Hello again!

After having had a chat with the lovely [@Blitzy], we thought maybe giving a few ideas / aids for people to consider making characters or coming up with new ideas for existing ones might help. Hopefully, even if you haven't played in or even heard of Dragon Age, you might like the sound of a few things and consider giving it a go.

Firstly, you'll want to consider the race of your character. So, crack out a few dice or a random number generator as we're letting Nuffle guide our hands today! See what you roll altogether, then let us know. Oh, and don't forget to write it all down on something somewhere! Character sheets are helpful.

1 - Human - No fantasy setting would be complete without humanity, always contentious and prone to ambition. Noble, commoner, priest or mage, humans come in all shapes and sizes.

2 - Dwarf - Short, industrious, a fondness for alcohol. You know the sort. Regimented with a strict caste system, will you be from the highest of noble warriors, or the lowest casteless? Or maybe even a surface dwarf, long removed from the Thaigs.

3 - Elf - The Elves are far removed from their glory days of old. As always. Now the majority live among the human realms as impoverished slum dwellers, save the few nomadic Dalish Elves who aim to rebuild their broken peoples honour.

4 - Qunari - Giants among men, these metal skinned and oft horned beings come from a very different society. Is your character a follower of the Qun, allowed to roam outside their borders for some reason? Or maybe a Tal-Vashoth, forsaking the restricting teachings for a chance at something else?

Now that you've got your race nailed down, you'll probably want to know what your character does. Sure, you could just be a basket weaver, but in case you're interested in a more adventurous role...

1 - Warrior - Where would Swords & Sorcery be without the swords? Hitting things with a big stick (close up or from far away) is what your character does, how they do that is up to you.

2 - Rogue - Who's going to break open the treasure chests, avoid all the traps and cause all the trouble if we didn't have rogues? Maybe your character is a cat burglar of repute, or a sinister hired assassin.

3 - Mage - The sorcery side of things can be tricky, or even dangerous, but shooting fire from your fingertips sure is handy at times. Does your mage commune with the spirits of the dead, or seek to master the elements?

4 - A mix of two (roll 1-3 twice until you get two different results) - Sometimes, fighters have more than just brawn, and maybe that thief is handy with a blade. See what combination you get.

5 - Maybe all three - It's hard to decide what you want to be sometimes. That's why bards exist, right? For whatever reason, your character has picked up a little bit of all three classes.

Again, just ideas. If you'd rather come up with your own, no one's stopping you, just remember to keep it setting appropriate! With race and 'class' out of the way, I'm sure there's a whole lot more you could add. So here's some pointers to develop a character.

Where are you from? - There's a lot of places in DA, take a look at the people that live there, what they're known for, and where they fit in the wider world. Is your character from the outskirts of a small town, or the wealthy mercantile district of a port city?

What did you do, before this? - Some people are born and raised to greatness, maybe as a templar or mage. Others just sort of muddle along, and maybe through their own choice or not, they end up in this new life.

Why are you here? - There's no point making lone-wolf McRazor, who might be a cool idea, but doesn't make sense if they have no reason to be hanging around the group. What drives your character? 

How do they hope to achieve this? - Getting a vague idea of where you want your character headed is good. It adds some direction to something you may not have considered. If your character isn't sure yet, just list down a few things they consider to be important to them so you can refer to them later if something happens and you're not sure how your character might react at first.

Have you considered the little things? - I cannot stress enough, from personal experience, how good it is to see a character with little details added in. These could be physical or otherwise, and I could post a huge heap of ideas but... Maybe just sit down and think a bit. Does the character have any habits? Any odd beliefs? How about a favourite drink? A hobby? Notable feature on their person, or clothing? Are they prejudiced, and if so, to what and why? Maybe they value martial prowess, but are quite lazy, which causes them conflict.

Hope that all helps, or gives some inspiration! I may edit and some more tables and things if it strikes my fancy/people want it. Otherwise, I hope to hear from more of you soon :)