Character Sheet Template Idea

“The Title of the Story” (If you don’t have a permanent title, than either put whatever you have, or ‘Untitled.’)

Universe: If fanfiction, what series? Is it an alternate universe or a crossover?  If Original or alternate universe, which of these universes is it: 

I) The Real-World: a story based on strictly of the real-world universe.  It can take place in the past, present, or future provided there is thorough research on technology, politics, economy, etc.  Having odd hair, eye and skin color are not allowed here, unless there are dyes and colored contacts.

(II) The Real-World Plus: a story based on the Real-World universe, but contains supernatural forces, like the existence of aliens, vampires, ghosts, or faeries, etc., or the available use of magic.  Having odd hair, eye and skin color are not allowed here, unless there are dyes and colored contacts.

(III)  Alternate:  while all or most of the physics laws remain unbroken, it’s not the Real-World universe.  This would include worlds like from The Lord of the Rings, by Tolkien, or Ender’s Game, by Scott Card.  The use of magic or the existence of otherworldly creatures can apply here.  Naturally odd hair, eye, and skin color can also be applied here.

(IV)  Complete Fiction: stuff that is mostly or completely implausible, compared to the Real-Life universe, but makes for a good story.  This includes most cartoons or anime like Bleach, by Kobe or Demon Diary, by Lee Yun Hee, but it’s only the more far-fetched or extreme plots.  Some anime and manga would belong to the other universes.  Storm Hawks would belong here too.  Naturally odd hair, eye and skin color can be applied here.

Describe a little of the setting: time period, what’s the main news (war, famine, etc.), is it the normal Real-World universe? What's different from the normal Real-World universe, if there’s a difference?  

Names plus Aliases: This is a given, but it should look something like, John "Jo" Doe. I don't list why I chose the name, because most of the time I don't have a reason; I choose it by random within reasonable boundaries.  The aliases can have some information attached to it, like if it’s a superhero name or something of more importance than just a nickname.

Species or Nationality: This is pretty much a given. If the person is a human, list the nationality. If the person is not a human, put down what his species is. This goes well with shinigami, vampires, etc. If the vampire, shinigami, or any human-like creature has a nationality, you can put that in.  If I decide that a human becomes a vampire, I don’t put that down because it’s part of the actual story telling.  Character sheets are about the universe and the character, not the plot.

Age: List the exact age.  If the character is immortal, tell the age range the character looks like.

Height: Feet, inches, centimeters, meters, just whatever measurement under a mile (unless the character is over a mile tall).

Weight: Whatever measurement that works well. You can use pounds, kilograms, etc.

Skin: The Fitzpatrick Skin Tone Scale would be great if people knew of it, but people can use the roman numerals, and describe the color of skin.  If the character isn’t exactly human, therefore has a bizarre skin tone, than you can just say what color the skin is.

Hair: Is it curly, wavy, or straight? What is the color? What is the length? In addition, what style is it usually in?

Eyes: What are the color, and whether or not the character needs corrective lenses?  If the character needs corrective lenses, what kind of glasses does the character have?  Is it thick, thin, for reading, or everyday vision problems.  Is the character near or far sighted?

Clothes: What kinds of clothes does the character have and likes? If the character is some sort of superhero or villain, what is the outfit?

Family: Who's deceased, who's alive, and who of their blood relatives is the character living with or often visits?

Friends: What's the name, and how long has the character known them. If the character doesn't have any friends, that is an option too.

Intended Partner:  You don’t have to answer this, especially if you don’t want to give anything away.  This is optional. If the story is within a fanfiction, and the intended partner is a canon character, then all that is needed is a name unless the fanfiction is an alternate universe. If the story is original or an alternate universe, then just put down the character’s name along with how the character would come to know him or her during the story. If there's going to be a love triangle, square, etc. and the author doesn't want to give away anything, list the characters as you would if it's fanfiction or original/alternate universe.  Keep note, if the intended partner is just one character, it can still change during the writing process—a creator’s mind is often filled with different paths.

Weapons: I'm referring to physical weapons like knives or bombs, not magic, psychic powers or martial art styles. This one is not always needed especially in the normal universe, so it is optional. If the character doesn't have any weapons, just put “None”.

Hobbies: On the character's spare time, what does he or she do?  It doesn’t necessarily have to be anything he or she is passionate about or is good at, it’s just what the character does when they have time.

Skills:  Does the character have any unusual talents? Alternatively, can do something that hardly anyone else in the world can do? This is where the magic and psychic stuff can come in, but it doesn't have to be that extreme. This is also, where the author can describe fighting style, strengths and the conditions under how their powers or skills wouldn't work—in other words, their weaknesses.

Goals: The character's own goals and you as the author's goals for the character. What lesson do you want this character to learn?  This shows that you do have some form of development in mind, but whether the character follows their own goals, or the authors, can only be told through the story.  It should look something like:
*For the character:  To get vengeance.
*For the author:  For him/her to learn how to trust others.

History: The basic and quick run through on the history of the character up to the start of the story. We don't need to know every place the character's been. If the character is immortal, what's one thing that changed the character's immortal life?  As I mentioned before, I write down anything, stopping at the beginning of the story, so you can write out the character’s life until that point where the story starts.  It can be several paragraphs long or just one paragraph—it’s up to the creator.

Additional Notes:  This is for anything else the author feels is important to add on to the character’s profile. Is there more information on the universe? Is there anything to add on the intended partner situation? What is the culture like?  What is considered “beautiful” or “healthy” in that culture?  Explain that you do have more information and thoughts, but didn’t want to reveal the story.  Anything.