Description Guide

The Land of Avalon is a freeform medieval/fantasy roleplaying site loosely based on Arthurian lore. Avalon is home to many friendly members, administrators, and position holders, most of whom are always willing to RP, no matter how new a person might be to the site. With a large shop system full of various spells, items, and equipment no two characters are the same. With character races ranging from elves and humans to dragons, chimeras, and demons Avalon welcomes a wide range of races and RP skill levels. From the Northern Lands holding word limits suited for beginners to the West for the more advanced, no one is too inexperienced to join in on the fun. With a variety of deities and elemental guardians, kings and nobility to pledge to (or oppose) there is no shortage of roleplaying opportunity. Avalon is full of great members and staff with a great sense of humor, friendly welcomes, and a love for roleplaying. Avalon invites you to experience the magic, today!

Description Guide; A Guideline to Character Creation
Topic Started: May 16 2005, 08:05 PM (7,240 Views)
Sir	May 16 2005, 08:05 PM Post #1
The Dead One Posts: 1,655 Group: Away Member #1,663 Joined: April 17, 2005 Gender Male Name Sir [Julius Von Shaemon] Race Dead human Profession Wanderer	Here is Avalon's optional character description form, including: *Explanations of what should be filled in each space if you're confused *Tips and ideas to help your creative juices flowing in the right direction There are two different empty forms that you can fill in and they can be found at the bottom of this page! (: TIPS Many people do not understand just how vital writing a description is for role-playing. It's a backbone for your character, a metronome that keeps you at the right pace, a foundation, a basket to hold the contents of your character, whatever metaphor you want to use! Here are three important guidelines to keep in mind when writing your description (click the spoiler): Spoiler: click to toggle 1. Your character should be balanced and believable. Balanced means s/he is not too powerful, or if s/he is, s/he also has weakness that balance out the power. Nobody wants to role-play with somebody who is perfect in every single way, go ahead and make a perfect character if you don’t believe me. It’s true that flaws can actually make a character much more interesting than talents. Talents are just parts of the backbone, but flaws add detail. Believable means s/he isn't a total crazy mixture of everything. Make sure it works in a medieval/fantasy setting and think about people and personalities you know in real life. 2. There is no such thing as too much detail. By detail, I don't mean little details that you add in a topic (like: ‘he has beautiful, large, dazzling blue eyes’ or ‘she twirls her hair around her fingers’) I mean details like, why does she twirl her hair around her fingers? When she's nervous? Because she's scared that somebody is going to cut her hair off? Why? WHY! What kind of look do those beautiful blue eyes give? Are they icy blue and filled with cold disdain? Or are they warm and full of life, or cast down and shy? Just keep asking yourself, why is that? How does it affect my character? The question you need to always think about is: what makes my character tick? What makes him/her special? What's his/her downfall? 2. Use a spell-checker, dictionary and thesaurus. Those things are a writer’s greatest asset. And anyway, it’s not so inviting to read a description filled with spelling mistakes. These three rules also work for writing a role-play post, so don't forget them! EXPLANATIONS Here are the explanations for the optional form (click the spoiler). Below the descriptions you can find the codes for two different forms (that have the same copy the code to get it, and then starting filling it in! You do not have to use this form, but it's quite a good one. If you're already familiar with this feel free to scroll to the bottom and copy the empty form. Good luck and have fun! Spoiler: click to toggle General Full Name: Your character’s full name, does s/he have middle names? Did s/he change his/her name when s/he got married? Nicknames: Nicknames aren't necessary, your character might not have a nickname. What do your character's close friends call him/her? Does s/he have a descriptive name, like 'Fire-eater'? Class: This pertains to the abilities your character possesses. Are they sneaky, and good at picking locks and pockets? The character is probably a rogue. Do they spend all their time memorizing spells and archaic lore? This is usually the domain of the wizard. A partial list of classes can be found here for you to use, but feel free to make up your own. Profession: What does your character do to get money? Where does your character stand in society? Remember that Avalon already has Nobles, so you cannot say that your character is the Lady of Avalon or the King of Fincayra. Also you cannot be a deity or a demi-god or a guardian. Here you can find a list of classes/professions! Gender: Probably the easiest thing to fill in. Male or female. Or something else? Race: Race affects your character quite a bit. It affects appearance, personality, strengths etc. A cherub is friendlier than a goblin, a human is weaker and more limited than an elf, a giant is bigger than a fairy. Mixtures are fine, but don’t forget to think why and how! Here is a list of some examples that might inspire you! You are also free to create your own race! Alignment: Your character's alignment gives an idea of how s/he might act. A lawful good character will stick to rules and laws and do good for others, no matter what; A neutral character might only think about himself/herself and a chaotic evil character might go around chopping people's heads off. Remember to think about why your character is of a certain alignment.Here you will find a list of alignments! Demeanour: Definition: manner; bearing; the way one behaves. Try to pick one or two words that describe how your character acts. If he's nice to some people, but mean to others, you might pick ‘hypocrite’? If she’s always a little lost and seems to be stuck in her own world, maybe ‘dreamy’? If nothing comes to mind, just leave it out. Weapon/Magic of Choice: Here you can just mention one of your character’s favourite weapons/spells/type of magic. (NOTE: Please remember that spells and weapons have to be bought before you can say you own them!) Appearance Eye Colour: Pretty obvious what to write here. I would try to avoid eyes that change colour and hair that changes colour, because that's bordering on the spell 'polymorph'. Hair Colour: Age: Very vital information! I always say that a person has three ages, the age they look, the age they act and the age they actually are in years. If you want a young character, you have to remember that they most likely won't be professionals at anything, but will have lots of time to change and improve. Also, if you decide a very old age (200+), you'll most likely have a long history for your character. Birthmarks or Scars: Not necessary, but they could help to make your character a little unique. Think about where did s/he get the scars from, do the scar(s)/birthmark(s) affect the character? Any physical side-effects? Any social? Predominant Feature: Big nose? Sticky-out ears? What physical feature do people see first? Or is s/he a normal, blend-in-well kind of person? Build: This gives us a physical frame for your character. Tall, short, fat, thin, muscular, weak, flexible, broad-shouldered, willowy... Skin Quality: Skin colour. Pale usually means stays out of the sun, a sailor would be tanned... General Appearance: This is where you give a concise description of the way your character usually looks, and how a stranger might see him/her. Also a good place to mention the clothes your character normally wears. For example: "Rob is a short fat man and is clothed in robes of red silk, black velvet and fur. His short stubby fingers are covered in rings with rubies, emeralds and sapphires and from his neck hangs a thick gold chain with a diamond on it. He has a small button nose and squinty eyes, with cheeks and a chin that hang from his face. The skin gathered around his eyes are wrinkled, and the skin on his face is leathery, making him look older than he actually is." Personality Influences: Here is where you can put a few important things that influence the way your character thinks and acts. For example, her father's strict rules, nature the laws of a city s/he grew up in, the dark man he saw when he was five. Usually upbringing and family have a big affect on a character. Likes: Mention a few of your character's favourite things. For example: food, weather, clothes, type of people. Dislikes: Same thing here, mention a few of the things that your character hates. For example, rain; beautiful, rich people; cheap ale. Goals: This is the driving force of your character. What does s/he want? Think of long term goals and short term goals, and a main 'life goal'. What does your character want to achieve? For example: short term goal, find a sword; long term goal: learn to use sword; life goal: become a famous swordswoman in Avalon. Strengths: The key with strengths and weakness is to keep your character balanced! When thinking of strengths don’t forget to think of some of these things: racial strengths (humans are pretty neutral, elves have good eyesight, are lithe and beautiful, trolls are strong and hard to kill, etc), social/personality strengths (is friendly and trustable, is loud and open, is able to captivate/interest people, is persuasive, etc), talent strengths (this usually goes hand in hand with what class or profession you choose, for example: class is warrior, strength is fighting; class is scholar, strength is languages, learning and remembering; class is mage/wizard/witch, strength is magic). Weaknesses or Flaws: The same is with weaknesses. I’m sorry but 'weak nails that break easily' is not a flaw. Think biiig. Again don’t forget to think of racial flaws (humans are mortal and weak, trolls don't usually have non-troll friends because people are afraid of them, etc), social/personality weaknesses (is shy, is mean and sarcastic etc), talent weakness (usually the opposite of your strength, a warrior might be a terrible speaker and scribe, while a mage might be physically weak). Habits: Not necessary, but if you choose a habit, make sure it's in your posts. Try to stay away from things that don't affect your character, and if you pick a habit, why do they do it and in what circumstances, when did they start doing it. It’s just something you can use to make your character more interesting. General Personality: This is the place to describe how your character acts around certain people and how s/he is at first. Also you could say what age they act like, for example, your 35 year old dwarf might act like a sour 15 year old. Example: "At first she may seem like an ordinary bubbly person but when you get to know her better you find out that she's more than just a cheerful, shallow person. Beneath that sparkly personality hides a cold and thoughtful person. When there is somebody who is just as cold as the person within her, she reveals this side little by little. Because at first she may seem like silly and chatty girl, people think that she is younger than she is, but when she shows her true colours, she seems like a cultured and well-taught, calculating woman." Family Father: These are pretty obvious, I hope. If the person is dead, don't forget to think about how s/he died and if his/her death affected your character. Mother: Siblings: Lover: Other Family: Companions or Pets: (NOTE: Please remember that all pets/animals must be bought before you can say you own them!) Background General History: Where does s/he come from, how did s/he grow up and how did s/he become the person s/he is today. From where did his/her personality develop, what things shaped it, where did s/he get his/her talents from. The more detail you add, the better you will know your character, and the better you know your character, the better you will be able to RP. CODES - EMPTY FORMS FORM 1 Spoiler: click to toggle Code: [big][b]General[/b][/big] [b]Full Name:[/b] [b]Nicknames:[/b] [b]Class:[/b] [b]Profession:[/b] [b]Gender:[/b] [b]Race:[/b] [b]Alignment:[/b] [b]Demeanour:[/b] [b]Weapon/Magic of Choice:[/b] [big][b]Appearance[/b][/big] [b]Eye Colour:[/b] [b]Hair Colour:[/b] [b]Age:[/b] [b]Birthmarks or Scars:[/b] [b]Predominant Feature:[/b] [b]Build:[/b] [b]Skin Quality:[/b] [b]General Appearance:[/b] [big][b]Personality[/b][/big] [b]Influences:[/b] [b]Likes:[/b] [b]Dislikes:[/b] [b]Goals:[/b] [b]Strengths:[/b] [b]Habits:[/b] [b]Weaknesses or Flaws:[/b] [b]General Personality:[/b] [big][b]Family[/b][/big] [b]Father:[/b] [b]Mother:[/b] [b]Siblings:[/b] [b]Lover:[/b] [b]Other Family:[/b] [b]Companions or Pets:[/b] [big][b]Background[/b][/big] [b]General History:[/b] FORM 2 Spoiler: click to toggle Code: `[b]Social[/b] [spoiler]Name: Nicknames: Class: Profession: Alignment: Demeanour: [/spoiler] [b]Physical[/b] [spoiler]Age: Race: Gender: Eyes: Hair: Build: Attire: [/spoiler] [b]Mental/Personality[/b] [spoiler]Likes: Dislikes: Goals: Strengths: Weaknesses: Habits: [/spoiler] [b]Genealogy[/b] [spoiler]Partner: Father: Mother: Siblings: [/spoiler] [b]History/Background[/b] [spoiler]...[/spoiler]` A preview of form 2: Spoiler: click to toggle Social Spoiler: click to toggle Name: Nicknames: Class: Profession: Alignment: Demeanour: Physical Spoiler: click to toggle Age: Race: Gender: Eyes: Hair: Build: Attire: Mental/Personality Spoiler: click to toggle Likes: Dislikes: Goals: Strengths: Weaknesses: Habits: Genealogy Spoiler: click to toggle Partner: Father: Mother: Siblings: History/Background Spoiler: click to toggle ... [R4E]updated links[/R4E] Edited by Morgana, Mar 2 2010, 08:03 AM.



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