Character Creation

Everyone does this differently. Some people come up with very detailed character profiles and background stories before they even think about RPing, and others only start with a name and take it from there.

Personally, I like to come up with the basics and improvise the rest when asked, but whatever I make up on the fly, I make a mental note of and stick to it from then on. A strong character concept can guide you in any situation and take you places you never expected, but it can also be quite restricting, and might exclude you from certain events. It’s up to you to find your personal balance.

Tips
I recommend filling out a character template, but not answering every single question straight away. RP creates natural progression for your character and will let you discover things about them as you go, and things might change for them as well. If you have trouble remembering details, it’s definitely a good idea to have a document with the information you have on your character.

Another tip is to always think "Why?". If your character has an aversion to fish, why is that? Do they just think they’re icky? Or did they nearly get eaten once by a giant grouper (especially fitting for little people)? If your character has scars, where did they get them from and when? It makes for good stories when someone asks :)

Character Template
Here is a template for you to use when creating your character. You don't have to fill in every single section, just delete the ones you're not using.

All you have to do is copy the code and paste it into the source and then you can fill in the spaces either in source mode or Visual.

To insert your own image, you have to upload it separately (or in your text and delete it again), and replace Character Placeholder.jpg with your own image name.

Character Template Expanded
This explains every section of the template, and what it could include.

You can use it as a general guide and write freeform, or you can copy paste bits (or all of it) into your own profile if you prefer.

{| border="0" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" class="article-table"

Appearance
These are some of the things you can include in your text. Stick to purely physical traits - only things you can see and hear and smell. These are the things you would put in your character description in an RP addon like MRP or TRP2.

Hair: How long is it? is it curly or wavy, ruffled or neat? Is it dyed and are the roots showing? is it greying?

Eyes: Eye colour or glow is more than enough, but you can describe shape and slant as well.

Skin: Not just colour, but also marks like blemishes, beauty spots, freckles and scars.

Tattoos and Piercings: It’s not common to have tattoos unless for your clan if you’re a dwarf, but piercings are fairly normal, at least for females.

Height: You can use centimeters or inches (there’s even a section for this in MRP), but you can also just describe them as short, tall or average.

Weight: Doesn’t have to be exact either. Thin, large, average, round, curvy, petite - all work.

Build: Physique should depend on what they do for a living and how they travel etc. Someone who wears heavy armour every day will be fairly muscular, whereas a spell caster isn’t often that strong. Someone who runs a lot will have defined calves, and archers have muscular backs and shoulders.

Alternate Forms: If you're a Worgen or Druid you might have something specific for your other form(s) Maybe you have a mark somewhere that is visible no matter what shape you take, or maybe there's a specific patterning to your shifted form(s).

Real / Apparent Age: You might look older or younger than you really are. It would be a good idea for you to add both and the reason for the difference between the two.

Personality
This can be anything from likes and dislikes to habits and flaws. Remember to try to explain why your characters are how they are and why they do or like certain things. It brings depth to your character.

Here's a big list of things worth considering. If you aim to chose five of these and expand on them, you have a good character concept already. 10-20 and you have a strong concept. The more you have, the more relatable your character will be -As long as you chose both positive and negative traits or you'll end up with a Mary Sue.

Basic Personality Traits
Are they: Daring? Shy? Modest? Brave? Honest? Friendly?

Favourites and Dislikes
Color:

Food: What makes their mouth water?

Smell: What makes them stop in their tracks?

Clothes:

Animals:

Climate: Hot, cold, wet, dry, sunny, dark?

Environment: Do they like a comfy chair by the fire, or do they prefer the open wilds?

Mode of transport:

Expletives (curse): ''Do they swear at all? Why / why not?''

What are their...
Hobbies: ''Do they knit or whittle in their spare time? Do they like to ride or paint? Do they collect something?''

Habits:

Fears: (Phobias can be fun, but if you are deathly afraid of rats, you won't be able to go anywhere in Azeroth. Plan ahead with this one. Stick to more unlikely things for extreme fears -being terrified of Balloons could be interesting :P Being a little bit afraid of orcs or spiders or puddles is much more manageable)

Virtues:

Vices: Do they drink, smoke, or get their hair done often?

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Wishes:

Regrets:

Priorities:

Philosophies:

How do they feel about...
Themselves:

Their looks:

Their past:

People younger/older than themselves:

Other lands:

Other races:

Other creatures:

Failure: Do they get depressed or do they move on quickly?

Success: Do they gloat or are they modest?

Authority:'' Do they like their government? What do they think of the rulers?''

Social classes: ''Do they like or dislike nobles? Do they think poor people are disgusting or should be helped in some way?''

Other
Do they have any distinctive manerisms?

What's the most (un)comfortable situation for them?

Do they have any allergies?

Do they have any addictions?

How do they spend their average day?

If granted one wish what would it be, why?

Do they act the same alone as when with someone?

Reward or punishment?

Who does your character look up to?

Background
This section is to do with your character's history. You don't have to tell their entire life story, although you're welcome to if you feel like it!

Family
A typical choice is to be an orphan and, while it's perfectly plausible considering the wars, plague, natural and supernatural disasters, it's quite overused and in a very offhand way. The other extreme is to have every single member of your family played either by yourself or friends. An in-between could be to just have an imaginary family. It's up to you to figure out what works for you, and everything could work as long as you can explain it (or just don't talk about it), but the thing to remember is how it'll affect your character. It's a bit odd to be a happy, well-adjusted orphan for example.

The only "Rule" about family is to not be directly related to a big plot-line character. You can be of a certain clan if you're a dwarf, and it's almost expected to be a part of a big family, and you can be the distant cousin of a vendor in Westfall, but it's just not accepted to be the bastard son of the king.

Social connections
Friendships have a big influence on a character, but people tend to be connected in various other ways and they can be just as important. Does your character have any enemies or just people who really dislike them? Do they have a little following of adoring fans? Do they prefer animal to human companionship?

Home
Where you're from and where you live affects different things depending on race. For Dwarves it determines your clan, for Humans it determines your accent and sometimes profession, for Draenei it determines how old they are and what they've been through.

Does your character have a home? Where do they spend most of their time?

Accent
Mostly used for Humans. Not generally required. You can adjust accent in the way you write if needed.
 * }

--Dominique Vida