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I plan on making extra characters, since I find making characters to be fun. However, this had brought a thought to me and I was unable to get any search results from this pathfinder community.
So... How many of you keep unused character sheets in storage?
I would also appreciate your reasons behind making characters that you aren't actively playing with.
For PCs I use text files instead of sheets - they allow a more flexible development. You can freely add, move and dismiss ideas, only the final result will really fit into a character sheet.
My NPCs are a different story. They start with a few lines of concept, then I already begin writing the stat block in a text file.
I use Hero Labs to create characters so writing up characters is extremely quick and easy. Since I purchased the program I have ended up with a huge amount of spare characters. Since I am the one running Pathfinder most of the time I often use these as NPC’s. All it takes is about a minute to downgrade the stats and equipment to NPC level and I am good to go.
I also found that having a list of prewritten characters helps when someone brings another player into the game. This is especially helpful when the new player will not be a permanent player. We usually only game once a week and have limited time so wasting a good part of the time creating a new character for a surprise visitor is annoying to the group. If the player ends up joining the group as a regular member than they can rewrite or even replaces the character.
Another reason to write up characters is that I understand the system better than most of the people I play with. This often means that the characters created by other players may not be as well written up as mine. On more than one occasion another player may come up with a similar concept but their execution of the concept may be weaker. I have on more than one occasion given away a character I wrote up to another player. Usually all it takes is a couple of quick changes and the other player has what he needs. Then all I have to do is to print out a copy for the player.
Another reason to write up characters is that I understand the system better than most of the people I play with.
Whenever I am learning a new system, I make a LOT of characters that I'll never play, because it helps give me more insight into how the rules work. And once I know the system, I still do it, just to see if I can work out new character ideas. Some of these eventually see play as PCs or NPCs, but most of them just languish in notebooks, having served their purpose.
My favorite method is to use a scan of a blank character sheet, import it into MS Word (after reducing the margins to "narrow") then create WordArt zones over the areas where I need to write. All it takes is a little juggling with the font size, and you get things to correspond pretty well.
Then each time my character advances a level, I change everything appropriately, and print out a new sheet.
If I'm inviting a new player, I can just print out blank character sheets as necessary.
I also tend to personalize each character sheet by pasting a pic of the character (from a quick google search) in the upper right-hand corner.
I got the Pathbuilder app on my phone. I find myself building out characters in my spare time. It's a learning exercise, really.
I have physical character sheets from over 25 years ago... but now-a-days, I keep everything in Google Drive, so I still keep them all, but they take up less space.
I plan on making extra characters, since I find making characters to be fun. However, this had brought a thought to me and I was unable to get any search results from this pathfinder community.
So... How many of you keep unused character sheets in storage?
I would also appreciate your reasons behind making characters that you aren't actively playing with.
Blank ones or filled?
Nevermind, the answer to both is, "Yes." and "Lots."
(It's because I like characters.)
