Game character sheet template

Game character sheet template

A character sheet keeps a character consistent across everyone who touches them: the writer, the artist, the animator and the voice actor. The most useful parts aren’t the physical details; they are what the character wants and what they would never do. Those answer the questions that come up in the middle of a scene.

Keep a one-line version of each character at the top of your cast list. If you can’t describe someone in a line, the cast is probably doing too many jobs for too few characters.

Game character sheet template: part 1

• What do they want, and what is stopping them? Everything about their behaviour follows from this.
• What would they never do? Limits make a character feel real, and they save time when writing dialogue.
• How do they speak? Three concrete habits (short sentences, an odd phrase, never answers directly) beat a paragraph of adjectives.

Game character sheet template: part 2

• # [Character name]
• ## At a glance
• - Role in the game: [Protagonist / Ally / Rival / Antagonist / Merchant / Background]
• - Age:
• - Occupation:
• - First appears in: [level or chapter]
• ## Motivation
• - What they want:
• - What is stopping them:
• - What they fear:
• - What they would never do:
• ## Personality
• [Three or four traits, each with an example of the trait in action.]
• -
• ## Voice
• - Speech habits (three concrete ones):
• -
• -
• -
• - Words they use a lot:
• - Words they would never say:
• - Sample line:
• ## Appearance
• - Silhouette (can you recognise them as a shape?):
• - Distinctive features:
• - Clothing and why:
• - Colour palette:
• - References:
• ## Backstory
• [A paragraph. Only what affects what the player sees.]
• ## Relationships
• | Character | Relationship | Tension |
• ## Role in the story
• - What they do for the player:
• - How they change over the game:
• - Where they end up:
• ## Gameplay
• [If they fight, trade, teach or follow: abilities, behaviours, stats.]
• ## Open questions
• -