Post/Author/DateTime	Post
polt 03-08-06, 08:34 AM	What's a good way to create a really interesting character? And I'm not talking about classes, feats and skills. I'm talking flavour and fluff only. How do you make a cool character?
MasterOfPsychic 03-08-06, 08:38 AM	You figure out a story... add NPC in their life... Make them a person, not a list of stats... And you know: I like you! Because you are not a powergamer, it seems.... If you want help making a cool char, join us in the Char Dev forum...
Shaggy_Shaggs 03-08-06, 08:45 AM	Recommended reading: How to create a role-playing character (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=105563) Galahad's Guide to Holistic Heroes (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=176982) Whren kehrsyn (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=562115)
Novacat 03-08-06, 08:57 AM	One thing I do is think of something that my character would sacrifice everything for. Could be a person, a cause, etc...
Shaggy_Shaggs 03-08-06, 09:01 AM	You mean like an assassin ex-cultist betrayed by his god, having lost his family and all his friends, who would gladly go to his grave if only he could drag the god in with him?
The_Unfan 03-08-06, 09:02 AM	Well, what do you like to see on film?
nyysjan 03-08-06, 11:09 AM	usually when that question is asked the answer is give him some quirks/mannerisms/habbits but they never tell you to not to give him too many of those because if the character has too many quirks and general oddities he probably becomes annoying, and by this i mean that he annoys the other players, which is not good, instead of other characters wich might be good unless they choose to use you for target practise
Kragar's Shadow 03-08-06, 11:41 AM	Come up with a voice or a manner of speaking and make it different from your own. This also helps clear up some things you'll say in-character or out of character. Think about range, speed, sentence length, and ways of addressing people. Your stats can also help you build this. For instance, a fighter I'm playing has Int 14, Wis 12 and Cha 11. He speaks in a low voice, and rather slowly as he's choosing his words carefully. This can be annoying or offputting as he's not very forceful when he talks but if people learn to listen he has great things to say.
Rian Lightblade 03-08-06, 07:40 PM	There was a great article back in a low 200's issue of Dragon magazine, about using movie, television and book character as bases for PCs. They had great examples of Picard as a Paladin, or Spock as a cleric, Cookie monster as a barbarian, etc. I often refer new players to that article or suggest that they think of a character that they really liked in a book, or movie or TV show. Make a short 5 to 7 point list about their personality. Then think of one or two things that they'd like to change about the character's personality or add to it. Then pick the class that best fits the new "customized" character's personality. I've found this works really well for new players who are not sure how to play the personality of their PC's
Super Guy 03-08-06, 09:49 PM	You want to make a great character? Please, PLEASE follow my warnings: 1. Don't "strive to be unique." I can't stand it when people are like "My dwarf breaks every dwarven stereotype, is gay, and has blue hair." Heroes aren't freaks of nature (NOTE: I'm making no such claim that being gay makes one a freak, more-so the blue hair and utter stereotype breaking). Heroes are people like you and me, who simply make a much bigger difference than we do :) 2. Don't mutilate his Level line. If it's clogged with 2 Rogue/ 2 Fighter/ 6 Barbarian, then it's not a good character, it's a character who has no reason for switching classes so damned often. You'll remember him as a method of powergaming. 3. Try to keep his history at least believable. I hate hearing about how someone's entire village was wiped out, then they got kidnapped by evil cultists who sacrificed people daily, but eventually fought his way away from evil and found the light. He doesn't have to be Captain Boring, but I mean, just think of something believable. My character histories tend to involve concepts of love, or change, or something like that, and have no focus on adventure at all. I don't like to toot my own horn, but of all the campaigns I'm in, my characters are almost always the only memorable ones. Unless we're making fun of one of the other characters, or the DM plays because someone else is DMing (he makes good characters) What makes a good character is the way you play them. Develop a personality. Think about what they feel, how they feel, why they feel. A static character is fine, I believe they're underrated, but a dynamic character who changes in the world he's dropped in is a sign of a player who knows his character well. Not a forced change from you, but a change that you feel the character himself would make.
Shaggy_Shaggs 03-09-06, 11:05 AM	Don't mutilate his Level line. If it's clogged with 2 Rogue/ 2 Fighter/ 6 Barbarian, then it's not a good character, it's a character who has no reason for switching classes so damned often. This is bunk, ignore it. With the loss of 2E style multiclassing, unless you're using the gestalt variant which not all people have access to, it's not possible to make a character incorporating abilities of different classes without jumping around from one class to another between levelups. Some people look as classes as ways of life. They're not. Some figure multiclassing has to be justified by switch of roleplay focus. It doesn't. Classes are just mechanical sets of abilities created to represent what a character is capable of, and some character concepts require a little bit of several different classes to work. That's no crime. Some others have said it better than myself elsewhere, I'll quote them here. I really don't understand the whole 'multiple PrCs are cheesy' or the 'too many classes are cheesy' thing. Just because a character has multiple classes down't mean the intent was to cheese out. Take, for example, this: Wiz5/FrostMage5/E.Savant (Water) 5/Archmage 5 Three prestige classes, but... this build isn't cheese. It's not even optimized. It even makes (a certain amount of) sense. If you really wanted to, you could whip out some truly convoluted builds that had huge amounts of classes that aren't really cheesy. Maybe something like: Ftr2/Rng2/Sor4/Arcane Arch2/Spellsword3/EK3/Loremaster4 Again, not really cheesy or even very good. Alright, maybe a whiff of Kraft Singles, but it's certainly not limburger. A little harder to makes sense out of, as well, but not impossible. I guess, though, it may stem from a difference in the way I think about chargen. Whereas a lot of people say, 'okay, I want to play <insert race/class here>', I say 'okay, I want a character that does this - now how do I build it in D&D?'. The cheese factor comes in when you start levying unrealistic amounts of power for the campaign you're in. The character might be studying both things at the same time, trying his best to be both a wizard and a fighter, it's just that there is no mechanics in DnD for this sort of attitude beyond simply taking levels in both classes. The same works for PrC's. Just because he's jumping from one PrC to another, doesn't means he's actually stooped dedicating in one thing and started dedicating into another. Most classes can fit very well with others to create a single concept. Classes are simply a measure of how experienced and powerful you are, and what exactly did you learn from your experiences. The key thing to remember is that classes do not exist in the game world. So, a Wizard/Fighter/Bladesinger/Spellsword/EK is not (necessarily) constantly alternating study of fighting techniques and spells, and later jumping from one style to another, or between organizations. He's merely doing his best to be an able fighter and wizard, and in the meanwhile, he's mastering strange techniques and abilities that can properly mix these traits (How to cast in certain types of armor, how to dodge more effectively to compensate for the fact that he's still not able to use any armor, and even how to discharge spells through his sword). Multiclassed characters aren't bad characters at all, if the multiclassing allows their crunchy abilities to better reflect the concept of the character. The same goes for single classed characters. Now, characters that remain shackled to a single class and compromise their character concept in order to preserve some "purity" of their class level line, those aren't good characters. The same goes for characters that throw in crunchy bits that don't fit the character and are just there for power. (I got a reminder of this when I mentioned a potential warrior build that included the Craven feat...:nonono: a ferocious, stalwart warrior should probably not have a cowardice-related feat just because it helps him do slightly more damage.) Characters should be built to reflect who and what they are, not what's easiest and most pretty to write down - whether that takes one class, or 10.
WhrenKehrsyn 03-09-06, 11:20 AM	Heres an interesting quote, "Heroes are ordinary people who do extrordinary things" I dont necessarily agree with the dont try to be unique comment, everyone is unique. The point I think hes trying to make though is you dont have to be of some strange race or mentality to be unique. Rian Lightblades suggestion is a very good one. My suggestion is to determine what the character is like, and this is a good way to do that. Once you have that you can build a backstory, the whys of those personality traits and any weaknesses or character flaws (not the game mechanic flaws) you choose to give him. This will also help you to determine his or her race. And dont be frightened if in doing this you change your mind on some personality traits, characters are fluid and good ones can and do evolve. Once youve done all this look at the classes and decide which has the skills and abilities that best suite the character. As for the dont multiclass I dont agree with that at all, theres nothing wrong or cheesy about adding levels in more than one class if it suites the backround. A street urchin who spent time in the militia to straighten out and get his life together may have levels in both rogue and fighter. But be aware that multiclassing and spreading levels thin can hurt you mechanics wise (or in some builds be very beneficial). D&D is not a diceless game and you should strive for a nice balance of RP related skills and traits/abilities and mechanics related ones. All the wonderful backstory in the world isnt much good when you get one shotted in the first round of the first combat you are ever in. Shaggy made me an example! :blush: Thanks for the vote of confidence Shaggy, I really appreciate it! =0)
WeZil 03-09-06, 11:23 AM	When I build a character, I try to think of a character concept before I turn from the books. Get a good idea down, write a back story, and then look to the rule books and say "Now how can I make this work?" It usually ends up pretty well... HOwever, some of my best character ideas came to me after reading the books and seeing what it has to offer. I"m not talking "Best" as in "Most POwerful," mind you. I say, start reading the books. Core books, enhnacements, everything. Read the complete books. Read the campaign settings. And every time a character concept, even the most basic of concepts, pops in your head you write it down. When you're done, you'll not only know HOW to build your character, but you'll probobly come up with some down right grand ideas. And, as said above, don't be afraid to stick to typical racial ideas because you can get some GREAT ideas. Dwarves, to use them as an example again, are well known in almost every campaign setting as being stout warriors and great miners. After looking to these typical traits, I thought "What about a dwarf who is a great warrior AND a great miner?!" And started getting the idea down, and ended up with something I think is great. And I'm not talking about a "Dwarf Miner who isn't afriad to put down the pick and pick up the sword for his country." Hell no. The character I came up with will gladly keep that pick in hand and even grab another one, then rip hell into the enemy, and when all is done, turn around and start digging with the same picks. I think that's a great idea. HOwever, don't also be afraid of deviating from typical ideas. And don't be afraid of being the silly character, either. Comedy can have its place in a dire setting, too, and you can get some pretty good ideas down by thinking of the most absurd thing possible.
Clawhound 03-09-06, 12:15 PM	My usual formula: - Believe one false thing about yourself. (The half-orc with a 8 charisma thinks that he's great with people.) - Create an ideal and stick up for that ideal. (The half-orc sticks up for all half-breeds, even if he's outnumbered.) - Believe in something. (The half-orc believes that the church hates him and all half-kind.) There you go, a recipe for disaster.
Super Guy 03-09-06, 06:28 PM	I myself have multiclassed. I think you perhaps misunderstood my point. I once had a character named Seba who I decided was a person who had a lot of military expertise but was also big on self-training and survival. So, my best option was to give him a 2:1 ratio of Ranger to Fighter, I felt. If your character is such-and-such a way, then his classes should reflect that. What I'm preaching against is your *character* reflecting what classes you've picked. There's a difference. Let's say Bob wants a 2nd level Rogue so that he can snag evasion, then a few Pally levels for his Charisma bonus to stack with saves, then bust out the Sorceror with his great Charisma score. There's likely no character reason for him to do this. So, if Bob even bothers to make his character have a personality, he tries to base it loosely and erroneously on his classes. However, Seba had a perfectly justifiable reason for his classes. Get what I mean? Let your character decide the classes for you. Don't come in to a campaign thinking "I want this build of [insert power-gaming, DM-headache-inducing build here]" Edit: I guess by using those specific core classes in my example you could have easily mistook what I meant, since there's probably some justifiable reasons for a character to be like that. I would've used some outrageous and unconnectable PrC's, but I'm really not very familiar with non-core material, outside of say, the old 3.0 Tome and Blood/Sword and Fist/Song and Silence, yada yada ones.
beat_takeshi 03-10-06, 05:06 AM	I think an important starting point is to remember d'n'd is not a computer game. In fact when no players are trying to hack everyone elses xp, or dominate the story then players will naturally get into their character. So basically it should come naturally in a good enviroment. Other than that: Roll stats, choose first class, choose race Voice (but not squeeky ones) Background- ripped off of books, tv etc is fine - why is he adventuring? Cover all the bases- age, schooling, parents relationship, brothers, flaws, etc Personality- not too dull, not too annoying or dominating- ripped off tv etc is fine- try to work his background into his personality Make sure your character is bold enough to actually interact with and be relevant to others, if it is too subtle your not really role-playing, your just ************. Don't assume though that his background etc would stop him from making sensible decisions or choosing his classes. Someone who disliked magic could still learn it if they thought it was neacessary, just like kids go to school despite disliking it (damned school! I hate you!).
Cadfan 03-10-06, 05:28 AM	Do not create your character in a vacuum. Ask the Dm what the campaign world is like. Ask him what important things have happened in it, and what important places there are. Then create a character who was involved, at least a little bit. If you're starting off at 1st level, you probably don't want your character TOO involved in big important things prior to the game actually starting. But at least decide where your character was during the great war, the Hundred Days of Rain, the series of battles in which an entire generation was lost, but the kingdom finally saved from the ravages of the Awakened Ones. Or whatever is appropriate to your campaign. Maybe your character was too young to fight, and spent the time on a farm. How did that affect him? Did he lose family members? Were the farm animals requisitioned for the army? Just ask questions like that. It doesn't have to be too complex. "Joseph was only 14 during the Hundred Days of Rain, but he remembers it well. When the summer began, he lived in a small, but prosperous, farm on the edge of Sokar. Four months later, he was one of the oldest people of working age alive in the community: everyone left for the war, and few returned. He and the other children did their best, but the crops mostly failed; life was difficult, and the people's will went out of them in despair over their losses. With little food and less will to go on, there wasn't much left in Sokar to keep Joseph at home, and when the recruiters came by in his 15th summer, he falsified his age and joined the Border Patrol." Joseph is a 1st level Ranger, with favored enemy Aberration due to the ever present concern about a return of the Awakened. He is somewhat shy because of his age- he doesn't quite fit in with the other members of the Border Patrol, many of whom are older combat veterans. There, that wasn't so hard, was it? But to do that, I had to make up a campaign world first. And that's the Dms job. So get him in on the task as well.
Clawhound 03-10-06, 09:04 AM	In important quality for every character: - create a motivation to go out and adventure - create a motivation that makes you want to cooperate on a team These are vital to a team game. Creating characters that do not address these two points in this way created problematic characters.
R2 03-10-06, 11:14 AM	Ask yourself "Why?" and "How?" until you're sick to death. By answering each question, you flesh your character out a bit more and have already decided his reaction to events. For instance, I'm building a Gnoll character. Gnolls are usually Chaotic Evil, so why is he adventuring with a Good-aligned party? Well, because he was banished from his clan. Okay, why was he banished? Because he doesn't agree that it's okay to eat sentient beings, and challenged the clan chief after a raid on a Halfling caravan*. (So perhaps he wasn't formally banished so much as he fled from the snapping jaws of his former family and friends.) Okay, why does he think so? Um... let's say... he's smarter than the rest of his clan, and empathizes with the victims*. But without a clan, how did he survive? He's managed to get along on his own, out in the wilderness*. Since he's not accepted into human society, he's had to hunt his own food and craft his own tools*. And so on, and so forth. The game mechanics come from the questions you've answered: a gnoll, who is nonevil and outspoken (first asterisk), has a higher-than-usual INT and CHA score (second asterisk). Perhaps he's a Barbarian, Ranger, or Scout (third asterisk) -- he's got ranks in Survival and a few Craft skills, at least (fourth asterisk). There are more hooks, too: maybe he has a soft spot for Halflings from that raid, for instance. Half of the challenge is thinking of questions to ask: does this character resent the gnolls for throwing him out, or does he one day wish to make amends? Does he want to study civilized society and try to integrate there instead? Or does he wish to be a diplomat between his race and the society he hopes to join? Does he think the influence of the demon Yeenoghu is holding the gnolls back from rising to greatness? What's he going to do about it? How does he feel about dwarves? Gnomes? Beholders? Has he been on an adventure before, or has his life just been day-to-day survival and contemplation up to now? Does he know anyone in the party? Is he confused about what's right and wrong, or is he sure of what he's done? And so on. I find that the more questions you ask about your concept before you put a pencil onto paper, the more memorable your character will be. You'll have a personality with numbers, not a bunch of statistics and modifiers with a story holding them together.
SiouLubb 03-10-06, 12:45 PM	The best background will not make your character interesting. (I, for one, second the idea that there are too many PCs running around from ravaged villiages). Consider, if PC in a group has an interesting and extensive background, how interesting or unique is it at that point? Your character, to be interesting, has to have more than just a background. Let's say your background is the stereotypical ravaged villiage and your PC wants revenge. Well what happens after his revenge? Who is your PC then? In my experience, the best way to a good character is to see what everyone else is playing or intending on personality wise, and playing off of that. First, you find out other people's intention b/c it's not terribly fun role-playing when four of six players decide they want to be the dark mysterious stranger who is a lone wolf. Or when 4/6 PCs decide to be taciturn, grumpy men of few words, or all chaotic chatterboxes, etc. A few examples... The Star Wars group I play in, my PC is a cowardly Sullustan smuggler. It wouldn't work if everyone else played a coward, but b/c we have jedi and soldiers in the group, my character's cowardice adds to the roleplaying, not detracts. A DnD group we've just started has two taciturn dragonborn tanks, a stern, authoratative kobold cleric and a druid and ranger. My Kobold Sorcerer plays off the Dragonborn and the cleric as a charming and insincere little twit. He is always trying to get more than his share of the wealth and making suggestions about how he could "enhance" the party. "Those robes which have the symbols representing your order. Can I add a few mystic symbols to them? They'd look better and we could use them in an emergency....." The other player gets to play their grumpy reaction and refusal. This is a key thing- pick character traits that you can use to bring out the other player's personalities. once you start to draw them out, they will in turn start to play off your PC's personality. The truth of Roleplaying: monologes and soliliqys suck. To roleplay, you want to be talking to other players. Playing against type is another great Role-playing tool. The stereotypical Star Wars smuggler loves his piece of junk looking ship, which is the best in the galaxy, etc. My cowardly smuggler hates his ship. he disparages it to anyone who will listen and constantly talks about the day he can afford something better. (Yes, the ship IS a piece of junk) The greatest tool I've found so far is allowing your character to do thing that will lose face. Do not be afraid of your character looking foolish. I have had more roleplaying fun with my cowardly smuggler than any other character because I play him as a loser. he runs away, he whines, he tries to weasel out of things, other PCs insult him, NPCs cheat him and intimidate him (even although as a player I know that the smuggler would beat the NPC in a fight) He gambles and loses (he has one rank in gamble, I play him as if he thinks he had 8 ranks). Give your character a goal. Why is he out there daring life and limb? My sullustan adventures because he wants a new ship and thinks he can get the money for it- or steal someone else's. (When he succeeds, he'll want a bigger ship...) My Kobold Sorc adventures because it's fun and he can get stuff. He keeps his more altruistic notions of defending the innocent quiet.
FolcoTook 03-10-06, 05:19 PM	If it helps, here is an example of a back story created through collaboration between myself (DM) and one of my players. It started with a basic conceptual nugget ("hey, it'd be cool to play a gnome monk"), was fleshed out via a character questionaire, then the answers to that questionaire were applied to the game world. In this particular case, the player helped to shape the game world by creating an order of gnome monks. This sets the basic personality of the character, helps give him some grounding in the world, and provides both the near and longer term incentives for why he has become an 'adventurer'. Back-story of Glim the Gnome Early Years Glim was born the oldest of 12 children in a family of bakers. While his brothers and sisters spent their time learning the family business, he spent his time in class and study learning about the duty of eldest male children in the gnomish homeland of K’ahzm Brahk to serve the Creator God. This left little time for play and friendship, but Glim made time for his few friends whenever he could. What Glim never told his parents, teachers, or friends was that he did not feel called to become a Teacher of The Way. This doubt ate at him as he grew older and caused Glim to retreat further from his friends and become more distant from his family. Then he met Jorlan Alcaeus, a Master in the Order of the Sentinels. Master Jorlan talked with Glim over the next four months about the ideals and mission of the Order and Glim realized that this was the spiritual home for him. Training and Tragedy Glim spent the next several years as Master Jorlan’s apprentice, learning the code, values, discipline, and fighting style of the Order. As he neared the completion of his initial training, Glim received news that his twin brother and sister, Harlan and Heretta, had died from a mysterious illness. Glim was devastated. He agonized first over being absent when his family needed him. Although what he could have done to prevent this outcome, he did not know. Next, Glim began to doubt his choice to become a Monk of the Order. A monk could do nothing to help a sick child, but a Teacher of The Way wielded the divine power of the Creator God and could heal the sick and even restore life to the dead. After attending the funeral, Glim returned to the monastery out of a sense of duty, but the desire and drive to become a Monk of the Order had left him. Master Jorlan could sense the change in his apprentice and had many discussions with Glim that lasted late into the evenings. Jorlan was able to make Glim realize that some tragedies in life must be accepted and that no one person may prevent all suffering. Passing the Torch Three months from Glim’s acceptance as a Monk of the Order, Jorlan left the monastery secretly in the night. When Glim asked about his master’s absence, the other monks merely stated that Master Jorlan had left on a mission for the Order, but should return in time for his acceptance ceremony. He did not. The night before Glim was accepted into the Order, a small group of Teachers brought the body of Master Jorlan to the monastery. They did not know how he died. Master Jorlan had stumbled into their temple, bleeding and barely conscious. The Teachers tried to cure his wounds with their divine magics, but realized too late that he must have also been poisoned. Not having anyone in the temple powerful enough to bring life back to the dead, they returned his body to the monastery. If the death of his brother and sister rocked the walls of his faith, then the death of Master Jorlan pounded at its foundation. Master Jorlan was as much a paternal figure to Glim as his own father. Glim saw his master as indestructible. This was a gnome who could pull arrows from the air as if they were flowers to be plucked. He could disappear from sight as if he had melted into the shadows. He could crack stone with his bare fists. Glim did not see how his master could have been bested in anything resembling a fair fight. After his acceptance ceremony, Glim was presented with two objects by which to remember his beloved master. The first was Jorlan’s journal. The second was an amulet that Master Jorlan always wore. Called simply “The Amulet of the Order,” it was awarded to those monks who had performed a great service for the Teachers of The Way. It gave its wearer the ability to perform very limited healing on himself or others. Glim never knew why Master Jorlan had been awarded the amulet, but was honored that his master wished the amulet be passed on to him. Glim was given a grieving period which he mostly spent in his room reading his master’s journal. Most of the entries were fairly mundane and ordinary, although they did allow Glim to understand just how proud Master Jorlan was of his favorite student. Towards the end, however, Jorlan began writing of a shadowed threat that weighed heavy on his mind. This perceived threat was the reason Jorlan had ventured from the monastery. Then the journal entries ended abruptly, which was odd since the last entry was two weeks before Master Jorlan’s death. Then Glim noticed that the final ten pages had been cut from the journal at the binding. It was hard to tell given the thickness of the book, but if you looked closely when it was closed, you could see the blank area at the end where those pages should have been. Glim was unsure who to ask, if anyone, about the missing pages. Presumably, the only people who had access to the journal prior to him were the Teachers and the few monks who handled Master Jorlan’s possessions. It seemed reasonable that whoever cut the pages from the journal would also be responsible for Master Jorlan’s death, but neither of these groups seemed a likely candidate. Searching for Answers When the senior monks he was now responsible to suggested that he take some time to travel Teluah and learn more of the world and how it worked, Glim was eager to accept. This would give him time to learn more of this perceived threat Jorlan had sensed and perhaps determine who was responsible for his master’s death, as well as time to discover what his true calling in life really was. From the journal, Glim knew that Jorlan intended to travel the countryside of the old northern provincial area (Naplis, Raeis, and Gaius) to learn about a new cult called “The Church of New Hope.” Glim had traveled as far as the border between Raeis and Naplis when he met a caravan traveling south. Learning that the caravan was transporting goods to the village of Wheaton for the local cult representative there, Glim proposed to the caravan master that he travel with them, offering his services as a guard in return for riding the wagon. He specifically declined payment so he would be free to leave the caravan if something more interesting required his attention. While riding on the caravan, Glim learned of increasing acts of terrorism being perpetrated by orc and goblin runaway slaves called “Renegades.” Some attacked travelers, being little more than common brigands, while others exploded vials of Alchemist’s Fire in crowded shops and markets in the urban areas.
WhrenKehrsyn 03-11-06, 04:40 PM	Another thing. Sitting down with your group and working together to create all your characters can be great fun, and also help you establish how they may or may not know eachother, which can make things alot easier for your DM. Including the DM in it as well is great too, it can help them to better understand your characters from the beginning and help them with deciding what parts and how much of your backrounds to build into the game. I find that the first part at least contributes alot to the groups cohesion and makes all the characters fun for everyone rather than just the person playing them.
Appollyon 03-11-06, 06:12 PM	There are a few character surveys haunting this board. By coming up with a basic concept and then thinking through those questions, you can get a more fleshed out character. I don't have the link to them, but I'm sure others do.
Surgo 03-11-06, 08:12 PM	I'd actually go against the advice of everyone else here, and first create a 20-level build. Write down what you plan for the next 20 levels, what classes to take, what feats to pick, what abilities to increase each time (level mod 4) = 0, etc. When that's done, you'll have all the mechanical aspects out of the way and can focus on making an interesting character.