This is for muns (mundanes, people behind the characters) who don't have much of a clue how to make their character. This is both a list of restrictions and some tips to give you ideas.
First we'll get started with the rules:
1. Make your character believable.
This means no character with God-like powers or supreme magical abilities, and though a few villains could have these powers its still not a good idea. Also, they need to have some sort of limitation or flaw that would be very interesting, powerful villains MUST have rather large flaws so the 'good guys' aren't stuck in a massacre.
Also, there are combinations of races that aren't biologically possible, such as a half-Krranshi half -Elf. These are completely different lines of evolutionary developement. Half-Elf half-orc/human, etc are a little more believable but should still not be over used. If you have an original race that you like then great, just make that race believable (I doubt there are sentient slug people ok?). A different type of a known race is good, such as the ever popular drow, but again don't over use these races...the different types are supposed to be more rare than their cousins, alright?
This is a number one rule because it could make or break whether or not your character get accepted. Try and be diverse as well....a whole bunch of ninja like characters just gets boring and annoying real quick. So just keep it 'real', you dig?
2. Be detailed and take your time.
This means you should put a good amount of thought into your character. If they have a phobia or allergy or whatever, explain how that happened at least a little. With weapons you don't always have to be detailed...unless they are magical or unique, then you should explain how you came across them a bit. The same goes for special skills, magic, or whatever.
For the background history, this does not need to tell about all their adventures, just the important details that made your character what that character who they are. Don't go overboard though, getting too descriptive can limit the amount of 'growing room' your character has. During rpgs your character should grow and change at least a bit. Its half the fun. :)
3. Never give your character god-like abilities.
I know I covered this in the 'be realistic' part but this is important. Just like a Power gaming (using a forced action that gives other characters not choice...such as "::Doran stabbed Freddy in the heart::") this is very bad. Don't ever give your character powers like this along the line either. All characters on this rpg should be equal in power and ability in some way, except villians but heros should be really close behind in power.
You can, however, give your character 'divine favor'...which means the Gods give your character minor powers to help them out. And these should be minor....like curative and healing magics or a quiver of arrows that never runs out....this should also have problems, like someone is hunting them to take those abilities or they hate them for it, etc. If someone is hunting you , then make it vague or (even better) say that a cult or group of people are hunting you. Don't use this too much either, because if it gets outta hand I'll change this rule, alright?
4. Gay and Lesbian character.
Hmmm...this one is a toughie. On the one hand homosexual character can add a nice conflict and/or humor to a situation. On the other hand, for that same reason, things can get out of hand fast. The average person has a natural aversion to homosexuals and can sometimes try and make a gay character's life miserable at every turn or they just leave. I am undecided on the issue as of yet, for now I will accept homosexual characters as a tester, but if things get weird or out of hand then I'll just remove gay characters and not accept anymore. I know its not fair to the muns that like to play those kinda chars but things happen.
Another part to this is....don't try and over dramatize this or make a big show of it, its not normally funny (however some situations, with permission of all characters involved, are allowed since it can be a great laugh sometimes). Also try and keep it at a PG-13 rating, in other words don't start getting freaky with your...errr...partner. This gets annoying fast.
5. Avoid stereotypes and character from games, animes, etc.
This one should be obvious. Don't copy off of any sort of game, anime or whatever. Pick original names and personalities. And don't go for stereotypes either, those get boring sometimes. Still, keep it believable too.
Role Playing Rules
1. Don't use a forced action.
This means you should give the character your character is performing an action a choice. Do not try and force a player/character into a situation, they might want their character to grow a certain way and this action might completely change that (such as killing that character). Sometimes, however, a player will simply ignore the fact you used a forced action (intended or not) and choose how to react.
This can also apply to certain parts of the terrain and surroundings. For those of you who know about or have played D&D or Shadowrun or any other dice based rpg, the villain and/or the mastermind behind the plot (who ever created or thought up the plot) tends to be a Game Master of a sort. They send obstacles your way and you think of a way to get around them. This does not always apply though, there are other ways to play a game, such as free form, but I'll get to that later.
2. Avoid killing characters with bios.
This applies even to villains with bios. This is because the player of that character put a lot of effort just writing the bio, not to mention role playing development. If you want your character to be killed for some reason, or allow it, then go for it as long as you are absolutely sure that is what you want to do. I'll very rarely allow them to 'come back from the dead' and this would need a plot arc to do also.
With npcs....try to avoid overly grotesque and gory deaths. Even npcs are supposed to represent real people. How would you feel....comparatively speaking....if you were suddenly torn limb from limb for no real reason? Yeah, it would suck, huh?
3. Use your common sense and think how actions/plots change things.
This means you should use your good judgment before, say, making up a plot about a world destroying weapon. You have to be fair to the 'good guys'. You should give them a hole or chance to stop the weapon or whoever gets a hold of it.
Also, its sometimes a good idea to leave room for a 'plot sequel'. Who knows right? ^_^
4. Weapons are less powerful than in real life.
In Senkyou, guns and swords alike do not instantly kill, impale, or dismember as easily as in real life. Think of it being more like Final Fantasy Tactics or Final Fantasy 7 in that respect. A duel is much more fun than a quick kill, plus characters aren't killed as easily this way.
Free Form Role Playing
This is a type of rpg that has no real thought out structure, it just happens. These can be more fun than thought out plots since its more unpredictable than plotted rpgs. All you need to do is 'mix characters together in bowl, then add to boiling hot water, *warning* product may vary.' This means just get them together, mess around, and see what happens. Who knows, it might turn into a major plot at some point. Sometimes, a player/character can plan before hand and not tell the other players.....this can piss some people off if it affects their character negatively... but it can be fun manipulating your fellow players...just don't get carried away.....
Good Idea, Bad Idea
Here are some example bios. Some are good ideas. Some are ones that would get sent back with a snide remark...and some advice.
(Super Dude bio)
Name: Clerk Dent
Sex: Male
Job: Daily Eccentric reporter
Description: Is all manly and buff. The women, they love him. Has that movie star look to him. Lets not forget the red cape hanging from his oversized t-shirt and jeans. Skin of titanium and all that.
History: Was born on another planet full of people just like him. He was sent to this planet after a disaster that destroyed it. He grew up in a country town and was a complete redneck. Now he goes *whoosh* whenever trouble happens by. Check out the glasses, on, off, on, off. No one can tell! Whoo!
First of all....this would be SUCH AN OBVIOUS RIP OFF!!! I'D BE A MORON IF I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THIS WAS! Plus I think Superman is a dumbass in the old comics and he's only slightly less retarded looking in his new outfit. And this would get a reply that couldn't be read over any TV station...including HBO. Anyone sends a super hero wannabe rip off to me and I'm going to hunt them down and remove their frontal lobe with a rusty ice-cream scoop.
(I AM GOD bio)
Name: Queue
Sex: Uhhh...whatever.
Job: Smartass deity
Description: Can be anything. He's a god you dork. He controls the universe, mwhahaha!
History: Has seen it all, yadda yadda. Oh can make a good omelet out of dog turds too.
Let me put it this way. Send anything even remotely god-like and you get a very rude letter from me. Now I like Q from Star Trek and his weird antics, but it wouldn't work here.
(Relic Hunter bio)
Name: Freddy Narf
Job: Relic Hunter Engineer
Description: Is a Dwarf engineer with excellent skills in weapon artifacts. He can work most any artifact if given a bit of time. He is not very good at hand to hand combat, but he has a few artifact weapons that are strong enough to balance that out. Freddy is a bit tall for a dwarf at 4'11". He has red hair and beard with mutton chops as well. He tends to be a very jolly person but is also serious when the job needs to be done.
History: Freddy grew up in the city of Kanri. His family being a rather rich one, he got a very good education and he also graduated at the top of his class. He now works with the Relic Hunters, restoring some salvageable artifacts as well as helping to study some of the more complicated ones. He prefers to go into the ruins alone, since he has had plenty of experience there.
Now this would be an example of a good bio. Reasonably well thought out and covers enough to get by. Though a more detailed description of his weapons and such would get nice as well as a bit more of an explaination of his family ties, why he joined the relic hunters would be nice, its not really needed right now.
(Villian Rich Dude bio)
Name: Billion Gates
Job: Loaded Businessman
Description: Is a rich dude. Can buy anything, including you and your little dog too. His spies see everything and yes, he knows what you did in front of your goldfish. He has no hair of course. Now where did I put that Kryptonite?
History: Is rich, always has been rich, always will be rich. He won't pay for your benefits, he'll send you the Bill. Oh and don't forget, he hates dudes in red and blue tights. As well as nosy reporters who look like the dude in red and blue tights but has glasses. Who is that dude in the tights anyway?
Yes, yet another Superman rip off. Sadly enough I've actually seen a bio like this and it was worse. -_-
You can tell just by looking at this one its just plain WRONG! BACK EVIL MORON, BACK!
(Villian Freak bio)
Name: Spazzy Jones
Sex: Female
Job: Sexy whip carrying psychotic
Description: Oooooo.....black hair, black leather (barely), and a good figure. Come get some. How about some Blood Magic to knock everyone down eh?
History: Likes leather and whips and torturing unfortunate victims. Wants to turn the entire city in to her play ground, you could say. Go man slave, go! Rowr. To the city of cheese!
Now before you start wondering about my mental health, this was a little joke character, an evil double of Ann Gora(who ruled the world) that had a Wizard named Wheels who also had man slaves for his....benefit and before long she wanted some too, crossed a dimensional barrier into the 'good world' to resupply on 'man slaves'. (whew) And one of my characters was goofy and tried to convince her it was a city of cheese in the first plot with her in it....twisted, no?
It was a good laugh but this character is like a super dumb version of her. Now this is good for a temporary villain/villianess but not good for a permanent character. Though the whip part is interesting. ~_^
(Ana'Kisuto Mage bio)
Name: Doran Krino
Job: Bane of Civiliazation
Description: Doran is about 6'1" with red hair, green eyes, and a slight tan. He is a human Ana'Kisuto extremist as well as a powerful 'leader' among the Ana'Kisuto cults. He is very psychotic and enjoys the death and chaos his antics cause, however he tends to enjoy torturing people too much and will sometimes go out of his way to do just that. When he isn't a psychotic freak, he tends to cause chaos by using his interesting and luring charm to create riots, rebellions, and anything else that would create chaos.
Doran, of course, is not only a master of physical chaos but also in magical chaos. His insanity allows him to harness incredible power, as random as it might be. What he intends to cast might not be the actual outcome of the spell, but it will always be powerfully potent.
Doran tends to only use his fists in hand-to-hand combat and is not very formidable in this kind of combat. He is still able to use his magic during this however.
History: Doran became insane at an early age. After an army of Kanri soldiers was forced to destroy a village that was creating weapons for illegal factions against the Kanri government. His entire family was killed in this battle, as well as many of his friends and most of the other villagers. He had been very happy with his family up until this point.
Seeing the death and destruction , he snapped. A 10 year old boy suddenly came at the army with Chaos magic and half the army was wiped out before they retreated beyond the child's range.
The survivors hailed him as a savior and Prophet and all swore to see Kanri's fall at their hands. Though it took until he was 23 until he could call the Chaos magic at will, he still became a powerful name in the Ana'Kisuto underground. Most normal people knew his name but not his face, as the Chaos magic changes his face sometimes, hey might have a beard at one time, muttonchops at another, and sometimes it changed the bone structure of his face as well but never his height and other basic qualities.
Now he seeks to bring the downfall of Kanri from within.
Now this is an excellent bio. A villains with good strengths but also weaknesses that could be used by the 'good guys' to stop him. He won't be easy but won't be unstoppable either. A little more on his personality would be nice but this example bio is a great one. :)
And this should be enough for now, for anymore bios you should look at the Citizen Records. :)
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