Hi, I'm new

[Alkain]

Hey all. Don't have a character yet, but this place sounds real interesting and I'd like to join up. The only problem is I don't have any inspiration for a character (A major problem of mine T_T)

[Stephen_Zuckerman]

Read a book! You can always find inspiration in modern and classical literature, even TV and movies! Whether it's a personality quirk you notice and like, or an entire character concept, these can be great sources of inspiration.

That said, don't just take the whole thing verbatim. Add your own touches!

[Alkain]

Well... I was thinking an Elven Sorcerer who intends to become a Red Dragon Disciple... And that's pretty much all I have at the moment XD

[darkstorme]

*grins*  I'll warn you in advance, the Red Dragon Disciple is a very rare Prestige Class in-game.  So rare, in fact, that there's only ever been one.  (Largely because it involves getting buddy-buddy with someone big, red, and scaly, who's inclined to eat visitors.)

But what I would recommend (aside from Stephen's entirely accurate comment) would be to give the Handbook a read.  That was the first thing I did when I joined Layonara, and it gives you that first sense of immersion into the world that will make you think of the kind of characters that populate such a place.

Now, the Handbook isn't entirely up-to-date; some place names have changed, and a few events have transpired to change the cast of characters, sociology, and even geography of Layo.  However, that's what LORE (the Layonara Online Reference Encyclopedia is for.  A tireless crew of volunteers keeps it constantly up-to-date with the latest information available.

However, to save you some time, here's a quick rundown of the important things that have changed since v2 of the Handbook:

• Sinthar Bloodstone is dead, slain by a group of heroes.
• In so doing, a large section of mountain range was destroyed.  This resulted in a cloud of dust and soot blocking out the sun for eighteen years.  This, in turn, resulted in a nuclear winter effect, and Layonara descended into a minor Ice Age until another group of heroes determined how to clear the skies.  This period, however, lasted from 1402 to 1420 (it's currently 1430), and resulted in the usual ice age problems: reduced temperatures, crop death, famine, population reduction.
• After Bloodstone's death, it has been rumoured that Dragons are coming back to the world... and this has been backed up by a number of sightings, though the creatures are still vanishingly rare.
• Queen Allurial of Mistone has died.
• Late in the war, one of Bloodstone's generals, Lord Rael, attacked, pillaged, and captured the great city of Pranzis on Dregar.  Many heroes fell that day.  The city is now known as Prantz, and is ruled with an iron fist by Rael.

Those are the highlights.  If there's anything else terribly important, it will be in LORE - or, I'm sure, some more of the community will point it out. :)

As a final source of inspiration, have a look at some Recent Approvals and some past Approvals, to get an idea of what the cast of characters already contains... perhaps you'll gain an idea of what or who you wish to create there! :)

[ShiffDrgnhrt]

But don't be afraid to ask any of us for advice.  Many of us could easily help you flesh out a character idea  

[LORE]InternetRelayChat[/LORE]  I also recommend Downloading this program and joining Layonara's online Chat room.  Great place to ask questions and get help in Real Time.    And I'm almost always there to help out, along with some of our DMs and Smart People that know more about the Lore then even me

[Alkain]

Ah, ok. thanks for the advice

[ycleption]

My standard advice is to think of a story, and then decide class later...
I think it tends to make for more playable characters if you decide what kind of life your character had, and then figure out what class they best fit in, than to decide a class and try and weave a story around that.

If you like playing divinely inspired characters, you may want to look at LORE: Deities of Layonara
Sometimes a story will spring to you from thinking about what kind of life a follower of god x would have...


Anyway, welcome to Layo :-)