A long long time ago (it seems), my group came up with the idea to start a new campaign where the characters would be fantasy incarnations of ourselves. Their traits and personalities would mirror our own and the class and attributes would reflect what we thought we would be in a fantasy world. The characters very names are anagrams of our own (Robert Montgomery = Monty Gombert, ect).
So with that in mind, I wanted to capture my players personalities into the very core of the design process. I started with some loose silhouettes because I believe that good character design starts with a unique silhouette that is instantly recognizable at a glance. Then I did some small quick comps with a bic pen and some printer paper. I wanted to be as accurate as possible in depicting there character's equipment and weapons. I had to reprise a couple comps after finding that I forgot what they actually had on there person.
Monty's concept has always been floating in my noggin. He's our wizard and by far the most eccentric one in the bunch. In my world, magic is a hidden and cryptic art possessed mainly by the eastern (asian) cultures. Monty was raised amongst these people and I wanted it to reflect in his design, but awkwardly. He's like a fish out of water, but doesn't notice it.
Ella was an aristocrat, and now a pariah of the upper class. She was accused of adultery and thrown from her homeland. She is seeking a new life and has to start from scratch. Now that she has joined an adventure party, she needs to hold her own in combat. I wanted to show that she is new to fighting. To suggest that she doesn't quite belong in that armor, but is becoming more and more competent as she goes along. She is also haunted by spirits which explains the pensive expression on her face.
Landissa is a ranger and as such, she is dirty, surly, and a little rough around the edges. She was raised in a remote settlement where fighting and tracking are the way of life. She's the opposite of the "idealized" female fighter, but cleans up nice once you wash all the dirt and grease off.
Reyco is an upstart paladin of the church with humble beginnings. He doesn't fit the stereotypical paladin mold, at least not completely. He's not a brash, bible thumping lunatic clad in 400lbs of plate. He instead casually reflects the morals of his religion (sometimes in spite of his church) and has some subtlety and guile to boot.
