Creating Realistic Characters on the Fly

[Raelifin]

[ic Question in a nutshell]What creative process do you use when creating characters, and how might this process be streamlined for improvisational use.[/ic]
I may have been picked to be DM more often than not, but I don't consider myself a good DM. My reasoning: I suck at improv. When it comes to crafting dialog and/or making important decisions in the moment, I lock up or make the wrong choice most of the time. This became especially clear when, the other day, I was DMing a game of The Riddle of Steel for a couple of friends of mine.

"The crone? Uh, she's ugly and cryptic..." I said (okay, so I paraphrase) as one of the players inquired on an NPC whom I hadn't really thought out before. Archetypes could only last so long before I found myself backpedaling for some decent dialog to delay further probing.

Characters are complex and deep things, perhaps the hardest of all storytelling elements. Normally, I can create interesting, 3-dimensional characters, but it takes time. If there was a formula to follow for quickly fleshing out characters, perhaps it would help reduce the number of nameless archetypes in my gaming sessions.

Does anyone have thoughts on what makes a good character, the creative process when building characters or a way to reduce the time it takes?

[khyron1144]

My methhod: steal shamelessly.

If you find a line of dialogue in a book: write it down and have an NPC say it someplace.  

If you like the exposition in some book: swipe it and switch the names for your world.  

[SDragon]

i find a good trick is to get as descriptive as you can. your crone, for example, your crone was simply "ugly and cryptic". what makes her ugly? is it possible to elaborate on "cryptic"?

on the fly, i can come up with:

"a hunched old woman stands before you, her shriveled grey-green skin contrasting strongly with her yellowed teeth. you can't help but notice her scraggly hair is thinning greatly. when you ask her a question, her responses are almost always either another question, a vague pondering, or some sort of dismissal; never anything straightforward."

and there's a crone. :)

also, a trick i've heard of, but never used myself, is to give each major character two features that distinguish that character from the rest. i guess "ugly and cryptic" might work, assuming she was the only character with those two defining features.

[Darkxarth]

Random lists are my friend

- Always keep a list of NPC names handy, usually in the DMG somewhere, that includes two or three for each gender for the main races you plan on having around:  humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes, halflings, orcs, goblins, etc.

- Keep a list of random NPC quirks or characteristics, things like "constantly sweaty" and "belches often" will keep the PCs from getting too nosy, while still giving them details about the NPC in question.  If you're looking for more favorable characteristics, that won't lead the players to believe that the NPC is important in the story, stay away from "noble bearing" or "a special glint in his/her eye"  things like "well-kept" and "rather handsome/pretty" are nice little descriptors, as well as randomly picking a hair color/eye color.

- Keep a short list of important NPCs that could be found in any town, a barkeeper, a store-owner, a sage, a smith, and perhaps a few other random townspeople that could easily be modified to fit any race.  Make a unique name, a short description, and a very short backstory, in case the PCs get too interested.  Who knows, they could develop into a long-term friend of the party, or simply be forgotten.

[Gwaihir Windlord]

I really can't offer any tactics in this area, as I am really good at improv (I can't prepare an adventure, I have to do it on the fly or it tanks), but I can say that sdragon has a good idea.  Think up a couple adjectives that describe the NPC in question, and then elaborate on it.

[Raelifin]

Alright, here's another example: The PCs were at a festival and one of the characters wished to go make some connections in the park where the visiting nobles were parked (she, herself, was a noble born). Before long she approached an middle-aged balding man in a fur coat who was arguing with some servants. I named this character Lord Robert Foxglove and did some light roleplaying. On the spot I decided that he was the last of his house and kindly man. He had no family to pass his lands onto and thus was in want of a wife to bear him sons, he cared for his smallfolk (commoners) and wanted only the best for them. Later, I figured out that the reason that he had been unable to wed, is that any attempts at marriage were being actively foiled by a rival (yet unnamed) who had more political power than him and had managed to obtain proof that he was the closes living kin (by way of a great-grandfather). If the PC proceeded to help Foxglove, she would soon find herself at odds with the more powerful lord. Rob had character and I am still confused as to how I managed to do so well. It's that depth, the kind that creates memorable, motivated characters, that I seek to learn to create consistently.

[Raelifin]

Adjectives are a good starting place, and my actual description of such a character was a bit more verbose, but they cannot create motive (as far as I know). Motive propels characters and story and it is the factor that turns the barkeep from an archetype into someone who is looking for some extra gold so he can move his daughter away from the city and onto a "healthier" home.

EDIT: After re-reading the above, I suddenly know that the above character is miserly and has strong ideas regarding cityfolk, despite the fact that he lives in a city. Perhaps he has an open hand to female characters or characters who are parents. Having such ideas of money and health, he is probably fit, but lean and has skill in making the most out of everything.

[Matt Larkin (author)]

Somewhat in-line with khyron1144's idea, you can also model characters after archetypes.  Unless it's very blatant, no one will know you've modelled a character after some James Bond villain or whatever.

Your later attempt sounds good.

Another thing you might do, however, is develop characters ahead of time.  You may not know what you need, right?  So make lots of characters, with a few details for each.  You can even develop depth and personality for some characters without assigning them roles (does it matter if the neurotic, stuttering, lovesick guy is a blacksmith, courtier, or innkeeper beforehand?).  A few details can give the illusion of depth, and you can develop the character more later.

Particularly if you run the game in a single area (say a town), make lots of important NPCs ahead of time.  You may only use a small fraction of them over the game, but if you find you need an innkeeper or a courtesan, you've got one ready.

[Raelifin]

Somewhat in-line with khyron1144's idea, you can also model characters after archetypes.  Unless it's very blatant, no one will know you've modelled a character after some James Bond villain or whatever.

Your later attempt sounds good.

Another thing you might do, however, is develop characters ahead of time.  You may not know what you need, right?  So make lots of characters, with a few details for each.  You can even develop depth and personality for some characters without assigning them roles (does it matter if the neurotic, stuttering, lovesick guy is a blacksmith, courtier, or innkeeper beforehand?).  A few details can give the illusion of depth, and you can develop the character more later.

Particularly if you run the game in a single area (say a town), make lots of important NPCs ahead of time.  You may only use a small fraction of them over the game, but if you find you need an innkeeper or a courtesan, you've got one ready.

Yes, perhaps what is needed is a way to give myself the initial "spark" through a note. As you can see above, I was able to run and create a deep character from just an initial motive.

The problem is that certain ideas can't be developed after others. For example, I figured out that the innkeep was healthy and lean after I came up with a motivation. When describing the character in game, I probably would have made him fat by default.

I feel wary pre-creating NPCs because it seems like I'd run out super fast and it'd take a lot of time. In that one game I introduced at least 25 characters, at least 10 of which were noble young men (I used the "cocky young swordsman" archetype waaay too much that game >_< ).

[Jharviss]

Whenever I have to improv a new character (and, mind you, I struggle with the same problems as you, Raelifin), I take the archtype and then twist it slightly.  I've always found that giving them a single odd trait makes them memorable and unique.  The other day my players went to a city I had never before built up or thought of.  They found the leader of the shipping guild and I decided he was a retired pirate.  Then I made him obese.  Amazingly obese.  Obese by American standards obese.  Needless to say, that trait made him quite memorable and also added a huge set of built-in character qualities.

[Matt Larkin (author)]

Well, if it was an early session, it would make sense you'd need to introduce a lot of characters.  As you go on, you may need fewer.  Reuse characters whenever you're able for three reasons:
1) less work for you
2) makes those characters much more interesting
3) easier on players/readers to remember fewer characters

If your game is not in a fairly fixed local, however, this may not work, as well.

[Darkxarth]

As far as I can see, the only way to make up good NPCs "on the fly" is to be able to either be improvisationally creative, which, with the exception of the noble character you explained, you don't seem to be.  The other way, seems to be to borrow already thought-out characters.  If you take characters from non-fantasy movies/books/etc., it is less obvious to your players because they're not in the James Bond/Star Wars/whatever mindset.

If they decide to question NPCs on-the-spot, and I don't have anything ready, I try to distract them with things the NPC might say while I think something up.  Most people in D&D worlds aren't overly friendly, considering the number of wars, assassinations, uprisings, and other bad crap that take place in a normal D&D setting, I don't think they should be.  They are probably quite cautious around strangers, especially the kinds of strangers that PCs tend to look like.  In the time the NPC may be ignoring/grunting/insulting the PCs, I can usually think up some interesting feature/hook/etc for that NPC.  Sometimes it just takes luck.

EDIT: This is as opposed to having lists/premade NPCs/etc beforehand.

[Raelifin]

While I enjoy reusing characters, it was particularly hard in that session (which is why I'm here trying to figure out how to not die in such a situation). It was the second game and the characters were both middle children in large families. We're moving in a political realism direction (a bit like Song of Ice & Fire) and so there were many parties that I needed to introduce to make things interesting. It also hurts that both characters have different social circles (though they overlap with one another).

[Raelifin]

Okay, after thinking about it some, I think the best idea seed would include the following:

Name Ideas
*Appearance
*Tempermant
*Adjectives
*Major Motives
*Background Summary

Is this too much, or should I include something else perhaps?

[Darkxarth]

Maybe a possible class and level?  Though the only way I could really see you needing this is if there's some chance one of your players would want to steal from/insult/attack an NPC.  Other than that, it looks like a good setup.