The Isles of the Raveners

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    What should be in a character biography?

    DM Felicity
    DM Felicity
    Head DM


    Posts : 324
    Join date : 2012-03-16
    Age : 33
    Location : USA, East Coast

    What should be in a character biography? Empty What should be in a character biography?

    Post by DM Felicity September 6th 2014, 1:09 am

    Writing a biography for your character is completely optional, but many players find it to be a fun way to flesh out their characters. Whether you write one before you even create the character in-game, or write one weeks into playing, a well-done biography can add depth and substance to a character.

    How exactly your biography is structured and crafted is up to you. You may prefer to write it as a long journal entry written by your character, or a snippet out of a novel about your character. Or, perhaps you like the straightforward approach of a dossier style biography with the vital statistics, description, and third-person summary of their background. How you do this is completely up to you.

    You have almost complete freedom to make whatever kind of character and background you want, so let your creativity flow. Keep in mind, however, there are three rules you have to stick to when writing a biography:


    1. Keep it decent.
    2. Keep it lore accurate.
    3. Do not make claims of nobility, high rank, or other status that hasn't been earned in-game on this server.


    Pretty simple, right? I know you still might have questions, so read on.

    What does it mean to "keep it decent"?
    Your character doesn't need to have a pristine background that your grandmother would approve of, but your biography should be at least "clean" enough that it doesn't violate the rules of our forum providers and the server rules. Do not write about pedophilia or things that can be construed as child pornography. Do not go into explicit detail about sexual acts (though simply stating that such things took place is just fine). Keep gore and its details to a minimum. Swearing is fine, but it shouldn't be every other word. Do not, under any circumstance, use those few choice words starting with an "N" or an "F" relating to a person's race or sexual orientation.

    What does it mean to be "lore accurate"?
    Simply put, to be lore accurate means your character isn't doing anything that would be impossible in our setting. Please read here for more information about what specific Forgotten Realms lore we're referencing.

    Why can't my character be a noble or high-ranking individual?
    There are two reasons why characters cannot automatically start out as a high-ranking individual or be of noble blood.

    OOCly, we want all characters to start out on even footing. We wouldn't be able to do that if some character fresh out of the box were allowed to waltz around claiming a title and the authority to boss around others with nothing to back it up. If you want your character to have a place in this world, you must earn it through roleplay.

    ICly, the Isles of the Raveners is a faraway, dangerous place. People come here for all kinds of reasons: to get rich, to gain knowledge, to get a fresh start, or to escape their past... but they do not come here on vacation or to enjoy the safe surroundings. In the grand scheme of things, nobody really cares who or what you were before you stepped foot on this place. It may make for a good story over a drink, but that is about it. Besides, who would believe you if you claimed to be a noble prince or former high-ranking official when you've ended up in a place like this?

    Can I play a character that I've played on another server?
    Yes, you can. You could integrate the story of your previous version of the character into your biography and roleplay to make her/him even more interesting. You will still start out at level 1 like everyone else, and you will be held to the "no automatic titles" rule as discussed above. Also, keep in mind what setting you are pulling this character from.

    If you're taking this character from another custom-setting location that wouldn't be found on a cannon Faerunian Forgotten Realms map, you'll have to alter your backstory a bit to make it lore accurate.

    I want to be a race that isn't listed on the character select screen. Can I do that?
    No. If you can't select it on the character selection screen, you can't play it. This means no bizarre   part-dragon, part-lizard, part-kitten, part-spaghetti monster creations. Things like that never would have survived childhood. Special snowflakes might be fun when they're your own character, but to everyone else, they are an immersion-breaking drain.

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