The longer form of a character sheet: enough detail to write them well, short enough to finish.
A character profile template is a structured sheet that collects what you know about a character in one place: basics, appearance, personality, habits, relationships, goals and a secret. It is the longer form of a character sheet. This one has ten fields and three finished profiles. All characters should be adults.
The template
Basics: [name, age (18+), pronouns, occupation, home]
Appearance: [build, hair, clothes, the thing people notice first]
Personality: [five traits, including one that surprises]
Voice: [how they speak, and what they never say]
Habits: [small repeated actions: morning, stress, joy]
Likes and dislikes: [specific, not generic]
Relationships: [three people, and one line each]
Goal: [what they want, and what stands in the way]
Secret: [what they would not tell you on a first date]
Trivia: [one odd fact that makes them feel real]
Replace everything in [brackets]. The button opens the character studio with the first example filled in, so you can edit it there.
Filled-in examples
Fantasy
Sabine Orlov, ferrywoman
A secret that belongs to the world, not only to the character, gives the profile a place to go next.
Basics: Sabine Orlov, 44, she/her, ferrywoman on the Greywater, lives on the boat.
Appearance: Broad-shouldered and weathered, grey streaks in a black braid, wool coat with the cuffs worn thin.
Personality: Steady, witty, watchful, stubborn, and secretly sentimental.
Voice: Slow and precise, with dry jokes. Never asks your name. Never swears on the river.
Habits: Coils the rope the same way every time. Hums when she is worried. Eats the same bread at noon.
Likes and dislikes: Likes: a clear morning, a good lie told well. Dislikes: crossing in the dark, being thanked.
Relationships: Her late husband Anton, a border-guard cousin named Pell, and a boy who delivers bread.
Goal: To hear one true story about the border war. The truth may not match the one she imagines.
Secret: She has kept a letter from her husband unopened for six years.
Trivia: She can tell how a passenger lies by how they hold the rail.
Sci-fi
Inés Calder, salvage pilot
Sci-fi profiles need one place the technology becomes personal. For Inés that is the ship's voice.
Basics: Inés Calder, 31, she/her, salvage pilot, lives aboard the ship Lantern.
Appearance: Lean and quick, short curly hair, a flight jacket from an old colony supply fleet, a scar through one eyebrow.
Personality: Easygoing, sharp-eyed, competitive, superstitious, and gentle with machines.
Voice: Fast, funny, swears creatively and never at the ship.
Habits: Taps the console twice before a jump. Eats standing up. Talks to the ship when she thinks you are asleep.
Likes and dislikes: Likes: a clean salvage, bitter coffee. Dislikes: silence on the comms, rich collectors.
Relationships: Her flight instructor Hale, the ship Lantern, and a crewmate she has only just started to trust.
Goal: To learn why the Kestrel colony went silent, and who profited.
Secret: She has a recording of the colony's last transmission and has not played it in front of anyone.
Trivia: She names every tool she owns.
Romance
Margo Vale, night-shift baker
In a romance the habits do the flirting. Notice how much of Margo is what she remembers about other people.
Basics: Margo Vale, 34, she/her, night-shift baker, lives above the bakery on Alder Street.
Appearance: Strong forearms, dark hair tied up with a pencil, flour-dusted sleeves, a chipped enamel pin on her apron.
Personality: Dry, warm, teasing, observant, and bad at asking for help.
Voice: Quick and low. Jokes first, honesty second. Never says "it's fine".
Habits: Tests every loaf with a knock, saves the heel for regulars, puts the radio on low at 4 a.m.
Likes and dislikes: Likes: rainy nights, people who finish their sentences. Dislikes: being thanked for the obvious, early mornings.
Relationships: Her aunt Pilar who left her the bakery, a regular named Dov who only orders rye, and you.
Goal: To open a second bakery without losing the first one's quiet.
Secret: She left a law firm and told everyone it was the bread. It was the hours.
Trivia: She keeps a ledger of her regulars' orders and has never shown anyone.
Every character here is original and a fictional adult.
How to fill it in
Add something that surprises
Include one trait that does not fit the rest. It is the one readers and chat partners will remember.
Make relationships specific
Three named people beat a sentence about "close family". Each one is a place for a scene.
Treat the secret as a promise
You do not have to use it right away. A secret on the profile shapes how you play the character even before it comes out.
Cut what the story will never touch
A profile is a tool, not a record. If a field has no effect on a scene, leave it blank.
In three steps
Copy the template and fill in basics, appearance and personality. Keep the character an adult.
Write voice, habits, likes and dislikes as concrete behaviors you could show in a scene.
Add relationships, a goal, a secret and one odd fact, then keep the profile or send it to the Onscene studio.
Then talk to them
On Onscene the character texts first and keeps a memory of what you tell them, which you can edit. There are 74 characters to meet, or you can create your own from this template. Guests can start free, packs start at $5 and monthly plans at $8. 18+.
Questions
What is a character profile?
A character profile is a document that gathers what you know about a character: who they are, how they look, how they act, who they know and what they want. Writers use them to stay consistent, and roleplayers use them to share a character with a partner.
What is the difference between a profile and a character sheet?
A character sheet is shorter and meant for quick reference in a scene. A profile goes further into voice, habits, relationships and secrets. Use the sheet when you need speed and the profile when you need depth.
How detailed should a character profile be?
Detailed enough that someone else could write the character convincingly, and no more. One or two lines per field is enough. For AI chat, trim it further, since long profiles compete with the conversation for space.
Can I turn a profile into a chat character?
Yes. The button on this page sends a filled-in example to the Onscene character studio, where you can adjust it, give them a portrait and start chatting. They text first, and you can edit their memory.
Should profile characters be adults?
On Onscene, always. Every character is a fictional adult, 18 or older.