Rachel Rider
Smol Turtle Girl
The character creation in this role play can seem daunting. A new species? Powers? Sometimes it's hard to tell what's going on. To simplify, I've made a guide to help people.
Step 1: Humanoid or Animal?
One thing unique about Etoliea is the varied types of characters. You're not making humans, but a different species that lives in an entirely alien-like fantasy world where a day is a millennium to us. So one of the first things to decide is whether you're making a humanoid, a bipeadal with arms hands and opposable thumbs, or a creature/animal, which is not a bipedal with arms, hands, and opposable thumbs. While that's not the technical definition (Because Monkeys), it will be the one we use here. The key difference is that when creating a humanoid, you have a pretty good template. Most people use this because we're familiar with the terminology of roleplaying a human or human-like character, and used to describing our characters with traits like humans. But for the adventurous roleplayer, who is willing, a creature can provide limitless creative opportunity. Creating an animal has its difficulties, but it is very rewarding to have a polished species to call your own.
Step 2: Where does it live?
The Island of Etoliea has several different areas to chose from. I suggest you read through them all and decide first which one you want it to originate from. Does it come from the fiery plains of Mysticism or the cool waters of Uneam? If you have no clue what I'm talking about, read this post: http://www.storytellerscircle.com/threads/how-etoliea-came-to-be.2784/ I highly suggest all new roleplayers read this, as it gives all needed lore and backstory for you to get started. Back to the subject at hand, if you want a water creature, it will most likely be from Uneam and mostly confined to Uneam. If it comes from Ferra, you most likely won't want to take any trips to Mysticism as Ferra is generally the 'cold' region of Etoliea, though it will really depend on the character you create, and vice versa for Mysticism. Bipedal characters will be best at home in Reimna, and more dark and sinister ones in Darkea. Paceica and Fallow will be best suited for creatures, and if you want to create a fairy like humanoid or animal, Hollow is the place for you. Now, if you already have an idea of your character, it doesn't have to conform to these rules, but you should apply basic logic. If you have a frost giant, it isn't going to be living in Mysticism or chilling out in Uneam. I hope you all use logic and don't put your character too out of place, but I can't control what you do.
Step 3: What kind of power suits it best?
This is not a requirement, but merely a suggestion. Not all creatures have to be god-like beasts, but they aren't going to be extremely weak either. Now, due to the nature of this roleplay, making your character an overpowered warrior who will be at the top of the food chain is tempting. Honestly, you can get away with it, but here's the key: Compensate. Sorry about using my own species to demonstrate, but I think it displays it best. The Selvi's power is great, the ability to permanantly erase something from existance throught time, but, they are unaware of this power until they reach 100, and when they do, they simply forget by completing their life cycle and starting again. This makes their godly power almost non-existent. When constructing a very powerful creature, make sure that you give them a weakness that is as big or bigger than their power. Now, some of you may not even know what kind of power to give your character/species. To be honest, it's hard. Try to think of superheroes and their powers, and see if they fit your creature. Try to see if you can build it into their anatomy. If it's a creature, try looking to the animal kingdom and the weird and wonderful abilities of some species. Combine them. Tweak them. See if they fit. If you can't think of one, that's fine. Try giving it a weapon if it's a humanoid. If it's an animal, look at its design. Can anything be used as a weapon? Horns, claws, beaks, anything that could be used to damage something. This is a hard step if you don't fully grasp it, and it's 100% okay to ask me or @Singing Skies either below or via a pm.
Step 4: Name your species and character
This is a easy step, but you have to remember a few basic things. First, the name must be magical in some way. No Johns or Janes, more like Violia and Kiran. If you can't make up your own name, try a baby naming site and look for names that have something to do with a character trait or otherwise. Now, you've got your character name? Good. Now do it again, but for the species name. It's not to hard, make it something you can have plural and singular. You can go the ‘s’ route, cow/cows, duck/ducks, or the alternate ending route, pony/ponies, wolf/wolves, but if you're really stuck, you can go the ‘I can't decide so it's the same plural and singular’ route, sheep/sheep, salmon/salmon, just try to make a definite one so you don't end up switching it. (For example, a Selvi, two Selvis.)
Step 5: Flesh it out!
Give your character traits, both positive and negative, and your species a life cycle and some adaptations. This part is 100% up to you. But if you have trouble, try looking at examples. It really helps. Heck, like I said, look to the animal kingdom. Steal some traits. They're not copyrighted, I promise.
Step 6: Fill out the Character Sheet!
Now, hopefully, you've been filling it out as you go. But, if not, go control c and control v that for on another tab, and fill out everything you can. If you need a refresher, just scroll up and read through anything you're having trouble on.
Now, I hope this guide has been helpful. I made it so that it should be, but remember, it's okay to ask for help! And if you really can't make a species, go use someone else's. Just ask and make sure me or @Singing Skies are okay with it.
Step 1: Humanoid or Animal?
One thing unique about Etoliea is the varied types of characters. You're not making humans, but a different species that lives in an entirely alien-like fantasy world where a day is a millennium to us. So one of the first things to decide is whether you're making a humanoid, a bipeadal with arms hands and opposable thumbs, or a creature/animal, which is not a bipedal with arms, hands, and opposable thumbs. While that's not the technical definition (Because Monkeys), it will be the one we use here. The key difference is that when creating a humanoid, you have a pretty good template. Most people use this because we're familiar with the terminology of roleplaying a human or human-like character, and used to describing our characters with traits like humans. But for the adventurous roleplayer, who is willing, a creature can provide limitless creative opportunity. Creating an animal has its difficulties, but it is very rewarding to have a polished species to call your own.
Step 2: Where does it live?
The Island of Etoliea has several different areas to chose from. I suggest you read through them all and decide first which one you want it to originate from. Does it come from the fiery plains of Mysticism or the cool waters of Uneam? If you have no clue what I'm talking about, read this post: http://www.storytellerscircle.com/threads/how-etoliea-came-to-be.2784/ I highly suggest all new roleplayers read this, as it gives all needed lore and backstory for you to get started. Back to the subject at hand, if you want a water creature, it will most likely be from Uneam and mostly confined to Uneam. If it comes from Ferra, you most likely won't want to take any trips to Mysticism as Ferra is generally the 'cold' region of Etoliea, though it will really depend on the character you create, and vice versa for Mysticism. Bipedal characters will be best at home in Reimna, and more dark and sinister ones in Darkea. Paceica and Fallow will be best suited for creatures, and if you want to create a fairy like humanoid or animal, Hollow is the place for you. Now, if you already have an idea of your character, it doesn't have to conform to these rules, but you should apply basic logic. If you have a frost giant, it isn't going to be living in Mysticism or chilling out in Uneam. I hope you all use logic and don't put your character too out of place, but I can't control what you do.
Step 3: What kind of power suits it best?
This is not a requirement, but merely a suggestion. Not all creatures have to be god-like beasts, but they aren't going to be extremely weak either. Now, due to the nature of this roleplay, making your character an overpowered warrior who will be at the top of the food chain is tempting. Honestly, you can get away with it, but here's the key: Compensate. Sorry about using my own species to demonstrate, but I think it displays it best. The Selvi's power is great, the ability to permanantly erase something from existance throught time, but, they are unaware of this power until they reach 100, and when they do, they simply forget by completing their life cycle and starting again. This makes their godly power almost non-existent. When constructing a very powerful creature, make sure that you give them a weakness that is as big or bigger than their power. Now, some of you may not even know what kind of power to give your character/species. To be honest, it's hard. Try to think of superheroes and their powers, and see if they fit your creature. Try to see if you can build it into their anatomy. If it's a creature, try looking to the animal kingdom and the weird and wonderful abilities of some species. Combine them. Tweak them. See if they fit. If you can't think of one, that's fine. Try giving it a weapon if it's a humanoid. If it's an animal, look at its design. Can anything be used as a weapon? Horns, claws, beaks, anything that could be used to damage something. This is a hard step if you don't fully grasp it, and it's 100% okay to ask me or @Singing Skies either below or via a pm.
Step 4: Name your species and character
This is a easy step, but you have to remember a few basic things. First, the name must be magical in some way. No Johns or Janes, more like Violia and Kiran. If you can't make up your own name, try a baby naming site and look for names that have something to do with a character trait or otherwise. Now, you've got your character name? Good. Now do it again, but for the species name. It's not to hard, make it something you can have plural and singular. You can go the ‘s’ route, cow/cows, duck/ducks, or the alternate ending route, pony/ponies, wolf/wolves, but if you're really stuck, you can go the ‘I can't decide so it's the same plural and singular’ route, sheep/sheep, salmon/salmon, just try to make a definite one so you don't end up switching it. (For example, a Selvi, two Selvis.)
Step 5: Flesh it out!
Give your character traits, both positive and negative, and your species a life cycle and some adaptations. This part is 100% up to you. But if you have trouble, try looking at examples. It really helps. Heck, like I said, look to the animal kingdom. Steal some traits. They're not copyrighted, I promise.
Step 6: Fill out the Character Sheet!
Now, hopefully, you've been filling it out as you go. But, if not, go control c and control v that for on another tab, and fill out everything you can. If you need a refresher, just scroll up and read through anything you're having trouble on.
Now, I hope this guide has been helpful. I made it so that it should be, but remember, it's okay to ask for help! And if you really can't make a species, go use someone else's. Just ask and make sure me or @Singing Skies are okay with it.