Creating Personalities for PCs

[MoogleEmpMog]

I generally take one or two aspects of a character's personality or abilities and extrapolate from there, although I'm not above cribbing characters from other sources. I'm more likely to make a PC based on a book or electronic game character than a movie character, though - I find the former mediums easier to adapt to RPGs, and less likely to be known to other players/DMs.

I might create a PC whose backstory or ideals derived from an aspect of my sociopolitical perspective (any non-evil PC is likely to be at least casually a monarchist, if not actively campaigning against other forms of government), but other than that I'm unlikely to include a major aspect of myself in a PC.

There's nothing wrong with a well-written backstory, but as a DM, I hate when players give me a giant backstory for their characters that would easily have them at fifth level already.

Which explains why (aside from random crit-death) I hate starting at 1st level.

 

[Wombat]

After 30 years of gaming, I've tried everything on your list and a few others besides...

I prefer to use the "start with a couple points and build from there method", but eventually I am willing to explore all kinds of methods of personality generation. Including, yes, having a personality assigned by the GM and then filling in the character around it.

I try not to limit my options

 

[Goblyn]

I voted 3,4,5 because those are what I do most often.

As far as backstory goes, I put that off for a couple of levels due to a couple of characters with excellent backstories dying at 1st level. Really. The first and only 3.0 PsyWar I've played had the best character concept and backstory and everything. What happens? Hold person -> CDG(Fort save made) -> crit miss by a party member sends him to meet his maker via a spear to the ribs. Grumble.