Intro to RP (October '12 WT) - Lesson Two

[claireducky]

Lesson Two: Creating a Biography

 

Ok! So now that you have down the basics, we are going to move on to creating your character. A biography usually consists of a break down of key details about the character you would like to play; and a short character history to give us (the reader) some insight into what made them the person they are today. A well planned and well written character biography is important; it acts like the foundation for all the RP your character does! You cannot start RPing in the DR PSW until your biography has been approved and cross-checked. If you are planning on RPing in Turnings of the Wheel, you do not *need* a bio to start RPing, but it is recommended that you have one. Writing RP is a lot easier if you have a baseline for your character's actions.

 

When trying to figure out what kind of character to create, try to take a few things into consideration: There are a lot more "normal" people in the world than there are nobles, Aes Sedai, or male channelers. While it is important to play a character that you enjoy and will love to RP; I encourage you to think about the populations of various archetypes as found in the books. If DM accurately reflected the books of Robert Jordan, then the Aiel would outnumber the rest of the RPers by about 30 to 1. Other large divisions would be the Children of the Light, Congress of the Shadow, and the Band of the Red Hand. The Black Tower and White Tower would be near the bottom of the heap! Instead, most people tend to write biographies for their own version of their favorite character, resulting in a profusion of Aes Sedai, Ashaman, and Warders running around. If you are set on writing a WT or other popular character, then by all means go ahead! Nobody will judge you, and you will find lots of activity in these Groups to keep you busy. I only encourage you to think about other options (maybe for a second or third character even!), so that other Groups can see the same popularity that the WT has.

 

Your character's biography will fit into one of the RP Groups we discussed in the first lesson. If you have a good idea of which RP Group you are wishing to join with your character, it would be smart to familiarize yourself with that Group’s specific bio rules. Every Group varies slightly in rules and requirements for their bios. Generally, most Groups will want you to list your character's name, age, origin, description, personality, history and possibly some notes about any skills or agenda they might have. This bio is for purely OOC (out of character) reference, and will not be known in full by other characters in the RP. Therefore, feel free to write about their motivations and secrets-- nobody will know them that shouldn’t!

 

There is a new biography requirement regarding Two Rivers characters that has been in place since 2010:

- All bios from the Two Rivers area require approval from the Admins before being posted for CCing (crosschecking).

- Emond's Field characters should not be born in the village, but must be part of the refugee influx to the area. If you wish to be a native of the Two Rivers, choose a different village.

- In either case, please do not claim to know or be related (distantly or otherwise) to any of the main characters.

- Should your Two Rivers bio be approved, you cannot submit any further bios from that area.

 

All bios in the DR PSW follow a similar format, designed to ensure everyone puts the same effort into creating well-thought-out, three-dimensional characters.

 

In general, this is the format you should use when making your bio in the DR PSW:

 

DM Handle: (your username at DM)

Contact Info: (email address)

Character Count: (How many characters will this be in this group? 1st, 2nd, or 3rd?)

Character Name:

Nationality:

Age:

Physical Characteristics: A basic description of the character. Add any distinguishing marks or features.

Personality:

Personal History:

 

However, when creating your biography, each RP Group might have very slight variations in their requirements. So, here is a list of the RP Groups and their biography info. I have spoiler tagged some of the content to save space, but please read it!

 

Band of the Red Hand

Where to Send Bio: Please email your bio to BotrHDiv[at]dragonmount[dot]com

 

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"Please note that Weapon Scores (WS) for new characters (Recruits) are 0-5 depending on the character's fighting history and the quality of the bio. The bio checker will assign you an appropriate score upon bio approval. Once the entry RP has been completed, then the character will attain the rank of Private and start to advance in WS. All new members will have to seek out the Band. NOTE: You cannot just stumble into the Citadel where the Band reside... it is highly guarded, just as any army's camp would be."

 

 

Format to Follow: Use the general DR PSW format.

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Black Tower

Where to Send Bio: Please email your bio to BTBios[at]gmail[dot]com

 

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"The fun part. Invent a history for your character (but keep it realistic please). Try to refrain from mentioning your channelers strength or ability if he is a wilder, because your One Power scores have not yet been assigned. Similarly, do not assume that your character is a blademaster, since all BT initiates start off with a weapon score of 1. Your character MUST be from the mainland (no Seanchan/Sharan/Sea Folk). We may be willing to accept an Aiel, but he would have to be very well written. Remember that the taint affects all men sooner or later. Usually sooner. Do not assume that you've been channeling for decades. You will most likely be mad, dead, or some combination of the two before reaching the BT. Also remember that all ties to your former life are severed upon joining the BT. This includes nobility or royalty."

 

 

Format to Follow: Use the general DR PSW format.

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Children of the Light

Where to Send Bio: Please email your bio to CotLDiv[at]dragonmount[dot]com with Bio in the subject line. Also CC it to: Nynaeve.n10[at]gmail[dot]com for quicker service.

 

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Characters must be from the mainland of Randland. No Seanchan, Sea Folk, or Sharans. No Ogier. They are pacifists. We are not. No Aiel either. They arent pacifists, but still no.

1. Minimum age to join the ranks of the Children of the Light and become a soldier is 18 naming days. Any younger and we will send you back home to your mother where you belong.

2. As an initiate of the Children you begin with a WS of 4. By the time a person enters the Fortress, it is reasonable that he or she may have a basic knowledge of sword work or some comparable weapon, but will by no means be considered proficient.

3. No mention of special abilities that would be possessed only by a soldier with many years experience. This includes things like military strategy, tactics, and guerilla warfare. Keep in mind your character will be a green recruit and therefore unlikely to be a strategical genius, despite what they've read.

4. No godder characters. This means no phrases like "the best swordsman ever", "unstoppable", "fantastically wonderful and perfect", and the like. While it is reasonable for a person to have one special skill or gift or talent, having all of them is not. When giving your character a strength, try to balance it with a weakness as well.

5. NO Channeling. NO, I said none. Not even a little. NO! You channel, we give you over to the Hand. The end (A VERY compelling reason, if such exists, can be brought up to me. Low chances of success, though).

6. Try not to do the whole 'a Trolloc ate my mom so I hate the Shadow'. There are a million reasons to hate the Shadow. Make yours one of a kind.

7. The Children of the light do not beg, pressure, or cajole anyone into joining. No meeting a large group of Children in an inn and having them plead with your character to sign up at the Fortress. No matter how impressive your character is, no Kid worth their salt has so little pride they would be like "Oh, please join us mister skillfull awesome man."

8. Last, no mentions of the main characters from the series. In addition to the Three Amigos and their women, this includes monarchs, past Amyrlins, current military leaders, that sort of thing. This is a Portal Stone World (hence the name DRPSW) and often things arent exactly as they are in the books. Plus, the Dragon Reborn is far too busy talking to the voice/s in his head to be hangin' out with your new character.

 

 

Format to Follow: Use the general DR PSW format, but please add this line somewhere:

Subdivision - Army, Hand or Whisper of the Light (IF you already know where you'd like to go. Otherwise leave blank)

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Freelanders

Where to Send Bio: Please email your bio to FLDiv@dragonmount.com

Specific Info for Various FL guilds:

 

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Aiel: Bio Guidelines

Sea Folk: Bio Guidelines

Ogier: Bio Guidelines

Seanchan: Bio Guidelines

Kin: Bio Guidelines

Tinkers and General Freelanders For the Freebooters and the Tinkers, no guidelines have been specified as of yet. Feel free to contact staff for more information.

 

 

Format to Follow Each of the guilds above has it’s own Bio format, so click the links and use that format. If you are making a Tinker or general Freelander, use one of the other guild’s formats (like the Aiel) and adapt it to your character.

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Congress of the Shadow

There is a temporary amnesty on raising requirements in CoTS. This means you may be able to create a Tier 3 character from scratch, instead of starting at level 1. Contact Liitha for more information on this opportunity.

Where to Send Bio: Email the bio to sCoSDiv@dragonmount.com . Include the character type (Dreadlords/Darkfriend/Shadowspawn) bio in the subject line.

 

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More Information about CoS bios:

Don't include the Chosen in your bio (unless approved beforehand by the CotS group leader). Channelers should write of the discovery that they can channel, but no actual channelling (if born with the spark you will get sick and will have a block, if not you will have been tested for the ability to learn).

When writing your bio :

• No visible cell or gang mark that can mark you as a DF and be used to track you down
  
• Any ages allowed and we take people of all ethnic groups (but no wolfkin, wolves can smell evil and wrongness)
  
• The shadowspawn can historically only be met in the Blight bordering countries.
  
• There is no Shadowspawn in Seanchan
  
• Theologically, lightfools and darkfriends are mortal enemies and most normal people would consider it right to kill darkfriends, possibly on sight/ without trial. (No, you can’t have a lightfool best friend who knows what you are.)
  
• The Chosen are not gonna be appearing in your house to summon you, they have better things to do than to worry about an ant they can crush under their bootheel.
  
• No stumbling upon the Fortress or the Tower of the Black Dawn, they are both located deep enough within the Blight, that any attempt to do so would see you dead long before you could even glimpse it in the horizon.
  
• No one comes to the Fortress with a restricted item (ie angreal, Power-wrought objects, etc) or Talent without advance permission of the Group Leader.
  

 

 

Format to Use: Use the General DR PSW format, but add this line somewhere:

Division: Darkfriend/Shadowspawn/Dreadlord (if Shadowspawn, specify what kind: Trolloc, Fade, Gholam, Drakghar, etc).

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Warders

Where to Send Bio: Email the bio to warders.bios[at]gmail[dot]com

 

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Warder trainees must be between 16-21 years old when joining. The biography must be at least 300 words in length. No Aiel, Seanchan, Sharans, SeaFolk, Ogier, channellers, or Shadowspawn. No angreal, ter’angreal, or sa’angreal. No characters from the Two Rivers. Last names starting with al’ come from the Two Rivers area. Don’t do it. Being really tall and really strong has been done to death. Warders aren’t ALL 6’4” with bulging muscles. We come in all sizes. The more you write into your bio, the higher Weapon Score your character will start with, up to a maximum of 4. Make it realistic, your character will not be a skilled swordsman before coming to us.

 

 

Format to Use: Use the General DR PSW format.

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White Tower

Where to Send Bio: Email the bio to dmwtbios[at]gmail[dot]com

 

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Your character cannot have the spark inborn unless the Group Leader has given her approval. This means she cannot 'channel', but she can 'learn to channel'. Until further notice the White Tower will not accept any bios that are for true born Two Rivers characters, this includes Emonds Field, Taren Ferry and the surrounding area. We will accept bios that say the characters family are refugees from (insert country name) and are now resident in the above areas. We are also not accepting any Wilder bios at this time. We are now accepting “Salidar” Novices, please read HERE for more information.

 

 

Format to Use: Use the General DR PSW format, but you may optionally add this information in the Personality section:

Special Skills:

Knowledge Weakness:

Physical Weakness:

Personality weakness:

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Wolfkin

Where to Send Bio: Email the bio to WKDiv[at]dragonmount[.]com

 

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The Howling is not a nice, happy process! Firstly, your character will start seeing more sharply, hearing better, and more likely than not people will start thinking that they are crazy because they are seeing and hearing things that nobody else sees and hears. Secondly, a Wanderer's eyes change from their natural colour to the characteristic gold during the Howling. Lastly, most Wanderers start having dreams - the Wolf Dream - involving wolves and often of hunting, pack life, dealing with 'two legs', etc. If your character starts to talk to wolves during the Howling, please remember that wolves don't think in complete sentences (or even in words) but rather in images, so your character may have difficulty understanding them, or speaking back clearly.

 

- Try to steer away from a character who has a background in weapons training, trollocs, etc., since we see this a lot. Remember, Wolfkin are your every day people who suddenly start talking to wolves and come from all walks of life.

 

- Please end your biography in such a way that a Tracker can come and find your character, as that is how they get back to the Stedding. If you make mention of the Tracker in your biography, leave it open to be a male or female member of the Wolfkin as we have Trackers of both genders.

 

When you complete your biography, send it to the email noted above and you should receive a response shortly. If you've sent your biography off and don't get a reply within a few days, send a private message (PM) to Taymist here at DM.

 

 

Format to Use: Use the General DM PSW format.

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Exceptional Biography Writing

 

Now that we have covered the individual requirements of the Divisions for biographies, let's talk some more about what makes a GOOD biography. Start by developing a basic sketch of your character. This should include their name, age, physical description, origins (where they come from), and anything else you want to include or your division wishes you to include. Try to stick to the following guidelines when writing your character sketch:

1. Try to adhere to physical descriptions that match with the nationality of your character. Cairhienin are not tall. Sea Folk don't have naturally blonde hair.

2. Try to be original in your choices for your character. You shouldn't be from the Two Rivers, pick anywhere else in the world you can. You shouldn't be a young woman with a bad temper and a braid that you like to pull when mad.

3. No unnatural hair/eye coloring in your character. The exception is Wolfkin, but again, the only color allowed there is golden.

 

Once you have completed your character sketch, it is time to flesh out your character with history and background information. We want to learn what got your character to where they are today. Their likes, their dislikes, weaknesses, faults and traits-- thinking about all of these aspects of your character when writing their biography will help you make them a believable and three-dimensional character. What makes them tick? What does their voice sound like? Are they right-handed or left-handed? What do they fear most? Ask these questions and more of yourself when writing a biography, and you will be well on your way to having an exceptional character!

 

You want the character history portion of your biography to be of a decent length. Somewhere between 500 words and a page and a half is ideal for a new character. Most people choose to write their character description in one of two ways: Third Person Omniscient, or Multiple-Person Narrative.

 

Third person omniscient is done entirely using He/She/It style pronouns. The narrator knows the character's thoughts and feelings, and can also comment or offer judgement on the behaviors of the character; sometimes the narrator offers information that the character might not have. You might choose this narrative style if you want your character history to simply be a description of your character's past and their motivations. Here is an example written in Third Person Omniscient:

 

  Quote

Mary is the quiet sort, she never speaks over others during a conversation. Most people who meet her think her quite meek and possibly easy to control; this is NOT the case, however. She is very capable of getting her way. Her unassuming manner disarms those she comes in contact with. Through subtle manipulation, Mary usually will achieve her desires. She never realized this predatory part of her personality existed, however, until the fateful day she met Lucas.

 

Multiple-Person Narrative is the most common use found in RPs at DM, and many players choose it for writing their bio as well. It is very similar to the previous example, with a third person omniscient (all-knowing) narrator who can comment on the character's thoughts, feelings, and motivations. The use of first person comes in for conversations, and occasionally the expression of thoughts or feelings the character is having. You might choose this narrative mode if you want your character history to be like a story itself, with dialogue, thoughts, and actions. Here is a sample written using Multiple-Person Narrative:

  Quote

Mary couldn't believe it when Kerwin told her an Aes Sedai had come to their tiny town. She rushed into the kitchen, where her mother was baking bread for the upcoming Winternight festival. She bounced slightly on her toes, waiting for her mother to acknowledge her. Finally, the woman dusted the flour off her hands and turned to face her teenaged daughter.

 

"What is it, Mary? You look as though you are going to bounce right through the thatch!" Her mother couldn't help but smiling, despite the scolding words.

 

Blushing, Mary looked down at her shoes and mentally calmed herself.

 

Light, you are almost a woman grown...stop bouncing like a child at their first Bel Tine dance!

 

"I'm sorry mother, I only wanted to know if you had heard of the Aes Sedai in town."

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Once you decide which writing mode suits your bio better, take the various bits of information you have about your character, and work them into a character history. Bear in mind the BALANCE rule we discussed in the last lesson. You do not want your character to be TOO perfect. Conversely, an overly tragic and drama-filled character is just as bad. Try to get a good mix of joy and pain in your character's past. Another thing to remember is that all characters start at the bottom. Your trainee Warder is not going to be amazing with the quarterstaff from the get-go. Natural talent is ok, use these predispositions of your character to determine the direction they go with their career. If your Child of the Light has a natural talent for picking up on things others wouldn't, he might make a good spy.

 

After you have your character history completed, you are ready to submit it! Email it to the correct address as listed above, and then sit back and wait! You will get an email back from the RP Group bio checker within a few days, usually. They will either approve your biography and put it on the Biography Board or not approve it, and you will need to make changes. If there are problems with your biography, the bio-checker will email you back and ask for any relevant changes to be made before it can be approved. Once it is on the Biography board, it will be cross-checked by a bio checker from another RP Group. This double check system ensures that all bios adhere to standards regardless of who checks them. Once the biography has been approved AND crosschecked, you are good to go!

 

I need more help!

 

Not feeling inspired? Run into problems while working on your character? The first thing you can do is contact your RP Group’s bio checker (or Group Leader) and ask for advice or suggestions. Remember, they see LOTS of bios, and they are sure to have a lot of great ideas of how to make your biography stand out. If you need help with specific things, like picking a name, remembering some of the old tongue, etc....here is a list of some great resources:

Fantasy Name Generator is a great place to get a unique name for your character!

The WoT Concordance is a very helpful resource for learning about cultures, customs, and the details that make your character different from the rest.

The Wheel of Time Encyclopaedia is another place you can turn to for information about all things WoT.

 

Lesson Two Wrap Up

This ends the lesson on writing a biography. If you follow all the guidelines we have talked about, you will end up with a character that outshines the rest AND is a joy to RP because you will have such a good grasp of their motivations and personality. The assignment for this lesson is to create a character biography. Put just as much thought into this sample biography as you would for an actual character.

 

Use Word or a similar text editor to create your bio according to the General PSW format above, with any additions needed specific to the RP Group you are choosing. After you have written it, save it on your hard drive. You will need this copy for if/when you decide to submit it to the RP group.

 

After you are done writing it, please copy and paste your answers into THIS form.

 

I will review your bio and let you know any changes I’d recommend. Note: I am not an official bio-checker, so my approval does not mean an automatic approval by the RP Group if you submit it to them. But I’ll do my best to ensure you have a bio that is likely to be approved the first time.

 

In lesson 3 we will be discussing character development through RP. And in lesson 4 we will pair up and you will RP using these characters on the Revolution One board. If anybody has a question regarding THIS lesson, feel free to post it now! Otherwise, I will see you for our next lesson!

 

EDIT: If anyone is curious, I am posting the completed bios I have checked to THIS thread.

[The_Fnorrll_Reborn]

I always go overboard on my bio's I find "normal" bios too boring, but bio checkers are understandably unwilling to allow more "interesting" ones...I think its because a writer generally wants to write his own thing...writing something which fits into someone elses world is a difficult skill.

 

I mean if you think about it, none of the interesting characters in the book are "normal" WoT characters...Mat is the most interesting and he has a lot going on!

 

I'll try and cook up a "reasonable" idea tho

[claireducky]

If' it's been as long as you say since you've RPed here, Fnorrll, I think you'll find today's biocheckers and group leaders prefer Interesting characters. As long as the content is not super unrealistic, you should be fine!

[The_Fnorrll_Reborn]

Awesome! I just tend to write characters who actually would work within in the framework of the books, but who would actually be interesting to read about if they were in the books themselves.

[Valeria Al'Terra]

K going need some time on this one, when I get time some time today maybe tomorrow I'll turn out a character - I've actually been thinking on this for awhile. xD~

[michellem]

I won't have time until tomorrow, but I'll hopefully get it done by then!

 

Claire, I have a question. If you want to RP i.e. an Aes Sedai, do you have to start out as a novice and RP trough the whole training period before you can start being Aes Sedai? Because honestly, that sounds very boring.

[Valeria Al'Terra]

  On 10/4/2012 at 9:23 PM, Misheru Sedai said:

I won't have time until tomorrow, but I'll hopefully get it done by then!

 

Claire, I have a question. If you want to RP i.e. an Aes Sedai, do you have to start out as a novice and RP trough the whole training period before you can start being Aes Sedai? Because honestly, that sounds very boring.

 

Dunno I think roleplaying a bunch of novices getting in trouble, breaking rules, cleaning pots sounds fun, sorta like college but for magical people xD

[Leala]

*waves hands*

 

Teacher! Can I use a character that's already been written and approved for DRPSW? Or would you prefer I make up a new character?

[Sakaea]

We'll see how that does

[claireducky]

Leala: I would prefer if you made a character up from scratch, preferably from a different RP Group than those you are already involved in. I'm trying to push your boundaries :)

 

Misheru: Yes, currently if you want to RP as an Aes Sedai, you start as Novice with your first character. The Raising requirements from Novice > Accepted and Accepted > Aes Sedai are not too difficult. As Valeria said, it is quite fun. I pulled a heck of a prank the night before my Blue was raised to the shawl.

 

In the WT RP, once you have gone through the raising process to Aes Sedai with your first character, you may create your 2nd and 3rd Characters as full Aes Sedai.

[blank]

ok, I'll get on this just now...pretty psyched.

 

Also Claire, thanks for the name generator...I suck at names

[Lenlo]

Oh this shall take some time... Should be fun though.

[blank]

ok, I had a go at it, I'll send you the form just now.

 

Be patient with me, it was my first try

[beanie]

Oooh fun! I might take a while to finish this...

[Wildfire Sedai]

this might take me whole weekend...hope i don't hold people back... *sigh*

[claireducky]

I expect/plan on this taking a longer amount of time to complete. No worries, nobody will be left behind. :)

[Valeria Al'Terra]

I was wondering how long can this history be...I think I am going overboard but I am having fun with it hehe...

[claireducky]

Anywhere from 300 words to a page and a half. I'll let you know if it's too long when you send it :)

[Valeria Al'Terra]

Oh hehe...it will be too long, but I had fun with it!

 

Its a build up story to explain why my character went to the White Tower to become Aes Sedai!

 

Hope you like it <3

[claireducky]

Some really great bios coming in, everyone! Keep them coming!

 

If anyone is curious, I am posting the completed bios I have checked to THIS thread.

[Daruya]

I probably won't be able to work on this till much later this afternoon or tonight. Lots going on right now . . .

[claireducky]

No worries Dar; take the weekend if you need to :)

[WolfbrotherKronos]

Excited for lesson 3!

[Panchi]

I will take a little time to do this.

[Kathleen]

  On 10/5/2012 at 6:37 AM, Valeria Al said:

Oh hehe...it will be too long, but I had fun with it!

 

Its a build up story to explain why my character went to the White Tower to become Aes Sedai!

 

Hope you like it <3

 

*peeks her head in just for a second*

 

This could make for a great rp! Write the bio smaller but keep this plot in mind and you could rp it out the events of the bio.