Character Ideas
(redirected from Souls.CharacterIdeas)
Sometimes you have a great idea, but don't have the time to see it through. This page contains character ideas that any member is welcome to use to incorporate into an existing character or use as inspiration for a new character. Also note that while many ideas may work best for new characters, you can also use them for as inspiration.
If you'd like a super-brief idea for a character or NPC, check out our Character Generator? It's fun!
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1. Personality Ideas
1.1 Developing your Character's Personality
Try reading some websites and posts about developing your character's personality.
- Ash’s Guide to RPG Personality & Background has a lot of great ways to start developing your character's personality.
- Sheeply's Character Creation Guide Pt 1 is a great overview of character archetypes.
- Note: you must be logged into DeviantArt in order to view this resource.
- A good thing to have with a character is a key weakness. This can include a soft spot for children, a hero complex, or suffering from a drug addiction (or to mix it up, your character could be an adrenaline junkie rather than someone addicted to actual drugs). Mental disorders, while are sometimes interesting to play, aren't always the least common quality. Your character doesn't have to be super crazy or insane to be an awesome one! ~ Titmouse
- Try to avoid things like (TV Tropes Warning) Televisually Transmitted Diseases.
1.2 Personality Tests
There are many personality tests developed to explain certain "types" of personalities. Some examples are the 16 Personality Factors, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, Trait theory, and the Big Five personality traits. Consider trying to answer a personality quiz as your character or use them as ideas for how your character might behave.
1.3 Character Archetypes
The archetype is a subconsciously-accepted "type" of character. If you've ever thought to yourself, "wow, this character reminds me a lot of another one," it might be because they are the same archetype. They also help the reader identify certain patterns of behaviour and outcomes -- if you've ever predicted a character will act a certain way, it might be because you recognize the archetype and behaviour associated with it. You may also want to consider researching some Jungian archetypes.
If you're really interested, check out Roberston Davies' Fifth Business. It is a fictional novel that heavily relies upon character archetypes; however, he invents a new one: the "fifth business", a character which enables all of the other characters to reach their maximum fulfilment. It starts off slow, but it's a very intricate and interesting novel. It is also the first of a trilogy, so there two other novels which explore similar ideas.
1.4 Specific Ideas
Here are a few more specific ideas that people might not necessarily think of, but that could add that extra flare to a character who you might think is 'missing' something. This is just a small list! There are plenty of possibilities that could be found around the web.
- Common ailments to humans —
- Allergies.
- Some sort of phobia or compulsion.
- Hypochondria
- An eating disorder, such as bulimia.
- Some form of religious or cultural norm that is seen as 'taboo' to others, like polygamy.
- Mysophobia.
- Compulsive hoarding.
- Perhaps a physical deformity, such as being a eunuch.
- Illnesses like cancer or diabetes.
- An attraction (romantically or sexually) to a character that isn't a Luperci or isn't even a canine species.
- Muteness, perhaps due to a severing of the tongue or other physical reason. Possibly even due to personal preference.
- Vitiligo.
- Trichotillomania.
- Having a huge desire to emulate humans, to the extent of shaving off all hair — with the exception of the mane/facial hair — in order to appear more human.
2. Biography Ideas
2.1 Drawing inspiration from Historical Sources
The Death of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Use inspiration from famous historical figures or general themes from their life. For example, the Death of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky could be used as an influence in your character's life. Tchaikovsky died from cholera, a so-called pauper disease; when he succumbed to cholera, it degraded his reputation in the eyes of the elites. You could use this idea for your character, the child of a famous composer whose parent(s) died from a "pauper disease" and how this social stigma impacted their childhood.
The Red River Rebellion
The last war fought on Canadian soil was the Red River Rebellion in 1869 related to the establishment of a provisional government by the Métis leader Louis Riel and his followers at the Red River Settlement, in what is now the Canadian province of Manitoba. Your character could either be inspired by Louis Riel or have some sort of relation to a character who is. Or, perhaps, some luperci in Manitoba could emulate Louis Riel and cause a myriad of conflicts!
Texan Sovereignty Movement
Between 1836 and 1845, the fabled "Lone Star Republic" was an actual place. The Republic of Texas was formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution. The state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S. state of Texas, as well as parts of present-day New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado, and Wyoming based upon the Treaties of Velasco between the newly created Texas Republic and Mexico. Its southern and western-most boundary with Mexico was under dispute throughout the existence of the Republic, with Texas claiming that the boundary was the Rio Grande, and Mexico claiming the Nueces River as the boundary. This dispute would later become a trigger for the Mexican–American War, after the annexation of Texas by the United States.
A character could be a Texan revolutionary or Texan sovereigntist, or perhaps be on the other side of the fence. An anti-Texan sovereigntist, such as a Mexican living in the disputed territory or a wolf that follows Native American beliefs might not take too kindly to a group of Texan wolves claiming the land for their own. ;)
3. Appearance Ideas
If you have ideas or descriptions for new characters, you can leave these here.
- Dog Coat Color Genetics is a website that showcases some dog phenotypes and explains some of the genes behind them! You should give it a look if you're looking for realistic colors and patterns for your design. There are many pictures for examples, albeit not free to use.
- Dogs of Chernobyl is a Pinterest board that features descendants of the dogs who were abandoned following the evacuation of Pripyat and surrounding areas during the nuclear disaster of Chernobyl. These dogs have had 33+ years to survive and interbreed with little to no human intervention, making them a decent resource for 'Soulsters!
- Stock Images:
- Wolfdog hybrid: [1], [2]
- Wolf hybrid
- Three young mongrel dogs
- Heavy-black merle dog set
- Pretty brindle dog
4. Cultural Ideas
4.1 Canadian Culture
The Acadian People
The Acadians were descendants of the 17th-century French colonists who settled in the Maritimes provinces of Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, as well as Quebec and Maine. They developed a culture independent of the French- and British-dominated cultures during the settlement of the area. An example is Acadian French; though, many in the Moncton, New Brunswick area speak Chiac and English.
The Acadian struggle or just the culture could be a great idea for a character who calls 'Souls their homeland. Coincidentally, the arrival of the many packs from the north parallels the Conquest of Acadia in 1710.
4.2 African Belief Systems
The Venda People
The Venda were a Southern African people living mostly near the South African-Zimbabwean border. The Venda, originally from the Congo region, practiced polygamy and worshipped their families' ancestors. The Venda culture is built on a vibrant mythical belief system, which is reflected in their artistic style. Water is an important theme to the Venda and there are many sacred sites within their region where the Venda conjure up their ancestral spirits. They believe zwidutwane, (water spirits), live at the bottom of waterfalls. These beings are only half-visible; they only have one eye, one leg, and one arm. One half can be seen in this world and the other half in the spirit world. The Venda would take offerings of food to them because the zwidutwane cannot grow things underwater.
A character could descend from the Venda, either as a wolf that had been transported to North America and re-created these beliefs, or as a character that journeyed from Africa (though, the former is more plausible!)
4.3 Native Belief Systems
'Souls previously had a Cherokee-inspired pack called AniWaya. What if your character descended from a different Native group, such as the Comanche people? Or consider the Blackfoot people, who often raided other tribes to acquire their horses. Horses soon became status symbols and the Blackfoot were renowned for their horsemanship. There are many different indigenous groups in Northeastern Canada, where 'Souls is set, too!
4.4 Religious Influences
Map of prevailing world religions,
from Wikipedia
There are many religions a character can adhere to. Consider researching different countries and seeing how religion plays a role in their society. If your character hails from Mongolia, India, or Kazakhstan, would they be religious? What religion would they belong to? How would it affect other elements of their life? How would they interpret a religion made for men as a luperci?