How do you come up with idea's for new characters?

[Valkyr_]

Im in a bit of a dilemma here, ive tried a fair share of things already, so im having a hard time coming up with actual, realistic idea's for a character but im not really sure how to approach it, how do you people come up with all these idea's of something fresh or new?

[wawls]

The first thing I do is think about which part of the map I want my character to be based and use that to develop some part of who they are, for example if it was an active gang area, the character would at least be affected by being from a part of town that has that kind of activity in it. Another part of it could be finding mannerisms that you observe people have in real life, and using that for the character. Are they introverted/extroverted? Do they smoke? etc. All of this will factor in to your characters behavior, and using those behaviors will often spark a reaction from other players. Make sure they have flaws too, because nobody is truly ever going to be perfect, and roleplaying flaws will help you develop your character in so many ways.
Another part of it, for me, is having an idea for direction I want moving forward with the character. Based on their personality and upbringing, are they likely to be tied up in some sort of illegal activity? Or are they going to live a legal lifestyle?
The most important part though, is accurately depicting it. For example, wealth. A character from an area that makes less-than-average income will not have any luxurious vehicles, a large house, or anything like that. RPing your character's wealth accurately is very important.

[i dont wanna od in LA]

Research

[orca112]

First and foremost the theme and type of roleplay. Is there something that interests you? Something you have not tried but would like to? Something you could see yourself doing for a longer time? And from there building the rest - background, character traits, character appearance, research needed, etc...

[fortieznshortiez]

a) what are you interested in

b) what of those interests might be interesting to roleplay

c) what are real world examples of people in these roles

d) how can i understand them with my own abilities to portray it accurately

 

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a) what are some interesting things that could potentially be enjoyable to rp

b) what is my own understanding of these interesting things i might potentially bring to a character

c) what are examples of people in these tropes/roles

d) research to broaden understanding of said roles and find out which one interests you the most to rp

e) figure out grounded backstory and work towards portraying  that thing

 

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a) what are some examples of what normal people are into

b) what areas of life are intriguing enough to pick from

c) study up on things involved in that walk of life

d) study up on people in that walk of life and their traits/behavior

e) pick a specific kind to start with and develop off of and run with it

 

 

 

 

those are 3 i use when im taking it more seriously. i don't take gta RP too serious however so my actual process is more along the lines of

 

a) pick a generalized personality or blend a few to make a more unique and layered person

b) pick a few interests, generally something that doesn't limit what your char might find themselves wanting to do or try but encourages that behavior (more rp that way)

c) make a look, pick a fashion sense, it can change, but its good to have a style for your character. people are beings of habit, we like aesthetics one way or another

d) create the character and run with it, see where rp leads the dev, its not always about starting with some crazy intricate fleshed out char. just pick an ethnicity and run with it. do a little research on slang/culture and go wild

 

ive been rping for several years though so character ideas and their entire history and personality pop into my head constantly so i just fuck around and see what fits/what i find entertaining in this hellscape

[Nora]

I usually think about characters that I can RP consistently. Sometimes, you get like a burst of enthusiasm to RP some very specific things, only to be disappointed later on how it didn't go the way you wanted it to be. I personally like ideas that are unique, but more importantly, the ones that I can pursue for a long time, relatively!

[damnbrah]

if u always rpd male chars go try a female char
if u always rpd illegal chars try a legal character

basically just try the opposite of what you're usually playing, just please do some research if you're taking a route you've never taken before

good way to come up w ideas is to check faction or character threads or just drive around ingame and have a look what other people are roleplaying

[thelostart22]

I spend a lot of time at the surgeon creating faces and when one os inspiring me enough i build a backstory around it

[Late]

I look in the mirror. 

[Alyssa McCarthy]

My advice would be to decide where in GTA:W you want to fit in.

Do you want to be a gangster, a lawyer, a student, law enforcement, a business person AND then come up with a concept that will be engaging and interactive in that environment by adding RP Hooks.

This is a concept I see a lot of people struggle with - I see dozens of people make characters to join factions and then when they're in, and are asked simple questions like "Hey, what are you looking forward too?", so many are just like 'I dunno' and they typically get bored because they have no real interests in common and struggle to fit in.

As advice, use RL or relevant pop culture as inspiration - If you wanna play a cop, do you wanna be a straight laced by the book kind of guy, do you wanna be more grisly and be a 'John McClane" or a charming or witty detective - do some research into those kind of characters, get to know them and have fun!