# Runthrough for Characters

This document has been created to outline certain questions that need to be answered regarding new and important characters for the pills lore. Answering these questions can help the lorecrafters and the loremaster gain valuable insights into the inner workings of a specific character, how they fit in with the larger universe, and most importantly, how they can be used in conjunction with new ideas and developments for the lore. When creating a character, try to answer each of the questions listed in this template as fully as you can, don’t worry about writing too long, these templates have been designed mostly to get as much information about your lore contributions as possible, and they can be condensed later as your ideas develop.

Working through these questions as a whole can also help you gain greater perspective on what you’re creating, chances are you may encounter questions here that you didn’t think of before, or find answers that open up new possibilities for your character.

For brevity, you could just answer the first three questions and come back to the rest of the questions later. The first three questions give the most rounded idea of what your character is, but it’s recommended to answer all of the questions. You’ll also find specific examples along with the questions to help demonstrate the kind of answers being looked for (these sample characters have no connection to the pills lore at the moment).

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### What is the name of your character?
The name of your character can be very telling as to who your character is and what they are, or, it can be just a simple name you thought up on the spot — either way works. If your character’s name **is** inspired by something or based on something specific, we’d love to know, but again it can be as simple as you thought it sounded cool. Check out some examples below:

* **Dargus Finn** — Yeah, there’s no reason behind why I picked this name, it just seems like it would be fun to say aloud.
* **Lupossa** — So this name is based on the latin word for *wolf*, which is very telling of the character’s nature; she's a pack animal but has found herself in solitude, away from others of her own kind. She's also quite fierce, like a wolf, especially when cornered.

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### What species are they? Where do they come from?
Every character has a species, they were born from something (be they a biological creature, a conceptual ascended cloud that was born from the universe, or a robotic entity). Does your character have a species that has already been defined in the pills lore? If not, please describe in the briefest of terms exactly what species your character is; sum it up in a single sentence just to give lorecrafters an impression. Knowing the specific species is a big part in learning what the character is and how it fits in with the established lore.

It can also be really useful to know where your character comes from as well, as in the physical location, this may be a place you’ve created yourself or something you’ve a place you're used from the available lore. In the case of the latter, give us the location summed up in a sentence, like the species, to help give lorecrafters something to work with and help develop.

* Dargus Finn is a member of the **Pepelian** species and comes from **Pepolis** — particularly a place called the Swamplands.
* Lupossa is a **Detrinch**, she comes from the Outer Blocks and was born in Studius. The Detrinch are a species of bird-like humanoids with leathery skin that enjoy partaking in cannibalism. Stadius is a small asteroid prison that houses particularly violent criminals before they get sentenced to in the Outer Blocks.

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### What do they look like?
What stands them out from the rest of their species? Do they have any distinctive scars or deformities, perhaps they wear something that can identify them in a moment? (like they wield a specific gun, or they wear unique jewelry, or maybe they carry with them a symbol of their God or faction?) Think about how they stand in a crowd of people, how would someone that knows them spot them instantly from others?

* Dargus Finn can be recognised instantly from his mohawk-like fin that stands out from the top of his head, a rare feature of the Pepel, denoting that he was born in a certain area of the swamplands. It gives him an extra foot of height and he can retract it at will. Dargus also wears thick and battered armour from his many exploits on the chain.
* Lupossa has had most of her feathers plucked, revealing horrifying scars beneath them. Also, her left leg was destroyed in a firefight and has been replaced with a robotic enhancement that she limps on constantly.

### What kind of personality do they have?
Who is the character, how do they interact with others and how would others perceive them? A character’s personality is the foundation of who a character is, it guides their actions and gives keen insights into who they are as a person. When developing personalities for these characters, it’s always useful to think about their strengths and weaknesses, and how these directly oppose each other. Remember, a character that is good at everything is boring, it’s always far more interesting to watch characters succeed from failure and these personalities can be the start of great character arcs that change them in fundamental ways and allow people to tell interesting stories.

* Dargus Finn is an arrogant creature, obnoxious, and often the loudest person in the room. He thinks of himself as a leader and disregards any ideas that haven’t been produced by him personally. The ironic thing is, Dargus would make an excellent leader if he would just listen to others, he has a keen mind for tactics, often knows best in any given situation, and has an indomitable will and fierce loyalty for those he’s sworn to defend.
* Lupossa is a diabolical creature with an analytical mind, she’s often the furthest from the fight but the first to claim the kill. Lupossa has a tough time connecting with people because of her trust issues — in her own culture, the Detrinch have been ingrained with a severe distrust of outsiders. Lupossa is very skilled though, especially when it comes to deeds in the dark, but she is constantly watching her back.

### What is their background?
In essence, how did they get where they are now? A character’s history is the culmination of actions that have developed who they are today. Where they come from is an important question to ask, how did they develop their weaknesses and strengths, and where do their skills come from — you can use their history to explain everything about a character. Answering this question and the sub-questions above will give you perhaps the keenest insight into what drives your character as well as an impression on where they’re going as well, which can come in useful for answering the next question. Feel free to go as in-depth as you want here!

* Dargus Finn was born in the swamplands to an indigenous tribe who have a fierce worship of the older gods of Pepelian society. Dargus loved his position as the defender of the tribe, that is until he failed one day to protect the *prime chieftain*, who was slain by one the many ferocious creatures that roam the swamplands. With his failure came banishment and Dargus was cast out. He joined the LINK Marines shortly after and now traverses the chain looking for opportunities to shine with his tactical mind.
* Lupossa was a member of a group known as the *Deathly Finches*, who roamed the homeworld of the Detrinch looking for creatures and others of their own kind that had died of starvation in the world's many endless deserts. Lupossa would bring these creatures back to the flock for feasting. One day though, she accidentally found one of the Detrinch princes lost in the desert, the prince had died but had clearly been murdered by more nefarious forces. Lupossa feared for her life and fled the planet to the Outer Blocks, where she was forced into a life of crime devoted to stealing in order to survive. She was caught in the middle of a bank heist and placed in Stadius, where she awaits her sentencing.

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### What are their objectives/motives?
No doubt you’ve probably already touched on this question a little when you dove into the character’s background. The answer to this question and that are usually intertwined when it comes to navigating a character’s motives. The answer here though provides an opportunity to expand upon what you said in the background question. Think about what drives your character forward, think about their ultimate goal and then think about the character’s need. Their **Goal** and **Need** are always different from one another, and most times a character isn’t even aware of their need, it's something they discover in their own stories while purusing their goals. Navigating the difference between what character’s want and what character’s need can often give the most insightful impression of them.

* Dargus Finn is trying to win his way back into his home tribe, he wants to return to them as a renowned Pepel, known for his heroics and his impressive ability to lead — he thinks reputation will warrant his return. What he needs though is to learn how to be humble and listen to others, it was his inability to listen that caused the chieftain to die. When he was told about prowling creatures in the vicinity of the tribe, he assumed they would go away and refused to listen to the reason of others.
* Lupossa is searching for a simple life, one free from the constant terror she feels from being hunted by prominent members of her kind — in essence, she wants to be free. Lupossa needs, however, to learn how to trust others, her mistrust of others has only added to her own solitude and caused her great depression, if she can learn how to trust she’ll find a life without terror, one where she can be finally safe in the hands of others.

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### Are they a member of any groups? What is their role?
There are many different groups in the pills universe and bringing them up here is always useful in figuring out where this character fits into the overall narrative. Of course, the answer to this question might also provide the opportunity for you to invent another group as well, which is always welcome. There’s a good chance you’ve probably already mentioned or touched on what groups they’re a part of in previous answers, but here you can go a little more in-depth and reinforce your vision for how your character fits into these groups.

* Dargus Finn is a member of the LINK Marines, a low grunt that aspires to leadership but is still a long way off.
* Lupossa isn’t a member of any specific group, but has worked for various criminal organisations living in the Outer Blocks; as a result she has many contacts and has garnered a reputation in the Outer Blocks as someone who can get things done.

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### Are they based on anything in real life?
Last, but certainly not least, is the question of mirrors. Is this character inspired by anything in the real world? Perhaps they’re based on a real person in crypto culture? Maybe they’re inspired by a fictional character from a movie or novel? In any case, it’s always worth talking through the inspirations for this character, if any, as it helps other lorecrafters understand them better and offer developments based on their real-life counterparts.

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## Other Developments
Have you created a new species or a group for this character? We have other easy-to-use templates you can use to expand these aspects of the lore. You can find links to them below:

*Species Template* — <https://hackmd.io/HRPUa_6IQl6jL6ECw8XQbQ>
*Group Template* — <https://hackmd.io/m22sNT-5RqS-ngPvZHnjug>