The following is a tool I use to create characters in my stories and personal writing. It's also part of my RPG, Wayfarer Infinity. Feel free to use it to help flesh out your characters:
Character Creation: Thematic
The theme for the character is the representation of the character’s personality, goals, quirks, and everything that composes how the character acts. It’s the meat of the role. Is he garish or subdued? Proud or humble? Brave or cowardly? Generous or selfish? Once you have a handle on how you want your character to be you will need to define your character in the following areas: Archetype, Motivation, Humors, and Pole to Pole.
Step 1: Archetype
Archetype is a generalized summary of the character’s role and purpose in the game’s story arc. Players may choose an archetype from the following list or with GM Approval create and define their own archetype. If feeling uninspired, you may also opt to roll for your archetype:
Archetypes (1d10)
1 Shattered Hero
2 Anti-Hero
3 Reluctant Hero
4 Companion
5 Innocent
6 Trickster
7 Guide
8 Misanthrope
9 Warrior-Poet
10 Iconoclast
The Shattered Hero
All you have known has been lost, destroyed, or taken from you. You have no home, and the life you lived before is a memory in the sorrow you endure through now. The Shattered Hero has no home, and is hesitant to make new connections, knowing full well that one day they will be lost as well.
The Anti-Hero
Society does not understand your vision or your methods. To the entrenched views of normalcy you are a villain, but your cause is no less true, and your designs no less great. You are the revolutionary, the mysterious dissident, and the plotting savior.
Reluctant Hero
Adventure was never anything you desired or wanted, but now unforeseen events have tossed you spiraling away from peace and solace into turmoil and trial. You do this because no one else will, or no one else can. If you had your way you’d be back home, but someone has to do this, and that someone is you.
Companion
Your bonds to another are the strongest and often the only bonds you’ve ever had. Where they go, you go. It is your role to guard them, protect them, and see them through to their task and destiny. Your own journey lies at their side.
Innocent
You were raised, and often bred for the task at hand, shielded by external influences, and largely naïve of what is commonplace to others. You know nothing apart from the task you have been appointed to and accept whatever fate that task has in store for you, oblivious to consequence beyond the consequences of failing.
Trickster
You are, when everything is said and done, the Kingmaker. You test, prod, and needle those around you, and though you appear to be tempestuous in the end you are the crucible that prepares them all for the task at hand. You may be hated or misunderstood, but such sentiments only validate you.
Guide
You are the hero whose journey has long since ended, but never completed. Now, another must continue where you were unable, and you will take them to the height of their greatest power but only by showing them the depth of their greatest fears. The journey will complete, even if it is not you who finishes it.
Misanthrope
You don’t understand why everyone is so devoted to what they’re devoted to. You don’t get why anything is so important. You could care less about most things. You disparage and deride the accomplishments of others, but all the while even though you desire a modicum of their passion, you fear what such drive could compel you to do.
Warrior-Poet
There is a cause greater than you that compels you to great heights in pursuit of its realization. You fight for it with all your soul, you speak to its nature with all your spirit, and you rally to your side those who see, feel, and believe as you do. There is a beauty to it that if you dwell upon it you are overcome with its magnificence.
Iconoclast
The old ways have failed, and in clinging to their memory all are held in check. In order for rebirth to complete, the old must die. You pursue the actualization of this change with zealous determination, and righteous purpose. You are destroyer and life bringer. You are the instrument of progress.
Step II: Motivation
Why is your character 20,000 light years from home fighting on the D.C. Rebellion’s frontlines? What could possibly compel him to take that outrageously risky mission into the slave world of Infernis II? As many actors often opine to their directors: “what’s my motivation?” A character’s motivation is exactly that, the answer to the question; why. You can either determine your character’s motivation off of what’s provided in this list, invent your own, or if conflicted, roll for one.
Motivations (1d10)
1 Wealth
2 Position
3 Discovery
4 Knowledge
5 Duty
6 Religion
7 Vengeance
8 Love
9 Glory
10 Fame
Wealth
Wealth is simply a means to power. For some, the power to have no responsibilities is the height of their ambitions, and to others, the gathering and procurement of wealth is a goal in and of itself, worthy of any cost, and by its own virtue the true power of society.
Position
You deserve more than birth and circumstance have allotted you. There are things to be done that are denied you within the context of your current station and you must reach a position of power to see them through. All things will fall into place when you achieve the position you desire.
Discovery
In a galaxy of possibilities there is more yet to be discovered than have as of yet already been discovered. You exist to find that which has eluded everyone else, to chronicle that which none would have known, and to open the door to that secret place that only the brave can turn the handle.
Knowledge
There are things hidden from the eyes of the uninitiated that in their revelation could change the course of the galaxy. These kernels of truth are veiled behind lies and misdirection, and you desire beyond all things to shift falsehoods and hold them over the crucible, purifying them of deceit, and revealing the golden core of a one truth.
Duty
Whether it be an oath sworn, an obligation unwillingly undertaken, or a task you have been appointed, it is you duty which compels you to do what you do. This duty is the first priority to you, and you do nothing to shirk it, or endanger it. You will fulfill your duty at any cost.
Religion
The higher calling that you serve can only be sullied by puissant attempts to give it voice, but you are an instrument of a higher power, and it is service to this power that gives you the strength each day to persevere through the ignorance of those who refuse to see the truth that only you know.
Vengeance
A crime has been committed against you, one for which the justice doled out by society can in no way compensate you. The thirst for justice is so great that you have no recourse but to pursue with your own methods and means the balancing of the scales.
Love
Circumstances have parted you from the great love of your life, and you struggle without end to requite and reunite with it. The love is true, though unrealized. Even though told by those close to you that the pursuit of this love will be your undoing, you know that no one else could possibly comprehend the depths of your devotion.
Glory
You forever seek that one challenge that in its overcoming you will achieve the validation of your heritage. Glory comes in either victory or defeat, but glory never comes without the shedding of blood. You thirst for that test of strength and mettle.
Fame
Your name is worthy of respect, recognition, and praise. You know who has come before you and aspire to outshine them in the court of public opinion. The adulation of the masses, the cheers of the loyal, and the praise of the fanatical are what spurs you to great heights, and it is the absence of these which send you into despair.
Step III: Personality
Now that you know in the grand scheme of things the who and they why of your character, it’s now time to define the how. The following traits are used as a guideline to dictate the personality of the character, how they react to things, and what they have a propensity to do. It is up to the player to weave these traits, in conjunction with archetype and motivation, the full personality of the character. Each character will have personality traits from two groups, one group will be primary traits, and the second group will be the lesser traits. The primary trait group will have four positive and four negative traits, while the lesser trait group will have two from both positive and negative traits. The four trait groups are: Melancholic, Sanguine, Phlegmatic, and Choleric.
Personality Groups (1d10)
Roll Twice, First Result is your Dominant Group, second result is the Lesser Group. If Primary and Lesser are the same, re-roll the lesser until a different result.
1-2 Melancholic
3-4 Sanguine
5-6 Phlegmatic
7-8 Choleric
9-10 Player Choice
Personality Traits
For your dominant traits choose 4 positive and 4 negative traits. For the lesser traits choose 2 positive and 2 negative.
Melancholic Positive:
Creative, Rational, Mysterious, Artistic, Protective, Faithful, Honest, Intimidating
Melancholic Negative:
Wrathful, Stubborn, Dark, Gullible, Trusting, Condescending, Judgmental, Moody
Sanguine Positive:
Friendly, Amiable, Approachable, Charismatic, Attractive, Conversational, Confidant, Endearing
Sanguine Negative:
Gossip, Deceiving, Fronting, Disingenuous, Cowardly, Sneaky, Insecure, Doubting
Phlegmatic Positive:
Thoughtful, Diplomatic, Calm, Organized, Caring, Understanding, Patient, Wise
Phlegmatic Negative:
Lazy, Unmotivated, Listless, Unsure, Procrastinating, Picky, Shy, Slow
Choleric Positive:
Inspiring, Decisive, Confident, Disciplined, Responsible, Reliable, Determined, Worker
Choleric Negative:
Abrasive, Rude, Callous, Loud, Bully, Selfish, Ill-Tempered, Greedy
Step IV: Pole to Pole
A pole to pole represents the character’s personal growth. A character that doesn’t grow throughout the story is static, boring, and typically if this were a literary work, would be slated to die to further the story on. To establish your character’s Pole to Pole choose two negative traits from your personality trait list. The character, throughout the course of the campaign, will endeavor to rise above these negative traits until they flip. Lazy characters become Motivated. Callous characters become caring. Selfish characters become Generous. This is not a change that happens in one gaming session, this is a change that gradually and incrementally occurs over the course of many games. There are bonus incentives doled out by the GM to characters who realistically and believably accomplish their pole shift.
Step V: Character Goals
Now that we understand much of what makes the character tick, let’s define what they’re trying to do. A character should always have two goals: Immediate and Character. Immediate Goals are what can be accomplished in one gaming session. Character Goals, like Pole to Pole, are accomplished over large segments of a campaign. Character goals should be related to a character’s archetype and motivation. A character motivated by Vengeance may have a character goal to achieve all or a portion of that revenge. Players are free to invent their goals pending GM approval and assistance. These goals should be private and withheld from other players in the game in the event the goal involves another character.
Sample Immediate Goals
- Get complimented by a member of my adventuring group
- Save a team mate’s life
- Uncover the truth from a liar
- Defeat the most enemies
Step VI: Bring It Together
You have the basic parts, now bring it together into a total character theme. Create the specifics. Bringing it together is best done by composing a brief synopsis of your character; maybe two to four sentences at least. Some players may take this to a whole new level and write pages of back-story. In the end, what you’ll have, is a fleshed out character to run adventures with.
Sample Character Theme
Archetype: Shattered Hero
Motivation: Vengeance
Personality: Choleric / Melancholic
Positive Traits: Inspiring, Confident, Disciplined, Determined – Protective, Intimidating
Negative Traits: Abrasive, Callous, Bully, Ill-Tempered – Wrathful, Judgmental
Pole to Pole 1: Callous to Caring
Pole to Pole 2: Judgmental to Tolerant
Synopsis
You and your wife had settled down on the small colony world of Gasten IV. It was a new start and you had saved enough money to buy a plot of land and were raising domesticated herd animals for export. That was until the night that the pirate slavers destroyed all you knew. You lost your home and the love of your life, and now, all that compels you is to see those slavers repaid ten-fold for their crimes.
Immediate Goal: Capture a predator/wrong doer and put them to justice
Character Goal: Find my enslaved wife
Character Creation: Thematic
The theme for the character is the representation of the character’s personality, goals, quirks, and everything that composes how the character acts. It’s the meat of the role. Is he garish or subdued? Proud or humble? Brave or cowardly? Generous or selfish? Once you have a handle on how you want your character to be you will need to define your character in the following areas: Archetype, Motivation, Humors, and Pole to Pole.
Step 1: Archetype
Archetype is a generalized summary of the character’s role and purpose in the game’s story arc. Players may choose an archetype from the following list or with GM Approval create and define their own archetype. If feeling uninspired, you may also opt to roll for your archetype:
Archetypes (1d10)
1 Shattered Hero
2 Anti-Hero
3 Reluctant Hero
4 Companion
5 Innocent
6 Trickster
7 Guide
8 Misanthrope
9 Warrior-Poet
10 Iconoclast
The Shattered Hero
All you have known has been lost, destroyed, or taken from you. You have no home, and the life you lived before is a memory in the sorrow you endure through now. The Shattered Hero has no home, and is hesitant to make new connections, knowing full well that one day they will be lost as well.
The Anti-Hero
Society does not understand your vision or your methods. To the entrenched views of normalcy you are a villain, but your cause is no less true, and your designs no less great. You are the revolutionary, the mysterious dissident, and the plotting savior.
Reluctant Hero
Adventure was never anything you desired or wanted, but now unforeseen events have tossed you spiraling away from peace and solace into turmoil and trial. You do this because no one else will, or no one else can. If you had your way you’d be back home, but someone has to do this, and that someone is you.
Companion
Your bonds to another are the strongest and often the only bonds you’ve ever had. Where they go, you go. It is your role to guard them, protect them, and see them through to their task and destiny. Your own journey lies at their side.
Innocent
You were raised, and often bred for the task at hand, shielded by external influences, and largely naïve of what is commonplace to others. You know nothing apart from the task you have been appointed to and accept whatever fate that task has in store for you, oblivious to consequence beyond the consequences of failing.
Trickster
You are, when everything is said and done, the Kingmaker. You test, prod, and needle those around you, and though you appear to be tempestuous in the end you are the crucible that prepares them all for the task at hand. You may be hated or misunderstood, but such sentiments only validate you.
Guide
You are the hero whose journey has long since ended, but never completed. Now, another must continue where you were unable, and you will take them to the height of their greatest power but only by showing them the depth of their greatest fears. The journey will complete, even if it is not you who finishes it.
Misanthrope
You don’t understand why everyone is so devoted to what they’re devoted to. You don’t get why anything is so important. You could care less about most things. You disparage and deride the accomplishments of others, but all the while even though you desire a modicum of their passion, you fear what such drive could compel you to do.
Warrior-Poet
There is a cause greater than you that compels you to great heights in pursuit of its realization. You fight for it with all your soul, you speak to its nature with all your spirit, and you rally to your side those who see, feel, and believe as you do. There is a beauty to it that if you dwell upon it you are overcome with its magnificence.
Iconoclast
The old ways have failed, and in clinging to their memory all are held in check. In order for rebirth to complete, the old must die. You pursue the actualization of this change with zealous determination, and righteous purpose. You are destroyer and life bringer. You are the instrument of progress.
Step II: Motivation
Why is your character 20,000 light years from home fighting on the D.C. Rebellion’s frontlines? What could possibly compel him to take that outrageously risky mission into the slave world of Infernis II? As many actors often opine to their directors: “what’s my motivation?” A character’s motivation is exactly that, the answer to the question; why. You can either determine your character’s motivation off of what’s provided in this list, invent your own, or if conflicted, roll for one.
Motivations (1d10)
1 Wealth
2 Position
3 Discovery
4 Knowledge
5 Duty
6 Religion
7 Vengeance
8 Love
9 Glory
10 Fame
Wealth
Wealth is simply a means to power. For some, the power to have no responsibilities is the height of their ambitions, and to others, the gathering and procurement of wealth is a goal in and of itself, worthy of any cost, and by its own virtue the true power of society.
Position
You deserve more than birth and circumstance have allotted you. There are things to be done that are denied you within the context of your current station and you must reach a position of power to see them through. All things will fall into place when you achieve the position you desire.
Discovery
In a galaxy of possibilities there is more yet to be discovered than have as of yet already been discovered. You exist to find that which has eluded everyone else, to chronicle that which none would have known, and to open the door to that secret place that only the brave can turn the handle.
Knowledge
There are things hidden from the eyes of the uninitiated that in their revelation could change the course of the galaxy. These kernels of truth are veiled behind lies and misdirection, and you desire beyond all things to shift falsehoods and hold them over the crucible, purifying them of deceit, and revealing the golden core of a one truth.
Duty
Whether it be an oath sworn, an obligation unwillingly undertaken, or a task you have been appointed, it is you duty which compels you to do what you do. This duty is the first priority to you, and you do nothing to shirk it, or endanger it. You will fulfill your duty at any cost.
Religion
The higher calling that you serve can only be sullied by puissant attempts to give it voice, but you are an instrument of a higher power, and it is service to this power that gives you the strength each day to persevere through the ignorance of those who refuse to see the truth that only you know.
Vengeance
A crime has been committed against you, one for which the justice doled out by society can in no way compensate you. The thirst for justice is so great that you have no recourse but to pursue with your own methods and means the balancing of the scales.
Love
Circumstances have parted you from the great love of your life, and you struggle without end to requite and reunite with it. The love is true, though unrealized. Even though told by those close to you that the pursuit of this love will be your undoing, you know that no one else could possibly comprehend the depths of your devotion.
Glory
You forever seek that one challenge that in its overcoming you will achieve the validation of your heritage. Glory comes in either victory or defeat, but glory never comes without the shedding of blood. You thirst for that test of strength and mettle.
Fame
Your name is worthy of respect, recognition, and praise. You know who has come before you and aspire to outshine them in the court of public opinion. The adulation of the masses, the cheers of the loyal, and the praise of the fanatical are what spurs you to great heights, and it is the absence of these which send you into despair.
Step III: Personality
Now that you know in the grand scheme of things the who and they why of your character, it’s now time to define the how. The following traits are used as a guideline to dictate the personality of the character, how they react to things, and what they have a propensity to do. It is up to the player to weave these traits, in conjunction with archetype and motivation, the full personality of the character. Each character will have personality traits from two groups, one group will be primary traits, and the second group will be the lesser traits. The primary trait group will have four positive and four negative traits, while the lesser trait group will have two from both positive and negative traits. The four trait groups are: Melancholic, Sanguine, Phlegmatic, and Choleric.
Personality Groups (1d10)
Roll Twice, First Result is your Dominant Group, second result is the Lesser Group. If Primary and Lesser are the same, re-roll the lesser until a different result.
1-2 Melancholic
3-4 Sanguine
5-6 Phlegmatic
7-8 Choleric
9-10 Player Choice
Personality Traits
For your dominant traits choose 4 positive and 4 negative traits. For the lesser traits choose 2 positive and 2 negative.
Melancholic Positive:
Creative, Rational, Mysterious, Artistic, Protective, Faithful, Honest, Intimidating
Melancholic Negative:
Wrathful, Stubborn, Dark, Gullible, Trusting, Condescending, Judgmental, Moody
Sanguine Positive:
Friendly, Amiable, Approachable, Charismatic, Attractive, Conversational, Confidant, Endearing
Sanguine Negative:
Gossip, Deceiving, Fronting, Disingenuous, Cowardly, Sneaky, Insecure, Doubting
Phlegmatic Positive:
Thoughtful, Diplomatic, Calm, Organized, Caring, Understanding, Patient, Wise
Phlegmatic Negative:
Lazy, Unmotivated, Listless, Unsure, Procrastinating, Picky, Shy, Slow
Choleric Positive:
Inspiring, Decisive, Confident, Disciplined, Responsible, Reliable, Determined, Worker
Choleric Negative:
Abrasive, Rude, Callous, Loud, Bully, Selfish, Ill-Tempered, Greedy
Step IV: Pole to Pole
A pole to pole represents the character’s personal growth. A character that doesn’t grow throughout the story is static, boring, and typically if this were a literary work, would be slated to die to further the story on. To establish your character’s Pole to Pole choose two negative traits from your personality trait list. The character, throughout the course of the campaign, will endeavor to rise above these negative traits until they flip. Lazy characters become Motivated. Callous characters become caring. Selfish characters become Generous. This is not a change that happens in one gaming session, this is a change that gradually and incrementally occurs over the course of many games. There are bonus incentives doled out by the GM to characters who realistically and believably accomplish their pole shift.
Step V: Character Goals
Now that we understand much of what makes the character tick, let’s define what they’re trying to do. A character should always have two goals: Immediate and Character. Immediate Goals are what can be accomplished in one gaming session. Character Goals, like Pole to Pole, are accomplished over large segments of a campaign. Character goals should be related to a character’s archetype and motivation. A character motivated by Vengeance may have a character goal to achieve all or a portion of that revenge. Players are free to invent their goals pending GM approval and assistance. These goals should be private and withheld from other players in the game in the event the goal involves another character.
Sample Immediate Goals
- Get complimented by a member of my adventuring group
- Save a team mate’s life
- Uncover the truth from a liar
- Defeat the most enemies
Step VI: Bring It Together
You have the basic parts, now bring it together into a total character theme. Create the specifics. Bringing it together is best done by composing a brief synopsis of your character; maybe two to four sentences at least. Some players may take this to a whole new level and write pages of back-story. In the end, what you’ll have, is a fleshed out character to run adventures with.
Sample Character Theme
Archetype: Shattered Hero
Motivation: Vengeance
Personality: Choleric / Melancholic
Positive Traits: Inspiring, Confident, Disciplined, Determined – Protective, Intimidating
Negative Traits: Abrasive, Callous, Bully, Ill-Tempered – Wrathful, Judgmental
Pole to Pole 1: Callous to Caring
Pole to Pole 2: Judgmental to Tolerant
Synopsis
You and your wife had settled down on the small colony world of Gasten IV. It was a new start and you had saved enough money to buy a plot of land and were raising domesticated herd animals for export. That was until the night that the pirate slavers destroyed all you knew. You lost your home and the love of your life, and now, all that compels you is to see those slavers repaid ten-fold for their crimes.
Immediate Goal: Capture a predator/wrong doer and put them to justice
Character Goal: Find my enslaved wife
Edited by
Sarafias about 1 year ago
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"We should welcome responsibility, like a long lost friend. And re-establish laughter in the doll's house once again. For time has imprisoned us in the order of our years, in the discipline of our ways, and in the passing of momentary stillness we can see our chaos in motion."
