Character development tool: character diamonds

[Kilieit]

Wasn't sure if this would go best in Character Workshop or Fun Prompts, but since this is a serious character development exercise that usually takes me at least quarter of an hour to complete, I thought it fit better here.

 

So I'm back to roleplaying original characters now, like I used to when I first started doing MMO RP. There was a period in the middle where I roleplayed canon characters - so whenever I needed help with how to characterise my roleplay, I could refer to canon representations of the character. However, with OC's, obviously that's not possible - and I find that my representation of my OC's is now drifting aimlessly through a sea of I-don't-know-what-I'm-trying-to-do-here.

 

Then I remembered a tool I used to use back when I roleplayed OC's before: character diamonds. They are a short list of 4 words which you intend as the core, immutable traits for your character. They can describe personality, temperament, behaviour, outlook, attitudes to others... whatever it is that's most important about how you want the character to be perceived by others.

 

The old Dramatis Personae website that I originally found the concept on seems to have since gone offline, but this blog entry from Far Beyond My Capacity preserves what I believe to be the text that described how to create such a thing:

 

1. Write down a description of your character's personality using as many adjectives as you possibly can. Write down at least twenty words, and make sure you have a decent balance of unflattering and complimentary words.
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2. Cross out any words that describe only temporary states, or traits you plan to eliminate in your character over time. Keep only those that describe your character's permanent, unchanging temperament from birth until death.
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3. Look at the words you have left and try to "sweep" them into four different "corners". Words that seem to go together, like "impulsive" and "passionate" might go in the same corner together. Words that don't have anything to do with one another, like "sociable" and "spiritual" or even seem to contradict, like "practical" and "superstitious" should go into different corners.
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4. Now look at each "corner" and try to find one word that encompasses every word in that corner. "Impulsive", "passionate" and "quick-tempered" might go under "impetuous" for example. "Spiritual" and "obedient" and "lawful" might go under "religious."
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5. Test your four final adjectives, your traits, against one another. Can a character have one trait without necessarily having the other? If so, both words belong in the diamond. If not, choose the more accurate word, eliminate the other, and come up with a fourth trait.
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6. Make sure at least one trait is negative, and at least one is positive.
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7. It's often a good idea to pick one trait that is typical of your race, one that is typical of your class and one that is unusual for your race/class. (Kilieit notes: YMMV on this one. I usually disregard it, especially in an RP environment where not everyone has a single set class/job.)

 

Below are some example words to give you some ideas:

 

AMIABLE ARROGANT ARTISTIC BITTER BOLD BRUTAL CALLOUS CAREFREE CHATTY CHEERFUL CIVIL CLEVER CONFIDENT COUNTERPOISED DARK DECEPTIVE DELICATE DETACHED EARTHY ECCENTRIC ECOLOGICAL ELEGANT EMOTIONAL EMPATHETIC FEARLESS FIERY FRAIL FUN-LOVING GIRLY GREGARIOUS GUILEFUL HARMONIOUS HAUGHTY HONORABLE HUMOROUS IMPATIENT IMPETUOUS IMPRESSIONABLE IMPUDENT INQUISITIVE INSATIABLE INTELLIGENT INTROVERTED JADED JOCULAR JUBILANT LAWFUL LOVING MALICIOUS MANIPULATIVE MATERNAL METHODICAL MISCHIEVOUS NATURE-LOVING NOSY OBEDIENT OBSTINATE OPEN OPPORTUNISTIC OTHERWORLDLY PASTORAL PATIENT PENITENT PERCEPTIVE PHLEGMATIC POWER-HUNGRY PRAGMATIC PROPER QUIET RACIST RAGEFUL REFINED RESOURCEFUL RESPONSIBLE REVERENT RIGHTEOUS ROMANTIC SADISTIC SAVAGE SCHEMING SELF-ASSURED SELFISH SENSITIVE SENSUAL SIMPLE SOCIABLE SPIRITUAL STALWART STUBBORN SUAVE SUBTLE SURVIVALIST TACITURN TACTILE TACTLESS TENACIOUS TOUGH WARY WILD WISE WRY

 

The blog entry also has some information about origin and usage, as well as an example of a finished diamond.

 

I find this a really useful tool to stop unwanted "character drift" (different from character development! Development is constructive to your vision of the character; drift is destructive) and to remind myself of what I'm trying to achieve while playing the character, so I thought this might be useful to share. I'd be interested to see your character diamonds, and I might share some of my own once I'm happy with them.

[Valence]

I do believe indeed that it's the most fundamental part of character fleshing out. I don't create it the same way at all, more on the fly, but if you can't easily describe a character in a few key adjectives, then said character might probably not be very three-dimensional. Or at least, it doesn't stick to memory. If you can do that right away, then it's probably a sign that the character has flavour and is noticeable among many, and doesn't fall flat. 

 

However since it's easier to do that yourself as the character creator, I do think that the best testimony your character can get is actually when someone else has to describe them with those keywords. If they manage to do it easily because it's obvious enough, then you win.

 

But yeah I mostly use that as pillars for a character, same as here. It doesn't mean they can't change, but changing them implies heavy character development and probably a shit in the character themselves, which is something that normally happens for very strong IC causes and consequences.

 

Anyway, mine are: Quirky, Nosy, Crafty, Scatterbrain, Punk, Assertive

[Morningstar1337]

Since I'm still working on a bit of a Bio for Aurora for the sole purpose of a Consistent backstory, this might actually be useful to that end. So I have a few questions

 

1. Like the 100 questions one, do we have to post the diamonds on this thread
   
2. who should filter out the traits, the character creator or other characters?
   

[Kilieit]

Since I'm still working on a bit of a Bio for Aurora for the sole purpose of a Consistent backstory, this might actually be useful to that end. So I have a few questions

 

1. Like the 100 questions one, do we have to post the diamonds on this thread
   
2. who should filter out the traits, the character creator or other characters?
   

 

1. You don't have to, no; but I thought it might be fun to share.
   
2. The character creator (i.e. you). This tool is to help you determine what you want out of portraying the character, not what other people think of your portrayal.
   

[Morningstar1337]

Since I'm still working on a bit of a Bio for Aurora for the sole purpose of a Consistent backstory, this might actually be useful to that end. So I have a few questions

 

1. Like the 100 questions one, do we have to post the diamonds on this thread
   
2. who should filter out the traits, the character creator or other characters?
   

 

1. You don't have to, no; but I thought it might be fun to share.
   
2. The character creator (i.e. you). This tool is to help you determine what you want out of portraying the character, not what other people think of your portrayal.
   

 

I see, I have the initial traits penned out (22 instead of 20, though but I will try to filter them out later). I will post them out and the reasoning for a them be it meta or in-universe

[Morningstar1337]

I hoped to avoid having to bump this. But I did mention sharing the traits and reasoning therein, I only have the initial traits penned out

 

• CHEERFUL: Might fold into Cute or Childish, but I do want to portray her as an Optimist and somewhat naive.
  
  
• CUTE: Lalafells do tend to be cute. Might be one of the four corners
  
  
• INTELLIGENT: It comes with an Education in Sharlayan, and since I do want to push the Renaissance man angle (or at least Jill of All Trades) as much as possible without crossing the Line into Mary Sueism, and also because I also have her out as a scholar of Allag and History. This is the 2nd of 4 corners
  
  
• POWER-HUNGRY: The 3rd corner, as a negative trait. Though this interpretation is different. Instead of full blown "Take Over the World" Megalomania, she wants to learn about as many potential strengths and weakness of the Forum and their lackeys as possible, as well as using the opportunity she made of herself to build a nigh messianic legend around herself to further her influence when it comes time to "Undam the Thailak river"
  
  
• PATIENT: She knows her goals with take upwards of years to achieve an as such she can wait, this also has its downsides as she often misprioritises and splurges on either poppets or Allagan Tomestones. In fact getting mammots would be one of the few things that she want to get ASAP.
  
  
• NOSY: She is eager to help others in need, she both nice like that AND looking for an excuse to enhance her reputation. This means that she is also eager to butt in in things where neither she or her services are necessary. Even after stopping attempts of making a Legend she still tries to help people whenever she can.
  (Plan on phasing that out over time)
  
• OTHERWORLDLY: Her talents lie in Astromancy an Black Magic, nether being "earthy" in origin, plus there's that whole Blessing of Light, thing. despite that, ever since Azys Lla she actually deeply fears her entirely existence being otherworldly and has recently ceased her attempts as fostering her legend since, for fear of being made an Eikon, semiconscious metaphysical concept, or being made a part of Hydealyn.
  
  
• RIGHTEOUS: To put it simply, her actions aren't entirely out of selfish reasons, and one of her goals in life is to curb the hold on the wealth of knowledge that Sharlayan's Bilbiothec faction has, so that the knowledge can benefit all of the realm. As a result she is also willing to help others in need (as mentioned before) and also a result she looks poorly on those who would abuse the downtrodden.
  
  
• GREEDY: She sometimes has a desire for Money, whether out of being the first to get the newest or rarest poppets, a flight of fancy of thinking that she can buy Sharlayan outta the Bilibiothecs' hands, a more realistic desire to fund an army of her own to aid her goals or because of Rowena's monopoly on encrypted Allagan Knowledge, she often considers coin as one of her top priorities. She took to getting treasure maps and raiding a legendary thief's trove to that end, as well as selling whatever she fins easy to get and profitable at the time.
  
  
• STUBBORN: She isn't really one to give up on something when she puts her mind to it.
  
  
• TENACIOUS: See above
  
  
• BRUTAL: (Temporary state caused by reason outlined and Vengeful)
  
  
• CHILDISH: Her actions, certain desires of her, temperament and to a minority that never even seen Lalafells, her appearance all make her look younger than she actually is
  
  
• EMOTIONAL: To put it simply, the deaths of those she consider dear to her, be it a friend or a very close ally are as likely to make her a crying wreck...
  
  
• VENGEFUL: as they are to make her want to return the favor to their assailants in kind, though it helps that Livia and Zepherin already had committed other crimes before an after that. Put simply, she has a tendicy to have a personal grudge with people murdering her friends.
  
  
• SELFISH: (Phasing out trait, Greedy and sometimes myopic)
  
  
• PHLEGMATIC: (Temporary, based mostly on that I don't emote a lot) Shows up when she fights, especially if the opponent committed a grave error.
  
• STALWART: She isn't one for treachery, and will openly give her support and loyalty to other goals. Even at the detriment of her own.
  
  
• JUBILANT: She is very very energetic.
  
  
• EMPATHETIC: As mentioned before she does want to help whenever she can, regardless of whether or not they are spoken or beastman, the Echo is a possible influence.
  
  
• INTROVERTED: She barely socializes, and spends a lot of her free time studying.
  
  
• WARY: As a primarily magic user, she tends to be suspicious of potential dangers, and outright untrusting of 90% of the elite
  

Tentatively, I think my corners would be Cute, Intelligent, Stalwart and Righteous. (If a Negative trait is required I'll replace Cute with Childish and/or merge Stalwart into Righteousness and add Greedy or Vengeful)