I came up with this simple system to make characters or npcs very quickly and simply.
You need 4 different tables backstory, form, psychology, and training.
Backstory: a notable event from your past
Form: anything physical about your character
Psychology: anything mental about your character
Training: something this person is good at
Below are two sets of tables, the first for a generic medieval world and the second is vaguely inspired by Elden Ring.
Medieval
Backstory
1 was a squire to a knight
2 survived a plague
3 survived a siege
4 impressed a noble
5 conscripted for a war
6 scandalous love affair
7 ran away from home
8 gained the ire of a powerful noble
9 cursed by a wizard
10 had a prophetic vision
Form
1 armored
2 wears fine clothes
3 dismembered limb
4 cool scar
5 ugly scar
6 bald
7 wears simple clothes
8 wears eccentric and over the top clothes
9 calloused hands
10 beautiful
Psychology
1 True Love
2 chivalry
3 political power
4 drunkard
5 pious
6 cruel
7 loyal
8 seeks forbidden knowledge
9 paranoid
10 ignorant
Training
1 noble
2 jester
3 knight
4 peasant
5 merchant
6 priest
7 magician
8 hunter
9 scholar
10 alchemist
Elden Ring
Backstory
1 imprisoned
2 exiled
3 hunted another person
4 persecuted for religious beliefs
5 slew a dragon
6 found or made a mimic of yourself
7 scandalous rumors made against you
8 failed in making yourself immortal
9 cannibalized a powerful being
10 had your god be slain
11 slew a powerful figure
12 saw a companion be corrupted
13 was hunted
14 inflicted with a curse
15 fought in a great war
16 traversed a large, poisonous swamp
17 studied at a great place of learning
18 sacrificed a companion for power
19 found a powerful weapon
20 saved someone
1 flaming eyes
2 crystals fused to body
3 withered, skeletal body
4 silver skin
5 ornamented armor
6 burned
7 scarred
8 clay body
9 masked
10 red hair
11 diseased
12 many limbed
13 chimeric traits
14 giant
15 rotting body
16 brambles grow on body
17 blind
18 prosthetic limbs
19 robed
20 ridiculously heavy armor
Psychology
1 acquire secret knowledge
2 insane
3 coward
4 honorable
5 wants to become a lord
6 duty bound
7 unflinching faith
8 naive
9 opportunistic bastard
10 defender of the current order
11 kill a god
12 spread a infection or force
13 destroy the current order
14 fading mind
15 survival at any cost
16 find the truth of the world
17 reclaim the power of the past
18 become a great warrior
19 guide others and offer assistance
20 delight in slaughter
Training
1 knight
2 astrologer
3 bandit
4 nothing, a wretch
5 a merchant
6 blacksmith
7 wizard
8 priest
9 heretical priest
10 battle mage
11 inquisitor
12 maiden
13 witch
14 noble
15 druid
16 savage warrior
17 medic
18 general
19 herbalist
20 scholar
