Human characters are great for narratives, ’cause that’s what we are so we can easily relate to human experiences.
Human Characteristics
Here’s a menu of things that are very human. Pick and choose from this menu or look at some of the other character menus to get rich ideas.
- curious, inquisitive, full of wonder,
- inventive, imaginative, clever
- thoughtful, empathetic
- morose, dark, brooding, melancholic
- good or evil or anywhere in between,
- devout or atheist or anywhere in between,
- hopeful, optimistic,
- pessimistic, doubtful
- realistic, pragmatic
- collect stuff, gather things,
- greedy, gluttonous,
- jealous, envious, covetous,
- power hungry, prideful, authoritarian
- aggressive, assertive, militant, war prone, violent
- lustful, horny, sexually driven
- driven, passionate, willful, determined,
- tall, towering, short, slight, built, stout,
- iron-willed, committed, stubborn,
- kid, teen, teenager, toddler, adolescent,
- adversarial, antagonistic,
Human Environments
Humans can live anywhere, but here are some ideas for starters. Check out the settings menus for more ideas!
- cities, towns, villages, camps, metropolises, forts, establishments,
- houses, apartments, mansions, shacks, tents,
- space stations, space ships, planet colonies
- castles, palaces, gated communities,
- institutions, hospitals, asylums, boarding schools,
- colonies, territories, homesteads, fringes, frontiers, edges of civilization,
- safety, security, protection, walls,
- tunnel, subway, underground, dungeon, mine, cave, cavern,
- home, stomping grounds, home base, home town,
- fort, tree fort, clubhouse, hideout, playhouse,
- stage, theatre, opera house, performance space,
- temple, shrine, holy ground, church, mosque,
Human Stuff
Humans like all kinds of things as we are naturally curious and generally possessive. Here are some things that might give you some ideas for your human character…
- food, shelter, clothing, money, warmth, heat,
- power, symbols of power, strength, weapons,
- perfume, scents,
- magic, runes, ring, cards, beans, wand, orb, crystal,
- collections,
- religion, icons, symbols, holy books,
- music, dance, instruments,
Notes on Human Characters
- Human characters are extremely varied. Look at Character Paths for some occupations, job, careers, or life directions for your characters.
- Look in character building for a bunch of great angles you can take in filling out your human characters.
- Give your characters some cool genetic mutations or make them humanoid by crossbreeding with strange fantasy creatures like elves, harpies, or sea nymphs! Make them half-human or give them cyborg parts.