Character Generator

Character Generator

Intro:
One thing I’ve noticed with my stories is I seem to have a lot of characters that look like they’ve been “recycled” from previous characters. I keep repeating myself. This “character generator” simply serves as a list of examples for character traits and appearance to help get your creative juices flowing. It’s not supposed to serve as an automatic random character generator, but you can pick from the lists at random to get a rough idea for a more unique and interesting character.

I’ve tried to cover lots of different genres (fantasy, sci-fi, etc) in this, and made it so you can apply the generator to your own made-up race (so it’s not just for human characters).

Hope it helps you out.

Age range:
- 1-5
- 6-10
- 11-15
- 16-20
- 20-30
- 30-40
- 40-60
- 60-100
- >100
- >1000

Appearance:
Just a few adjectives to help describe the general appearance of your character, it’s meant to be a springboard to get you started. Pick as many as you need.

- Attractive
- Adorable
- Beautiful
- Blue-eyed
- Average
- Clean
- Colourful
- Cute
- Dark
- Drab
- Distinct
- Dull
- Elegant/Fancy
- Filthy
- Graceful
- Grotesque
- Handsome
- Homely
- Light
- Long
- Motionless
- Muddy
- Old-fashioned
- Plain
- Poised
- Quaint
- Shiny/Sparkling
- Strange
- Ugly
- Unsightly
- Unusual
- Wide-eyed
- Frail

Body type:
All people do not look the same. Pick some of these adjectives (as many as you want) and combine them to invent a body type for your character. Pick them at random for something more interesting.

- Skinny
- Muscular
- Bulky
- Small
- Large
- Tall
- Short
- Stringy/Lanky
- Fat
- Petite
- Morbidly obese
- Anthropomorphic
- Half human, half animal (like centaurs, harpies, fawns, etc)

Additional body parts (if any):
If you already have a race or creature in mind for your character, then you can skip this part.

- Sharp/Long claws
- Wings (angel, bird or dragon wings)
- Tail (fish, lizard, mammal, etc)
- Gills
- Extra arms/legs
- Shell (like a tortoise shell) or armoured skin

General size:
A last minute addition. Just like above. If you already know what your character is going to be, then you can also skip this part.

- Microscopic
- Miniscule (around the size of an insect)
- Toy-sized
- Gigantic (giant sized)
- Normal size (well to a human that is)
- Amazonian (slightly taller than a human)
- Impossibly enormous (the size of a planet)

Skin colour:
Most suitable for human characters, but if you have your own race or creature, you can make up differing skin colours for them if you want.

- Light
- Dark
- Caucasian
- Other (something other-worldly)

Hair type:
There’s an infinite number of hairstyles out there. Just use this list as a starter. Remember that your character’s general hairstyle is also defined by their personality (whether they’re willing to keep it long and wash it every day or simply cut it for low maintenance).

- Straight
- Wavy
- Curly
- Scruffy
- Long
- Short
- Light
- Dark
- Mohawk
- Spiky
- Let loose
- Tied up (scrunchies, hair bands, hair pins, etc)

Star sign:
Star sign determines the birth date of your character. Delving deeper into the descriptions of each of these star signs can help you apply more personality traits to your character.

- Aries
- Taurus
- Pisces
- Capricorn
- Gemini
- Cancer
- Libra
- Aquarius
- Virgo
- Scorpio
- Sagittarius
- Leo

Clothing/dress:
I can’t really provide a list for this since there’s an infinite amount of clothing combinations and clothing trends do change with time. Just dress your character with something that reflects their personality, their environment, the time period they live in and the current trend of that time period. They’ll also have different costumes for different needs (eg. pyjamas, work clothing, etc). Keep those things in mind and you should be fine.

Accessories:
- Earrings
- Necklace/Pendant
- Tattoo(s)
- Broach
- Cape
- Armour (basic armour or full-body knight armour)
- Gold/Silver bands (around the arms and/or neck)
- Feather (could be placed anywhere)
- Trendy gadget (Ipod, phone, CD player etc)
- Gadget on body (like a phone/receiver clipped on the ear, a mechanical band on arm, etc)
- Tiara/Crown
- Bracelets
- Artificial limbs/Mechanical parts

Weapons:
- Wand/Sceptre
- Sword
- Arrows
- Firearm (guns, bazooka, laser, etc)
- Shield (okay, I know it’s not technically a weapon)
- Ninja weapons (stars, katana, etc)
- Spears

Element (if any):
This part is mainly for fantasy characters or characters made of a particular element. For example a character with great magical experience in commanding fire would have a fire element, and would also be weak against water.

- Fire
- Water
- Earth
- Air/Wind
- Lightning
- Metal

Animal companion (if any):
Your character might have a pet or animal sidekick. Harry Potter has an owl. What I’ve noticed is characters who have animals usually have an animal that helps reflect their personality or occupation/hobby (police have dogs, wizards have owls or cats, a marine biologist might have a dolphin, etc).

- Bird
- Cat/Dog
- Reptile/Snake
- Fish or marine animal
- Small marsupial (mouse, rat, etc)
- Fantasy/Mythical creature (dragon, gryphon, etc)

Habitat:
The general kind of environment your character lives in. Good for getting a rough idea of the society/world for your character to inhabit.

- Mountains
- Beach/Seaside
- City
- Countryside/Grassy Plains
- Ocean
- Forest/Jungle
- Sky
- Moon
- Spaceship/Station
- Alien Planet
- Desert
- Canyon
- Volcano
- Island
- Inside/on and object/person (computer, animal, etc)

Occupation/Hobby:
If your character lives in a society, they have to do something to help pay the bills or serve their community (or just waste their time doing). A character’s occupation can be governed by their talents and interests, or if you don’t want your character to be happy, you can stick them in a job they really hate and have a story focused on how they get into a better job. Of course you might have your own additions to this list (or even your own version of this list) depending on how your character’s civilisation operates.

- Store owner/manager
- Sales clerk
- Explorer (famous or not) (any kind of explorer, air, sea or space)
- Assistant
- Scientist
- Author/Scriptwriter
- Movie director
- Apprentice
- Wizard/Sorcerer
- Police/Guard/Soldier/Warrior
- Hunter/Gatherer
- Mechanic
- Farmer
- Doctor/Surgeon
- Entertainer (busking, kids parties, etc)
- Captain of a ship
- Butcher
- Blacksmith (forger of weapons/horseshoes)
- Guardian angel
- News reporter
- Hotel manager
- Cleaner/Janitor
- Astronomer
- Accountant/Desk job
- Fashion designer
- Teacher/Mentor
- Librarian
- Agent (advertising, celebrity, etc)
- Secret agent
- Truck driver
- Actor/Singer/Popstar
- Financial advisor
- Psychiatrist/Psychologist
- Knight/Squire
- King/President/Mayor/Leader/Principal
- Secretary
- Journalist (newspaper or online)
- Photographer
- Pilot

Psychological conditions:
You don’t HAVE to pick one of these. I just put them in for more ideas to help deepen the character.

- Aspergers/Autism
- Mental retardation
- Kleptomaniac
- Pyromaniac
- Insanity
- Homosexual
- Drug addict
- Language impaired
- Speech impaired
- Alcoholic/Smoker
- Obsessive compulsive
- Eating disorder
- Anxiety disorder
- Down syndrome
- Cerebral Palsy

Physical conditions:
Another section you don’t have to pick from, but is here for inspiration.

- Disabled (in a wheelchair or on crutches)
- Arthritis
- Deaf
- Blind
- Broken bone (broken arm, leg, etc)
- Illness

Personality traits:
A bunch of adjectives I found that help describe the personality of a character. Choose as many as you want. For more interesting character personalities, choose them at random.

I’ve mixed the good and bad traits together because that how realistic and believable characters should be. They should have a mixture of both desirable and undesirable character traits in their personality. It makes them more relatable and less like Mary Sues.

- Stubborn
- Pompous
- Competitive
- Arrogant
- Clumsy
- Stupid
- Naughty
- Careless
- Agreeable
- Annoying
- Busy
- Repulsive
- Lazy
- Careful
- Fierce
- Cautious
- Dangerous
- Grumpy
- Nutty
- Clever
- Fussy
- Cunning
- Scary
- Selfish
- Nasty
- Brainy
- Mysterious
- Aggressive
- Tense
- Powerful
- Adventurous
- Childish
- Shy
- Obnoxious
- Social
- Sleepy
- Important
- Foolish
- Creepy
- Cruel
- Charming
- Pessimistic
- Aloof/Disinterested
- Bewildered
- Combative
- Rebellious
- Easily annoyed
- Fun loving
- Evil/Wicked
- Defiant
- Drunk
- Nervous
- Quiet
- Curious
- Odd
- Difficult
- Helpless
- Daring
- Messy
- Cooperative
- Encouraging
- Anti-social
- Excitable
- Quirky
- Loyal
- Faithful
- Smart/Bright
- Wandering
- Talented
- Inquisitive
- Wild
- Hostile
- Friendly
- Enchanting
- Narcissistic/Vein
- Neurotic
- Tame
- Fair
- Funny
- Cheerful
- Courageous
- Tough
- Innocent
- Alert
- Fragile
- Lovely
- Helpful
- Obedient
- Kind
- Overconfident/Cocky
- Gentle
- Pleasant
- Silly
- Successful
- Thoughtful
- Zealous
- Zany
- Devious
- Mischievous
- Crazy
- Flirty
- Joyful
- Proud
- Brave
- Calm
- Serious
- Jolly
- Exuberant
- Eager
- Enthusiastic
- Lucky
- Doubtful
- Healthy
- Condemned
- Frantic
- Ill
- Lonely
- Tired
- Troubled
- Weary
- Determined
- Energetic

Talents:
May not have every talent imaginable listed, but this list is a good start.

- Musical
- Athletic
- Specific sport (archery, swimming, etc)
- Artistic/Imaginative
- Technical/Mechanical
- Scientific genius
- Wise magician
- Handling weapons
- Moving silently/stealthily
- Outdoors person (can survive in the wilderness using knowledge of the environment)

Powers (if any):
One thing I should explain before you go all nuts with the superpowers is the limitations. You character should have some kind of limitation on their power(s). This helps you build more conflict and complication into the story. Where’s the suspense in a story if your character can instantly teleport half way across the galaxy and stop a meteor from colliding with a planet? In X-Men, the character Nightcrawler could only teleport a few meters at a time (well the condition was he had to be able to see where he was teleporting so he wouldn’t end up stuck inside a wall).

- Flying
- Earthquakes
- Laser beams
- Super strength
- Super speed
- Ice breath/powers
- Fire breath/powers
- Lightning bolts
- Breathe underwater
- Teleportation
- Talk to/command animals
- Talk to/command plants
- Has gadgets
- Invisibility
- Shapeshifting
- Control weather
- Melt into liquid
- Elasticity
- Adaptability
- Magic/Sorcery
- Growing/Shrinking

Weakness:
Yes your character HAS to have a weakness. You’re not building a character to fight someone else’s, so get that psychology out of your mind. Weakness doesn’t have to be something listed here either. These are just examples for ideas.

- Natural element (fire, water, light, etc)
- Special element (eg. Kryptonite)
- Specific animal (maybe a predator)
- Certain temperature
- Love (ladies or men)
- Easily tricked
- Stupidity/Clumsiness
- Easily distracted