Frights & Fables: Who Then Knocks?

Creating Complex Characters for Horror TTRPGs

Ah, why, my dear weavers of wonder, should you labor over crafting an intricately tangled character history, replete with haunting details and steeped in dark, shadowy richness? Allow me to illuminate the answer—a concept as deceptively simple as it is profoundly powerful. You see, my auteur of personas, the more texture and detail you offer your Game Master (GM), the greater the feast you both dine upon in the orchestration of harrowing plots and dreadful narratives. A character brimming with tantalizing morsels of potential narrative, temptation drenched in possibility, is infinitely superior to a tired, lifeless caricature barely worthy of the dice in its trembling hands. Imagine, if you will, a lavish banquet of intricate storytelling compared to subsisting on brittle crackers. Which would you choose?

Feeding a GM’s story with rich character creation is akin to stoking the fires of a mighty inferno, casting bloody light on imagination and paving the way to majesty. With better ingredients, the GM can present a more glorious narrative—a tale in which you, maestro of this primal drama, are not merely a player but an essential part of the machinery that drives the horror forward.

A character with a robust backstory laden with darkness gives the GM precisely the kind of dreadful pearls that can be strung onto the spine of the plot. Such pearls, my dear creators, become centerpieces of the overarching tale. Emotional flaws, meanwhile, provide the GM opportunities to devise moments of torment and triumph, tests of will and spirit—all glorious opportunities for you to sink your teeth into your performance! And never forget this simple truth: flaws are the bedrock of great characters. For it is not in strength that greatness often resides, but in resilience found in the shadow of one’s frailties.

The Ingredients for Creating Unforgettable Characters

Now, how might you conjure a backstory so rich, and flaws so dreadfully fragmented, that your character surges onto the stage, quaking with nuance and dripping with credibility? Firstly, dear conjurer of ideas, do not skimp on the morbidly delicious details. The GM wields these details like a dagger in the dark. Hand them more than shadows—give them substance. And for unholy mercy’s sake, do not be sloppy with your particulars! Details are as much the lifeblood of characterization as crimson ichor in the veins. Be clear, be deliberate; the murkier the detail, the likelier it is to be overlooked, like bones buried beneath the loose soil of a shallow grave.

What details, you ask? Ah, patience, my curious chronicler! Begin with the simple, the foundational. Who constitutes your character’s family? What relationships are seared into their very being? What traumas, deep and unspoken, lie like ghosts upon their psyche? These elements, though fundamental, provide the threads for weaving your gothic tapestry of woe and wonder.

Now, down into the grave dirt we go. It is here, beneath the surface, where secrets tremble and regrets brood—precisely where the macabre magic begins. These dark whispers transform your character into more than a static specter. Secrets may smolder like unholy coals long extinguished but never cold; regrets grant your character humanity, depth, something tangible to wrestle with during their harrowing trials.

But then—brace yourself—you must go one step further, deeper into the shadows. Ensure the character’s backstory connects to the campaign’s fiction. Whether through an accursed hometown legend, an heirloom stained with ancestral sin, or a pact whispered beneath the cover of storm and madness, bind your creation to the setting. Only then will they intertwine with the story’s sinews and become an inseparable part of the terrifying whole.

And what of weaknesses? Oh, revel in them! Your character’s flaws are their greatest gift to the narrative. Combine physical weaknesses (frailty, illness, or phobias) with emotional vulnerabilities (guilt, bottled rage, or unyielding grief). Layer these with moral dilemmas and temptations—yes, vices! Where do they falter? What sins, delectable or deadly, haunt them the most? These flaws not only make your character compelling but provide moments where horror, that cruel mistress, grips them by the very fabric of their being.

And yet, even in their weaknesses, their flaws, your beleaguered creation seeks triumph. Behold the paradox of horror, my friends—adversity sharpens strength. By overcoming their flaws (or succumbing to them), your character weaves a tale of resilience or ruin.

Collaboration and Dynamics

But remember, my stalwart scribes of shadow, that you do not wander these dimly lit halls alone. Collaborate with your fellow players! Build interlaced backstories, shared histories, and fragile alliances that feel as real as they are ripe for betrayal in the face of unspeakable horrors. Conflict within your group—the clashing of egos, ideals, or past sins—can ignite tension that crackles far beyond dice rolls. And trust me, uniting against cosmic terror is all the sweeter when camaraderie is hard-won.

Your Flaws Are Your Power

Hand the GM your vulnerabilities like weapons, and watch as they wield them with dreadful precision. Revel in the consequences as the story unfolds. This, after all, is why we are here—not merely to play a game, but to participate in the birthing of something grander than ourselves. With every fall, every failure, your character etches their mark on the tale.

To the GMs, I beg you, exploit these lovingly crafted flaws with relish! Draw from the backstory, hold it up to the plot like torchlight to the gloom, and craft tribulations that challenge your players in terrifying, personal ways. Do this, and you shall not merely be running a game—you shall be conducting a masterpiece of looming dread.

Reward your players for leaning perilously into their weaknesses. Encourage them to bow to vulnerability and to explore the dreadful consequences. Recognize those moments of grave beauty, where the dice clatter like thunder and the choices tear at the soul.

And should you neglect to weave their backstory into the horror, might I warn you—for shame! Players who bare their souls on the alter of creativity deserve to see their efforts reflected in the horror’s face. Clarify your intent from the outset; there is no excuse for promising immersion and delivering only vapid terrors.

And so, my cartographers of chaos, remember this simple truth—those beloved weaknesses, those painstakingly crafted backstories, are the soul of what separates facing unfathomable evil in a dazzling dance of heroism from merely rolling dice and munching on Takis.

With this potion, a mix of pride and frailty, you create something not only alive, but truly sublime.

Questions for GMs to Ask

To better help players create their characters, try these prompts at your next horror TTRPG session:

1. What keeps your character awake at night, haunted by shadows only they see?
2. What is your character’s greatest regret? What wrong can never be made right?
3. Who (or what) would your character risk their life to protect?
4. What is an object of significance to your character, and what dark secret does it hold?
5. How does your character respond to fear—bravery, panic, denial, or something else?
6. Where does your character feel most safe, and what would happen if the horror breached that sanctuary?
7. What values guide your character’s choices, and what ethical line would they never cross—or might they?
8. What is an unresolved trauma or failure from their past that influences who they are now?
9. How is your character connected to the game’s setting—an event, a place, a legend?
10. What is their deepest fear, and how could it manifest in this dark tale?

Ask these questions, and watch as they unearth character depth ripe for horror’s tendrils. Shall we press onward, into the unknown?