Character Creation

# Character Creation Guide

*(redirected from Main.CharacterCreation)*

*Main article: Player Information*

Welcome! This page will guide you through your character sheet. This section is intended for people who are not experienced at making character sheets, but might also be helpful if you are new to the world of Thorns. For reference while creating your character sheet, you should also read our Rules for Character Creation.

**Please do not RP with a character until your character sheet has been approved by a moderator.**

* Choosing A Race
* Writing A Backstory
* Writing A Personality
* Describing Your Character
* Selecting Your Inventory
* Choosing A Career
* Your Character's Goals
* Submitting Your Sheet
* The Next Step

## Choosing A Race

It may not seem like it, but the four races of Thorns (galdor, wick, human and passive) are all very different. Though you can of course take your character in any direction, the races page should give you a good idea of what that race might be like to roleplay with.

* If you want to focus on political struggles, ambition and the art of magic, you might consider playing a galdor. Galdori are the dominant race and control most of the world, so playing one will afford you many opportunities to travel, compete with other galdori for power and throw your magical might around.
* If you are more of a free spirit you might enjoy playing a wick, the nomadic race. Wicks travel the country on caravans, peddle their wares with humans and generally live for the good life, though there are chances for political struggle and even war between tribes. Wicks also get some magic, though it is weaker than that of the galdori.
* If you really love stories about crime syndicates and secret societies, you might love playing a human. Humans, being oppressed for years by the galdori, have an intricate underground culture and are reliant on their martial abilities. If you like skulking in the shadows, this is the race for you.
* If you are a real individualist and don't mind a challenge, you should consider a passive character. Passives are galdori who cannot control magic. As a passive you have a unique position between the races; if you work in the University you can get close to the galdori, or you could help the humans with their resistance, or you could live freely with a wick caravan. Passives are all about choice.

## Writing A Backstory

Now that you've chosen a race, it's time to think about their story. On each of the races pages, there is a section entitled Food For Thought: Ideas For Getting Into Character. Read these sections for a few ideas about writing your character's backstory.

When writing, try to be detailed and clear. We're looking for about three normal-sized paragraphs, but you can write more or less as long as you get all the ideas across. Think about who you want your character to be and what sort of situation would turn them into that person.

It is a good idea to read the wiki thoroughly to get ideas. Your backstory should contain your character's place of birth, parentage, former occupations and any events that might have shaped his or her personality.

If your character is from a country other than Anaxas, keep in mind that the foreign countries are not yet available for roleplay - ask a moderator if you want to write something specific. If you wildly invent towns and cities, your character sheet probably won't be accepted.

Try to avoid backgrounds that are steeped in tragedy. Remember: a tragic past is not the same thing as a personality. Certain things to avoid (i.e. situations that have been done so often that we *actually had to mention them in the wiki*) are rape, speech impediments and murdered parents.

### Mysteries

Some people post mysteries in their backstory that their character is searching to find an explanation for. The problem with this is that the moderators don't know the explanation to your mystery. If you know the answer and you tell the moderators what really happened, that doesn't leave you with any surprises; if you don't know, the moderators have to scramble to write the unspoken parts of your backstory for you. Either way, there are problems.

It generally pays to have a character that's looking to the future rather than into the past. If your character is still tied down to looking for her best friend's killer, it's going to distract from any new storylines you might form in collaboration with other people. It's also going to cause headaches for the mods as they struggle to fill in the gaps you have in your story and create tons of new NPCs for you.

If you absolutely must have a mystery in your past, please do not make unraveling it the focal goal of your character.

## Writing A Personality

Taking into account your character's history, write up a description of their personality, detailing their various quirks and mannerisms as well as their outlook on life and other larger themes. If you need any inspiration, the Personality Questions page can help - it lists a bunch of questions you could ask yourself about your character. (Please don't answer these all in order - they are only for inspiration.)

It pays to have a good theme going in your personality description, so you don't have to list every little thing about your character. This doesn't mean you should make your characters extremely simple, but we should be able to understand who they are without reading a doctorate thesis.

## Describing Your Character

For a good idea at typical racial traits of different nationalities and races, please see Genetics and Appearances.

Please be specific when describing your character. You should write at least a paragraph about what your character looks like, including but not limited to facial features and body type, defining characteristics, and unusual markings. A good description is one where the reader is able to picture the character clearly in their mind's eye.

You are not limited by much, but here are some things you may *not* include:

* Pointy ears. No one in Vita has pointy ears. Sorry.
* Wings, antennae, etc. Vita has a human-based population.
* Half-animal characters, or animal characteristics.
* "Magical" tattoos, markings, or jewelry (see the Magic FAQ for more info on this rule)

A tip: try not to fall into clichés. I know, deep down, it's really tempting to make a huge hunk with rippling muscles or a sexy female with perfect curves and eyes like deep pools of whatever, but your character is *unique* only if you make them so. A memorable character will have flaws, both physical and otherwise.

## Selecting Your Inventory

You only need to list your character's weapons, but we suggest including clothing, personal trinkets, and anything else that might crop up in a story. The inventory section is not going to be very important to gameplay, so don't stress about this.

Once again, the race pages have sections that name some common inventory items for each race. You may have anything **within reason** - if you can't explain it, or carry it, you can't have it. Try to include anything that might factor into a plot. You can add things to your inventory if you buy them or receive them through roleplay.

If you have a wick character, you *are* allowed your own cart, even if you are not a member of a tribe. Your cart needs a horse or kenser to pull it and you might want to write a small description for the interior, which will be included in your character sheet. You need not list everything you carry in your cart, just the notable items. All other characters may include descriptions of their apartment/hut/dorm room/house/etc if they have one. See the Special Items page for details about mounts, vessels, businesses and homes.

### Pets

While it may seem tempting to have several pets, it is VERY difficult to keep a pet during roleplay. Everywhere your character goes, you have to be responsible for keeping that animal. That means you can't just forget about him when it's not convenient. If you don't feel like your pet is important to your character, we suggest that you not include it.

Also, **everyone** has a bander wolf. You might want to pick another animal.

## Choosing A Career

You probably have a pretty good feel for your character by now, so pick a career for them. Yet again the races page comes in handy! Each of the race pages lists a bunch of common careers. As it is with the inventory, your career should make sense for your character. Check out the Yellow Pages for a list of characters already in play and their careers. If your chosen career is overrepresented on the Yellow Pages, you might want to consider a different one.

After you've chosen the career, **list your career-related skills**. For example, if your character is a common thief, you might list "dexterity, stealth, lockpicking, skill with a knife, fast running" as skills. You may also list other skills if they relate to your character's past; for example, if your character is a former pirate, they would still have all the skills relating to the pirate career, such as knot-tying and saying "arrrrrr".

Don't go overboard (no pun intended) with these skills, though - you will add skills as you play. If you take a job as a sniper, the mods might add on "good aim" and other sniper-related skills as roleplay progresses.

## Your Character's Goals

Now that your sheet is almost complete, take a second to reflect. What does your character want most of all? Where do they want to do, and what do they want to do? Write a short paragraph (or a long one, if your character is really ambitious). You may also put your character's goals in list form.

## Submitting your Sheet

### Once you have created your character, sign up to the Thorns forums (http://thornsbook.com/forum) with your character's full name (first and last), and then submit your character sheet to the Character Sheets forum (http://thornsbook.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=8). Usernames that are not your character's full name will be automatically deleted. VERY IMPORTANT.

Before submitting your sheet, please check it **carefully** for spelling and grammar errors. Make sure that you've written clearly, and make sure you didn't capitalize the word "galdor" or "wick" (lots of people seem to do this). After signing up on the forum, post your new sheet to the "Character Sheets" section. Be careful to stick to the formatting guidelines, which are explained in the sticky thread on that forum.

After you post, a moderator will come along and review your thread. In most cases they will post a review of the sheet. Most sheets have one or two small errors that they will ask you to correct. In some cases, major issues with the storyline might necessitate longer revisions. You can avoid problems by researching all the areas covered in your sheet and asking questions ahead of time if you can't find answers on the wiki.

After your revisions (if there are any), the moderator will reread your sheet and approve you if everything is fixed. Then your sheet will be posted on the wiki, and you can begin playing. **Do not begin playing until a moderator has approved your sheet**.

## Other Pages To Visit

* Race pages for galdori, humans, wicks and passives
* Personality Questions - some prompts to get you started creating your character's personality
* Special Items - all about getting a home, a vessel, or a business
* Sample Character Sheet - an example of a decent character sheet
* Submitting Your Character - how to submit your character to the forums, if you didn't see the bold text above
* Naming Conventions - helpful tips for naming your character
* Genetics and Appearances - get a feel for racial and geographical differences in appearances

## The Next Step

While you are waiting for approval, go ahead and read the Rules for Play. The Player Information section has further information about game rules and policies as well as a helpful selection of tips, FAQs and game terminology.