Every genre of fiction has characters and many of the things that make great characters are the same in all of them. A character has to have goals, weaknesses, and many other traits in order to be a good character. Still, not all characters in all genres are the same and one of the genres with the most recognizable cast of characters is fantasy. This can be both an advantage and a disadvantage for a fantasy writer. This means that there are a specific points you need to consider to create a good fantasy character.
Using and Avoiding Cliches when Creating a Fantasy Character
The first thing to do is understand the cliches. One of the best ways to do this is to become aware of the heroes journey which has a number of characters and how the relate to the typical protagonist. This understanding can be applied to almost any genre but fantasy authors tend to use it more. This is neither a good or a bad thing, but it does mean that you need to pay attention to them, so you know if you are doing it. Cliches are generally assumed to be something you have to avoid, but the truth is you need to understand how to use them not just to avoid them. The cliché bartender who fills in the background is a great time saver in the story, but a cliché main character is going to be a weakness in most cases. There is also significant advantage in setting up and knocking down expectations though this must be done very carefully. If you set up an expectation to well the readers may lose interest before you spring the surprise.
How the Fantasy Effects your Fantasy Character
Another important thing for fantasy characters is how they relate to the fantasy of the world and how it has changed them, and to a lesser extent how the lack of technology has changed them. A person who is born in a world of magic is going to see the world differently than someone raised with technology.
In general fantasy worlds are based on a more strict social structure as well. This is something that is often underestimated in fantasy. It is worth considering before you begin, how the social order might effect your character. For example they may worship their king, or believe the king was given power by gods, and even the idea of multiple gods can create social strife that is different than ours. How they react to that can be a huge part of a fantasy character.
Creating Non-human Characters for your Fantasy Story
Finally there is the question of non human fantasy characters. Even if these are not the main characters in your story it is worth considering them as characters not toy soldiers. One of the reasons for this is that they can give you ways to explore character traits you can’t as easily explore with human characters. They might be more savage, smarter, stupider, longer lived or have any other trait all which can let you do a lot with character. The main importance is to think through things, if your fantasy race kill each other on site how do they reproduce? Do they have the same magic or different magic? This will be different for every race but it can have huge and interesting effects on character.
Creating a good fantasy character is largely the same as in any genre, but they still require some extra thought to decide just how they fit into the world. If you do this your story will be easier and the characters are less likely to be just cardboard cogs in a wheel.
