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CHARACTER CREATION: COMMON PITFALLS TO AVOID
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Don’t Be A Dick, Even If Your Character Is
It’s alright to create an unlikable character. It’s alright for your character to be evil and to do terrible things. It’s alright for your character to be sassy, snarky, aloof, dishonest, or any number of other unfriendly traits. What’s not okay is when the quirks of your character come before the fun of the RP. “I’m just playing my character” is too often used to justify the actions of a player who just damaged the fun of another player. The logic behind this is very simple: keep it fun and people will want to play with you. Part of the challenge of playing an unheroic character is constantly seeking this balance.
Be Your Own Person
For a character to be well-rounded, they need to exist in a world of their own. They need to have their own stories, their own goals, their own challenges. Too often, roleplayers create characters that are too bound up into one fanverse, one canon relationship, or one specific role. Do not base your character on any other character’s existence, despite whatever canon your fanverse may have. You may not find another player to fill that other required role, in which case, your character is going to be shit out of luck and dead in the water. A character shouldn’t exist solely to serve as foil/fodder/fucktoy for someone else if you want it to be an interesting, adaptable, and playable character long-term.
Forget About ‘Winning’ - Don’t Be OP
Nobody wants to play with perfection. It’s just the truth. Even if you’re playing a canon character, there are certain skillsets and attributes that make it less fun for other players to interact with your character, especially if battle is involved. You may see the term ‘OP’ or ‘overpowered’ used to describe a character whose skills are just too fantastic. This, of course, is a matter of opinion, but there are some basic guidelines you can follow to avoid your character seeming OP:
1. Even if the skill/attribute is canon, if it makes your character seem OP, nerf it. The whole point of roleplaying is to write with other characters and interact with them, so sticking to canon is less important than making your character ‘playable’.
2. Stick with the Rule of Three: Give your character no more than three main attributes and then expand upon their skills and abilities within those traits. Do not make your character a master of all magics, all forms of armed combat, mind control, elemental control, immortal, able to fly, able to teleport, and also really, really good looking. This might sound ridiculous, but I’ve seen it.
Making your character OP is just going to lead to boring storylines because nothing will be a challenge for your character. Challenge and conflict are where a story’s excitement come from, so by making your character OP, you are actually limiting yourself, your storyline, your character development, and the number of other players who will want/need to interact with your character.
3. Don’t start off a master, build mastery into your storyline. Nobody starts off at the top of their game and neither should your character. Give them something to work for, some goals to reach and ways to improve their skills and knowledge. It’s a lot more fun to play a character who has room to grow. Through quests, items, interactions with other players, your character can gain mastery of necessary skills and abilities and everyone can have fun doing it.
4. Be open to consequences and failure. A character and a story can be very exciting and fun to play when there are negative consequences to their actions, other players’ actions, or from world events around them. Be willing to hurt your character, for them to even lose abilities. It may sound counter-intuitive, but sometimes less is more.
Don’t Cross the Streams – IC versus OOC and the dreaded ‘Mary Sue’
When roleplaying, you are taking on the role of another character. This character is not you. What your character does, thinks, feels is not necessarily what you would do, think or feel in those circumstances. It is important to differentiate between the two and always keep them separate. If you happen to encounter a cranky character, that doesn’t necessarily mean the player behind the character is mad at you or a mean person, just like you are not your character.
Or at least you shouldn’t be. Never forget that this is fiction. One of the most common downfalls of character creation that blurs the line between fiction and reality is the ‘Mary Sue’. A Mary Sue character is a character who represents an idealized version of the player and demands special treatment with unrealistic abilities and traits. A Mary Sue isn’t affected much by hardship, except in the character bio, perhaps, and has little in the way of challenges. The character may be male or female, the term applies to both anymore.
A Mary Sue is a particular flavor of cliched OP and is generally frowned upon in RP communities. Often, it is difficult to separate the author from the character when one is playing with a Mary Sue. I cannot stress enough the importance of drawing a line between RP and real life and always being aware of that line. Blurring it almost never has positive consequences.
Special Snowflakes - Focusing Too Much on Being Unique
Sure, we all want our character to be remembered as something special, but that doesn’t have to be achieved through character creation alone. Let’s be honest: it’s all been done before. The odds of coming up with a truly unique concept are pretty low. Even bestselling authors are recycling the same stuff, just putting their own spin on it. That’s what your character should do. Take from your inspirations, it’s perfectly okay. Even Tolkien used character archetypes. Make your character a unique example of whatever character class/type you want to play, but don’t focus too much on making the meta of the character totally unique. A warrior is a warrior is a warrior – until you make him your own and write life into him. That’s where you get to shine and be remembered for your great characterization, dialogue, and mannerisms. Other players will be much more appreciative of a well-played common character than a poorly-planned unique character.
Hybrids/Half-breeds: A Special Note
Generally, just don’t. Everybody’s OC is a hybrid anymore and it just looks like indecision. There are exceptions, of course and a skilled player can make a hybrid both plausible and fun. Possible exceptions include cases when:
a) there’s a driving need in the storyline for the character to have some specific, unique attributes of each species combined, or
b) being a half-breed motivates character development specifically through racial tension, being an outcast, a quest for heritage, etc., or
c) the creation of a hybrid is a monumental world event, like something that has never happened before (e.g. Underworld) and drives the plot that way.
Otherwise, it just seems unrealistic. If you are hybridizing, make sure the two species you are mating could actually mate and produce offspring, or have a good story about how your character was genetically engineered or some other unnatural genesis. If you are using this to power up your character, make sure you aren’t verging into OP territory by doing so. Perhaps consider other methods by which your character could gain the attributes necessary; build them into the story for exciting quests and character development arcs. I’m not picking on you hybrids, just saying it’s a difficult thing to balance.
In Summary
You may have noticed how often I mentioned having fun in the previous sections. That’s the number one thing I think roleplayers need to remember: it’s about having FUN. That isn’t to say that good roleplaying doesn’t require effort. It absolutely does. Planning out your character carefully and avoiding these pitfalls will give you more opportunity for lots of different storylines with lots of different challenges and intrigues.
Roleplayers are here to interact with other characters and the creation of your character can either facilitate that or destroy it. Don’t shoot yourself in the proverbial foot by making a character that’s not fun for both you and other players to interact with.
Some Additional Resources
How To Avoid Making A Mary Sue
http://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-Making-a-Mary-Sue
Roleplay Character Creation Guide
https://www.valucre.com/lore.html/resources/general/character-guide/
So You Want To Have A Powerful Character Who Probably Won’t Be Perceived As A Mary Sue?
http://www.springhole.net/writing/powerful-not-sues.htm
Various Online Mary Sue Tests
https://www.quotev.com/search/Mary+Sue
How To Make A Roleplay Character
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Roleplay-Character
How To Create A Character Profile
http://www.writerswrite.com/journal/jun98/how-to-create-a-character-profile-6986
A Discussion On Overpowered Characters
https://www.fimfiction.net/group/50/the-writers-group/thread/13229/discussion-overpowered-characters
Character Archetype List
http://www.ewriterscoach.com/the-big-bold-list-of-52-character-archetypes/
Questions? Comments? My inbox is open to all or you can leave a comment below. Constructive criticism and thoughtful debate welcome. Thanks for reading!
It’s alright to create an unlikable character. It’s alright for your character to be evil and to do terrible things. It’s alright for your character to be sassy, snarky, aloof, dishonest, or any number of other unfriendly traits. What’s not okay is when the quirks of your character come before the fun of the RP. “I’m just playing my character” is too often used to justify the actions of a player who just damaged the fun of another player. The logic behind this is very simple: keep it fun and people will want to play with you. Part of the challenge of playing an unheroic character is constantly seeking this balance.
Be Your Own Person
For a character to be well-rounded, they need to exist in a world of their own. They need to have their own stories, their own goals, their own challenges. Too often, roleplayers create characters that are too bound up into one fanverse, one canon relationship, or one specific role. Do not base your character on any other character’s existence, despite whatever canon your fanverse may have. You may not find another player to fill that other required role, in which case, your character is going to be shit out of luck and dead in the water. A character shouldn’t exist solely to serve as foil/fodder/fucktoy for someone else if you want it to be an interesting, adaptable, and playable character long-term.
Forget About ‘Winning’ - Don’t Be OP
Nobody wants to play with perfection. It’s just the truth. Even if you’re playing a canon character, there are certain skillsets and attributes that make it less fun for other players to interact with your character, especially if battle is involved. You may see the term ‘OP’ or ‘overpowered’ used to describe a character whose skills are just too fantastic. This, of course, is a matter of opinion, but there are some basic guidelines you can follow to avoid your character seeming OP:
1. Even if the skill/attribute is canon, if it makes your character seem OP, nerf it. The whole point of roleplaying is to write with other characters and interact with them, so sticking to canon is less important than making your character ‘playable’.
2. Stick with the Rule of Three: Give your character no more than three main attributes and then expand upon their skills and abilities within those traits. Do not make your character a master of all magics, all forms of armed combat, mind control, elemental control, immortal, able to fly, able to teleport, and also really, really good looking. This might sound ridiculous, but I’ve seen it.
Making your character OP is just going to lead to boring storylines because nothing will be a challenge for your character. Challenge and conflict are where a story’s excitement come from, so by making your character OP, you are actually limiting yourself, your storyline, your character development, and the number of other players who will want/need to interact with your character.
3. Don’t start off a master, build mastery into your storyline. Nobody starts off at the top of their game and neither should your character. Give them something to work for, some goals to reach and ways to improve their skills and knowledge. It’s a lot more fun to play a character who has room to grow. Through quests, items, interactions with other players, your character can gain mastery of necessary skills and abilities and everyone can have fun doing it.
4. Be open to consequences and failure. A character and a story can be very exciting and fun to play when there are negative consequences to their actions, other players’ actions, or from world events around them. Be willing to hurt your character, for them to even lose abilities. It may sound counter-intuitive, but sometimes less is more.
Don’t Cross the Streams – IC versus OOC and the dreaded ‘Mary Sue’
When roleplaying, you are taking on the role of another character. This character is not you. What your character does, thinks, feels is not necessarily what you would do, think or feel in those circumstances. It is important to differentiate between the two and always keep them separate. If you happen to encounter a cranky character, that doesn’t necessarily mean the player behind the character is mad at you or a mean person, just like you are not your character.
Or at least you shouldn’t be. Never forget that this is fiction. One of the most common downfalls of character creation that blurs the line between fiction and reality is the ‘Mary Sue’. A Mary Sue character is a character who represents an idealized version of the player and demands special treatment with unrealistic abilities and traits. A Mary Sue isn’t affected much by hardship, except in the character bio, perhaps, and has little in the way of challenges. The character may be male or female, the term applies to both anymore.
A Mary Sue is a particular flavor of cliched OP and is generally frowned upon in RP communities. Often, it is difficult to separate the author from the character when one is playing with a Mary Sue. I cannot stress enough the importance of drawing a line between RP and real life and always being aware of that line. Blurring it almost never has positive consequences.
Special Snowflakes - Focusing Too Much on Being Unique
Sure, we all want our character to be remembered as something special, but that doesn’t have to be achieved through character creation alone. Let’s be honest: it’s all been done before. The odds of coming up with a truly unique concept are pretty low. Even bestselling authors are recycling the same stuff, just putting their own spin on it. That’s what your character should do. Take from your inspirations, it’s perfectly okay. Even Tolkien used character archetypes. Make your character a unique example of whatever character class/type you want to play, but don’t focus too much on making the meta of the character totally unique. A warrior is a warrior is a warrior – until you make him your own and write life into him. That’s where you get to shine and be remembered for your great characterization, dialogue, and mannerisms. Other players will be much more appreciative of a well-played common character than a poorly-planned unique character.
Hybrids/Half-breeds: A Special Note
Generally, just don’t. Everybody’s OC is a hybrid anymore and it just looks like indecision. There are exceptions, of course and a skilled player can make a hybrid both plausible and fun. Possible exceptions include cases when:
a) there’s a driving need in the storyline for the character to have some specific, unique attributes of each species combined, or
b) being a half-breed motivates character development specifically through racial tension, being an outcast, a quest for heritage, etc., or
c) the creation of a hybrid is a monumental world event, like something that has never happened before (e.g. Underworld) and drives the plot that way.
Otherwise, it just seems unrealistic. If you are hybridizing, make sure the two species you are mating could actually mate and produce offspring, or have a good story about how your character was genetically engineered or some other unnatural genesis. If you are using this to power up your character, make sure you aren’t verging into OP territory by doing so. Perhaps consider other methods by which your character could gain the attributes necessary; build them into the story for exciting quests and character development arcs. I’m not picking on you hybrids, just saying it’s a difficult thing to balance.
In Summary
You may have noticed how often I mentioned having fun in the previous sections. That’s the number one thing I think roleplayers need to remember: it’s about having FUN. That isn’t to say that good roleplaying doesn’t require effort. It absolutely does. Planning out your character carefully and avoiding these pitfalls will give you more opportunity for lots of different storylines with lots of different challenges and intrigues.
Roleplayers are here to interact with other characters and the creation of your character can either facilitate that or destroy it. Don’t shoot yourself in the proverbial foot by making a character that’s not fun for both you and other players to interact with.
Some Additional Resources
How To Avoid Making A Mary Sue
http://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-Making-a-Mary-Sue
Roleplay Character Creation Guide
https://www.valucre.com/lore.html/resources/general/character-guide/
So You Want To Have A Powerful Character Who Probably Won’t Be Perceived As A Mary Sue?
http://www.springhole.net/writing/powerful-not-sues.htm
Various Online Mary Sue Tests
https://www.quotev.com/search/Mary+Sue
How To Make A Roleplay Character
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Roleplay-Character
How To Create A Character Profile
http://www.writerswrite.com/journal/jun98/how-to-create-a-character-profile-6986
A Discussion On Overpowered Characters
https://www.fimfiction.net/group/50/the-writers-group/thread/13229/discussion-overpowered-characters
Character Archetype List
http://www.ewriterscoach.com/the-big-bold-list-of-52-character-archetypes/
Questions? Comments? My inbox is open to all or you can leave a comment below. Constructive criticism and thoughtful debate welcome. Thanks for reading!