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In point-based
roleplaying systems - such as GURPS - designing a character
can be a challenging and rewarding exercise in creativity.
But for some players, this process instead becomes an
exercise in optimising point totals, clever rule-hacks, and
finding the perfect balance between must-have traits and the
most manageable (or least substantial) disadvantages... This
isn't necessarily limited to min-maxers and munchkins
either; many players - especially those new to the system -
find it difficult to resist designing their characters by
"shopping" the books for the best "deals". To some GMs and
players, this power-gamer approach may be fine. But for
those GMs who prefer to emphasise the narrative, it can be
frustrating.
The 3D Character Planner is a tool for GMs who want to keep
character design a chiefly narrative process, dominated by
the qualitative and not the quantitative. It is geared
towards GURPS, but can be used for any system for which
characters are - at least in part - designed (as opposed to
generated randomly).
The Character Planner is simple to use. It's divided into
three sections: Physical, Social and Psychological
descriptions. Without any rule-books or calculators at hand,
the GM asks the player each of the questions, and as the
answers accumulate, a character emerges. The questions are
designed to make the player think about who the character is
- where he comes from, how he knows what he knows, why he
does what he does... At each step, another blank will be
filled. Some questions will tie back into others, adding
even greater detail. It is important that the GM and player
work through the Planner together; this way, the GM can ask
follow-up questions, and provide specific information about
the campaign setting to help flesh out the player's
responses. Finally, when all the questions are answered, the
player will have a finished character, a complete fictional
entity with a history, a personality, goals and aspirations,
strengths and flaws.
The last step is to convert the qualitative description of
the character into game terms. The GM may do this alone, or
work with the player. GMs will know details about the
character's background, and can weave them into the
campaign. Players will have an understanding of who their
characters are, and what makes them tick. Whatever the style
of play, the 3D Character Planner should contribute to the
creation of characters who are more than a collection of
abilities and numbers...
Each of the three sections below contains a list of
questions. The GM should read through them, and is
encouraged to alter them to fit his campaign or style. For
those using GURPS, each question is followed by a list of
which attributes, advantages and disadvantages may apply;
these lists are not necessarily comprehensive, but should be
handy when translating the character into game terms.
CHARACTER NAME:
Section 1 - Physical Description:
1.1) What sex is the character? (Simple enough, but might
include a Social Stigma disadvantage depending on the
setting.)
1.2) How old is the character? (Might suggest Age or Youth
disadvantages.)
1.3) What are the character's height and weight? (Assuming
normal humans characters, these can be used to
back-calculate ST as per p.B15. Watch for Skinny,
Overweight, Fat, Gigantism, Dwarfism and Inconvenient
Size.)
1.4) What are the character's hair and eye colour? Are they
distinctive in any way? (This might suggest Appearance
advantages/disadvantages, or even Unnatural Feature.)
1.5) Describe the character's complexion, skin tone and
overall quality of appearace. Is the character attractive or
unattractive, and what is the nature of his/her looks -
boyish, rugged, delicate, sexy, grotesque, etc.? (Includes
Appearance, Social Disease, maybe Unnatural Feature.)
1.6) How strong is the character? What kind of strength is
it - i.e., brawn, toughness, heavy frame, etc.? (This mostly
deals with the ST attribute, but may also suggest Extra
Fatigue, Extra Hit Points, Extra Encumbrance.)
1.7) Is the character's agility lower or higher than normal?
If so, in what way - manual dexterity, quick reactions,
coordination, fast runner, etc.? (Principally DX, but also
Combat Reflexes, Increased Speed, Enhanced Move, Manual
Dexterity, Reduced Move, Reduced Manual Dexterity,
Klutz.)
1.8) Describe the character's health, fitness, and stamina.
Is the character often ill, or suffering from any chronic
health issues or conditions? Unusually hardy? Sensitive to
pain and discomfort? (This deals primarily with the HT
attribute, but also includes Fit, Very Fit, Disease
Resistant, Weak Immune System, High Pain Threshold,
Epilepsy, Colour Blindness, Deaf, Blindness, Hemophilia,
Migraine, etc..)
1.9) How does the character dress? (This might include
Fashion Sense or Extravagance, or a bad-dresser might have
an Odious Personal Habit. Depending on how the character's
tastes are described, it might suggest levels of
Wealth.)
1.10) Does the character have any other significant or
noteworthy physical features - such as a distinctive walk,
physical mannerisms, tattoos or scars, lots of jewelry,
always smiling, unusual hair-cut, one or more missing or
non-functional limbs, etc.? (This encourages the player to
think about how their character appears - maybe providing
the start of a personality and history - and would cover
Unnatural Features, Albinism, One Arm, One Leg, One Eye,
Paraplegic, Lame, Hunchback, and other minor things best
handled with Quirks.)
Section 2 - Social Description:
2.1) What is the character's nationality, ethnicity or race?
(Maybe just flavour, but possibly a Social Stigma is
involved.)
2.2) Describe the character's social status, caste or rank.
How is it important? (Partly for background, but may include
Status, and in some cultures traits such as Law Enforcement
Powers, Clerical Investment, Military Rank, Social Stigma
and possibly Reputation.)
2.3) What is the character's marital and sexual status?
(Mostly background, but might include Ally, Dependent,
Social Stigma, etc.)
2.4) Does the character have an occupation, job or career?
If so, describe it. (This will suggest background skills,
and could easily include traits such as those mentioned in
2.2, as well as Administrative Rank, Magery, Patron, Duty,
etc.)
2.5) What is the extent and quality of the character's
education? (More skills, plus Literacy, Semi-Literacy or
Illiteracy, and possible traits such as those covered in 2.2
and 2.4.)
2.6) Describe the character's home life and history. What
impact has it had? (This may be the bulk of the biography,
and could suggest additional background skills and be used
to explain or suggest traits such as Amnesia, Disowned,
Excommunicated, Reputation, etc.)
2.7) Is there a single event or experience in the
character's life - a traumatic incident, a betrayal, an act
of great kindness - that has had particular impact on the
life-path chosen? Describe it. (As per 2.6, but could also
suggest a Vow, Obsession, Phobia and others.)
2.8) Describe the character's social activities. Is the
character an introvert, or extrovert? (This would cover the
spectrum of Bully, Shy, Confused, Clueless, Lecherous, as
well as Hidebound, Fashion Sense, Extravagance, Obdurate,
Odious Personal Habits and Compulsive Behaviours, and many
Quirk possibilities.)
2.9) Describe the character's hobbies and personal
activities. (May suggest additional hobby or background
skills, and possible Quirks.)
2.10) What is the character's political outlook? What is the
extent of its impact on the character's life and actions?
(Primarily background material, but in extreme cases a Sense
of Duty, Obsession or Vow might be included.)
2.11) Describe the character's religious beliefs, if any.
What is the extent of their impact on the character's life
and actions? (As 2.10, but Disciplines of Faith and Vow will
be more common in certain settings.)
2.12) Does the character have any noteworthy friends,
allies, partners, enemies, rivals, superiors, inferiors,
family members, lovers, etc.? If so, who are they? (This
includes Ally, Ally Group, Contacts, Patron, Dependent,
Enemy, and maybe even Evil Twin or Mistaken Identity.)
Section 3 - Psychological Profile:
3.1) Describe the character's intelligence - analytical,
savvy, cunning, etc.. (This mostly covers IQ, but may also
include Charisma, Common Sense, Intuition, Cultural
Adaptability, Language Talent, Versatile, Imaginative, and
other intellectual indefinables modelled as Quirks.)
3.2) Is the character observant, or obtuse? Explain how.
(This would include the gamut of Acute Senses and Alertness
traits and their disadvantageous counter-parts, and might
also overlap with some of the social traits such as
Confused, Clueless, Discriminating, Broad-minded, etc.)
3.3) Does the character possess self-control? To what
degree? (This deals mostly with Strong and Weak Will, but
would also include Absent-Mindedness, Short Attention Span,
Distractible, Single-Minded, as well as Composed, Collected,
Fearlessness and the like [see no. 3.6].)
3.4) What things does the character like, or love? (Largely
for flavour and perhaps Quirks, but in strong cases could
include Compulsive Behaviour, Odious Personal Habit,
Obsession, or even Lover's Distraction.)
3.5) What does the character dislike, or hate? (Again mostly
for flavour and ideal for Quirks, but might also suggest
Odious Personal Habit or Intolerance.)
3.6) Is the character afraid of anything? If so, what, and
to what degree? Why? (The obvious suggestion is Phobia, but
also includes Edgy, Paranoia, and less-irrational fears and
concerns make ideal Quirks. See 3.3, and see how these fears
affect self-control. Also refer to 2.6 and 2.7, and tie
these fears/concerns into the character's background.)
3.7) What are the character's desires, goals and ambitions?
(This gives the player a chance to set the character's
focus, and provides the GM with ideas for adventures. It may
also suggest Obsession, Vow and Quirks.)
3.8) Describe the character's temperament and mood. Happy,
or unhappy? Calm, or Nervous? Coolness under fire? (This
covers a lot, including Chronic Depression, Chummy,
Capricious, Curious, Incurious, Bad Temper, Guilt Complex,
Impulsiveness, Overconfidence, Pacifism, as well as the
range of Combat Reflexes, Cool, Composed, Collected,
Imperturbable, Unfazeable, Cowardice, Combat Paralysis,
Berserk and Bloodlust. Make sure these gel with answers from
3.3 through 3.7, and see if these answers add anything to
previous ones. Refer back to 2.6 if possible.)
3.9) Describe how the character interacts with people and
events. What are the character's morals, values and vices?
(This helps the player settle on a moral framework - to
decide an "alignment" - and includes traits such as Code of
Honour, Pious, Selfless, Honesty, Greed, Truthfulness,
Gluttony, Glory Hound, Charitable, Callous, Megalomania,
Odious Personal Habit, Compulsive Behaviours, Addiction,
etc. Note that there may be overlap with 2.7, from the
psychological angle.)
3.10) Describe the character's attitude(s) about imporant
things. (This is vague, but allows the player to establish
one or two issues that are important to the character.
Alternately, the "important things" can be specific
setting-related issues around which the GM knows the
campaign will revolve, such as loyalty to the King in a
Musketeers-style campaign, or devotion to the clan in a
Vampire campaign. This could include traits such as Higher
Purposes, Destiny, Delusion, and Quirks.)
3.11) How does the character interact with the world, in the
broader sense? Does the character have any overriding
prejudices or biases? Why? Describe them. (This also covers
a lot of territory, and may overlap with much of Section 3.
In this case, "prejudices and biases" do not necessarily
mean racial or ethnic intolerances, but refers to the lenses
through which the character sees the world - like the
hopeful missionary, the cynical ex-cop, the selfish public
servant, etc. If the GM likes to empoy Archetypes, this is a
chance to identify Questing Heroes, Reluctant Heroes,
Anti-Heroes, et al. It could include many of the traits from
3.9 and 3.10, but may be broader and make good for Quirks
that sum up important attitudes not covered by advantages or
disadvantages.)
© 2001 andi
jones / angelwerks. special thanks to kathryn reiss and
johannes trimmel.
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