50 Fantasy Character Ideas To Tweak & Make Your Own
Bella Rose Emmorey
book editor, rogue behaviorist, digital marketer, writer, brand builder, plant aunt, and cheese enthusiast.
Nobody wants to get the review where they say your characters are cardboard cut-outs of ones they’ve read a dozen times before. If you’re worried about that, then this list of fantasy character ideas will help stir your creativity.
Tropes are one thing. Archetypes are another. But if you can’t create originality within those devices, your story will fall flat.
You can save a crap plot with good characters. No plot can make up for sucky characters.
Fantasy Character Ideas to Tweak & Fit Your Story
Because fantasy is vast, and there are a bunch of subgenres and tropes, I’m breaking up these fantasy character ideas into categories you can use to pick from.
Bonus points if you use an idea from a category that makes no sense for the position you want to put them in, and somehow make it fit!
We’ll cover:
Warriors & Fighters
Highly common in fantasy. These characters are in just about every fantasy story, unless it falls under the cozy fantasy subgenre.
Readers are pretty tired of the same old disgruntled, bitter downer of a man as are they over the "tough, sassy" woman. You’ll have to work to make any of these unique, but I believe in you!
1. Cursed Gladiator – A once-unstoppable champion, now suffering from a slow petrification curse, struggling between pride and desperation. What would make this one unique is plugging him in a plot that requires his skill in different ways (think: The Pacifier with Vin Diesel).
2. Oathbound Knight – Swore fealty to a corrupt ruler but refuses to break their oath, constantly torn between duty and morality. But of course, this has been done over and over again. Make it unique by using an unreliable narrator to create a villain out of this character. Perhaps the ruler isn’t corrupt, but his appointed knight is, and he is somehow running the show.
3. Dancing Duelist – Fights with an acrobat’s grace, never taking a fight seriously—until someone they love is threatened. However, they’re a terrible fighter. What they’re good at, though, is distracting their opponent with wit, showmanship, and by winning the crowd.
4. Hardened Monster Slayer – Can sense supernatural creatures but is slowly becoming one due to prolonged exposure. Make this original by making them like the change–perhaps it makes him a better tracker and slayer. Perhaps it’s their goal.
5. Vengeful Berserker – Channels rage into incredible strength but suffers memory loss after every battle. Oh! And there’s a specific trigger that puts them in the rage, and pulls them out. But they don’t know what it is.
6. Silent Guardian – Took a vow of silence after betraying a comrade, only communicating through battle and expressions. But the silence is a curse in which they cannot learn any new languages. The one they speak? It’s been a dead language for centuries.
7. Disillusioned General – Led an army to victory through brutal tactics but is now haunted by the ghosts of the fallen. You can spin this one in many cool directions, including that he is intentionally slaughtering many in order to build his own army of the dead.
8. Mercenary Poet – A sellsword who composes poetry about each battle, believing stories outlive the warrior. But actually, their poems are terrible but nobody has the guts to say something about it.
9. Giant’s Bane – A tiny warrior wielding a massive weapon, compensating for their lack of stature with sheer audacity. But they haven’t actually slain anything, instead coasting on reputation and hoping nobody notices.
10. Reluctant Champion – Was chosen by prophecy but wants nothing to do with heroism, preferring a quiet life. They succeed in refusing the hero’s journey, but still become famous because of something rather trivial.
Mages, Witches, Sorcerers
Also pretty common, but beloved! Continue with the tropes or find a way to subvert them to write to market effectively.
11. Runescarred Mage – Must carve spells into their own skin to activate magic, each one a painful sacrifice. But they don’t actually need to do this to perform magic. They just have to or they’ll be discovered for being something different.
12. Time-Lost Sorcerer – Trapped in a time loop, desperately trying to break free while others see them as a raving lunatic. Thing is…they created it in the first place.
13. Wild Magic Outcast – Their unpredictable powers cause random effects, making them a walking disaster, and no school will dare let them enter to learn to control it. An evil sorcerer on the other hand? Picks them as their apprentice.
14. Cynical Necromancer – Sees the dead as more trustworthy than the living, but secretly fears dying alone.
15. Living Spellbook – Their mind is an archive of forgotten magic, but accessing knowledge erases personal memories.
16. Arcane Addict – Gains power through consuming raw magic but risks losing their identity with each use.
17. Haunted Alchemist – Once sought immortality but accidentally resurrected something sinister.
18. Whispering Warlock – Constantly hears their patron’s voice in their head, sometimes helpful, sometimes deceptive.
19. Elemental Host – Can control an element, but it has a mind of its own and often resists their will.
20. Celestial Touched – Their magic is tied to the stars, losing power during eclipses or cloudy nights.
Rogues & Tricksters
We love a character who doesn’t follow the rules. These are some fantasy character ideas that fit this mold.
21. Shadow Twin – Can separate their shadow to act independently but never knows if it will obey.
22. Cursed Gambler – Can never lose a bet, but fate ensures they always regret winning.
23. Silver-Tongued Spy – Can talk their way out of anything—except their own guilt for past betrayals.
24. Laughing Assassin – Kills with theatrical flair, seeing murder as performance art, yet secretly longs for a simple life.
25. Gentleman Thief – Steals only from the wicked, but their own noble past is a carefully guarded secret.
26. Forgotten Name – No one can remember their true identity, even themselves.
27. Reluctant Heir – Fled their royal lineage to live as a street rogue, but destiny refuses to let them go.
28. Shapeshifting Trickster – Can change forms at will, but every transformation takes a piece of their soul.
29. Eyes of Truth – Can see people’s true intentions but is paralyzed by indecision from knowing too much.
30. Lone Survivor – The last of their crew, haunted by how they lived when everyone else perished.
Creatures & Hybrids
Shapeshifters, anyone? As always, find a way to subvert these tropes.
31. Wingless Dragonborn – Born of dragons but denied their wings, striving to prove their worth.
32. Half-Undead Wanderer – Retains their mind but is slowly decaying, unsure how much humanity they have left.
33. Elf Raised by Dwarves – Values craftsmanship over magic, always feeling out of place.
35. Fallen Celestial – Once an angel, now bound to mortality for an unknown sin.
36. Forest Guardian Spirit – Bound to protect the woods but tempted by the world beyond them.
37. Fae-Blooded Trickster – Has an otherworldly charm but must obey bizarre rules of fae magic.
38. Golem with a Heart – Created for destruction but longs for a purpose beyond war.
39. Cursed Werewolf Noble – Hides their affliction behind a mask of civility, fearing the full moon.
40. Sentient Living Armor – A suit of armor that moves on its own, missing the warrior that once wore it.
Royalty, Nobles, Rich-Folk
I can’t say I’ve read many fantasy stories without at least one rich, noble, or royal person or setting. Give these guys an interesting plot!
41. Banished Prince – Framed for treason, seeking to clear their name and reclaim their throne.
42. Masked Empress – Hides a disfigured face behind an ornate mask, ruling through mystery.
43. Reluctant Queen – Was never meant to rule, but fate had other plans.
44. Exiled Heir – Cast out of their kingdom, now living among commoners who have no idea who they are.
45. Rebel Princess – Prefers swords over gowns, but her duty to her kingdom cannot be ignored.
46. Cursed King – Every decision they make twists fate in unexpected and often tragic ways.
47. Phantom Ruler – Supposedly dead, secretly controlling their kingdom from the shadows.
48. Golden Child – Blessed with divine favor, but their destiny is an unbearable burden.
49. Warrior Duchess – Commands an army while navigating court intrigue, always one step away from betrayal.
50. Sorcerer King – Rules with magic but slowly losing touch with their own humanity.
As with all fantasy character ideas you get online, make sure to create enough uniqueness that you’re not just one of many using the same idea. Subvert tropes. Create unexpected circumstances! Then finish your novel :)
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