Name
A player should avoid naming her persona with her mundane world real name. Creating a persona name makes role-playing more fun.
Moniker
This is the name that the player chooses for her persona. Often times slapping a moniker on one’s persona is good enough. Sometimes the persona name comes easy and requires no effort. Other times the player needs some help coming up with a moniker.
| Moniker is another word for "name". |
Anthro names follow standard role-playing game nomenclature. Each anthro will usually have a given name and a surname. The player creates both the given name and surname.
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A mechanic - Hans Tinker
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A mercenary - Hans Grenade
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A spie - Hans Ophmistuph
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A reptilian boa - Hugs McCuddler
The anthro’s vocation, genus, and species are the most potent name determiners. Anthro names need not be silly. The player may also add history, description and personality to assist with naming her persona.
If some inspiration is needed jump to Referee Persona Story Cues
History
Players should create a pre-campaign history for their persona. A persona’s initial history should not be one of great fame or import. Role-playing in the campaign world is what should build a persona’s fame and reputation. The persona’s history should fit in with the referee’s milieu and campaign.
Persona backstories should be short. If a player wants to make an essay of her persona’s background, she should not expect other players to care.
Description
The player can embellish her persona with further details: adornments, smells, colours, coverings, coats and coatings. The player creates the persona’s clothing, jewelry, fur texture, paint colour, and eye(s) shape. Overly detailed persona descriptions are fun for players to make. Overly detailed persona descriptions are less fun for other players. Concise descriptions make for compelling personas.
The persona’s description is up to the player. However, the persona’s description must fit in with the milieu of the campaign.
Personality
A persona can have a distinct personality. Most often, the persona will be a reflection of the player’s mundane terra personality. Experienced players will create a personality for their persona. The personality could be emotionally based, belief-based, or vocation-based.
| The goal of persona personality is to have a perspective and have fun expressing it. |
The persona may exude extroverted traits like distrust of veterinarians, abject fear of reptilians, compulsive desire for battle, or an overwhelming worry about the present predicament. The main challenge of persona personality is remaining consistent. Staying alive will require a persona to switch from trusting to paranoid in an instant.
Taxonomy
Anthros have a built in faux taxonomy. Their family is anthro, their genus is already determined, and the player chooses her species. For example a rodent anthro that looks like a rat is homo rodens ratt. It is not often that the players will need to know their taxonomy. Players are also welcome to create their own faux taxonomy.
Common
The common name is what the species calls itself, or how it is identified by others. On mundane terra we do not herd bos taurus we herd cows. The common name for anthros is usually just anthro, folk, or people. Common names for rodens rattus could be Ratfolk, Tailin or just Rats. The common name for a wide population of anthros will usually require input from the referee, if not the entire table.
Examples
- Hans Tinker
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Hans is a reptilian snapping turtle sporting a blue shell. She works to repair the local sand sleds and does not like to destroy equipment.
- Hans Ophmistuph
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Hans is a sad-looking hound dog. His coat is dark grey, and his clothes are unkempt. He grew up without much, and he gets angry if people touch his stuff.
- Clara Voyant
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Clara is a humanoid that has elven features. Her hair is bright pink, and she has more bangles than she needs. She is excellent at selling used sand sled parts because she seems to know what customers want.