THE ELDRITCH ROOMBA'S GUIDE TO CANONIZATIONBelow you will find all of the sections that World Anvil provides in its character template, along with questions related to each one. You are encouraged to make use of these questions as character development prompts, and prepare your answers to them prior to canonization. The prompts are intended to inspire answers about your character that you may not be thinking of at the time, or haven't had the opportunity to consider before. Think about them as guidance rather than specific instructions to answer. None of these prompts are required to be answered, so if you are stuck on one, feel free to skip it. Short answer prompts will appear in a sidebar to the right in the order shown (on mobile it will appear at the bottom of the article), and so should be single sentence at the very most. If left blank they will not appear, and custom prompts can be added into the sidebar, such as for pronouns. You might find that this section is too restrictive for your answer, so feel free to skip and instead make use of a related “long answer” prompt instead. Answers in this sidebar that are links to other articles require there to be an existing article to link to. Long answer prompts will appear in the main body of the article, as shown below. All of those sections are named and organized by World Anvil, and their name and order in which they appear cannot be altered, but if left blank they will not appear. However, custom formatting can be applied manually, allowing for a more cohesive presentation. All of this content will be public, so keep that in mind in case you want to keep anything secret until after character retirement and/or glorious death.(This instructional text block will not be present in a character's article.)
An introductory summary of your character that doesn’t go into great detail goes here. This is also a good place for their current events and activities, or a short in-character voice story narrative. Additionally, the answers to the prompts below can be organized into custom sections here (rather than using the sections as displayed below) which allows for greater freedom of presentation. This method of custom formatting is highly recommended, as it will make your article much easier to read. When considering these prompts for Canonizing Characters, it's a good idea to focus on answers that you want to be public information. You should not share information you intend to be kept secret, unless you have an explicit mention that it is a secret - and even then, you should assume that if you share that secret, it will get out. Information in canonizations are things that anyone can learn through basic gossip to dedicated investigation, as well as magical scrutiny through divination spells. Prompts:
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
This is a description of your character's level of health; their fitness, agility, and endurance, as well as abnormalities, illnesses, and afflictions. Take your character's physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, Constitution) into account.
Do they suffer from a congenital condition? Have they lost a limb? Do they have bouts of dry scale (for scaly races) or mange (for furred races)? Have they been been scarred by an otherworldly being that left them with a compromised sense, breathing, mobility, or immune system?
Body Features
This is the physical appearance of your character's body. Consider the details you would describe to an artist who was going to illustrate your character based solely on your description. This might include: skin color, vitiligo, freckles, spines, scales, fur, feathers, tail, additional limbs, etc. Do they have overdeveloped shoulder muscles that make their neck appear very short? Are they very lanky with thin limbs and knobbly joints?
Facial Features
This is the physical appearance of your character's face. Consider the details you would describe to an artist who was going to illustrate your character based solely on your description. This might include: vitiligo, freckles, horns, scars, whiskers, scales, fur, feathers, beak, etc. Do they have a nose with a low bridge and broad, round tip? Large, almond shaped eyes that are widely spaced? A protruding brow with high arching eyebrows that are surprisingly bushy? Are their lips small and thin for how strong their jaw line is? Do they have wrinkles from age, or lines from scowling or laughing? Do they have a beard? What color is it, how long is it, how is it styled? Is their beak or snout long and pointed? Broad and prominent? Short and stubby?
Identifying Characteristics
These are things that would cause your character to stand out amongst their own species and within their own culture, things that people not of the character's race might find noteworthy, as well as what might be used to describe them in the case of an investigation. This might include: scars, tattoos, piercings, an obvious birthmark, branding, a missing appendage, atypical pigmentation for their race (ex. albinism, green skin on a human), atypical eye color for their race (ex. two different color eyes, bright purple eyes on a human), etc.
Physical quirks
Whereas the previous prompts describe the character's static appearance, this is for describing the character in a more dynamic sense, or when in motion. It may include: the character's dominant hand, their posture, if they shuffle or walk with purpose, if they sit with one leg tucked beneath them or always cross the left leg over the right, if they wrap their tail about themselves when they walk or let it sway and take up a lot of space.
Special abilities
These should be inherent abilities, and not necessarily those provided by items. These should focus on other things that your character is able to do above and beyond the standard class or racial abilities. Did they undergo a ritual that provided them with a special boon during full moons? Did they earn the favor of a powerful creature that bestowed an ability into them?
Apparel & Accessories
What is your character's sense of fashion like? Do they try dress elegantly at all times, even when it's impractical? Is their sense of style related to their culture, faith, or faction? Will they abstain from wearing something, even a magical garment, because it doesn't match their aesthetic? Do they have a defined appearance that they have cultivated as part of their presentation and identity, or is it something that they don't give much thought to and will wear anything?
Specialized Equipment
Any important, iconic, or noteworthy equipment your character may possess. This might include: a rare or unique weapon, a signet ring denoting one's noble status (whether legitimate or stolen!), a device or object from an unusual or difficult-to-access place.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
What events have shaped your character's life up to this point? Details about their background that you want to share should go here; things prior to their first session of play as well as things they have done during the course of play that may not be as recent.
Gender Identity
This might also be their gender expression or presentation, which might differ from their gender or sex for whatever reason. Ex. Transgender, cisgender, agender, gender fluid, etc.
Sexuality
Their sexual and/or romantic orientation.
Education
Was your character raised in the wilderness by a hermit, learning survivalist skills? Did they receive mentoring at an esteemed college? Were they schooled in various fighting styles by a renowned general? This is a good place to relate the skills, proficiencies, and abilities of your character sheet to their story and explain where and how they got their levels.
Employment
Are they in the long-term service of a house or organization? Do they take whatever job comes their way? Are they searching for a career?
Are they proud or fulfilled by their job, or are they dissatisfied with it?
Accomplishments & Achievements
What things has your character done that they are proud of? These can range from personal things no one else may know or understand the importance of, to achieving an important victory in a pivotal, world-shaping event.
Did they fell a particularly impressive foe and take a trophy? Did they research or rediscover a piece of obscure, long-forgotten lore? Did they earn the respect or favor of some important person? Did they craft an object that was instrumental in the success of an event?
Failures & Embarrassments
Things that don't go the way we want can shape our experiences and the course of our lives even more than successes. What significant setbacks has your character faced, and how did that impact them or change their fate?
Did they fail to achieve an important task or quest? Did a defeat they suffered end up having far-reaching consequences?
Morality & Philosophy
Does your character have a code or philosophy? Do they think about how to react to certain situations before they come up, or do they decide in the moment? Is it important to them that other people follow a similar set of tenets (for example: don’t kill people, don’t steal, etc)?
Taboos
Is there anything your characters absolutely will not or can not do? Is it for cultural reasons, or perhaps is there a magical geas or curse involved? Is it important to your character that no one knows about this banned action or thing?
Personality Characteristics
Motivation
Things that serve as general (or specific) motivators for your character. Think of ways your DMs plots could be interesting to you, or things they could include that would inspire you to participate. For example, they could be interested in secrets, or defense of the innocent, or politics, or developing the perfect song. Be as generic or specific as you like.
Savvies & Ineptitudes
What are things that your character is especially good at that aren't necessarily directly related to their class? What sets them apart from another character with that class and archetype?
What are things that your character is good at that aren’t directly related to their class? (It's a given that a fighter would not be adept with using magic, after all!) What are things they aren’t good at that don’t have to do with adventuring? Are they interested in getting better at those things?
Likes & Dislikes
Is there anything your character would take time out of their day to do or enjoy? What are a few things that would upset them no matter how well their day was going?
Virtues & Personality perks
What are a few things about your character that make them easier to get along with? What things about your character are helpful to an adventuring party? For example, they might remember every time another character went out of their way to help without being credited and make a point to thank them, or often provide extra gold to characters who need something and don’t have enough, or make a point to support the group’s decision even if they disagree.
Vices & Personality flaws
What are things about your character that may be a detriment to your party? Think of a few things that could delay, interrupt, or disrupt the party’s plans. Maybe they have a vice that is particularly difficult to control, or hate something so much they can’t let it go, or tend to be vindictive when the party disagrees with what they have to say.
Personality Quirks
What are things about your character that the party might use to identify an impostor or see through a disguise? This might include visible indicators like rubbing their thumb over the pommel of their sword whenever they're worried, cracking their knuckles habitually, a tendency to gesticulate a lot when they talk.
Hygiene
How much care and attention does your character put into their personal appearance? Are there any things that they care more or less about? Does their culture or faith influence these customs?
Social
Contacts & Relations
What sorts of people, specifically or generally, is your character in contact with? Were there any influential associates in your character's past that they might have lost contact with? Is there someone or somewhere they might be able to go to seek help with a problem?
Family Ties
What parts of their family are still alive, and where are they? Are any of them particularly important or unimportant to your character? What skills do they have that they could have learned, or have yet to learn? What dates are important to them and their family?
Religious Views
Is your character theistic, agnostic, or atheistic? Do they believe clerical power comes from elsewhere or do they believe they’re just mages by another name? Do they primarily follow the ideals of one Inaethri or are there several they support? Are there any Inaethri or Incari they hate but still venerate? Does the culture your character comes from have different ideas on what religion is like all together?
Hobbies & Pets
What does your character do in their downtime? Do they have to wait until they return home to do it, or is it compact enough to travel? Are they comfortable with their skill level or do they wish they could improve? Are they looking for more hobbies? Do they have any pets at home, or do they travel with them? Were there memorable pets in the past?
Speech
How does your character’s voice sound? Is there anything unique about the way they speak? Where does their accent come from, if any? Do they tend to bloviate, are they concise, or do they tend to skimp on details?
Wealth & Financial state
How rich was your character at birth? What sorts of resources did their family or caretaker have access to? How has this influenced your character? Do they have any milestones or plans for the money they may make in the future? Consider how their access (or lack thereof) to wealth affects their philosophy and activities with wealth; are they more conservative and careful with it, or do they spread it around freely?
Alignment
The alignment on your character sheet
Current Location
Species
Age
How old in years?
Date of Birth
Using the calendar of their Realm, when were they born?
Date of Death
Using the calendar of their Realm, when did they die?
Life
1 AI
3 AI
2 years old
Circumstances of Birth
Did any special circumstances lead to your character's birth? Was it prophesied, ritualized, or a bad omen?
Circumstances of Death
Did any special circumstances lead to your character's death? Was it prophesied, unexpected, or especially significant to an event?
Birthplace
What Realm, city, or other place were they born/created?
Place of Death
In what Realm, city, or other place did they die (for the last time)?
Children
Current Residence
Does your character have a home base, or do they live on the road?
Sex
This might be the sex they were designated at birth, or are currently if it changed. Ex. Female, intersex, male, etc
Gender
Gender refers to how society and culture classify people into different groups based on certain parameters. Different cultures and species can have different ways of handling gender. Ex. Man, nonbinary, woman, etc
Presentation
Presentation refers to physical appearance (such as clothes, hairstyle, and mannerisms) as it relates to gender. Different cultures will associate presentation cues with different genders. Ex. Androgynous, feminine, masculine, etc
Eyes
What is their shape and color? Do they have unusual pupils, glow, color change?
Hair
What is the length, color, style?
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
What color, texture, features?
Height
Ex. 5’5” (or) Shorter than average for their kind
Weight
Ex. 220 lbs (or) Heavy
Quotes & Catchphrases
What's something they say all the time, or something that someone might recognize them by if they heard it?
Belief/Deity
Which dogma and/or Inaethri is the character a believer/follower of.
Character Prototype
For fun! What might be the closest equivalent or inspiration for this character? For example, is the presence or aesthetic of Faora from Man of Steel what you were envisioning for your character? If so, list Faora here!
