To them I offer their imaginations.

"I'm afraid people will interpret my description word for word, so I don't put any at all."?

You decide how detailed your description is, Logicality. No one's asking you to put exact measurements, something as vague as "full-bodied, dark hair, prominent eyebrows" does wonders. But until you put anything, I don't know if your PC is 5'8 or 6'6 or what color his eyes are, unless you're announcing it every single time someone roleplays with you.

You decide! Does my character seem like the sort of person that'd be 6'6, or 5'8? I don't know about you, but I tend to find that more confident people, for example, can appear taller than they actually are; that hair can appear darker and fuller on the heads of the lively. There is a great social element to the way we perceive our peers. If I tell you how tall I am, I take it out of your power to say how tall I seem.

It isn't a massive effort needed to describe the model as it appears in-game, though. You're talking about four or five lines of terse descriptions of height, weight, colouring (hair, skin,eyes) and any typical racial features. If you can't manage this much, just to assert that your model is an accurate depiction of the character, you can't blame others for assuming that you're lazy.

"Your not doing it right because my opinion is different from yours!"

Quite a lot of people are also worried that a profound and detailed BIO Invites to metagaming, and it's that fear that i have heard many state as their main reason for not putting anything in the BIO.

What about them? Are they lazy? Are they stupid?

Having said description in your bio is clunky and unrefined. All it accomplishes is a "look at me!" attitude that fits an individual trying to distinguish him- or herself from the community.

"The word I associate with Yossarin the most is -beautiful-. And it has naught to do with appearance and voice. He is rare and precious and precise and so very, very uniquely suited to the needs of the time and place he was born into - it seems as if he's both out of place and a perfect fit for it at the same time. And as often is with treasures, he's all the more precious to me because of a sense that he could be so easily lost. Not just simply, as in through death or some other such removal, but a loss of himself. Just too much of "the game" that life is slowly eroding the very basic, the first foundation of who he is. Yet what use would it be to try to put him in a velvet case? He's nothing so simple as a diamond. Perhaps the only protection such a one as he needs is someone who can understand him through and through - aye, but here's the rub. No one can truly understand you, because no one is you. Even the most perfect-as-possible understanding and empathy and connection is only, at basic, suppositions and theories based upon experiences. I wish that the gods still spoke to us with an audible voice."

- A dear and faithful friend


Height: 6'3"
Weight: 175
Skin: Midnight Black
Hair: Raven Black
Eyes: Ivory White
Teeth: Pearly White

Shadowbard of the Burning Sands; Singer, Loremaster, Lover, and Cantomancer

The word I associate Yossarin with the most is beautiful. And it has naught to do with appearance or voice. He is rare and precious and precise and so very, very uniquely suited to the needs of the time and place he was born into - it seems as if he's both out of place and perfect for it at the same time. And as it often is with treasures, he's all the more precious to me because of a sense that he could be so easily lost. Not just simply, as in through death or some other such type of removal, but a loss of himself. Just too much of "the game" that life is slowly eroding the very basic, the first foundation of who he is. Yet what use would it be to try and put him in a velvet case? He's nothing so simple as a diamond. Perhaps the only protection such a one as he needs is someone who can understand him through and through...but here's the rub. No one can truly understand you, because no one is you. Even the most perfect-as-possible understanding and empathy and connection is only, at basic, suppositions and theories based upon experiences. I wish that God still spoke to us with an audible voice.
-Grissom Adelier, Cleric of Alderode

"Yossarin's tongue wraggles circuits about my own. And his mind spins faster than a pinwheel in a gale."
-A reverent man in a Tavern

Geoffery frowns momentarily as he watches Yossarin retreat away, then glances over at Marie and nudges her once with his elbow. He's seen a lot of bards in his day, being a soldier, but that is the most...bardy bard he has ever seen. "Marie. Your friend there. He's not...well...you know. He doesn't sheathe his sword in different scabbards than most does he?"
-Geoffery "Hoss" Demythos Kinsmail, the Soldier

"Surely it is this wicked warlock's fault that the queen acts so strangely!"
-Sir James Swordguard, the Time-Tossed Knight

"He usually wears eccentric clothing, and his skin is blacker than the deepest pitch. Only his gleaming white eyes and toothy grin break the shadowy color. And, of course, his often flashy outfits. Yossarin is a man whose occupation cannot be pinned down. A man of many talents and more secrets than one could ever hope to uncover. He likes to think of himself as a simple Bard, humbly plying his trade - but the man is so much more than that."
-Jheros Bloodbane, the BladeMaster

"This Yossarin seems to be a man of mystery, an agent of sorts. Someone who does not wish to be found out perhaps..."
-Maxxcyber, the Vampire Hunter

"Sing a song of the Shadowed bard, whose dark form was lithe, no trace of lard. He creeps through desert night, so cold. Snatching dreams for his stories told."
-Six String, the Samurai

"Well he nice for most part ....until I cut him."
-Link

Sonlu thinks Yossarin's actions are to long.
-Sonlu

"You're my Hero!"
-Robert

"You are so lame!"
-Amber Lossarot

"You've got such an imagination."
-Cosira

PrincessJenna hms. She thinks Yoss has two very different sides. He's either really, really mean, or really nice.
-PrincessJenna

"Yoyoyoyoyoyoyoychekdisowwwwwwwwwwt!!!"
-kApp0

You know Yoss, you are the most annoying prick on the planet, rating above my younger brother, and scooter in that order. I didn't think that was possible. Now, if you'll step out of your false sense of superiority mask and get off the moral high-ground, perhaps I don't have to make you the first person on my ignore list.
-Rhia, Queen of Cynics

"I'd prefer to nail his tongue to the horse he seems to be riding on."
-Lightfinder, the Emerald-Eyed Seer

"Yossarin is a very popular gentleman. It is no suprise really, with so many reasons why he should be. He is original and charming. His eloquence is unparalleled. His manners are polished and his personality gracious. But I think the one thing that attracts everyone the most is that simple, eternal question--is Yossarin gay?"
-RedQueen, the Red Queen

"Glamorous, attractive, quotable, the consummate celebrity. And every bit as unapproachable. Somebody get this bard a spotlight."
-Fathom Twain, the Architect of Dreams

"Man, you're weird, Yossarin. Y'claim to be all bad and stuff, yet mostly you remind me of some...kid who wants to be bad, yet he's in fact pretty good, and cool, yet you're so damn slippery...no wonder they ask what team you play for. Have you ever considered a stage career? Broadway maybe?"
-Fox, the Intergalactic Vulpine

"One day I'm going to say something witty, memorable, and perceptive enough to get onto Yossarin's profile. Mark my words! No doubt the day I manage to, he'll be off having glorious sex with some budding young starlet, and my fleeting moment of intellect and cunning will be lost like ash in the wind. Curses."
-ShadowSword, the Other "Nice" Pathfinder

"yossarin i am not shore the sex."
-gonli, the confused dwarf

Yossarin is he
Whose words and songs ensorcel,
Not to mention looks.
-Simon, the Baked Bard

Blank descriptions (or the standard ones) are lazy, but I nonetheless champion anyone who doesn't bother with a boring physical description in your bio. Most of mine don't have one, period, because the way they look IG is pretty much the way they look. If it is for any reason different, the bio is updated to reflect that, but it never really is.

there's really no need for so much head-scratching and stump-grinding.

Height: 6'3"
Weight: 175
Skin: Midnight Black
Hair: Raven Black
Eyes: Ivory White
Teeth: Pearly White

The word I associate Yossarin with the most is beautiful. And it has naught to do with appearance or voice. He is rare and precious and precise and so very, very uniquely suited to the needs of the time and place he was born into - it seems as if he's both out of place and perfect for it at the same time. And as it often is with treasures, he's all the more precious to me because of a sense that he could be so easily lost. Not just simply, as in through death or some other such type of removal, but a loss of himself. Just too much of "the game" that life is slowly eroding the very basic, the first foundation of who he is. Yet what use would it be to try and put him in a velvet case? He's nothing so simple as a diamond. Perhaps the only protection such a one as he needs is someone who can understand him through and through...but here's the rub. No one can truly understand you, because no one is you. Even the most perfect-as-possible understanding and empathy and connection is only, at basic, suppositions and theories based upon experiences. I wish that God still spoke to us with an audible voice.
-Grissom Adelier, Cleric of Alderode

"Yossarin's tongue wraggles circuits about my own. And his mind spins faster than a pinwheel in a gale."
-A reverent man in a Tavern

Geoffery frowns momentarily as he watches Yossarin retreat away, then glances over at Marie and nudges her once with his elbow. He's seen a lot of bards in his day, being a soldier, but that is the most...bardy bard he has ever seen. "Marie. Your friend there. He's not...well...you know. He doesn't sheathe his sword in different scabbards than most does he?"
-Geoffery "Hoss" Demythos Kinsmail, the Soldier

"Surely it is this wicked warlock's fault that the queen acts so strangely!"
-Sir James Swordguard, the Time-Tossed Knight

"He usually wears eccentric clothing, and his skin is blacker than the deepest pitch. Only his gleaming white eyes and toothy grin break the shadowy color. And, of course, his often flashy outfits. Yossarin is a man whose occupation cannot be pinned down. A man of many talents and more secrets than one could ever hope to uncover. He likes to think of himself as a simple Bard, humbly plying his trade - but the man is so much more than that."
-Jheros Bloodbane, the BladeMaster

"This Yossarin seems to be a man of mystery, an agent of sorts. Someone who does not wish to be found out perhaps..."
-Maxxcyber, the Vampire Hunter

"Sing a song of the Shadowed bard, whose dark form was lithe, no trace of lard. He creeps through desert night, so cold. Snatching dreams for his stories told."
-Six String, the Samurai

"Well he nice for most part ....until I cut him."
-Link

Sonlu thinks Yossarin's actions are to long.
-Sonlu

"You're my Hero!"
-Robert

"You are so lame!"
-Amber Lossarot

"You've got such an imagination."
-Cosira

PrincessJenna hms. She thinks Yoss has two very different sides. He's either really, really mean, or really nice.
-PrincessJenna

"Yoyoyoyoyoyoyoychekdisowwwwwwwwwwt!!!"
-kApp0

You know Yoss, you are the most annoying prick on the planet, rating above my younger brother, and scooter in that order. I didn't think that was possible. Now, if you'll step out of your false sense of superiority mask and get off the moral high-ground, perhaps I don't have to make you the first person on my ignore list.
-Rhia, Queen of Cynics

"I'd prefer to nail his tongue to the horse he seems to be riding on."
-Lightfinder, the Emerald-Eyed Seer

"Yossarin is a very popular gentleman. It is no suprise really, with so many reasons why he should be. He is original and charming. His eloquence is unparalleled. His manners are polished and his personality gracious. But I think the one thing that attracts everyone the most is that simple, eternal question--is Yossarin gay?"
-RedQueen, the Red Queen

"Glamorous, attractive, quotable, the consummate celebrity. And every bit as unapproachable. Somebody get this bard a spotlight."
-Fathom Twain, the Architect of Dreams

"Man, you're weird, Yossarin. Y'claim to be all bad and stuff, yet mostly you remind me of some...kid who wants to be bad, yet he's in fact pretty good, and cool, yet you're so damn slippery...no wonder they ask what team you play for. Have you ever considered a stage career? Broadway maybe?"
-Fox, the Intergalactic Vulpine

"One day I'm going to say something witty, memorable, and perceptive enough to get onto Yossarin's profile. Mark my words! No doubt the day I manage to, he'll be off having glorious sex with some budding young starlet, and my fleeting moment of intellect and cunning will be lost like ash in the wind. Curses."
-ShadowSword, the Other "Nice" Pathfinder

"yossarin i am not shore the sex."
-gonli, the confused dwarf

Yossarin is he
Whose words and songs ensorcel,
Not to mention looks.
-Simon, the Baked Bardp

Ley lines, y'all. Just let me go wrangle up my cowboy boots and lasso us up some magic.

Yee-haw!

You decide! Does my character seem like the sort of person that'd be 6'6, or 5'8? I don't know about you, but I tend to find that more confident people, for example, can appear taller than they actually are; that hair can appear darker and fuller on the heads of the lively. There is a great social element to the way we perceive our peers. If I tell you how tall I am, I take it out of your power to say how tall I seem.

The guy that probably has sexual fantasies about masturbation. I mean, Iron, you're a bookworm nerd that even in your wildest escapism fantasies flee to the internet to play the role of another bookworm nerd? Come on!

Ley lines, y'all. Just let me go wrangle up my cowboy boots and lasso us up some magic.

Yee-haw!

The guy that probably has sexual fantasies about masturbation. I mean, Iron, you're a bookworm nerd that even in your wildest escapism fantasies flee to the internet to play the role of another bookworm nerd? Come on!

The guy that probably has sexual fantasies about masturbation. I mean, Iron, you're a bookworm nerd that even in your wildest escapism fantasies flee to the internet to play the role of another bookworm nerd? Come on!

I remember reading somewhere on the forum that there is even a code (or something) that you can type into the 'shout' mode which allows you to change your in-game character description manually without having to pester a DM... might be worth posting how to do that in this thread as I can't seem to find it anywhere, if it is still an option.

the figure before you gazes back with dark red eyes, seething with anger
this is a continuation if the description, and will have a line break between the last part

ed: its in the journal if you fail to remember. ingame journal.

if it is a MUST then I will put my age hair color weight cup size if applicable?! etc...but this is stupid stop arguing over rubbish.

The guy that probably has sexual fantasies about masturbation. I mean, Iron, you're a bookworm nerd that even in your wildest escapism fantasies flee to the internet to play the role of another bookworm nerd? Come on!

Stop it.

If you're going to put a description of another character in an in-character post, but not take the time to actually obtain a proper description of them, just writing " *describes character* " does not cut it. Take the time to actually write in at least a brief desription. Not doing so leaves far too much room for metagaming and the like. I don't know how many times DMs have said this exact same thing in numerous posts throughout the forums.

Stop it. Don't do it. It only takes a couple of minutes, at most, to think of and write down a proper desription based on what you actually saw, or obtain a description from the player(s) of said character(s) you're trying to describe.

Instead of "describes blahblah*, you need to go through the motions of actually -detailing- what is is your character remembers about the person, such as armor design and colors, hair color and length, facial hair or the absence thereof, approximate height/weight, any scars or tattoos visible, weapons that were used, etc. All of this info can be obtained either through direct observation, or with a bit of cooperation from the other party/parties involved, and really takes very little effort on both sides.

I'm serious about this, folks. Do not do this any more. Either do the work properly, or don't bother at all.