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The psychological description of a character is just as important as the physical description. It is here in the "psych" that the character truly becomes three-dimensional. It is here that the secret desires and hidden hatreds are laid bare. It here that the personalities of the character, with all his/her/its secrets or goals---past, present and future--are written. Because of the importance and attention the gods and goddesses of the immortal pantheon have placed on information within a psych, the player has until the 30th standing in their guild to complete one. Hopefully, by that time, the character has interacted enough with other players and has developed his or her own unique personality to the point where the psych becomes crucial as a desperately needed tool to explain the character's personality.
The psych is a hidden file, meaning that no one, but the immortals and you, can read the contents of your characters psych. So, feel free to go in-depth into your character's mind and soul. In the end, it is the psych that the deities use to weigh a character's intended role-play against the character's actions. Are your actions in line with your character's goals, or are you ignoring your character's role-play? Immortals can quickly notice such discrepancies in a character's role-play and have been known to impose rewards or punishments befitting a character's actions.
As with writing a description, there are a few guidelines that the immortals recommend everyone to follow. These guidelines are very simple and should be easy to adhere to. First, there is no need to write long, lengthy paragraphs that describe in minute detail every moment of your character's life, from conception to death. While it may make for riveting reading, it is not serving the intended purpose. Your psych should be, more or less, a highlight reel of your character's life. What were the major events that changed your character's point of view or way or life? Whom are the people, both fictional and those that you have interacted with in Dark Mists, who opened your eyes or caused you harm? What are the places that hold significant meaning to your character and why? Who are you enemies? Who are your friends? Why? These are just a few of the many possible questions that your psych is there to help answer.
So, if you are not supposed to write lengthy essays about your character's inner workings, what is the best way to present the information? The answer leads us to the second guideline in psych-writing. The best way is simply to write your psych in a point-by-point basis. This method is easier to write and read, and later revise (should you so desire), as well as easier for the immortals to read and follow than reading a novel. A point-by-point basis means the following:
- John became a ranger because he was raised in the woods by
a pack of wolves.
- John was constantly ridiculed by mages and so he hates all mages
everywhere.
- In his travels, John met Sarah, a young thief-lass, and they became
good friends.
This is an example of the format in which a character's psych should be written. It is concise, to the point, and shows us the development of the character as the character grows older and experiences more things.
You may be asking yourself, "OK, so, I understand what I'm supposed to put in my psych, but I still don't understand why it's so important." The answer to that is a comprehensive one: in the course of your adventures in Dark Mists, you will find that there are many organizations and religions to experience. Nearly all of these are carefully watched by the immortal pantheon. If at any time you wish to become affiliated with one or more of these organizations, as well as become a chosen of a specific immortal (see brand), your psych will become the single biggest contributing or detrimental factor you will have. It is through the character's psych that an immortal decides if the character is worth the time to speak to or not. Therefore, it is in your best interest to make the psych as clear and concise with as few grammatical errors as possible.
Keep in mind that your psych is never a finished work until your character dies a final death. Up until that point, events are always unfolding and new role-playing avenues may open up to you. So, never think that once you have written your psych you are done. You should always be updating your psych with new information that has helped shaped your character into the more in-depth, fleshed out character he/she/it has become.
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