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Actually, it's a real old school idea (we're talking 1974 - 1979) to create your character based off of what you roll. That goes back to the very first days of the game when the main thrust of character creation WAS rolling randomly for stats. You were... maybe not completely "expected," but at least "guided" by the rules themselves to do so.
As with most things, as more and more people got to hear of the game's existence, the notion of complete customization and convenience crept in, and you ended up with all these alternatives for character creation, mostly centered on how to get the stats you wanted for your concept.
By 1981 most of us were coming to the table knowing what we wanted to play, and either you had a DM who just handed you the stats to make it so, or you were stuck with somebody who made you roll and stick with just having the lousiest of that sort of character who ever existed (and all manner of DMs in-between). I had one guy who just let you roll up sixteen or seventeen sets of stats until you got the set that allowed for the class you wanted. (Later, in 3.5, I had a player who secretly rolled thirty or forty sets of stats to get what he wanted after I specifically told him he had three - 3!! - chances, but we don't play with cheaters anymore.)
I think most of us now take it for granted that we have a concept and our GM will give us a point buy that will help us achieve it. Otherwise, why would this thread exist?
Concept and backstory first, fill in from there. A lot depends on if you are rolling stats or using point buy. If you are rolling, the character concept needs to be more fluid, change as needed to match the rolls. Point buy can be totally concept based.
Usually I decide on a character concept. Some kind of basic race/class/feat combo. Then I do the stats. For personality, I tend to base them on the mental stats. So a lower wisdom could mean reckless, or could mean more mercurial, etc. Then from there, I use traits to flesh out a good background. But I do a lot of background leads to stats and stats leads to background consistently.
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I always start from concept, even when I'm being corralled into playing something I don't really want to because it's 'needed'. And like Ezzran, this is why I use point buy. :)
Anyway, after concept ... during which I try very hard not to think in terms of classes; I prefer to think in terms the character would use to define himself ... I go looking through classes and archetypes to figure out what class or classes would get me closest to my concept.
Then, all the mechanical stuff starts.
A lot of times when making a character or NPC, I'll start concept-first like you do. The concept isn't necessarily personality, equipment, or things like that- it's usually the reason for adventuring. Something like: novice cleric who just had a hostile rival promoted to power over him, so he flees by going out into the world to "evangelize." Coming-of-age herbalist finds out she's an orphan- and an unusually tame werewolf. An aristocrat from a family going through disgrace and money problems takes up wizardry and find's out she's talented at it- but she can only cast Fire spells.
Usually when you do that first, a lot of choices during character creation can practically make themselves. Sometimes you can even play with backstory or personality based on some mechanical selection you decide you want to make, so you can actually end up "retracing your steps" back up and down the process a few times based on changes you want as you go through.
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All the mechanics first, then I make a person that fits them.
We have also turned to point-by. It not only allows for you to choose any concept as far as class and race, but it also allows for everyone to have the same playing field to start. I usually think of a concept than base that concept around race and the class I think fits what I want to do. Sometimes a class is just a way to achieve the concept but melee fighters from a rogue or bard class can be fun.
Actually, it's a real old school idea (we're talking 1974 - 1979) to create your character based off of what you roll. That goes back to the very first days of the game when the main thrust of character creation WAS rolling randomly for stats. You were... maybe not completely "expected," but at least "guided" by the rules themselves to do so.
As with most things, as more and more people got to hear of the game's existence, the notion of complete customization and convenience crept in, and you ended up with all these alternatives for character creation, mostly centered on how to get the stats you wanted for your concept.
By 1981 most of us were coming to the table knowing what we wanted to play, and either you had a DM who just handed you the stats to make it so, or you were stuck with somebody who made you roll and stick with just having the lousiest of that sort of character who ever existed (and all manner of DMs in-between). I had one guy who just let you roll up sixteen or seventeen sets of stats until you got the set that allowed for the class you wanted. (Later, in 3.5, I had a player who secretly rolled thirty or forty sets of stats to get what he wanted after I specifically told him he had three - 3!! - chances, but we don't play with cheaters anymore.)
I think most of us now take it for granted that we have a concept and our GM will give us a point buy that will help us achieve it. Otherwise, why would this thread exist?
Yes, pretty much the explanation I was going to give, but Bruunwald's explanation is much more eloquent than I would have been able to come up with.
All the old D&D video games had the randomly-generated character creation system, and you'd build the character based on whatever class was left that met the minimum requirements for stats, race, and alignment (chances were, the PCs would mostly be Rogues and Fighters, because the stats were too low to do much else.)
As for the way I create PCs these days, I come up with a character concept, usually something sort of odd by D&D standards (a Dwarf witch-hunter general, or a human private investigator, or a geeky adventuring scholar, or a warrior monk using an atypical class such as Ranger or Rogue, or....) Then, I try to pick the class that has mechanical options that best simulate the concept, and rewrite as much fluff as needed to bring the mechanics in line with the concept, making minor mechanical changes where allowed by the DM in order to support the concept (typically in vanilla 3.5E I would change the class skills a bit, for example, to give a vampire-hunter Ranger Knowledge: Religion instead of Knowledge: Nature or whatever.)
It doesn't really result in the most optimized character around, but I generally have a lot of fun making the characters, I'm not really into the optimization scene, and (fortunately) most of the groups I've ever played in haven't been optimized, either, so it seems to work out.
For the record, I've been wanting to try an old-school random character generation again for a few years now, but never get around to it. It seems like it would be a fun way to come up with some really off-the-wall character ideas.
I never really stuck with some particular way to make a character. Sometimes I really want a concept to come to live, other times I'm focused more on the story, and sometimes I just want to prove something is mechanically efficient. It sort of depends on what I want in the moment. The result is a lot of notes that I can draw on for later use if anything.
Different groups have different needs. Usually I take from a build I already have prepared if anything, and change it's story/build to suit the party's needs. Its about group cohesion once I'm at the table. Its not that I can't create a character on the spot just for that table, but I like to spend a good amount of time working on a character. I like detailing every feat and piece of story too much to make one in an instant. Its not as fun for me, and it doesn't feel as fulfilling or complete unless I can devote an amount of personal time to the character.
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I'm not much of a fan of point buy. I like to start with a basic concept and then roll the stats. Once I have some of those blocked out, I start to fill in the details. I like to discover my characters this way.
I generally do it one of two ways:
1.) "Oh this fighting style/Feat/Spell/Whatever sounds REALLY COOL, let's build a character around it!" and then I add a personality based on who would use said fighting style.
2.) "Oh man it would be really cool to play a character whose defining personality trait is X." then I make a build based off of that personality.
I'm a big fan of mechanics and personality meshing as closely as I can make them, though not necessarily stats.
I personally don't think someone with 5 Cha has to be an abrasive, ugly, smelly, douche, but the stat should have some effect. EX: My 5 Cha Orc Barbarian is pretty much utterly clueless as to what most social conventions are or should be and just speaks his mind all the time, not realizing some of the things he says could be very offensive. Like telling a woman of Tian descent (he didn't know this) that she should do something about her jaundice.
I think of what the party needs.
I then look at what the best way to provide that may be. I also look at what I might want to play, and come to a compromise between the two if needed.
I often pick last because there is always that one player who will play a character that is not needed. I like to have everything covered.
In the last ten years many of my characters have been born from a figure I painted and wanted to use in game. Sometimes I simply want to play a certain class though. Coming up with a name and a voice are an important part of fleshing out the character.
Depends on what the party needs. And if rolling for stats (ugh) my rolls are the biggest determination of what I will play, or even if I will be playing at all.
From there, I try and think of a build that fits those party needs / those damn rolled stats that is also something I would enjoy playing. (This is most difficult when the party needs a healer, as I generally can't stand RPing religious types and I'm beginning to do Druid to death as the only acceptable alternative.)
Then, I think of actual, concrete builds. Mostly feat plans and, if applicable, the multiclassing "schedule." Possibly making multiple builds of either completely different classes or the same one w/ feat changes or other differences.
Once I've got the crunch down, I start thinking about personality, how this person will be roleplayed, what his training and skills mean for his outlook and attitude, and thinking of alignment. Speaking of gender pronouns, it's usually at this stage I decide on if it will be he or she.
Equipment and naming the PC tend to come at the very end because the former is arduous toiling and the latter is something I suck at, thus both get procrastinated till the last possible second.
From there, I try and think of a build that fits those party needs / those damn rolled stats that is also something I would enjoy playing. (This is most difficult when the party needs a healer, as I generally can't stand RPing religious types and I'm beginning to do Druid to death as the only acceptable alternative.)
Speaking of this sort of thing, part of character creation sometimes for me is making multiple characters and asking for guidelines. "Can I play a cleric of the ideal?" "Hey can I trade in this class feature for this? Its more thematic" asking about all the little ideas I have for a character or home made archetype. Who's GMing is a big thing. A GM I'm used to saying no I just won't ask. One who explicitly says "PFS Rules only!" I'll avoid breaking any of PFS's guidelines(even the crazy ones). Conforming is a lot of work. A lenient GM might let me do something cool to help bring a character to life without gimping myself.
When I get asked to play a healer, my first thought is psionic vitalist. I've yet to have a GM say yes though so I usually don't dive on that role and instead ask to do control and someone else to do the healer. Also means I haven't been able to play a vitalist yet.
Unless the needs of the party demand a certain story be filled, I have a very random approach to character generation. I roll to determine what gender, class and race I'll be playing.
For example, to determine race I'll usually roll 1d6 with 1-3 indicating human, 4-5 core demihuman 6 - something unusual. It goes on from there.
As the random rolls throw up ideas, a concept starts to form, from which point on I rely less on rolling and more on my own imagination. A name usually comes at some point in the middle of character creation. All the fluff comes after the mechanics have been ironed out, and I usally spend far longer on backstory, personality and appearance than I do on the crunch.
I love this unknown element in character creation; having no idea what character you're going to end up with. It's also fun from a roleplaying aspect as I end up characters I never would have chosen if I'd followed my own whims.
With regards to the fluff, I'll also randomly select a few different inspirations, perhaps a friend, perhaps a character from a movie, perhaps a character from a book I'm reading, then mix them together to come up something unique. I often use the NPC tables in the Gamemastery Guide or the 2nd ed. DMG to add personal or physical quirks. The important thing with this approach is not be tied to the dice rolls; if a concept's starting to form and I roll another detail that doesn't fit, then I discard it.
As a player, I prefer to roll for stats as I'm quite happy to field a less than optimal character. As a DM I tend to point buy as it seems fairer on my players.
I tend to find a class, feat tree, spell choices, or other mechanic that I like, and would enjoy playing. That gives me a class or class/race.
Then my mind wanders looking for a personality to hang the mechanic idea on, and a basic idea of a background for the character. If these don't happen then the character never gets played. They have to fit fairly seamlessly with the mechanic idea I came up with in the first place.
So now I have a basic background, with a basic mechanic I want to play with.
Using the personality and background I have, I fine tune things like skill choices, feats, and traits. And in deciding which fit this character, that adds to the character's personality and background - mostly as a "why does the character have this particular mechanical do-dad."
Once that is done, I have the character - with a mechanic I want to play, a personality/background I like, and the character's background, personality and abilities all connected to gether.
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I usually create mine with paper, pencils, and dice :p
All the mechanics first, then I make a person that fits them.
This is normally what I do. Look at the build that intrigues me and then say to myself, "what kind of man would do these kind of things?"
Sadly, I have a list of 125 or so 1st level characters or ideas pre-made. I generally pick one that fits the party/campaign needs unless I have one really itching me to be played. After that, I level them up one level at a time to meet game prerequisites (i.e. this game is for 4th level characters).
They all start as Mikaze mentions first, though it usually involves all those aspects instead of just a few.
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I usually envision my character first as a person and his backstory. Often I tend to love characters from novels and book or even movies (Indiana Jones) and I make a similar copy of my own.
At the same time I calculate how to get the most without dumping any stats on my character, so this is probably a reason why they tend to be more of a jack of all trades based rather then focused on specific combos or tasks.
I usually pick a character more appropriate for the group, but there are certain limits for me that I believe that everyone should play what they want.
I use an iterative process. I start with a very basic role, and narrow it down to a class. Then I start to generate a background that goes along with a particular race and ethnicity, which I try to tie in with a trait or archetype or something. Then point buy stats. From there it ping-pongs with mechanics suggesting new aspects of history and personality, which suggest mechanical elements, back and forth until I have a coherent whole. The background may get tweaked here and there to accommodate a really good mechanic, and suboptimal choices may get made to conform to a really compelling bit of personal history, but the end result should be interesting and fun to play from both perspectives.
Typically, the process will result in a bit of expertise in a particular area of mechanics and/or lore, which makes those elements more likely to get recycled in a future character, just because I know them better. That's how I ended up with two PbP rangers that have some history in Desperation Bay. They're very different to play, since one is a Molthuni halfling trapper/archer in a Serpent's Skull AP, and one is a Mwangi human switch-hitter in PFS -- but (for example) they both hate monstrous humanoids, because of the sahuagin that live in the wreck of the Chelish fleet at the bottom of the bay.
I usually go race -> religion/alignment/regional background -> class -> roll stats -> adjust personality for mental stats -> feats -> feat-related weapons -> skills -> general appearance -> traits -> gear -> name
Though the choice of race and class might be strongly influenced by something mechanical. Like my most recent character was an LG ratfolk rogue worshiper of Erastil because I like the swarming racial trait of ratfolk and the ratfolk-only feat that grants a pair of claw attacks, and I also liked the alternate racial trait that gave-up skill bonuses for the scent ability.
I named him Nico Vanguard-Wanderculled based on a combination of resisting the urge to name him Nicodemus (from The Rats of NIMH), and because I read-up on how fancy rats are bred and rats with undesirable physical traits are "culled" (killed) from the litters so desirable traits thrive. Because ratfolk tend toward the worship of Erastil and believe in community over the individual, but I knew Nico would probably be the lone ratfolk in the campaign, I made his background such that he removed himself from his overburdened ratfolk warren to seek a new home, possibly for the foundation of a new settlement. (So he gave himself the name "wanderculled" because he took himself away from the group.) One of his traits is the one from APG where he has a background in his militia, which I took because it helped explain his combat class (rogue) and granted him Survival as a class skill, which complements his alternate racial Scent ability. So Vanguard because of his service in the militia of his warren. (His appearance is also following fancy rat conventions. He's a hooded ratfolk with a white diamond blaze between his eyes and a black hood. He's white on his lower body, and has ruby eyes.)
(Unfortunately that campaign appears to have been canceled after one session. I spent as much time creating Nico as I spent playing him. But I spend a long time on NPCs in the campaign I GM anyway, so no big deal.)
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Normally I build a class that interests me. The I create a background and a story that matches the campaign and the characters stats and traits.
However, having done this for many years,I'm actually looking forwards to running a character that is completely random for history etc, and seeing where that takes me.
As a GM I love the idea of traits not opening up for players unless their background rolls allowed it.
I did pay a lot first edition warhammer role play though when i was a teenager. That games entire character creation system was random.
Cheers
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I have aborted more characters at birth due to horrid rolls than I can count.
I would say, "well, all stats but one are under 10... ok, he died at birth." and I would roll another set of stats.
Then, came the 4d6 method and drop the lowest die. My abortion rate declined by 99%.
But I create a character; personality, race, class, alternate class features, feats and skills before I ever roll anything.
And I can say that not once did my character concept ever match what actually came out in the game. There was always a feat line that was changed to fit the campaign, skills were altered, and even multiclassing or prestige classes were used when none were expected.
But the character always had a strong base personality to roll with that allowed me to RP correctly in the first 5 levels before the events of the Campaign started changing the character concept.
I always roll and then decide on the character and personality.
Having just made a character, I start with a basic concept or idea I want to put together (In this case, I wanted to play a synthesist), look for cool things to add (there is a Tiefling alternative racial heritage that means he doesn't sleep), adjust as necessary (shouldn't use basic Tifling stat bonuses with Summoner; go with Kyton-Kin); that provides the back story (Maybe he fused with his Eidolon so people wouldn't see he's a Tiefling), then I start asking questions about back-story - where is he from? How did he become an adventurer? (He was adopted by a paladin - the paladin died) as the back-story develops, little quirks appear (he first manifested his Eidolon as a way to avoid bullying, and it is a manifestation of his ancestral kyton powers as it appears in the form of chains).
After all, this, I throw together the stats.
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Pre-Campaign:
- Make up concept and backstory.
- Build the character with classes and abilities that seem appropriate to the fluff.
- Put it in storage.
Game starting:
- Wait to see what everyone else is making.
- Determine what would be beneficial to the group.
- Dig through my dozens of stored PCs and pull out one to play based on this.
- Quickly level that PC up to starting level if beginning at a level higher than 1.
...And that's my method.
I pretty much do the same as you, Ezzran.
Anytime I think of a cool concept, read about one, or see a character I want to emulate, I write it down or email it to myself, etc.
When I am sitting down with the group to create characters, I usually draw on my list for inspiration and pick something that best fits my role in the group. Sometimes the campaign or AP sparks some new inspiration and I go with that.
I guess what I am saying is that in almost every case, my character creation process is concept first, mechanics last.
Oh, I forgot to mention, in regards to my ratfolk rogue above (Nico Vanguard-Wanderculled), I had everything in mind for him before the first session of that campaign started, except what he sounded like. Since he had the Scent alternate racial trait, I had him sniff the air a lot and he ended-up talking like a cross between Kiefer Sutherland in Dark City and Peter Lorre. (I think Kiefer Sutherland was trying to impersonate Peter Lorre in Dark City.) I figured for creatures with the Scent ability, how the world smells is a larger part of the character's impression of the world than it is for us more humans who lack such a talent, and I like the idea of my ratfolk having a twitchy nose.
Poor Nico, a Lawful Good ratfolk rogue in a party with a LE dwarf fighter, a CN fetchling summoner, a CN? human fighter, and a CE ratfolk alchemist, and I know the fetchling's player planned for him to have CE tendencies too. I just tried to have my LG guy away from their in-town antics. (At least I wasn't playing a paladin.)
First the bones. (Abilities, class, race.)
Then the organs. (Feats, skills, gear.)
Next the flesh. (Personality, history.)
But the soul never appears until the dice hit the table.
THAT is when I discover the character.
This, so much
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i read the materials, i look at archetypes, classes and feats. then i think of how those different pieces fit together, and try to picture how it would work out. i usually sit the character until i find a game that need that role filled.
all of my characters are optimized within the roll i imagine. its not about every character hitting for 1,000 points of damage, but more making them the best i can without going in a direction that would alienate the ego of the character.
- think of sweet visual
- base cosmetic features around visual
- costume design in head, every layer from outer garment inward, down to undergarment choice
- come up with a handful of fitting traits
- base options around traits
- reskin as needed
- write basic backstory
- work on backstory later with collaberation
- find out how the hell the character got there
- tie self to party
Pre-Game:Class--->Race--->Point Buy--->Feats/Skills/Spells--->Name--->Background--->Promptly tossed into character pile
Just Before Game:Roll 1d12 to determine which of the created characters I will be playing.
Concept first (what is the character about, Race) then determinate the possible Classes) from this(also always try to think out of the box (e.g. 3/4 classes could be "fighters as well").
Assigning the stats -> flesh out the background based on the class, race, traits & abilities -> assign the skillpoints according to the background
I like to create a character based around a miniature. I've created some pretty interesting ones, such as a slutty oracle of Pharasma/summoner who's eidolon looks like a giant scyth wielding grim reaper-like psychopomp (Anima Tactics miniatures)