AGLO'S GUIDE TO CHARACTER CREATION

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The UnderGaia

UnderGaia is our own version of the UnderDark from the Forgotten Realms world. And we try to follow it as closely as possible (we do try not to be too strict and allow you to implement your own ideas for variety).

The UnderGaia is a vast subterranean network of interconnected caverns and tunnels, stretching beneath entire continents and forming a literal underworld. It is home to a host of evil beings driven deep into the caverns at the end of the age of demons. Naturally it is a home to and mostly ruled by drow.

To find out more about how UnderGaia works, you can read about the original UnderDark setting in the Forgotten Realms Wiki page.  

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Drow

Drow are a dark-skinned sub-race of elves. They are generally evil and their society is strictly matriarchal, with cities ruled by the most powerful house, or sometimes several.

Drow are shorter than many other sub-races of elves and in common with most of the other cavern-dwelling creatures, have a tremendous resistance to magic. They also have a much higher birth-rate than most other elves, but strife tends to keep their numbers down.
The drow have obsidian coloured skin and pale yellow (or pale golden), silver or white hair, the latter being the most common. Also, like all elves, all drow are incapable of growing beards, though a lot of males are fond of long sideburns.
Their eyes are usually bright red in colour, but some are known to have different coloured, commonly much paler, eyes such as blue, lilac, pink or silver. Sometimes their eyes are even green which would implicate that, this particular drow has some surface elven blood in their veins. They usually vary in height between 5'4" and 6' (160-180cm), and weigh between 130 to 175 lbs (58,5-79kg) on average. Like all elves, all drow are handsome and beautiful.

Drow primarily worship the Dark Seldarine – that is, those deities cast out of the Seldarine and exiled to the Demonweb Pits. They generally worship the goddess Lolth although those on the surface often worship Vhaeraun or Shar. A small number of good drow on the surface worship Eilistraee or other non-drow pantheon deities and are lead by Qilue Veladorn. Generally an entire city worships a single deity. Even more of a minority are the drow that worship Kiaransalee and Ghaunadaur. Also, because drow males are banned from the priesthood, males who become adept in divine magic tend to worship Selvetarm, Lolth’s champion.

Though religion plays a large part in drow society, the caste system and other seemingly-lawful aspects of the culture clash with Lolth’s intent and directives as a chaotic evil goddess. As a result, much of the tension between the clergy of Lolth and more secular drow comes from this very different perspective.

For more information about drow, follow the link to the Forgotten Realms Wiki page which was used as a reference for this short description.
You can also check out our Dark Elven Lore subforum for more information and questions.
For a list of active houses in UnderGaia, check Phren's thread “UnderGaia Houses for Dummies” .  

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Other inhabitants of UnderGaia

The caverns are a home not only to the ruthless drow, but many other creatures as well. Most of them are often hostile and sometimes, if lucky, of neutral views.

These races include: beholders, derro, duergar, driders, dwarves, illithids, kuo-toa, svirfneblin, yuan-ti, orog, goblins, trolls, kobolds and many more.

Disclaimer: For those who are thinking about creating a demonic/devilish character. You will want to read our discussion thread “Why we have a thing against demon characters.”  

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Naming your character

Names are a big part of your character. Just like in real life. And picking the right one can become a bit of a challenge sometimes, especially if you’re planning on keeping this character for a long time.
Since we’re all in a fantasy setting, it’s best to stay away from simplified, modern names unless you’re naming a human. Different species are like different nations and races in our own world, meaning everyone will name their children in their own language and tradition.
This raises the question: How do you find the proper name for your character? Easy. We’re using the internet. Go to your favourite search engine (i.e. Google, Bing, Yahoo!, etc.) and type in “ name generator”. Or “ names/naming.” I’m sure you will find plenty.

Here are some great naming sites boneyard blues listed:
http://www.kismetrose.com/dnd/DrowNameGenerator.html
http://grey-starr.ca/Tools/random-female-drow-name.htm
http://grey-starr.ca/Tools/random-male-drow-name.htm
http://grey-starr.ca/Tools/by_any_other_name.htm
And here are some of my favourite character naming sites:
http://donjon.bin.sh/name/
http://www.squid.org/rpg-random-generator
http://www.seventhsanctum.com/index-dark.php
http://www.angelfire.com/rpg2/vortexshadow/names.html
http://www.dmnet.de/hobbies/names.php [This one is in German, but rather easy to understand. Just pick a race from the list below]  

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Age and appearance

An appearance can tell a lot about a person. The saying “Scars can tell history” doesn’t exist just for the sake of it. So, where to start while creating a new character?

Main appearance
I’m pretty sure you already have a sketch of him/her in your mind. Go from there, the basics. Are they tall or are they small? Stout? Thin? Buff? What about their skin, eye and hair colour? Those are pretty much your basics.
Now let us go into a little bit more detail, I’m pretty sure you don’t want them to stay that sketchy. So the next step is – distinguishing features. Let’s start with the face. What shape is it? Is their nose straight? What about freckles or birthmarks, do they have any of those? And you can’t forget the eyes. You do know the saying “Eyes are a window to one’s soul”, don’t you? Now the hair. Is it long, or short? Messy? Curly? Neatly kept? Keep in mind that hair dye is hard to obtain without the technologies we have in our world. Thus it will be expensive, and in order to keep your hair dyed all the time, your character will always have to own some in advance.

Clothing and accessories
Since we all live in a more or less medieval fantasy setting, you have to realise that clothing is one of the best ways to distinguish their status in society, and what type of a person they are. If your character is a noble, they obviously won’t wear rags as a commoner would. They will wear fine crafted clothing and accessories, perhaps even make-up. A low status warrior, serving a house will most likely have one of the cheapest armours you can find, because everybody knows they’re easily replaceable. You also have to realise that exotic and imported clothing is very expensive and hard to find, because drow are definitely not the friendliest bunch and will have very few foreign trades in their land. And you never know if it will be in high demand.

Age
Age can be a bit tricky when making a character that isn’t human. Specifically of elvish heritage, because they age much slower. The easiest way to explain how all elves, including drow, age is: for every ten human years, elves will age only by one year.
Age is an also important part of your character, because it determines how experienced he or she can be. Remember, the more skilled your character is, the older they'll have to be to pull it all off. There is a saying “One part inspiration. Ten parts perspiration”. So by saying that he or she is talented isn't enough. Good results require work.
I have also noticed, that people tend to stay away from older characters. Which I find silly, and can't see what's wrong with playing one. They are just as fun as younger characters. They are more experienced, powerful, recourceful and anything else you might think of. Whereas a child or a younger person wouldn't be taken seriously a lot of the time.

For more on drow aging, you can read “Drow growth and aging”.  

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Class and occupation

After naming and pampering your character, it’s finally time to give them something to do for a living.
Before you go ahead of yourself and put down warrior/assassin/mage/etc. have a good think if that goes along with what you already have for them. You will also want to take a look over other people’s characters; to see what professions are needed the most. Think about it, if there are at least twenty assassins in that area, I doubt there will be any work left for another one, you can only hire so many. It only makes sense, that if there’s an overflow of a certain profession, your character will be unwanted and left without anything to do.
Some of us don’t always like playing adventurers. In fact, quite a lot of people enjoy playing characters that specialise in some sort of trade. Let’s take the travelling tradesman for example, or the local brothel owner. Blacksmiths, butchers, bakers, alchemists, scribes, morticians... The list continues! Be creative.  

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Religion and alignments

Religion
Religion plays a big role in drow society. The gods in UnderGaia are very active, so we suggest you choose wisely and stay devote. Because the last thing you want, is the gods’ wrath upon your character.
The main drow deities are: Lolth (also spelled Lloth), Selvetarm, Ghaunadaur, Kiaransalee, Vhaeraun and Eilistraee. With Lolth being the main one.

You can read more about these gods and goddesses in our Gods sub-forum.
If you wish your character to follow a different religion, you're welcome to explore the other deities of the FR. Deities in Forgotten Realms

Alignments
What good are alignments, you ask? It’s a simple way to tell what you can expect from that character, without going into detail. The alignments have a simple 3x3 system.




Lawful Good
Lawful Good is known as the "Saintly" or "Crusader" alignment. A Lawful Good character typically acts with compassion, and always with honor and a sense of duty. A Lawful Good nation would consist of a well-organized government that works for the benefit of its citizens. Lawful Good characters include righteous knights, paladins, and most dwarves.

Neutral Good
Neutral Good is known as the "Benefactor" alignment. A Neutral Good character is guided by his conscience and typically acts altruistically, without regard for or against Lawful precepts such as rules or tradition. A Neutral Good character has no problems with co-operating with lawful officials, but does not feel beholden to them. In the event that doing the right thing requires the bending or breaking of rules, they do not suffer the same inner conflict that a Lawful Good character would.

Chaotic Good
Chaotic Good is known as the "Beatific," "Rebel," or "Cynic" alignment. A Chaotic Good character favors change for a greater good, disdains bureaucratic organizations that get in the way of social improvement, and places a high value on personal freedom, not only for oneself, but for others as well. They always intend to do the right thing, but their methods are generally disorganised and often out of alignment with the rest of society. They have no use for those who would try to push them around and tell them what to do.
While they do not have evil intentions, they may do bad things (even though they will not enjoy doing these things) to people who are, in their opinion, bad people, if it benefits the greater good. Most elves are Chaotic Good, as are some fey.

Lawful Neutral
Lawful Neutral is called the "Judge" or "Disciplined" alignment. A Lawful Neutral character typically believes strongly in Lawful concepts such as honor, order, rules and tradition, and often follows a personal code. A Lawful Neutral society would typically enforce strict laws to maintain social order, and place a high value on traditions and historical precedent. Examples of Lawful Neutral characters might include a soldier who always follows orders, a judge or enforcer that adheres mercilessly to the word of the law, a disciplined monk.
Characters of this alignment are neutral with regard to good and evil. This does not mean that Lawful Neutral characters are amoral or immoral, or do not have a moral compass; but simply that their moral considerations come a distant second to what their code, tradition or law dictates. They typically have a strong ethical code, but it is primarily guided by their system of belief, not by a commitment to good or evil.

Neutral
Neutral alignment, also referred to as True Neutral or Neutral Neutral, is called the "Undecided" or "Nature's" alignment. This alignment represents Neutral on both axes, and tends not to feel strongly towards any alignment. A farmer whose primary overriding concern is to feed his family is of this alignment. Most animals, lacking the capacity for moral judgement, are of this alignment. Many roguish characters who play all sides to suit themselves are also of this alignment.
Some Neutral characters, rather than feeling undecided, are committed to a balance between the alignments. They may see good, evil, law and chaos as simply prejudices and dangerous extremes. Mordenkainen is one such character who takes this concept to the extreme, dedicating himself to a detached philosophy of neutrality to ensure that no one alignment or power takes control of the Flanaess.
Druids frequently follow this True Neutral dedication to balance. A typical druid might fight against a band of marauding gnolls, only to switch sides to save the gnoll's clan from being totally exterminated.

Chaotic Neutral
Chaotic Neutral is called the "Anarchist" or "Free Spirit" alignment. A character of this alignment is an individualist who follows his or her own heart, and generally shirks rules and traditions. Good and Evil come a distant second to their need for personal freedom, and the only reliable thing about them is how totally unreliable they are. They typically act out of self-interest, but do not specifically enjoy seeing others suffer. Many free-spirited adventurers are of this alignment. Alternatively there are madmen whose actions are chaotic, but are not themselves inclined towards evil.
An unusual subset of Chaotic Neutral is "strongly Chaotic Neutral", describing a character who behaves chaotically to the point of appearing insane. Characters of this type may regularly change their appearance and attitudes for the sake of change, and intentionally disrupt organizations for the sole reason of disrupting a lawful construct.

Lawful Evil
Lawful Evil is referred to as the "Dominator" or "Diabolic" alignment. Characters of this alignment see a well-ordered system as being easier to exploit, and show a combination of desirable and undesirable traits; while they usually obey their superiors and keep their word, they care nothing for the rights and freedoms of other individuals and are not adverse to twisting the rules to work in their favour. Examples of this alignment include tyrants, devils, undiscriminating mercenary types who have a strict code of conduct, and loyal soldiers who enjoy the act of killing.
Like Lawful Good Paladins, Lawful Evil characters may sometimes find themselves faced with the dilemma of whether to obey law or evil when the two conflict - however their issues with Law versus Evil are more concerned with "Will I get caught?" vs. "How does this benefit me?"

Neutral Evil
Neutral Evil is called the "Malefactor" alignment. Characters of this alignment are typically selfish and have no qualms about turning on their allies-of-the-moment. They have no compunctions about harming others to get what they want, but neither will they go out of their way to cause carnage or mayhem when they see no direct benefit to it. They abide by laws for only as long as it is convenient for them. A villain of this alignment can be more dangerous than either Lawful or Chaotic Evil characters, since he is neither bound by any sort of honour or tradition nor disorganized and pointlessly violent.
Examples are an assassin who has little regard for formal laws but does not needlessly kill, a henchman who plots behind his superior's back, or a mercenary who switches sides if made a better offer.

Chaotic Evil
Chaotic Evil is referred to as the "Destroyer" or "Demonic" alignment. Characters of this alignment tend to have no respect for rules, other peoples' lives, or anything but their own desires, which are typically selfish and cruel. They set a high value on personal freedom, but do not have any regard for the lives or freedom of other people. They do not work well in a group, as they resent being given orders, and usually only behave themselves out of fear of punishment.
It is not compulsory for a Chaotic Evil character to be constantly performing sadistic acts just for the sake of being evil, or constantly disobeying orders just for the sake of causing chaos. They do however enjoy the suffering of others, and view honour and self-discipline as weaknesses. Serial killers and monsters of limited intelligence are typically Chaotic Evil.

For more information about alignments, follow the link to the Wikipedia page which was used as a reference for this brief description.  

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Equipment/Inventory

General inventory
Equipment and general inventory is quite an important part of your character (unless you’re playing a beggar or something of the sort. In which case they won’t have much to carry or own).
Most people find it comforting and useful to see people’s characters’ possessions written down along with the character sheet. This saves people from misunderstandings, and prevents users from coming up with things as they go.
The things you will definitely want to write down are any armour and weapons they might keep on them. Some people enjoy putting items that are precious to their character in that list as well. If any of said possessions have any special abilities, it is required to write down at least a short description of what powers they may hold.
When it comes to your character’s inventory, you have to remember, that they, just like you, can only carry so much. Speaking of weight, you also have to keep their comfort in mind as well. I.e. if your character has knives in hidden in every possible body part, doesn’t it cause problems with movement, or make them look ridiculous? So unless they have a pack mule, or a cart that they drag with them wherever they go, you’ll have to be selective with what they carry with them.

Money
This is purely from my own point of view, but I prefer having notes of how much money and treasure my characters have on them. It’s a common problem I encounter in literate roleplays. People always seem to have an infinite amount of money on them, and just casually toss it around to every tradesman they encounter. Which raises questions. Is it smart to carry that much money around? How did they acquire that much money in the first place? We’re in a medieval fantasy setting. Very few people are rich, and those who are, aren’t really the adventurous type, nor carry a lot of money with them all the time. So stay within reason. That way, everybody’s happy.  

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Abilities, spells and weaknesses

The final step in creating a character is describing their skills and weaknesses. Since we already discussed professions, alignments and equipment, the skills and weaknesses should be a piece of cake. This will mostly describe what your character specializes in. Both: their strengths and flaws.
Let us take the ranger class as an example.

Combat
Specializes in long ranged combat. Weapons of choice – longbow, throwing knives. In the heat of combat, prefers to stay behind comrades and assist them from afar. Will avoid close range combat, unless absolutely necessary.

Skills*
Double shot. Shoots two arrows/bolts at once.
Rapid shot. Reloads a bow/crossbow twice as fast, for the next 60 seconds.
Aimed shot. The ranger aims for vital organs with a 70% killing chance. Slow, but more damage
*Disclaimer: I completely made these up, just to give an example. Any resemblance to existing material is purely coincidental.

Weaknesses
When confronted in close ranged battle, the ranger is almost defenceless due to wearing light/leather armour and not having good proficiency with melee weapons. Will use a dagger or a shortsword, but is about average skilled in wielding them.

This is just a simple example. Obviously, the more powerful the character, the longer this list should be. Remember to describe any skills you have put down for your character’s use. You may know what they mean, but others won’t. Make it fair for everyone.
And remember, an all-mighty, powerful character does not mean it will be interesting to play. In fact, lots of long time roleplayers will say that the most fun they have, are when the character is still weak and developing. Not to mention it takes skill to play a powerful character properly. Besides, what fun is it to destroy everything and everyone without challenge? If it helps, you can think of your character as a pet or a child that you’re helping grow up and let out into the world. Have fun with it!  

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Last words

This guide was written by me, Aglo, with the help of great sources from Wikipedia, Forgotten Realms, and various other websites and books.
I haven’t included the character personality, background history in this guide for one simple reason – they're yours to come up with. And usually, a character’s personality is developed during the roleplay itself.

I could also expand on any pets, familiars or mounts that characters might have. But it's all basically the same as I have already writen down, just apply it to said creature.

Also, another note on character appearance. This is targeted towards the art users. If you haven't noticed, we here in UnderGaia disapprove of art theft.
To read more about this, please refer to Serethiel Maerukai's thread “The use of copyrighted art for character descriptions”.
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Remarks on original characters

- People like making original and interesting characters. What some of them don't understand, that making your character 1/10th of every race you can think of, does not make them interesting. Most of the time, it's the other way around.

- Players seem to avoid humans. Which I find odd. Humans are one of the most, if not the most, versatile races there are. They varry in personalities, alignments, classes and mostly everything you can think of.
Elves on the other hand, seem to be one of the most popular races. Myself, I think that elves are boring. They don't move anywhere, and basically like keeping to their own business.
*I'm not applying this to the guild, just in general.
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I hope this guide will help many starting and advanced roleplayers with creating characters in the future or with their old ones.  

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Useful links

The Forgotten Realms Wiki
Dungeons & Dragons Dice Roller
Forgotten Realms Calendar Tool
Drow Martial Arts
Descent Into Darknes: Drow campaign & resource centre
Drow translator
Draconic translator
The Netbook of Demons
List of Demon Names
List of Generated Fantasy Names
The Phoenixian Book of Creatures