Character Builder – The Brandywine Festival

Step 1 of 7

Your Name

"In the matter of names, Hobbits were peculiar. They almost all had two names — a given name, freely invented, and a family name that placed them firmly within the web of The Shire."

First Name Choose something that feels warm, earthy, and distinctly Hobbity.

Family Name Suggests your roots, your folk, your corner of The Shire.

🌿 Naming Your Hobbit

Feminine First Names

Often flowers, gems, or nature words: Peony, Primrose, Ruby, Camellia, Lily, Poppy, Gilly, Pearl, Eglantine, Myrtle, Daisy, Belba, Estella

Masculine First Names

Usually short and plain-sounding: Bungo, Odo, Hamson, Drogo, Mungo, Folco, Saradas, Robin, Tobold, Marmadas, Largo, Posco

Family Names

Suggest trade, place, or character trait: Took, Gamgee, Bolger, Boffin, Bracegirdle, Hornblower, Goodbody, Proudfoot, Burrows, Roper, Cotton, Headstrong

What Names Suggest

Trade-names: Roper, Miller, Cooper, Gardner. Appearance: Brownlock, Whitfoot, Longfoot. Origin: Sandybanks, Underhill, Greenhill.

⚠️ Please avoid the names of major novel characters. Baggins, Brandybuck, Bolger are fine as family names (large Shire families) — but don't take Frodo, Samwise, Bilbo, Meriadoc or similar as a first name.

Step 2 of 7

Who Are You?

"Hobbits are a good-natured people who like a life of peace and quiet. They are nimble, deft, and possess the almost supernatural ability to vanish swiftly and silently when large folk come blundering along."

Age

Where are you from? Shapes your journey to the Festival and your loyalties in the Games.

Hobbit Lineage Three ancient strains of Hobbit-kind, each with their own temperament.

Step 3 of 7

Occupation & Daily Life

"Growing food and eating it occupied most of their time. Estates, farms, workshops, and small trades tended to remain unchanged for generations. Hobbits are generous, not greedy — but very, very fond of good things."

Trade or Calling What do you do with your days? Select one, or write your own below.

Greatest Passion

What does your character's home — their smial — look like? Modest or grand? A hole in a hillside or an above-ground cottage? Tidy or overflowing with decades of kept-but-never-used mathoms?

What is your character most proud of — and what do they most want others to notice? Their garden, their seedcake recipe, their encyclopaedic knowledge of local ales? The thing they'd steer every conversation toward if given half a chance.

Step 4 of 7

Your Costume

"They dress in bright colours, chiefly green and yellow. Simplicity does not mean low quality — they cherished craftsmanship and care, and took great pride in dressing well for a party."

Your presentation style

Favourite colour(s) for your attire Natural, earthy tones are ideal. No neons or synthetics near open flame.

Key garments you plan to wear Select all that apply — you can always refine this later.

A treasured item or heirloom Something your character would never leave the smial without. This is also a great conversation-starter with other players.

Step 5 of 7

Your Story & Your People

"The Shire had seldom been organised or governed, and it had always been a matter of family. Relations between one hobbit-hole and the next were the real business of the world."

These questions help you find your character's emotional core. You don't need to share your answers — they're here to help you feel grounded and ready when the world opens.

Who is the most important person in your character's life — and what is your relationship with them? A parent who taught you everything, an old rival, a beloved sibling now living across The Shire? They don't need to be at the Festival — but knowing them helps you know yourself.

What memory from your character's past do they carry with them — something that quietly shapes who they are today? It needn't be dramatic. A Hobbit's defining moment is just as likely to be a perfect harvest supper as a fright on the road. The small things often cut the deepest.

What is your character's relationship with the world beyond The Shire's borders? Most Hobbits are deeply suspicious of anything unfamiliar. Big Folk, Dwarves on the road, strange news from Bree — how does your character feel? This is October T.A. 3018: there are rumours of Riders in Black near Buckland. Does your character know? Care? Dismiss it entirely?

What does your character secretly want — the thing they'd never say aloud at the dinner table? A deeper friendship. Recognition they've never received. To do something, just once, that isn't entirely sensible. This is the hidden engine of your character — it doesn't have to drive the plot, but knowing it will make every scene richer.

Step 6 of 7

At the Festival

"You cannot give yourself authority over other characters. LARP is an experience you create together — you are part of everyone's story, and they a part of yours. The best scenes are made by people who play to lift others up."

Why is your character at the Brandywine Festival this year — and what do they secretly hope will happen? Both sides of the coin: the reason they'd give to a neighbour, and the private wish they'd never say aloud.

What gift might your character bring to give away? Hobbits give presents at parties — it's expected, generous, and very good manners. Gifts are often kept-too-long "mathoms": trinkets that finally find a new home. What would yours bring?

What small thing will your character treat as enormously important this weekend? "Make Small Things Big" is the heart of Hobbit play. A neighbour's pumpkin outshining yours is a genuine crisis. A kind word from a stranger can make your whole week. What's your character's version of this?

What might your character get into a grumble or a gentle rivalry about — and how would they make it up? No fighting, no lasting malice — but Hobbits do have feuds. A slight remembered for decades. A contested recipe. A fence placed an inch over the agreed line. What would get your character's back up, and what would mend it?

What would cause your character to hide — or make a very dignified, very rapid exit? Hobbits are about the height of a large dog. Imagine facing one. Running away is not cowardice — it is wisdom and good sense.

What is one thing your character genuinely believes about themselves — that other people might quietly disagree with? A slight blind spot, a cheerful overconfidence, or a persistent myth they tell about themselves. This isn't a flaw — it's texture. It gives other players something warm to play with.

Complete!

Your Character Sheet

Print it, screenshot it, tuck it in your waistcoat pocket. You're ready for the Festival.

Ready to attend?

Get Your Ticket → Read the Player Guide