How do I write up a character? From just tips to the proper form would be great

How do I write up a character? From just tips to the proper form would be great.

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Keep it brief, and include only the most relevant and important elements. Describe things naturally (don't be That Guy who says things like "Yeah, he looks like a Charisma 16") and clearly.

If you want more detail to your character you can do two versions of the write-up, with the brief one being for describing the character to the other players, and the detailed one for later reference if needed. If you have something in your background you want the DM to use you can pass that to them seperately.

don't do lengthy backstories, nobody gives a shit about your lengthy backstory

try to define your character in terms of relationships rather than merely characteristics; i.e. is he friends with the paladin, does he admire the rogue's free spirit, does he hate the wizard because he fears his magical powers

embrace the fact that your character will change and become something you did not envision him being at session 0

your character is a member of a group (presumably); try to envision him not just as an individual, but as a member of that group. Is he a leader? A follower?

connect your character to the lore of the universe. If you're running Shadowrun, for instance, and I'm the GM, I have a lot more to work with if you say, "My character used to be addicted to sims" than if you say "My character is a lone wolf"

the way you describe your character should generate narrative hooks and interesting storytelling opportunities. don't think of him as a collection of statistics that you will use to overcome challenges and collect loot; instead, think of him as a character in a novel/book/whatever who does interesting things and grows in interesting ways. try to make problems for your character. The FFG star wars system (which is kind of a shitty system but w/e) has this built-in: your character has "troubles" that kick in. Does your character have gambling debts? Is he on the run from the law? Does he suffer from an illness and is searching for the cure before it takes his life? These sorts of descriptions give your character things to actually do, they give your GM ideas for side quests and shit.

also this guy is right, if you do write a lengthy background, give it to your DM, not the other players.

like i said, other players don't wanna read your shit. but the DM might look through your character's history and say, "that's cool, I'll write up some plot hooks about that." And then when those plot hooks come up, your character can explain to the other characters, "oh yeah, last time I was in town I fathered a child and I've never met him. hope i don't meet him lol"

that in-character exchange and revelation is way better than handing fellow players a mini-novel

also, remember that the stories that half a dozen people come up with organically will almost always be more interesting than the story you sat and wrote out before. the whole point of tabletop gaming is that you collaborate to tell a story; if you just want to tell a story you've already written, well, what are the other players there for

Remember the three rules of character creation on Veeky Forums.

1. Don't make them a Mary Sue.

2. Don't make them an Edgelord.

3. Don't make them part of your Magical Realm.

Aside from that, yeah, keep it short and sweet. Three to five sentences is good enough for an intro. Two, maybe three paragraphs max for total description.

Thank you very much, everyone!

What is Magical Realm?

And I know for sure the character I'm planning is not an Edgelord, almost the complete opposite of that even. Not sure about the Mary Sue part, though. Is there any good way to check?

Be brief.

Be consise.

Make your character a common person that most players can relate to, save for what will give spice to the character.

Remember that one's best points are one's worst.

>What is Magical Realm?

Imagine, if you will, seeing some pantyhose left lying on a park bench. If you feel your heart starting to race and your blood pounding in your ears as you contemplate rushing over to huff the stank out of the gusset like an athsmatic with an inhaler, then that's your Magical Realm.

Short and sweet is the way to go. Come up with a core "elevator pitch" about the character from which you can expand, like "he's a plague doctor who fights the undead". From there you can decide which parts to emphasise, the internal motivations of the character, their origin, etc. etc.

"Magical Realm" is a meme originating from a gunshow comic about a DM who forces his players into encounters that revolve completely around his piss fetish, specifically a panel where a "Whizzard" challenges the PC's to enter his "Magical Realm", which is made entirely from piss. It has become Veeky Forums shorthand for anyone who inserts his fetishes into settings and characters.

What's generally understood to be a Mary Sue is a character that's an overt and idealized self-insert for the player. A Mary Sue is a character intended to take the spotlight.

>General childhood that shaped character's motivations
>Interesting event in midlife that defines character
>general quirk that makes character fun to play
>optional "call to action" motivation for character

You should be able to fit all this onto one page. The "story" you are writing is going to be mostly in your head and expressed by your character in play, so if you find any section of your character's backstory growing too long cut it down to 300 words max. As a DM I seriously do not give a shit about your backstory beyond the greentext I posted.

Always always always include weight and height. It always comes up sooner or later.

>>general quirk that makes character fun to play

Ugh, I hate this shit. One note characters with some shitty catchphrase they shout a dozen times each setting, or gimmicky action like leaving a playing card next to the bodies of everything they've killed. It's try-hard bullshit. Anyone who can't make a character interesting without having to resort to 'quirks' is a shit-tier roleplayer.

Are you Rage-user or Veeky Forums-is-off-topic-user?

Quirks probably isn't the right way to put it, personality traits is better, playing a bold fighter is gonna be more fun than playing just a fighter.

I didn't say quirk that makes them unique, try not to get triggered by my word use. Playing a thief addicted to stealing X is more fun to roleplay than "my character is a thief"

One sentence describing what you look like.
One sentence describing your motive.
One sentence describing an uncommon (but not outlandish) trait.
One sentence describing a distinctive (not necessarily rare) trait or flaw.
One sentence describing a common flaw.

One adjective per setence, tops, and no adverbs.
Keep it simple, and write declaratively.

No, it's not. That's a stupid, retarded, lolsorandum quirk. I'd sooner see an ACTUAL CHARACTER, you know, with a PERSONALITY that extends beyond the narrow confines of character class, rather than "I'm a Thief who literally cannot stop stealing coasters!!! XD".

i think he meant more along the lines of "Thief that likes stealing jewelry"
quirks can be quite good, such as being a knight who thinks they are righteous and chivalrous, but is quite arrogant, or being an alchemist who likes using fireworks in battle
in classic dnd i had a halfling who would pick up mundane but notable items (gold candelabra, leg from a broken table, etc) and use them as throwing weapons.

>classic dnd
What did he mean by this?

First, try to identify what kind of world the GM and your fellow players will be building. It's generally best to try and match the tone and scope of whatever game the group is playing. And I would emphasize group in this. You are a part of the team, not the exclusive main character. Build whatever role you want to play with enough flexibility to fill in whatever the group is lacking.

A brief backstory open to exploration as the game unfolds, a simple motivation (making a living, solving a mystery, searching for a particular object, being a bodyguard to someone else's character...etc.), and a handful of character traits are the essential bits.

>Not sure about the Mary Sue part, though. Is there any good way to check?

Mary Sue is a character who's good at everything and serves to make the rest of the group redundant.

They tend to be loved by those around them because gosh darn they just really are so amazing and pretty even though they have that disgusting scar that also makes them so MYSTERIOUS and DISTINCT and boy golly they just are so awesome.

See: Rey from The Force Awakens. You might also go looking for the original Mary Sue character, who was a satirical take on the average fan-fiction original character.

There's nothing inherently wrong with making a character deliberately distinct, or even mysterious (if you can pull it off), but it's important that these aren't the driving forces behind your character. They need a personality beyond "I'm a badass who does badass things, love me."

There are really several overlapping definitions of Mary Sue, but as long as your character doesn't look like something a furry on Deviantart or a 13 year old on in a Naruto forum RP thread would come up with, you're probably fine (this also eliminates the most obnoxious edgelord characters in the same stroke )

One thing I forgot. Mary Sues have 'flaws' which only serve to make them cooler and never come back to meaningfully bite them ever. For example: a character who is 'head strong' never actually gets in over their head and instead just so happens to push at all the right times to secure their heroic victory.

thealexandrian.net/wordpress/37916/roleplaying-games/universal-npc-roleplaying-template

I've always found this template to be helpful

I like to write down at least these four things of any of my characters:
Appearance: Provides the first impression to how he is perceived. General description, with some emphasis on aspects that uniquely relate to and represent your character.
Background: Provides elements for the GM to bring up in play, and rationalizes your competence in various areas. Add some details on relationships you want to play out in certain ways and such, but otherwise, brevity is wit.
Goals: Note down what your character wants to achieve. This helps your GM tie you into the plot, and helps you rationalize your actions.
Personality: General notes for personal use on how your character behaves in common situations and during interactions, if you're ever feeling lost on how they should roleplay him.

>Not sure about the Mary Sue part, though
If you accept that your character is flawed or can fail even when it's important, then you're safe. Mary Sues comes from someone being overprotective of their character and an unwillingness for them to be portrayed negatively.