This is a general collection of character creation advice and content that doesn't pertain to a particular faction. As the Star Army RPG has moved towards a specific character creation guide for each species, this content has become more outdated and so it's ended up here until it can be sorted and recycled. Please use the species-specific guides on the main Creating a Character page.
One of the most important aspects of your character is his or her personality. Their personality is was dictates how they will act, what they will say, and generally how the character will interact with the Star Army universe and other characters.
Describing a specific personality can be difficult at times, however, answering simple questions about the character can help flesh out his or her unique quirks and flaws.
This is the first part to a 3 part character creation guide, and the part which deals with personality creation specifically. The guide is designed for use under any setting, and any kind of character can fit, if you're willing to work with the author. The 2nd and third parts, while not necessary, can give you help creating your characters appearance and history respectively, based off of your previous decisions as well. Fair warning, the guide is not intended to write your personality for you, or to give you specifics, but to guide your thinking in a way that will let you answer questions provided about your character.
Here's another great questionnaire: The 100 Most Important Things To Know About Your Character (revised)
And another: A Question of Character
These are a few short examples of character personalities.
| Mizuho is a very misunderstood figure. She places on a mask of indifference and uncaring, and this cold shell is what most see. She tries to ignore her emotions in any official case, fearing that she is too soft, and unfit for her responsibilities. Beneath it all, she is a warm person with perhaps too much sympathy. Very few know her true self, and few ever will. She is simply too protective of her own self-doubts. |
| Hanako is extremely kind, caring, thoughtful and eager to please. She is very submissive and strongly prefers others to command her but is capable of autonomous activity. Hanako is generally very quiet, especially in the presence of her superiors. She enjoys caring for people, especially Yui and children. She doesn't just act loyal and submissive, but rather is loyal and submissive to her mistress and the friends thereof. |
| Henry likes his chosen career, but he is not an ambitious person by far. His personality tends to make him blend in rather than stand out, which suits him just fine. An introvert, he rarely seems interested in socializing. It is therefore not surprising that Henry does not have many friends, although he is very loyal and forgiving to the ones that he has. However, even when a complete stranger challenges him to a round of a computer game that he likes, his friends can see his one organic eye light up with excitement. |
If you need more examples, you can compare personalities of current player characters in Characters.
Characters you create shouldn't suck. They should catch the attention and interest of the reader, having a unique voice that is relevant to your target reader/market. Create the parameters or boundaries you want your character to exist within and get into your characters head and write from that character's viewpoint. Characters need a purpose and their story should make sense within the fictional universe. Good characters have complexity and conflict. A character's society is a major factor.
Avoid:
You can try:
Writing dialogue:
If you prefer to start by choosing your character's profession, here's the links to the major occupational pages:
Ready to create a character? Select from the list of species below to go to their full description. If you have any questions, contact the relevant GM.
See also International Relations in SARP.
The Abwehrans are a humanoid species which evolved on a high-gravity world. Created by Matthew (Abwehran Commander). Their FM is Syaoran.
| Abwehran Subspecies |
|---|
| Surfacers The more aesthetically inclined and hedonistic majority of the Abwehran that traditionally live on the homeworld's surface. |
| Nightwalkers They are firm advocates of ascetic virtues. They are subterranean in nature, and possess an extreme sensitivity to light. |
The Azorean are a race of aquatic humanoid mechanics. Their FM is Wes.
| Azorean Subspecies |
|---|
| Azorean A peaceful aquatic humanoid species with an affinity for engineering. |
The Elysians are a race of religiously oriented angel-like humanoids. Their FM is META_mahn.
| Elysian Subspecies |
|---|
| Patrician The ruler and intellectuals of the Elysian Empire. Capable of limited flight, telepathy, and extensive longevity. |
| Caelisolan A newly engineered 'middle class' race/body awarded to Plebeians who accomplish great things. Expected to replace Plebeians entirely by YE 32. |
| Plebeian The result of the dysgenics and being the underclass of Elysian society. They are weaker than their Patrician kin, but possess the potential for equal intellectual status, if given proper education. |
The Iromakuanhe are a race of humanoids with advanced biotechnology who join their bodies to living machines, including great organic starships and the powerful VANDR biomecha. Newcomers to the galactic scene, they find themselves splintered and fractious compared to the great empires of the Core Systems. Created by Exhack. Their FM is Soresu.
| Traditional Cultures | Metropolitan Cultures |
|---|---|
| Eyr Ranr Nomads of the sky, they have a natural affinity for the winds, aircraft and high speeds. | Maekardanii Cosmopolitan, wealthy and educated, the Maekardanii embody all the best and worst qualities of the Iromakuanhe. |
| Sund Wakir Serious, loyal and devout, they are among the finest fighters among the Iromakuanhe, and capable of surviving in all but the most inhospitable places. | Hlaraian The easygoing and freedom-loving Hlaraians are naive, but always tireless in artistic pursuits and the realization of their ideals. |
| Ivuori Scholars living in great towering enclaves, they are leaders in affairs of culture and science. | Mazerinii As the settlers of a frozen prison world, the Mazerinii are cold and stubborn, but possessed of a great sense of charity and devotion to family. |
| Curdatl Strong, hardy and jovial, they commonly find work in all fields of endeavor, but are best known as great builders and the tenders of the farms that feed the Iromakuanhe. | Cohronl Frontiersmen and enterprising space colonists, the Cohronl form cosmopolitan societies on the fringes of space. |
The Nepleslians are descendants of an Americanized society; free-market trade, crime, and gun-toting are the hallmarks of this nation. Many Nepleslian regions follow the age old tradition of dog-eat-dog, as gangs and criminals war between one another. This race is heavily (60%) male; females are fewer here. Their FM is Legix.
| Nepleslian Subspecies |
|---|
| Nepeslians These are humans of relatively uncorrupted genetic stock, which make up most of the population of Nepleslia, especially its upper class. |
| ID-SOL Originally bred to be super-soldiers before the advent of Nekovalkyrja. Due to a super-Y chromosome, ID-SOLs and their descendants are all males. Although made for war, many of them joined the Nepleslian populace, where they make up a fair bulk of the working class. They are still a massive presence in the Star Military of the Democratic Imperium of Nepleslia, however. |
Also known as freespacers, this is a race of cybernetically modified nomads, adept at life in open space. Their FM is Primitive Polygon.
| Freespacer Subspecies |
|---|
| Voidfolk The prefered name for the general interplanetary vagabond, they are strange and abhuman constructs that have a great affinity for robots and sneaking onboard ships undetected. They can be either completely harmless or a serious nuclear and/or data-hazard, depending on the individual. |
| Tech Scum A derrogatory term for debased, corrupted Voidfolk who make a living in contaminated hellscapes and underground sewers. Just being around them is a serious biohazard, and many are known to be desperate to the point of violence. |
| Automata The name for Voidfolk who are either androids, or cyborgs so augmented they don't appear human any longer. All of them are clearly robotic and ramshackle in nature. |
The Yamataians are derived from a mixed Japanese and English culture, which is apparent in many aspects of their society. Their society itself is very wealthy, and poverty is nigh unheard of. However, they still tend to draw spite from many species due to their long and bloody history of conquering smaller nations. Their FM is Wes.
| Yamataian Subspecies |
|---|
| Human The now obsolete predecessor to the Yamataian. Humans with slight genetic enhancements. |
| Yamataian Genetically enhanced citizens of the Yamataian Empire, with physical abilities superior to the Geshrin. Traditionally this species is used as civilian and support roles in Yamataian interests. |
| Nekovalkyrja The cousins of the Yamataian. Genetically enhanced cat-girls possessing superior metabolism and endurance, designed for use as soldiers by the Yamataian military. Having a virtual monopoly over the Yamataian military, they have considerable influence in Yamataian society as a whole. ONLY ALLOWED IN THE YAMATAI STAR EMPIRE |
New characters will not have much of a history. Your character's history should be a starting point that sets up your character in the story, usually a significant event. For instance, you could be a newly-created Nekovalkyrja born onto a Star Army of Yamatai starship (and that would pretty much be the extent of your character history), or perhaps your character's history is pretty normal, and you start off the story as your character runs out of cash, or tries to start a business.
Please don't abuse the history part of your character's bio by using it to engineer your character's skills. What we mean by this is we don't want characters coming into the SARP with years of intense training as an assassin or with scars from a battle that you weren't around for. You're starting at the low end of the rank scale so making your character a veteran don't make much sense.
Here's some resources to help you keep your character's history in sync with the rest of the universe. After you're done writing your character's history. Remember, don't be afraid to post an unfinished product on the Roleplay and Setting Discussion forum and ask for help if you think you could use some.
Resources for for filling these years pages in:
Due to the different calender and length of year compared to the rest of the known galaxy, the Abwehrans have their own timeline:
If you haven't already, you will want to figure out what your character owns. To be fair to all players, each of their characters initially starts with three-thousand KS (or equiv lent) on his/her electronic money card, minus the cost of items the character starts with. Military characters are also usually loaned a predetermined bundle of standard-issue equipment such as uniforms for no cost. The equipment varies by faction. Ask your GM if you need help finding it.
If you want more than three-thousand KS of items to start with, your character can go up to seven-thousand KS in debt, although this is not recommended. You might also save money by buying used items, which usually are around fifty to seventy percent the original cost of the item (I pity you if you buy used soap, though). To make things easy, for things that aren't found on the price lists, one KS is about equal to one US dollar. See: Yamatai Prestige System.