Beating Writer's Block in Character Design

[Dannyalcatraz]

It happens to us all.

You're trying to come up with a new PC and you just...can't. Or worse, you're just re-creating a PC you've done in the past.

When I need to refresh the braincells, nothing compares to reading a new book...but sometimes even that doesn't work. As a result, I've been known to turn to listening to music or browsing through art books for inspiration.

When all else fails, I look to the PC generation systems of other games in my collection (that is, the ones I'm not playing at the current time).

One of the best out there is the Central Casting series of books from Task Force Games- long out of print, but worth the effort to find.

But recently, I stumbled upon one that had been gathering dust on my shelves for almost a decade.

I'm speaking of Everway, Jonathan Tweet's visionary RPG from 1995, originally from WOTC, now under the control of Gaslight Press.

Its got one of the more unusual PC design systems I've ever seen- based on getting inspiration from pieces of art and so forth... I may find myself using this game a little bit more than I have in the past.

(And now that I'm aware of Gaslight's product line, perhaps I'll flesh-out my Everway collection...)

At any rate, what do YOU do to break out of a rut to find new sources of inspiration for your PCs?

 

[Khairn]

When I have writers block I leave all my gaming stuff behind and watch a movie, read a new book or just spend some time out of the house. This usually re-sets my mind.

Then I log onto some of the mini companies like Reaper, Warhammer, etc and look at a few galleries while my mind wanders.

Another way that I gather inspiration is by reading some of the great articles, stories and poetry that can be found at The Harrow

Inspiration can come from any source, the key when I'm in a rut is trying dfferent things until I find something that makes me say ... "WoW! That's cool!"

 

[Aus_Snow]

Taking a walk, going for a swim, or things of that nature - I find they can help immensely whenever I'm feeling a little lacklustre in terms of creativity.

Sometimes one form of creativity can help spark another, too. For example, if I'm wanting for story ideas, let's say, I might decide to get the acoustic from the other room and play away for a while, maybe compose something if I'm lucky - but either way, it can really revitalise the other pursuit.

Or, in the case of needing a character concept, penning a bit of random prose might provide just the right insight.

Lastly, music, film and literature are time-honoured sources of inspiration, and rightly so.

 

[JoeGKushner]

I've got a few Writer's Digest style books that help. One of 'em on Names that I find a great use in just brainstorming different types of ideas.

Another one for writing characters that I can't recall off the top of my head, gives personality traits, visual descriptions of different body parts (face, nose, hair, etc...).

This is rarely a problem though. There are hundreds of characters I haven't made yet. Some of them from new resources like Heroes of Horror (the archivist), or the Magic of Incarnum (Soul Blade) or from older books like Arcana Evolved where I'm interested in seeing how a Mage Blade plays out.

Heck, if I busted out AEG's Mercenaries book, I'd probalby want to run a few of those core classes too.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

What I've always been told in actual cases of writer's block is this: just keep writing and don't worry if it's no good. So, if I had writer's block when it came to making a PC, I guess the solution would be make one anyways. There are a couple of methods I would use for it though:

1. Make a PC who fits in with the setting and capitalizes on something unique about it. Most settings have a number of character types who epitomize the setting--characters who are iconic for that setting but would be out of place in a different one. In that case, the concept is already done for you; all you need to do is work out the mechanics.

Am I playing in Ebberon? Make a warforged character or a dragonmark. Am I playing in Arcanis? Make a val, a dark-kin, or a Ssress'en.... and pick their favored class or something iconic about them. In Arcanis, a val'Tensen barbarian/psychic warrior is pretty much the epitome of everything val and val tensen. A val'emman psychic warrior or fighter/psy-warrior would also be typical val'emman. A dark-kin barbarian or a Ssress'en ranger with favored enemy: Ssethregorans would also be ideal. In the forgotten realms, a cleric/dweomerkeeper of Mystra is the kind of thing you'd only find in the Realms. In Greyhawk? Perhaps a Pholtan paladin with the blinding wrath feat from Dragon magazine headed into knight of the chalice. Or for something more traditionally PC in Greyhawk, a Suel Arcanamach from the Duchy of Urnst.

2. Make a standard PC that fills an opening in the party. Does the party lack a fighter? Make a dwarf fighter/barbarian. Does the party lack an arcane caster? Play a wizard. The standard types of D&D can make for very good characters. If every character you make or play is wierd and whacked out in the effort to be unique, odds are good that the "normal" character would be the one who stands out among your characters.

 

[Dingleberry]

When I get stuck for ideas, I use the dice: class, race, gender, age, alignment, primary weapon, spells known - whatever. If you start with the random, then the creative exercise is to fill in the details so it all makes some sort of sense.

 

[Imret]

This might not work for everybody, but one of my cures for PC design writer's block is to hit Elfwood or DeviantArt, typically a tour from staff or just plinking through the "random" button, until a drawing comes up that says "Give me 3.x stats!". I'll get to work on it, and sometimes a combination of feats leaps up at me for another character I'm even more interested in making while I'm doing so.

Alternately, if your setting has a map, spin it around a few times and point blindly to a spot on it, then make a character who would originate from there. Or from the nearest area if you land in the ocean.

 

[Aus_Snow]

Actually, yeh. What Imret said, too.

I'd recommend epilogue.net as well, though. And a couple of others I don't have bookmarked here (at work).

 

[TheAuldGrump]

*Blink* No, I have never had that problem, whether for PCs or NPCs.

Until now it never even occured to me that it could be a problem for anyone. How very odd, it's like hearing about color blindness for the first time - I have no frame of reference, yet obviously lots of people have had it.

The Auld Grump - not boasting, just confused.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Well, I've got folders of hundreds and hundreds of PCs covering some 60+ games that line my shelves- and that's not including the NPCs from the campaigns I've run.

But sometimes, you just have to create something new for a game you've never played, for an unusually restricted or open campaign, for an unusual genre...whatever.

Every once in a while, I just come up blank.

Not for long...a few days, maybe a week...but long enough for me to actually have to TRY to make a character.

Maybe I've made too many PCs...Maybe I'm just getting old.

But one day, AuldGrump, you too shall require "Character Generation Viagra."- especially now that you're aware that it can happen!