Character Creation - Revision history

Rance at 21:33, 16 August 2014

2014-08-16T21:33:03Z

Rance: /* One last reminder */

2014-08-16T21:31:29Z

‎One last reminder

BDAdmin: /* Firm Guidelines */

2014-08-12T23:10:11Z

‎Firm Guidelines

Majic13: /* Charater Creation Advice */

2014-08-12T19:50:13Z

‎Charater Creation Advice

Majic13: /* Where can my character come from? */

2014-08-12T19:47:27Z

‎Where can my character come from?

Majic13: /* What races can I play? */

2014-08-12T19:46:37Z

‎What races can I play?

Majic13: /* Regarding Villains */

2014-08-12T19:45:50Z

‎Regarding Villains

Majic13: /* Regarding Healers */

2014-08-12T19:45:38Z

‎Regarding Healers

Majic13: /* What about power levels? */

2014-08-12T19:45:16Z

‎What about power levels?

Majic13: /* Where can my character come from? */

2014-08-12T19:40:04Z

‎Where can my character come from?

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 [[Myrken Wood]] and surrounding regions are predominantly populated by humans. Other fantastical races - elves, dwarves, halflings, minotaurs, etc. - are known, but present as a minority. As a broad guideline the more strange, exotic or monstrous a race, the more likely they are to receive reactions ranging from curiosity and fascination to fear and loathing. Typically "villainous" races such as orcs, trolls, dark elves or vampires are unlikely to be welcomed with open arms. This doesn't preclude you from playing an antagonistic or villainous character, but we believe that even "evil" characters should have a firm sense of motivation and purpose behind their villainy. Our setting thrives more on profound interaction than outright violence.
-'''WHY IS THIS?'''  Characters in our setting (especially NPCs) are expected to behave rationally, for the most part. When confronted with a character who seems strange or potentially dangerous they will react with wariness, fear or aggression, and players intent on introducing such characters should bear this in mind.
+'''WHY IS THIS?'''  Characters in our setting (especially NPCs) are expected to behave rationally, for the most part. When confronted with a character who seems strange or potentially dangerous they will react with wariness, fear, or aggression, and players intent on introducing such characters should bear this in mind.
 ===Where can my character come from?===

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:31, 16 August 2014
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	===One last reminder===		===One last reminder===
−	Remember to avoid playing the all-powerful and all-knowing. Be willing to compromise your character’s morals and motives. Likewise, expect to inspire the same for other players, If you’re looking to more specifically define your character for your own knowledge, fiction-writing tools such as character sheets (http://www.epiguide.com/ep101/writing/charchart.html) are extremely useful, but not necessary. If you have any further questions or concerns regarding character creation, don’t hesitate to talk to other players or ask for guidance and assistance.	+	Remember to avoid playing the all-powerful and all-knowing. Be willing to compromise your character’s morals and motives. Likewise, expect to inspire the same for other players. If you’re looking to more specifically define your character for your own knowledge, fiction-writing tools such as character sheets (http://www.epiguide.com/ep101/writing/charchart.html) are extremely useful, but not necessary. If you have any further questions or concerns regarding character creation, don’t hesitate to talk to other players or ask for guidance and assistance.

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 Welcome to [[#Broken_Dagger]]!  If you're ready to join in our stories, adventures, and tales, we only ask that you read the following standards.  The first list are the guidelines we set upon character creation, while the second is an optional list of helpful starting-points that may assist you in better constructing your character.  Some of these rules and guidelines have been previously outlined on our [http://www.brokendagger.com/conduct/ Code of Conduct] page, which we highly recommend you read as well to better understand our channel's philosophy.
-=Firm Guidelines=
+=Creating your character=
 All new players should read the following questions and answers to achieve a preliminary understanding of player expectations in regard to characters.  If you still find yourself confused or unsure, please feel free to message an [[Operator]] in the channel or talk with some of the players in [[#BD_OOC]], our out-of-character chat room.
 ===Where to start?===

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 Imagine that our setting, in regard to themes, tones, and form, lingers somewhere between ''Lord of the Rings'' and ''Game of Thrones'' (but do keep in mind, these are only potential inspirations; we do not allow copyrighted material here). Characters should not exist merely to be the vessels of flashy powers; they should live, breathe, laugh, suffer, be challenged, challenge others, and seem realistic and believable.
-=Charater Creation Advice=
+=Character Creation Advice=
 Freeform roleplaying has as much in common with writing fiction as it does with roleplaying games - as such, try to consider your character not so much as a list of traits and abilities as an actor in a story. Their path is not determined by the roll of a die, but by choosing a direction that offers the most narrative satisfaction. The following guidelines are not strictly-enforced rules, but provided to help you create a character who will be enjoyable to play in the Broken Dagger.

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 ===Where can my character come from?===
-The world of #Broken_Dagger is large and to a great extent unexplored. If your character is not from Myrken Wood, you’re welcome to detail a homeland for them beyond the borders of [[Amasynian Province]]. Long-distance travel by land or sea is possible, if arduous, and foreigners are generally viewed with cautious interest. Magical travel by portal or teleportation is very rare in the core setting, and thus the preserve of the extremely wealthy or the extremely powerful. Travel between worlds/planes/dimensions is effectively unknown, and requires Op approval.
+The world of #Broken_Dagger is large and to a great extent unexplored. If your character is not from Myrken Wood or surrounding regions we encourage you to detail a homeland for them beyond the borders of [[Amasynian Province]]. Long-distance travel by land or sea is possible, if arduous, and foreigners are generally viewed with cautious interest. Magical travel by portal or teleportation is very rare in the core setting, and thus the preserve of the extremely wealthy or the extremely powerful. Travel between worlds/planes/dimensions is effectively unknown, and requires Op approval.
 Take the time to familiarise yourself with our setting - [http://brokendagger.com/the-setting/amasynian-province/ explore the maps] on the Broken Dagger website and spend a while browsing the BD Wiki - and it shouldn’t be hard to find a gap. The wider setting has been left deliberately undefined so that our players have room to fill in the blanks.

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 ===What races can I play?===
-[[Myrken Wood]] and surrounding regions are predominantly populated by humans. Other fantastical races - elves, dwarves, halflings, minotaurs, etc. - are known, but present as a minority. As a broad guideline the more strange, exotic or monstrous a race, the more likely they are to receive reactions ranging from curiosity and fascination to fear and loathing. Typically “villainous” races such as orcs, trolls, dark elves or vampires are unlikely to be welcomed with open arms. This doesn't preclude you from playing an antagonistic or villainous character, but we believe that even “evil” characters should have a firm sense of motivation and purpose behind their villainy. Our setting thrives more on profound interaction than outright violence.
+[[Myrken Wood]] and surrounding regions are predominantly populated by humans. Other fantastical races - elves, dwarves, halflings, minotaurs, etc. - are known, but present as a minority. As a broad guideline the more strange, exotic or monstrous a race, the more likely they are to receive reactions ranging from curiosity and fascination to fear and loathing. Typically "villainous" races such as orcs, trolls, dark elves or vampires are unlikely to be welcomed with open arms. This doesn't preclude you from playing an antagonistic or villainous character, but we believe that even "evil" characters should have a firm sense of motivation and purpose behind their villainy. Our setting thrives more on profound interaction than outright violence.
 '''WHY IS THIS?'''  Characters in our setting (especially NPCs) are expected to behave rationally, for the most part. When confronted with a character who seems strange or potentially dangerous they will react with wariness, fear or aggression, and players intent on introducing such characters should bear this in mind.

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 ====Regarding Villains====
-We don’t discourage the introduction of antagonistic or villainous characters whose desires conflict with those of others - conflict is the heart of a good story! - but we '''strongly recommend''' that new players spend a while getting used to the setting and characters therein before introducing a character intent on spreading strife and discord. We also believe that even "evil" characters should have a firm sense of purpose behind their villainy. What are their goals? What are they willing to do to achieve those goals? What are they not willing to do? What purpose does a given act of evil serve?  Even the most wicked people rarely view themselves as evil, and even the insane have a consistent (if distorted) reasoning behind their actions.
+We don’t discourage the introduction of antagonistic or villainous characters whose desires conflict with those of others - conflict is the heart of a good story! - but we ''strongly recommend'' that new players spend a while getting used to the setting and characters therein before introducing a character intent on spreading strife and discord. We also believe that even "evil" characters should have a firm sense of purpose behind their villainy. What are their goals? What are they willing to do to achieve those goals? What are they not willing to do? What purpose does a given act of evil serve?  Even the most wicked people rarely view themselves as evil, and even the insane have a consistent (if distorted) reasoning behind their actions.
 ===How will my character grow?===

@@ Line 32: / Line 32: @@
 ====Regarding Healers====
-We '''strongly recommend''' that magical healing be kept to a minimum. You may encounter both IC and OOC resistance to instant healing spells - to many of our players their character coping with an injury is an interesting challenge. Ready access to instant magical healing can reduce the dramatic impact of situations in which a character risks physical harm. As such, '''limited''' forms of magical healing - speeding natural recovery, staving off infection, reducing an injury from mortal to survivable - are far more narratively useful than spells that instantly mend broken bones, regrow amputated limbs, or completely heal terrible wounds.
+We ''strongly recommend'' that magical healing be kept to a minimum. You may encounter both IC and OOC resistance to instant healing spells - to many of our players their character coping with an injury is an interesting challenge. Ready access to instant magical healing can reduce the dramatic impact of situations in which a character risks physical harm. As such, ''limited'' forms of magical healing - speeding natural recovery, staving off infection, reducing an injury from mortal to survivable - are far more narratively useful than spells that instantly mend broken bones, regrow amputated limbs, or completely heal terrible wounds.
 ====Regarding Villains====

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 ===What about power levels?===
-Our channel has played host to a range of characters at varying power levels, from peasants to masters in their particular field of interest. So that characters with great power do not overshadow characters without, we insist that powerful characters face firm constraints and limitations to their capabilities. The more potent a power, the more difficult or demanding it should be to use. Perhaps it is exhausting or injurious; perhaps it requires very specific conditions; perhaps it requires extensive preparation; perhaps it can only be used in moments of extreme duress; perhaps it has a very tightly-defined effect. This does not mean that your character cannot have amazing powers, only that such talents and abilities should be offset by comparable constraints or consequences.
+We believe that the use of special powers should never be a casual or trivial matter, and that the use of special powers should '''expand''' story possibilities, not close them off.
-When giving your character powers beyond the realm of normal human ability, please bear in mind:
+Characters using special powers as a matter of routine can dilute the sense of wonder that such powers should evoke - what ought to be incredible becomes commonplace or even boring. Additionally, struggle against adversity is a rich source of engaging roleplay. While it makes sense IC to accept a powerful character’s offer of help, OOC this can make things less enjoyable for other players, as they now have nothing for their characters to do.
-* The use of special powers should never be a casual matter.
-* The use of special powers should expand story possibilities, not close them off.
-* The use of special powers should be considered a narrative last resort; often, when faced with an in-character situation where that power could be administered, consider its consequences and whether or not its incorporation would be suitable.
-You will find that most every extant character has an element to them which is uncanny or curious - but these are not widely stated or commonly revealed in-character except in extraneous circumstances.  Of course, characters are not required to have any secret qualities, but we recognize that characters must first be interesting for you to write before they can ever be interesting for others to interact with.
+We do not explicitly forbid powerful characters, but to keep things balanced we do insist that powerful characters face limitations to their abilities. This doesn’t mean that your character can’t '''have amazing''' powers, only that such talents and abilities need to be offset by comparable constraints and consequences. Perhaps a power is exhausting or injurious to the user; perhaps it requires extensive preparation; perhaps it can only be used in moments of extreme duress. As a general guideline: the more potent a power, the stronger the reasons a character should have not to use it.
 '''WHY IS THIS?'''  High-power characters pose a number of concerns. In terms of storytelling, characters using fantastical powers for routine applications can dilute the sense of wonder that such powers should evoke, and the incredible becomes commonplace or even boring. Additionally, characters with such powers run the risk of overshadowing characters without, thus denying other players the opportunity for interesting roleplay. Compare “The villain is defeated with the wave of a godling’s hand,” with “The villain is defeated by commoners who rose to the challenge, embarked on a perilous quest, and discovered strength and bravery they never knew they had.” Which is the more interesting story?
-====Regarding Healing====
-We strongly suggest that magical healing be kept to a minimum. You may encounter both IC and OOC resistance to instant healing spells; to many of our players, their character coping with an injury is an interesting challenge. Ready access to instant magical healing can reduce the dramatic impact of situations in which a character risks physical harm. As such, limited magical healing - speeding natural recovery, staving off infection, reducing an injury from mortal to survivable - are far more narratively useful than spells that instantly mend broken bones, regrow amputated limbs, or completely heal terrible wounds.
+====Regarding Healers====
-====Regarding Villainy====
+We '''strongly recommend''' that magical healing be kept to a minimum. You may encounter both IC and OOC resistance to instant healing spells - to many of our players their character coping with an injury is an interesting challenge. Ready access to instant magical healing can reduce the dramatic impact of situations in which a character risks physical harm. As such, '''limited''' forms of magical healing - speeding natural recovery, staving off infection, reducing an injury from mortal to survivable - are far more narratively useful than spells that instantly mend broken bones, regrow amputated limbs, or completely heal terrible wounds.
-We don’t discourage the introduction of antagonistic or villainous characters whose desires conflict with those of others - conflict is the heart of a good story! - but we strongly recommend that new players spend a while getting used to the setting and characters therein before introducing a character intent on spreading strife and discord. We also believe that even “evil” characters should have a firm sense of purpose behind their villainy. What are their goals? What are they willing to do to achieve those goals? What are they not willing to do? What purpose does a given act of evil serve?  Even the most wicked people rarely view themselves as evil, and even the insane have a consistent (if distorted) reasoning behind their actions.
 ===How will my character grow?===
 We aim to foster an environment where characters make new friends, develop strong alliances, establish believable rivalries, and ultimately develop through their shared experiences.  Your character’s ability to grow or be altered by the events in #Broken_Dagger is perhaps the most essential aspect of your character.  Be willing to allow their mindset to change over time; be ready to let the setting and other characters negatively and positively affect them.