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[I thought this would be helpful to players in creating well rounded and thought out characters. A friend of mine gave it to me for playing Vampire: The Masquerade, but I figured it worked well for D&D too (I changed a tiny bit and left out a couple of spots that were meant specifically for V:TM). (I thought this would be a good sticky, so if you'd like to make it one feel free, and also, I was unsure exactly where to put this topic, so feel free to move it if necessary. Thanks!!)]

This is to help you with your character's background. You are not you. You ARE your character. Step out of your body and mind and become the character you have created. This character is from your mind, you alone know how to best display your creation.

Where were you born?
1. Did you honor your early teachings throughout your life?
2. Did you rebel against your culture and society?
3. Did you come to see he errors of your teachings (if any)?

What were your parents and family like?
1. Were you an only child, or did you have brothers and sisters?
2. Was yours a loving household where you were raised to be a well-adjusted adult, or was there something wrong with your parents or family?
3. Or were you raised in an orphanage?
4. Who were the prominent people in your life? Role models?
5. The people that figure prominently in your formative years as a child will have considerable bearing on how you come to treat people later and what and how you think of them.

What were some significant events in your life?
Everyone has them, and your character should too. These significant events are what shape people and partially determine who and what they will be later. For example, a girl who lost her family to a plague or disease may become a doctor later in life, or she may become emotionally isolated out of fear of losing another loved one. A man who suffered under the oppression of slavery may become a valiant fighter of freedom when he matures or he may become a hate-driven rebel who will take out his aggression on anyone. A child who was abused might grow to be a protector of children, or they might turn out to be just as abusive as their guardians. Almost everyone can look back to their young life and pick out a few vital or significant moments that changed them in some way. Detail a few major events in your character's young life, and the long term effects they had. If these things are positive aspects of a character, it will help you determine where their strength comes from. If they are negative aspects, it will help you understand what they must overcome to free themselves.

What happened when you became a young adult?

1. Were you forced to learn a skill or trade to make your way in the world?
2. Was your family wealthy enough to send you to an institution of higher learning?
3. Did you get drafted into the military?
4. Did you strike out on your own as a wanderer?
5. Did you have to stay home and take care of your family?
6. These kinds of events shape the adult values a person is likely to have, and possibly a few prejudices. Figuring out what your character intended to do with the rest of their life may play a large part in long term goals and views.
7. Do you have any dreams that you are trying to reach? Or are they unattainable dreams? For example, a boy may dream to be a knight, but he is of ignoble blood. Such things may also play a large part in what your character believes, and how they act.

Were you married? In love?
1. The first great romance is another aspect that shapes a person's life.
2. Perhaps your love was unrequited, and you have since longed for something you could never have.
3. Perhaps your true love betrayed you and embittered you towards love and romance, or created a wound that was never healed. Perhaps this created a hate towards a certain sex or race.
4. perhaps you were happily married and had a family.
5. Whatever happened with your first true love-if you had one-it likely was one of the more defining experiences of your emotional life. For the most part, the events and outcome of this experience dictate how they view and deal with other people later in life.
6. Decide what your character's love life was like, and what impact it had on their personality. Did they generally fall into abusive relationships? Dependant relationships? Did they have many relations? None at all? this may help develop their nature and/or demeanor.

1. How do others view you?
2.What are your long term goals?
3. What are some short term goals?
4. What are you good at, and how do you use it to your advantage?
5. What are you where you are now?
6. Do you have any conflicts, internal or external?

Hopefully this has helped you meet your alternate ego known as your character. If there are any other aspects or dimensions to your character, jot them down. Every little bit helps create a more rounded person. Enjoy the game!

Thanks! That is definitely true though. A lot of the players that I have played with IRL always try to min/max their characters to try to get the best possible outcome and I hate it! My fiance and I enjoy making "real" characters and many times I try to include some type of flaw in my character (some flaws give you an extra feat, but I usually don't even take the extra feat...what's the point if that is how my character is, right?) Unfortunately, the DMs, STs, GMs, etc that I've played with, generally overlook the flaws that I have given my character. I try to stress to them that I'm not a perfect person and never will be...thats just boring!

Yes, the list is just rhetorical. Something to help make your character not a character, but actually YOU! I mean, sheesh, thats what RPing is all about, right?

heart 3nodding heart

I found a similar thing. Check this out:

Role-Playing: Who am I?

By: Majik and Essence
101 Questions You Should Be Able to Answer About Your Character

Basics

1. What is your full name? Do you have a nickname?

2. How old are you? When is your birthday?

3. Where were you born? Where do you live now? Are you patriotic?

4. Who are/were your parents? (Names, occupations, personalities, etc.)

5. Do you have any siblings? What are/were they like?

6. What is your occupation?

7. How tall are you? How much do you weigh?

8. What color is your hair? What color are your eyes?

9. What is your race?

10. To which social class do you belong?

11. Do you consider yourself to be attractive? Do others?

12. What is your style of dress?

13. Do you have any scars? Tattoos? Birthmarks? Other unique physical features?

14. Do you have any allergies, diseases, or other physical weaknesses?

15. Are you right- or left-handed?

16. What does your voice sound like?

17. What kind of vocabulary do you use?

18. List three quirks or other defining characteristics.

19. How often do you bathe? Do you wear perfumes?

20. What kind of facial expression do you commonly wear (dour glare, wry smile, etc)?

21. Do you use body language? How?

22. Do you have a commonly used saying?

Childhood

23. What is your earliest memory?

24. How much schooling have you had? Did you enjoy it?

25. Where did you learn most of your knowledge and skill?

26. How would you describe your childhood in general?

27. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

28. When and with whom was your first kiss?

29. Are you a virgin? If not, when and with whom did you lose your virginity?

30. Do you have a notorious or celebrated ancestor? Does that affect you?

Influences

31. What do you consider the most important event of your life so far?

32. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

33. What is your greatest regret?

34. What is the most embarrassing or shameful thing ever to happen to you?

35. Do you have any secrets? If so, what are they?

36. What is the most evil thing you have ever done?

37. When was the time you were the most frightened?

38. Have you ever traveled outside of your country? If so, to where?

Beliefs

39. What is your alignment?

40. Are you basically optimistic or pessimistic?

41. Do you believe in a god? If so, which one and why?

42. Do you believe in an afterlife?

43. What is your greatest fear?

44. What makes your character angry? Sad? Happy? Why?

45. Do you think people are basically good or basically evil?

46. What are your views on politics? Religion? Sex?

47. What are your views on gambling, lying, theft, and killing?

48. How far will you go to defend your beliefs?

49. How much do you value money?

50. In your opinion, what is the most evil thing any human being could do?

51. Do you believe in self-sacrifice for the greater good?

52. Do you believe in the existence of soul mates and/or true love?

53. Are you superstitious?

54. How much do you respect the beliefs and opinions of others?

55. How honest are you about your thoughts and feelings?

56. Do you have any biases or prejudices?

Dealing With Others

57. Who is the most important person in your life, and why?

58. Who is the person you respect the most? Despise the most? Why?

59. Do you have a significant other? Who?

60. Do you have a lot of friends? Who is your best friend?

61. How do you relate to members of the same race? Class? Sex?

62. How do you relate to members of a different race? Class? Sex?

63. Have you ever been in love? If so, describe what happened.

64. What do you look for in a potential lover?

65. How close are you to your family?

66. Do you want a marriage, family, and/or children?

67. Do you tend to argue with people, or avoid conflict?

68. Are you a listener or a talker?

69. How long does it usually take for you to trust others?

70. Do you hold grudges?

71. Do you tend to take on leadership roles in social situations?

72. Do you like interacting with large groups of people?

73. How well do you express yourself?

74. How quickly do you judge others?

75. Do you care what others think of you?

76. Do you have any enemies? How or why are they your enemy?

Personal Taste and Opinions

77. What is your favorite pastime? Color? Food? Possession?

78. What are your preferences in arts and/or entertainment?

79. Do you smoke, drink, go whoring, or use drugs? Why or why not?

80. How do you spend a typical Saturday night?

81. What is your most cherished fantasy?

82. How long is your attention span?

83. Do you laugh a lot? What do you find funny?

84. Is there anything that shocks or offends you? If so, what?

85. How do you deal with stress?

86. How much athletic ability do you have? Artistic?

87. Do you like animals? Do you like children?

88. Are you spontaneous, or do you always need to have a plan?

89. What are your pet peeves?

Self-Image

90. What is your greatest strength as a person? Weakness?

91. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

92. Are you generally introverted or extroverted?

93. Do you like yourself?

94. Do you have a daily routine? How do you feel if your day is interrupted?

95. What goal do you most want to accomplish in the next six months? Your lifetime?

96. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 20 years?

97. If you could choose, how would you want to die?

98. What is the one thing you would like to be remembered for after your death?

99. What three words would you use to best describe your personality?

100. What three words would others probably use to describe you?

101. Why are you risking your life to adventure?

Oh geeze thats a lot longer! lol...It really is true though. If you play (in my opinion) the right way, you'd be able to answer any question as though it were really you. I enjoy backgrounds...though making a random character once in a while is fun...they make the game more...lively? Realistic. (<--and now the doctors come to take me away for Quixotic Disorder)