Character Design (Narrative)

Purpose

Character archetypes, motivation arcs, dialogue systems, and character bibles for game characters. Genre-agnostic — applies to any game with characters, NPCs, or player-created identities.

When to Use

Trigger: character design, NPC design, character arc, dialogue system, character bible, character motivation, archetype, companion, antagonist, player character, voice, personality, character writing

Prerequisites

• worldbuilding — characters must fit the world
• quest-narrative-coherence — character actions must be consistent with established lore

Core Principles

Hideo Kojima: "Characters should feel like they exist beyond the player's experience of them." Hidetaka Miyazaki: "Every character has a history. The player sees only the tip of the iceberg."