Lesson 1 - Roleplaying, SFW-style

(Warning - this book contains bad language. Discretion is advised)

Alright so, since you’re still here, you’re wondering what wisdom this old chap has got in store
for you, eh?

Very well, let’s start with the very core of basic roleplaying.
W-what are you doing? No, no, no… Don’t change into your fetish outfit. We’re not doing that
kind of roleplaying. Quite frankly, I don’t even want to know, there’s the door, thank you very
much.

...

You’re still here? Good, then you’re the ones who are here for the other kind of roleplaying.
*Ahem* As I was saying, let’s start with the very core of roleplaying:
Step 1. Typing

What, you were expecting anything else? Too bad, we’re starting with typing. More specifically:
grammar, spelling and what not. If you want to deliver a good story, you must take care of your
spelling and grammar, or else your amazing story will just look like a pile of manure.1

But first, a mnemonic (memory aid) you should know before you get started:

You’re not your past.

Its content is history - it’s done.
What happened then is over, be better than you were before.

(see what I did there? Little peptalk and a lesson combined in one)

So, uh... Yeah… Spelling. Not sure how it’s spelled? Google it wrong, and it will correct you
(probably, unless you are an absolute spastic dyslectic).
Not sure what I should say here. If English is your first language, shame on you if you have bad
spelling (unless you’re dyslexic, then shame on your genes).
If it’s not, practice! Common words, but also uncommon words. Increase the difficulty (length,
similar sounds, repetitive letters etc.) until you feel comfortable with your level. Increase your
vocabulary as well.

Same thing counts for grammar. Avoid writing in past tense (I used to do it), since everything is
happening right now. This may seem obvious to you - and it should.

Flashbacks/Memories: Real time

Past (anything) Present (anything)

Step 2. Interpunction and punctuation

Very important. Let me give you a few examples:

1
Author’s note: This is satirical, but the truth. English is not my first language and even if I may have
corrected my mistakes, I am still human and this ‘book’ will still be prone to overlooked flaws. Try your
best and even if it’s not perfect, one or two minor mistakes can easily be overlooked. (change blindness,
look it up)
“Say you have herpes || Say, you have herpes?”
“You are the sunshine of my life the apex of my happiness || You are the sunshine of my life; the
apex of my happiness”
“Fuck your dog || Fuck, your dog!”

The three sentences have different meanings when looking at them with and without
punctuation. The first sentence (without punctuation) inclines towards depicting a “what if” -
scenario, whereas with punctuation it asks for information towards whether or not the
respondent has a disease. The second sentence (idem, without punctuation) is false. It needs
the semicolon since it’s a conjunction of two main clauses. The third sentence (idem) is an
exclamation of anger, hatred or generalized disliking towards a dog, flipping it off. With
interpunction, something has happened to the dog, causing the sayer to exclaim in shock.

Need I say more?

What, you want to be reminded what every interpunction symbol does?

-I don’t get paid enough for this-

- Apostroph (‘). Seen it plentifully. Can be used for possession or omission.

Example: I am → I’m (removal of the ‘a’ → omission)

Charlie’s house was on fire (possession (names only))
St. Thomas’ Hospital is out of order due to maintenance
(possession + omission)

- Colon (:). Used when the second part of a long sentence (i.e. if it has two main clauses)
explains the first (or follows directly from it), introducing a sequence of objects/concepts
(i.e. a list) or before a quotation.

Examples:
- Rule number one of the stock market: there’s always a bigger fish.
- We do not condone the following acts: public nudity, invasion of privacy, drug
abuse and drinking in public.
- She screamed at the top of her lungs: “Help! Someone stole my baby!”
- Comma (,). Slight break between different parts of a sentence. This can be used in direct
speech, lists, or separate clauses in a complex sentence (subordinate from the main
clause).
I’ll give an example of the latter first:

Having finished our lunch, we went back to work.

[sub clause] [main clause]

I first saw her in Paris, where I lived in the early nineties.

[main clause] [sub clause]

Example of direct speech:

Daniel replied, “You wot mate? I swear on me mum, I’ll wreck ya, cunt!”

- The Long Dash, or Em dash (–). When used in pairs, it gives extra information – which is
more often than not unessential and literally useless – right in the center of a sentence.
Otherwise, it’s used as a break where you could use a comma, semicolon or colon.
One thing’s for sure – writing is never going to be the same again.
- Exclamation mark (!) for shouts or an express exclamation. (duh!) No examples needed
here, but here they are anyway.

Hello! How are you?

Ow! That hurt!

- Full stop/period (.). Indicates an end of a sentence. There are examples all over.
- Question mark (?). For indicating a question (duh.) or use as an expression of confusion
(Huh?)
- Hyphen (-). Used for word breaks, compound words or attach prefixes to other words.

Example:
Good-hearted
 Pick-me-up
Mother-in-law

- Semicolon (;). The black sheep of every writer. Used to separate main clauses in a
sentence that are connected to each other in some balance-y way but cannot be
separated from one another because that would look silly.

Examples:

They searched the woods; I scoured the rivers.

The path runs along a beautiful beach; the road follows the dunes.

Phew! Now that that’s over, we can finally focus on writing in general!

Step 3. Points-of-view (POV)

Now, there are three ways you can write your actions:

- First person → “I approach the table and pull the chair away from the table, then seat
myself at the table. The wine glass in front of me is filled by the waiter. I nod towards him
in thanks when he finishes filling my glass.”
- Second person → “He places his hand on the glass as he stands outside in the pouring
rain. The warmth from his hand condensing the outline of his hand upon the window.
Looking at her with another man, he sees they’re having a romantic dinner together. A
single drop falls from his cheek. Gritting his teeth, he punches the glass and leaves.
Where once was his hand, now there is nothing – his mark leaving with him.”
- Third person → “Daniel walks his dog outside while eating a hotdog. His dog looks at
him in confusion. “You want a piece?”, Daniel asks his dog, to which the dog tilts its
head. “Would that be considered cannibalism?” – The question haunts Daniel as he
stands there for an hour. The dog – loyally remaining at his side – snaps Daniel out of
his trance with a bark. Daniel, confused, looks at the time in shock. He walks home with
the dog. The end.”

Notably, the example for third person is a combination of the third person (using a name to refer
to a person) and the second person (using he/she for the person in question), which is more
often than not the case. This makes for a more pleasant experience, since the name isn’t
repeated as much.
For the most immersive experience in roleplaying, use the first person. It’s uncommonly used,
but if and when used well, can feel like reading a diary to the viewer.
Personally, I use the third/second person combination. It’s commonly used, easy to use and
does the job well. Feels like you’re reading a story.

Second person only? You could. Up to you. Works like observing the situation from a distance,
but you’re still there.

Third person only – Personally I would not recommend it. Feels like you’re reading a script. It
definitely works for logging actions or other historical documentations.

Step 4. Font styles (digital roleplaying)

(Note: this step is only applicable for digital roleplaying.)

There are 3 mainly used font types.

Bold
Italic
And underline
Depending on where you are writing on (system, program or analog, old school pen and paper
style), the command prompt may differ for them. This isn’t a programming 101, so I’ll skip the list
of commands for programs.

This lesson will be rather short, as there isn’t really much to explain.

Bold
Used to make a word more visible. Tries to capture the view of the reader. Either, there is a clue
to some plot, can be expressed to further intensify a shout, or can be used to imitate a narrator
on your story (i.e. As our heroes step further inside the dungeon, fear is starting to strike
their hearts.)

Italic
Can be used to make a word subtly more important, differing the tonation of that word in a
sentence. Example: “It made him very sad. || It made him very sad. || It made him very sad.”
The first one is just a statement. The second one tries to invoke empathy towards the reader, by
making the word sad italic. The third one tries to enhance the amount of emotion the character
is feeling. This character is not just sad. This character is heartbroken - it’s feeling a
soul-crushing sorrow.
… Okay, that might be exaggerating a bit, but you should understand it.

Underline
Commonly avoided. Can be used to further enhance a statement (can be combined with bold,
use with caution.) Personally, I use it in narrator form, stating the place and/or date and time.
(London, April 4th 1874 - Whitechapel)

So now begs the question as well as the beginning of our next step:

Step 5. How much do you write?

That depends entirely on the scenario. For example, say your character is in combat. Your
enemy dashes towards you with a sword and follows up with a flurry of blows.
Depending on your character’s skill, you might be able to avoid some, if not all of the blows.
Let’s say your character is pretty damn good. Maybe a bit of a show-off. You could write
something like this (let’s call our character Darth, for comedy’s sake (mostly lack of creativity)):

“As his enemy’s blade closes in, Darth steps to the left, dodging smoothly and elegantly. The
blade retracts then closes in on Darth again. He moves towards the right graciously, maintaining
his balance perfectly. As his heels strike the ground, the blade closes in one more time. Darth
throws his arms behind him, flipping his entire body upside-down, performing a cartwheel which
effectively disarms his opponent.”

As for the offensive, it depends on the degree of freedom you want to give to your enemy’s
dodging response. Do you want them to move towards a specific direction, or do you just want
to spray-and-pray (or hack-and-slash for sharp weapons)? Being descriptive of your attack
patterns can have strategic advantages for your immediate turn or your follow-up turns.
Depending on the environment you are role-playing in (server/board game etc.), you may want
to describe where you are leading your enemy towards, since this may be unclear in some
environments. As long as the object/location is highly likely to be present in the scenario, there
should be no problem in trying to lead your opponent somewhere.

Now, obviously, you may think your character is a complete badass when you first create it.
However – unless you’re roleplaying as a supernatural being versus normal mortals – this is not
the case. Being biased in this way, you may find yourself writing something of the sort (more
likely less show-off than that) due to your desire to keep your character safe during your first
combat scenario.

But I digress. The lesson here I want you to learn is that when in combat, the detail of your
defensive action should be at least as detailed to the amount of attacks you receive. The
success of which should directly follow your character’s experience and skill in combat. In
regards to your offensive action, that is most likely limited to the type of roleplay environment
you are in. Some allow for multiple attacks while some allow for only one attack per turn.
But let me say one thing clearly.

Never. Say. Your. Attack. Hit.

This is considered ‘meta’ and it’s one of the largest sins you can commit in roleplaying. By
denying the other party the ability to react to your attack, you are controlling the flow of battle (in
your favor). It’s a matter of trust - trust that the other party will allow themselves to get hit, if they
think they cannot dodge it.
Exceptions are, of course, when both parties have discussed and have consented or by the
decision of the Game-Master/move of a Game-Master controlled entity.

But Darth, why is a Game-Master’s move considered ‘un-meta’?

If you observe a roleplay in which a (fair) Game-Master controls a hostile entity, you will most
likely notice he/she will only land a guaranteed hit if:

1. He/she was supercharging an ultimate move for several turns and the players were
unable to cancel it.
2. The player was unable to react due to a status effect.
3. The battle has been going on for some time without anyone hitting anyone successfully.

Obviously, Game-Master’s are still only human, but with a little bit of power (roleplay wise). And
power corrupts. Just keep your eye out for any meta-ing GM’s.

Out of combat, you will most likely find yourself performing an average of 3 actions and maybe
one or two pieces of dialogue per turn. Don’t try to make your roleplay more impressive by
adding unimportant details for very simple actions. Make it as detailed as it needs to be.
For example, sitting at a table in a restaurant:

“I seat myself at the nearest empty chair of our table.”

Simple. Effective.

“I approach the table and pull the chair away from the table, then seat myself at the table.”

More detailed. This may already be considered ‘slightly excessive’ by the minimalistic of
roleplayers.
“I walk several steps before I reach our assigned table. Grasping the head of the chair, I gently
move it backwards across the carpeted floor. Tilting the chair back on all fours, I place myself
around the chair - my back facing the chair. I place my behind upon the embroidered cushion
which gently embraces it in a luxurious sense of comfort. Then, I finally lift the chair up and
gracefully scoot closer with my chair, so the table is closer to my chest.”

Obviously way too excessive. The reader has no interest how the chair was moved or how the
chair was moved back (since it’s basically how everyone does it. It’s not weird/different), nor
does the reader have any interest in the amount of detail put in simply moving closer to the
table.

The embroidered cushion might be a non-essential detail you want to mention, which can make
for a nice addition, as well for the sense of comfort, but consider that the act of seating yourself
at a table is a very simple task. If you really want to mention the orgasmic sense of comfort your
character is experiencing, keep the seating simple, then add the detailed feeling of the orgasmic
levels of comfort your character is experiencing.

Which leads us to make a smooth segue into the next part: Emotions - for some it comes
natural, while for others it’s an absolute nightmare to write down. Obviously, this needs to be
(somewhat) detailed for the best effect (which is what makes it a nightmare to some). Being able
to convey very specific feelings to a scenario towards the reader is key to making the reader
connect with your character and making them crave for more. Ask yourself these four questions:

“How does (s)he feel? How would this event change his/her feelings? How would that feel? How
would that be visible to the outside world?”

I recommend some level of detail, the level depending on the emotional complexity of the
scenario obviously. For example the death of a loved one, your character dying, betrayal by a
person close to the character are scenarios in which detail excels. Stubbing your toe, getting
insulted are examples in which details should be omitted.

Summary
- Good spelling, grammar, vocabulary and use of punctuation make reading a more
pleasant experience (and make you look good doing it).
- There are three points-of-view, each with a different level of immersion.
- The amount you should write depends on the intensity/complexity of the scenario.
- Font styles shouldn’t be used excessively OKAY!?
Lesson 2 - Your character and you

Now we’re getting somewhere. The real lesson. This can make or break your character, so pay
attention.

In this lesson I will discuss the following topics:

● Classes / Roles
● Personality & Archetypes
● Alignments
● Appearance

But before we get started, a word:

Do take your time on developing your character and be sure you’re content/comfortable with
role-playing it, as you will be stuck with it for a long time (hopefully). Try to find someone with
who you can do some practice runs with (which can also help you ‘grow’ into your character, to
make the transition more smoothly).

Now then, onto the lessons.

Step 1. Classes / Roles

Personally, I start with this. It revolves around the main thing your character will be focusing on,
or the skills your character will have, so be sure you want a character that does them (makes
sense, right?)

As for classes, you obviously have your standard fantasy MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer
Online Role-Playing Game) classes like:
● Warrior
● Mage/Sorcerer
● Priest
● Paladin
 ● Warlock
● Rogue
● Ranger

But some are far less common like:

● Brawler
● Monk
● Druid/Shaman
● Berserker
● Necromancer
● Bard

I could go on and on, but perhaps the best research is the one self-conducted.
Each class has a specific role they fulfill in a party.

The Warrior is an all-around melee focused class and most likely your go-to newbie class when
it comes to any game that has this class. Easy to learn and even easier to get good with. It
focuses on close-quarter combat, getting the attention from their enemies, tanking what little
damage they can, then striking back with a flurry of blows. Wears plate armor. (Roles:
Combat/Close/Tank/Aggro)

The Mage (or Sorcerer) specializes in long-range combat. Often taking long to charge up spells,
but the wait is worthwhile, as they will obliterate their foes with their elemental magic, using little
to no effort. They can often gain distance by opening a rift, blinking a few meters away to avoid
combat, leaving them vulnerable for a while. Wears cloth armor. (Roles: Combat/Long/Nuke)

The Priest focuses on healing and/or buffing their allies, a valuable member for any group to
have. They will often have some combat capabilities to fight off enemies approaching them, but
when a horde rushes in, they will need their fellow group members. Don’t worry about getting
hit. If the healer is good, you won’t feel a thing. And if you do feel a lot and perish, don’t fret.
Just enjoy the cold embrace of death and rest for a little bit, before your priest revives you. Just
because they can ;). Wears cloth or leather armor. (Roles: Support/Heal/Buff)

The Paladin is the combination of the Priest and the Warrior - specializing in both close quarter
combat and buffing, with a little bit of healing capabilities. Strengthening their defense and
attack, becoming immune to status effects such as knockdowns is their forte. Some Paladins
can also use Holy Magic as offensive abilities, allowing them to deal damage to groups (often
extra damage to unholy creatures). Wears plate. (Roles: Combat/Close/Tank/Aggro/Heal/Buff)

The Warlock is the exact opposite of the Priest, having signed a contract with either a demon or
just specializing in occult magic. It focuses on long range debuffs and curses, inflicting statuses
that impair movement, decrease defenses and attack power, whilst also inflicting DoT (Damage
over Time) upon their enemies, healing them (most of the time) for part of the damage dealt.
Some Warlocks can even summon demons/spirits (when lore allows it). Wears cloth armor.
(Roles: Combat/Long/DPS)

The Rogue is the sneaky one. Specializing in stealth, daggers, poison, lock picking, stuns,
movement impairment and lethal critical strikes, this class is all about high risk, smart play, high
reward. They will go invisible to the normal eye, only visible to those keen enough to observe
them. Coating their daggers with poison, they will go for a critical strike after they approach their
(hopefully) unsuspecting victim. If the blow didn’t quite cut it, the poison will kill them slowly
afterwards. If they need to make an hasty escape, they can use lockpicking to open locked
doors, use smoke/flashbomb to stun any pursuer or lay tripwires to cripple them, slowing their
movement. Wears leather armor. (Roles: Combat/Close/DPS)

The Ranger is the Robin Hood, The Legolas, the… you get my drift. You have a bow, you have
some arrows. You point, shoot, get some distance, rinse and repeat (ironically I do love to play
this class from time to time, even though I do not sound like it here :P)
Specializing in long range damage, the ranger will often shift between focusing on high single
target damage and area damage, raining arrows over an area. They can cover their arrows in
poison as well, or attach bombs to them, set them on fire. The utilities are endless. Wears
leather armor. (Roles: Combat/Long/DPS)

The Brawler is one of the uncommon classes. Specializing in mobility, taking hits and hitting
even harder with no weapons but the might of their fisticuffs. Moving in and out of combat with
ease, countering blows and tanking hits, this is often a harder class to get into, but can be a fun
class. Wears either light armor or cloth armor (rarely plate armor). (Roles: Combat/Close/Tank)

The Monk is basically the Brawler, but mixed with a hint of that Priest spice. Monks can use a
variety of weapons (most often using staff/fists), can buff their allies and themselves and
sometimes use Holy Magic (just like the Paladin). Wears cloth armor. (Roles:
Combat+Support/Close/Tank/Buff)

The Druid (or Shaman) is a weird class. Lots of different iterations on this one. Some games
depict this class more as a healer, other games depict this class as a summoner and some
other games as a shapeshifter. Fact remains that this class is, in its core, a support class. It
focuses on using the essence of nature to invigorate its allies, be that by healing them, rooting
their enemies, summoning animals to their side, or shapeshift into a human/animal hybrid and
enter combat themselves. Wears cloth armor mostly. (Roles:
Support/Combat/Close/Buff/Heal/Summoner)

The Berserker Ah yes… The Berserker. Who doesn’t like to wield a giant sword and just
pummel your enemies into an utter, unrecognizable puddle of tenderized meat and pulverized
bones…Uh, sorry - Anyway, the Berserker is what you’d expect - a raging killing machine,
wearing a giant sword. Slow, but heavy hits means you need to calculate your timings carefully.
Wears mostly leather armor with some steel plating (Roles: Combat/Close/Nuke).

The Necromancer utilizes the occult magic to reanimate the dead (note: not revive, reanimate)
to command them to fight for him, or use them in other ways. Some examples are combining the
bones as armor, raising a wall, causing corpses to explode in a toxic cloud or raising boney
spikes from the ground. They can also use their occult magic to debuff their enemies. They can
use cloth or light armor. (Roles: Support/Long/DPS/Summoner)

The Bard focuses on one thing and one thing only - (De-)Buffs. Utilizing the power of
MUUUUUUSIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIC~♪
*Ahem* … Got a bit carried away there… As I was saying - They use their music to imbue their
allies with various buffs: increased defense, attack speed, immune to status effects, increased
attack power, and so on. Meanwhile, they try to debuff their opponents or inflict status effects on
them. They’re not a necessity, but most certainly useful to have. They use cloth armor (or rarely,
use leather armor). (Roles: Support/Long/Buff)

As you have probably seen, I’ve divided the classes in two main sections: Combat and Support.
Combat focuses on attacking the enemy while support classes focuses on debuffing/buffing,
healing, summoning extra allies et cetera.

Distance wise, obviously, long ranged and close ranged. Should be self explanatory. They either
get up real close and personal (#PersonalSpaceInvader) or stay the fuck away.

DPS focuses on getting as much damage per second as possible. Low damage, but fast.

Nukes focus on dealing an insane amount of damage per hit, but their attacks take a long time.

Now you can pick either of these classes, search for some online, or come up with your own
classes using the attributes you know. Who knows, maybe you’ll create something so
ridiculously good, everyone wants to play it!
Step 2. Personality & Archetypes

Where your class/role is pretty much what your character does, means nothing without your
character’s personality. Why does your character do things in certain scenarios, while in other
scenarios it does not? Why would (s)he react in a certain way to a certain remark?

Building a personality of a fictive character is basically finding the right ‘building blocks’. These
come in the form of traits, ‘morals’, ‘values’ and ‘ethics’.

Each building block has a ‘good’ and ‘evil’ side to them. For instance, in terms of traits, one can
choose that their character is kind, bold, and humble.
For another character, the evil side could look like this: malicious, reckless, scornful.

For a large list of personality traits, check this site:

http://flashcards.yourdictionary.com/yourdictionary/personality-trait-list/

Or, if you don’t want to pick them individually, here are some very common personality types:
https://www.16personalities.com/personality-types

As for the Archetypes, we will consider the three most central alignments (Good, Neutral, Evil).
These Archetype system is designed (by yours truly) to make it easier to create a certain ‘type’
of character in games such as these, using the traditional alignment system to ‘sort’ certain
characters to it. We will go into alignment in the next step.
From left to right; top to bottom, we have the following Archetypes, and their respective traits:

Lawful
● Peaceful Pacifist - Kind, fair, forgiving, rational, wise, trustworthy, emphatic
● Law Abiding Citizen - Kind, logical, sane, rational, trustworthy, dutiful
● Manipulator - Narcissistic, rational, respectful, willful, charismatic
● Mastermind - Narcissistic, intolerant, intelligent, creative, cooperative, enigmatic

Neutral
● Vigilante - Zealous, protective, dutiful, conscientious, considerate, heroic
● Jimmy Neutral - Rational, opinionated, uptight, vulgar, empathic
● Mercenary - Dutiful, loyal, liberal, enigmatic, noncommittal, opportunistic
● Psychopath - Narcissistic, intelligent, destructive, intolerant

Chaotic
● Embodiment of Judgment - Zealous, intolerant, malicious, protective, dutiful
● Rebel - Liberal, dutiful, considerate, adventurous, willful
● Anarchist - Paranoid, liberal, noncommittal, destructive, questioning, secretive
● Maniac - Narcissistic, neurotic, paranoid, crazy, obsessive, malicious, bizarre,
destructive

Of course, these are mere common traits suitable for these Archetypes. You can add/remove
any trait if you so desire, or maybe come up with your own combination if you feel neither of
these Archetypes suit your character. Experimentation is key!
Step 3. Alignment

Alignment is a system that applies to your characters morals, values and ethics. For this, I’ll be
using the classic Dungeons & Dragons Lawful-Chaotic/Good-Evil system, which is an in-depth
and relatively easy system to understand and utilize.

Good vs. evil

Good implies a respect towards all living creatures, a concern for the dignity of sentient beings.
Good characters are often altruists and martyrs. They will not do anything for their self-interest
and will often perform personal sacrifices to help others.

Evil characters show no compassion towards others and will kill without remorse. Harming,
oppressive and overall malicious, these characters have no sense of moral conduct.

People who are neutral towards either will not kill innocent beings, but will not go as far to make
personal sacrifices to help others.

Lawful vs. chaotic

Lawful characters tend to maintain their honor, are trustworthy, obedient towards authority and
reliable. However, they are often close-minded, adhere to tradition, are judgmental and lack
adaptive capabilities towards change. They follow the/their law and are conservative, and are
more prone to making logical decisions and less emotional based decisions.

Chaotic characters enjoy complete freedom. They are adaptable, flexible and do not care about
the law. However, they can be regarded as reckless, anarchic and irresponsible. They are
unrestricted and often unpredictable, making emotional based decisions rather than logical.

Neutral people have a normal respect for authority, lacking the need to follow the rules nor rebel
against them. They will lie to others or commit to other morally questionable actions when it
suits them.

Still not certain? Take a test (answer it as your character) or read some more here.
Step 4. Appearance

Obviously, I’m not going to dictate how your character should look like in terms of clothing,
hairstyles, gender, gadgets, weaponry, ethnicity, eye color and so on. Those are up to you, the
reader, to decide.

I will, however, help you to try to make your character seem more in touch with their personality.
I hope that will make sense later. On a side note: none of this art is my own. These can readily
be found on Google, and I’m merely using it for educational purposes, which is according to Fair
Use. All rights are reserved to the original artists. I make no money off of this.

Let’s start with discussing a few examples and going more in depth from there.
Let’s look at the first picture. Look at the man’s eyes.

The slight opening indicates a sense of mystery, the wideness and slight angle at the end
creating a sense of sensuality, seduction.

Eyes wide open, retracted eyelids, one eyebrow lower than the other, wide open smile with
sharp corners indicating insanity.
Small, almost non-existent pupils indicating a (blood-)rush/mania.
Big, round eyes, no retracted eyelids. Youthful, innocent.

Slightly angled, thin eyes - serious/intense and focused glare. Upper part of the eyebrow
pointing down to indicate anger/fury.

Ever heard of the saying “the eyes are a window to the soul”? It is of no exception here, as you
can really display your character’s intent by choosing the right eyes for your character. Try
looking up some characters you know, observe their eyes closely and try to link certain
characteristic to certain traits. Once you feel comfortable enough, either look for a pre-made
character or, draw your own. At the end of this lesson are some eye studies (also not mine) that
may get you started.
Step 5. Backstory

Now that you have chosen the personality for your character, and its appearance, it’s time to
add some more depth to your character.

Take a step back and observe your character, take some time to absorb its personality and ask
yourself the following question:

“How the fuck did (s)he end up this way?!”

Now, I know what you’re thinking… “But Darth! Why should I criticize my own work?”
1. You always should strive for perfection. Doesn’t mean your work has to be perfect to deliver
it, but strive for it nonetheless.
2. This was a test in terms of lesson one - punctuation. Congratulations if you thought number 1.
3. The true meaning was without the exclamation point. Why did your character end up this
way?

This should be the very core on which your story revolves around. It needs to be present. It
functions like arguments in a conclusion. Your conclusion lacks power unless it has solid
arguments to back it up. It is the very reason why your character behaves the way they do, view
the world as they do, and do the things they do.

If you’re having trouble with finding a ‘line’ to write your story, here are some examples:

Example #1

The ‘Everyone lived in harmony. But all of that changed when the fire nation attacked’
line

This storyline starts out where as a kid (s)he has a lot of friends, not the most popular kid but
they get along just fine. Does well in school, nothing too out of the ordinary.
Then, somewhere along in the character’s life - be it in puberty, adolescence, adult life or all of
them - something bad happens to them. Something that traumatizes and affects their life so
deeply, it changes their personality, how they view the world around them and how they act
upon the world themselves. Either they faced a great betrayal, their parents were brutally
murdered, they were mentally abused or something else.
Example #2

The “My life is a fucking mess and I make sure to keep it that way.”

Personally, one of my favorites (no it isn’t).

Basically everything in this character’s life goes amok. Include as many tragedies as you can
possibly imagine. Child abuse? Go for it. Bad grades? Sure, toss it in buddy. Drug abuse? Hell
yeah!
Pretty much ends in one of two ways. Either they become the abuser, or stay the abused.
Nothing much to say about it.

Example #3

The “My life was a fucking mess but I try to keep others out of it”

Same starting plot as #2, other ending.

The character finds someone (or already had) who is dear to him/her, who strengthens it. That
person eventually manages to drag the character out of the cycle of suffering and life changes
for the better.
They usually become romantically involved and may become a family.
The partner may eventually die (may evolve into Example #1 in that way), but will most often
than not try to accomplish what the partner has done for the OC.

Alternatively, you can follow this scheme:

Summary
● There are several classes or roles your character can fulfill. The two main types of roles
are combat or support, which either focuses on fighting or helping the fighters to win the
fight.
● Personality is very important when it comes to role-playing. When looking for traits to
give to your character, it’s important to realize what your character does, what its
intentions are and how it sees the world and everyone around it.
● Alignment is how your character sees the world around him and how he acts upon it. Will
it be a complete ass with any disregard for life and the law, will it vow to follow every rule
and love all life or something in between?
● Appearance is very important, especially the eyes. The eyes are the window to the soul.
Find a character reference (or create one yourself) that clearly depicts its intent and
personality towards the viewer.
● Backstory is the icing on the cake - the arguments in a conclusion - the cover of a
magazine. Don’t skip the best part.

And that is it for lesson 2. Next two pages will be some references of anime eyes.

...

Yes I like eyes.

...

Eyes are good.

...

Eyes are love.

Eyes are life.

...

¬_¬

( ﾟヮﾟ)
Lesson 3 - “Honey, I grew my character!”

Step 1. Goals, without balls - what is your endgame?

Yes, that was a bad football/soccer joke.

It may not be the first thing on your mind when creating a character, but having a goal in mind
(and trying to reach it) is what truly defines the difference between an easily forgettable
side-character and a legendary prota-/antagonist that everyone who played with you will
remember for years to come. But things start to act strangely when people start to make only
‘main’ protagonistic/antagonistic characters. Nonetheless, there is nothing wrong with creating a
side-character (or otherwise neutral on the pro-/anta scale).

Every story needs a fair amount of side-characters in order to make the ‘true’ main character
more noticeable or stronger. Either way – side-characters always tend to have one
aspect/attribute/trait that’s displayed more than others. It really tends to define the character and
it is what makes them stick in people's mind after time. But that is Lesson 2, and goals are still
important for the character!
So! The question remains: How will you make people remember your character? Do you want to
create a character that is the wisest sage with unfathomable wisdom? Go for it! How will they
use that knowledge? How can others use it?
Do you want to create a character that is the epiphany of home-video compilations? Knock
yourself out! *bonk*

“bUt DaRtH!1! PeOpLe OnLy RmBmR tH3 MaIn ChArAcTeR!1!”

Really?

Then who is this guy?

¡¡Ɩ¡IɥSoɹ ɹǝ┴s∀ɯ S’┴ᴉ po‫⅄ פ‬ɯ Ho

If you’ve watched the anime/read the manga (probably even if you haven’t) you know this guy. You know what he
does and what he means for the main character. You also know what makes him memorable.
Of course, the goal that you want to reach for that character will need to make sense with your
character’s mindset and/or alignment. Doesn’t have to be how your character currently is, but
that will be easier to reach (and make a lot more sense).

Consider the following scenario.

A lawful-good protagonist recently lost his/her wife due to the antagonist. The protagonist's
current goal is to enact vengeance upon the antagonist (alignment change). (S)he kills the
antagonist, enjoys the kill, and later takes on the role of the main antagonist.

This. Is. Weird.

It makes a lot of sense to have a slight alignment change due to the death of a loved one, but to
take on the mantle of antagonist feels… Off. Depending on the time spent between the kill and
the role change, it may make sense or you may get called out for being full of shit. Consider the
previous scenario, edited:

A lawful-good protagonist recently lost his/her wife due to the antagonist. The protagonist's
current goal is to enact vengeance upon the protagonist (alignment change). (S)he kills the
antagonist, and feels guilty about enjoying the kill. Later on (s)he finds him/herself fighting crime
more brutishly and more violently, killing and torturing minor antagonists. (S)he gets fired from
whatever organisation hired him/her. Filled with regret, sorrow and fury, (s)he later takes on the
role of the main antagonist.

Makes more sense, right? It’s still a bit off, but this would be considered acceptable instead of it
being like “okay i killed a dude lol i’m antag now.”

Regarding goals, you need to think of the following:

Short term goals

These are the goals you want to work on in the near future. Think of stuff like acquiring
gear/skills, recruiting allies, changes in character’s behaviour (after a long term goal), having a
modus operandi (MO), et cetera.
Referring to the previous example, the protagonist’s behaviour when fighting crime was
obviously to try to injure the criminal minimally, capturing them and handing them over to
whatever organisation he/she was hired from. This changed after a major goal/event. The goal
(for you, as creator) now was to get a job (as that character), and change the behaviour slowly
but surely.
Long term goals

These are the goals you want to work towards. Think of your short term goals as stepping
stones to reach these goals. Think of stuff like a certain position, planning a certain (major)
event, or an interaction with a certain character.
Examples:
- Destroying protagonist’s HQ
- Working your way up your organisation to become the boss
- Slaying your arch-nemesis
- Converting your arch-nemesis
- Finding your true love (OmegaLUL)

You may find that the goals you thought of for your character may not become reachable due to
certain events, and that is fine! Nothing is set in stone. Just think of another long term goal and
design your stepping stones accordingly, then try to reach them one at a time.

Step 2. Making friends with benefits

Yes the jokes are indeed, getting worse.

Everyone needs a friend. Yes, even you. And yes, even your character. Well… Not really, but it’s
useful to have a bond with someone. Especially to reach your goal(s). Why? Consider the
following scenarios:

You are a villain and made your way into a powerful criminal organisation. You wish to
overthrow the leader and take power.

You stand face-to-face with a powerful monster.

In scenario one, you might wish to make allies through manipulation. Promise them positions of
power once you become the head of the organisation. Kill them afterwards, or keep your
promise. Your method, your choice. But remember: the best coups are never done alone.

In scenario two… Well let’s face it. Powerful monster - it’s gonna slap you hard. And, let’s be
very real here, it’s nice to have someone else taking those hits. Just make sure they stay alive
and treat them to a nice drink after surviving the encounter.
Depending on the type of goal you want to achieve, you might want to strengthen the bond
between you and your victim ally. Here’s a list of the bonds, with short description, from weakest
to strongest:

- Stranger: Might have seen this person once or twice, or maybe they looked like
someone else. Whatever the case, you don’t know this person and they (probably) don’t
know you either. The average person you see at a grocery store once and (likely) never
see again.
- The ‘I got a guy/girl’ person: You made an acquaintance with this person and decided to
sort of stay in touch, exchanging favors between the both of you. This person will always
expect something in return in the future.
- Ally: You know this person and stay in touch with each other regularly. This person will
likely do favors for you, but probably will be expecting something in return in the future.
- Friend: This person might refuse favors, if they think it’s absolutely insane, but other than
that, they will most likely do favors without expecting anything in the future, but will be
reluctant to do favors if you refuse to grant them favors as well.
- Best friend: What can I say. This person will catch a bullet for you.
- Blood-brother/-sister: This person will literally kill him-/herself if it means their organs will
save you.

Step 3. Controlling the strings of fate

Soon™

Step 4. The plot thickens, and so do you

tHiS j0kE stUfF hAS GoTtA St4HP

Soon™

Step 5. Putting yourself in the history books

Soon™
Summary

Soon™

A word from the author

Hi! The name’s Clouded Hermit, previously known as DarthTyrael, commonly referred to as
‘Darth’ or ‘Hermit’. As I’m writing this, I am 24 years old, currently studying (which keeps me
very occupied) and I decided to upload what I have written thus far and hope to continue adding
stuff along the way, when I find time and inspiration to do so.
This will probably explain why there may be some steps showing “Soon™”.
If there are none showing that and I did manage to finish my ‘planned’ lessons, there may still
be some steps or full lessons added in the future. A person never stops to learn, and with that in
mind, I may want to share what I’ve learned in the future and include it in this ‘book’.

I decided I wanted to write something to help newer players into creating a character, and help
them get more involved into their own character’s story as they play with it, as well as possibly
provide some fun read and/or provide inspiration to veteran players.

I hope you enjoyed reading the lessons I’ve put in (thus far).

“ The journey’s but a temporary endeavor - ‘tis the footprints left that may mark the earth forever. “

- Darth