Character Generation Station

[cozen]

This meme is for creating new original characters ideas. It has two parts: INSPIRE ME, for coming up with character ideas based on prompts purely for the joy of creation, and ENABLE ME, for refining or seeking encouragement for character ideas you might actually want to app.

(This isn't for enabling people to app from particular canons or to app NPCs tied to your character. For that, we have a wanted page.)

If you want a sense of what the game has a lot of or not enough of to help prompt you, character demographics-wise, you can check out these stats. But what really matters is having fun!

Comments

ENABLE ME

[cozen]

Reply here with a character concept you're actually at least semi-seriously interested in apping and receive help and/or encouragement. If you want people to help you decide where the character should be from, work out a timeline for them that takes game events into account, or to yell at you about CR potential, we all will do these things.

You can use this little form if you like forms, or you can freestyle it.

<b>CONCEPT:</b> <b>HELP ME WITH:</b>

Nobody look at me

[sprent]

CONCEPT: OK I have had a house of straw idea for a templar lady in my mind for a while now and I kinda want to use DeWanda Wise as a PB because. I am interested in her being an asshole who does her job well and with very little sympathy because I am into the idea of tricky negative CR but maybe people also have advice on whether or not that is actually easy to play considering the current array of rebel mages we have in Riftwatch. I wanna be a dick but I don't want to stomp on all the mages the whole time. Only some of the time.

Idk if the Chantry would do this but post Mother Pleasance's visit would they think about assigning more templars to hang out with Riftwatch? Could very easily be convinced into making her a dwarf or an elf.
HELP ME WITH: Templar backstory ideas beyond Area Woman Likes Her Job And She's Good At It; links to other templars/circles? I'm not solid on my Dragon Age lore even though I have played all three of the games. Am considering Orlesian, but for no reason in particular

LOOKS AT YOU

[altusimperius]

This page has a list of all the (known) Circles!
But I will say, self-indulgently, that it could be fun if she were from one of the same places as an existing in-game Templar, because then you'd have some automatic CR and potential alliance/conflict to start out with-- I think it'll be easier to jump in that way, especially if you're a little shaky on your lore.

Also this is an easy ticket to having negative CR with a bunch of mages and mage sympathizers, which is sometimes great and sometimes can be a roadblock depending on how your dude handles it. It's kinda Hard Mode but worth it, IMO!

[sprent]

Okay cool... I will confess I didn't realise the Circle you come from actually matters that much but hey, that's why I'm here asking for templar character building cheat sheets. I am noting all of this down. I am also noting and putting down in ink that you SAID you will play with me if I make a templar

[altusimperius]

GET IT NOTARIZED

[luaithre]

here to encourage... getting stomped on??

templars can definitely co-exist with the presence of rebel mages, due to the ic basis of 'everyone is here to do a job that isn't fighting each other', but obviously sometimes fights happen as a treat. i would say it's 'easy to play' in that like i love tricky negative cr and ooc communication is easy to do (im literally your neighbour dohoho) and i'm not unique there, and if it ever gets Too Heated we can sort out how to de-escalate. for the most part, i imagine the two factions kind of avoid each other or keep focused on tasks at hand.

choosing a circle is i think the main important thing for both background and personality reasons. you may find it easier to go with one that treats mages with some dignity or where the atrocities are like cookies and not an every day food unless you want to get real spicy. this is a good list of general circle vibes as established in game.

you'd probably have to ask the mods re if the chantry would send a templar specifically post-pleasance but that'd be hilarious.

[sprent]

OK cool! I was thinking of a character who is like "this is the job you do" and is solely focused on that so much that if somebody respectably above her said "actually the job you do is now this" she would listen to that and go and do that job and not make too much trouble. And obviously her tweets would be her own and not reflect the views or values of her employer etc etc

Thank you for the links... I will do some research.

👀

[cozen]

1. EASINESS: I am barely playing my Dedicated Templar but enjoying what I do play. I think part of that is that he doesn't really go on the crystals + does not have an attitude of, like, wanting to change anyone's minds about anything, since he thinks they're all lost causes. So he doesn't wind up in a lot of dogpiles and ymmv depending on your character's personality and how much you enjoy RPing fights. But I think you should do it!!

2. MOTHER PLEASANCE: I think it'd be plenty plausible for the Chantry to assign someone! But I do know folks were working hard in various ways to make sure the visit with Mother Pleasance went smoothly, so I'd check with them (especially Eppy + us mods as needed) about how to frame it as inevitable or the best case outcome instead of implying folks failed at that.

3. BACKSTORY!!! I will have to come back to this because it's 1:30 a.m. but if she fought in the Mage/Templar War (vs. deserting/being held hostage somewhere/whatever) I can definitely offer prior CR with my dude as part of the Templar army, regardless of what Circle she was from. And Orlesian is very good.

[sprent]

Honestly I am too easily enabled that is why I am posting here, because one positive "you should do this" comment is like catnip to me 😞 I will double back and ask the correct people about M.P, cuz I thought it very randomly and went ha ha that's a funny idea but it doesn't have to be true and obvs won't be if the M.P visit actually went very well. And I'm learning toward yes fought in the mage/templar war for sure, so wink wink nudge nudge gib me prior CR. Please

[cozen]

WOULD LOVE TO. War buddies.

And I like the M.P. idea honestly!! I love when things connect and characters arise from game events! So I definitely don't mean to discourage you from doing it at all—it might be possible to frame it as, like, "The Chantry was ALWAYS going to send someone, no matter how well-behaved everyone was, but the visit went so well that it's just one person instead of an entire unit," or something like that.

[youwonscience]

Chiming with the not-relevant journal to say that I think there's a lot of rich and fun opportunities with our existing cast, especially if you are keen on tension in your CR. Also you probably don't want to play another Nevarran for variety's sake, but I am also volunteering my ex-Templar as tribute for some existing war CR and/or some complicated feelings (as he resigned several years ago but gave up lyrium essentially yesterday). I think there's a rich vein to tap here if it's something you're interested in.

[hassaran]

1. You should definitely do this.

2. Playing someone whose core concept is vocal opposition to mage freedom when the majority of PCs feel very passionately the opposite can definitely be fun but I'd suggest it may be helpful to consider up front some ways to balance out your CR options a bit so that, like you said, the mage stomping is only some of the time not the whole time. Giving her a background where becoming a Templar was one the very few roads available to a better life (elf, very poor human/dwarf) could potentially provide an avenue to CR more complicated than just "fuck that Templar asshole everybody hates Templars" and give her angles where her politics do line up with Riftwatch's majority views despite her position on Circles.

Another way to do that could be to give her serious personal investment in Riftwatch's cause, regardless of how she ends up at the Gallows. Maybe she's lost people who got recruited to the Red Templars (an enemy plotline we've underused in recent years that it'd be neat to do a bit more with), maybe she's from an area that's been directly impacted by the war, or maybe she just takes the Templars' role as protectors of the people very seriously in a broader way. Genuinely caring about stopping Corypheus and the invasion for one reason or another (and not just because Tevinter rule = mages) would give her something in common with folks that could help facilitate working together and more nuanced CR opportunities amongst the mage/Templar drama.

[favoriteanalyst]

CONCEPT: So basic idea is fucked up vigilante hero-type. You know the d&d kind of shit. Tragically lost family/friends/home/something important in some kind of Incident, vows to protect the weak so this doesn't happen again but more importantly wipe some group of people off the fucking map for doing this in the first place. Literally makes a name for himself (tentatively this is a guy but I'm frankly open to lots of interpretation for fun) under some kind of pseud, dead of night, costume, keeps his civilian identity a secret/separate from the hero, I'm talking Batman-who-kills type shit.

Ends up in Kirkwall following a lead, ends up joining Riftwatch under some kind of pretense, roams the city as his alter ego to hunt down...whoever. Maybe starts to consider putting his anger issues aside to help with the greater good??? Maybe gets caught out and has to choose between who he is and the symbol he thinks he is??
'shawna were you going to app another mcu native' yes shut up but don't worry this is a much better plan

HELP ME WITH: whomst is he hunting down, who killed this poor person's family, is it venatori? a gang? is this person an elf and just has it out for humans to a point? the carta? is this an elf? a dwarf? qunari? (I'm not sure you could pull off being a costumed qunari vigilante for very long, but that would also be fucking hilarious)(also I have been pro-More Dwarves since I was in this game Many Years Ago and I remain pro-More Dwarves to this day) where are they from what's their nationality, I feel like this might help determine what their Caped Crusader name is

[youwonscience]

It strikes me that if you don't have any particular target in mind, it might help to consider whether/to what extent you want the character to have to hide that hatred within Riftwatch itself? For example, if he's out to get Venatori, his goals are pretty aligned with the organization, and it's going to be a matter of degree of force (not giving quarter to one who has actively surrendered, killing someone Riftwatch had planned to interrogate, etc.). There could be some cool stuff with hiding identity still, but it's not necessarily going to feel like A Betrayal if/when it comes out. On the other hand, if the group the character is angry at is well-represented in riftwatch (humans, mages, etc.), you've really got a different flavor of hiding a secret and a very different scenario for the secret getting out.

I think either approach could be fun, but they're so different that it's really the first place I'd want to narrow it down if I were in your shoes.

[cozen]

If you're interested in a dwarf (dwarf! dwarf! dwarf!) I think the Carta is an obvious contender, and they should have a strong enough presence in Kirkwall/Darktown for it to make sense to come here? Alternatively, the Coterie is Kirkwall's big organized crime organization. I think both could have some opportunities for conflict on the anger issues vs. greater good front—Riftwatch either has already dealt with or could easily deal with them as allies against Corypheus and Tevinter, so it'd be pretty simple to put him in positions where he has to work with them because they're assisting in some way with the Bigger Enemy.