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A Guide to Creating a Character Profile

  • Member
    September 29, 2014

    A Guide to Character Profiles

    The Role Playing group has long been home to the Character Profiles of the Blog, but until now has been conspicuously lacking a guide on creating them! Read on to find out what makes up a profile, why it matters, and how you can create one of your own!

    What's a Character Profile, and Why Does it Matter?

    The first thing you should know is what a profile is. A character profile is basically a detailed breakdown of a given character, usually the character you've created for a play-through of the game. It can tell the reader all the important quirks, attributes and background of the character, often well enough that if the reader wanted, they could recreate the character in their own game.

    That's where the benefits of character profiles come in. Not everyone is inclined towards the technical work needed for something like a character build, but some people still enjoy creating detailed, well thought out characters rooted in roleplay. Profiles are the perfect venue for showcasing these ideas! Maybe others will be inspired to try out your character, too!

    Beyond that, profiles can make an excellent starting point for a play-through. You can plan out the character's personality, interests and alignment before the game begins, to help you have a more immersive roleplay experience during the game. You'll have a clear vision of what's important to the character, what choices they'd make, and why.

    It's also an unfortunate reality that we eventually move on from our characters to start new ones. Keeping track of saves can be a hassle, and some people like to do a hard reset, deleting old saves to make room for a new character. A profile can be a great way to preserve a character that you really enjoyed playing, giving you the groundwork to recreate them in the future!

    How Do You Create a Profile?

    Creating a profile is easy! The more detailed you are, the better, but it can be fairly basic and still just as informative. All you need to do is start a new discussion here in the Role Playing group, and start listing your characters traits. Begin with the obvious, need-to-know information, and progress into the deeper background that will influence the character's personality. Below is a blank "template" useful for making a profile. It can really be as simple as filling in the blanks!

    Name: 

    Aliases: 

    Sex: 

    Race: 

    Class: 

    Alignment: 

    Title(s): 

    Age: 

     

    Appearance 

    Skin Tone: 

    Height: 

    Weight: 

    Build: 

    Eyes: 

    Hair: 

    Apparel: 

    Tattoos/Scars: 

    Weapons:

     

    Background

    Special Abilities/Skills: 

    Place of Birth: 

    Religion: 

    Residence: 

    Political Affiliations: 

    Occupation: 

    Organizations/Factions: 

    Favorite food/drink: 

    Interests:  

    Flaws: 

    Citizenship: 

    Relationships: 

    Personality: 

     

    Backstory

    [This space is best used to talk about the character's history before the events of the game, things that influenced them or set them on the path they'll follow during the story.]

     

    Skyrim

    [A separate section can be handy for talking about how the character fits into the stories of the game.Major choices, or objectives, or where they find themselves when you're finished playing them.]

     

    That's all there is to it folks! Character profiles are a great way to get inspired and inspire others in Skyrim. Flavor like character theme music and screenshots/pictures of the character are also really great touches to include, so you don't have a wall of text. If you come across a profile you like here (and there are tons of great ones), don't hesitate to let them know with a comment, or by leaving them a 'like'! Have fun creating!

     

    Helpful Links

    Basics of Roleplaying: Backstories

    Vix's Background Question List

    Quirks, Ticks and Habits

    Profile Examples

    Ugolin, by Phil

    Helithil, the Thaumaturge, by Henson

    Lilianna Bolar, by MaxsonIV

    Feel free to leave comments, questions and suggestions below!

  • Member
    September 30, 2014
    This is great, and a really good and needed addition to the group :) The only thing that I think could improve it is links to various discussions that could help people build the character, for example http://theskyrimblog.ning.com/group/role-playing/forum/topics/background-questions-list and http://theskyrimblog.ning.com/group/role-playing/forum/topics/quirks-ticks-and-habits. It would also be useful if some good examples of profiles were linked, with the creators permission of course.
  • Member
    September 30, 2014

    Great suggestion, Zonnonn!

  • October 18, 2014

    I'm surprised Henson's isn't listed as an example. After all, it was THE example for a while.

  • Member
    October 18, 2014

    Your completely right! I've edited the guide to accommodate it, and changed the links so they open in a new window.

  • Member
    October 18, 2014

    Thanks for the guide my friend! 1+ like from me!

  • Member
    October 18, 2014
    Ummmm... Isn't the Thaumaturge by Henson?
  • October 18, 2014

    Yep, it looks like Borom's made a little mistake.

  • Member
    October 18, 2014
    I could have sworn I put his name in. Fixed now. That was embarrassing.
  • Member
    October 22, 2014

    Ok, I said before how I've never done one but I think this has inspired me. Great work Borom, as always