A guide to making a Character Bio and Sheets.

[Cheshire Cat]

We all been there, the dreaded character bio. What can you write about someone who isn't real? What kind of life should you give them? While the main idea will vary from system to system one thing does remain the same they have had a life before all this. Here is some basic tips for you and later in this I will give you some things to think about depending on the system.

Basics:

• This is your proxy within the game
  
• Stay away from the overly tragic..after all we all had soem happy times.
  
• be detailed.
  
• knowledge don't just come out of thin air. So explain your stats.
  
• All the questions for the various systems can help you flesh out and give depth to your character bios.
  

Now for the Character sheet itself, this is a guide to your limitations and what you do and don't know. And it don't really come in to play unless dice is needed to be rolled (your storyteller will tell you if you need to roll), cause other then the need for the odd dice roll to ensure you can do the intended action think of the game as more of a freestyle game. Here is some tips:

• Don't be quick to max out your stats. Maxing or two is not a bad thing cause it gives you a specialty and a way to find a place in your group, but if you only have a few high stats and nothing else you will find you are very limited and not by any means a balanced and believeable character.
  
• Do not stretch yourself too far beyond your own personal capablities. But mind you while it is fine to go alittle beyond your personal abilities but within reason or you may find playing that character is more of a chore then fun.
  

But over all remember the biggest rule for this game is HAVE FUN.

[Cheshire Cat]

Now back to the Bios themselves. As I said before it will vary from system to system for example..thinking of things for a hunter will vary from makeing a Mage or a vampire. So the following I will break down in to questions you need to think about while making your Characters. Also try to answer these in your bios to help flesh them out and give them abit of life.

Think on this if your making a Hunter:

• What scares your character? Understanding your charater's fears not only makes him more sympathic,it can make the game more entertaining. Vertigo wouldn't be such a good movie if the hero was casual about heights. A character who isn't afraid of anything isn't just boring (and unrealistic), he limits your opportunities for heroic actions. It's not a lack of fear that makes a man brave; having no fear is just stupid and crazy. The brave man is the one who overcomes his fears.
  
  
• What's your character's idea of a perfect lover? How about the perfect one-night stand? What attracts us and makes us happy are often two entirely different things. What type of person would make the best significant other/spouse/life partner for your character? Does she know anyone like that? if so, what hasn't she made a move?
  
  
• What's your character's idea of a really funtime? Life is not remitting doom and gloom, even for hunters in world of darkness. A chronicle with nothing but bad news and misery is almost as dull as one full of relentless cheer. By knowing what your character enjoys, you empathize and fully enjoy the good times instead of just gritting your teeth to get through the bad times.
  
  
• Does your character have a favorite book or movie? What is it? It's a simple question,but it can reveal a lot about what your character admires and what interests her. Someone who is deeply affected by The Exorcist is a lot different from someone who really loves Snow White. Your charatcer's tastes in stories reveals a lot about her aesthetic in general--whether she revels in tense,exciting situations or prefers a warm,cheerful setting or clean,classic qualities.
  
  
• Was your character religious and/or superstitious before he heard the call? What about after? This question makes you consider your character's attitudes about ideas beyond what he can see and grasp. Does he believe in God? If so, is it a frowning, anthropomorphic, white-bearded patriarch who can give one man good fortune and strike down the next? Is it a fuzzy, feel-good pagan earth mother? An abstract principle of initial creation? None of the above? Most importantly, how does the revelation of monsters moving among humans affect your character's beliefs?
  
  
• Your character has now been confronted by beings outside "scientific reality". What does he think they are? What does he think the Messangers are? this question not only gies you a framwork for future conclusions about the unliving, it indicates whether your character is logical and scientific, intuitive, or that he follows "gut feelings"
  
  
• What's your character's greatest regret? What accomplishment gives him the most pride? Thispair of questions shows your character at his best--and worse. We tend to regret things that not only made us unhappy, but which we could have handled better (you may eel sorrow if your house is destroyed in a mudslide, but you're unlikely to regret it in the way you regret stupidly blowing it with a really terrific girlfriend.) Similarly, something your character is proud of was probably accomplished by use of his skills,drive and brains. these questions can illuminate strengths and weaknesses of personality.
  
  
• What is your character after? Everyone has goals--including your hunter. "Death to the walkign dead" is an answer--but what was your character pursuing before? Is he willing to abandon his previous life and ambitions to become a full-time stalker of night-creatures? If he is, what do his friends and family think? If he tries to continue his old life while exploring the dark new one that's been thrust upon him, can he balance them? How does he plan to keep his loved ones safe--and in the dark?
  
  
• On a final note. A character without motivation might as well not survive her first encounter with monsters--or even be awoken to thier existence. Knowing what drives your character is centeral to understanding who she is. A hunter's values are often very different from values of her previous life, or from ones of people with normal lives. Exposure to horrid reality works a great change on an individual's personality. Think about where your character has been and where you'd like to see her go (or where she would like to go). Consider her nature and demeanor--do they suggest an ultimate goal? Once you have an idea of what it is your character wants to achieve, you're one step closer to making her a full-fledged personality og her own
  

[Cheshire Cat]

MAGE

Now mage has two parts questions you personally have to ask yourself and answer and questions you and your group will have to answer together.

• How old are you? How old is your character? How long has he studied magick? Does your appearance reflect your age? What events were significant to your character? If the chronicle takes place in 1996 and the character is 25 years old, events like the Vietnam war won't have as much direct effect on his personality as the falling of the Berlin wall or the death of Kurt Cobain. On the other hand, if the character is 40 years old, Vietnam will have been a major influence on his life.
  
  
• When did you notice that you were...different? Most mages have strange childhoods with unexplainable occurences or bizarre coincidences. These events might have gone unnoticed or may have had tremendous consequences. A happy childhood may instill one mage with a sense of duty to other people less fortunate, while another who spent her childhood as an outcast may still have trouble relating to others.
  
  
• How did you come by your abilities? No one appears from nowhere, complete with skills and a place in society. Who are you? Where did you grow up? How did you learn what you know? This question suggests ways to give your mage more depth. If nothing else, it may offer your storyteller a few plot threads to weave into her chronicle.
  
  
• Who is important to you? No man is an island; the important peoplein your character's life say a lot about him or her and offer and endless stream of story possibilities. Does he have a lot of superficial buddies or a small circle of tightly-knit friends? How does he get along with his family? Does he even have one? Do any of these people know about his ability to shake the pillars of heaven? How do the react to it? Has his awakening driven him away from all the people who once were important to him? If so, who's important to him now? Does he ever try to regain those lost relationships?
  
  
• When did you first encounter Magick? HUmans have a great capacity to ignore or discount things that don't fit their model of what the world should be. What event overcame your charactr's ability to do this? How did she learn that there were mysteries that couldn't be solved? How did she react? Was she afraid? Was she ecstatic? Did she go power-hungry or have a nervous break down? On the other hand, it's possible that the character simply never lost the childlike ability to believe in anything, even when other people told her it wasn't true. Mages with a Primordial Essance are often like this.
  
  
• Who was your Mentor? Mages of the Traditions usually begin with some kind of mentor, even if he's no longer around. How did your character meet this person? Did you seek him out? Did he seek you out? Was he kindly or harsh? Did he explain everything, ot simply ask you questions and watch you try to figure out the answers? A mentor can act as the character's teacher, parent, older sibling ot any combination thereof, and has probably been a major force in the shaping of the character's personality.
  
  
• How did you meet the others in your Cabal? The cabal usually refers to the others player's characters. How you met them and interact with them will have major effects on the chronicle. Cheshire, or example, has difficulty interacting with tradition mages on a regular bases unless they're concerned with mroe then wasting Technocrats. A good way for him to meet one of them, then, would be for him to come upon them trying to prevent some catastrophe in the web, or for one of them to resuce him from a nephandi attack.
  
  
• Do you maintain a mundane life? So you have a 'secret identity'? Do you continue to interact with sleepers, hiding the supernatural aspects of your existence, or have you left your old life behind? Some of this will depend on the course of the chronicle--after all, if you go to a parallel dimension for 10 minutes and come out to the year 2015, it will be rather difficult to pick up your mundane life....
  

[Cheshire Cat]

Werewolf, These question will help you pull together a werewolf with personality background and help find your place in your pack/group.

How old are you?
How old are you now? How many years has it been since you first changed?
Most werewolves have their first change when they hit puberty, although a few may not change until well into adulthood. For Homids, the average age when they undergo the First change ranges between 12 and 16. For lupus, it is between 2 and 3 (Garou begin aging in human years after the first change)

What was your family life like?
Did your parent(s) misunderstand you? Did the other wolves shun you? Were you shunted from foster home to foster home,always unwanted? Was your birth pack hunted and killed, or captured by researchers? Or was your childhood idyllic?

A young Garou's family life is rarely ideal-even before the First Change, the Rage is within them, and others can subconsciously sense this. This tends to lead to family troubles and juvenile delinquency among Garou unaware of their heritage.
Their Rage, finding no outlet, builds and builds until it explodes into the First Change.

When did you have your First Change?
Where did it occur? Did others see it (what was the effect of the Delirium)? Did you injure anyone--or worse? Was it scary? Exhilararting?
The First Change is one of the most important experiences in a Garou's life. It is the moment when he first shifts form---usually to that of Crinos. He can never again be the same. He realizes his difference from the beings that raised him, and that he can no longer be apart of their lives.
Most young Garou is watched from afar, usually with the aid of a Kin-Fetch spirit. Once they undergo the Change, members of their tribe seek them out and bring them back to the Caernfor initiation into the garou ways.
If your Character is Mertis, how well was she accepted into the tribe? Was she a continual scapegoat or was she given love and respect?

When did you meet the others in your Pack?
Do you get along? how long have you known them? Did you meet at the Caern or another way? Do you share the same goals?

Where do you live now?
Do you live at a Caern? In a city apartment? A country cabin? Do others know where to find you?

Do you continue to lead a normal life?
Do you still interact with people (or wolves) you knew before your Rite of Passage? Do any non-Garou or Kinfolk froends know that your a werewolf? Do other Garou know about your moonlighting in normal life?
Details of a character's life can be very important to the chronicle.

What motivates you?
What guides your life as a werewolf? Do you seek vengence? Wisdom? Adventure? Do you wish to leave your life as a werewolf and return to your normal life?

Characters primary motivations are central to understanding who and what they are. Once they change, their priorities often change drasticly. Things that was once importanr no longer are and new values dominate their lives. If you want to have a real and complete character, you must have an understanding of what keeps her from depression and total aimlessness.