Your character's race - This is, in my opinion, the first thing you need to consider. How people perceive you, and how you handle your surroundings (physical or otherwise), is affected by your race.

If your character is going to be based in Tamriel, the races you see most are men, mer (elves), and a couple bestial races.

Another pointer is, because Nirn is another planet entirely in another universe, it wouldn't make sense for them to be seen as humans because they can use magic and they're descendants of gods. Logically speaking, they should be a different species.

Per Nirn's creation myths and how these races came to be, if you're playing an elven race, their species would be Old Ehlnofey. If you're playing one of the human races (even Bretons), their species would be Wandering Ehlnofey.

Books such as The Annotated Anuad, which is available to read in its entirety via the Elder Scrolls wikia, gives one of these creation myths.

• Men
  • Nords - basically your "Vikings". The Scandinavians of Tamriel. They're descendants of the Atmorans, and described as having an unsettling "thirst for blood" in battle. They are for the most part, entirely unafraid of death, especially if it means spending your afterlife at the Hall of Valor in Sovngarde. They're the type of people to say "may you die with a sword in your hand" and mean it as a good thing.
  • Imperials - Think of the ancient Romans and their empire. Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, all the old great militial tacticians. That's the Imperials. This race tends to be charismatic but they're also famous for their ability to conquer nations. This race is built on the foundation of silver tongues and sharp blades.
  • Bretons - Vaguely based off the French Europeans. Their race is part elf so they're generally better at magic than the other races of men. They're from High Rock, and typically known for being battlemages. They look more human than elf until you get up close, and then their "high-born" features become a little more apparent. The Bretons are remarkably success-driven and formidable.
  • Redguards - Did you see those guys from Hammerfell? They've got curved swords. CURVED. SWORDS. (Sorry, couldn't resist.) The dark-skinned Redguards have a long and bloody history, and are renowned for their melee skills in battle. They're badass, and their culture can be compared to that of the Egyptians.
• Mer
  • Altmer - The "High Elves" are arguably the best magic users in all of Tamriel. They hail from Summerset Isles but they get a lot of flak because their race is responsible for the Aldmeri Dominion. I have a lot of feelings about the Aldmeri Dominion, most of which iterate the idea that they suck the fun out of everything.
  • Bosmer - The wood elves of Valenwood, and hands-down the best archers in all of Tamriel. The wood elves you see in settlements around Skyrim are generally civil if not friendly. The Bosmer that still live in Valenwood have a fascinating culture but be warned - the ones that follow the Green Pact are cannibalistic and almost like reverse vegans. They only eat meat, and they do not use vegetation for anything, not even their bows. Their bows are probably made from the spines of their fallen comrades, honestly.
  • Dunmer - These grey-skinned elves are naturally talented in destructive magic, and are infamous for living abnormally long lives, especially so if they're well-versed in magic. Master Neloth of House Telvanni was already kind of old in the 2nd Era, but he's still alive and just as full of himself in the 4th Era. On the other hand, the Dunmer are also known for being rather prickly with strangers. Do they know your name? Unlikely, and they probably don't care. If they care enough to like you, they'll go from calling you "outlander" to "sera" which in Dunmer lingo, is basically "fam". They're hard to befriend or get close to, but if they like you, you'll definitely know.
  • Orsimer - Not the Orcs you know from Lord of the Rings. The Orsimer are a tribal folk. Most of them live in communes on the outskirts of regular society and you can't enter these communes unless you're an Orc yourself, or seen as Blood-kin if you're another race. The Orsimer may be brutish berserkers, but they also have a strict code of honor which they follow to their death. Not all of them live in the communes, either. An Orsimer named Urag gro-Shub is a librarian at the College of Winterhold, and takes his scholarly work very seriously.
• Beast
  • Khajiit - The Khajiit of Elsweyr are a feline race, but they don't all look the same. Some of them look like ordinary house cats, some of them are bipedal humanoid creatures wielding swords, and some of them look like tigers prowling on all fours. It all depends on which phases of the moons (Masser and Secunda) they were born under. Generally, Khajiit are pretty agreeable folks but their race does have reputation of being thieves, so people distrust them easily and some settlements won't even allow Khajiit within the city limits.
  • Argonian - Natives of the Black Marsh, a desolate swampland. The "Saxhleel" are essentially lizard people, but they have a rich culture and religion surrounded by a concept they call the "Hist". While their race has been subjected to slavery on multiple occasions, they're trusted a bit more than the Khajiiti and some of them are even business owners.

Each race in Tamriel has a certain vibe to the names of their people. If you like your name, but you want to keep it lore-friendly without changing it too much, here's some naming customs from each race. You can either choose the race that's closest to your character's name, or you can make up a new name that's close to your original name.

Alternately, this site is my favorite place to go for when I'm stuck on naming characters for my gaming in Skyrim. Also, if your character is mixed race, they take on the racial aspects of their mother, visually, but their name could be of either ethnicity. Brand-Shei is an Argonian name, but it was given to a Dunmer/"Dark Elf".

Just do your research, look up some etymology of your character's original name, meaning the name they currently have, and you should be fine. Take into consideration their personality, their physical appearance, what their name means in its root languages... All those elements can be used to craft a suitable name and/or honorific if that's the route you want.

• Nords: Their birth names/given names are typically simple and sound Scandinavian. Gerdur, Hulda, Hadvar, Ralof, things like that. It's more common to see someone with just their given name, and family names aren't really all that common, but you do have clans that someone might belong to. Example - Black-Briar, Shatter-Shield, Cruel-Sea. Those are just a few from Skyrim. There's also honorifics or epithets. Aela the Huntress, Mjoll the Lioness, Balgruuf the Greater, Falk Firebeard, Elisif the Fair... Firebeard comes from Falk's hair being red, hence the "Firebeard". And of course, we have "Talos Stormcrown" Some names tell a story! Vipir the Fleet's makes me laugh every single time.
• Imperials: Roman or Italian-sounding names. Proventus Avenicci, Tullius, Viola Giordano, Vittoria Vici, Marcurio, Quentin Cipius, Uriel Septim VII, Tiber Septim (aka Talos from above). As long as it sounds Italian or Roman, you're gucci.
• Bretons: As I said above, the Bretons are vaguely based off the French (and even the Celtics), but they are also half-elven, basically. Their names are often things such as Belethor, Constance Michel, Amaund Motierre, Sybille Stentor, Louis, Edwyn, Francois, Jauffre, Delacourt, Anton, Madanach, Weylin, things like that. You even see names like "Sam" and "Theodore". French and Celtic-sounding names are a sure-fire way to spot a Breton.
• Redguards: The Redguards all have names like Nazeem, Nazir, Saadia, Ahlam, Brenuin, Kematu, Tonilia, Endon, Isran, Rayya. Basically, find a name with Arabic roots and you should be okay.

!!! - The elves in general don't really have their names based off any real cultures in our world. They're influenced by the names of elves in pop culture, however.

• Altmer: Elenwen, Ondolemar, Ancano, Naarifin, Erundil, Aranath, Raven, Sinderion, Ocato, Calcelmo, etc.
• Bosmer: Fargoth, Anoriath, Faendal, Dervenin, Niruin, Nilawen, Galathil
• Dunmer: Teldryn Sero, Indoril Nerevar, Neloth, Jenassa, Karliah, Gabriella, Irileth, Barenziah, Helseth, Azarath.. names that end in -oth, -eth, -iah, things like that... Those are generally what you can expect to see with the Dunmer.
• Orsimer: Orsimer naming conventions are a little different than the other elves. Their given name might be something like Urag, Muzgraga, Lokra, or Ghorzolga. Even Nash. But as for family names or "last names", they typically have a gendered prefix, and then either their father's name (if male), or their mother's name (if female). Example, Urag gro-Shub. Urag is his given name, and his father's name is Shub. So Urag gets the prefix "gro-" and then his father's name; Shub. Urag gro-Shub.

Again, I would recommend looking at the UESP name page because it gives a lot more detail on how the names in each race work, and gives you lots of great ideas that you can use for your own name.

• Khajiiti: When it comes to the Khajiit, you're going to find a lot of honorific prefixes, suffixes, hyphens, and apostrophes and its more common among male Khajiits. Khajiiti names can be anything from Kharjo, to J'Zargo, to Marandru-jo. There's a lot of Kh-, J', -jo. UESP explains it pretty well. I remember names like Khayla, Zaynabi, and Shavari for the girls.
• Argonians: Argonian names are wild. There's three different kinds! Two are in the Argonians' native tongue (called Jel), and one kind is "Tamrielic". You have names like Madesi, Veezara, and Brand-Shei (even though Brandy's a dark elf). Those are all in Jel. Then, you also have names like Gajul-Ei, Gulum-Ei, and Jaree-Ra. Those are also Jel. Tamrielic names are kind of fun because they can get straight up funny. Deep-In-His-Cups, From-Deepest-Fathoms, and Juggles-Scorpions. I saw that one in the UESP list and had a good laugh for five minutes. Imagine being named Juggles-Scorpions.

Your character's birthday can remain the same, the months and days will just have a different name. Instead of my birthday being May 29, it'd be the 29th Day of Second Seed. The calendar equivalents of our months and days can be found here. Also, keep in mind the era you'd like to play them in. There are only four eras in the canon, so far.

Nirn is a different planet, so it's probably in another universe, and therefore has different constellations. If you'd like to choose a birth sign, here are the ones specific to Nirn.

Your character's appearance - This could change slightly or could be changed completely. It all depends on your race and whether or not you're just making an AU. I'm not saying your faceclaim would change or anything, they just might look different if they're elven or something.

If you're creating an original character from scratch, honestly it doesn't really matter what face you use. If you wanna use one specific actor, go ahead. But if you want to stick to the aesthetic of the series, faces from shows such as Vikings or Game of Thrones might be your best bet.

If your character is a civilian and isn't interested in fighting anybody, there's plenty of jobs they can fill. They can harvest crops for the local farmers, they can chop wood, they can barter goods in the marketplace, work as a cleaning maid in a stronghold, the options are endless. There's always something to do, even for the common folk. Maybe they're an apprentice in a trade.

If your character is okay with a little bloodshed (and by a little I mean they've killed people before), they could sell their skills as a mercenary, they could join the Companions or the Fighters Guild, hell... you could become an assassin if you want to go that far.

Even if your character is a mercenary or warrior of some sort, they still need survival skills. Do they know how to hunt? Do they know how to skin a deer or a rabbit? Nobody is going to frown at you for leaving a wolf to die; it's the circle of life. But if you kill a game animal whose meat can be cooked to eat, try to use as much of that animal as possible so you don't waste. Sell what you don't need or want.

If your character is going to be the fighting type or like a warrior, you might want to take into consideration their fighting style. Would they want to take a stealthy approach, or do they want to charge into battle, screaming?

If it's the first, you might consider having them go for light armor (typically made of leather), maybe some skills in Illusion (it has spells like invisibility and muffle), and have them use one-handed weapons (one-handed swords, maces, daggers) and archery.

If it's the latter, you could use one or two-handed weapons, but I would really recommend a nice heavy armor such as steel. Two handed weapons do a lot of damage but they aren't as quick because they're heavier, plus you have to be closer to your enemies to use them, so you run the risk of being hurt by your opponent.

Each race has their own strengths and weaknesses, and some races are better in one thing than others. All the races except Orsimer have passive racial abilities, but they also all have "active" abilities. The passive abilities have remained the same from game to game, as far as I remember, but their active abilities have changed from game to game.

I'm using Skyrim as an example for most of this article because that's the game I play the most.

• Nord: Naturally resistant to frost-based magics by 50%. Best for two-handed weapons.
• Imperials: "Imperial Luck". They find more gold in chests than other races do. Best for restoration magic.
• Bretons: 25% resistance to all offensive magic. Best for conjuration magic.
• Redguards: 50% resistant to poison. Best for one-handed weapons.
• Altmer: Naturally more magicka in their reserves than other races. Best for illusion magic.
• Bosmer: 50% resistant to disease and poisons. Best for archery.
• Dunmer: Naturally resistant to fire-based magics by 50%. Best for destruction magic.
• Orsimer: No passive ability, but their berserking (an active ability) allows them to be an unstoppable force of destruction for a limited time. Powerful and scary. They deal twice and take half as much damage during this time. Best for heavy armor.
• Khajiit: Because the Khajiit are a feline race, they don't have regular fingernails like "human races" do. They have claws, which gives them 4 times the damage done when unarmed. Best for sneaking.
• Argonians: 50% resistant to poisons, and they can breathe underwater because they're slightly amphibious due to their physiology. Best for lockpicking.

I've played a fair bit of LOTRO (an MMORPG for Lord of the Rings) in my time and we have this thing in fights called DPS/Tank/Heal. It's essentially the 'Holy Trinity' of gaming but it can be understood in writing contexts, as well. They're all forms of battle support, but they all have different roles that they play in a fight.

Remember, you can pick any race you like. They can be great in any three of these categories, but some of them are genetically pre-disposed to be excellent as a certain type.

DPS: Damage Per Second. This is for your ranged attacks, and best for archers, mages, and assassin-types. Typically light armor is what you want, because it's lighter and therefore allows you to move around quicker (and quieter). Altmer, Dunmer, and Bosmer are all great fits for this, as are the Bretons. This is my favorite method of fighting, personally, but that's just because I have a deep-seated love for archery and magic. You want to do as much damage as you can while taking the least amount of damage, possible.

Tank: Exactly what it sounds like. These guys are on the frontlines of battle and they pull all the aggression to themselves, if they can. They wear heavy armor and they use sharp or blunt weapons to barrage their enemies with attacks at close range. They're called tanks because they can deal and take a lot of damage. A race such as an Orc would be perfect for this, because they're tough and formidable. They don't mind being up close and personal with their opponents. Nords would also be great for this because of their talent with two-handed weapons. They're loud, proud, and here to mess you the frick up.

Healers: This is pretty self-explanatory. DPS and tanks try to draw all of the aggro away from you, so you can do what you need to do, which is keep the tank and the DPS alive in the midst of battle, but your main focus is on the tank. Unless you're playing ESO (which is an MMORPG), the Elder Scrolls games for console are typically one-player and you kind of have to take care of yourself when it comes to healing. Potions and spells are typically a good way to do that. But since we're talking writing here, it's good to know what their role is. If you want to become a healer, the Imperials are the best because they're better at restoration magic than the other races, and restoration has all your healing spells.

Just as you have DPS / Tank / Heal in MMORPGs, in TES there's three styles of fighting: Warrior, Thief, and Mage.

These are all set to 15 by default and can be adjusted per your race (+10 for primary skills, +5 for secondary), but you could just as easily replace the numbers with a short description of how your character feels about each skill.

Warrior

HEAVY ARMOR - 15
TWO-HANDED - 15
ONE-HANDED - 15
ARCHERY - 15
BLOCK - 15
SMITHING - 15

Thief

LIGHT ARMOR - 15
SNEAK - 15
LOCKPICKING - 15
PICKPOCKET - 15
SPEECH - 15
ALCHEMY - 15

Mage

ILLUSION - 15
CONJURATION - 15
DESTRUCTION - 15
RESTORATION - 15
ALTERATION - 15
ENCHANTING - 15

<h1>Warrior</h1> <blockquote> <b>HEAVY ARMOR</b> - 15<br> <b>TWO-HANDED</b> - 15<br> <b>ONE-HANDED</b> - 15<br> <b>ARCHERY</b> - 15<br> <b>BLOCK</b> - 15<br> <b>SMITHING</b> - 15<br> </blockquote> <h1>Thief</h1> <blockquote> <b>LIGHT ARMOR</b> - 15<br> <b>SNEAK</b> - 15<br> <b>LOCKPICKING</b> - 15<br> <b>PICKPOCKET</b> - 15<br> <b>SPEECH</b> - 15<br> <b>ALCHEMY</b> - 15<br> </blockquote> <h1>Mage</h1> <blockquote> <b>ILLUSION</b> - 15<br> <b>CONJURATION </b>- 15<br> <b>DESTRUCTION</b> - 15<br> <b>RESTORATION</b> - 15<br> <b>ALTERATION</b> - 15<br> <b>ENCHANTING</b> - 15<br> </blockquote>

If you want to be a Healer, focus on Restoration in the "Mage" section. Restoration has your healing spells but also has protective wards for if you want to take the offense with something such as Destruction. If you're a Warrior class, you could use the Enchanting skill to give your armor and weapons added benefits.

If you want DPS, you could go either way. Warrior has one-handed weapons and archery, and one-handed weapons can always be coupled with shields for extra melee protection if you happen to get up close. Thief has light armor and sneak, which helps aid in stealth so then you don't have to get up close. Mage has your destruction spells such as fireballs, electric attacks like lightning bolt, and frost attacks like ice spikes. Conjuration also offers plenty of spells for summoning beings to "tank" for you and pull the aggro away so you can focus.

If you're tanking, focus on Warrior. Heavy armor, weaponry, and block are your top three concerns. Smithing is also great if you want to get some good armor. Heavy armor made with the bones of dragons is the best you can get if you want to go that route.

Your character's personality will greatly influence their choices.

What kinds of things do they value? Are they religious? Are they okay with killing? Stealing? Are they a pacifist? Do they believe in the afterlife and if they do, where do they want to go when they die?

Tamriel operates on a pantheon. There's Nine Divines, and sixteen Daedric Princes that they can worship. What they value might influence their religious decisions and who they choose to worship. They might be a devout follower of Hircine, but they can still value intelligence, so perhaps they pray to Hircine and Julianos.

There's a number of factions you can join, depending on which region and/or era you're in. If you're in an area such as Cyrodiil or Morrowind and you're a warrior, the Fighters' Guild is a great place for mercenaries to find work and call home.

The Mages' Guild is also in Cyrodiil and Morrowind, where Skyrim has the College of Winterhold.

The Thieves' Guild is present in all of Tamriel, as is the Dark Brotherhood.

As for other factions, the research for those is on you. They'll all depend on location and the timeline your character is in. Some factions that were powerful years ago aren't so common anymore, such as the Blades. Before 4E 201, the Blades were assumed dead but the Thalmor had dirt on the two last surviving members.

This is what I'm hoping will be a fairly cohesive biosheet, catered specifically to TES verse.

Full Birth Name: Self-explanatory.
Honorifics: Not part of your birth name. This could also be a clan name like Black-Briar.
Titles/Loyalties: Information. (Speaker of the Dark Brotherhood, Arch-Mage of Winterhold, General of the Imperial Legion, Thane of Hjaalmarch, etc.)
Species: Old Ehlnofey for elves, Wandering Ehlnofey for "humans". Beastfolk (also called Betmeri) could be Khajiiti, or Saxhleel (for Argonians)
Race: Self-explanatory. Keep in mind, Khajiiti look different depending on which phases of the moons they're born under. You could say something like "Alfiq-raht Khajiit" and then someone would know that your Khajiit looks like a relatively large housecat.
Date of Birth: ## Day of (Month Name), #E ###
Astrological Sign: Information. Lord, Lady, Steed, Tower, Atronach, Lover, etc...
Place of Birth: Information.
Current Residence: Information. Do they have a steady home or do they move around a lot and use inns?
Political Alignment: Information. This could be the Empire, the Aldmeri Dominion, anything like that.
Religious Beliefs: There's no such thing as "atheists" in TES lore. You're literally descended from gods, and you've definitely dabbled with them.
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<b>Full Birth Name:</b> Self-explanatory.<br> <b>Honorifics:</b> Not part of your birth name. This could also be a clan name like Black-Briar.<br> <b>Titles/Loyalties:</b> Information. (Speaker of the Dark Brotherhood, Arch-Mage of Winterhold, General of the Imperial Legion, Thane of Hjaalmarch, etc.)<br> <b>Species:</b> Old Ehlnofey for elves, Wandering Ehlnofey for "humans". Beastfolk (also called Betmeri) could be Khajiiti, or Saxhleel (for Argonians)<br> <b>Race:</b> Self-explanatory. Keep in mind, Khajiiti look different depending on which phases of the moons they're born under. You could say something like "Alfiq-raht Khajiit" and then someone would know that your Khajiit looks like a relatively large housecat.<br> <b>Date of Birth:</b> ## Day of (Month Name), #E ###<br> <b>Astrological Sign:</b> Information. Lord, Lady, Steed, Tower, Atronach, Lover, etc...<br> <b>Place of Birth:</b> Information.<br> <b>Current Residence:</b> Information. Do they have a steady home or do they move around a lot and use inns?<br> <b>Political Alignment:</b> Information. This could be the Empire, the Aldmeri Dominion, anything like that.<br> <b>Religious Beliefs:</b> There's no such thing as "atheists" in TES lore. You're literally descended from gods, and you've definitely dabbled with them.<br> <b>Brief History:</b> Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Integer nec odio. Praesent libero. Sed cursus ante dapibus diam. Sed nisi. Nulla quis sem at nibh elementum imperdiet. Duis sagittis ipsum. Praesent mauris. Fusce nec tellus sed augue semper porta. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Mauris massa. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vestibulum lacinia arcu eget nulla. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos. Curabitur sodales ligula in libero. Sed dignissim lacinia nunc.