name	character-development-assistant
description	Creates detailed character profiles including backstory, personality traits, motivations, relationships, and character arcs. Use when the user needs help developing compelling, multi-dimensional characters for their story.

Character Development Assistant

Purpose

This skill helps authors create deep, believable characters with distinct personalities, compelling backstories, clear motivations, and meaningful character arcs throughout the narrative.

When to Use

User is creating new characters for a story
User wants to deepen existing character development
User needs help with character relationships and dynamics
User requests character sheets or profiles
User is struggling with flat or one-dimensional characters

Instructions

Step 1: Gather Basic Information

Ask the user for:

Character Name: Full name and any nicknames
Role in Story: Protagonist, antagonist, supporting character, etc.
Story Genre: Fantasy, sci-fi, contemporary, historical, etc.
Character's Function: What role does this character serve in the plot?
Initial Character Concept: Any existing ideas about the character

Step 2: Build the Character Foundation

Physical Appearance

Age, gender, ethnicity
Distinctive physical features
Clothing style and why it matters
Body language and mannerisms

Personality Core

Create using multiple frameworks:

MBTI/Big Five: Personality type indicators
Core Values: What the character stands for
Strengths: 3-5 key positive traits with examples
Flaws: 3-5 realistic weaknesses that create conflict
Quirks: Unique habits or behaviors
Speech Patterns: How they talk (formal, slang, verbose, terse)

Backstory

Origin: Where they came from
Formative Events: 3-5 key moments that shaped who they are
Family Background: Relationships with parents, siblings
Education/Training: Skills and knowledge acquired
Major Life Events: Losses, victories, turning points

Step 3: Define Motivations and Goals

External Goals

What does the character want to achieve in the story?
What obstacles stand in their way?
What's at stake if they fail?

Internal Needs

What does the character actually need (often different from what they want)?
What emotional wounds need healing?
What false beliefs need correcting?

Fears and Desires

Greatest Fear: What terrifies them?
Deepest Desire: What do they long for?
Secrets: What are they hiding?

Step 4: Map Relationships

For each major character they interact with:

Relationship Type: Friend, enemy, mentor, love interest, rival
Dynamic: How do they push/pull each other?
Conflict Points: Where do they clash?
Growth Opportunities: How does this relationship change them?

Step 5: Create Character Arc

Starting Point: Who are they at the beginning?
Inciting Incident: What sets their transformation in motion?
Midpoint Shift: What realization or event changes their perspective?
Crisis Point: Where do they face their deepest fear/flaw?
Transformation: Who are they at the end? What have they learned?
Arc Type: Positive change, negative change, flat arc (they change the world)

Step 6: Output Complete Character Profile

Present in this structured format:

# Character Profile: [Character Name]

## Quick Reference

- **Full Name**: [Name]
- **Nickname(s)**: [Nicknames]
- **Age**: [Age]
- **Role**: [Protagonist/Antagonist/Supporting]
- **One-Line Description**: [Compelling summary]

## Physical Appearance

[Detailed description including distinctive features, style, mannerisms]

## Personality

**Strengths**:

- [Strength 1] - _Example: [specific instance]_
- [Strength 2] - _Example: [specific instance]_

**Flaws**:

- [Flaw 1] - _How it creates conflict: [description]_
- [Flaw 2] - _How it creates conflict: [description]_

**Quirks**: [Unique habits and behaviors]

**Speech Pattern**: [How they talk, example dialogue]

## Backstory

### Origin

[Where they came from, early life]

### Formative Events

1. **[Event 1]** (Age X): [How it shaped them]
2. **[Event 2]** (Age X): [How it shaped them]

### Family

[Relationships with family members and their impact]

## Motivations & Goals

**External Goal**: [What they want to achieve]

**Internal Need**: [What they actually need]

**Greatest Fear**: [What terrifies them]

**Deepest Desire**: [What they long for]

**Secret(s)**: [What they're hiding]

## Key Relationships

### [Character 2 Name]

- **Relationship**: [Type]
- **Dynamic**: [How they interact]
- **Conflict**: [Points of tension]

## Character Arc

**Beginning**: [Who they are at the start]

**Transformation**: [How they change through the story]

**Ending**: [Who they become]

**Arc Type**: [Positive/Negative/Flat]

## Notes for Writer

[Any additional insights, themes the character represents, symbolic significance]

Examples

Example 1: Fantasy Protagonist

User: "I need a character for my fantasy novel. She's a young mage who discovers she has forbidden dark magic."

Output:

# Character Profile: Elara Thorne

## Quick Reference

- **Full Name**: Elara Moonwhisper Thorne
- **Nickname(s)**: Ella (childhood), "The Shadow Weaver" (later in story)
- **Age**: 19
- **Role**: Protagonist
- **One-Line Description**: A talented light mage whose discovery of her dark magic heritage forces her to question everything she believes about good and evil.

## Physical Appearance

Elara has striking silver-white hair that defies explanation—it's been that color since birth, marking her as "blessed by the moon" in her village. She's petite at 5'3" but carries herself with the rigid posture drilled into all Academy mages. Her eyes are normally pale blue, but they turn completely black when she uses dark magic, something she desperately tries to hide. She wears traditional light mage robes (white with gold trim) but has started wearing them slightly loose to conceal the black veins that now appear on her arms when she's stressed.

Mannerisms: Constantly checks that her sleeves cover her wrists, speaks very precisely when nervous, and has a habit of creating small light orbs when deep in thought.

## Personality

**Strengths**:

- **Scholarly Dedication** - _Spent entire nights in the library mastering protective wards while classmates partied; this discipline helped her hide her dark magic initially_
- **Empathy** - _Can sense others' pain, which makes her question the Academy's teaching that dark mages have no conscience_
- **Adaptability** - _Quickly learns to channel dark magic despite having no teacher, showing remarkable magical flexibility_

**Flaws**:

- **Rule-Following to a Fault** - _Initially reports herself for the smallest infractions, creating internal conflict when she must hide her dark magic_ - This creates tension when she must choose between being "good" and being true to herself
- **Self-Doubt** - _Constantly questions whether she's inherently evil because of her abilities_ - Causes her to push away allies who could help
- **Pride in Her Ignorance** - _Believes the Academy's propaganda about dark magic without question initially_ - Must be broken down for her to grow

**Quirks**:

- Hums old lullabies when nervous (her mother used to sing them)
- Can't stand the smell of roses (they're used in light magic rituals)
- Collects banned books, initially to study what "evil" looks like

**Speech Pattern**: Very formal and precise, using Academy terminology. When emotional, slips into her village dialect. "The defensive ward should suffice to repel intrusion" vs. "Ain't nobody getting past this"

## Backstory

### Origin

Born in Moonhaven, a small village known for producing powerful light mages. Her mother was a healer, her father a farmer. Lived unremarkably until age 12 when she manifested magic.

### Formative Events

1. **The Manifestation** (Age 12): First showed magical ability by healing a dying bird—but the light magic came out as black tendrils. Horrified, she ran to her mother who taught her to "think pure thoughts" to make the magic white. It worked, or so she thought.

2. **Academy Acceptance** (Age 15): Top scores on entrance exams. The Academy became her identity—she threw herself into being the perfect light mage to prove she wasn't "tainted."

3. **The Accident** (Age 18): During a practice duel, her opponent (and friend) nearly died when Elara's "defensive" spell turned black and strangled him. She saved him by using dark magic to reverse it, but now lives in terror of being discovered.

### Family

**Mother (Lyssa Thorne)**: A warm, nurturing healer who died of plague when Elara was 16. Her last words: "Light and dark are both part of the moon, my darling." Elara didn't understand then.

**Father (Marcus Thorne)**: A quiet, steady farmer. Writes Elara weekly letters she rarely answers, too consumed by Academy life. Later becomes crucial when she needs someone who loves her unconditionally.

## Motivations & Goals

**External Goal**: Graduate from the Academy with honors and become a High Mage, proving she belongs despite her "defect"

**Internal Need**: Accept that her dark magic isn't evil, but a part of who she is. Learn that moral worth isn't defined by magic type but by choices.

**Greatest Fear**: Being discovered as a dark mage and executed, proving that she's the monster everyone says dark mages are

**Deepest Desire**: To be accepted fully, both light and dark, without hiding

**Secret(s)**:

- Can use dark magic
- Killed someone in self-defense using dark magic (later in the story)
- Is descended from the legendary Dark Sorceress the Academy erased from history

## Key Relationships

### Kieran Ashwood

- **Relationship**: Rival turned love interest
- **Dynamic**: He challenges her rigid worldview; she grounds his recklessness. Both hide secrets (he's secretly from a dark mage family trying to infiltrate the Academy)
- **Conflict**: When she discovers his deception, must choose between Academy loyalty and recognizing their shared struggle

### High Mage Aldric

- **Relationship**: Mentor with hidden agenda
- **Dynamic**: Acts as her guide but is actually studying her to learn how she channels both magics
- **Conflict**: She must decide if his betrayal negates all his genuine teachings

## Character Arc

**Beginning**: A rigid rule-follower who believes the Academy's doctrine that dark magic is inherently evil and must be suppressed

**Transformation**: Through confronting her own abilities and learning the true history of magic, realizes good and evil exist in all people regardless of magic type. Embraces integrated magic (both light and dark) as neither good nor evil but simply tools.

**Ending**: Becomes the first publicly acknowledged "Gray Mage," reforming the Academy and healing centuries of division. Learns that accepting herself fully—shadows and light—is more powerful than perfection.

**Arc Type**: Positive Change Arc (from self-denial to self-acceptance, from blindly following external rules to living by internal values)

## Notes for Writer

**Themes**: Self-acceptance, questioning authority, the danger of absolutism, integration of shadow self

**Symbolic Significance**: Represents the reader's journey from black-and-white thinking to nuanced understanding of morality

**Voice**: First person POV would work well to show her internal conflict between what she's been taught and what she's experiencing

Example 2: Contemporary Supporting Character

User: "I need a best friend character for my contemporary romance. Someone who gives good advice but has their own issues."