A few people suggested I post this guide here on the main forums, so I figured I would post it here, as a complement to the above questions, which focus more on background and history. This is a bit more SK-specific, but gives a somewhat different method for crafting a character.
I've noticed that a common problem with many characters is that they develop a
history before they develop a
personality. A character's personality is what will guide every single interaction in the game; it's the single most important feature of
any character. A character with nothing but a sad story to tell offers very little depth, and leaves little room for improvisation or growth. There's nothing wrong with making up a story to support your character, but stories usually don't help you develop the rest of your character. And, realistically, it's pretty hard to make a story that someone hasn't heard before. In short: don't put all your coppers in the "story basket", as it were.
So, whenever I'm thinking up a character, I always try and imagine what I want him/her to look like, before anything else. There's a reason you're supposed to have a description by the time you reach Novice. You'll have to think about him/her for possibly thousands of hours, so it better be something you enjoy thinking about. That doesn't necessarily mean thin and pretty, but intriguing and unique from YOUR perspective. The easiest way to start THAT, is by choosing a race. I figure it's helpful to have everything you need to consider listed out in one place. I just copied it all from the helpfiles, as well as linked to them, because my car is in the shop and I have a lot of time on my hands. SO!
YOUR OPTIONS:
Human -- the dominant race of the world
Half-Elf -- halfbreeds with qualities of both species
Halfling -- sneaky and generally selfish humanoids
Gnome -- extremely wise and talented underground
Elf -- inherently good forest dwellers (see also: elf-culture, emnity, emnity2, emnity3)
Deep-Elf -- inherently evil cave dwellers (see also: emnity, emnity2, emnity3)
Dwarf -- strong and hearty race of miners
Centaur -- multitalented human/horse combination (see also: centaur-culture)
Sprite -- agile winged faerie creatures (see also: sprite-culture, Bloodwing, Cloudrunner, Dusk-Dancer, Green-Sands, Springfoot, Sunspark, Water-Song)
Griffon -- good and intelligent flying eagle/lion (see also: griffon-culture)
Giant -- huge but dim-witted humanoids
Once you've got some images down in your head, THEN you can start thinking about what kind of MORAL personality you want this character to have. Will this personality be reflected in the physical appearance of your character? If so, will it fit with the race you've chosen? If not, reconsider your race choice, to make sure you have as cohesive a character as possible! Remember, you aren't even considering class, yet. Just think about aura, first. Keep it simple. Evil or good? How evil? How good? What KIND of evil/good? How passionate? How firm? The more you define the character's morality, consider which alignment they'll fit into.
Remember your OPTIONS!
Once you've developed a MORAL personality, think about an INTERACTIVE personality. What do they sound like when they speak? What kind of motions and gestures would this person use? Just like in real life, this person's demeanor should have some sort of recognizable pattern or flavor to it. How does this person's moral convictions affect his/her interactions with others? This goes back to how passionate/firm this person is about their beliefs. This is also where you should start thinking about the kind of class you want to play. Your interactions are heavily colored by the kind of abilities you have to offer and utilize during RP as well as PK.
Examine yourself as a player. How creative are you,and how much do you want these creative abilities expressed into the game? Not everyone can pop a rhyming poem out at will, so make sure you're not working outside your capabilities. That said, don't be afraid to stretch yourself, but know that different styles of RP take a lot of practice to improve at. If writing and speeches are your thing, consider a character with a position of leadership (of any class), a priest, a sorceror, a paladin, or a hellion. Song and dance? Bards obviously offer the most in this regard, but there've been plenty of sailor-type swashbucklers and rogues. The sky is the limit. You can do anything with any kind of character, but remember that many types of RP are simply easier with certain classes.
Look at your
OPTIONS!
Mercenary -- the basic warrior profession
Swashbuckler -- skilled in swift multi-handed strikes
Barbarian -- uncivilized warrior of brute force
Priest -- the basic clerical vocation
Paladin -- knight blessed by the gods of light (see also: vow)
Hellion -- knight blessed by the gods of darkness (see also: code)
Shaman -- uncivilized cleric with spiritual powers
Rogue -- the basic adventuring profession
Scout -- skilled in woodlore and bush-fighting
Bard -- performer and minor magician
Sorceror -- the basic wizard profession
Warlock -- worships and uses the elemental powers
Necromancer -- diabolical master of the undead
If you've got some ideas for personality down, think about the OOC future of the character. If you want him/her to be a leader,
be certain that you have the time and will for it. This applies to both religions and factions. If you intend to take up both, this is extra important. Dual leadership saps the joy out of playing pretty quickly, if you're not careful. It gets better the longer you're at it, but you're looking at minimum play-times of at least 15 hours a week, and that's on the pretty low end. Regardless of leadership, do you want this character to accomplish something significant, or be remembered in a particular way? How will you make your mark? Every good character leaves an impact on the world in some way.
This is where religion and faction can start to come into play. While these are both aspects that can easily be left up to the way things progress as the character grows and meets people, it's equally viable to decide beforehand, and is especially important with priests, paladins, and hellions. Just consider what fits the character's moral and interactive personality best, and if you're non-clergy, think about joining a religion with low numbers, as well (not quite as highly recommended for clergy). If you're considering a tribunal, you should start in the corresponding city.
Do what you feel is most fun. Remember your OPTIONS!
Religions:
Alshain the White Flame. . . . . . . . (Courage, Righteousness, Purification) P
Aludra, Mistress of Love . . . . . . . . . . . . (Love, Devotion, Compassion)
Dulrik the Blade of Truth. . . . . . . . . . . . . (Truth, Honor, Discipline) P
Meissa the Shining One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Healing, Art)
Zavijah the God of Wisdom. . . . . . . . . . (Wisdom, Enlightenment, Liberty)
Achernar, End of the River . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Death, Time, Change)
Ain the Eye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Justice, Order, Logic) HP
Marfik the Maelstrom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Chaos, Mayhem, Anarchy)
Mira, Providence of Magic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Magic, Mystery)
Nashira, Goddess of Nature . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Creation, Growth, Decay)
Sadal, Tempest of Destiny. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Luck, Fate, Storms)
Yed, Elemental Consciousness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Elements)
Algorab, God of Fear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Fear, Tyranny, Vengeance) H
Dabi, Star of Slaughter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(Hate, Destruction, Rage)
Sadr, Goddess of Disease . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Disease, Pain, Suffering)
Sargas the Smiter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(War, Conquest) H
Thuban, Quintessence of Untruth. . . . . . . . . (Deceit, Intrigue, Betrayal)
Cabals (roughly in order of alignment):
Nations (prominent cities):
After all this, be sure to remember that change is good. Don't be afraid to let your character evolve with time, even if the changes aren't a part of your original plans. The only pitfall in this regard is with alignment - you'll never be able to change your character's alignment, no matter how leet the RP might be, so you've GOT to stick with it - there are NO exceptions!
So, good luck, and I hope someone out there found this useful.
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