New Lotcian's Guide To Character Development

[Dolly 119]

So I know this has been done before but I thought I might add my two cents in as well. When I first started on Lord of the Craft, I was horribly lost despite having previous roleplay experience. A new server, a whole new community... it can be a bit overwhelming at first. Hopefully this guide (If you manage to finish the whole thing) will help shed some light and give you some guidance on your future travels.

 

Without further ado, the topics I'll be covering...

 

x- Lore: Why is it important?

 

x- Who do you want to be?

 

x- Interacting with the Public

 

x- Personality and Mannerisms

 

x- Personality but no Lifestyle

 

x- What do I know and Who taught me?

 

x- Physical Appearance and Characteristics

 

x- What should I wear?

 

x- In Closing

 

 

Lore: Why is it important?

 

I know there was plenty of other topics I could have started with, but I believe lore is a sadly missed part of the majority of most player's RP and character development. But why is it important? Lore is the backbone of roleplay in my opinion. Without following lore, having that backbone, we would have elves swinging axes on the back of dragons and orcs having tea parties with dwarves. Not that we may not have those things anyways... *Ahem*

 

I don't believe anyone here wants to go back to the chatroom style of roleplay and that's what we're degraded to without lore.

 

 

But why do you need it personally for your character development? Who even likes having all those rules anyways? We're here to have fun! :D

 

Yeah, I know... and those things I mentioned above may be your kinda fun. (If it is, please hit Alt+F4 now) But think of it like this, everything about you from your thoughts, feelings, your appearance... these are all defined by the world around you... by YOUR lore. You would be a completely different person without the things you have faced up to this point or if you lived in a different country. Think of it from your characters point of view, they're not you... they're your character. Everything your character is has been shaped by the world they've been a part of. You didn't grow up in Asulon or Anthos, they did.

 

You can't properly roleplay out their acts or emotions without knowing first what they've been through. If your character was in a war against the humans less than 3 years ago, why would they have a human best friend? They would probably still feel resentment towards the entire race or at least feel discouraged from hanging out with them.

 

So how do you learn all this lore? Well there's many different resources on the Lord of the Craft Wikipedia page if you haven't already been through it and it's a good idea to check out your chosen race's forums to get a good feel for things. Also a helpful tool available is our wonderful mentors. These are players who have applied to help guide others through the world of Anthos. You can find the list of mentors here: http://www.lordofthecraft.net/topic/85496-lotc-mentors/

 

 

 

Who do you want to be?

 

Finally! *Takes deep breath* With that out of the way, let's start brainstorming! Take a good look at yourself, right now, because no matter how hard you try part of yourself is going to be a part of your character. Not to get sentimental but in some ways your character is like a child or an extension of yourself. They may not have your personality or act as you would but they will bear a semblance to you in one way or another.

 

What do you want from roleplaying? What kind of expectations do you have for your RP future? No matter what remember that this is supposed to be fun. Don't develop a character that you think everyone will like or will command respect if you wouldn't actually enjoy playing that kind of character. Your character is for you, and you will quickly burn yourself out if you find yourself logging in every day for another "grind".

 

Although, don't take this to extremes either. No one wants to play with the Master-of-all-magic Elven Commander who is bada** in combat, extremely handsome and is secretly Iblees' son.

 

Mary Sue:

- A Mary Sue in literary criticism and particularly in fan fiction is a fictional character with overly idealized and hackneyed mannerisms, lacking noteworthy flaws, and primarily functioning as a wish-fulfillment fantasy for the author or reader.

 

Does that sound like someone you would like to roleplay with? Set some realistic goals.

 

Let's start big and work down to the small. We can focus on details later but right now let's get down the basics.

 

What are your Character's goals? (Be Broad)

 

I want to Master Illusion Magic (Good Luck >.>)

I want to join the Clerical Order

Mi wunt tu klomp squeals agh git shiniez

 

What is your Character's Race and Profession?

 

I'll be a human pie seller

I think I'll be an elf and study magic

I want to be a dwarven soldier

 

What is your basic story?

 

I was abandoned at the tender age of twelve...

My ship wrecked on the shores of...

I grew up as an apprentice to the local blacksmith...

 

When writing your story, try to think of what may have led you to the point your at now. You say you want to be an archer but you don't become good at archery overnight. What decisions or events happened in your life that led you to become an archer? Was your family poor and starving so you had to learn the art of hunting to keep them fed? Was your sister kidnapped by bandits and if only you had been able to shoot your father's bow straight could you have saved her?

 

Try to create a timeline if you start to get confused. What events led to what events to bring you to the point your at now? These will help you define how your character's personality and behaviors.

 

...**What does the fox say?** >.>;

 

Interacting with the Public

 

 

The brutal orc who kills for fun, the drunken dwarf wasted at a tavern, the tree-hugging elf who is out to re-plant the world... These are stereotypes and they can be both good and bad to a beginning roleplayer. Good because they give you a sense of racial identity and bad because it can trap roleplayers into being copy and paste versions of their race instead of truly developing their character.

 

Each and every character is a unique person who is not completely bound by these stereotypes. This doesn't mean forsake lore and be the first ever elf who runs off to live with the orcs because he can't contain his bloodlusting nature... but it gives you a bit of room to be an individual in a society rather than another face in the background or another filler character. Although there's times to be one of those too, you don't want to stick out like a sore thumb either.

 

Once you are able to understand your character as an individual then you can begin to understand how they would behave around their family, their own kind, other races or even towards an enemy.

 

How does your characters experiences effect those around him? Did the harsh reality of adulthood drive him to drink and is known as the town drunk? Is he a commoner seeking for glory as a hero, does he make his way there by undermining those around him or does he have a network of friends to help him reach his goals? Does he have a racial stigma against halflings which causes him to hunt them down as a race? All these things provide depth to an otherwise flat character. They become part of a world they live in rather than just another character that stalks the local tavern getting into fights. (But even that could work too!)

 

 

Personality & Mannerisms

 

Is your character a social butterfly, constantly on the look out for new friends? Is he a huge flirt that has a constant red slap across his cheek? Maybe he's the lone wolf who sits in the shadows as town life goes on without him?

 

All these things are personality traits of your character. Without them they would just be a list of what made a beggar into a knight and how he feels about it. Your character's personality is how he projects to those around him. Even the dark and brooding character who doesn't want to be spoken to has personality traits. Perhaps he feels guilty for an evil crime he committed so now he pushes others away so no one else will be hurt.

 

 

Mannerism
–noun

a habitual or characteristic manner, mode, or way of doing something; distinctive quality or style, as in behavior or speech. “He has an annoying mannerism of tapping his fingers while he talks.”

 

Ever see the movie Office Space? Remember Jennifer Aniston with all her flare? Well that's kind of what a mannerism is to your character's personality. It's your flare. A character studying magic over a dusty tome just seems pretty mundane, but if he is clicking his tongue or humming a song he heard from a bard earlier that morning... it becomes more memorable.

 

One of the most common mannerisms I've seen is accent, especially with the orcs and the dwarves. Accenting a character's speech is an interesting way to add depth to them as a person. Add some mannerisms or habits to your characters actions to make them seem more alive... but don't overdo it. It's kind of like seasoning, if you add to much... it just spoils the whole dish with to much flavor.

 

 

 

Personality but no Lifestyle

 

Your character has a race, a profession, somewhat of a background story, how he thinks & acts... he's a person with personality but no life. No one does the same thing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Sure your a miner but do you really think you'd spend every second of your life mining? Not unless your some crazy loon who's seeking the rare green diamond in a situation similar to Moby **** and the White Whale. (Which that's fine if you are, Go you!)

 

So your character has two things. Adventuring and a Job. Congratulations! What do you do in your downtime? Take a look at some things you do in your downtime in real life... besides playing minecraft of course. (Although my character might have been a minecraft player if there were computers in Gronkkston) Some people garden, fish or even repair the wear and tear on their house. There's tons of activities you can enjoy beyond the black and white profession you've chosen.

 

This doesn't mean completely blow off your professions either. You still have to put money in the bank. Sure you can say you earned all that gold by adventuring and exploring the land... but wouldn't it be more interesting if you made it big as a commercial farmer? Maybe there's a dark secret to your wealth, something more underhanded. Perhaps your not wealthy at all and you're looking for ways to make more than copper coins from a long days work at the forge.

 

But for everything else here's some ideas of activities to do when you've finished your work:

(And some that you've probably never read before)

 

• Capture and Breed Snakes for most potent venom
• Tinker with Redstone Engineering
• Gather Mushrooms for Stew
• Draw Ancient Symbols in the sand for good harvest
• Practice racing your horse
• Hunt and Trap Rabbits for Fur
• Collect sharp things and hide them in the local Inn's beds
• Work on inventing the unbreakable lockpick
• Go snipe hunting
• Search for a Blue Flower with Red Thorns
• Study the Ancient History of Creation & Anthos
• Collect books to start a library so you can do the above
• Go halfling hunting
• Carve designs into your sword

 

 

 

What do I know and Who Taught Me?

 

So your a weapon smith working night and day to earn a living for your wife and three children. Yet you find that your many customer's first pick at the forge. Is it your talent that draws them in or that hint of illusion magic that makes your weapons just a little sharper looking? Sure you can say you just picked it up on the way but is that really realistic? So who taught you that?

 

Here's where you really have to pick a part your character's knowledge. What do they know? Are they brilliant with numbers? Can they read the stars and point out constellations to their peers? Do they know any healing magic? Maybe they got a formal education, maybe it was something taught by a traveler who stayed in town for a few weeks, did they have a teacher or did they pick it up on the farm? This is also important when submitting an application for Magic - Having proof of how you knew how to do something will help your case far better than the simple "I picked it up on the road."

 

Not everyone can put on a magic hat like Mickey Mouse and be a great magician.

 

 

 

 

 

Physical Appearance and Characteristics

 

In roleplay your character can be just as visually appealing (Maybe not gorgeous >.>) if he was a "Short old man with wrinkles lining his forehead from worry, a fading bruise over his left eye and slightly graying hair." than if he was a "Strong, well built young man with muscles rippling down his tanned, shirtless back down to his gorgeous blonde foot hair." Not just a personality can make you a Mary Sue, so can an unrealistic description. No one is perfect and every character has a flaw in some way, shape or form.

 

You could say your character has tanned skin, blonde hair, blue eyes... but start with one thing at a time. If your talking about skin think about scars, tattoos, birthmarks, before moving on to hair and eyes.

 

Remember to use descriptive words in your well... description. Add some spicy flavor to that bland burrito!

 

She has green eyes, messy blonde hair and she's short. She has a scar on her shoulder.

 

 

 

Emerald green orbs shone from behind a shroud of tangled blonde hair. Her fragile, petite frame seemed to be accented by the puckered silver scar that tore into her left shoulder blade.

 

 

Which sounds better to you?

 

If your having trouble finding a descriptive word for something, try searching synonyms for it on Dictionary.com such as "Synonyms for Red" might bring up "Rosy or Cherry, Scarlet or Crimson" which sound a lot better than saying "Her red eyes."

 

 

 

What should I wear?

 

You're going to make the move on the pretty farm girl that lives two houses down. You have your personality down, your profession (Y'know how the ladies like the Minas) and your looks... only problem? Your naked down to your leather briefs. Won't impress her much like that, will you?

 

Even if you are a knight you won't march around in armor all the time, so what are your normal clothes? This should sort of match your minecraft skin for the best immersion. Do you wear robes of silk that flow easily or a simple brown leather tunic and trousers? Just as you did with your physical appearance, start with the basics and then move to detail. And don't forget to flavor with descriptive words!

 

Don't forget that your society and profession will have an impact on your clothing as well. I can't really picture an orc in flowing golden silk robes that go without a stain. When I roleplayed a Mori'quessar it was a huge part of your social status how little your character wore. (Without any nudity of course) If you were a high class of Mori such as a Yathrin (Priestess), it was a sign of a lack of self-confidence if you wore long sleeves, long skirts and hid your ankles.

 

 

 

 

In Closing

 

Always remember that RP is made to be fun. This guide wasn't written to boss you around or tell you how to play your character. Always stay true to who you want your character to be. Don't let anyone tell you who you are. Accept tips & Criticism but if you don't want to change something, don't. (Unless a mod says you have to... Always listen to the mods >.>)

 

A few final tips...

 

Don't use to many descriptive words

Don't have a bajillion titles or great heroic deeds (ex. Mary Sue)

Be polite OOC even if your character is ICly rude

Earn your name and your status, don't just say you're feared across the land, make yourself feared!

Have fun and use common sense :)

When in doubt, ask someone else

[Redbaron™ 690]

Not bad

[Yoff 328]

Impressive guide!

[Dreek 1633]

Amazingly well written. A good guide

[NomadGaia 930]

 

 

Very well written

[Dolly 119]

Thanks for all the wonderful comments :D *Hugs you all and gives you a cookie*

 

[_pok_ 1768]

Well written and well done Dolly!

[Major Dom 1297]

Pretty good for a real live girl

[TheBareSheet 194]

Moved to the Archive. It shall be sorted into the appropriate category shortly.