Charactergeneration

Charactergeneration is the process by which a character is created for fictional works or interactive media. In games and storytelling, it encompasses physical description, psychological traits, backstory, abilities, and equipment. In computational contexts, it can also refer to autogenerated character data for non-player characters or avatars.

In role-playing games and many video games, generation methods range from random to structured. Random generation uses dice rolls or computer RNG to determine attributes, while structured systems use point-buy, standard arrays, or prescribed templates to ensure balance and reproducibility. Core components typically include attributes or ability scores (for example, strength, dexterity, intelligence), skills, feats or talents, race or species, class or archetype, background, and starting equipment or powers. Appearance and personality are often defined to guide roleplay.

The process generally proceeds from naming, to determining core stats, to choosing class or archetype, to selecting race/species, background, and equipment, then to defining traits, alignment or goals, and composing a short backstory. Some systems emphasize player agency, while others emphasize procedural generation or automation for non-player characters.

In game design, charactergeneration affects balance, pacing, replayability, and accessibility. Randomization can enhance variety but may hinder fairness; point-buy and templates can improve fairness and clarity. For narrative writing, character generation is a planning tool that helps writers maintain consistency across a cast and explore potential motivations and relationships.

Advances in AI and data-driven worldbuilding enable automatic generation of complex characters with coherent personalities and histories, including relationships and motivations.