkruzer
2013-03-14, 05:01 PM
I usually start out with a very rough concept, pretty much just what I want him/her/it to do, then try to fit that into the setting. Then I start fleshing it out, just enough to give me a framework, sex, rough age, basic background that is setting-compatible, around the frame I start working from a crunch-stand point, taking my time to try and achieve what hopefully aciheves what I want on a mechanical scale. After this I just work on the Fluff, and that is usually the slowest part for me, getting the flesh of actual character around the skeleton composed of numbers.

Terraoblivion
2013-03-14, 05:16 PM
I pretty much exclusively focus on what kind of person and story I want. Then I start throwing a million ideas against the wall until one of them sticks enough that I start fleshing them out.

That is usually followed by me jotting down a lot of notes as I work out the personality and background, more the former than the latter usually, before getting to work on the sheet. Then I wrap up by turning the notes into prose and adding a visual description if there wasn't anything noteworthy enough there to put in effort earlier. I don't always follow this pattern for where I go from when I have a concept and I often abandon a concept while I'm working on fleshing it out, but I always start with a fluff concept and an image of how I'd like to play it.

ArcturusV
2013-03-14, 05:25 PM
It really depends. I have written articles on it before for various RP sites. So it's a subject I've considered a lot.

But when it comes down to it, I tend to go to a Top to Bottom approach to character creation. I let the dice give me a hook in most cases, and I tend to randomize as many things as possible, like playing Dark Heresy where I end up mostly with Hiver Scum due to the nature of it's tables.

But it goes to the process of creativity. It's a lot easier to create something from a framework, whatever that hook or requirement is, than it is to create something wholecloth from nothing. It's actually why I don't like Point Buy systems, for example. Not just for the artificial Min-Maxing it tends to promote but because it gives me absolutely no hook to base a character off of unless I already have system mastery and know what I want to do (Already have a framework, even if it's something like... I've never played a Wererat Crafter, so lets do it!).

Raimun
2013-03-14, 05:32 PM
It depends on what I want to do. There's generally two ways I make a character.

1) Sometimes I have a clear character concept and backstory on my mind and I design the character and pick abilities to follow that concept.

2) Sometimes there's a certain playstyle I want to try out, so I pick the character's abilities first. Then I work backwards and come up with a backstory and personality based on what abilities I have.


It really depends on the system I'm playing, because a lot of them have very different methods. However, I almost always start with the rules. I look for an interesting concept that pops out of what I've got, and I go from there. I like to browse through lists of character options until I find one that appeals to me.


Yeah, that's important too. I also tend to read the book to see what kind of characters can be done with the system I'm playing. This can both limit my creativity or give me a spark of inspiration. I might instantly see a cool knightly order and come up with a character who would join such an organisation... or realize warrior types don't have as many options as I would like.

Also, sometimes I gloss over the minutiae and just pick stuff that doesn't make me completely useless (unless it's really funny). One might ask:
"Why does your character have those three feats? How did he learn them?"

I'd answer:
"He's devoted to hone his swordsmanship skills. It's a natural evolution of the form."

Basically, character's personality can be but isn't necessarily tied to his abilities. Sometimes it's just his job to do it.

Angel Bob
2013-03-14, 05:35 PM
I start with the simplest of concepts, basically the character's class and what they do with it. (For example, I might decide "I want to make a 4E elemental pact warlock" and go from there.)

Race is chosen based not on how optimized it is for the class, but rather based on how unique it makes the character. For example, I'd never make a boring old tiefling warlock or dragonborn paladin. I'd try to do something interesting with it, like a hobgoblin warlock, a dwarven rogue, or even a goliath wizard.

At this point, I have a pretty good concept (and mental image) of the character, and as I pick out feats and gear and other such minutiae, the character's story begins to develop in my mind.

GreenEarthPFC
2013-03-14, 06:05 PM
To answer my own question: I'm not sure if I use a process. I tried to use the Ten Minute Characters thing, but I don't think I do well with a strict process. I'm trying to force myself into going beyond 'mechanics>character', because I can always make a character, keep it in reserve, and then actually put it to mechanics when I find a system (fluffically or otherwise) that it works in.

I have, indeed, started retasking characters that I can't find a use for so as to get to use them...

The Dark Fiddler
2013-03-14, 06:11 PM
Depending on the day, I either come up with mechanics first and make a personality to fit, or come up with a personality and come up with mechanics to fit.

The exception, however, is Dark Heresy, where I almost exclusively randomly roll to get my character.

Archmage1
2013-03-14, 06:15 PM
I start with some sort of character concept, such as fey enchanter, then build the mechanics, and then write the fluff.
I think it works, since I have not been rejected from a game since starting to do it that way :smallbiggrin:

GreenEarthPFC
2013-03-14, 06:18 PM
The exception, however, is Dark Heresy, where I almost exclusively randomly roll to get my character.

I love those kinds of systems.

Raimun
2013-03-14, 06:34 PM
The exception, however, is Dark Heresy, where I almost exclusively randomly roll to get my character.

Is dark heresy character creation really that random? Like Cyberpunk 2020-lifepath? (http://www.moosh.net/cp2020/lifepath-form.html) Or even better, lifepath+FADE (http://www.moosh.net/cp2020/).

I don't think I would want to play a "lifepath-random" character more than one session. I'm not an actor but total randomness in character creation would be to me the equivalent of the cast of the LotR-trilogy holding a lottery before the shooting to see who plays who:
"Let's see... McKellen: Pippin. Mortensen: Uruk-hai#8. Lee: Frodo. Serkis: Theoden. Astin: Saruman. Bean: Grima. Rhys-Davies: Gandalf. ...".

Fun at first but wouldn't work in the long run. :smalltongue:

Zaydos
2013-03-14, 06:37 PM
I start with a concept, something that can range from a fantasy archetype to a PrC, or even just a gimmick (werebear that becomes big and does big stuff). Then I go to the rules looking for what is necessary to mechanically represent the concept. Sometimes this is easy (hey they made a Wizard-Druid PrC I can finally play that character which synthesizes arcane and natural magic, having realized that they aren't opposed at all but ultimately spring from the same root), sometimes this is hard (what are the mechanics to represent a fantasy swordsman Clint Eastwood Exalt?), sometimes it's somewhere in the middle (what's the best way to make my werebear bigger? What's the best way to make a chaos mage that has been touched by Lovecraftian horrors from beyond time and space in 3.5?). Then I work on the fluff to fine-tune what kind of character I want to play and what the mechanics say about the character, and if it goes with or against the fluff I want. Then I change mechanics to meet the fluff, and look at the fluff and refine it, and go back to the mechanics and vice versa till I'm happy with them both.

ArcturusV
2013-03-14, 06:48 PM
The Dark Heresy creation isn't THAT random. You have something like a 60% chance to get a Hive World character. Which leads to a 70% chance to have a Scum character.

But it provides good hooks. You end up with something like an Assassin from a Feral Deathworld, it's an easy framework to build off of. Or one of my favorites to play was a Cleric Void Born who came from a Space Hulk, and started play with an Insanity Point due to Divination.

J-H
2013-03-14, 06:49 PM
Sometimes I have a concept in my head of "I want to try X"... more recently, if I spot an interesting game, I'll roll stats old-school:
str 4d6b3
dex 4d6b3
con 4d6b3
etc.

The dice roll results determine what classes are viable. This is how things used to be done...

Rhynn
2013-03-14, 07:14 PM
I don't think I would want to play a "lifepath-random" character more than one session. I'm not an actor but total randomness in character creation would be to me the equivalent of the cast of the LotR-trilogy holding a lottery before the shooting to see who plays who:
"Let's see... McKellen: Pippin. Mortensen: Uruk-hai#8. Lee: Frodo. Serkis: Theoden. Astin: Saruman. Bean: Grima. Rhys-Davies: Gandalf. ...".

What's wrong with lifepath creation?

In our first Artesia: AKW campaign, two of the players settled for rolling up fairly standard characters - one got a bard (which he made into a grifter pretending to be a knight), one got a shaman (which he turned into an archer at first, but then went heavily into the shamanism once he figured out the magic system).

The third player, though? Holy heck. Which very little interpretation of (and no changes to) the rolled results, he had a slightly unbalanced, dangerously ambitious young knight who was the adoptive son of a minor lord displaced when the lord's wife finally bore him a son, who murdered his half-brother to secure his inheritance, and was exiled - which is why he ended up wandering with two no-accounts from foreign parts, and which was why the whole group was at the tournament that started the first adventure.

Random tables and a bit of interpretation will get you very far in RPGs. There's no end of things to turn into hooks.

Also, Cyberpunk 2020 lifepaths (which the A:AKW lifepaths are based on) are just garnishing. You create your character regularly (choose archetype, roll stats or assign points into them, choose skills), then add some superficial detail with the random rolls.

And as a personal note, I don't understand players who can't just jump into playing a character they didn't tailor. It's not like it's hard to make it your own, and the randomness gives you new experiences and is interesting to work with.


I'll roll stats old-school:
str 4d6b3
dex 4d6b3
con 4d6b3
etc.


:smallamused: "Old school" is 3d6 in order.

Raimun
2013-03-14, 07:24 PM
What's wrong with lifepath creation?


Like I said, I wouldn't want to play one more than one session. Sure, I might roll something really interesting but it's just as likely I roll a joke character that's not even funny. :smalltongue:

There's a chance I would have fun but also a chance I wouldn't have fun with my character.

Anyway, I like to design characters from scratch because it's fun and creative.

king.com
2013-03-14, 07:27 PM
Depends, if its a system I know or not.

If I know it:
I figure out what the GM wants as the campaign style.
Figure out what others are playing.
Pick something that fits in with that (mostly based on mood, what I want to try out, sometimes at random).
Pick best set of skills/talents for this concept.

If I dont know it:
Pick my preferred fallback archetypes (talky guy, spell shooting guy)
Pick random skills/talents which sound cool/recommended to me.

Thats about it. Not too complicated.



Like I said, I wouldn't want to play one more than one session. Sure, I might roll something really interesting but it's just as likely I roll a joke character that's not even funny. :smalltongue:

There's a chance I would have fun but also a chance I wouldn't have fun with my character.

You know not all life path systems are random and/or result in joke character right? The better ones tend to have general concepts/motivations as your life path steps.

Rhynn
2013-03-14, 07:34 PM
Like I said, I wouldn't want to play one more than one session. Sure, I might roll something really interesting but it's just as likely I roll a joke character that's not even funny. :smalltongue:

I have yet to see a lifepath system where you can roll a "joke character that's not even funny." Which one is that, exactly?

Raimun
2013-03-14, 07:55 PM
You know not all life path systems are random and/or result in joke character right? The better ones tend to have general concepts/motivations as your life path steps.

Let's say I roll roguish character but at the moment, I'd like to play a direct warrior? I have even now character concepts in my head that I'd like to try one day and the one I pick, is the one I'd like to try at the moment.

I might have no inspiration or motivation to play a sneaky character, if all I want to do at the moment is to hold my weapon high and charge in to combat while yelling my war cry. :smalltongue:

king.com
2013-03-14, 07:57 PM
Let's say I roll roguish character but at the moment, I'd like to play a direct warrior? I have even now character concepts in my head that I'd like to try one day and the one I pick, is the one I'd like to try at the moment.

I might have no inspiration or motivation to play a sneaky character, if all I want to do at the moment is to hold my weapon high and charge in to combat while yelling my war cry. :smalltongue:

Again, thats not how a life path system necessarily works.

Raimun
2013-03-14, 08:04 PM
Again, thats not how a life path system necessarily works.

The point still stands. I might have no inspiration to play a random character very long.

king.com
2013-03-14, 08:08 PM
The point still stands. I might have no inspiration to play a random character very long.

Gah posted before I finished editing so ill move it here.

I seem to constantly mention Rogue Trader when it comes to good character creation (which is true and you should totally go play it) but it just does a good job highlighting what should be done.

You choose to start at the top (starting with a homeworld) working down or the bottom (character class) and work up. The life path chooses things like, motivations, personal hardships, what led you to join a rogue trader crew, significant events. These guide you towards what class fits best but you get an additional free 'jump' to anywhere you want so you can ultimately pick through the path and jump to enter the class you want at the end.

This gives you a guided and controlled direction if you want it but also gives you the opportunity to take any specific background/package/class you want if you feel its something you want to build your character around. The end result is a rounded person with a life story but that still matches what you desired to play originally. This really works well in the Rogue Trader game given its emphasis on the setting.

The ultimate trick to a good lifepath system is to mix a bit of random with a bit of control and you end up with really nice characters.

Raimun
2013-03-14, 08:23 PM
Gah posted before I finished editing so ill move it here.

I seem to constantly mention Rogue Trader when it comes to good character creation (which is true and you should totally go play it) but it just does a good job highlighting what should be done.

You choose to start at the top (starting with a homeworld) working down or the bottom (character class) and work up. The life path chooses things like, motivations, personal hardships, what led you to join a rogue trader crew, significant events. These guide you towards what class fits best but you get an additional free 'jump' to anywhere you want so you can ultimately pick through the path and jump to enter the class you want at the end.

This gives you a guided and controlled direction if you want it but also gives you the opportunity to take any specific background/package/class you want if you feel its something you want to build your character around. The end result is a rounded person with a life story but that still matches what you desired to play originally. This really works well in the Rogue Trader game given its emphasis on the setting.

Hmm, I've played Deathwatch but I haven't had the opportunity to play Rogue Trader. It looks interesting, though.

Random character creation could spark my creativity but then again, it's also possible it doesn't... it's random, after all. I can do it for an one shot adventure but not for a longer campaign.

Deathwatch has some elements of this. I didn't roll my space marine's background but the charts did give me an inspiration to come up with a background on my own.

It's just that like the design process and the freedom to make the kind of character I want.

J-H
2013-03-14, 08:40 PM
Oh, and if I don't have ideas for a name, I take something from the topic of the campaign or character build and look up something relevant.

My level 1 scholar/psion character for a low-magic generic fantasy world(?) is named Agias, after an obscure seer who predicted the outcome of a Greek battle.

My level 4 warlock who's stuck in gladiator campaign is named Marcus Munus. Marcus is a name associated with the gladiatorial games in Rome, and Munus was a term for the games, or for games done as a memorial or commemoration of something.

Amaril
2013-03-14, 08:55 PM
I'm a bit of a weird one with this, I think. At any given time, I tend to have several general character concept ideas floating around in my brain just asking to be put into play, and when I'm making a new character, I just pick the one that feels the most right at the moment and go with it. These concepts aren't usually tied to specific races or classes, but they have combinations of either that suit them best (for example, my favorite one is always male and gravitates toward magic-using classes, and another is usually a female warrior with heavy armor and weapons). However, they're versatile enough that they can be carried over to many different systems and settings.

The Fury
2013-03-14, 09:21 PM
Most times I try to find what the party needs and make that. Usually I toss a coin to determine the character's gender. Kinda dull, I'll admit. Though there are times when the setting and the scenario presented end up giving me ideas for a concept and background and I'll try to make that.

Jay R
2013-03-14, 10:16 PM
I generally start with a basic idea - often a fictional or historical character.

Then I immediately look for a twist - something to differentiate my character from the base. Once in 2E, I started with Tarzan, so I made him a forest-dweller with Acrobatics, Jumping, Tracking, etc. Then I made him an elven thief / wizard.

I patterned a Champions character after Dr. Strange (John MacAubrey, Ph.D., adventuring as Dr. MacAbre). So then I gave him an uncontrolled multi-form (wolf, bat, or mist) and a fear of vampirism.

After Aladdin came out, I created a Parisian street rat in Flashing Blades, who had unknown parentage and was raised by the nuns of Notre Dame.

Once I start to know who he is, then the specific skills and powers are pretty clear.

kardar233
2013-03-14, 11:13 PM
I'm a bit of a weird one with this, I think. At any given time, I tend to have several general character concept ideas floating around in my brain just asking to be put into play, and when I'm making a new character, I just pick the one that feels the most right at the moment and go with it. These concepts aren't usually tied to specific races or classes, but they have combinations of either that suit them best (for example, my favorite one is always male and gravitates toward magic-using classes, and another is usually a female warrior with heavy armor and weapons). However, they're versatile enough that they can be carried over to many different systems and settings.

I tend to do this when I don't have the time or inclination to design a character from scratch. I have a couple of easily-applicable character seeds for general use, so I can just pick up and play.

Asmodai
2013-03-16, 10:54 AM
I have yet to see a lifepath system where you can roll a "joke character that's not even funny." Which one is that, exactly?

Try HOL. Though your definition of funny may need some examination by the time you're done with it :)

Jack of Spades
2013-03-16, 11:51 AM
I usually try to start with the setting of the game, and find a spot in it that seems fun to play from, be it an actual geographical place or a race or a type of person in the setting.

Whenever possible, I embrace and use random character generators. I love a good creative constraint, and a lot of the ideas people come up with on their own (myself included) seem hopelessly bland. Or worse, they end up being based on someone's favorite anime character. Yuck.

Barring those two possibilities, I just think of an archetype and roll with it. Then, I add to the character ideas that I find potentially challenging to roleplay-- gender bending, or playing an unrepentantly evil character in a good campaign, for example. I usually don't come up with a backstory until I have a feel for the character and what their struggles may have been, how they may have reached the point they're at in the game.

Mechanics almost always come last, which is why I try to keep things a bit loose until the character is on paper. Then, I can tune my character's persona to what they can do mechanically.

magwaaf
2013-03-18, 09:00 PM
i either come up with an idea for a character and build from there or i see something that looks fun or interesting mechanically and make a build up to whatever level is needed for the feats and abilities to try and see how it would flesh out in the long run

Averis Vol
2013-03-18, 10:14 PM
I never really build a backstory before I build the actual character, to me it's better to not massively over estimate your character before you know what he/she is capable of. I would feel like a dunce if I wrote that I was a master swordsman with the grace of an elf and the wisdom of a dragon if the rolls didn't play out for that, and I could at best be a moderate swordsman with the agility of a lame mule and the wisdom of a senile old man. You need the person to have a frame before you can shape things around him.

Templarkommando
2013-03-19, 12:53 AM
90% of the characters that I've played as a PC tend to be fairly similar. Some might accuse me of not having enough variety, but I just feel that I haven't explored the character type as much as I want yet.

On the one hand, I don't want my character to be exactly like me. On the other extreme, I don't want there to be nothing I can relate to. What I generally do is pick a couple of traits that I already have and amplify them. So, maybe my character is really opinionated, or the character tries to think through all of his problem exhaustively.

Felandria
2013-03-19, 02:40 AM
I, for one, tend to come up with a character concept and go from there. Sometimes it's a cool backstory, other times it's a idea for a cool new combat strategy.



This.

I mostly play for the RP escapism, so I just decide who I want to be for a while and go from there.

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2013-03-19, 02:46 AM
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2013-03-19, 02:51 AM
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gooddragon1
2013-03-19, 03:03 AM
Do you follow a process?

Do you let it flow?

Do you visualize what you want mechanically and then try to make something fluffically that makes sense with that mechanics and then adjust both as needed?

Do you follow a checklist?

Do you like green eggs and ham?

And does your way of doing things work well for you?

-I think of a funny yet viable concept or just a viable concept and build towards it with my knowledge and based on the things allowed.

-Fluff happens as I justify it.

-All my characters are neutral good. My monks take level 1 in monk and are lawful good for <2 seconds before turning neutral good. Quan chi, shinnok, skeletor, etc. were neutral good but propaganda shows them as other alignments.

-Green eggs sounds dangerous for consumption and ham is against my religion.

-I've learned that it's more about balancing for your DM's campaign and other players so that everyone has fun than dealing insane amounts of damage early on.

-Current character is:
Note: Not actually a pirate. Think more this kind of pirate (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6oKjuvA55g). Sings the song when scared and perhaps other times. Definitely reflavoring outfit into the captains outfit -stupid frilly neck thing shirt in place of regular t-shirt or something

Boris Badenov [Pirate]

Neutral Good

Warlock 8
Crusader 1
Warlock 9

10
14
18 (max)
12
10
10

4 ranks Concentrate
4 ranks Spellcraft (cc)
4 ranks UMD (Scroll of Plane Shift)

Keldoran
Baerahn

01-Point Blank Shot
03-Precise Shot
06-Weapon Finesse
09-Extra Granted Maneuver
12-Quicken Spell Like Ability
15-Spell Penetration
18-Greater Spell Penetration

Spider Climb Invocation for now

+6 Con Item 36
+1 chain shirt of Soulfire 25
Ring of Freedom of Movement 40
Boots of Teleportation 49
+4 Sunblade Bane vs Undead Holy Collision w/greater truedeath crystal (2d10+26+5d6+8d6 vs undead) "Pulvis In Pulverem"
Runestaff of Passage 75k
=Ring of Sustenance
=Cape of the Mountebank
=Healing Belt
+4 Con Book
+6 Dex Item
+4 Dex Book
+5 to mithral chain shirt and light shield (animated and mithral)
+5 defending armor spike on chain shirt
37 AC

150

Eventual Invocations:
Fell Flight-E
Vitriolic Blast-G
Eldritch Line-G
Retributive Invisibility-D
Warlock's Call-G
Eldritch Glaive-L
See the Unseen-L
Baleful Utterance-L
Penetrating Blast-G
Devour Magic-G

Get White Raven Tactics and Keep always in Martial Spirit Stance
Throw out random White Raven Tactics on allies as needed

ArcturusV
2013-03-19, 03:20 AM
Well there is also just the desire to play something I've never seen in a game and have no idea how it will really play out.

DISCOVERY!

Yup. I mean I wish I had a game just so I could test out the Undead Classes, as I've never seen them used, at all. Seen people take undead Templates, but only if they wanted to start a game at something like level 20. So if I could get a game that would take it, I'd jump at it. There's still a lot of stuff in almost any system I've run that I haven't played class/skill/schtick wise.

Negativethac0
2013-03-19, 11:18 AM
As I play Pathfinder most of the time, that's all I can really comment on. I usually start out by making up one or two strange or random facts about whoever I'm playing.
It could be everything from owning something odd (like a hedgehog he travels around with) or the fact that he goes wrestling every night and has a secret identity in doing so (wears a mask and all that; no mentioning whether he's actually good at it).

And the rule is that I have to include these elements somehow. Then I'm actually a bit boring, mostly just taking up whatever role or class would compliment the party most. If I'm free to pick I always settle for a wizard, anyway.

Then, if I have the time, I actually enjoy writing a page or so, in which the character is going through an interview; perhaps how he was included into the group. I mainly use the same strategy for my fantasy novels and it works wonders, if you allow the person to have some degree of autonomy.

And then I'll likely die in the following session.

Andreaz
2013-03-19, 11:47 AM
Do you follow a process?

I imagine the character.
I see if it's a possible concept.
I adapt what isn't possible and build it. Optimization factors here.

That's about it. "Build it", of course, implies a rather long process on certain systems. "see if it's possible" includes persuading the GM.

Guizonde
2013-03-19, 01:08 PM
if it makes me giggle for more than ten minutes, then that's my new character concept.

oh, serious characters, you asked? well, see above, but making sure that i'm not redundant in the team and that my skills complement theirs. and making sure that my haircut and color are not natural. (dwarves with bleached dreadlocks, halflings with pink mohawks... i'll try angel wings on a half-ork next methinks)

failing the above, booze. sweet nectar of the gods! i wound up playing a chameleon skink who thinks the wizard it's following is it's mommy. (only in whfrp with a massive intake of vodka, folks!) it was the first time i tried a stealthy character, and turns out that i'm pretty good at what i do, so it's win-win, even if we have to interrupt the game frequently so we can stop laughing. yes, i actually aim for lethal joke characters.

scurv
2013-03-19, 08:47 PM
I start with the personalty/concept and a picture. From there I tend to pick class and skills to build what I see and It tends to work well enough for me. Although the party tends to pick on me for printing the picture to include with the char sheet.
That and I try to give the DM something to work with, I make sure they are not a mary sue and they have some goal or fault/ backhanded bonuses.

Slipperychicken
2013-03-20, 01:33 PM
I usually check out the rules to see what's possible before I get married to a concept.

Sometimes, after looking at fluff I just feel inspired to do a specific thing, like being a fire-blaster or sneaky backstabbing thief (wow, I am so creative), then I try to build for that.

Moriwen
2013-03-20, 04:19 PM
My process is usually: what class do I want to play/would work best with this group? What's a really bizarre twist on that class?

That gives me the basic concept: a druid who lost her powers because she offended the gods, or a chaotic good cleric who pretends to be a chaotic neutral rogue.

From there, I flesh out their personality using ideas that spring to mind or that I've been saving. The druid got a characterization based that I'd made up some time ago to defy alignment rules--she's strongly devoted to her personal moral code, but because she hates the gods for smiting her, her moral code consists of doing all the most evil, immoral and unlawful things she can think of. The cleric used to be a rogue, but then he was struck blind by a god a la St. Paul one day and converted.

Then I go back to the party and figure out ways to make them fit in. The druid isn't just going to slaughter them--it's obviously much more evil to kill a close friend than a stranger, so she'll spend lots of time making friends. The cleric's mission in life is to convert the criminal lower classes, so he'll pretend to still be a rogue and join up with an evil party in hopes of converting them.

Finally, I make sure that I've come up with all the little details of history, appearance, etc. The druid became a druid to get access to ancient druidic lands because she knew there was good mining to be had there, and then offended the gods by mining on it. She's slaughtered her family to defy the gods, and her only companion is her ex-animal companion, transformed into a cantankerous camel by the gods. The cleric used to run a questionable pawn shop, using his skills in trapfinding and disarming to open up loot no one else would touch, and many of his friends and family were thieves.


Anyway, lengthy because of examples, but that's my basic process.

QuidEst
2013-03-25, 08:52 AM
Do you follow a process?
There are two processes I follow. One is to start with an existing character I've created for non-tabletops and convert it to the system (resulting in stuff like a Witch who can turn invisible as an EX ability or a fire-eater Alchemist), and the other is to look at a race or class and try to come up with a creative approach to it (resulting in stuff like a Planar Shepherd whose home plane was consumed by a dark deity when the adventurers failed, or a plump female Kitsune Witch who got that way by eating people).


Do you let it flow?
Yep! Characters tend to do a bit of developing as I prepare them for a roleplay, and further details are added as I use them.


Do you visualize what you want mechanically and then try to make something fluffically that makes sense with that mechanics and then adjust both as needed?
I almost always start with something fluffy and try to represent it with crunch. Sometimes, though, there will be a really nice fluff-crunch synergy I want to use. When helping other people with their characters, it's usually assigning fluff to the crunch, though.


Do you follow a checklist?
Sort of. I develop the character first, and stat it out, but then I fill in the character sections that Mythweavers provides.


Do you like green eggs and ham?
These funny foods are not for me,
Not at all, GreenEarthPFC.


And does your way of doing things work well for you?
Yeah! Converting one of my existing characters gives a lot of character background to start off, and making a character based on a race or a class results in some interesting ideas and good crunch/fluff synergy.

OverdrivePrime
2013-03-25, 01:54 PM
For me, it starts with the system and setting. Both help determine what's possible and appropriate.
I never want my characters to be some aberrant blip that appears out of nowhere like Athena from Zeus' skull. Once I have a setting, I can then latch on to a couple points of interest and go from there. "Ooh, a haunted forest with rumors of faerie mischief? A border town with a surprisingly talented blacksmith?" From there, I can add in story elements from the various character personas floating around in my head at any given moment (assume a minimum of 4) and quickly tie that together into an archetype that I can use as a skeleton to apply game mechanics to.

After creating my archetype ("wilderness warrior who was trained by the fey and dabbles in magic" is a common theme for me) I investigate how to use the game system to allow my character to do the things I want it to. In Pathfinder or 3.P, this is often pretty easy. In White Wolf games or Shadowrun games, it might take a little mental gymnastics. I'll often consult various online guides, because although I pride myself on knowledge of the game systems I play in, there are hugely smarter people out there when it comes to crunch.
When I go to the Cybertubes with a question of "Can I do this?" the answer is almost always an emphatic "bwaahahaa... yes. A thousand times yes."

If the mechanics aren't quite there, I'll often work with the DM/GM/ST to see if I can create a custom class/prestige class/ability that fits the theme. In D&D 3.P, this frequently takes the form of me reworking the Jade Phoenix Mage prestige class to better suit a character with bard or spirit shaman class levels instead of wizard class levels. If I get the sense that the request in any way makes the DM/GM/ST uncomfortable, I change the character concept so that I don't mess up the game.

Once I have that system framework in place, I can flesh out the character's backstory and motivations, as well as a general direction for how I'd like him to look mechanically as he grows in experience.
This usually causes me to go back and rework a few things mechanically, adding or reducing skills, traits, feats and flaws as necessary to better fit the overall character concept that I've arrived at.

The last part of mechanics for me is assigning equipment. I tend to get pretty obsessive about this, and go for very practical, 'in-character' gear. This usually sees me paying more for the highest quality mundane items I can find, as my characters - as a rule - prize long-term value above sheer quantity of goods. If this means that a new 3rd level D&D character just dropped well over half his gold on an Adamantine bastard sword, or my modern vampire has devoted a conspicuous percentage of funds to a beautiful, durable jacket (http://www.wellensteyn-usa.com/SUPERBIKE-MEN-at-Wellensteyn-PID9931-SUBE443.aspx), so be it.

Usually I name the character somewhere in the middle of the process. I frequently refer to Behind the Name (http://www.behindthename.com/) to pair up a culture similar to the one that I envision my character emerging from with a cool-sounding name with significant meaning. Alternatively, I'll just type in something like "Turkish heroes" into Google and scan for names that look cool, and then plug those into a translator to make sure the name's meaning is consistent with what I envision for the character.

The hardest part is finding a character portrait. I tend to favor characters who wear light/scaled armor or sensibly cut hardy cloth in earth tones and wield either a bastard sword or its modern/future equivalent. I have an unreasonably difficult time finding these pictures on the web, and my artist friends are usually too busy with other projects to paint one.

All told, a good character usually takes me a few days to create, and results in a 3-6 page backstory, possibly including some supplemental materials like maps, floor plans and vehicle or equipment descriptions.

I'm not quite such an obsessive completist when it comes to creating NPCs, but I do tend to write up at least a paragraph of background for any named NPC, and maybe 2-3 pages for story-critical NPCs.

Hawk7915
2013-03-25, 02:06 PM
For D&D, M&M, and other "Heroic" games - I typically find a class, mechanical concept, or power set that I think would be super fun to play, research and read handbooks to make sure I'll be the best "whatever" I can be (best Summoner, best Warblade, best Rogue, whatever), and then make up a backstory to fit the DM's world and my skillset.

For Call of Cthulu or NWOD - I spend more time focused on a general profession idea ("a priest", "a spoiled rich kid"), creating a backstory that is simple and extremely normal. I want an average guy with an average or even happy life, with few cares and many comforts. Then I do whatever I mechanically have to do to make the concept work out. I find its more satisfying to have completely mundane characters forced to confront death and horror...which is probably a bit depraved :smallamused:.

Thialfi
2013-03-25, 02:10 PM
We have a 1e/2e campaign that's been going for 33 years and have not done a whole lot of character creation modification.

We roll 4d6 seven times and arrange to taste. We include comeliness from the 1e Unearthed Arcana as a stat. We have a zodiac chart and you roll a sign that has various stat modifiers. Then each character receives 1d4-1 traits that can be good or bad that can modify stats or just be flavor.

Then a race and class are chosen and finally a backstory is developed.

Tengu_temp
2013-03-25, 03:29 PM
Character concept -> crunch -> detailed fluff

This is how it usually goes for me. New parts of fluff can also change parts of the crunch, and crunch can influence changes in the concept. A very important part of making roleplaying characters for me is making sure that the crunch and the fluff match, which is very hard if you just consider the crunch part a necessary evil, and impossible if you just tack the fluff on.

Hyde
2013-03-25, 04:07 PM
Frequently, I'll decide what I want to play mechanically, and then answer any questions about my invariably odd decisions-

Most recently, I made a Dwarf Druid. The bonuses complement a druid a hell of a lot better than an elf's (which seems counter-intuitive, but whatever). So I had the question of "why a dwarf?"

Well, it turns out his clan was afflicted with a wasting sickness, somehow they had angered a minor nature deity, and he had cursed them with disease. The clan decided to offer up their youngest and most pure child to the nature deity, leaving the infant at the base of the mountain.

The animals and other inhabitants of the forest were curious about the child, but quickly all grew still as the great elk-god, the angered deity, approached.
Rather than visit his wrath upon the child, the elk-god adopted the boy, and taught him the ways of the forest- becoming a druid.

Astral Avenger
2013-03-25, 04:15 PM
The only game I've played in the past few years that requires actual character creation is Neverwinter Nights. I usually pick something to aim for and minmax for that. its usually not something that makes a lot of sense (like that druid/sorcerer/RDD that could hit 72 or 74 str one time for 10 rounds or some very short time, then had a cap at around 60 str)

Mastikator
2013-03-25, 07:27 PM
I got a process, but I usually don't follow it, usually when I'm making a character it's in a setting I know little about, so I can't really use the process, so I just fill out the character sheet the best I can and make a vague background. I do write down the personality traits though.
The process is that I think of a starting point in the background (usually young childhood) and just build from there, determine the personality traits that I want and work out how things progress up until the game starts, that way I have a complete backstory and personality.
Then I apply the character to the game mechanics and I'm ready to start.

PoopStainMcGee
2013-03-28, 04:22 PM
With most of my characters, I have a general concept for them before I actually start. I pick a class first. Then I'll pick a race. Sometimes those too flip flop. From there I start to figure out the basics of their personality and more fluff things. Then I get to the nitty gritty of the mechanics, and I admit I do tend towards somewhat min/maxing them. Then I flesh them out some more, giving them backstory and things of that nature.

And I always draw my characters. I'm just that way.

When I actually play them, their personality tends to evolve somewhat. They get nuances and little details about their personality through interacting with their companions and enemies.

My system is a little weird, I think. I mix up the fluffification and building of the character a lot.

Lupus753
2013-03-28, 11:23 PM
I choose a class first. Since I'm (a bit of) an aspiring writer, I mostly use a character that I already created. The rest kinda follows from there.

Deffers
2013-03-29, 12:08 AM
I choose what sticks in my head first. So, for example, I liked the idea of a Tiefling-- a fiend-blooded race that is free to choose what it wants to do with itself. But I also don't like good guys from evil origins who do nothing but angst. So I ended up creating a childlike, quite cheerful, quite intelligent Tiefling assassin (it was an OSRIC game, so what is that-- AD&D?) who fought for truth and justice without much minding the fact that few people liked him (Charisma of 7-- ouch). Dude's stats were straight-up crazy. Assigned the points in an incredibly balanced way except for the charisma dump, so the stats backed up his personality and crazy assassin cred.

Another time, we tried a Microlite d20 game and it was ruled that all elf variants just counted as elves-- so I just straight-up made up an entirely new elf variant as a joke (Hot n' Spicy elf). Never did get to play that one.

Once I rolled a bard because I was dressed as a bard for a Halloween costume. As it should be.