Character Analysis Tools

The mechanics and worksheets for Narrative Crossroads.

The Three Skills

Every character in Narrative Crossroads has percentages in three skills:

Skill Governs Example Uses
Confrontation Physical challenges and conflicts Fighting, fleeing, enduring hardship, taking bold action
Comprehension Understanding situations and insights Noticing details, solving puzzles, reading between lines, recalling knowledge
Connection Social interactions and relationships Persuading, deceiving, empathizing, building trust

Skill Percentages

Characters are pre-assigned skill percentages based on their portrayal in the text:

  • High (60-75%) — The character excels here
  • Medium (40-55%) — Competent but not exceptional
  • Low (25-40%) — A weakness or blind spot

The percentages reflect who the character is, not who students want them to be.

Resolution Mechanic

When a character attempts something with uncertain outcome:

1. Describe the Action

What does your character try to do?

2. Identify the Skill

Which skill applies—Confrontation, Comprehension, or Connection?

3. Roll D100

Roll two ten-sided dice (2D10). One die represents tens, the other units.

Roll Result
01-[Skill %] Success — It works as intended
[Skill %+1]-95 Failure — It doesn’t work, or backfires
96-00 Critical Failure — Something goes very wrong

Note: Rolling equal to or under your skill percentage succeeds.

4. Narrate the Outcome

The GM (teacher) describes what happens based on the roll.

Character Interview

After exploring the liminal space, students answer interview questions from the character’s perspective.

Question Structure

Roll or select one question from each skill category:

Confrontation Questions — About action, conflict, physical experience

  • “What was the hardest thing you had to do?”
  • “When did you feel most afraid?”

Comprehension Questions — About understanding, insight, realization

  • “What do you understand now that you didn’t before?”
  • “What did you notice that others missed?”

Connection Questions — About relationships, belonging, identity

  • “Who matters most to you, and why?”
  • “What do others misunderstand about you?”

The Final Question

Every interview ends with: “Who are you?”

This open question invites synthesis—students must articulate the character’s identity based on everything they’ve experienced.

Character Frame Worksheet

For students to complete before play.

Character: _______

Text: _______

Liminal Space: _______

Skills

Skill Percentage Textual Evidence
Confrontation ___%  
Comprehension ___%  
Connection ___%  

Character Profile

What does this character want?

What does this character fear?

What rules or values guide this character?

Reflection Prompts

After play, students reflect:

Comparison

  • How did your choices compare to what the character actually does in the text?
  • Why do you think the author made different choices?

Discovery

  • What did the roleplay reveal about this character that you hadn’t considered?
  • What surprised you about how the scene played out?

Evidence

  • What textual evidence supports your interpretation?
  • What evidence might challenge your reading?

Identity

  • How did you answer “Who are you?” and why?
  • How does this character’s identity connect to the text’s themes?

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