When I have a character I want to work with, I usually send them through a battery of personality quizzes - Myers-Brigg, the Enneagram Test, this one, and some of the others from Personalityquiz.net are also good.

The point isn't the result you get, although that can help, but more the questions asked - you have to try to think like the character you're answering for, and that can get difficult. Detail what you can about the character first, and then have at it!

To me, it's always the little things that make a character, rather than the larger goals - lots of people want to defeat Sauron, but how many of them have been known to bring stuffed animals to parties? How many keep a clean office? How many liked climbing trees? How many have bad memories of taking piano lessons when they were younger? The more (sensible) little things you think up, the more you'll understand how your character will react to different stimuli, which helps create the world you build for that character's adventure.

A simple line of questions I took away from playwriting and dealing with character motivations were the following-

What does your character want?
How are they going to go about getting it?
What/who stands in their way?
Do they reach their goal?

I'd argue that these are more important than some of the other questions that you posted, simply because answering these questions should answer things like their personality and such.

I used to create detailed character bios when I was writing like the one below. But my writing style has changed over the years and now I use more of a Tabula Rasa (blank slate) approach and create characters as thematic elements. The characters I create characters are written to fulfil a particular role in the story rather then as fully actualized characters I previously used to do.

For instance the novel I’m working on at the moment the main character decides to try some self improvement and have proper committed relationship with a girl for change rather then a series of meaningless one night stands. He falls off the wagon a couple of times and things go completely wrong when he ends up getting another girl pregnant.

Now the girl he gets pregnant I couldn’t tell you much if anything about her. I know that role she will play in the story is to cause chaos, discord, and derail the main characters attempt at betterment. So personality wise she’ll be seductive, aggressive, and bitch, she’ll also have red hair. The rest I’ll will come out organically as I write with her role in the story in mind.

Either technique or combination of the two can be useful, the trick is to find what works for you and fits your writing style



Sample Character Profile

Name: Shu
Age: 13
Gender: Female
Birthday: February 29, 1992
Birth Sign: Pisces
Blood Type: AB
Secret Identity: Mech Pilot

Bio:
With her shoulder length blue hair, a white beret and round black glasses she is more at home hidden behind a book or her laptop then in public. With her pale complexion, petit frame and shy demeanour she’s often teased about resembling a damp mouse. Her shyness is never more evident then when it comes to men. She’s more likely to let out an “eep” and then hide behind one of friends then anything else.

Despite that when it comes studying or machines there is no better at the school. Her uncanny connection with machines and ability to build array of bizarre machines are what brought her to the attention of the Agency in the first place. After her recruitment she became the first pilot of the E-VanGelion an experimental giant robot she helped complete.

Shu is currently excelling in math and science class but is close to failing art and gym. She is also the founding member and president of the robotics club. She is also a member of the library and archaeology club.


Hobbies: Computers, building models, building machines, studying.

Relationships:

Hilda - Best friend of Shu since childhood they share an interest in old books and Hilda has always stood up for Shu when she wouldn’t stand up for herself.

Kara – More of acquaintances then friends Shu has always had a bit of crush on Kara with her carefree and aloof manor and she aspires to be just like her.

Elie – Shu and Elie don’t get along very well, Shu more then a little intimated and meek around Elie and Elie in turn tries to take advantage of Shu or tease her whenever she thinks she can get away with it.

Tomoe – Shu has tried over the years to get to know Tomoe better but she always simply ignored Shu and remains distant and uncaring towards her.

Plot Points:

Introduction: Shu is the first character the player is introduced when they wind up sitting together on the bus to Cherry blossom vale.

Joining the Dorm: Shu’s room is destroyed in an unspecified “accident” during the first week of school and she ends up homeless, with no place to go she decides and ask the player to if she can move into their dorm. After standing in the rain holding a suit case outside the player’s dorm for almost an hour trying to work the courage to knock the door Hilda shows up with a bag of her own and drags Shu to the door.

Episode One Personality events: If the player can raise Shu’s confidence high enough then when Elie tries to get Shu to write her history paper near the end of term then Shu will refuse and Elie will walk away in surprise.

If Shu’s athletic ability is high enough to allow here to finish the school mini marathon then Tomoe will congratulate her and tell her she’s come far.