Writing a Character Background
Writing a background for your character doesn't need to be long and complicated. When submitting your background for the first time for approval with the storyteller, we don't need or want more than a paragraph to get you started. At its minimum, it should have a few sentences about where you're from and how you got to where you are now. It could mention people or objects that are important in your life (pets are people too).
After you've gotten your character approved, you may want to dig deeper into your character's story so that you understand them better, but how do you know what to add?
While you're building out your history and your background, consider the music that would be on your character's personal mixtape. You could find a song that fits the personality of your character rather than their background. Are there songs that can remind you of the mood or feelings from the events in your character's life? Are there songs that represent who your character is today? Alternatively, are there songs that you really like that inspire your backstory or personality?
Your mixtape should be unique to the character, and isn't limited to only 80s music. If there's a song that really inspires you, add it to the list.
Now that you've got your high concept, you should describe what your character looks like. They enter a scene for the first time: what would people notice about you? Do they have a distinctive way they dress, or perhaps a quirk in how they act? Try not to use single words - they're not "stocky", they're built like a brick outhouse. They're not "skinny", they're as thin as a rail. They don't have "brown eyes", they have dull, mud-colored eyes that mirror a soul of the earth.
Keep in mind that, as a primarily text-based game, the more detailed the picture you present to other people through text, the easier it is for people to picture you. Sometimes a picture is easier to understand - looking for a face claim (art or an actor that represents your character) can be a lot of fun!
The following video gives many more useful tips on how to design your character, and isn't limited to D&D. Designing your character can be a great way to stand out from other characters and NPCs.
Drawing inspiration from your character's description, perhaps a few visible quirks, and your background so far, who is your character today? This is normally a simpler task because you have an idea of what you want to play. Take a look at your High Concept and think who that type of person would be. As you think about their personality, build a mask or a filter that changes how your character sees the world.
Consider who you would enjoy playing. It feels bad when you spend the work to make an awesome character with a detailed background, but getting into the mindset of the character makes you miserable. You end up wasting all of that work and have to start over. Try to avoid an anti-social or loner character that has no reason to participate. Those types of characters are great for stories and novels, but they're a lot harder to play and enjoy in this type of game.
There are generally two methods of designing a character's personality: take aspects of your own personality and dial it to eleven, or lean in to an archetype.
For some people, it can be easier to take aspects of your personality and exaggerate them. If you're not usually a chipper person, make your character exceedingly so. If you're naturally shy, make your character outgoing. If you were the gifted kid in school, make your character as dumb as a box of rocks. It can be fun to play a character that is someone you're not. On the flip side, if you're outgoing, make your character flamboyant. If you're reserved, make your character goth.
Instead of making a character that's an aspect of yourself, you can lean into a personality archetype instead. Take inspiration from 80s TV shows, movies, books or any other media and portray your idea of that type of character. Look at the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator personalities and use that for inspiration instead, or visit TV Tropes for different character tropes.
You can, and should, combine and alter multiple of these to create a unique character. Tweak the archetype to match your High Concept, and build out the personality you want.
Building a perfect character with no flaws falls into the trap of becoming a Mary Sue. Mary Sue characters aren't fun to be around, and are increasingly hard to portray because they have nowhere to change or grow as time goes on. If the character is to grow, their flawlessness becomes brittle and reveals itself as the mask it really is.
Savage Worlds represents these flaws mechanically as Hindrances. It doesn't matter whether you start with a story and add Hindrances to a character sheet to reflect those flaws, or choose Hindrances first and then build character flaws into your background for how you got them. Sometimes your character will have flaws that aren't ever represented by mechanics at all. What matters is that your Hindrances are a part of your character and should reflect the story that you tell. Even Hindrances that might at first glance seem cheesy can have a deep impact to who your character is.
By having a deeper understanding of your character's flaws and limitations, it makes it easier to roleplay those flaws, and the more they'll come up during games in a natural way.
Once you've decided who your character is today, it's time to start looking for how your character got that way. A personal timeline is a good place to start building a rough draft and to organize your ideas. At this time consider the people that changed them along the way. Who do they admire, and who would they spite? Who are their family, and who do they choose as their family?
Look at your Hindrances for inspiration. If your character limps, how did they get it? Were they in an accident, or did Jimmy the Legbreaker find you? If your character is chipper, is it because they're hiding trauma scars from their past? What happened to cause those scars, and who were the people involved?
How old is your character, and what major events have happened in your lifetime? Have those events affected you and changed who you are today?
Your character's backstory affects both your character's personality and their motivations. By building a history and a backstory for your character, you'll have a better idea of how to portray your character. They give you things to talk about and connect with other characters over. Don't fall into the trap of adding story just to fill in the blanks - everything in your story should have a reason and a purpose for being there. Importantly, consider how your character would feel about the events that have happened in their life.
Your story isn't finished there. Once you've built your background, it can, and should, grow and change. You don't have to put your character's entire life story down on a page at the beginning. As your character develops and grows, you may want to look back at the events that have shaped their life. You may decide that you want to change how events affected them, or create background ties with other players. You may decide to 'remember' an event from your past later, so adding it in keeps a record of stories you have told, and reminds you of the connections you've made.
Your story is ultimately up to you. The storytelling staff is there to guide you and keep the world consistent. We like to tell stories, and we hope to enjoy telling stories with you.
After you've gotten your character approved, you may want to dig deeper into your character's story so that you understand them better, but how do you know what to add?
Listen to Your Heart
And there are voices that want to be heard / So much to mention but you can't find the words - Roxette, Listen To Your Heart (1989)While you're building out your history and your background, consider the music that would be on your character's personal mixtape. You could find a song that fits the personality of your character rather than their background. Are there songs that can remind you of the mood or feelings from the events in your character's life? Are there songs that represent who your character is today? Alternatively, are there songs that you really like that inspire your backstory or personality?
Your mixtape should be unique to the character, and isn't limited to only 80s music. If there's a song that really inspires you, add it to the list.
Pictures of You
I've been looking so long at these pictures of you / That I almost believe that they're real - The Cure (1989)Now that you've got your high concept, you should describe what your character looks like. They enter a scene for the first time: what would people notice about you? Do they have a distinctive way they dress, or perhaps a quirk in how they act? Try not to use single words - they're not "stocky", they're built like a brick outhouse. They're not "skinny", they're as thin as a rail. They don't have "brown eyes", they have dull, mud-colored eyes that mirror a soul of the earth.
Keep in mind that, as a primarily text-based game, the more detailed the picture you present to other people through text, the easier it is for people to picture you. Sometimes a picture is easier to understand - looking for a face claim (art or an actor that represents your character) can be a lot of fun!
The following video gives many more useful tips on how to design your character, and isn't limited to D&D. Designing your character can be a great way to stand out from other characters and NPCs.
Who Are You?
Tell me, who are you? 'Cause I really wanna know - The Who, Who Are You (1978)Drawing inspiration from your character's description, perhaps a few visible quirks, and your background so far, who is your character today? This is normally a simpler task because you have an idea of what you want to play. Take a look at your High Concept and think who that type of person would be. As you think about their personality, build a mask or a filter that changes how your character sees the world.
Consider who you would enjoy playing. It feels bad when you spend the work to make an awesome character with a detailed background, but getting into the mindset of the character makes you miserable. You end up wasting all of that work and have to start over. Try to avoid an anti-social or loner character that has no reason to participate. Those types of characters are great for stories and novels, but they're a lot harder to play and enjoy in this type of game.
There are generally two methods of designing a character's personality: take aspects of your own personality and dial it to eleven, or lean in to an archetype.
Taking it to Eleven
"Why not just make ten louder and make ten be the top number and make that a little louder?" Pause. "These go to eleven." -- This is Spinal Tap (1984)For some people, it can be easier to take aspects of your personality and exaggerate them. If you're not usually a chipper person, make your character exceedingly so. If you're naturally shy, make your character outgoing. If you were the gifted kid in school, make your character as dumb as a box of rocks. It can be fun to play a character that is someone you're not. On the flip side, if you're outgoing, make your character flamboyant. If you're reserved, make your character goth.
Try not to create a character that's a carbon copy of yourself with the serial numbers filed off. That's a good way to set yourself up for bleed - or feeling the emotions your character should be having because you're so invested in the scene.
Lean on Me
I just might have a problem that you'll understand / We all need somebody to lean on - Club Nouveau, Lean On Me (1987)Instead of making a character that's an aspect of yourself, you can lean into a personality archetype instead. Take inspiration from 80s TV shows, movies, books or any other media and portray your idea of that type of character. Look at the Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator personalities and use that for inspiration instead, or visit TV Tropes for different character tropes.
You can, and should, combine and alter multiple of these to create a unique character. Tweak the archetype to match your High Concept, and build out the personality you want.
Nobody's Perfect
Being an angel / it must be hard / when the world has let you down - Mike and the Mechanics, Nobody's Perfect (1988)Building a perfect character with no flaws falls into the trap of becoming a Mary Sue. Mary Sue characters aren't fun to be around, and are increasingly hard to portray because they have nowhere to change or grow as time goes on. If the character is to grow, their flawlessness becomes brittle and reveals itself as the mask it really is.
Savage Worlds represents these flaws mechanically as Hindrances. It doesn't matter whether you start with a story and add Hindrances to a character sheet to reflect those flaws, or choose Hindrances first and then build character flaws into your background for how you got them. Sometimes your character will have flaws that aren't ever represented by mechanics at all. What matters is that your Hindrances are a part of your character and should reflect the story that you tell. Even Hindrances that might at first glance seem cheesy can have a deep impact to who your character is.
By having a deeper understanding of your character's flaws and limitations, it makes it easier to roleplay those flaws, and the more they'll come up during games in a natural way.
Code of Honor
At first glance, the Code of Honor (Minor) Hindrance may not seem like much of a flaw, but why does your character have such an honorable streak? Was there something in your past that gave you the motivation to be chivalrous? Was there a shining example of chivalry that changed you, or was there something particularly dishonorable that you're running away from or trying to spite?
How does your Code of Honor motivate you today, and in what ways does it hinder you?
Back In Time
"Don't bet your future / On one roll of the dice." - Huey Lewis and the News, Back in Time (1985)Once you've decided who your character is today, it's time to start looking for how your character got that way. A personal timeline is a good place to start building a rough draft and to organize your ideas. At this time consider the people that changed them along the way. Who do they admire, and who would they spite? Who are their family, and who do they choose as their family?
Look at your Hindrances for inspiration. If your character limps, how did they get it? Were they in an accident, or did Jimmy the Legbreaker find you? If your character is chipper, is it because they're hiding trauma scars from their past? What happened to cause those scars, and who were the people involved?
How old is your character, and what major events have happened in your lifetime? Have those events affected you and changed who you are today?
Your character's backstory affects both your character's personality and their motivations. By building a history and a backstory for your character, you'll have a better idea of how to portray your character. They give you things to talk about and connect with other characters over. Don't fall into the trap of adding story just to fill in the blanks - everything in your story should have a reason and a purpose for being there. Importantly, consider how your character would feel about the events that have happened in their life.
Neverending Story
Hidden in the lines / Written on the pages / Is the answer to a never ending story - Limahl, Neverending Story (1984)Your story isn't finished there. Once you've built your background, it can, and should, grow and change. You don't have to put your character's entire life story down on a page at the beginning. As your character develops and grows, you may want to look back at the events that have shaped their life. You may decide that you want to change how events affected them, or create background ties with other players. You may decide to 'remember' an event from your past later, so adding it in keeps a record of stories you have told, and reminds you of the connections you've made.
Your story is ultimately up to you. The storytelling staff is there to guide you and keep the world consistent. We like to tell stories, and we hope to enjoy telling stories with you.