Writing a Character Background
Creating a character background doesn't have to be difficult or time consuming. Something as simple as a timeline can work to help you and your ST get a feel for where your character is coming from and where they are planning to go. Knowing at least the basics about your character, beyond just their stats, helps you to create an immersive individual that exists as a person, as well as whatever class they may be.
Give your character two personality traits. Personality traits are small, simple ways to help you set your character apart from every other character. Your personality traits should tell you something interesting and fun about your character. Ideals
Describe one ideal that drives your character. Your ideals are the things that you believe in most strongly. Bonds
Bonds are a character’s connections to people, places, or items. For example, their family, friends, hometown, or an heirloom. Flaws
Your character’s flaw represents some vice, compulsion, fear, or weakness. Things like cowardice, fear of rejection, inferiority complex, or addiction.
The Basics
Every Background in the book has suggestions for fleshing out the background of your character. These are the Personality Traits, Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws. Start with these as inspiration, though you’re not required to use the ones listed in the book for your Background. Personality TraitsGive your character two personality traits. Personality traits are small, simple ways to help you set your character apart from every other character. Your personality traits should tell you something interesting and fun about your character. Ideals
Describe one ideal that drives your character. Your ideals are the things that you believe in most strongly. Bonds
Bonds are a character’s connections to people, places, or items. For example, their family, friends, hometown, or an heirloom. Flaws
Your character’s flaw represents some vice, compulsion, fear, or weakness. Things like cowardice, fear of rejection, inferiority complex, or addiction.
More Details
In addition to the basics in the PHB, we ask that you expand a bit on who your character is. Below are some categories of information you should know about your character with some questions to ask yourself. These answers can then be used to help fill out your character's profile here on World Anvil. For those who enjoy digging a bit deeper, there is also a full questionnaire you can use to continue to flesh out your character if you so wish. Appearance- What does your character look like (hair, eyes, skin tone)?
- What race are they? Do they look like a typical person of their race or different?
- How old are they?
- Do they have freckles, birthmarks, or other distinguishing features?
- Do they have any major scars or tattoos?
- Is your character an introvert or an extrovert (or an ambivert)?
- What emotion do they generally show to the world?
- Are they deeply religious of one or more of the gods or do they prefer to stay out of the eyes of the divine?
- Do they have any quirks or oddities others may notice?
- Where do they come from? Are they a local or are they from somewhere else?
- What type of lifestyle did they grow up in? Has it changed since they were a child?
- Why are they here? Did they stay to help family, did they leave to seek a new life outside their small town, or are they on the run from trouble?
- Do they have a family (parents, siblings, spouse, children)?
- What type of lifestyle do they live now? Do they plan to improve it?
- Do they have a job? What do they do to earn money?
- Do they have any hobbies they enjoy doing outside of work? What do they do for fun?
- What goals do they have (short/mid/long term)?