Classic Fantasy Tropes LISTS
Ollie Ander
Is probably just a couple cats in a trench-coat—the hair shedding and sunlight napping are highly suspect.
The best Fantasy stories have a special feel about them—they tickle a sense of nostalgia along with the excitement of new adventure… But how do they do that? The answer is tropes! We love experiencing fresh versions of familiar things.
This article will cover the most common, beloved tropes of the Fantasy genre for you to incorporate into your story. With a light explanation of each trope, rather than a list, I’ve highlighted their appeal (with some prompt questions for using them), and show how some tropes beget others by clumping them up into what area of a story they appear (ie. characters, plot, setting).
Main Character Tropes
A protagonist can have one or several of these classic Fantasy tropes. They could have all of them, though that’d end up being a bit much to digest! Each of these tropes is compelling in its own right, but seeing as they are so well-worn, adding a couple layers of complexity and disconnect from stating them outright can prevent readers from dissociating the second they find out your character is X, Y and Z.
The Chosen One is a trope that’s genuinely hard to avoid. Your protagonist can’t just be anyone—they’re THE only one who can pull things together and save the day. However, it’s entirely up to you whether this role is inherent or accumulative. Were they destined to be the Chosen One? Or did circumstances lead them into the position?
The easy route to writing a Chosen One is to have them named by a prophecy, making their involvement unavoidable. Whether people agree with the accuracy of the prophecy or not, its existence will taint your protagonist’s perception of inevitability. In many cases, parents may try to shield or hide the Chosen One from fulfilling the prophecy—the protagonist may only find out later in life, even in hindsight.
If your Chosen One protagonist finds themselves estranged from their family (or whoever set and knows about the prophecy) that can lead to the trope of an Orphan Hero, or one with Hidden Inheritance.
Prophecy may be inflexible as a trope (in and of itself), but it can be an excellent tool for character development and discussion on free will. Does destiny exist? Will your character try and fight it? This thoughtline naturally leads into The Reluctant Hero trope, where the protagonist is initially inclined to deny the call of fate… but has to pursue it anyway, for some other reason.
Supporting Character Tropes
Fantasy has the most diverse options when it comes to building a supporting cast of characters, because there’s just literally more options in Fantasy races, histories, backstories, but that doesn’t mean fans don’t like to see older tropes performed with fresh new faces.
The Damsel in Distress trope is as old as The Quest itself—knights didn’t have much reason to leave home than to go save someone. Despite its roots in misogynistic tales, the Damsel in Distress has reinvented herself. It doesn’t need to be a woman at all, and they certainly don’t need to be helpless—some people find themselves in sticky situations through no fault of their own. There are few characters more endearing than a "Damsel" taking matters into their own hands.
The runner-up staple character trope is The Mentor, a figure for your protagonist to aspire to and teach them "the ways," whatever that happens to be: mastery of a skill, knowledge, personal outlook. The Mentor doesn’t usually hang around, they’re either busy with their own stuff or end up suffering a tragic accident, but regardless, if you write them to be likeable enough, their absence will serve as great motivation for the protagonist to improve themselves. If your protagonist has a Faithful Sidekick or Merry Band of Misfits, they hopefully won’t get too lonely when their Mentor leaves the scene.
On the opposite end of potential character castes is the Antagonist to Ally trope, which is pretty self-explanatory: someone who started out as your protagonist’s enemy ends up joining their side. There’s many ways for this to come about, either through the rectification of an initial miscommunication, a shift in perspectives, or even that the union is reluctant, conditional; a matter of opportunity against a mutual, bigger threat. And, who knows? Maybe along the way they become true allies, best friends, something more?
Plot Tropes
The Quest can be found in all genres, but its most recognizable in Fantasy due to the nature of said quests: that the Hero must Accept the Call, travel far from home/comfort, and face foes in ways that constantly re-adjust the original plan. Quests are always fun to read because they can include just about any obstacle, and overcoming adversity, in any sense, is endearing.
Getting a relatable protagonist ON a quest can be a little difficult though—no reasonable person wants to put their life on the line without a good reason—so pitting them against the forces of Pure Evil is a surefire way to get them out of bed. Invoking Pure Evil in your story can force your character’s hand (because to do nothing would make them a bad person, and inaction will usually get them killed in the end too) but it makes them empathetic for doing something life-threatening for the sake of others (even if they don’t want to).
What influences the start of your character’s quest doesn’t have to be a Dark Lord threatening the world (external), it could be a personal pursuit (internal). Wanting things to stay the same is a righteous cause, whether its effects are macro or micro.
Their Quest can also be a sudden thing, rather than the slow build up of the forces of Good vs Evil. What happens when your character unknowingly stumbles into Forbidden Magic that changes their life circumstances? The spontaneous pursuit to fix what’s been done is as compelling as trying to stop what’s at threat of changing. There’s certainly some elusive, foretold Magical Artifact which can put everything back to normal again that isn’t nearly so dangerous or difficult to attain as everyone makes it out to be…? ;)
Fantasy Setting Tropes
The Fantasy genre thrives in low-tech settings because it has magic to compensate for how much more difficult that lifestyle is for characters. High Fantasy commonly takes place in Medieval times, far far removed from any industrial revolution, but that doesn’t mean societies are any less developed (thanks to magic). Unlike our current digital identities, Fantasy naturally creates gathering spots like Guild Halls or Taverns for forcing in-character interaction.
When it comes to locales, the Magical School trope is so popular in Fantasy because it’s the perfect way to isolate characters and control their ability to act with the imposition of rules/regulation/schedule. The Magical School setting works for all age demographics of Fantasy: Kids’ Lit, Young Adult (high school), and Adult (college).
The effect of control you have over characters can be implemented in many other environments—sending your questing party into a Deep Mine is as isolating as it gets. If the concept behind your world is too expansive to deal with at every step, side quests into new fantastical settings are always an exciting, welcome reprieve.
These familiar setting tropes are not inapplicable to Urban Fantasy, though they seem that way on first glance. There’s no reason the modern world can’t Portal into another environment, or for the Fantasy world to seep into ours. Getting lost in a Fantastical Forest is one thing, but there’s no rule saying it can’t burst forth into the protagonist’s bedroom!
Although these can all be implemented to great effect in a Fantasy story, tropes are a double-edged sword. Some have been used so often and poorly that readers will steer clear of them outright. Read up on $ Fantasy Tropes to Avoid$ to make sure your use of any of the ones on this list don’t end up crossing that line from loved to loathed.
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