You can detail your character to any degree you like. As you play the character, you will probably come up with more details you will want to add.
LooksDecide what your character looks like using the descriptions of the various races as a starting point. Characters with high Charisma scores tend to be better-looking than those with low Charisma, though a character with high Charisma could have strange looks, giving him sort of exotic beauty. Your character can be right- or left-handed. (The Ambidexterity feat allows her to use both hands equally well.) You can use your character's looks to tell something about her personality and background.
PersonalityDecide how your character acts, what she likes, what she wants out of life, what scares her, and what makes her angry. Race and alignment are good places to start when thinking about your character's personality, but they are bad places to stop. Make your lawful good dwarf (or whatever) different from every other lawful good dwarf.
A handy trick for making an interesting personality for your character is including some sort of conflict in her nature. For example, Tordek is lawful, but he's a little greedy too. He may be tempted to steal if he can justify it to himself.
Your character's personality can change over time. Just because you decide some basic facts about your character's personality when you create the character doesn't mean you need to abide by those facts as if they were holy writ. Let your character grow and evolve the way real people do.
BackgroundDecide what your character's life has been like up until now. Here are a few questions to get you thinking:
- How did she decide to be an adventurerâ€
- How did she acquire her class? For example, might have been in the militia, she may have come from a family of soldiers, she may have been trained in a martial school, or she may be a self-taught warrior.
- What's the worst thing that's ever happened to her?
- What's the best thing that's ever happened to her?
- Does she stay in contact with her family? What do they think of her?