In some ways, I am very set in my habits. One of those is a slavish attitude towards numbers-first character creation. I've come to realize relatively recently that this is ill explained by any mathematical triggered mental defect. It is because I am seeing the numbers on the character sheet as a strong reflection of how the character will play.
Now, I think that's reasonable. Obviously my own playstyle will be the biggest contributor on what a character does, but the numbers are like my summer vacation. It helps define what kind of story I'm going to tell.
I've recently been given a rare opportunity, which is to assemble a character with no strict limits on how I fill out the sheet (before I submit it for approval, naturally). Exciting, no doubt, but also grain-rubbing against my typical approach. The powers the character has form the keystone, the inherent and learned competencies make the base.
So let's flip that on its head. Put the character sheet down. Start writing.
Let me give you an example, from something I am currently working on.
Shortly after his father's death to disease, at the age of 14, the young man, though a freeman, found himself in great poverty. He easily came to be working for the sugar plantations of eastern Cuba. At first it was he bent over in the fields, blade in hand. Soon though his wits, status, and skill convinced the bosses to teaching how to process the cane and mix it with lime, to eventually begin supervising work at the mill (Leadership 1, Craft 1, Athletics 2). He would do this sort of work for the next five years (Willpower 4 Stamina 3, Dexterity 3, Craft 2).
Instead of letting the numbers drizzle into a backstory, I'm letting the numbers crystallize from the prose. Best yet, I find that I'm really eager to see what sort of character sheet this looks like when I'm done!
Pic courtesy us and Phipps Conservatory.
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