RPG Maker Tutorial

Topic: Character Creating
Creator: Melchior M. Philips
Version: Any
Coding: No
Difficulty: Beginner

Thinking of characters can be quite the pain in the royal behind, but there are some easy tricks to it when you have absolutely no ispiration:

LOOKS AND APPEARANCE

TRICK #1

Browse through some pictures of you, your friends, your family, celebs or just plain random people from modern day.
Then, you want to have your game set in a different time(or dimension, for that matter) as now.
Wat you can do is look at their wardrobe and transform that into Animal Rugs(Prehistoric), Knight Armor(Medieval Times) or a Robot(Future).

I don't have an example at hand but it will definatley come some day.

TRICK #2

Here's a 'lil game you might've played when you were little: MASH

MASH is a little fortune-teller game. You put several options in several categories down on paper and you cross them off. the last options standing will be your future.
For example:



You see? easy.
The possibilties are endless and you can put down as much categories and options as you want.
when you're done making a little list of options, you choose a random number. Say.... 3.
Then you start at the top option, and you cross off every third option. when you're at the bottom, and there are still options left un-crossed, you begin back on top. like so:
Strikethroughs are Underlined as this forum does not support strikes.





You'll end up with someone who is not married and has 2 kids.

MASH stands for Mansion, Appartment, Shack, House(which is one of the categories)

So basically, you just make a shitload of categories, and see what comes out when you pick a random number.
If you're not feeling so inspirated, here's an example(even though it's better that you make your own, otherwise it ruins the uniqueness):


PERSONALITY

Now that you haae the looks of your character, it needs a personality

Normally, when you played the MASH game of the looks, and draw out your character you kinda get an idea of your characters personality.
If not, play MASH again with personality traits.
Here's a list with some personality traits to get you going:


BACKSTORY

You have the looks and you have the Personality, no you just need a backstory for your character.
Coming up with backstories can be quite hard, especially when you have to think up multiple.
For creating backstories, the same rules apply as writing a story-line(Consult my Tutorial on creating Story-Lines), The most important rule being asking yourself important questions.
These being Who? What? Where? When? How? and the most important one: Why?.
Wants to take over the world. Why?
Wants Revenge. Why?
Refuses to help others. Why?

Obviously, not every detail of your character's backstory has to be told in the game, but having a solid backstory will help you creating a solid story-line and make more sense of your character's actions.

FINISHING UP YOUR CHARACTERS

You're not done yet.
When you have a character, his looks, his personality and his backstory, you want to give your character a place within your Story-Line. Relations to other characters, Where does you character come in, your characters occupation and importance in the Party, etc.

Afterwards, you're pretty much done. you have succesfully created a fully-fledged character of your own.
Congratulations!

I hoped this helped you on your ways to making a RPG with a solid-background and good characters.

Cheers,
Melchior M. "Character Creator" Philips

wait... wtf would people use something like this for?

Believe it or not, but some people have a really hard time coming up with Story-Lines and Characters.
I'm just giving them ideas.

this actually organizes things in Stories. Wow I might use this when I want to make a Huge Storyline like JoJo's Bizzare Adventure.
This will also make things easier when thinking of a character.

*facepalms*

you try making 100 + characters.

Ryon you don't HAVE to like ALL my tutorials

If you think you can make an awesome story go to my other tutorials you think are usefull.

With my RPG there are LOTS (over 90) characters, 70% of them as extra levelable characters to use in battle with "Summon Cards" to bring them into your party. Others that are actual main characters and of course a simple Main customizable character system with 16 male and 16 female models to chose from and 4 different classes. So besides a bland generic Gordon Freeman esque unpersonality OR a Good/Evil choice effect for the main character, there is lots to deal with personality wise...

So I have got a mixed nut selection of deeply developed characters, Stereotypical Situation characters and almost 20% of the characters named Xoelaras. (It really REALLY is not as Egotistical boosting as it sounds, it really isnt... its more of a Hideo Kojima style induced headache of time paradoxes.)

over 90 characters sound like bullshit waiting to happen.

LOL your going for a Suikoden style game.

it sounds pretty cool to me.

Still, I won't be able to judge unless I actually play your game.

Why don't you make a WIP topic in this section?
we need something different from my tutorials.

I don't intend to have 90 main characters in the actual plot, that would be insane.

Most of them don't have any relevance or plot to the story, think of them as buyable extra followers like Oblivion and Fallout, where there is no specific quest going on with the other main characters, you can use them to help you in battles.

(Edited out the off-topic % after Read by the necessary.)

sounds awesome, but unfortunately it has nothing to do with this tutorial.

Please don't stray off-topic to much and just make your own Topic.