A totally optional, no-homework-vibes guide to figuring out who your character is before we sit down at the table.
Fill out as much or as little as you want. Bullet points, sentence fragments, and “I dunno yet” are all valid answers. This is a thinking tool, not an exam.
The Vibe (One Sentence)
Sum up your character in one sentence. Think movie pitch, not biography. This is the thing you’d say if someone at the table asked “so what’s your deal?”
Examples:
- “A half-orc healer who is weirdly gentle for someone who could bench press a horse.”
- “A paranoid wizard who learned magic by stealing books and is pretty sure someone is going to come collect.”
- “A retired soldier turned folk hero who just wants to run her tavern but trouble keeps finding her.”
What Are You Here To Do?
This isn’t about your backstory — it’s about what you, the player, think would be fun. What fantasy are you trying to live out at this table? There are no wrong answers.
Examples:
- “I want to be the one keeping everyone alive while occasionally surprising people by hitting really hard.”
- “I want to talk my way out of problems and into other, worse problems.”
- “I want to have a tragic past and slowly learn to trust people again. Yes I am aware this is a cliché. No, I do not care.”
The Short Version (Backstory)
Give us the highlight reel. Where did your character come from, and why are they adventuring now instead of doing literally anything safer? Keep it to a paragraph or two, we’ll discover the rest in game.
Example: “Grak grew up in a small village where the local healer, a grumpy old dwarf named Thistle, took him in after his clan abandoned him as a runt. Thistle taught him herbalism, patience, and that ‘healing is just violence pointed the right direction.’ When Thistle disappeared one night leaving only a cryptic note, Grak set out to find her.”
What Do You Know? (And What Don’t You?)
Your character isn’t a blank slate. they grew up somewhere, learned things, and have opinions. But they also don’t know everything. This helps me figure out what information to give you and what to keep mysterious.
Things my character would know:
Basic medicine and herbalism, orcish customs (even if they weren’t raised in them), the geography around their home village, that Thistle had a past she didn’t talk about.
Things my character would NOT know:
Anything about formal magic or religion, big city politics, why Thistle actually left, that the note was written in a dead language.
The People Who Made You
Most interesting characters didn’t spring fully formed from the void. Who shaped your character into who they are? Give me a name or two to work with, these might show up in the story. (No pressure to write a novel. A sentence per person is perfect.)
Examples:
- Thistle: grumpy dwarf healer, mentor, surrogate parent. Missing. Grak would do anything to find her.
- Korr: Grak’s biological father, war chief. Grak has never met him but knows his name. Complicated feelings: filed under “do not open.”
- Pip: a halfling merchant who gave Grak his first real job and taught him that not everyone is afraid of half-orcs.
Story Hooks
What unresolved threads, unanswered questions, or unfinished business does your character have? These are invitations for me to weave your story into the campaign. The more you give, the more personalized your experience gets.
Examples:
- “Where did Thistle go, and why?”
- “Grak’s clan… do they know he’s alive? Do they care?”
- “Grak has a recurring dream about a door he can’t open. He doesn’t know what it means. (Neither do I. Go nuts.)”
Buttons To Push
What gets a reaction out of your character? These help me (and other players) create moments that feel real. Think about what makes your character angry, scared, soft, or reckless.
Will immediately throw hands over:
Someone hurting a patient, or implying healing is “lesser” magic.
Gets quiet and weird about:
Being called a runt. Questions about their parents.
Secret soft spot:
Kids. Animals. Anyone who reminds them of Thistle.
Will absolutely take the bait if:
Someone claims to have information about Thistle. Even if it’s obviously a trap. ESPECIALLY if it’s obviously a trap.
Anything Else?
Stuff that doesn’t fit anywhere else. Quirks, habits, a signature phrase, a weird fear, an inexplicable love of cheese. Whatever makes your character feel like a person and not a stat block.
“Grak hums when he’s nervous. He’s nervous a lot. He makes incredible soup but refuses to acknowledge compliments about it. He sleeps with one eye open. Literally, it’s an orc thing and it freaks people out.”
Remember: your character will grow and change in play. You don’t need to have everything figured out. You just need enough to show up to Session 0 and say “this is my person” with some confidence. The rest is what the game is for.