Character Character, Realism & Depth

[Faith Webster]

Character Character, Realism & Depth

Just because your character is part of a fantasy role-playing game (or any other rpg for that matter), doesn’t mean they aren’t human, with human frailties and imperfections. Having a character without flaws leaves much to be desired in game play. No one wants to pit their character against a flawless, perfect character. It makes for very little in the way of game play, character development and general good fun.

It's your character’s flaws as much as their merits that gives your character character. Inward Inwardly and outwardly. When they are impervious to the way others view them, as no one is, then where is the need for them to interact with others at all? It's lacking. Which can make people shy away from entering a storyline of any magnitude with your perfect character.

Emotion is another big factor - again, inward as well as outward. Children cry because they are unable to fully express themselves. Teenagers cry for the same reason, their emotions akimbo because of hormonal imbalances. Adults cry because it is human nature. Crying is one of the many ways to free yourself from an excess of any emotion. It happens to the best of us. It is bound to happen to your character. More often than not, at the worst of times.

Crying, however, is not the only way to show an overabundance of emotion. Anger often makes people lash out in two different ways. Verbally and physically. No one can continue to be angered by the same source without acting out against it in some form. Verbally, physically, directly or indirectly. There is screaming in the persons face, or talking behind their backs. Sending threatening messages through mail. Punching them in the face, or destroying their property.

People and their emotions are unpredictable and its okay for your character to be unpredictable too.

Our characters, as humans or humanoid creatures, even beasts, have the five senses. Touch, taste, smell, hearing and sight. These are factors that need to be incorporated into your character’s persona and the way they interact with their surroundings and other people. How does someone look to your character? How does your character appear? Do they have a certain odor, your character and the other both? What is their voice like, your characters and the other persons? What about taste? Salt on the lips from nervousness maybe?

Thought. Just because your character is not saying it, doesn’t mean they aren’t thinking it. How many thoughts run through your mind a day? What about your character’s mind? What are they thinking about what is happening to and around them during a scene? Are they dwelling on something as well? Having a brain, means having thoughts, ideas or otherwise. Your character has a brain, doesn’t it?

What about a body? Your character has one of those, doesn’t it? What does your character do with its body? Body movement is another important feature to incorporate into your roleplay. People are moving around constantly. Blinking, breathing, twitching. Maybe your character constantly twines a bit of hair around their finger. Put than in your scene. Maybe your characters finger gets tangled in their hair. These things happen. They have feet. People are constantly stepping on each other.

All of these things will make for better, more believable roleplay. They will test and hone your writing abilities, and make your roleplay experience more involved and enjoyable.

written by pathogenicoma of rpg-d