I’m open for any input, no actions required at this point…

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At minimum you should inure that the following is filled out on your character sheet, or an extra page with additional details..

Name

Class

Race

Alignment

Deity

Size

Age

Gender

Height

Weight

Hair

Skin

Below are some more things to consider. Pick and choose as you like. They are all from the chapter starting on page 39, “Creating your personal History” of the “Hero Builder Guidebook”, and contain percentile tables for randomly determining them if desired.

You can skip down past the +++++++++++++++++++++++++ section if you opt to download and work through the PDF..

http://member.newsguy.com/~bobstuff/Hero_Builder_Guidebook.zip (6MB in size)

Home

How big is the community where you were born, Did you lead a sheltered childhood, or did a bustling community surround you?

Home Climate

What is the land like where you were raised

Home Community

Size of the community you grew up in?

Family

It is said that you are whom you are either because of your parents or in spite of them…

Economic status

How wealthy is your family?

Social status

How do other people in the community view your family?

Defense readiness

When trouble comes knocking at your door, how will your family respond?

Private/public ethics

Some families have a shared ethos that impacts the decisions and actions of their members?

Religious commitment

Does your family have a specific religious commitment?

Reputation

You can pick your friends, but you can’t pick your relatives…

Political views

Politics play a big role in every family..

Power structure

How does your family organize itself?

Ancestors of note

Every family ha favored sons, gifted daughters, and crazy aunts and uncles…

Education

No one is a trained fighter or wizard from birth…

Early childhood instruction

All characters learn some basic skills as children

Formal

Most families that can afford it make sure that their children get some formal schooling

Trade

For most characters, the idea of making a living as an adventurer starts as little more than a dream

Life Events

Life isn’t just training for a profession of course…

Early childhood events

Some events in early childhood have lasting impacts on a characters future development…

Youth events

Many characters get their first sense of the wide world they live in during their teenage years…

Pivotal Events

Some events are so significant that they change the entire course of a characters life…

Relationships

Next we’ll turn our attention away from events and toward people. By populating your character’s world with interesting family, friends, and enemies, you make the world seem more real, and you give your DM all kinds of tools to make adventures more exciting. Perhaps your sister gets kidnapped. Or maybe your uncle is now the captain of the watch, and he’ll let you sneak into the tower if you can get a certain flower for his wife.

Parents

Probably the most important basic relationship a character has is with his or her parents.

Siblings

Second only to the parent/child relationship is the relationship between a child and siblings.

Grandparents

Many humans have living grandparents. In the longer-lived races, grandparents or great grandparents are even more common.

Extended Family

Uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews, links by marriage, links broken by marriage dissolution, etc.

Friends

These friends might actually be other heroes that your character will adventure with, or they may be NPCs for your DM to use for mood, setting, or plot.

Enemies

Enemies, from local bullies to major villains, can shape your life as much as your more positive relationships.

Instructors

Many people form strong bonds with teachers, mentors, superior officers, etc. For the purpose of this item, we’ll call them instructors. This relationship provides not only excellent basis for creating NPCs, but also suggests what your 1stlevel class might be.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

+++++++++++++++++++++++++

You may want to put some detail into the description following items relative to your characters on a sheet of paper..

Top ability score

Low ability score

Top skill

Cool feat

Awesome item

Favorite item

Prized possession

Special abilities

Money

Here’s a character building exercise from another source that you can work through to detail your character out.

Here are some additional things to consider when creating a player character, place yourself in your hero's mind and consider the following questions.

This is not a test, and there are no wrong answers.

1. What do you look like?

Are you alluring? Plain ? Grotesque ? Do you dress in finery or tattered rags?

Do you have any scars or distinguishing features? A character's appearance may hint at her past.
For example, a fighter hunting a tiger who attacked her might still bear scars from the attack.

2. Where is your family?

Where is your homeland? Are you native to Tyr, or were you drawn into a quest from somewhere else?
Do you have a cozy cottage to call home, or have you been banished from your ancestral estate?
Some players may believe that loved ones can't be threatened if they don't exist, but consider this: a hero with no one to lose also has no one to turn to in times of need.

3. What is your greatest love?

For what or whom would you make sacrifices? A romantic interest? A family member ? Yourself? Your god ? Magic ? Youth ? Knowledge ? Power ?
Would you make a personal sacrifice or sacrifice Someone else?

4. What is your greatest regret?

Do you have any memories that haunt you at night?
Were you unable to prevent a death?
Do you have a mental or physical trait that you despise?
Did you betray a friend in a time of weakness?

5. What makes your skin crawl?

What are your hates or fears ?
Do you dislike the smell of live-stock, or do you hate the sweltering heat of summer ?
Does witnessing an injustice set your teeth to grinding, or does the sight of spiders send you into shivers?
Do you find a race, culture, religion, or form of magic primitive or unnatural?

6. What fascinates you?

What topics draw your interest?
Do you attend operas, or do you read tawdry novels?
Would you pore over the intricate patterns of a magic scroll, the strands of a cobweb, or the gears of a clock tower?
Do you have a weakness for riddles ?
Do you live your life in search of new sensations?

7. What are your habits?

Do you have any patterns in your life?
A sorcerer might twist his beard when lost in thought; a Barbarian might collect "trophies" from slain foes; a bard might practice every night to hone her musical skills.

8. What are your secrets?

Do you hide anything from the outside world?
Are you disguising a trait, or have you buried an event from your past? Why do you keep this secret?
If your secret was revealed, would you merely be embarrassed, or might you face persecution or place someone at risk?

9. Are you rational or passionate?

Do you pride yourself on following your head before your heart, or are you a true romantic?
Characters with chaotic alignments tend to be more comfortable with their emotions, but lawful characters are certainly capable of passionate outbursts.

10. Are you sophisticated or superstitious?

Were you educated in the finest boarding schools, or were you raised by tanners who left their farmstead only to check their traps?
A cosmopolitan character might be experienced in the skills of etiquette, while an unrefined peasant might know countless folktales about the fey.

11. How strong is your faith?

Many current denizens of Tyr scoff at religion, believing that the gods have long since ceased to care about mortal concerns.
If religious, do you worship the prevalent religion of your homeland, or have you adopted a foreign creed? Are you pious or zealous?

12. How self-confident are you?

Do you continually question your own motives?
Do you struggle with an inner darkness? Or do you stride boldly forth, knowing in your heart that your actions are correct?

13. What drives you to adventure?

Why have you taken up the dangerous life of an adventurer?
Are you simply mercenary, seeking treasure?
Are you on a hunt for vengeance? Are you driven by altruistic motives?
Do you believe you have a destiny to fulfill?
Are you trying to reclaim a stolen birthright? Are you struggling to be reunited with a lost love?