This is adapted from The Legend of the Five Rings RPG. I have found it is very useful for the Loremasters because these questions give a clear picture of the character beyond the stats and is a great tool for tailoring adventures to the player's expectations. Please note that even if basic questions are included (i.e. "what culture does your character belong to?"), the question always adds important information (in this case, "Whether a character adheres to they stereotypes of his culture or breaks them, one way or the other they will prove very important to his personality"). It is really useful to have this written.

Although the process of creating a character mechanically is very important, the most important aspects of your character have very little to do with mechanics at all. What kind of character do you want to play? What is his history like? What are his goals? What is the most important thing in the world to him? These are questions you should consider before you even start to spend points.

1. What culture does your character belong to?
A character's culture is their most defining characteristic because each culture has a well-established and distinct set of philosophies, prejudices, and ideals. Whether a character adheres to they stereotypes of his culture or breaks them, one way or the other they will prove very important to his personality.

2. What background does your character belong to?
Just like a character's culture, a character's background is an especially important defining characteristic. The stereotypes of each culture are broad, but individual backgrounds within the culture have much more specific, detailed roles and attitudes that further define the identity of the culture and those who serve it.

3. Is your character a scholar, a slayer, a treasure-hunter, a wanderer, or a warden?
Duty is an essential aspect of every hero's life, and establishing exactly what manner of duty a character is obligated to perform is an important step in breathing life into him or her. Is the character a warrior and soldier, a scholar, or wandering adventurer?

4. How would others describe your character's appearance?
Every character should have a rough description in order to give him some sort of life when describing him to others. What is the character's most striking feature? Does his mood come through his appearance or is he inscrutable? Does he make others feel at ease, or make them uncomfortable?

5. What is your character's primary motivation?
Though all hero are, in theory, solely devoted to fulfilling the wishes of their lord, most have their own goals as well. Some may be simple, such as maintaining the peace in the land of your people, while others may revolve around the recovery of a lost heirloom or the avenging of a slight to your family's honor.

6. Who is the person your character trusts most in the world?
Characters should have some developed background in order to facilitate role-playing. This question not only includes the individual's identity, but how that person met the character, why they are so close, and other similar questions.

7. What is your character's greatest strength and weakness?
Strengths are what others see as respectable or admirable in the character, while weaknesses are what he would struggle to hide from others, lest they look down upon him for his failures. What does the character regard as his strengths and weaknesses, and how does this differ from his actual abilities?

8. What is more important for your character, wisdom or valour?
There are many different kinds of heroes. Is your character renowed for his courage and fighting skills or for his cunning mind and wise counsels? Why is it so?

9. What is your character's opinion of his culture?
Of course all hero are accepted members of his culture, but that does not mean they do not have their own opinions. Does the character disagree with the culture's current enmities and alliances and the decissions of his king or ruler?

10. Is your character married?
Marriage is a very important in a character’s background. A hero's spouse is responsible for managing the estate, and actually wields considerable political power depending upon the size of their holdings. Was the character's marriage arranged, or is he or she still betrothed? Is it someone the hero has actually met, or a complete stranger? Is there a case of true love that will interfere with the wedding, or will the hero embrace duty over the wants of the heart?

11. Does your character have any prejudices?
Some cultures are negatively predisposed against some others, most often as a result of conflicts that have endured for decades or even centuries. Is the character one who readily subscribes to these prejudices or has he developed his own dislikes of other cultures, even allied ones, based on his own experiences?

12. To whom does your character owe the most loyalty?
The simplest answer to this question would of course be "The King," but very few hero have the honor to serve a king directly, instead serving someone in a long chain of authority that could include counsellors, army captains, some local authority... or is the character in his own, asking to no one? Whom does the character serve immediately, and is that person the one to whom he is the most loyal?

13. What are your character's favorite and least favorite things?
This could address a wide variety of responses, including material possessions, activities, s, or almost anything else that could spring to mind. Why does the character revere these things? What significance do they have to his history?

14. Does your character have any recurring mannerisms?
Since everyone tends to act according to the same protocol and etiquette, minor and inoffensive details of behavior tend to get noticed more frequently. Does the character chew his lip when he is nervous? Perhaps he has a unique greeting that he prefers to use. What does he do with his hands when nothing is going on?

15. What about your character's emotions?
A true hero is not supposed to be driven only by his emotions, but no one is completely disciplined at all times, and everyone demonstrates some degree of emotion at one point or another. What emotion is the character most likely to display when the circumstances arise? What are the things that push him to the edge most easily, and which emotions are easiest for him to hold in check?

16. What does your character think of honor?
The actions of a hero speaks for him and man of word is always considered respectable, although is not always easy to keep the word given. Does the character always keep his word, or will he forgive his promises?

17. How would your character's parents describe him?
Devotion to one's parents is considered proper behavior for any hero, but devotion can be offered without any real respect between a parent and child. Does the character have a proper relationship with his parents or are they estranged? Was the character's upbringing a source of joy or dismay for his parents? Are they still alive, or were they taken from the character at a younger age?

18. What is your character's highest ambition?
Desire is a sin, but ambition tempered by duty is considered acceptable among most heros. Warriors often aspire to become military leaders, for example, while scholars desire nothing more than unlimited knowledge. What is the character's ultimate goal and, perhaps more importantly, how far is he willing to go in order to accomplish it?

19. How religious is your character?
Although religion is quite a personal thing among the Free Peoples of Middle-earth, it is important to know the importance a character gives to the Valar and Eru in his life. Is the character a spiritual person, or has he dismissed the need for religion and instead embraced the rule of steel in his life?

20. How will your character die?
This is a very important and intimidating question, but one that should be given consideration. Every hero lives a few short feet from death, and death is a threat that can rear its head on any day of a hero's entire life. What is the character's destiny? How will he meet his end when the time comes for him to join his ancestors in the Halls of Mandos, or go beyond the Circles of the World?