First thing is first, you are creating a character. Like a character in a book the more believable he or she is the better. The more others can relate. Your character can be fantastic as this is a fantasy world, but should have human shortcomings and faults. Your character should be well thought out with motives and desires. That said, the three following things ARE NOT GOOD CHARACTER CONCEPTS: assassins, orphans, and those suffering from amnesia.
For the sake of narcissism I will now quote myself.
A brief history of Altera can be found Here.
If you have not read it please for the love of all that is good and right in the world go read it now!
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Have you read it? Good. Moving on.
Culture and personality
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There are many races and cultures inhabiting Altera. For a synopsis of all of the races click here. For more detailed descriptions click any of the links below.
The playable races are:
Humans
Elves
Dwarves
Halflings
Earthspawn
Greylings
Caparii
Altera is a cultural hotspot, representing many trains of thought and systems of society. There are towns for everything from pirates and bandits, to mages and scholars. From tree-hugging nature lovers to warrior cultures akin to the vikings. Whatever your character's interests, theres a town and House for it.
Not only are there towns, but also noble Houses of prominent Alteran figures rule over these towns with great influence and power.
If you have a question about what culture fits your desire for your character feel free to post it in the general discussion forum, somebody will answer you. I would suggest that you make sure you have looked for the answer yourself first however so you don't get off on a bad foot because you asked a blatantly obvious question.
Religion:
----------
The church of Altera worships a pantheon of gods which can be found here. Though not believing in a god will likely not get your character noticed, the creation of false gods may very well bring the Arbiter and the inquisition down on you. Those guys are not very nice. Also it should be noted they have this weird obsession with "burning heretics" and finding "witches." Another thing to note is the majority of them could really use a bath more than once a month, you can tell them I said so.
Magick :
Very nearly all cultures believe in and put to use Magic. There are established towns and sanctuaries for wizards and the scholarly. A bastion of magical prowess, the town of Uthrandir, lead by Archmage Bellon Lightbringer himself, is a particularly rich source of magical knoweledge. For those wishing to study magic, the University of Altera (name subject to change, I need to talk with the Wise Bellon Lightbringer) offers classes to teach various magical theories and methods.
It is important to note, however, that magic is not infinite, and it cannot accomplish everything. A spell requires energy and knoweledge to be cast, and that energy has to come from somewhere. Even the greatest Wizard could not lift a mountain or dry up the sea.
here is a pretty picture from the aforementioned video game to break up this wall of text and keep you all interested:
Current Events in the World of Altera:
-----------------------------------------
Recently of course, as you now know, was the Exodus.
After that, there has been a period of relative peace and quiet, while towns are built and solidify their position.
However, most recently, the Game of Crowns has been announced. The various Houses of Altera are scrambling to gain allies and influence, making enemies along the way, in order to lay claim to the Silver Crown and become King of Altera. Politics have been running high as of late, and tension is gathering. War will most likely break out in the not-too-distant future.
Essentially, the entire realm is in a period of preparation.
Also notable is the recent demise of the Vyres. The Vyres were sustained only by blood, and while they possessed more strength than the average person, they were weakened in day light and if they went for too long without feeding, they would become weak and die. (Essentially, standard vampires)
Then, Harateth, the God of all that is good, laid a Curse on the Vyres, making it impossible for them to turn more Vyres, preventing blood from sustaining them, and making them even more sensitive to sun light. This event marks the beginning of the end of their reign. Likely, there will soon be but one or two left.
Creating you RP Character:
------------------------------
Now that you know a bit about the world of Altera, some of its history and current events, its time for you to create your role in it. Creating a reasonable and believable character is extremely important.
The biggest facet of this server is role-playing, so a character is an absolute necessity. And if you dont make him well, then you wont get much enjoyment from role-playing.
To start off, you need to decide some generic attributes of your character. His race, his appearance, his beliefs, etc etc. Keep in mind who your character is though, his personality and events in his life will effect his appearance and opinions.
Then comes the hard part. You have to figure out who your character is, why he is special, what makes him(or her of course) unique.
Firstly, your job or profession isnt what makes you special. there are dozens if not hundreds of mages, swordsman, archers etc etc. Your job is an important part of your character, but it isnt what makes you a unique person.
Things that make you special can be character traits, personality quirks, events in your past, your beliefs and opinions.
A great example of a unique character is Tyrion from George R R Martins' a song of ice and fire. A little person with an immense intellect and swift wit. He is morally corrupt but really has a heart of gold. he has always been looked down on for his physical deformity (pun intended). this has shaped his personality. He is a fighter, he would not let others keep him down. So he sharpened his mind while his brother Jaime sharpened his sword. He is a well developed character but is not awesomely over powered or epic in any way.
So when you are trying to create your character, remember that he needs to be a unique person. If you are having trouble, take inspiration from your real life, or the lives of people you know. Take inspiration from video-games, books and movies, but try not to rip them off completely.
Lots of text. Here is another ADHD moment for you!
moving on...
Next, your characters background. We all came from somewhere, and the place we came from changes our attitudes and shapes our character in ways that influence our later lives. Therefore, your character should have some place of origin.All characters were born in Altera ofr one of the related planes. If you are unfamiliar with Altera do some research and ask around.
Now, an important note to make when creating your character is to make sure you are creating a balanced person. Players who give their characters too much power can very easily ruin the fun for others. Your character isnt a 7 ft tall immortal assassin king who is also an expert on magic.
No one is that powerful, especially at the start. this is a starting character, not a veteran of 200 wars and gold medalist at the biannual Alteran Olympics, 7 years running.
Its tempting as a new player to create an over-powered character. You have just been catapulted into a new world of players who have been developing their character for months, and you dont want to get left behind. But you cant start out as some god of swordsmanship or the best archer in the realm.
Let me give you an example from real life. Legion is a defense contractor. He builds guns for a living and has access to and the knowledge to use some of the most modern weapons in existence. Some people would think he is quite the bad ass because of that.
He is mortally afraid of spiders. Absolutely terrified of them. Big ones, little ones, it doesnt matter. If he sees a spider in the room, he stands in a place it cant reach until someone else kills it. When he's outside, he carries a gun specifically in case of spiders (no I'm serious...he wishes he were that good of a shot and nobody has told him of this new invention called the fly swatter). If he sees a spider in his bed, he will sleep on the couch. (Don't ask how I know this)
My point here is, no one is the perfect bad-ass. No one is afraid of nothing. No one can kill anything they want. No one can do anything they want. There are always things we cannot control, namely among them death.
So if you create a character who is a perfect bad-ass, or doesnt fear anything, or cannot die, then thats not a believable person. That character has no place in Altera.
So when you create your character, dont make him the master swordsman/assassin/mage/archer etc etc. Its simply not believable.
BUT that does not mean you cannot become a master swordsman/assassin/mage/archer. Character development over time will allow you to learn new skills and become better, just like in real life.
So dont worry about being left behind, there will always be new characters behind you. and this is MINECRAFT for goodness sake, not lotro, not wow, not eve. MC!!!!. Spend time in-game honing your skills, attend classes at the University of Altera, attend RP events, and your character will grow.
Now that youve (hopefully) got all that figured out, here is a template to make sure you dont miss anything:
Name:
Nickname/Alias:
Age:
Gender:
Race:
Height:
Weight:
Hair:
Eyes:
Skin:
Identifying Marks:
Appearance:
Strengths:
Weaknesses and fears:
Religion and cults:
Profession:
Remember that your character will have some weaknesses, and dont give him too many or unreasonable strengths.
Then, simply write out your story, and you're done!
For the sake of narcissism I will now quote myself.
This brings us to our next point. Know about the world in which your character lives.
A brief history of Altera can be found Here.
If you have not read it please for the love of all that is good and right in the world go read it now!
.
...
.
..
.
.
....
.
.
..
.
....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Have you read it? Good. Moving on.
Culture and personality
----------
There are many races and cultures inhabiting Altera. For a synopsis of all of the races click here. For more detailed descriptions click any of the links below.
The playable races are:
Humans
Elves
Dwarves
Halflings
Earthspawn
Greylings
Caparii
Altera is a cultural hotspot, representing many trains of thought and systems of society. There are towns for everything from pirates and bandits, to mages and scholars. From tree-hugging nature lovers to warrior cultures akin to the vikings. Whatever your character's interests, theres a town and House for it.
Not only are there towns, but also noble Houses of prominent Alteran figures rule over these towns with great influence and power.
If you have a question about what culture fits your desire for your character feel free to post it in the general discussion forum, somebody will answer you. I would suggest that you make sure you have looked for the answer yourself first however so you don't get off on a bad foot because you asked a blatantly obvious question.
Religion:
----------
The church of Altera worships a pantheon of gods which can be found here. Though not believing in a god will likely not get your character noticed, the creation of false gods may very well bring the Arbiter and the inquisition down on you. Those guys are not very nice. Also it should be noted they have this weird obsession with "burning heretics" and finding "witches." Another thing to note is the majority of them could really use a bath more than once a month, you can tell them I said so.
Very nearly all cultures believe in and put to use Magic. There are established towns and sanctuaries for wizards and the scholarly. A bastion of magical prowess, the town of Uthrandir, lead by Archmage Bellon Lightbringer himself, is a particularly rich source of magical knoweledge. For those wishing to study magic, the University of Altera (name subject to change, I need to talk with the Wise Bellon Lightbringer) offers classes to teach various magical theories and methods.
It is important to note, however, that magic is not infinite, and it cannot accomplish everything. A spell requires energy and knoweledge to be cast, and that energy has to come from somewhere. Even the greatest Wizard could not lift a mountain or dry up the sea.
here is a pretty picture from the aforementioned video game to break up this wall of text and keep you all interested:
Current Events in the World of Altera:
-----------------------------------------
Recently of course, as you now know, was the Exodus.
After that, there has been a period of relative peace and quiet, while towns are built and solidify their position.
However, most recently, the Game of Crowns has been announced. The various Houses of Altera are scrambling to gain allies and influence, making enemies along the way, in order to lay claim to the Silver Crown and become King of Altera. Politics have been running high as of late, and tension is gathering. War will most likely break out in the not-too-distant future.
Essentially, the entire realm is in a period of preparation.
Also notable is the recent demise of the Vyres. The Vyres were sustained only by blood, and while they possessed more strength than the average person, they were weakened in day light and if they went for too long without feeding, they would become weak and die. (Essentially, standard vampires)
Then, Harateth, the God of all that is good, laid a Curse on the Vyres, making it impossible for them to turn more Vyres, preventing blood from sustaining them, and making them even more sensitive to sun light. This event marks the beginning of the end of their reign. Likely, there will soon be but one or two left.
Creating you RP Character:
------------------------------
Now that you know a bit about the world of Altera, some of its history and current events, its time for you to create your role in it. Creating a reasonable and believable character is extremely important.
The biggest facet of this server is role-playing, so a character is an absolute necessity. And if you dont make him well, then you wont get much enjoyment from role-playing.
To start off, you need to decide some generic attributes of your character. His race, his appearance, his beliefs, etc etc. Keep in mind who your character is though, his personality and events in his life will effect his appearance and opinions.
Then comes the hard part. You have to figure out who your character is, why he is special, what makes him(or her of course) unique.
Firstly, your job or profession isnt what makes you special. there are dozens if not hundreds of mages, swordsman, archers etc etc. Your job is an important part of your character, but it isnt what makes you a unique person.
Things that make you special can be character traits, personality quirks, events in your past, your beliefs and opinions.
A great example of a unique character is Tyrion from George R R Martins' a song of ice and fire. A little person with an immense intellect and swift wit. He is morally corrupt but really has a heart of gold. he has always been looked down on for his physical deformity (pun intended). this has shaped his personality. He is a fighter, he would not let others keep him down. So he sharpened his mind while his brother Jaime sharpened his sword. He is a well developed character but is not awesomely over powered or epic in any way.
So when you are trying to create your character, remember that he needs to be a unique person. If you are having trouble, take inspiration from your real life, or the lives of people you know. Take inspiration from video-games, books and movies, but try not to rip them off completely.
Lots of text. Here is another ADHD moment for you!
moving on...
Next, your characters background. We all came from somewhere, and the place we came from changes our attitudes and shapes our character in ways that influence our later lives. Therefore, your character should have some place of origin.All characters were born in Altera ofr one of the related planes. If you are unfamiliar with Altera do some research and ask around.
Now, an important note to make when creating your character is to make sure you are creating a balanced person. Players who give their characters too much power can very easily ruin the fun for others. Your character isnt a 7 ft tall immortal assassin king who is also an expert on magic.
No one is that powerful, especially at the start. this is a starting character, not a veteran of 200 wars and gold medalist at the biannual Alteran Olympics, 7 years running.
Its tempting as a new player to create an over-powered character. You have just been catapulted into a new world of players who have been developing their character for months, and you dont want to get left behind. But you cant start out as some god of swordsmanship or the best archer in the realm.
Let me give you an example from real life. Legion is a defense contractor. He builds guns for a living and has access to and the knowledge to use some of the most modern weapons in existence. Some people would think he is quite the bad ass because of that.
He is mortally afraid of spiders. Absolutely terrified of them. Big ones, little ones, it doesnt matter. If he sees a spider in the room, he stands in a place it cant reach until someone else kills it. When he's outside, he carries a gun specifically in case of spiders (no I'm serious...he wishes he were that good of a shot and nobody has told him of this new invention called the fly swatter). If he sees a spider in his bed, he will sleep on the couch. (Don't ask how I know this)
My point here is, no one is the perfect bad-ass. No one is afraid of nothing. No one can kill anything they want. No one can do anything they want. There are always things we cannot control, namely among them death.
So if you create a character who is a perfect bad-ass, or doesnt fear anything, or cannot die, then thats not a believable person. That character has no place in Altera.
So when you create your character, dont make him the master swordsman/assassin/mage/archer etc etc. Its simply not believable.
BUT that does not mean you cannot become a master swordsman/assassin/mage/archer. Character development over time will allow you to learn new skills and become better, just like in real life.
So dont worry about being left behind, there will always be new characters behind you. and this is MINECRAFT for goodness sake, not lotro, not wow, not eve. MC!!!!. Spend time in-game honing your skills, attend classes at the University of Altera, attend RP events, and your character will grow.
Now that youve (hopefully) got all that figured out, here is a template to make sure you dont miss anything:
Name:
Nickname/Alias:
Age:
Gender:
Race:
Height:
Weight:
Hair:
Eyes:
Skin:
Identifying Marks:
Appearance:
Strengths:
Weaknesses and fears:
Religion and cults:
Profession:
Remember that your character will have some weaknesses, and dont give him too many or unreasonable strengths.
Then, simply write out your story, and you're done!
Last edited by a moderator:
