Originally Posted by
Xetheral
Despite your distaste, I would argue that a character concept is just as legitimate when it's mechanics-focused as when it's thematics-focused, at least so long as by the end of character creation both are sufficiently present to meet the standards of the table in question.
On top of that, the two approaches aren't mutually exclusive: I personally prefer an iterative process where thematic choices inform new mechanics choices which then suggest new thematics choices, ad nauseum. Either a mechanical choice or a thematic choice can be the launching off point, and sometimes even that original spark is abandoned midway through. (It can take me a *long* time to make a character this way, but I enjoy the process and like the tightly-woven results.)