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I'm just wondering if anyone has any good exercises they use to help themselves or their players flesh out a character more and make them more compelling to both play and play off of?
I have a few I've been trying to use recently like trying to describe characters without referring to their race or class, as well as trying to ask myself the big 5 questions of who, what, when, where, why, and how my character came to be an adventurer and do what he does but I'm sure you guys have more.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Who are his friends and enemies and why is a big one. People are often defined by who they know and how they are related to them.
For help getting to the nitty-gritty of their personality:
Write a few days of diary entries in-character.
Pick a random scene from a book or movie, insert your character into it in place of the protagonist, and write the next paragraph.
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My players have found that generating their background using the rules in Ultimate Campaign make it a lot easier to get into RP mode when a game starts.
I have used that a few times and I love it as a stepping stone to character building where I'll take something presented there and twist and tweak that until I get something awesome.
I agree that Ultimate Campaign's background generator helps do a great job of fleshing out my character. Sometimes I roll for a choice, other times I look through and see what I like that would fit for the kind of character I'm eenvisioning. But it helps to think of things I might not otherwise be mindful of.
Once I've got that kind of background it generates a personality on its own (at least in my mind). Then you have to convey that, to me thats the hard part.
What's this character's most significant trauma? People are often defined and revealed through tragedy. When creating and envisioning this memory for your character, try to imagine their reaction.
Examples of mine recently:
Bucky in his youth worked for the sheriff of his halfling village to help clean up a ring of bandits. It turned out one of the ringleaders was his own older brother. His reaction was to let his kin go and urge him to hide and never return. You do for family.
Kal in his youth befriended another apprentice in the Scrivener's Guild. The 2 became inseperable as they endured the hard-won lessons of their abusive drunkard of a guildmaster. Together Kal and his comrade escaped after it turned out that all the magic and training Kal had received was meant to turn him into a tool in the hands of evil. They joined other youngters, had a few adventures and all was going well until his old master mysteriously caught up to them. The pair were apprehended, split up and Kal was tortured at the hands of minions. Suddenly his old master freed him and saved him, smuggling his former apprentice out of town once more. His real nemesis all along turned out to be his former partner. Kalivan chose to disappear then; he changed his name, his appearance and became a homeless wanderer for 10 years. He flees in the face of greater odds.
Ultimate Campaign has a nice background generator too.
I agree with the Ultimate Campaign comment. Use the tables in that, as many as possible, to generate a completely random table. Take it a step further and create a table using the races and classes and roll on that. Play a one shot with these randomly generated characters that the players are forced to figure out the motivations for, to play as if they'd created them from scratch.
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See having messed around with Palladium's TMNT game I'm not a huge fan of the randomly determined background tables. You can end up with something that doesn't fit the character's overall personality in many ways.
My advice? Start from the beginning. Figure out what it is that you want to play. Don't worry about mechanics, feats, skills, stats or anything. Start with this
What class do I want to play?
Once you know that go to race. It doesn't even have to be optimized for your class, heck you could play a Fetchling Magus or some such and still be okay. Just figure out what your race is.
Once you determine that start thinking about the character's past, family & friends, lost loves, enemies, or what they might be questing for. It could be something really cheesy, as long as it fits what you think is appropriate to the overall character arc. Look over the traits and see which ones make the most sense (not the best mechanically or for min/maxing). Write them all down and then start going over them one by one and figure out how they tie into your background.
If you need inspiration look at the tables, or look at old myths and legends. Sometimes they'll spark an idea that you might not have thought of.
I agree with all the Ultimate Campaign love.
I myself love that book , i dont really roll , but rereading or just quick cheking all the steps and possibilities just opens my mind and remember me which things i should get , i then add things based on what i already got.
This has a lot to do with how different folks generate characters. Some start with an image in their head and build from there. Others start with a race/class(archtype) combination and build from that.
There's not really a right or wrong answer, but if you're looking to add more detail then UCamp has the best process I've seen purpose-built for PF.
There was a really good Ravenloft one as well, which I see all over the web, so I'll drop below in case you want to use it.
Name, race, age: Were you named after someone? Whom?
1) What do you look like? Are you alluring? Plain? Grotesque? Do you dress in finery or tattered rags? Do you have any scars or distinguishing features? A character's appearance may hint at her past. For example, a fighter hunting the weretiger who infected her with lycanthropy might still bear scars from the attack.
2) Where is your family? Where is your homeland? Are you native to the area, or were you drawn here by a quest? Do you have a cozy cottage to call home, or have you been banished from your ancestral estate? Some players may believe that loved ones can't be threatened if they don't exist, but consider this: a hero with no one to lose also has no one to turn to in times of need.
3) What is your greatest love? For what or whom would you make sacrifices? A romantic interest? A family member? Yourself? Your God? Magic? Youth? Knowledge? Power? Would you make a personal sacrifice or sacrifice someone else?
4) What is your greatest personal regret? Do you have any memories that haunt you at night? Were you unable to prevent a death? Do you have a mental or physical trait that you despise? Did you betray a friend in a time of weakness?
5) What makes your skin crawl? What are your hates or fears? Many elves are disgusted by the acrid scent of gunpowder, and dwarves are said to dislike the sea. Do you dislike the smell of livestock, or do you hate the sweltering heat of summer? Does witnessing an injustice set your teeth grinding, or does the sight of spiders send you into shivers? Do you find a race, culture, religion, or form of magic primitive or unnatural?
6) What fascinates you? What topics draw your interest? DO you attend operas, or do you read tawdry novels? Would you pore over the intricate patterns of a magic scroll, the strands of a cobweb, or the gears of a clock tower? Do you have a weakness for riddles? Do you live your life in search of new sensations?
7) What are your habits? Do you have any patterns in your life? A sorcerer might twist his beard when lost in thought; a caliban might collect "trophies" from slain foes; a bard might practice every night to hone her musical skills.
8) What are your secrets? Do you hide anything from the outside world? Are you disguising a trait, or have you buried an event from your past? Why do you keep this secret? If your secret was revealed, would you merely be embarrassed, or might you face persecution or put someone at risk?
9) Are you rational or passionate? Do you pride yourself on following your head before your heart, or are you a true romantic? Characters with chaotic alignments tend to be more comfortable with their emotions, but lawful characters are certainly capable of passionate outbursts.
10) Are you sophisticated or superstitious? Were you educated in the finest boarding schools, or were you raised by tanners who left their farmstead only to check their traps? A cosmopolitan character might be inexperienced in the skills of etiquette, while a refined peasant might know countless folktales about the fey.
11) How strong is your faith? Many denizens of the land scoff at religion, believing that the gods have long since ceased to care about mortal concerns. If religious, do you worship the prevalent religion of your homeland, or have you adopted a foreign creed? Are you pious or zealous? What draws you to this deity?
12) How self-confident are you? Do you continually question your own motives? Do you struggle with an inner darkness? Or do you stride boldly forth, knowing in your heart that your actions are correct?
13) What drives you to adventure? Why have you taken up the dangerous life of an adventurer? Are you simply mercenary, seeking treasure? Are you on a hunt for vengeance? Are you driven by altruistic motives? Do you believe you have a destiny to fulfill? Are you trying to reclaim a stolen birthright? Are you struggling to be reunited with a lost love? Are you seeking that love to be lost?
Hope that helps.
-TimD
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One of the more prolific players I've seen on these boards, Celeador, has a set of questions he puts together for each character. I don't know if he came up with them or stole 'em from someone else, but they've produced some great charater backgrounds. The elements he puts together are:
- Five background and concept elements important to the PC
- Two goals that are important to the PC
- Two secrets about the character, one that he knows, and one that he not yet aware of
- Four people that are tied to the character, three are friends and one is an enemy
- Four memories, mannerisms or quirks of the character
An example of these in a character's background can be found here, under the Background spoiler.
I haven't used exactly these to write a background, as I prefer more of a story, rather than a list. But this kind of approach does break it down into bite-sized chunks, which I can then work with to put into a story.