FTW:Character Creation Considerations

Character Creation Considerations

Here are some things you may wish to consider when creating a character:

+stats

'+stats' is a command on game that offers a variety of information on current PCs in the different areas. It may be helpful to you in determining what gender, age, profession and name's starting letter you might like for your character.

Names

When picking your character's name, there are a few things to consider. While RL names like Sara or Alan are not disallowed, they are not commonly used as it's believed that such names would have been lost or transformed over the centuries since they were brought to Pern. Thus, for those interested in using a RL name, it is more common to see them somewhat transformed, with letters or syllables changed. This is also somewhat true of actual words. You could certainly name your character Kettle or Rutabega, but they often stand out and people will be curious as to why you chose that word. If that's what you're going for, it just might work! Generally, people just take this chance to make up entirely new names.

Honorifics, those names with an apostrophe such as F'lar or T'gellan, are reserved for male dragonriders. On NorCon these names can only be used by people who have impressed on camera or received an insta rider via the application process. However, if you character is male and you think you would like to see them impress, it's a good idea to consider names that can be sensibly contracted, such as Jacen to J'cen.

Descriptions

Every character needs a description of what they look like, but keep in mind, 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder', basically meaning that just because you think your character is gorgeous doesn't mean everyone else will. You will want to avoid using words that dictate how your character's description will be received and instead describe just what is there. Adjectives are very powerful; an arm without a lot of meat on it could be skinny or scrawy or it could be slender. The connotations are very different and so even without overt use of words like 'beautiful', you can still imply plenty of beauty.

Most descriptions are between 10-15 lines on game, and should include the following:

• Build - short or tall, broad or slim, etc
• Complexion - dark or fair or anywhere in between
• Notable facial features - great big eyes or a wide mouth or bushy eyebrows, etc
• Eye color - just the usual ones, please. No purples or reds or anything like that.
• Hair color - same as eye color, only natural hair colors suit our canon as Pern doesn't have any sort of dye that could do more than add a temporary tint.

At the very least, your description should touch on the style of clothes your character wears, whether they are drab and shapeless or bright and tailored or anything in between. However, you also have the option of describing specific outfits or even having multiple outfits that you can change. Check out '+help descer' to learn more about some of the code available to do that.

Once you've figured out your description, you can set it on your character using the following: @desc me=<your description here>; You can use %r for a carriage return and %t for a tab indentation.

Position

For a list of possible positions for a resident character, please see our Resident Positions page. If you would like to be a dragonrider, check out our Wings page to get a sense of where you might like to be placed.

Backgrounds

Generally people do not spring into existence as fully formed adults. They start with a mother and father, a childhood, a home. Consider how your character came into this world. Did they have a traditional family unit? Were they weyrbrats largely raised by nannies or foster parents? How did they get along with the people who raised them or the other children they grew up with? What are their personalities, their professions, their dreams? Consider how this may have shaped who your character is today.

With the exception of dragonriders and crafters, the majority of Pern is born, lives and dies in the same place. Was your character born in the same place you'd like to play them now or have they moved there for some reason. And most importantly, what is that reason?

When considering where your character may be from, there are some important things to note about travel. Even with the absence of Thread, travel is very difficult on Pern. For those of you who remember when floppy discs were actually floppy, think the game Oregon Trail. You, your transportation animals and all of your supplies have to make it through a journey that could take anywhere from a few days to many months. Sure, the people and animals of Pern are pretty sturdy, but they all need food and rest and sometimes medical attention that is nearly impossible on a journey. It would also be very unusual for any young adult to be traveling alone and not all trader caravans are interested in taking on the responsibility of an outsider.

As nearly all characters on NorCon are expected to be at least 15 turns old and are often considerably older, it would be quite unusual for any PC to be unemployed. As soon as young people are able, they tend to be pushed in one direction or another in terms of their 'career'. This may mean that they have been working predominantly in the gardens or the stables, that they had an aptitude for sewing and have spent most of their time mending or making clothes. It could mean that they were found to have some talent that recommended them to a crafthall. Even if they are working at something that is not their passion, not what they want to be doing for the rest of their lives, everyone is expected to be working at something and would find themselves on one path or another.

Please contact the admin team via page or +mail (to 'ftwadmin') if you would like to create a character younger than 15 turns old. Please note that it is unlikely that we will approve a character younger than 10 turns.

Personality

Interwined with descriptions and backgrounds are personalities. All three affect each other. Daily life affects the way a person looks or carries themselves. Daily interactions inform the way they view themselves. Who is your character now?

Can you think of a few adjectives that describe your character's personality? Are they optimistic? Are they grumpy? Do they tease and joke around a lot or are they serious and stuffy? Are they dedicated to their work or are they more often found goofing off? Do they flirt or does the opposite sex make them anxious? What makes them tick? What motivates them? What totally pisses them off? These are just a few questions that can help you get started and often, as you begin to sort out who your character is, more and more answers will fall into place. The better you define your character, the easier they will be to play. You may even find that as you start playing your character behaves in ways you didn't expect. Don't worry! It's not at all unusual for characters to take on a life of their own.

Please keep in mind that shy characters are often quite difficult to play as it may mean you have to push them to interact with others and interacting with others is what roleplay is all about. Shy or reserved character types are generally not recommended for new players.

Future

So now you know who your character is and where they've come from. Do you know where they're going? For even the most indecisive person, time is still moving forward and your character is on a path. What are they hopeful for? Settling down and raising a family? What are they trying to avoid? Setting down and raising a family? What about you? What do you want from this character? Where do you want to see them go? Goals change, they're not set in stone, but having one can usually helps things move forward and development is what it's all about!