Getting Started |  Character Creation  |  FAQ

What to Play | Race | Character Type

We've established that RDI is a rather unique place; in attitude, approach to RP, and in setting. In order to help you fit in, we've put together a fairly extensive guide to creating a character and getting familiar with the setting.

While by no means will all the content be directly applicable to the character you're creating, it is all relevant to the world that character will be immersed in, and the world they're coming from. When making your first character, you can either skim through this page, or read it all. Either way, you'll probably be coming back to read the rest later on.

Deciding What to Play

Probably the hardest thing in making a character is figuring out who you want them to be. Personality will always be the single most important thing a character has here at RDI, and will guide their interactions more than gender, race, and occupation. One can, at times, be decided by the other, depending on the situation; but you cannot skimp on deciding things like an outlook on life, onions, and general demeanor. It is not enough to say "Chaotic Neutral".

The easiest way to start is to read the information provided. If you don't know what kind of character you want to make, you can come up with a story with the background information presented here, and if you do know, this will help you find the best possible combination to make your character a reality.

Race

At this point, you should have a feel for what you're getting into, and you probably are starting to have a few ideas about what kind of character you'd like to introduce; and race is usually one of the starting points, right along with gender and age.  These big three are the first thing other characters will notice about your character.  Assumptions will be made and reactions can sometimes be drastic depending on both public opinion and personal experience. 

Below is a handy run-down of the more common races established in RDI, where you will find descriptions and usually a bit of history for each species.

If nothing on this list quite fits what you have in mind, you might want to check with an Op before going ahead as planned.

Angels
Cat People
Centaurs
Demons
Devils
Dragons
Drow
Dwarves
Elves
Fey
Ghosts
Gnomes
Grotesque Humanoids
Half Angel-Half Demons
Humans
Vampires
Werewolves

Angels

Angels

Angels of the powerful and highly destructive variety are extremely rare on this plane of existence. They serve as the Thugs of the Gods, typically created expressly for the purpose of serving their heavenly masters without question or second thought. (Though, it should be noted, that different Gods do things differently, and angels of all styles and creeds have been sighted throughout the millennia.) Angels of the strictly traditional sort are incapable of deeds of evil and malice and as such, be forewarned that playing such a character may make it difficult to develop into a satisfyingly complicated character.

Half-Angels are generally not much better. They may come about as the result of sexual congress between heavenly beings and mortals (very rare) or as a touch of the divine upon a relatively normal pregnancy (also pretty darn rare). Powers and appearance vary wildly from individual to individual, all depending on their particular heavenly heritage, and they may be called to serve the God from whom they descend. 

Aasimar are the descendants of heavenly bloodlines. Like Half-Angels, their appearance and powers reflect their ancestor, but their heritage has been watered down through the generations. They may be powerful avatars of their particular God, or they may merely be a fellow who is unusually honest and kind and smells a bit like fresh laundry. 

Note:   Grim Reapers are not particularly grim in our world, and not so much a terrifying specter of death as they are delivery-persons, doing the bidding of the relatively benign gods of death, shuffling souls off this mortal coil. They almost never walk among the living and interact with them, and as such are discouraged as Player Characters for people new to RDI.

Cat People

Repeat after me; Cat-People are not endangered.

It's just a fact of life in Senesse. A new feline anthro wanders into town seemingly every other week, they are plentiful in the world, and any cat-person who bewails their fate as a totally unique creature in a world of cruel humans who can't understand them will be regarded as blind in addition to being stupid. Cat-people are not unique, not new, and certainly not endangered.

It is something of a mystery as to why of all the mammalian options available, it is consistently felines of various makes and models that most frequently crop up. Several theories have been espoused. Perhaps cat-people are merely wizards' favorite practical solution to the problem of their pets being unable to open doors, complain about the ugly decor and shoddy food, and serve as openly hostile sexual partners. Perhaps they are the next evolution of humanity. Perhaps it's just a matter of popularity of character choice, the natural reasoning being that cat-ears and a tail is sure to spice up any back story.

Play Cat-People at your own risk.

Centaurs

Half horse, half man, Centaurs are creatures of the wild, they rarely associate with strangers. Though they take well to the art of fighting, they are generally mild-mannered, and avoid battles, but they are not adverse to shooting a few arrows into their enemies, and with their powerful legs they can be intimidating as well as fierce.  They tend to shy away from cities, even when disowned from Centuar society.  Maybe that's because no one can ever figure out whether to rent them a room at the Inn or offer a stall in the stables. Of all the races, they seem to be most comfortable with elves.

Demons

Demons of the powerful and highly destructive variety are extremely rare on this plane of existence, and are typically slaughtered without mercy by the avatars of peace and justice within a few hours of manifesting. Demons are, by nature, incapable of deeds of goodness and kindness and as such be forewarned that playing such a character may make it difficult to develop well. If you feel almost-certain destruction and sociopathic wrongdoing is not an issue, you are welcome to one, but make note. Evil deeds do not go unpunished.

Half-demons are generally not much better. They are typically the product of the rape or seduction of mortals and burn with the rage and hatred that marks their demonic heritage, sometimes manifesting as a touch of the infernal upon a normal pregnancy. Powers and appearance vary wildly from individual to individual, all depending on their particular hellbound bloodline. Willpower alone is never enough to control their bloodlust, and most are punished for their crimes by death long before they reach adulthood.

Tieflings are the descendants of trysts between any sort of demonic presence and a mortal. Like Half-Demons, their appearance and powers reflect their ancestry, but their heritage has been watered down through the generations. Their presence may be as uncontrollable and threatening as a full-demon's grandson or as relatively innocuous as a few odd spells and an appearance that only faintly suggests evil coupled with a career of pickpocketing because their great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother was a succubus.

Devils

You could almost mistake a polymorphed devil as a clever businessman. They are not so wantonly destructive as demons, though they too seek the power to enslave and cause strife. Despite their more discrete mannerisms, they tooare hunted down by angels as soon as they are discovered.

The difference lies in that they are driven to obey the law. The letter of the law, that is. Whatever they can get away with, they can. Devil's often trick mortals into seemingly generous deals and contracts, but always with a clever loophole in it in the devil's favor. They are clever, and in many ways even more dangerous than demons. 

Dragons

Dragons are one of the most powerful and complex beings in the known world, as well as the largest and perhaps the most persnickety. It is because of the former they can afford to be the latter.

Because of their size, dragons require a large amount of territory and as such are uniquely unsuited to city life, which can give them feelings of claustrophobia and lead to unfortunate territorial battles between individuals; though a precious few seem to call Senesse home for reasons that remain unclear, despite ongoing tensions. The ones who get along best tend to adopt humanoid personas and forms, though only a few species of dragons have this capability. The forest surrounding Senesse is similarly saturated with dragons, and newcomers will likely be met with open hostility since law enforcement is not terribly keen on telling dragons how to handle their business.

Most dragons choose to speak via telepathy, as the voice of a full-grown wyrm can cause maladies in many other species, ranging from discomfort to death; so even the very young among them are taught early to be polite and silence their vocal chords when not among their own kind.

Regardless of age, dragons have had a tendency to view humanoids as inferior to themselves. The real-world interactions that result can range from dragons who are saintly in their patience, compassion and understanding for their bipedal brothers; to dragons who see humanoids as pets or livestock who need strict discipline and punishment; to dragons who see two-legged creatures as pests who are best served lightly seared with mint jelly. As one would suspect, dragons raised alongside humans show a much greater respect and admiration for their talents and ingenuity than dragons raised to believe that humanoids are opportunistic thieves who cannot be trusted. Naturally, both camps are, in some sense, correct.

Drow

Drow, almost without exception, are scheming, traitorous, and entirely not recommended for play if you are thinking of making a character that is honest, noble, and gentle. The valiant exceptions to their race usually don't last very long in the surface world, since they are usually killed on-sight.

In Senesse and few other cities, the few Dark Elves who have risen above their heritage occasionally find shelter and a home.  There are even a few communities that prove that the evil nature of the Drow is largely cultural.  While the vast majority of 'good' drow have come up from the underdark, and thus have to deal with the culture shock, plus the chance of running into people who don't talk before swinging a sword at your head, surface raised drow have a different problem.  Everyone they meet expects them to be something that they have no knowledge about.

For this reason, one rarely finds traveling drow who have been born on the surface.  Settled into a community, the only people who do not know what to make of them are travelers. 

Dwarves

Dwarves live in their mountainous abodes, digging ores from the ground and smithing them into wondrous marvels, armor, weapons, anything that they might desire. They are short, sturdy folk, only around half the height of an average human, but weighing just as much due to their stout builds. They share a deep love of all things alcoholic, and metals and gems that shine.  Thick scottish accents are not a requirement for playing a dwarf.

While they are a welcome addition to most communities for their talents, they rarely fully integrate into their urban homes. 

Elves

Generally seen as aloof and haughty, the elves can't fathom why on earth you'd think that of them.  They're the longest-lived of the bipeds and obviously the most cultured and the wisest.  Why, they're just setting a good example for the rest of the backwards races.

Slim and tall, lithe limbs and lovely faces, elves have earned their reputation as being just a bit otherworldly no matter what particular locale they hail from.  They vary in coloration and ethnicity almost as much as humans do, but every single one can be spotted by their high cheekbones, their finely chiseled features, and their exotic eyes; even if their ears are hidden under hats.

Some live in great cities shrouded in secrecy in far-off woodlands, some will associate with the 'lower races' only to a limited degree; but most who come to Senesse have given up trying to be the best and are content to be the happiest, rubbing shoulders with everyone and not really caring what the length of your ears are.

Fey

"Fey" is a blanket term given to nearly every humanoid who seems to be more in touch with nature and magic than they are to modern society.  Nymphs, Dryads, Sylphs, Fairies, Pixies, and many more fall into this catchall category of intelligent creatures; and some of the more mundane races (elves and gnomes for example) claim to share a common ancestry with them.  Or at least parallel evolution.  Or at least resemble them in some inscrutable way.  Anything to be able to brag that their magic is better than everyone else's.

Ghosts

In popular culture, it is often suspected that the spirits of the departed linger on for some time after death as shadowy presences that can affect the physical world we inhabit. Here at RDI, we have integrated this folklore into our world and expanded upon it; ghosts are a reality, and they have their own society apart from our own. However, they share the same physical space that flesh and blood characters inhabit, and sometimes the veil between worlds can be breeched. 

Not every person will linger and become a ghost after death; very few, in fact, do. And if they do, they will be disoriented and weak. If a character is killed in a fight, their ghost will not be able to continue fighting after death-- in most cases, they find that they no longer want to.  

Ghosts generally will not interact clearly or meaningfully with the living. Freed from their terrestrial forms, they often cannot connect emotionally with the living, whom they often see as stupid and misguided. Even if they felt a need to communicate with the living, they often cannot due to the limitations of their realm. The most powerful among them can manifest as shadowy presences to the living or even possess another living body temporarily, but more commonly they can only move small objects, leave cold spots, or otherwise cause discomfort and annoyance to the living. 

It should be noted that there are days during the year when the veil between our world and the next is particularly thin, and some people are particularly sensitive to the dead, so some interaction is possible. However, no spirit can live in this limbo-world forever and eventually they do have to move on.

Gnomes

A low birthrate and a long tradition of peaceful compromise has left the gnomish population decimated throughout history; they are known as the Forgotten Folk. Most appear as only footnotes in the textbooks of other races, usually as trusted servants to monarchs and nobles, remembered only dimly for their services as inventors, scientists, and tacticians. More frequently, gnomes have been extremely cheap slave labor for powerful nations, valued for their hardiness but scorned for frequent escape attempts and deceitful ways. 

Most free gnomes live in isolated communities (always centers of near-frenzied intellectual activity), cloaked by magic and illusion, distrustful of the nations and peoples that have betrayed them in the past. The long tradition of old wives' tales of little men that steal children and kill livestock for sport are entirely undeserved in this day and age, though most gnomes will grudgingly admit to an ancient history that was not above swindling and outright stealing to survive. 

Other races can often find it hard to take a gnome seriously for a variety of reasons. They rarely grow over three and a half feet tall, and their bodily proportions tend to verge on the comical, with large heads topping their Lilliputian bodies, oversized hands and feet, and large expressive faces. A noted tendency towards tomfoolery and practical jokes does not help matters. For these reasons, it is of little wonder that no other earthly race claims a close evolutionary tie to the gnomish peoples, though many find that they enjoy the company and hospitality of such a warm and earthy culture in personal dealings with the gnomes. 

While it is rare to see an older gnome in the company of other races, their children have come to question the wisdom of the traditional isolation from other societies. Change is often slow in gnome communities, yet self-declared "modern" gnomes are leaving their quiet hamlets to venture out into the world and offer up their unique variety of skills-- for a price.

The Grotesque Humanoids

In any other world they are mere cannon-fodder, just another thing to stand between the hero and the beautiful princess.  In this world too, most of them continue their dreaded night-time raids on isolated communities and lurk in the darkest corners of the world, ready to snack on the unwary and foolhardy.  A few have cleaned themselves up, learnt a trade, turned their back on their monstrous brethren, and have become pillars of the community.  They have families and careers and dogs with endearing names like 'Scruffy'.  They are citizens.  Killing them will result in jail time.

Goblin
Roughly half the size of a man and deserving of a reputation for evil mischief, goblins have exaggerated features and skin that is often dun-coloured or greenish with unruly hair and a not-so-secret love of skin conditions that the rest of humanity spends a lot of time and energy trying to rid themselves of. 

Ogre
The giants of this sort, they are best known for culinary prowess and fashion statements dealing directly with the dismemberment of humans and their kin.  Like Goblins, a palette of greens and browns make up their skintones, but make up in size and girth what they lack in pestilence. 

Orc
A Tolkien-derived race, they hate the sun and are often considered to be a mockery of elf-kind; and take pride in being foul as humanly possible.

Troll (Forest)
Of varying sizes but generally taller than a man, these hairy mischief-makers are identified by their fondness for living flesh, their capacity for dull-witted mayhem, their large noses, and long lion-like tails with a tuft of wiry hair at the end.  The club for bashing things' heads in is almost a given.  No relation to Mountain Trolls.

Troll (Mountain)
A truly startling creature indeed, Mountain trolls are made entirely of rock and tend to be rather large and rather dense both in the physical and metaphorical sense.  Sunlight slows them down to slug-like speeds, contributing to tales of all sorts of Grotesques turning to stone at dawn.  No relation to Forest Trolls.

Half-Angel-Half-Demons

These two species cannot inhabit the same room, much less manage to copulate, without killing one another. Think of something else.

Humans

In times long past, Humans were seen as little more than an evolutionary quirk and a dead end. They seemed to possess no inherent magical ability, extraordinarily short lives, and no culture whatsoever.

But that was an awfully long time ago.

Now, they virtually rule the planet.

Most claim that the trouble started when the elves took pity on their comparatively primitive neighbors and gave unto them gifts of knowledge and technology that improved their quality of life immensely. It was barely a generation, not even twenty years later, when the elves noticed that humans had far outpaced them at many of their own games, showing an inventiveness and drive to succeed that had not been anticipated.

Due to their breakneck pace of reproduction and flexibility, humans could be driven to the most inhospitable climates and nearly killed off; yet within a hundred years, their children's children would be quite prosperous and quite numerous. Such extraordinary adaptability has resulted in sub-species of humans with unprecedented variety and a range and subtlety of cultures that exceeds any other race. 

The humans of Senesse tend to be on the pale side, often of sturdy stock, and occasionally leery of the many other races and unfamiliar faces that populate their township. Most work as farmers or local merchants or craftsman, and rarely venture out of their increasingly strange city; they know it like the backs of their hands and are fiercely proud of it.

Of course, native Senessians aren't the only humans in the area. Immigrants and tourists are arriving all the time, making this one of the most varied and interesting races to play.

Vampires

Vampires are intelligent walking dead, with cunning and charisma that far outstrips any mere zombie. The agenda of your common vampire is simple. They are the hunters, and other races are the prey. Vampires exist by draining others of their blood. The function of the blood they imbibe is questionable; because they are not living, it follows that they cannot metabolize.

It is not fully known how they draw their power from the blood. However this is accomplished, one thing is widely agreed upon; without blood, vampires will weaken and eventually die. ALL vampires must drink blood, regardless of their personal circumstances; rare substitutes exist, and vampire can subsist on blood drained from, say, raw steak... but it would never satisfy so much as the real thing.

In appearance, vampires can vary widely; but because they do not live, unnatural pallor is a must. Fangs are another necessary feature, used for the draining of blood. Vampiric saliva is reputed to have many possible qualities: one, as an anticoagulant. In other words, it keeps blood flowing from a vampire's bite. Other secondary effects may include drowsiness or sexual arousal.

Many players seize upon vampires because of their immortality; it is important to understand that vampires are not truly immortal. They are immortal only in the sense that they do not age; they do not age because they are DEAD. It is uncertain what magic or device preserves vampires' flesh and minds, but they must abide by the rules of the nonliving. A vampire cannot heal naturally, because it does not live; however, most vampires possess dark magic in some form of another that they use to simulate living processes.

Which brings us to a point that cannot be stressed enough: VAMPIRES DO NOT REPRODUCE! It is absolutely impossible to have a half-vampire, quarter-vampire, vampire blood in your veins... impossible. Mating with a vampire would be like mating with a corpse. There are instances where, through magic or magical accidents, individuals portraying some but not all vampiric traits can be produced; but this is EXTREMELY rare, and not recommended for new players to pursue.

Finally, vampires have weaknesses. There must be something to counterbalance their supernatural strength, agility, and command of magic (particularly hypnotic abilities). The main and most prevalent weakness is the sun. No true vampire can survive the sun's rays; whether the vampire instantly turns to ash, or merely burns at a hyper-accelerated rate is subjective, but you will NOT find a vampire casually walking around in the daylight. This severely limits their playability.

Less notable weaknesses are garlic and holy weapons/water. The first weakness is extremely subjective and almost laughable; there is no logical reason why garlic should harm a vampire. However, it is completely up to the player to add that in if they so choose. The second weakness, to holy weapons or water, is more relative. Vampires are undead, so a holy weapon would inflict major damage upon them. However, it must be a TRUE holy weapon; murmuring a prayer over your dagger does not a holy weapon make.

Werewolves

Men and women caught between the worlds of human and beast, werewolves are among the most feared and distrusted races that roam the earth. Their bloodlust is renown, and their appetite voracious; yet these individuals are often pitied even as they are shunned. 

Senesse, being an unusually egalitarian society, tolerates it's lycanthropes just so long as they keep to themselves and stay far far away from town and livestock while in their wolf-shapes. The theft and/or murder of pets, cattle, sheep, and people are serious crimes and authorities are unlikely to shed any tears for the suspect who blames an irrational alter-ego who commits crimes of this variety. 

Many different lines of Lycanthropy exist, with variations on the timing of the curse (every night, only at full moons, or at will), variations on the form taken (indistinguishable from a wolf, or any number of variations on the theme of 'wolf-monster'), variations on heritage and transmission (some lines are by birth only, others are transmissible only by blood, others by any fluid contact), and differences in rational human thought capable in the turned individual (some Lycanthropes maintain complete control, others become mere animals with no memory of their human forms, with many gradients in between. The origins of the curses and bloodlines are similarly complex and widespread, with many different variations on the theme of bestial transformation. 

Few, if any, cures are known for most bloodlines; though spells and potions have been proven to exist that can temporarily alter the state of Lycanthropes, allowing some to shapeshift at times that this would normally not be permitted, retain conscious thought, or make the individual's lycanthropy non-contagious. 

A word about the wolves of Senesse: 

The native pack of wolves that inhabit the Lyrian Forest and surrounding terrain are of a special breed that grow to be quite large and maintain telepathic links to one another. They are extremely territorial and do not tolerate werewolves well, as they see the interlopers as competition for food and range.

A few guardians of this special pack of wolves exist among the humanoid population, but they would not be considered Lycanthropes as the lupine kinship does not allow these individuals to shapeshift. The Brotherhood of the Wolves is very exclusive and tightly knit to the point of being xenophobic, and outsiders are unlikely to win favors by trying to 'make friends' with these elusive and fierce predators.

Character Type

A Word About "Character Classes"

Adventurers, by definition, will not stay in one place for very long; certainly not long enough to put down roots in a community and get to know the locals. In order to form long-lasting relationships with other people in Senesse, your character will need to go beyond the fantasy-hero archetype of the Warrior/Thief/Mage/Healer who is in search of riches and fame. Heroes rely on there being clear and easily-defined evil to vanquish-- but in a city whose moralities are painted in shades of grey and whose guard is more than sufficient to handle most criminals, your 'hero' is just another hot shot with a magic sword who has no purpose beyond his next quest. The same with your Neutral DnD characters, the same with your Evil ones. A Character Class is not a job, it's not a career, it's a catch-all term that was developed to make Table Top Gaming easier.

Personality-- Don't be a Stereotype!

A person's personal ethics, formative experiences, and goals in life cannot be defined in a sliding scale of Good vs Evil. A perfectly compassionate and caring 'good' character will run occasionally afoul against another perfectly nice character who has different ideas of what 'good' means. Neither is 'right', they are just 'different'. Arguing that it's a matter of Chaotic versus Lawful isn't going to help, the world is simply far more complex than that.

You also need to pay close attention to the gimmicks that can flatten a character and make them look and act like innumerable other fantasy mainstays. It might be "The Mysterious Loner" or "The Perfectly Normal Girl who happens to have Magic Powers" or "The Badass Hero who No One Likes". If it ends right there for personality and motivation, it's going to get really stale after a while.

As you begin to settle on the overall personality of your character, you will need to come to accept their likes and dislikes as defining how you are going to roleplay. A nature-lover who lives out in the woods will have virtually no reason to come into town, which will severely limit the amount of roleplay they will get. An unlovable heartless criminal will not want to befriend most other characters, even other criminals, without changing who he is on a very deep level (and what on earth do you do with him once he's changed?). If you think you're going to avoid all conflicts by opting for a charming and sociable sort of character, are you willing to not take it personally when other passably sociable characters don't like her for perfectly understandable reasons?


You can have as many characters as you want, but make each one an individual. Remember: The leading cause of character death is their creator's boredom.

A Few of the Major Pitfalls

To finish off, we have three character types that everyone really, really, really, really hates to see IC.  By listing them here we hope to dissuade you from bringing a character IC that matches the following descriptions.  Especially if they match all of them.  (It happens.  It's not pretty.)

Mary Sues
The name derives from a satirical fanfic, set in the Star Trek universe, where the "author" inserted herself into the story and it became very clear that it was nothing but wish-fulfillment. She was the most loved, the most intelligent, and the pluckiest teenaged commander on the Enterprise, and saved the day over and over and over, trumping all the other established characters.

This isn't Star Trek, but the possibility is still there.

A name that is intensely flattering, a tragic (but undeserved) backstory, a terrible (but valiantly suffered) curse, appearance that is uncommonly beautiful; always insisting on being the most martyr-like, the most gracious, the wisest and the most deserving? These are all hallmarks of a roleplayer who has put themselves IC so that they can play out their personal fantasies.

There's a bit of wiggle room here-- everyone has characters who are amazing in some way. Just don't try to pass off character after character as 'original' when they all reek of wish-fulfillment.

The Seer/Oracle
This character spits random bits of 'wisdom' at anyone who asks them anything, and rarely gives the straightforward answers other character needs. It makes for an interesting but frustrating character, because any time a player brings their character to your character it can cause resentment.

They can be fun at times, for yourself and other characters-- a bit kooky and perhaps a valuable resource, but are probably best left to occasional rather than regular roleplay. It is a character that generally keeps to themselves and lives in an isolated area.

The Powerhouse
Powergamers are annoying at best. Power RPers are downright murderable.

This guy can slice you in two with his 7 foot sword, eat your soul, cast any spell, teleport around without any strain, and is probably telepathic and telekinetic to boot. If your character has any three of these abilities, please take a gun and shoot your computer before we're forced to do it for you. If your character has all of these, please ignore the red dot on your forehead. Just sit back, relax, and it'll be over shortly.

Needless to say, please, please, please, please, please, and I say please five (six) times to strain the importance of this, your character is not god, and if they are, you will have a character who is brazenly boring. Not because they're not interesting as a character-- but because anytime a hardship comes along, they'll have no struggle at all to save the day for everyone. Show some moderation. You can be good with a sword and know some magic, but if you're an all-out powerhouse, expect a lot of resistance to your character, if not being outright told to curb it. Conversely, expect the other 'powergamers' to seek you out quickly, and kill you.
 

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