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Paramaker
April 6, 2026 at 08:07 AM
Initial article with comprehensive Paramaker feature breakdown including body, clothing, and personality customization
The Paramaker is the character creation tool in Paralives. It is used to customize the appearance, clothing, and personality of Parafolk before entering Live Mode. The Paramaker is divided into three main sections: Body, Clothing, and Personality. It uses slider-based controls for nearly every aspect of a character's physical appearance, combined with a color wheel system for precise color selection.
The Paramaker provides sliders for nearly every part of the body, allowing players to adjust fine details from facial features to overall body proportions. Each area of the face and body can be edited with a range of presets and then further refined with individual sliders.
An adjustable height slider allows players to set their Parafolk to different heights. Unlike many life simulation games where all characters share the same height, Paralives lets players create height diversity to reflect real-world variation.
Paralives uses a single gender-neutral body frame as the starting point for all characters. This means there are no separate "masculine" and "feminine" base models. Instead, players adjust sliders for the chest, hips, shoulders, buttocks, waist, and other body regions to create any body shape they want. This design choice supports the game's inclusive approach to character creation.
Each region of the face has its own set of presets and sliders. Players can customize the shape and size of the eyes, nose, mouth, jaw, cheeks, chin, forehead, and ears. The level of detail available means that two characters created in the Paramaker can look entirely different from one another.
Eyes can be customized in both shape and color. The color wheel supports multiple color regions for the iris, allowing for complex eye colors. Heterochromia (different colored eyes) is achievable through this system. Eyebrow shape and color are also adjustable, with an option to automatically match eyebrow color to the chosen hair color.
The Paramaker uses a comprehensive color wheel for all physical characteristics. While presets are available for quick selection, players can use the wheel or enter hex codes to define exact shades.
Skin color is not limited to a set of preset swatches. The color wheel provides full control, and skin coloring includes four distinct color regions: Base, Highlights, Shadows, and Blush. Each region can be adjusted independently, allowing players to create nuanced, realistic skin tones with natural-looking variation across the face and body.
Most hairstyles have independently recolorable regions for roots, main hair, and tips. This means players can create natural-looking root growth, ombré effects, highlights, and multi-tone coloring without needing separate hairstyle assets. Each region is adjusted through the color wheel.
The Paramaker includes a variety of hairstyle options. Facial hair is also available as a separate customization layer. All hairstyles and facial hair options benefit from the multi-region color system described above.
Makeup options allow players to add cosmetic details to their Parafolk. Makeup is applied as a customization layer and can be adjusted for color and intensity.
Players can add moles to their Parafolk with freehand placement. Rather than selecting from predefined positions, moles can be placed anywhere on the body and adjusted for size. This same freehand placement approach applies to other body markings.
The Paramaker features a freehand tattoo placement system. Players can select tattoo designs, then position, resize, and rotate them freely on the character's body. This allows precise placement rather than locking tattoos to predetermined body locations.
The clothing system in the Paramaker supports creating multiple outfits per Parafolk. Players can build outfits from individual tops and bottoms or use full-body outfit options.
Clothing supports layering. Players can add long shirts under t-shirts, layer tights and leggings under skirts, and add coats as outer layers on top of existing outfits. This creates a more realistic and flexible wardrobe system compared to single-piece outfit selections.
Each clothing item's pattern can be changed independently of its model. For example, a shirt can be switched from plain to checkered, striped, or other patterns while keeping the same shape and fit. Colors are customizable through the same color wheel system used for physical features. Individual items, such as socks, can be colored independently on each side for mismatched looks.
Accessories include items like glasses, hats, jewelry, and other wearable decorations. These are applied as additional layers on top of the base outfit.
The Paramaker has been recognized for its explicit LGBTQ+ inclusion. The system was designed from the ground up to avoid binary gender restrictions and to provide options that reflect the diversity of real people.
Paralives offers three default gender options: Female (F), Male (M), and Non-Binary (NB). Gender settings are independent of physical appearance, meaning a character's body shape, voice, and clothing options are not locked to any gender selection. The entire clothing catalog is open to any Parafolk regardless of chosen gender.
Pronouns can be set separately from gender, body type, and voice. Players can choose from standard pronoun sets (he/him, she/her, they/them) or configure custom pronouns. This allows characters to have pronouns that align with their identity rather than being determined automatically by other settings.
The game includes functional binders as a clothing option
Pregnancy capability can be toggled per character, independent of gender selection
The gender-neutral body frame means no features are locked behind "masculine" or "feminine" categories
Relationship and romance mechanics work with any combination of genders
The third section of the Paramaker covers personality customization. While some personality traits are set during character creation, the personality system in Paralives is designed to evolve over time during gameplay. The Paramaker allows players to choose starting values for several personality components:
Component | Description |
|---|---|
Stats | Baseline personality attributes that define the character's tendencies |
Vibe | A core personality trait that determines the character's general outlook. Options include Overjoyed, Gloomy, Energetic, Serious, and Jester, among others. Vibes affect emotions, Together Card availability, skill progression, and social interactions. |
Talent | Linked to skill categories. A Parafolk with a specific Talent gains perks that help them progress in associated skills. |
Social Perk | Defines what a Parafolk is socially adept at. Each Social Perk provides advantages in certain types of social interactions. |
Lifestyle | Lifestyle preferences such as vegetarianism, sleep habits, and cleaning tendencies. |
During gameplay, Parafolk earn Personality Points by completing Wants. These points can be spent to upgrade and evolve personality traits, unlocking additional Vibes and perks over time.
