Step 1: Write at least 5 concept elements that you feel are important to your image of the character.
a) Madison stands 5’9”. She has white-blond hair and pale blue eyes (which speak to her northern ancestry) but her skin is more bronze than pale.
b) She has a fraternal twin brother, Matthew. Even though they are fraternal, they look an awful lot alike – same height, same coloring. When they were children, they were inseparable and called each other Matty and Maddy. When they were 8 years old, their parents had an unexpected child and so the twins now had a younger sister, Margaret.
c) Madison was always strong and was trained as a fighter in order to protect the sheep of the village from predators. The village was near the mountains and in need of protection by the more capable villagers. Matthew, on the other hand, was not overly strong and showed magical aptitude. He was shipped off to the city to study to become a wizard when they were in their teens, the family believing that a wizard in the family would be prestigious. This caused separation anxiety for Madison since she was close with her brother. Since her brother was now gone, she turned her attention to their younger sister Margaret and watched over her with intense devotion.
d) Maddy took to calling her sister Maggie and spent more time with her than her own parents. It was understood that it was Maddy’s responsibility to take care of Maggie which she took very seriously. One fateful day while Maddy and Maggie were out walking in the woods near their home something horrible happened. At least Maddy assumes that something horrible happened because she can’t remember what occurred. She woke up in the woods and there was a lot of blood but no Maggie. The weapon she had been carrying had blood on it, there was a velvet bag containing small animal bones, and a dagger with a weird hilt buried in her side – but no sign of Maggie. Her parents lost themselves in their grief taking to drinking and overworking. They refused to talk about what happened.
e) Maddy is prone to episodes of intense fighting where she disassociates from herself and almost becomes a different person while threatened. She is a capable fighter on her own but her strength is intensified during these ‘blackout’ episodes. She is still capable of recognizing friend from foe in this state but can’t remember what happens after the rage leaves her. These blackouts started after Maggie disappeared, it’s almost as if her mind broke that day (she is a barbarian and capable of raging but her raging episodes manifest like someone with dissociative identity disorder)
Step 2: List at least 2 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.
a) To find out what happened to Maggie
b) I'd like her to begin to consider herself as an individual and what she wants to do in the future. Not just think of herself in the context of her family.
Step 3: List at least 2 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. This will help me in creating plots that center around your character. I will also be creating a third secret which you as a player will not be aware of, so expect some surprises!
a) When she regained clarity after Maggie’s disappearance, she was clutching Maggie’s favorite doll in her hand that was covered in blood. Maddy thinks she may have killed Maggie – she buried the doll and never told anyone that, even Matty
b) The greatsword she carries belonged to her great-grandfather. What she doesn’t know is that it is made of coldiron and was stolen by her great-grandfather when he fled south.
Step 4: Describe at least 3 people that are tied to the character. Two of them are friendly to the character, one is hostile.
a) Brother Matty – friendly, mostly
b) Sister Maggie (? - she was friendly at the time of her disappearance...is she still friendly?)
c) Simeon Stowell – unofficial sheriff of their village who taught Maddy how to fight. She thinks of him like a father, especially after her own father checked out with the disappearance of Maggie
Step 5: Describe at least 3 mannerisms, or quirks that your character has. They don't have to be elaborate, but they should provide some context and flavor.
a) Very protective of her family
b) Loves music – wishes she had learned to play an instrument; has settled for singing even though she isn’t very good
c) Talks to animals like they’re people
Step 6: List one fear your character have and one fear that you have (if you are not comfortable with this, skip it).
a) Enclosed spaces/claustrophobia
