Character creation

Click here to access a printable version of the Character Template below. Use this template to help envision your very own character!

Arts and Play Instructors have contributed their own helpful suggestions and prompts for character development below; these are specific to creating characters for roleplay games, but they are helpful none the less when thinking about characters for games, stories, and other creative pursuits.

Rachel:

1. Make a character who’s willing to cooperate. It’s difficult if one character is always working against the others!
2. Make a character who feels comfortable to you. If you understand your character, they will be fun to play!
3. Give your character a motivation—gold, glory, a simple fight.
4. Give your character a weakness! Maybe they refuse to kill? Or are afraid of deep water? Those flaws are fears are fun to play with!
Eric:
"I think having a knowledge and familiarity of the character’s backstory is good... Thinking of silly little character traits/quirks can be fun too, similar to the flaws/weaknesses - needs to pet every animal they encounter, does a victory dance after every battle, makes bad portraits of anyone they meet, only eats food that’s a certain color, etc. Just silly things that don’t necessarily affect the story, but can make their characters just a little more unique and feel a bit more real!"
Tyler:
-- What characters or people in your life inspire you?  What would they do in completely different, extraordinary circumstances?
--- How do you want your character to solve problems?  Does your character.... get excited for a good fight? sneak and stab from the shadows? use charm and a dashing smile to get what they want? have a magic spell prepared for any situation?  What's your favorite thing to imagine?

Julian:

  1. Do you prefer playing fighters, clerics, rogues or wizards/sorcerers?
  2. Do you have favorite stats you like to play? (strength, dexterity, constitution, wisdom, intelligence, charisma)
  3. Do you want your character to have certain skills or a background?
  4. Rank the order of how much you like the following things in an adventure:
    • combat and fighting
    • explorations and mystery
    • traps and puzzles
    • role playing scenes with a variety of characters
    • getting involved in treachorous politics & historic moments of history
3 Basic Character Creation rules for a successful (fun) DnD campaign:
1) Make a character that wants to work with the party.
2) Make a character that the party wants to work with.
3) Make a character that wants to follow the initial campaign hook.