Character Concept

Character Outline

Before you sit down to make a character, you should know
a little bit about the setting. If you are already familiar with
Thedas from the Dragon Age video games, you’re probably
ready to get started. If not, you might want to skip ahead a
bit in this book and read through Chapter 7: Welcome to
Thedas It will give you an idea of what Dragon Age characters
can be like.

Now that you know more about the setting, you can start
thinking about what kind of character you want to play. You’ll
be making the two most important choices—your background
and class—in steps 3 and 4 of character creation, but
before you get there it’s a good idea to come up with a basic
character concept. This can be quite broad to start; the process
of character creation will help you focus it.

When coming up with a character concept, remember that
one of the conceits of the game is that your character begins
as an unknown and struggling adventurer. You don’t get to
start play as the crown prince or a senior enchanter. You have
to earn your honors with deeds, and you can be sure there
will be a price. So start thinking about who your character is
and how they became an adventurer. Here are some example
character concepts:

• A guttersnipe raised on the streets who’ll do anything to
  survive.
• A free spirit who fled from an arranged marriage for a
  life of adventure.
• A naïve farmer who wants to travel farther than 5 miles
  from where they were born.
• The child of a disgraced knight who wants to return
  honor to the family name.
• A cynical mercenary who trusts little but coin.
• A seeker of forbidden knowledge who often acts before
  thinking.
• An artist seeking inspiration in dark and dangerous places.
• A refugee from a village that was sacked and destroyed.
• A child of the forest more comfortable around animals
  than people.
• The scion of a merchant family who wants more from
  life than ledger books.

Example

Kate and her friends are starting a Dragon Age campaign,
so she must make a character. She decides to play a character
with a crusading spirit and a keen sense of justice,
probably from the lower rungs of society. She’s a little light
on the details for starters, but these basic ideas will guide
her as she creates her character and you can follow along in
examples throughout this chapter.