Base Stats

Stat	Value	Description
Health	[X]	Hit points
Speed	[Y]	Movement speed
Damage	[Z]	Base damage
[Etc]	[...]	[...]

Abilities

Ability 1: [Name]

Type: Passive | Active | Ultimate

Description: [What it does]

Trigger: [How to activate]

Effect: [Detailed mechanics]

Duration: [How long it lasts] Cooldown: [Between uses]

Damage/Healing: [Numbers]

Visual: [What player sees] Audio: [What player hears]

Equipment

Primary: [Weapon/Tool]
Secondary: [Weapon/Tool]
Armor: [Protection]
Consumables: [Items]

Strengths

[What this character excels at]

Weaknesses

[What this character struggles with]

Counters

[Who/what beats this character]

Synergies

[Works well with...]

Progression

Level	Unlock
1	[Base ability]
5	[Upgrade 1]
10	[Upgrade 2]


## Character Design Principles

### Rock-Paper-Scissors

Every character should have:
- **Strengths** - Situations where they excel
- **Weaknesses** - Situations where they struggle
- **Counters** - Specific hard counters

### Clear Fantasy

Each character should embody:
- **An identity** - "I am the..." statement
- **A fantasy** - Power trip or fantasy fulfillment
- **A moment** - When this character shines

### Accessibility

Characters should be:
- **Easy to learn** - Basic understanding in minutes
- **Hard to master** - Skill ceiling for dedicated players
- **Distinct** - No overlap with other characters

## Class Types

### Offensive

Focused on dealing damage:
- High damage output
- Low survivability
- Skill-based positioning

### Defensive

Focused on protection and support:
- High health/armor
- Team utility
- Low damage output

### Support

Focused on helping team:
- Healing/buffing
- Utility and control
- Resource generation

### Hybrid

Mixed capabilities:
- Multiple roles
- Flexibility
- Jack of all trades, master of none

## Balance Considerations

### Statistical Balance

Ensure characters are numerically balanced:

| Aspect | Considerations |
|--------|---------------|
| DPS | Damage per second across time |
| TTK | Time to kill average opponent |
| Survivability | Time to die under fire |
| Utility | Value added to team |

### Skill Expression

Ensure skill matters:
- Low floor - New players can contribute
- High ceiling - Experts can outplay basics
- Multiple techniques - Different playstyles
- Outplay potential - Can beat stronger opponents

### Team Balance

For team-based games:
- No mandatory character
- No trap characters
- Multiple viable compositions
- Each character has a role

## Character Review Checklist

Before finalizing a character:

- [ ] Clear fantasy and role
- [ ] Unique identity
- [ ] Balanced stats
- [ ] Fun abilities
- [ ] Clear strengths and weaknesses
- [ ] Has counters
- [ ] Has synergies
- [ ] Progression path defined
- [ ] Technical feasibility confirmed

gd-design-character

Character Design

Character Template