Character Creation Guide - Revision history

Conflee at 23:29, 5 September 2025

2025-09-05T23:29:05Z

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	Traits exist to give your character mechanical differences that reflect their character. Examples include gaining or removing accents, languages, getting drunk faster, etc.		Traits exist to give your character mechanical differences that reflect their character. Examples include gaining or removing accents, languages, getting drunk faster, etc.

			=== Background ===
			'''Background''' is a system that allows any characters to know specific pieces of ordinarily Metashielded knowledge. Every character may only have one Background, which is picked during Character Creation as a Trait and can not be changed mid-round or frequently at all. Your Background should reflect the life your character has lives, and act in complement to their characterization and backstory. These are additive Roleplay features, and do not impact gameplay directly.

			You may read more about Backgrounds on the [[Metashield#Backgrounds\|Metashield page here]].

	== Flavor Text System ==		== Flavor Text System ==

Conflee: /* Balance */

2025-09-05T14:48:00Z

Balance

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	In relation to Starlight RP specifically, there are a few easy 'Do Not Do This' things that can be listed out to make things easier;		In relation to Starlight RP specifically, there are a few easy 'Do Not Do This' things that can be listed out to make things easier;

	* Do not be a member of NanoTrasen or any other major corporation outside of Central Command, unless your job specifies otherwise. You can have this in your backstory (excluding NanoTrasen and [[Syndicate~~\|Syndicate Corporations~~]]), but you shouldn't have been high ranking, just a normal employee.		* Do not be a member of NanoTrasen or any other major corporation outside of Central Command, unless your job specifies otherwise. You can have this in your backstory (excluding NanoTrasen and [[Syndicate]] roles), but you shouldn't have been high ranking, just a normal employee.
	* Do not be related to anyone of importance in the wider galaxy. This means no cousins on the Trasen family, or sons of the Trans-Solar Federation's President, etc.		* Do not be related to anyone of importance in the wider galaxy. This means no cousins on the Trasen family, or sons of the Trans-Solar Federation's President, etc.
	* Do not be absurdly rich. You are a normal person working a job, ranging from minimum wage to slightly over minimum wage depending on your job in the round.		* Do not be absurdly rich. You are a normal person working a job, ranging from minimum wage to slightly over minimum wage depending on your job in the round.

Conflee: /* Balance */

2025-09-05T14:47:41Z

Balance

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:47, 5 September 2025
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	In relation to Starlight RP specifically, there are a few easy 'Do Not Do This' things that can be listed out to make things easier;		In relation to Starlight RP specifically, there are a few easy 'Do Not Do This' things that can be listed out to make things easier;

	* Do not be a member of NanoTrasen or any other major corporation outside of Central Command, unless your job specifies otherwise. You can have this in your backstory, but you shouldn't have been high ranking, just a normal employee.		* Do not be a member of NanoTrasen or any other major corporation outside of Central Command, unless your job specifies otherwise. You can have this in your backstory (excluding NanoTrasen and [[Syndicate\|Syndicate Corporations]]), but you shouldn't have been high ranking, just a normal employee.
	* Do not be related to anyone of importance in the wider galaxy. This means no cousins on the Trasen family, or sons of the Trans-Solar Federation's President, etc.		* Do not be related to anyone of importance in the wider galaxy. This means no cousins on the Trasen family, or sons of the Trans-Solar Federation's President, etc.
	* Do not be absurdly rich. You are a normal person working a job, ranging from minimum wage to slightly over minimum wage depending on your job in the round.		* Do not be absurdly rich. You are a normal person working a job, ranging from minimum wage to slightly over minimum wage depending on your job in the round.

Conflee at 14:46, 5 September 2025

2025-09-05T14:46:57Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:46, 5 September 2025
Line 11:		Line 11:
	In relation to Starlight RP specifically, there are a few easy 'Do Not Do This' things that can be listed out to make things easier;		In relation to Starlight RP specifically, there are a few easy 'Do Not Do This' things that can be listed out to make things easier;

	* Do not be a member of NanoTrasen or any other major corporation outside of Central Command, unless your job specifies otherwise.		* Do not be a member of NanoTrasen or any other major corporation outside of Central Command, unless your job specifies otherwise. You can have this in your backstory, but you shouldn't have been high ranking, just a normal employee.
	* Do not be related to anyone of importance in the wider galaxy. This means no cousins on the Trasen family, or sons of the Trans-Solar Federation's President, etc.		* Do not be related to anyone of importance in the wider galaxy. This means no cousins on the Trasen family, or sons of the Trans-Solar Federation's President, etc.
	* Do not be absurdly rich. You are a normal person working a job, ranging from minimum wage to slightly over minimum wage depending on your job in the round.		* Do not be absurdly rich. You are a normal person working a job, ranging from minimum wage to slightly over minimum wage depending on your job in the round.

Conflee: /* Characterization */

2025-09-05T14:39:42Z

Characterization

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:39, 5 September 2025
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	While you do not need an answer to every one of these things, some interesting things to consider when making a character to help you get in their head and understand how they act are;		While you do not need an answer to every one of these things, some interesting things to consider when making a character to help you get in their head and understand how they act are;

	# What traits do they poses? Are ~~the ya~~ hoarder? A roamer? Have bad posture? These are somewhat surface level things that if you remember to use them when relevant, can help emphasis their character. They may also be mechanically enforced, if they happen to already exist as Traits in the game.		# What traits do they poses? Are they a hoarder? A roamer? Have bad posture? These are somewhat surface level things that if you remember to use them when relevant, can help emphasis their character. They may also be mechanically enforced, if they happen to already exist as Traits in the game.
	# What are their fears? What is the source of their fear and how does it impact their behavior?		# What are their fears? What is the source of their fear and how does it impact their behavior?
	# What are their flaws? Things that actually negatively impact their lives or other people would dislike about them.		# What are their flaws? Things that actually negatively impact their lives or other people would dislike about them.

Conflee at 14:32, 5 September 2025

2025-09-05T14:32:41Z

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	* Your character served in an armed conflict as a mercenary, and their corp took part in a massacre with very few survivors. An antagonist might take this as their personal motivation for killing your character if they already had a kill objective on you, tying the action into your backstory.		* Your character served in an armed conflict as a mercenary, and their corp took part in a massacre with very few survivors. An antagonist might take this as their personal motivation for killing your character if they already had a kill objective on you, tying the action into your backstory.
	* Your character's family has medical debt with Interdyne, and you are working on this station to try and pay off those debts. An antagonist might use this information to ~~blackmail~~ you into aiding them with part of their objective.		* Your character's family has medical debt with Interdyne, and you are working on this station to try and pay off those debts. An antagonist might use this information to bribe you into aiding them with part of their objective.
	* Your character defected from the USSP and fled into the Trans-Solar Federation with a forged identity. An antagonist might use this to blackmail you, or a Revolutionary might use this information to target you as a defector for conversion.		* Your character defected from the USSP and fled into the Trans-Solar Federation with a forged identity. An antagonist might use this to blackmail you, or a Revolutionary might use this information to target you as a defector for conversion.

Conflee at 14:32, 5 September 2025

2025-09-05T14:32:14Z

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	When creating a character in the Lobby, you have a lot of options of species, gender, height, width, markings, etc. While most of these are aesthetic, and totally up to you, there are some basics that can be explained as to how they work.		When creating a character in the Lobby, you have a lot of options of species, gender, height, width, markings, etc. While most of these are aesthetic, and totally up to you, there are some basics that can be explained as to how they work.

	First in the list is the Custom Species Name. When you select your species, you have the option to give them a custom species name, to ~~demote~~ a subspecies or a wholly unique species in theory. The galaxy is large after all. We ask that these names be serious and this field not be used for jokes. It's contents are moderated, as is your character name. [[Server rules (Starlight)#Rule 6 – Your Character Must Make Sense\|Please refer to the rules for more on this]].		First in the list is the Custom Species Name. When you select your species, you have the option to give them a custom species name, to denote a subspecies or a wholly unique species in theory. The galaxy is large after all. We ask that these names be serious and this field not be used for jokes. It's contents are moderated, as is your character name. [[Server rules (Starlight)#Rule 6 – Your Character Must Make Sense\|Please refer to the rules for more on this]].

	The height and width sliders have no mechanical impact on the game, they are purely aesthetic. Your hitbox remains the same fixed default size, to avoid people being small for an advantage in a gunfight. The width slider is also proportional to the height slider, meaning it will stay relatively the same width compared to your height by default. You can adjust this to be wider or thinner however.		The height and width sliders have no mechanical impact on the game, they are purely aesthetic. Your hitbox remains the same fixed default size, to avoid people being small for an advantage in a gunfight. The width slider is also proportional to the height slider, meaning it will stay relatively the same width compared to your height by default. You can adjust this to be wider or thinner however.

Conflee: /* Introduction */

2025-09-05T14:26:06Z

Introduction

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:26, 5 September 2025
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	== Introduction ==		== Introduction ==
	Character Creation is a very important aspect of Roleplay, and one that comes with some unspoken 'rules' that are easy to break. This page should serve to help you through the process, to to avoid falling into some common pitfalls. It will cover things you should not do, things you should think about for your character, and other general advice. It will also touch briefly on mechanical aspects of character creation in Starlight, such as the height and width sliders, custom species, name rules, and the '''Flavor Text System'''.		Character Creation is a very important aspect of Roleplay, and one that comes with some unspoken 'rules' that are easy to break. This page should serve to help you through the process, to avoid falling into some common pitfalls. It will cover things you should not do, things you should think about for your character, and other general advice. It will also touch briefly on mechanical aspects of character creation in Starlight, such as the height and width sliders, custom species, name rules, and the '''Flavor Text System'''.

	It's important to remember; We '''Play to Lift'''. Roleplay is unique because it is cooperative storytelling. If you can take pleasure in the role you play in other people's stories, you will struggle far less with motivating yourself to Roleplay. You work together, you communicate, and you tell good stories together. If it weren't for the other players around you, you would just be playing make believe in your room alone. Other players is what makes the stories special. If everyone enhances each other's experience, everyone benefits greatly.		It's important to remember; We '''Play to Lift'''. Roleplay is unique because it is cooperative storytelling. If you can take pleasure in the role you play in other people's stories, you will struggle far less with motivating yourself to Roleplay. You work together, you communicate, and you tell good stories together. If it weren't for the other players around you, you would just be playing make believe in your room alone. Other players is what makes the stories special. If everyone enhances each other's experience, everyone benefits greatly.

Conflee at 14:18, 5 September 2025

2025-09-05T14:18:49Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:18, 5 September 2025
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	It's important to remember; We '''Play to Lift'''. Roleplay is unique because it is cooperative storytelling. If you can take pleasure in the role you play in other people's stories, you will struggle far less with motivating yourself to Roleplay. You work together, you communicate, and you tell good stories together. If it weren't for the other players around you, you would just be playing make believe in your room alone. Other players is what makes the stories special. If everyone enhances each other's experience, everyone benefits greatly.		It's important to remember; We '''Play to Lift'''. Roleplay is unique because it is cooperative storytelling. If you can take pleasure in the role you play in other people's stories, you will struggle far less with motivating yourself to Roleplay. You work together, you communicate, and you tell good stories together. If it weren't for the other players around you, you would just be playing make believe in your room alone. Other players is what makes the stories special. If everyone enhances each other's experience, everyone benefits greatly.

			Other pages that might interest you after this are: [[PSO Cloning System\|PSO Cloning]], [[Server rules (Starlight)\|Server Rules]], [[History]], and the [[Lore Portal]].

	== Balance ==		== Balance ==
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	While Space Station 14 is a mechanical game, where you can basically do anything so long as you know how OOC, and have the right items on you IC, it is important to consider "What can my character do? And what can they not do?" Does your Chemist really have a reason to understand wiring enough to rewire a damaged room? Should your Engineer know what Chems are good for which damage types? Should your botanist know how to fly a shuttle? Does your Head of Personnel even know how to aim a gun?		While Space Station 14 is a mechanical game, where you can basically do anything so long as you know how OOC, and have the right items on you IC, it is important to consider "What can my character do? And what can they not do?" Does your Chemist really have a reason to understand wiring enough to rewire a damaged room? Should your Engineer know what Chems are good for which damage types? Should your botanist know how to fly a shuttle? Does your Head of Personnel even know how to aim a gun?

	There are no rules preventing you from doing these things anyway, but it may lead to more interesting roleplay if you intentionally act like your character does not know things when reasonable. Fumble with the wiring, OD themselves slightly on chems in a panic, miss their shots on purpose if they've never used a gun in their life. What a character can't do is more interesting than what they can do.		There are no rules preventing you from doing these things anyway, but it may lead to more interesting roleplay if you intentionally act like your character does not know things when reasonable. Fumble with the wiring, OD themselves slightly on chems in a panic, miss their shots on purpose if they've never used a gun in their life. What a character can't do is more interesting than what they can do. At the end of the day, we are expecting our characters to die often, that is why we have the [[PSO Cloning System\|PSO system]] and [[Server rules (Starlight)#Rule 14 - Continuity Guidelines\|Continuity Rules]].

	== Characterization ==		== Characterization ==

Conflee at 00:06, 5 September 2025

2025-09-05T00:06:20Z

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 == Introduction ==
-Character Creation is a very important aspect of Roleplay, and one that comes with some unspoken 'rules' that are easy to break. This page should serve to help you through the process, to to avoid falling into some common pitfalls. It will cover things you should not do, things you should think about for your character, and other general advice. It will also touch briefly on mechanical aspects of character creation in Starlight, such as the height and width sliders, custom species, name rules, and the '''Expanded Flavor Text System'''.
+Character Creation is a very important aspect of Roleplay, and one that comes with some unspoken 'rules' that are easy to break. This page should serve to help you through the process, to to avoid falling into some common pitfalls. It will cover things you should not do, things you should think about for your character, and other general advice. It will also touch briefly on mechanical aspects of character creation in Starlight, such as the height and width sliders, custom species, name rules, and the '''Flavor Text System'''.
 == Balance ==
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 When making a character, there is an impulse to make them interesting. Making them mysterious, have weird traits and quirks, etc. While there is nothing wrong with this, you should know that it is very overdone and overplayed in every Roleplay community on the planet to have the "Edgy mysterious silent character with a tragic backstory who constantly alludes to it vaguely but never tells anyone what happened." Anyone who has roleplayed for more than a year will just roll their eyes and not care and your backstory at all.
-When making a character, just try to think about what you will have fun playing. If there is a concept you want to play, do so. You don't need to try to make people interested in your character by withholding, or infodumping, information.
+When making a character, just try to think about what you will have fun playing. If there is a concept you want to play, do so. You don't need to try to make people interested in your character by withholding, or infodumping, their backstory. Just talk about things as they naturally arise.