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Author: electraoutlaw
3,527 Views
5 Comments
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So, you got yourself some snazzy tights and a cool name. That makes you a hero, right?
Well- I suppose. Being that there's no other name for the super-powered beings that randomly appear in Paragon City out of nowhere.
But- if you want to have a purpose, a real identity or heroic 'existence' if you will, I highly recommend that you investigate the history of your hero and share it with the rest of us.
The following is a simple guide for those who have not found the time or inspiration to write a character biography. (even for those of us who have 20+ alts). Keep in mind this is merely a basic outline and is certainly not the only way bios can be written. I would never want to interfere with anyone's artistic flow! This guide is simply meant to encourage those who have not yet attempted to write a background story or for those who are simply putting it off.
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Many of P City's heroes are zipping around, killing bad guys and saving good guys, all the while not knowing who they are. Sure- you can play the game and get just as much XP, Influence, and of course- Debt, as a hero with an interesting background. But- it will truly enhance your crime fighting experience if you have a reason for doing it all. When I finally wrote the bio for my main character, I found that I felt much closer to being a hero myself, and that's the beauty of the game, isn't it?
There are many things you can take into consideration when dreaming up a biography. Some of these include your origin, your name, your powers, and even your costume. Writing a bio can be tricky. Sometimes you may find something like a tiny little female blaster in pink, with a magic origin who was given super strength pills and trained by a Sumo wrestling king. BUT- If you keep all of the above listed factors in mind, you'll be sure to have a biography that flows and is true to the toon.
(I)The first thing to consider is your hero's ORIGIN.
This will determine why your hero is a hero.
A. Science Origin:
1. The science origin tends to make for a more technical, precise story line. Of course that depends on how much detail you want to go into. Some easy suggestions are things such as chemicals, evil scientists and experiments gone awry. Of course, there are no limits to what you can dream up, but try to make your high school science professor proud.
2. Remember, this origin is very close to the technology origin, so if you want to be true to your identity, it's good to try and distinguish between chemistry and machinery.
B. Technology Origin:
1. The technology origin (as mentioned above) is very similar to the science origin and therefore leads to a precise course of events. Simple suggestions may be the use of specially constructed machines, weapons or computer programming. Again, let your imagination flow, but keep your mind focused on mechanics and computers if you want to stay technological.
C. Mutation Origin:
1. I think this origin allows for a little more stretching of reality. It is of course, a little scientific, and will be more believable if there is some measure of a scientific background behind it. Why are you mutated? Perhaps a genetic mishap while you were still in the womb, perhaps something having to do with ancient ancestors and the faulty gene has just shown up in you, or maybe you just grew up too close to a radioactive power plant.
2. This origin can lead you just about anywhere since heroic mutations have yet to be encountered in real life and therefore there are no limits or laws as to what may happen. (None that I know of anyway)
D. Magic Origin:
1. Magic seems to be the most liberating origin you will find. Though keep in mind, it may be a little suspicious if you have a blaster with a magic machine gun and web grenades. You can begin anywhere with this origin and end anywhere. Let your story become a total fairy tale, complete with, well, fairies if you wish.
E. Natural Origin:
1. The trickiest and most seldom used of all origins. Why? Well, because it's tricky. How does someone become super powered without magic, technology, science or some genetic screw up? While this may appear to be the most boring and difficult to use of all the origins, don't be afraid of it! It can actually be quite imaginative.
2. Some suggestions that seem to work for the natural hero are as follows.
a. Spiritual stories. Since what may be considered spiritual is most likely not going to be technical, scientific, magical or mutational (I just made that word up), it is fitting to be used as a natural origin. This may range from a divine blessing or calling, to divine ancestry, to a relationship with a Native American earth spirit or a Mythological story from Greek or roman theology. These stories are as good as magic, but take on an entirely different feel.
b. Another direction you can take in the Natural origin is one of intense physical or mental training. Keep in mind that you will probably want to have a strong motive or reasoning behind this type of story. A natural hero who decided to be a hero must have some very strong drive for revenge, love, power, etc.
(II) The second item to consider is your hero's powers
A. There should be a reason that your origin led to the powers that you have. There is always a way to tie those things together and you most likely already thought of that when choosing your Archetype. You may want to avoid making a hero with the power to heal others because he was found stranded as a baby and fed nothing but earthworms and raw eggs all his life. It may be more suiting if he was blessed with the power from a supreme being or if he spent his entire life searching for a chemical combination to cure all human ailments.
(III) The third and fourth items would be your Costume and Name
A. These items can set the tone for your biography. Again- there are no limits to what you can create and you may be as off the wall as your heart desires. You may want to go with a realistic, classic style story about nobility and justice if you have a classic style hero. Or, you may want to go with irony and make a gigantic tattoo covered green skinned psyonic controller with a technology origin. The costume and name will usually determine for you whether you want a comical offbeat story or a more touching and sincere type.
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Remember, writing a character biography is fun and can improve the overall feel of your gaming experience. Don't be intimidated by the task. You have very little room to write in, so you don't need to have a long complex story figured out. You may want to totally disregard every word of this guide, or even purposely write a bio to defy it. Do so, by all means! As long as you get to write one and enjoy this very cool feature of the game.
I love being on a team of people who have good character bios. They are fun to read and talk about during downtime, and it reassures me that these players have put some thought into their game and want to play well, which indirectly means I might have a better chance of surviving.
See how that works?? :)
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