A Time of Chaos:An Anita Blake RPG - Fanfic </ title> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="style.css" /> </head> <body> <div align="right"><b>Creating a Character</b></div> <hr width="100%" height="1" color="#605CA8"></hr> <p>This section is a guide on how to create characters, with general advice as well as links to information specific to each species (work in progress!). It will hopefully cover all you need to know about building a character and filling in the bio form, however if there is anything not covered here or you have a question, please don’t hesitate to email the<a href="mailto:chaos_council@yahoogroups.com"> Council</a></p> <p>First off, as stated in the rules, only original characters are allowed in Time of Chaos. So before you think about basing your character on someone elses’, take heed. Also please consult the allowed (to come) and <a href="banned.html">banned</a> species list before you think about what you want your character to be. If there is any species not on either list, then please contact the Council for advice.</p> <p>As said in the allowed list, one lamia and naga are allowed in game at a time. Once these allowances are filled however, no more will be allowed.</p> <p>In Time of Chaos, we like to keep the characters based on information from the books as well as realistic. For example, beta lycanthropes can not resist being rolled by a vampire, vampires can’t walk in the sun.</p> <p>If you’ve roleplayed before and are used to filling in character bios, feel free to skip the next section. For new players, please read on.</p> <p>Before you fill in the bio template, there are some things you need to think about. What type of character you want to play. What they look like and will be like. To help with this process, here are a few tips to help you get started:</p> <br><br>- Creating and playing characters you have designed is a fun experience. It can be even more fun if you play something or someone you’ve never done before. Though for the first time, it can be easier to base a character on yourself, it is advisable to broaden out and make your character different. Also when creating more characters, it is good to have a mix of personalities and species so not all your characters are the same. <br><br>- Deciding on a species can be tricky but playing a species you like or know the most about at first is recommended. Then later on you can extend to others if you wish. Don’t be afraid to keep your character basic at first and build them up in game; it can be more fun developing your character and powers in game. <br><br>- If you’re not sure what you want your character to look like, find a picture first. There are many sources on the web you can use. A few suggestions for sites can be found in the <a href="pics.html">Where to Find Pictures</a> section of this site. This is also true for names. If you can’t think of a name, then a good way of finding them is researching babies names or the meaning of names. That way you might come up with something you’d never thought about <br><br>- Remember that if you choose to play a beta or human, it doesn’t mean they are not going to be as interesting as the alphas or masters in game. All positions are vital in game plus all characters have the chance to develop and there’s no knowing where your character could end up.</br> <br><br><p>Time of Chaos has a bio template which all players fill in. The template is below. Most fields are self-explanatory, though those which aren’t are given explanations below. Please note that this template is subject to change and currently bios are to be submitted to the Council's address as the link on this site has been disabled.</p> <br><b>Email</b> : Your contact email address <br><b>URL</b>: the link for your character’s picture <br><b>Model name</b>: if known, the person your character’s picture is of. <p><b>Full Name</b>: Remember to check the list of <a href="takennames.html">Taken Names</a> to make sure the name you have chosen isn’t really in use <br><b>Nicknames</b>: <br><b>Age</b>: <br><b>Occupation</b>: <br><b>Residency status</b>: This is whether your character was born/has lived in New Orleans for a while (Long Term Resident – LTR) or has just arrived in the city (New Arrival –NA) <br><b>Species</b>: <br><b>Status</b>: If your character is a lycanthrope, are they an alpha or beta? If a vampire, are they master or non-master? If your character is human, witch, psychic or any other species, please put N/A or leave the field blank <br><b>Outed</b>: Do people know about your character’s lycanthrophy (Outed), do they keep it completely hidden from everyone else but their group (not outed) or do some people know and others don’t? (in-between) <br><b>Group position</b>: Is your character a member of their group or not (rogue) (this applies to lycanthropes and vampires). Select N/A if not. <br><b>Position</b>: Does your character have a power position in their group (for example Ulfric, Nekhi etc). If your character is a human servant, then this needs to be put here. Otherwise leave this field blank.</br></p> <p><b>Eyes</b>: <br><b>Hair</b>: <br><b>Height</b>: In feet <br><b>Weight</b>: In pounds <br><b>Tattoos/piercings</b>:</p> <p><br><b>Appearance</b>: <br><b>Personality</b>: <br><b>History</b>: <br><b>Strengths</b>: <br><b>Weaknesses</b>: <br><b>Quirks</b>: <br><b>Other</b>: </br> <p>For the eyes and hair fields, just enter the colour. Any elaboration (such as length, specifics) can be put in the Appearance section.</p> <p>In the height/weight fields, please make sure you keep your height and weight reasonable and that is also matches the description given in the Appearance section. For example a female who is 5’11” and 115lbs are not curvy, as curves are made of fat. The more curvier a character is, the heavier they will be due to the fat making more weight. This is the same with men. Don’t make someone 6’2” and 150lbs then describe him as having lots of muscle. He won't. Please also bear in mind that muscle weights more than fat, so an athletic character will weigh more than a non-athletic character.</p> <p>A useful site for working out ratios is this<a href=""http://www.healthchecksystems.com/heightweightchart.htm"> height/weight chart</a>. If you would rather use a <a href=""http://nhlbisupport.com/bmi/bmicalc.htm"">BMI calculator</a>, this site is also useful.</p> <p>For the Appearance section, describe the character in full sentences. Include their physical appearance, what they like to wear usually and any other specifics such as scars. If they are a lycanthrope, please also include the appearance of their animal form.</p> <p>An example: “Laura has an exotic looking face, almost cat like. Her long luscious hair sits neatly on her shoulders whilst her grey eyes hold an intelligence beyond her years. Her curvy figure is always clothed in the latest fashions and she would not be seen dead without her high heels." </p> <p>For personality, give a summary for how your character behaves. This doesn’t have to attribute all their characteristics but it needs to give a basis for how the character will act in game.</p> <p>In the history field, detail your character’s past and if they have just moved or are coming to New Orleans, state their reasons why. Remember to make sure your character’s history is realistic. If your character has grown up in a normal home and not experienced more than their home town, it is very unlikely they will be the master of several different languages or know several different martial arts. So it is important when thinking of your character’s skills to match them to their background, think about where they would have learnt them and if it is reasonable. If it isn’t, it will not be approved and you will be asked to change it.</p> <p>If your lycanthrope is an alpha, remember that the status is not automatic. It requires complete control of the beast, which means your character will need to have been guided by their local group and have trained for at least a year. So please refer to this in your bio. It can be as simple as stating that your character was in a group and they helped them gain the status.</p> <p>Please be aware at this point that inter-species mentoring is rare. Cats may mentor other cats but a wolf won’t mentor a cat for example.</p> <p>For Strengths, put in anything your character is really good at and any powers. Remember to not include powers or bonds which are banned. Also bear in mind that with alpha lycanthropes, some of the powers (healing through touch/sex/blood, ripping the beast, calming) are rare. For your character to be allowed these powers, you need to explain to the Council why they have them (they are going for a power position for example or are being written in as one). If the reason for the powers is felt to not be strong enough, they will be removed. Powerful alphas in the series are rare and as Time of Chaos is based on the series, we’d like to keep things in proportion.</p> <p>The Quirks section is for anything your character does which is a bit unusual, such as addictions or things they collect for example. </p> <p>The Others section is for any other information that isn’t covered in the other fields (such as weapons, modes of transport etc).</p> <br><p>A good guide to filling in bios is to look at the other profiles on site as they have already been approved by the Council. Please do not copy directly from them but feel free to use them to help you. <p>Once you have your character bio filled in and ready to send, please send to the Chaos Council with the subject header of: ToC Bio: [character name]. (when you sent it, you don’t need to add the square brackets in the header. <p>For character pictures, please send the link (URL) on the same email as the bio so the Council can retrieve the picture. If this is missing, or doesn’t work, the Council will inform you. Please also refer to the <a href="usedpics.html>Celebrities Currently in Use</a> page to check the person you want to use for your character isn’t already in use. <p>Soon there will be links to information regarding the individual species to further help with the character creation process. Please stayed tuned for this information in the near future. <br><br><br><p>Hope this guide has been useful. Happy Character building!</p></br> </body> </html>