Assembling a Character
Whether you want to attend a festival, find a suitable fantasy or LARP character, or reconstruct a die-hard historical character for living history and reenactment, it all starts with assembling your character. Putting together a character is simple and secretly a lot of fun! We do this ourselves every day, both during photoshoots and even when assembling museum mannequins.
Time/Genre, Race, Class, Background
The initial setup of your character consists of these four components. Whether you're reenacting or LARPing, these four elements remain central.
Time/Genre
In fantasy: High fantasy, Low fantasy, Urban fantasy, Dark fantasy, Historical fantasy, Science fantasy (read about all fantasy typeshere)
Historical: Choose a century and try to maintain a margin of 50 to 100 years, depending on your accuracy. Objects were used much longer in history than they are now.
Race
In fantasy: Human, Elf, Dwarf, Orc, Gnome, Wizard (for more depth:link)
Historical: Man, woman, boy, girl
Class
In fantasy: Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue (for more depth:link)
Historical: Vagabond, poor, middle-class, rich, farmer, craftsman, pilgrim, knight, aristocrat, official, count, duke, king, etc.
Example fantasy composition: You are a high fantasy elf ranger. Now I just need to come up with a background story for this elf ranger.
Example historical composition: You are a man from the 14th century; I am a middle-class farmer. Now you can deepen this by specifying the situation in which you live.
Background
The background of each person differs slightly. This can be used both in creating a fantasy character and a historical character. To give depth to a character, it's important to take a moment to think about the person's background. A 14th-century farmer in Greenland will have led a very different life than one near Florence.
Example Fantasy Background: Aranthalas, an elf born in the enchanting Forest of Elanor, grew up with a strong connection to nature. When his beloved forest was threatened by dark forces, he rose as a brave defender, fighting courageously for justice and restoration. His archery skills and knowledge of the forest made him a legend and a symbol of hope as he walked lonely paths, inspiring others not to give up in the battle for freedom and the preservation of nature.
Example Historical Background: This farmer lives in the middle of the 14th century. He comes from wealthy parents and lived in a village in France. The area was part of the Kingdom of France when the Hundred Years' War broke out, leading to his family's impoverishment and his village being regularly plundered. Therefore, he took up arms and became a mercenary who was not loyal to England, France, or Burgundy. The reason is that they all engaged in plundering. In his equipment, you will see that he is a farmer who has converted his agricultural tools into weapons. He doesn't have much war material; what he has, he gathered on the battlefield.
Summary
Fantasy: High fantasy elf ranger who grew up in the forest, learned everything there, and then got involved in a battle against dark forces.
Historical: 14th-century French farmer who, due to poverty and plundering, was forced to leave his own home to serve as a mercenary.
Your Costume
Once you have assembled your character, creating a suitable costume becomes much easier. You have a visualization to work from. Tip: use our timeline filter and other filter functions to create the ideal costume for your preferences.
