Character Concept Guide (Optional!)
I love building characters and coming up with crunchy ideas for role play. This guide is completely optional but if you find it helpful that’s a bonus! This process is based on a concept called the Circles of Character Conflict and is a tool I have used to great effect during more than a decade of telling stories on YouTube and podcasts. The steps will guide you through the framework and help you flesh out a concept that will align well with the TTRPG style of storytelling.
IMPORTANT: You do not need to have a character who grew up or lives in Black Brine but you should give some consider to how they ended up there. We will talk about this as a group during session 0!
Example of the type of concept this helps to produce (for reference)
Rialla Voss, human rogue (Scout), ex-quartermaster. Want: clear the family name by exposing a bribery ledger. Fear: her kid brother, press-ganged by the Black Sashes, gets used as leverage. Duty: the old crew she left behind during a mutiny. Bonds: she scouts safe routes so the caster can set ambushes; she handles negotiations to spotlight the party face. Ties: owes a Twilight Society bibliomancer; knows every bribe-wharf in Salt Crown. Why now: the ledger resurfaced—and a Captain’s Council vote is in two weeks.
Step 1
Brainstorm a few character ideas
(10–15 min)
Goal: generate 2–3 distinct seeds you’d be excited to play.
Prompts (pick 3–5):
Personal (inner drive): What do you want most? What do you fear most? What line won’t you cross?
Inter-personal (party fit): What strengths do you bring? How do you help others shine (face, scout, healer, controller, striker, tank)?
Societal (the world): Which Black Brine currents pull on you—pirates, Captain’s Council politics, Twilight Society mysteries, dark sea legends, treasure/ruins?
Stakes: What could the sea take from you? What could it give?
Vibe dials: Gritty ↔ Cinematic, Lawful ↔ Chaotic, Idealist ↔ Pragmatist.
Fast seeds (examples):
Disgraced quartermaster seeking redemption with a stolen ledger that implicates a councilor.
Fey-touched navigator who hears the song of drowned stars; the Twilight Society wants that song.
Temple surgeon-apothecary who runs a quiet smuggling ring to fund a cure for a plague in the Warrens.
Capture each seed in 3 sentences: Who, Want, Complication.
Step 2
Develop Background Ideas
(20-30 min)
Important: Lone-wolf concepts don’t play well. Build reasons to cooperate, hooks into the city, and two ways your character lifts others up.
Use the 3-layer web (fill 1–2 per layer):
Personal (relationship to self)
What does your character think they want?
(e.g., Revenge on those who banished me!)
What your character doesn’t realize they really want?
(e.g., I want to be accepted)
An interesting Code and/or Quirk:
(e.g., Telling jokes because I want others to like me)
Inter-personal (relationship to party)
Who do you admire & why?
Something you will not tolerate?
A promise you’ll make to the party?
Societal (relationship to society)
Government is necessary! Government is a waste of time!
Mortals are lost without the gods. F**k the gods!
Momentum hook (1 sentence):
Why are you stepping into danger now?
Send me your concept!
Step 3
Submit your concept
(and we’ll shape it together)
Send me one favorite seed using this template (paste in StartPlaying/Discord/Form):
Character Concept (≈150–200 words)
Name / Class / Background (draft):
One-line pitch:
Desire / Fear / Duty (1–2 sentences each):
Two party bonds (how you’ll help others shine):
Two world ties (faction + location):
Momentum hook (why now?):
Content preferences (if any): Lines/Veils reminder or “see Step 1 form.”
What I’ll do next:
Align your concept with campaign pillars (pirates, politics, dark fantasy, high adventure).
Thread in faction & location hooks, offer 2–3 bespoke plot ties (patron, rival, mystery).
Ensure it supports the party charter and gives you spotlight moments that also set up others.
Confirm mechanics fit: Level 3, point-buy, 2014 & 2024 sources I own; any homebrew by approval.
