Question: Jedi Character Creation

[Ryion]

I have a question for all the Jedi roleplayers out there. Do you find developing your character's backstory to be difficult?

 

I ask because it seems to me that much of the background information has been filled in already. Clearly your character was taken into the Order at a very young age where they were taught the same tenants of the Code as everyone else by masters possessing (more or less) similar temperaments and perspectives. There they remained until shuttling to Tython for the Trials.

 

That's pretty vague. I could see having a hard time using that to get inside my character's head and make decisions for him.

 

I'm not criticizing; not at all. Nor am I trying to disparage the Force-using stories when compared to the others. Quite the opposite, in fact. Having finished my smuggler, I'm looking to create either a knight or a consular next but ran into trouble when I tried to define who my character was. So I'd figured I'd ask y'all for inspiration.

 

So let's hear about your Jedi. Who are they? What challenges did you run into during their creation? How'd you overcome those challenges? I'd be interested to know.

Edited February 28, 2012 by Ryion
Title Clarity

[Thebazilly]

I think listing off some questions for you to answer might help you more than just giving an example of my character. You don't have to go by these, of course, but they will probably help you flesh out and understand a Jedi character more.

 

At what age did your Jedi start training? I know the Consular storyline mentions early-on that you were in the Order at age 5, but the Knight story does not, which leaves it open for your character to have joined late. Obviously, this is going to make a difference in how they view the Order, a Jedi raised without the constant teachings is going to be much more likely to call bull***** on some of the Council's decisions, for example.

 

Family and early life can make a huge difference in a Jedi. Someone raised by a minor noble house on Alderaan is going to be nothing like a Nar Shaddaa street urchin. Where did they live before the Jedi discovered them? Who were their family, and what were they like? How much do they remember about their life before joining the Jedi? Do they miss their family or friends? Do they miss their former life, or are they happy being a Jedi?

 

Another thing to consider is who taught them, and how your character felt about their teacher. Who was their first master? Did they have more than one? How did their master(s) feel about the Code, the Order, the Council? This, too, can shape your Jedi's viewpoints.

 

And finally, how does your Jedi personally feel about the Code? What's their favorite part of using the Force? Do they even enjoy using the Force? Do they respect the Council or think they're a bunch of sticks in the mud who spend too much time philosophizing?

 

That should give you some things to bring into consideration. Hope it helped.

[sparklecat]

At what age did your Jedi start training? I know the Consular storyline mentions early-on that you were in the Order at age 5...

 

Actually, it doesn't. Master Yuon says something about how you had more strength in the force at 4 years old than she did at some older age, but you don't have to have been in the Order at the time for them to know that. Maybe there was a Jedi on your planet when you were younger who didn't want to send you to the Order until things died down a bit with the war. Maybe they were going to, and were killed, but their messages to the Order about you were found later on. Maybe your parents told the Order some of the things you did at that age. Lots of possible interpretations, if you don't like the most obvious one!

[Thebazilly]

Actually, it doesn't. Master Yuon says something about how you had more strength in the force at 4 years old than she did at some older age, but you don't have to have been in the Order at the time for them to know that. Maybe there was a Jedi on your planet when you were younger who didn't want to send you to the Order until things died down a bit with the war. Maybe they were going to, and were killed, but their messages to the Order about you were found later on. Maybe your parents told the Order some of the things you did at that age. Lots of possible interpretations, if you don't like the most obvious one!

 

Also very true, thanks for pointing out all of those other possible explanations! I've only played a couple hours of the Consular storyline and didn't remember the exact line too well.

[KahnyaGnorc]

Since every PC of a particular class has the identical "starting point" in the official story, then it is best to create a backstory independent of said "starting point." In fact, you should pick and choose events in your game storyline (changing names to protect the innocent . . . I mean, to make the story your own) to include in your own character's story, and jettison the rest.

[sparklecat]

I'm not criticizing; not at all. Nor am I trying to disparage the Force-using stories when compared to the others. Quite the opposite, in fact. Having finished my smuggler, I'm looking to create either a knight or a consular next but ran into trouble when I tried to define who my character was. So I'd figured I'd ask y'all for inspiration.

 

So let's hear about your Jedi. Who are they? What challenges did you run into during their creation? How'd you overcome those challenges? I'd be interested to know.

 

What I used to create my Jedi's backstories was ultimately the Legacy system; I had a rough idea of what I wanted my knight to be (male, Twilek, dedicated to the ideals of the order), and how in the world he could possibly be related to my main, a human Sith warrior (not to mention all my other characters) was what got me started. Obviously as a Twilek, they're not going to be incredibly closely related, but... hmm. My other Twilek is a Sith, too, and she's a former slave. So maybe my Jedi came from the same background initially? How'd he end up in the Order, though? And so on.

 

 

So. In the end, I've got all eight of my characters as either full or half siblings, with the same father, a Sith (yes, Twilek/Human interbreeding is supposed to be a problem, I'm handwaving that with the idea that having some Sith pureblood in you is like magic that fixes all sorts of practical problems ). My knight and his mother were slaves until their transport was attacked by pirates while he was still very young, and they were stolen and brought to Nar Shaddaa, where eventually a Jedi breaking up the slaving operation found him and brought him to the Order. So he was raised amongst the Jedi, but eventually being told about his background still leaves plenty of room for individuality and angst about how much he should even be thinking about his half-siblings.

 

My consular, on the other hand, grew up amongst the Sith with the intention that he'd eventually go to the Academy, but ended up running away and going to the Jedi for sanctuary (and since force sensitivity was a big deal in his family, he knew perfectly well at what age his ability had manifested and how, to tell them). In fact (knight storyline spoilers)...

 

 

He shares a number of similarities, background-wise, with Kira. Was rather surprised to discover this when I got to that point on my knight, but it certainly had implications for how he viewed her, given the degree to which he admires his brother for leaving the Sith.

 

 

 

So you've got options, and ways to work around what the game suggests is canon; if it's really a problem for you to simply ignore outright something it says (which, fair enough, I can't do that and have to find a way to hammer it in... bloody Lord Kallig), just remember that there are always options. Maybe whoever said something that doesn't fit is lying, or mistaken, for instance. If that's the case, why would they be, and what does this tell you about your character?

[Lurkz]

I have a question for all the Jedi roleplayers out there. Do you find developing your character's backstory to be difficult?

 

I ask because it seems to me that much of the background information has been filled in already. Clearly your character was taken into the Order at a very young age where they were taught the same tenants of the Code as everyone else by masters possessing (more or less) similar temperaments and perspectives. There they remained until shuttling to Tython for the Trials.

 

That's pretty vague. I could see having a hard time using that to get inside my character's head and make decisions for him.

 

I'm not criticizing; not at all. Nor am I trying to disparage the Force-using stories when compared to the others. Quite the opposite, in fact. Having finished my smuggler, I'm looking to create either a knight or a consular next but ran into trouble when I tried to define who my character was. So I'd figured I'd ask y'all for inspiration.

 

So let's hear about your Jedi. Who are they? What challenges did you run into during their creation? How'd you overcome those challenges? I'd be interested to know.

 

My Jedi stories start out based in my overall Legacy and how they're intended to be connected as well as the history and information available about their race (assuming not human). For instance, my Jedi Knight, Caiden, is a Miraluka. Given the mentality of the Miraluka I decided that she didn't actually join the order until late enough in life to make her own decision. But even then, her cultural bias has colored how she views the code, resulting in a more grey Jedi, edging toward dark. She is very loyal to the Republic and though also loyal to the Order, she tends to think that some of their more strictly light side mentalities are a bit foolish (same with the hardcore dark side mentalities of the Sith).

 

Because the Miraluka are big on family and their entire race views themselves as one large family, she has maintained this viewpoint despite the teachings of the Jedi order. Which is why, not only did she

agree to be the twi'lek's sister on Tython

she also has become very close to some of her crewmates, particularly Kira who seems to view things similarly to her. Which then led into my Legacy. My main, Jaxx, is a smuggler who's very pragmatic and tends toward dark side decisions because she views things from a larger picture perspective (also, which is more monetarily beneficial). Having met Caiden (while visiting her adopted sister at the Jedi Academy who will eventually evolve into my Consular), she realized that this particular Jedi was one she could actually respect even if she occasionally thinks Caiden's still a little too goody-two shoes.

 

And so, going off the family oriented mentality of the Miraluka/my JK, and the family history I've worked up for my smuggler (which I'm not going to post here just for length reasons), Caiden and Jaxx eventually formed a sort of best friends/adopted siblings mentality which over time led to Caiden adopting the "Nightborn" last name because she views Jaxx, and by extension the rest of Jaxx's family, as her own family and they feel the same way about Caiden.

 

Ironically, Caiden is the original, non-SW, character who lent their name to the Legacy even though Jaxx ended up being the main family member to start.