# Character Profile Template  (schema: CharacterYAML)
# Copy this file into your project's characters/ directory, rename it
# (e.g. characters/ada-vex.yml), edit the values, then run:
#   novel-writer sync all
# The sync layer parses these exact keys — keep them spelled as-is.

name: Character Name              # REQUIRED. Short name used everywhere in the manuscript.
fullName: Full Legal Name         # Optional. Formal/legal name if different from `name`.
role: protagonist                 # REQUIRED. One of: protagonist | antagonist | major | minor | background
summary: |                        # REQUIRED. One-paragraph essence of who this character is.
  A one-paragraph summary of who this character is.
  What makes them unique? What is their core want and core wound?

# Physical Attributes (optional) — a flat map of string: string.
# Track anything you mention in the manuscript so consistency checks can catch drift.
physical:
  age: "value"
  eyeColor: "value"
  hairColor: "value"
  height: "value"
  build: "value"
  distinctiveFeatures: "value"
  # Add any other physical trait you reference in prose.

# Personality Traits (optional) — a flat map of string: string.
personality:
  core: "value"
  strengths: "value"
  flaws: "value"
  fears: "value"
  desires: "value"

# Background Information (optional) — a flat map of string: string.
background:
  occupation: "value"
  education: "value"
  family: "value"
  hometown: "value"
  significantEvents: "value"

# Skills & Abilities (optional) — a flat map of string: string.
skills:
  primarySkill: "value"
  secondarySkill: "value"

# Voice & Speech (optional) — critical for dialogue consistency.
voice:
  patterns:                       # Optional list of recurring speech patterns.
    - How they phrase requests
    - Sentence rhythm or length
  quirks:                         # Optional list of verbal tics / catchphrases.
    - A repeated catchphrase
    - A gesture they make when speaking
  vocabulary: |                   # Optional free-text note on word choice.
    Formal or informal? Technical or plain? Regional dialect or era-specific slang?

# Relationships (optional) — array of { character, type, description }.
relationships:
  - character: Other Character Name
    type: friend                  # friend | enemy | family | romantic | mentor | rival | ...
    description: How they relate, and the history between them.

  - character: Another Character
    type: rival
    description: The competitive dynamic between them.

# Character Arc (optional). If present, startingState and endingState are required.
arc:
  startingState: |                # Who they are at the beginning — beliefs, situation.
    Internal state and circumstances at page one.
  endingState: |                  # Who they have become by the end.
    How they have changed or refused to change.
  midpointCrisis: |               # Optional. The turning point that forces the change.
    The challenge that breaks their old way of being.

# Additional Notes (optional) — free text for anything else.
notes: |
  - Important plot connections
  - Themes this character embodies
  - Author reminders and research notes