Other Can someone tell me how to make a character?

[Sir.AquaDeath143]

whenever i want to join a role-play i look at the other RPer's characters. They always look detailed and have a picture. they also have a different background color. after i look at these characters i get nervous and don't join because i don't know how to make a character as detailed as there's(also because i have a lack of confidence but, thats not the problem). I would like to know how to make a detailed character.

 

[Count Gensokyo]

whenever i want to join a role-play i look at the other RPer's characters. They always look detailed and have a picture. they also have a different background color. after i look at these characters i get nervous and don't join because i don't know how to make a character as detailed as there's(also because i have a lack of confidence but, thats not the problem). I would like to know how to make a detailed character.

Look at good articles about what makes a good character and how to effectively develop them during the course of a story.

The main points that I got from many of them were for the character to play an active role in the plot (most main protagonists in anything) instead of a reactive role in the plot (Bella in Twilight, who sits around and does virtually nothing, waiting for all of the plot to just happen around her. This is only one of the many, many reasons why this book series is a poorly written piece of literature.) Also, make sure to give your hero, villain, or neutral character a goal for them to have in mind and keep them motivated to accomplish that goal for the entirety of the plot. If they complete that goal, give them a new one to follow. This character's primary goal can range from anything to defeating the villain, saving his daughter from kidnappers, acing the big test, getting a girlfriend way out of his league, finally getting rid of his horrible boss, or just getting enough money to get that big mansion estate he's always wanted...through any means necessary.

And, above all else, just go for it, practice, and accept constructive criticism.

 

[Queen of Bithynia]

Character sheets are worth little. Do not look at them as some standard by which you must measure yourself. Anyone can hammer out a bunch of crap into a sheet to give the illusion of depth.

A character is successful if everyone (including you) has fun playing with him. A character has depth if he is has realism. If he lacks realism, then he can never have depth, and this is true even of the characters standing behind long character sheets and years of use.

A character is made detailed by consistency. The specific details are irrelevant. As long as you persist in your details, across time and circumstances, then you will create a detailed character. You can even create stories on-the-fly about those details.

And if you just never let on that you're just making it all up as you go along, then no one will assume otherwise.

Then bam! Depth.

So tl;dr

Make up random crap as you go along. Stick with your story. Make up random stories explaining it, later. As long as it's all realistic, then you have a detailed character.

 

[mijwan]

I usually just look at other to see that my character is in a similar age range and stuff like that but don't worry about the length, as long as you filled the sheet unless they gave a specific length anything goes.

If you ever want to practice making characters with someone or get a second opinion on the character before you sign up, I'm happy to help out

 

[mijwan]

Character sheets are worth little. Do not look at them as some standard by which you must measure yourself. Anyone can hammer out a bunch of crap into a sheet to give the illusion of depth.

A character is successful if everyone (including you) has fun playing with him. A character has depth if he is has realism. If he lacks realism, then he can never have depth, and this is true even of the characters standing behind long character sheets and years of use.

A character is made detailed by consistency. The specific details are irrelevant. As long as you persist in your details, across time and circumstances, then you will create a detailed character. You can even create stories on-the-fly about those details.

And if you just never let on that you're just making it all up as you go along, then no one will assume otherwise.

Then bam! Depth.

So tl;dr

Make up random crap as you go along. Stick with your story. Make up random stories explaining it, later. As long as it's all realistic, then you have a detailed character.

so true, best description I've heard yet

 

[Tedronai]

Most GM will be happy to help if you're genuinely interested in their RP. Fill out the CS to the best of your ability and ask for feedback, and if you then get it listen (which is not to say you have to agree with everything, just consider it).

The more characters you create, the better you'll become at it. No one starts out amazing.

 

[Seldil]

I don’t put any stock at all in character sheets. I would rather have a short story showing a moment in the characters life prior to the rp. To me that tells a lot more about who they are than a Google image pic, height / weight, what their hair looks like, ect. As for how I like to make my characters. I look at the situation then ask myself what kind of person these circumstances would make. At least to me it makes the characters feel more like real people and since I know how their past shaped them I know how they react in various situations that come up.

 

[Wrathka]

Mmm~ I usually look for something that sparks inspiration and gives me at least one or two character traits I can envision in a character and then I start asking questions. For example: Say I start with a character that's just "nervous" and that's all I know about them. I start brainstorming like this....

Nervous - So what in the character's past makes them nervous? Maybe they screw things up a lot? Is that because they're clumsy?
Clumsy - Why are they clumsy? Maybe they move around kind of briskly or they're always in a hurry for some reason. Why? Maybe they have a high stress occupation.
High Stress Occupation - What's a high stress occupation? Motherhood. High school. Combine them. Ultra high stress. I'd be clumsy and nervous too.

You see? Then you take what you've learned and add it all up together as a character sheet. It helps if you get your initial spark of inspiration from the character's "picture."

 

[Saccharine Cyanide]

One of my favorite (and quick and easy) ways to flesh out a character is to fill out a character questionnaire, like this one. I like to answer them from my own perspective and then my character's perspective, because how honestly or dishonestly they answer the questions can tell you quite a bit about their personality, too.

 

[Satire]

To make a detailed character is like making a person. So in order to make another person, you must detach (Figuratively) from your own body, mind, past and present, and think of what your character has gone through, first in their childhood years, then progress to who they are now in one big line. The final step is to believe that they are a real person, and breathe life into them.

Who are they?

What are they?

Creating them is the best gift you can give them, don't waste that gift on something mediocre.

 

[Sir.AquaDeath143]

thank you for the help

 

[AlbaGuBrath]

Kinda going off what has been said, I often start with a few defining traits in my head, then build from there. I like to set up a nine-trait square, with three positive traits, three negative ones, and three that are either neither good nor bad or can be either one depending on the situation. From there, I think about why they have those traits, how they appear in their lives and in what circumstances, how it affects their lives, and what they/others think about that trait. After going through their mine major traits in that way, I find I have a pretty good base to work from and can flesh out more details as I go. If I have trouble fleshing out their details, I sometimes like to play character development games to learn more about them before putting them in RP.

This works well (for me, at least) because it helps me to keep them balanced and to have an idea of how they would react in different situations. It also provides a bit of structure for the reader, which is also helpful. Don't know if that's exactly what you're looking for, but maybe it can help. Good luck! (:

 

[Birdsie]

NOTE: Do not use this as a 100% guide.
This is merely guidelines and tips and tricks for making characters.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/SoYouWantTo/MakeInterestingCharacters

 

[Beckoncall]

Look online for random generators and keep generating random characters until you find one you'd like to play or an amalgam of factors. Sometimes starting is the hardest part.

here's a fave of mine:

https://donjon.bin.sh/