Example Bio Template

These are the biographies of The Grim members.
Qabian

Example Bio Template

Unread post by Qabian »

Full Name:
Titles or Nicknames:
Age:
Race:
Gender:
Hair:
Eyes:
Height:
Weight:
Notable Physical Features:

Place of residence:
Place of Birth:
Known Relatives:

Religion/Philosophy:

Occupation:
Guild Rank:
Known Associates:
Known Nemesis:

Special Skills:
Positive Personality Traits:
Negative Personality Traits:

History Before The Grim:
History In The Grim:
Acherontia
Lost
Posts: 1034
Location: YUL

Re: Example Bio Template

Unread post by Acherontia »

On commenting:

Responses to the biographies are intended to be IC opinions, but not knowledge.  Imagine your character is stopped by someone who asks your character his or her opinion about another character.  Anything you say to them will be neither repeated nor reported to anyone.  No one is going to have any IC knowledge of the comments that are made in this forum except the characters who make them.
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Khorvis
Member
Posts: 1745
Location: Lincroft, NJ

Re: Example Bio Template

Unread post by Khorvis »

An in-depth look at the template:

Full Name:

Names can carry a lot of weight. Researching the mother tongue of your character can help shape the particular syllables you choose, though most of us have already been through the character creation screen.
Many characters keep a surname, where we have more creative freedom. Tauren many times take their tribe’s name as a surname. Orcish surnames are usually derived from great acts or merits a previous ancestor was lauded for, but some exceptional orcs earn their own surnames (Kilrogg Deadeye, Kargath Bladefist), and many prefer to use the names of their fathers (Thrall, Son of Durotan). Troll names can be even more complicated, usually forgoing a surname in favor of a conjunction with an apostrophe / hyphen.
Whatever the case is for your character, it helps to understand the linguistic traditions (such as it is, per Blizzard) of the specific race.

Titles or Nicknames:

Whereas nicknames are often gifted by other players, the Grim have specific conventions concerning Titles. Those ranked Harbinger and above choose their own title, often crafted to reflect particular traits of the character. Canai the Shade. Mohan the Warden. Nathandiel the Watcher. All these titles possess history and help to enrich the lore of the Grim.
Titles unassociated with the Grim are largely left to each player’s own preference, but are rarely cited.

Age:

Your character’s age will definitely determine much of their historical perspective. For example, orcs younger than 40 were most probably born on Azeroth, not Draenor. Many Blood Elves are centuries old. Take into consideration the biological constraints of your race and their particular age of maturity.

Race:

As explained in the Required Reading for the Grim, only playable races are admitted. However, within those limits is a great deal of room for variety. Each race possesses many subsets – Trolls, for example, have the Darkspear Island trolls, Revantusk Forest trolls, Sandfury Desert trolls, and many more. These particulars can help determine the specific appearance and worldview of your character. A Sandfury troll like Lilliana is probably much more culturally antagonistic with the qiraji (and perhaps Mantid?) than a Forest troll whose ancestors worshipped spiders.
Your character’s race is a useful area to explore the question of nature vs. nurture. Do they adhere to norms, or cast aside their biology? (No, you’re not a dragon).

Gender:

Warcraft tends to treat the physical capabilities of male and female characters equally, but there can be definite social differences. Marriage, child rearing, and power structures are all ripe grounds for roleplay, though as the Grim is a more militant organization, we as a guild spend little time focusing on gender.

Physical Features:

Connected to race, this section helps differentiate your character from the masses. What makes them stand out in a crowd? Khorvis has a mechanical eye. Malhavik wears a veil. These details, while important, should be used in moderation against a familiar backdrop. Too many particulars and they begin to get lost in the shuffle. Make it memorable.

Residence:

Oftentimes, a character’s home reflects their outlook on life. Do they move from one military camp to the next, always on the front lines? Do they keep a dingy room above a shady tavern in Orgrimmar’s Drag? An old family estate in the Ghostlands? Where your character calls home can say a lot about their personality.
All Grim are provided with, at the very least for Supplicants, stark lodging within the Grim Halls. It never hurts to furnish your quarters.

Place of Birth:

Connected to race and age, this can help to determine your character’s mannerisms. You can be more specific than simply “Silvermoon”. A house with a view of the Dead Scar likely imprinted a child differently than a posh palace on the Court of the Sun. An internment camp in southern Lordaeron smells a lot worse than Frostwolf Keep. Make sure that your age and birthplace sync up on the timeline.

Known Relatives:

Every character had a mother and a father (though some Forsaken might argue that their true mother was the grave). Who were they? Where did they hail from? These questions can be answered by looking to some of the previous questions, or work the other way. Are your character’s relatives still alive, and how much interaction does he or she keep with them? How do they feel about the decision to join the Grim?

Religion / Philosophy:

Generally speaking, this is the final product of all the character’s biography. A great deal goes into determining a world view. It gets shaped by culture, biology, heritage, history, and choices. Do they follow the ancestral shamanism of their orcish forebears? The cutthroat wheelings and dealings that are the goblin way? Or are they a Tauren paladin devoted to the Light, belittling of the Sunwalkers and their backwards tribalisms? Perhaps a troll priest, attracted to the Cult of the Forgotten Shadow…
Whatever you choose, this will color the motivations and aspirations of your character. Indeed, it can help explain how they came to join the Grim. That goblin might see the war as hugely profitable. The troll priest and his Cultish leanings blend nicely with the slogan “Peace through Annihilation”.

Occupation:

This can refer to both your character’s Class and their Professions. What drew your Forsaken, born in the mountains of Alterac, to the life of a Hunter? Was it inter-Clan warfare that forced your Blackrock Orc to pick up the warrior’s axe?
Here is also an opportunity to connect the mundane to their worldview. Professions work the raw materials of the world into useful objects. A Pandaren monk may see a basket of hops as far more than a crop. They are the ticket to a tasty brew and what is best in life – pleasure of the stomach.
Be it Class or Tradeskills, these are all points of use for the Grim. How can they be enlisted in the service of the Mandate?

Guild Rank:

Separate from Occupation, your character’s guild rank is less a creative writing exercise and more the result of your actions and achievements. Still, it is important to understand the responsibilities of rank. Refer to Commander Awatu’s post for more information.

Known Associates:

You can tell a lot about a man by the friends he keeps. Or pays. With whom does your character interact with on a regular basis, and what is the nature of their relationship? It can be as simple as a contractual obligation between a banker and your Mage, or as complicated as a decade-long partnership/love-affair with the son of your slain nemesis. Speaking of…

Known Nemesis:

Every interesting character has an obstacle to overcome. Many of those obstacles have a heartbeat (or in the case of Ulduar, clockwork motions). Here is another section that dovetails with reasons for joining the Grim. In what way might the mission of the Mandate aid your character’s burning desire to put every demon’s head on a pike?

Special Skills and Personality Traits:

Largely cosmetic, these skills represent interesting character quirks that aid immersion. Lilliana capitalizes on her class’s ability to “hear” thoughts. Anaie is particularly good at preserving eyeballs (and conversing with them). As with physical traits, sometimes less is more. Be wary of godmoding, and have limits. Remember that oftentimes flaws are just as, or more, interesting than strengths.

History:

It is helpful in this section to organize links to stories that involve your character. Rather than repeat what happened in endless logs and forum stories, try to be concise and situate your character in Warcraft’s timeline.
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