Character Creation

This page may seem long at a glance, but we promise that creating characters in Candide is a fairly painless procedure. If you haven't read our Quick Start Guide yet, we strongly recommend you do so as it covers the basics and this guide is written under the assumption that you've already done so and goes into far more detail about the process.

The Sections

Standard Tab
You'll need to provide a first and last name, and change the Grouping to the appropriate character type (more info below). Middle names, nicknames/aliases, and character quotes are entirely optional, and can be added or changed at any time. We also ask, for the sake of our mentions system, that all first, middle, and last names do not include any special characters such as accented letters.

Images Tab
You only need to worry about uploading a single avatar for your character to be approved, and all character avatars must be images of the character. You can add more avatars at any time, or remove old ones by checking the appropriate box and simply hitting save. For your character's gallery, keep it directly related to the character, such as edits, or alternate images. Avatars must be 150x150, and gallery images 950x950 or smaller. When you're on your character's profile, you can also upload a cover image. These must be kept SFW, cannot be larger than 250px tall and 1660px wide, and will scale based on screen resolution.

Biography Tab
Only the Basic Information section is required. Ages must be listed numerically (eg. 44). Occupation and Face Claim are both covered in detail on their respective pages. Personality must be written in complete sentences, give a general feel of the character, and aim for at least 5-8 sentences. Once your character is approved, you'll need staff intervention to amend a character's Basic Information, so make sure this is all accurate.

As for the other sections, these are entirely up to you how, when, or if you fill them out, and you'll be able to come back to them at any point. Each section that also has a freeform section where you can provide any information you want, or use it in place of the short form sections if you'd prefer. Most of it should be pretty self-explanatory. Physical is for how your character looks, History is for your character's past, and Additional Information is for miscellaneous on your character.

Character Types

Currently, we have four types of character to choose from. Be sure to read through them carefully, as they contain not only explanations of what these types entail, but small tidbits of information about the relationships between each of the character types, any limits/restrictions, and so on.

Citizens and Outsiders
Citizens and Outsiders are essentially two sides of the same coin. Both groups are comprised solely of the humans that rely on Bosler for their survival, living and working in or around the community. The main difference is how the community in general views the two groups. Citizens are, whether by spending an extended period of time (as in a year or more) living in or by being born in Bosler, much more trusted and generally accepted in the community. They are permitted to work within the community, or even set up their own stall in the Marketplace. Outsiders, on the other hand, are newcomers to Bosler, and tend to be regarded with much more suspicion. Due to this lack of trust, they are forced to work either at the Scrap Pile or somewhere outside of the community itself.

There is no limit on how many Citizens or Outsiders you may have at any given time. Outsiders are not permitted to hold certain occupations (see Occupations Claims for more on that) or own a space in the Marketplace.

Raiders
While they are known under the collective banner of Raiders, this country-wide paramilitary organization runs in small groups, generally between 20 and 50 people, though these smaller groups frequently work in tandem with one another to achieve a larger goal. Deemed a terrorist organization by the government due to standing in direct and open defiance of both the government and military, the primary goal of the Raiders is to ensure the survival of those living in the wastes by whatever means necessary. Despite this designation, Raiders as a whole don't concern themselves with politics, maintaining a neutral attitude towards every person living in the country, including the Avarus, and an unspoken code of honor that includes helping everyone who needs it without causing harm. Some groups, like the one in Bosler, have a symbiotic relationship with nearby communities - trading protection and supplies for food and shelter - while others are more nomadic in nature, transporting supplies, people, and messages through the wastes, and even working with communities near the border to smuggle people into Canada and Mexico.

The Raiders that operate out of Bosler are an even tighter-knit group than most, thanks to their current leader, Milo Bromwell. Prior to him taking over, the Bosler Raiders were led by a man known for selfishness and inaction that left the group in shambles, and ensured an every man for himself type of situation that was felt by the citizens. That being said, his takeover was a controversial one, thanks mainly due to being so young. In the six years since, however, the consensus on his leadership has become much more positive. The community still goes without some things they can't produce themselves, and Avarus attacks still happen from time to time, but the situation is far less bleak now, and the future seems even more promising.

Raiders are currently limited to one per member.

Avarus
The Avarus are incredibly polarizing by their very nature; some seeing them as nothing more than bloodthirsty monsters to be exterminated, while others see them as potentially useful members of society. By day, the Avarus seem to be docile in nature, and are generally considered to be safe. At night, however, an overwhelming hunger overtakes them, and they seek out warm flesh and blood - human or animal - to the exclusion of all else. Why this sudden switch happens isn't clear, but the current theory is that UV light suppresses the supernatural instinct that would otherwise utterly consume the Avarus. In Bosler, the Avarus are typically viewed as a necessary evil of sorts. They are useful for doing the heavy lifting around the community by night, and their presence seems to scare off those who may wish members of Bosler harm by day.

Nobody quite understands exactly how their ancestors - a group of supernatural creatures now referred to as the pre-Avarus - came to be, or how they became what they are now. What is understood, however, is that the Avarus are born exclusively to Avarus parents, and mixing human and Avarus results in miscarriage. A typical gestation period lasts around 9 months, tending to result in a violent birth in which the child typically tears its way free of its mother in a ravenous state, frequently consuming at least part of her. After birth, however, Avarus develop at a rate much the same as humans, though they will experience a rapid onset of supernatural abilities around six years old.

Avarus are innately pyrophobic, and will avoid any sort of open flame at all costs. During the day, Avarus are nearly indistinguishable from humans, save for a pale or ashy complexion, and a body temperature in excess of 115°F (approximately 46°C). By night, however, they also display an enhanced sense of smell comparable to that of many canine species, the ability to visually track motion in complete darkness (note that stationary objects are not visible, thus rendering this ability unique from total night vision), increased strength up to double what a human of a similar physique would possess, superhuman speed, the ability to mimic sounds of specific humans and animals in distress to draw live prey in, and a dramatic drop in body temperature which renders all but the most accurate infrared devices ineffective. Despite this, Avarus can still be incapacitated or even killed with the same methods as humans.

Members are limited to one Avarus at a time. Additionally, Avarus are limited to the abilities detailed above with no exceptions.

Extra Character Building Resources

Sometimes you need a little bit of help or some inspiration when you're creating a character. Below, you can find a list of links to various websites that can help you with that.

Names
NameBerry (First Names) | Magic Baby Names (First Names) | Forebears (Surnames)

Faces
RPG-I Faces Directory | RPings FC Masterlist | RP Helper Face Claim Directory | Diverse Faces Resource | Masterlist of Face Claims Masterlists

Personality
638 Primary Personality Traits | Another Personality Traits List

Other
Zodiac/Astrology Information | Literary Archetypes | Moral Alignments | Writing Prompt Generator | Prompts/First Lines