How did you develop your character?

Villoy

So, my question is pretty self explanatory I think, but I was just wondering how you went about developing your character, like their backstory and their values, and their purpose.

Because, for me, Villoy's character seems to keep changing; like, she went from priest with a vow of silence to losing the vow & wondering about going dark and the only constant characteristics she has are that she's always dying, hopeless, has no purpose, and is afraid to leave the cities because that means being mauled by a deer or a crow or some other creature.

I might've rambled but I suppose, along with my first question, what I also want to know is, is it normal for a newbie's character to constantly change and not fully settle at first? (It's becoming incredibly clear to me that, as a newbie, I have a thousand & one questions, so sorry about that).

Kiet

Yes. Your character, like a real person, will change and evolve over time. This is amplified by the fact that you're newer than an 18 year old would be, of course, but that's why there's a lot of 'forgotten past' things going on. Fill it in as you go along.

Nazihk

Villoy said:

So, my question is pretty self explanatory I think, but I was just wondering how you went about developing your character, like their backstory and their values, and their purpose.

I ignore backstory completely, honestly.

In all my years of playing these games, I've found that it's way better to retcon your backstory after the fact. When you're new, you just don't know enough about the world and the history and the game in general to pick a good coherent backstory.

So play for a bit and pick one when you feel comfortable with it.

Villoy

So I've gotten validation on the inconstant state of my character, thank you, but do you have any tips on establishing a base or anything like that? Because I feel like Villoy doesn't even have a starting point in terms of that... (Sorry if I'm repeating myself)

Kiet

That'll just come down to typical writing practices, really. Make sure your character has a solid personality (traits, flaws, quirks, things they do when no one's watching even), motivations (which may change, but they should have some overarching ones to start out), and so on.

Sometimes your characters don't go anywhere. I've made alts that ultimately just didn't feel like they had much of an interesting way to go even if I liked everything about them otherwise.

Kiet

Yeah definitely, personality is more important to flesh out than backstory, and personality is often developed through interactions. So just get out there.

Torinn

Agreed.  Though personally when starting to play I knew I wanted my character to be a preachy devout type.  Always tried to play it up, it gives me direction on how to handle stuff.  I think choosing an overall theme for your character wouldn't go amiss.