Building a Character
Before we start, we recommend reading through the Axioms to get a general idea of what fits the setting. The Axioms are a set of worldbuilding rules to keep things consistent. From there, think of a general idea of what you want your character to be. No worries if it doesn’t instantly come to you, we can develop things as we go and change things if we change our minds later on.
Step 1: Concept
Who is this character? What could their role in the world be? What race sounds interesting (more info below!) to you? Or a division? What would they sound like How could they interact with another character in the world? How about starting their name from a pun, or a funny visual?
If you would like a hand bouncing around ideas, give the Tavern Talk channel a ping! Let's get ideas going!
Step 2: Race
The races in Castrella are vast and numerous.
Here is a list of the races in this world so you can look through the general ideas surrounding them! There is a lot of variety in appearances, so don't feel stuck on having to present your character a specific way.
If you don’t see a race that fits your idea, feel free to throw ideas out in Tavern Talk!
Step 3: Aether and Aspects
Every creature, barring special cases, within Castrella can use Aether. When an individual can wield an element, this is called an Aspect. They are able to use aspects due to the Aether Organ within all beings.
All creatures and characters at birth have one aspect, then have the option to learn one other aspect as they go. Outside of this, one can never be attuned to 3 aspects at once, or they shall explode. They can, however, practice very basic spells of each type.
While every character must have one aspect, not all characters need to have two aspects. When building characters with two aspects, take into account how they might utalise them. This combo idea sheet may help!
In total, there are 9 main types of Aspects, though only 7 you can naturally be born with. (Note, the three words after the aspect names are just suggestions for traits of someone who uses this aspect might have, feel free use or not!)
Here is a summary of the elements one can be born with:
- Fire - Mental Fortitude, Justice, Passion. Takes a resolute and bustling soul to control Easiest element to handle. Restorative spells, enhances weapons when used offensively.
- Water - Balance, Relentlessness, Deep Focus. Requires much concentration/meditation to handle. mid-difficulty to control. Focus on restorative spells with offensive spells more rare.
- Wind - Freedom, Dexterity, Carelessness. Incredibly flexible as an element, works well with other aspects. Focus on support enhances other elements. With a focus on support, rarely would be used offensively.
- Earth - Sturdiness, Dedication, Guidance. Simple element to learn. Restorative powers harness energy from plants to salve wounds, while offensive powers manipulates the environment.
- Ice - Controlling, Stoicism, Unpredictability. Most difficult element to handle as it is highly volatile and inexperienced users can harm those around them. Restorative powers involve using ones hand's to mend wounds, and offensive usage being torrential assaults.
- Light - Emptiness, Destruction, Beginnings. Incredibly rare. Powerful aether that destroys pre-existing objects and matter entirely. Incredibly difficult to learn, the guild offers courses to only highest level of spellweavers.
- Dark - Wholeness, Creation, Conclusions. Incredibly rare. Aspect that can be used to fill spaces with completely new matter. Incredibly difficult to learn, the guild offers courses to only highest level of spellweavers. It is currently the most difficult element to pick up. As of right now, there are no restorative spells associated with dark.
Once again, if you need help always feel free to reach out in Tavern Talk.
Step 4: Divisions
This one only applies to people who are within The Adventurers' Guild. There are different divisions that represent the many jobs of the Guild. For more on each one’s function, look here. To simplify this, ask yourself, what does my character like to do? How would they help the Guild?
Here is a summary of the Major Divisions one can be in:
- Wayfarers' Division - The largest division withing the Adventurers' Guild. Focusing on any and all types questing and adventuring, and collaborating with other divisions.
- Civil Affairs Division - Handles a large amount of the governmental legwork within Eversun, helping the general public and law-making. Also manages festivities and civil protection.
- Trade Division - Focus on anything commerce, marketing and currency. Those in Trade work tireless to upkeep flow of trade in and outside of Eversun. This division also oversees mail services and monitoring trade routes from harbours.
- Archivist Division - Tasked with documenting everything in Castrella. Accepting research from other divisions, manages their own printing stations, and records information into the Archivist Grand Library.
- Environmental Division - Researches farmland, all living entities, crop accessibility and forecasts for weather. Engages with other divisions to ensure natural life is of high priority and is protected.
- Arcane Sciences Division - Studies all subjects relayed to magic, aether and science. Focuses on anything to do with the basic elements, harmonic elements, chaotic elements, curses, pacts, aetheric vessels, aetheric combinations, elemental traces within the world, spellweaving, and so on.
- Education Division - A fairly small division, runs required courses for adventurers. A collective product of all major divisions, rookies are required to attend an amount of courses. Subjects include weaponry, magic, ecology, geography, cultural communications, rule of the Guild, stealth, etc.
- Creative Commons Division - Handles staffing for festivals, holiday cheer/decorating the city, maps infrastructure, and provides general entertainment/hobby services. These services include and are not limited to: theater troupes, Pictomancy shows, circuses. Oversees and manages community events.
- Outerworld Division - One of the oldest divisions in the Adventurers' Guild, focuses on peacekeeping between Eversun City and all of Castrella's territories, although in modern times created a force to control the spread of chaotic elements. Works closely with other divisions.
- Contingency Division - A large division dedicated to emergency services. Ranging from medical paramedic on a job sites to assisting the Wayfarers' Division on quests. Handles other oddball requests that may be unable to fall into any other category.
Not everyone is a fighter, but every member of the Guild must be licensed with a weapon. Some people just want to work behind a desk.
If you can’t decide, we have a fun personality quiz right here!
Not every character in Castrella is in the guild, so don't feel as though they have to be!
Step 5: Homeland & Backstory
We’re still in the process of creating the full map, but currently, we have a few countries. Most of the time, where you are born is based around your race, though that is not exclusive. Consider what type of culture you want your character to have. Think about what goals & aspirations led them to where they are!
Here is a link to a rough outline of some locations in Castrella, and outside of Eversun City (page is a WIP!)
Step 6: Personality
Now that we have it all together, it is time to define what your character is. I think it is best to consider what Boons do they have & what Flaws they are stuck with.
A boon is something good about them. Whether they are helpful, kind, or creative. A flaw is something negative about them. Maybe they steal, tend to gossip a lot, or they tend to have a short fuse.
Overall, ask yourself, what would be fun for you to have? Just make sure they aren’t perfect or completely bad. Lovable characters come from a place of being flawed, but good despite that. There are fringe cases, but that’s dependent.
Don't be afraid to give them personalities that contrast with their outward appearances!
Step 7: Filling In The Rest
When thinking about outfits, consider what the context of the character is. I would break that down to Profession & Personality. Someone who works as an officer would wear something like a uniform, but maybe they have a cute side, so they decorate it a bit. The fantasy in this world is a little loose, but it is always good to get inspiration from online.
Family can be a real sticking point with some characters, and while some might get really detailed, it is probably best to just think about relatives that are close or have had an impact on your character.
Finally, consider any special attributes that might be important. Everyone has something fun about them, and we're all here to have a good time, so attributes that seem silly, feel free to toss them into Tavern Talk. Have a good time just discussing weird ideas! Worse case, it doesn’t fit & we think up something else, but overall, we like to operate on the rule of cool.
Step 8: The Template
Here is some formatting you can shove in the Edit Source Tab when editing to have a basic template for your character's page. Just make sure to remove the " & " at the start & end of the text, and replacing the "division" in Category: "Division" with the relevant Division Name you choose (example, changing it to Category:Wayfarers' Division) or omitting it if you haven't decided on one yet or if they aren't in one!
<blockquote>"..."</blockquote>
{{Person
| Name =
| Image = [[File:Name_Of_Picture.png|thumb]]
| Pronouns =
| Species =
| Height =
| Age =
| Birth Date =
| Division =
| Role =
| Zodiac =
| Aspect =
| Family =
}}
== Appearance ==
== Personality ==
== Biography ==
== Contributions ==
== Abilities==
== Relationships ==
== Trivia ==
== Gallery ==
[[Category:Characters]] [[Category: Division]]
Supplemental Development Items
We also have some optional development items for additional flavor.
Stat Block:
A statistic block can be added to your character to quickly showcase their strengths and weaknesses. Stat distribution is based on a 35-point system distributed across seven statistics, including:
- Moxie: Tussling & Strength.
- Guts: Bravery & Toughness.
- Smarts: Book Knowledge.
- Savvy: Social Awareness, Survival, & Street Smarts.
- Mojo: Magic & the Arcane.
- Glamour: Manipulation & Charm.
- Luck: Ability to Change Fate.