➳ : When creating OCs, what do you typically start with first? (i.e. appearance, name, a theme, etc.)
ooh this is tricky!! usually something with their background first. in dnd/bg3, for example, it's easier for me to pick a class & whether they're human/drow/orc/etc. first, & then flesh out what that looks like from there.
so, for example, in my current dnd campaign, i started with druid & air genasi & then use that to shape what they're like & where they're from. i liked the idea of air being a playful & mischievous element, so i made him a bit of a prankster & prone to not taking things seriously & a bit of an airhead in that he'll say whatever comes into his head.
& then what the druid community would look like, i can see him getting in trouble for that nature & disrupting the peace, & part of why he wants to strike out on his own, prove he doesn't need them & he can do things his way. & that being a driver for why he stays & takes these odd jobs, & how not wanting to go home & admit defeat means he's made some compromises to make a living, becoming a low level charlatan, pranking people by selling them useless shite & calling it all natural bc he's a druid, etc.
that also gives me a core conflict to build around, too, which really also helps to write other aspects of the character.
alara was similar in that i knew i really wanted to do a wild magic sorcerer, but wanted to explain how/why (even though i know it doesn't need to be explained by its nature) & i somehow thought of the idea of connecting it to lorroakan very early on, so i integrated a lot of that into her background from the start. &, of course, to lay little hints about it so characters could figure it out, his appearance dictated a lot of hers. not 100% because they're not siblings, but i did want it to be noticeable enough.
so, i do often start with character classes & build from there.
that said, there are many games where they already give you such a good framework. loved bg3 for the fact that you do have a lot of movement in terms of who your character is & in the choices you can make, but in the past, games like dragon age i've also written a lot of the pcs from because of the world & the worldbuilding & the really interesting scaffolding the plot provides, which makes it easy to build on the choices & narrative arc. because alara didn't have that & bg3 doesn't really do that apart for the urge origin, wanted to challenge myself to give her that option & build an arc.
same with my dnd character; can't fully build his arc without knowing where the story will go, but i have some key conflicts about him moving away from nature & his teachings & how that will affect his druidism depending on what he does. some of his arc will be realised only after the campaign, but i enjoy having these conflicts in my head as a lens to look at him through.
i also just love taking tropes & doing a fun little twist on them. so a druid that believes society is nature, that ants build anthills & bees have colonies with queens, & that this is just how things go & adapt or die, rather than hiding in an enclave. or a spoiled little rich heiress that can shed all of that & basically live as an adventuring hobo (exaggerated, she's still not a hobo as a bard, but conceptually, very much a wanderer with no home & limited possessions). idk maybe i'm up my own ass about this, but it's just fun to use tropes, have fun with them. & then see how you can also twist them.
although that usually comes after a little bit of playing around with them & getting a feeling for the character, their environment, & the ways they'd clash with it, & then really digging into those.
