Step 1: Write 5 background and concept elements that you feel are important to your image of the character.
1) Francis is a third-generation half-orc raised in Flint, like his mother and her father before him. His mother bares less pronounced orcish features than he does himself. Francis resents this fact and his initial assumption on first encounters with people is that they underestimate his intelligence and assume he is brutish.
2) He is well spoken and well mannered as well as highly intelligent and educated. His mother is a blacksmith as her father before her so Francis could be said to come from money as his family is mostly well to-do tradesmen and artisans.
3) He is very conscious of his heritage, knowing that peoples initial reaction to him are rarely favorable, he strives with every word and action to break the racist image he has come to believe every human holds for half-orcs as dumb brutes good for nothing but heavy lifting.
4) Francis attended academy where he believes that he got unfair treatment from the Professors and teachers due to his race, having to prove his worth at every turn and defend every notation and project he ever worked. Despite this perceived harsh treatment from the faculty Francis managed to graduate with top marks.
5) Francis is a tinkerer. He loves moving parts in mechanical designs and small details in working machinery.
6) Francis knows that people are mostly good, once they get over their initial assumptions on half-orcs, as he has first hand experience from neighbors and friends of the family, and once he he has made certain that these assumptions have been broken down he is a very honest and warm person as well as a fiercely loyal friend.
7) Raised in love and relative safety Francis also knows that there is evil in the world. There are plenty of men who try to swindle, scam and steal from anyone they perceive as weak and try to bully those they perceive as weaker into following their lead and doing their dirty work for them. Francis has had his fair share of run-in with these types of men and he has no particular empathy for them, believing every man has a choice, and some simply make stupid choices consistently, but those he perceives as the weaker ones who caved in to the bully he sees as victims and pities.
8) Francis's family line has a dark past with an evil dragon-priest casting the darkest shadow.
9) Happy family
Step 2: List at least two goals for the character. At least one of these goals should be one that the character has, while another should be one that you, as a player, want to see developed over the course of the game.
1) I would like for Francis to climb the ranks of the well-to-do. Have him break the social boundaries of high society and achieve noble status with all the benefits of the station through his scientific work.
2) I would like for Francis's family past to come into play one way or another. Maybe his blood is key to opening some secret door to a hidden cache or an underground cult is still worshiping his black-hearted ancestor and kidnap a family member for sacrifice.
Step 3: List at least two secrets about your character. One is a secret the character knows, one is a secret that involves him but that he is not actually aware of yet.
1) Francis is not his given name, it is Fa'ruk (pronounced Faah-rruk) and his clan name is Kahnesh, but he adopted Francis when he was young in defiance to social norms to demonstrate that he was as much a member of Flint society as any man. His mother is hurt by his adopted name and feels it is a slight against their heritage which she is proud of, Francis knows this and is secretly ashamed that he has hurt his mother. Francis's grandfather, who is still alive and kicking and working the forge alongside Francis's mother, simply ignores this as keeps calling Francis by his real name.
2) Francis is the descendant of a notorious figure in Ber's history, the dragon priest Kamunsh Black-heart, said to be singlehandedly responsible for some of the worst genocides in Ber's history. As his dragon-god was killed he is said to have drawn on his essence so much that he gained near dragon-like power and became an even darker terror in his own right. Finally defeated, his followers and family were executed as it was said that their blood was all tainted, all except for one of his daughters who escaped, pregnant with his child. Francis's family is the last leg of this bloodline and his grandfather is fully aware of this dark past and has every intention of letting this secret die with him.
3) [Not really a secret, but something Francis is unaware of]
It was Francis's teachers who suggested Francis as a potential recruit for the R.H.C, seeing great potential in him the faculty, open minded forward thinkers nearly to the number, pushed Francis to shine because they knew that he would need to excel in whatever field he decided to focus on if he was ever to receive any recognition for his discoveries.
Step 4: Describe at least three people that are tied to the character. Two of them are friendly to the character, one is hostile.
1) Mother
2) Teacher
3) Grandfather
3) Bully
Step 5: Describe three memories, mannerisms, or quirks that your character has. They don't have to be elaborate, but they should provide some context and flavor.
[Example]
1) Fidgedy
2) Beaten by bullies.
3) .
