1. Occupation and History
Boobo is a knight of King Sarad, and has fought in many minor wars.
2. Physical Description
3. Attributes and Skills - noteworthy only. Indicate noteworthy ones as well as how well known.
4. Values and motivations
What makes the NPC tick - do they want money,power, etc?
5. Interactions with others
How this NPC deals with others socially.
6. Useful Knowlege
What good is h to the PCs
7. Distinguishing feature/behaviour
What sticks in PCs minds after meeting them?
More Detailed level information:
Name
Age
Job
Ethnicity
Appearance
Residence
Pets
Religion
Hobbies
Single or married?
Children?
Temperament
Favorite color
Friends
Favorite foods
Drinking patterns
Phobias
Faults
Something hated?
Secrets?
Strong memories?
Any illnesses?
Nervous gestures?
Sleep patterns
Imagining all these details will help you get to know your character, but your reader probably won't need to know much more than the most important things in four areas:
Appearance. Gives your reader a visual understanding of the character.
Action. Show the reader what kind of person your character is, by describing actions rather than simply listing adjectives.
Speech. Develop the character as a person-don't merely have your character announce important plot details.
Thought. Bring the reader into your character's mind, to show them your character's unexpressed memories, fears, and hopes.
For example, let's say I want to develop a college student persona for a short story that I am writing. What do I know about her?
Her name is Jen, short for Jennifer Mary Johnson. She is 21 years old. She is a fair-skinned Norwegian with blue eyes, long, curly red hair, and is 5 feet 6 inches tall. Contrary to typical redheads, she is actually easygoing and rather shy. She loves cats and has two of them named Bailey and Allie. She is a technical writing major with a minor in biology. Jen plays the piano and is an amateur photographer. She lives in the dorms at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. She eats pizza every day for lunch and loves Red Rose tea. She cracks her knuckles when she is nervous. Her mother just committed suicide.
Additional Ideas (1)
The control of magic stems from the Helvar, an area of the brain normally responsible for holding on to ones soul. Magii practice strengthening and improving their control of this 'organ', allowing them to interact with mystic force outside their own soul. It is entwining with that most vital of man's resources that magic can be so dangerous. Should a magii weaken his Helvar too greatly, their grip on their own soul loosens and they may loose that which is the most precious.
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