Creating fantasy characters who leap off the page is one of the most rewarding (and challenging) parts of writing a fantasy novel.
Whether you're crafting a reluctant hero, a cunning villain, or a mysterious sidekick, your readers crave complexity, depth, and relatability in your characters.
After all, flat characters lead to flat stories.
This guide walks you through creating a fantasy character step by step from idea to arc, and includes a free character profile template you can start using right away (below).
Free fantasy character template
When you’re creating a fantasy character, having a clear foundation prevents inconsistencies later in the draft.
A fantasy character template is a handy tool to gather the essential details about your character’s past, personality, and motivations.
Here’s a quick example of what you might include:
- Name and title: Include nicknames, titles, or aliases (e.g., Eryn “The Thorn” of Velrath).
- Birthplace and upbringing: Was your character born in a noble family or raised in a thieves’ guild?
- Key life events: Did they lose a loved one? Survive a dragon attack? Learn forbidden magic?
- Personality traits: Are they impulsive? Cunning? Anxious?
- Physical description: Don’t stop at “tall and dark-haired.” What about scars, posture, or their favorite cloak?
👉 Pro tip: Use this Free Notion Fantasy Character Profile Template to streamline this process and keep all your character details in one place.
Creating a fantasy character (7 steps)
Step 1: Pick their role in the story
Before you build personality, backstory, or dialogue quirks, decide what role this character plays in the narrative. This determines how much development they need and where to spend your energy.
Protagonist (main character)
The story revolves around this character’s internal and external journey. They make the most consequential choices and undergo the clearest internal change.
When writing a protagonist, focus on:
- A belief that will be challenged
- A flaw that creates repeated problems
- An internal arc that mirrors the plot (more on this later)
Villain (antagonist)
A villain isn’t just an obstacle. They’re a character whose goal directly opposes the protagonist’s and makes emotional sense to them.
Strong fantasy villains:
- Believe they’re justified
- Have a clear internal logic
- Escalate when challenged instead of backing down
A villain who thinks they’re right will always feel more dangerous than one who’s evil for the sake of being evil.
Supporting characters
Supporting characters exist to pressure the protagonist. They help, hinder, or complicate decisions—but shouldn’t exist just to agree.
Give them:
- Their own want (even a small one)
- A value that conflicts with the protagonist’s
- A moment where they force a hard choice
Minor characters
Minor characters add texture and realism. They don’t need full arcs, but let them have one or two intentional details that make them feel real.
Foil characters
Foils highlight the protagonist’s values or flaws by contrast. They usually share similar circumstances but make different choices.
Foils are one of the fastest ways to add depth without adding pages.
Step 2: Build the core with want, fear, and flaw
This is the backbone of creating a fantasy character that feels consistent and believable.
Ask:
Want: What does this character want right now?
Fear: What are they afraid will happen if they fail?
Flaw: What internal weakness keeps sabotaging them?
These three elements explain why a character makes the choices they do.
Example:
Want: Protect their younger sibling
Fear: Being powerless again
Flaw: Control disguised as responsibility
Once you know this core, character decisions become much easier to write.
Step 3: Add contradictions
Depth comes from internal tension, not perfection.
Give your characters traits that clash:
- Compassionate but vindictive
- Loyal but emotionally avoidant
- Idealistic but easily tempted by power
Contradictions create internal conflict, which naturally drives plot conflict. If a character always reacts the “right” way, they’re probably underwritten.
Step 4: Write backstory that fuels motivation
When you’re creating a fantasy character, backstory matters because it explains why they believe what they believe.
But instead of front-loading history, reveal character backstory through:
Behavior: What they refuse to do
Dialogue: What they deflect or overreact to
Choices: Decisions that seem wrong until the past is revealed
Backstory should quietly shape every major choice, even when it’s never stated outright.
Step 5. Tie your characters to your magic system
Fantasy characters don’t exist in a vacuum. They’re shaped by the world around them, including its rules and magic.
A well-thought-out magic system can add depth to your characters by influencing their strengths, weaknesses, and motivations.
For example:
- A mage might grapple with the ethical implications of using forbidden magic.
- A warrior might be haunted by the curse of a magical weapon they can’t abandon.
- A healer might face resentment from a society that mistrusts their abilities.
Step 6. Give them unique voices for dialogue
The way your characters speak is just as important as what they say. Give them distinct voices that reflect their background, personality, and mood.
Tips for unique dialogue:
- Use slang or idioms based on their culture or upbringing.
- Adjust tone and formality based on their personality.
- Add quirks, like a favorite phrase or an unusual cadence.
For example, a grizzled mercenary might say, “Gold first, questions later,” while a scholar might use flowery, long-winded sentences.
Step 7: Plan the internal character arc
Instead of thinking only in terms of “positive” or “negative” arcs, focus on internal movement.
(This is something I learned from N.K. Jemisin's fantasy writing masterclass).
A simple internally driven arc looks like this:
Complacency: The character is stable in a belief or coping mechanism
Encounter: An event challenges that belief
Disintegration: Old strategies stop working; the flaw causes damage
Reintegration: The character adapts or chooses a new belief
Resolution: They act from this new internal truth
This model works for both heroes and villains. The key is that the change is earned through pressure and failure.
Popular character archetypes (and how to twist them)
Character archetypes aren’t your enemy. Yes, they can be overused and outdated, but that's why you need to give them your own twist.
The Hero(ine)
Driven to act when others won’t.
To deepen them:
- Give them a belief that once protected them but now causes harm
- Force them to choose between safety and integrity
- Let bravery come after fear, not instead of it
The Villain
Wants something that directly conflicts with the protagonist—and believes they’re justified.
Strong villains:
- See themselves as necessary
- Escalate when challenged
- Have a fear they refuse to face
If you want a structured way to build this, my Complete Villain Workbook breaks down fear, justification, escalation, and downfall step by step.
The Mentor
Provides knowledge or guidance, but should never be flawless.
Depth comes from:
- Regret over a past failure
- Biased or incomplete advice
- Fear of repeating old mistakes
The Ruler
Represents order, control, and responsibility.
Interesting rulers:
- Are constrained by power, not freed by it
- Fear being remembered for the wrong reason
- Struggle between duty and desire
The Outlaw
Resists authority or systems (often for good reason).
To deepen them:
- Tie rebellion to a personal wound
- Give them something they secretly want to protect
- Force a choice between freedom and responsibility
The Caregiver
Defined by protection and self-sacrifice.
Avoid flatness by:
- Giving them control issues disguised as care
- Letting their help cause harm
- Challenging the belief that love equals responsibility
The Trickster
Disrupts systems through humor or chaos.
Depth comes from:
- Humor as deflection or survival
- Avoidance of vulnerability
- What happens when jokes stop working
Fantasy character example breakdown: Katniss Everdeen
Let’s look at how this framework works in practice using Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games.
Role: Protagonist
Archetype: Reluctant hero / Caregiver
Want: Keep her family safe
Fear: Being powerless to protect the people she loves
Flaw: Emotional withdrawal and mistrust disguised as self-reliance
Contradiction: Fiercely protective yet resistant to emotional intimacy
World pressure: An authoritarian system that weaponizes survival and spectacle
Cost of survival: Trauma, public manipulation, loss of agency
Internal arc breakdown
Complacency: Katniss believes survival depends on emotional detachment and self-sacrifice. Trust is a liability.
Encounter: The Games force her into alliances, performance, and public vulnerability she never wanted.
Disintegration: Her coping strategy breaks down as protecting others requires connection, not isolation.
Reintegration: She begins to act not just out of survival, but out of defiance and care, even when it endangers her.
Resolution: Katniss accepts that protecting people sometimes means standing visibly, emotionally, and politically against power.
What makes Katniss compelling isn’t her skill with a bow (I mean, that too). It’s the way her flaw is constantly at odds with what the story demands of her, forcing real internal change.
That’s the kind of pressure that creates a character readers don’t forget.
Tools for creating a fantasy character
These tools are designed to support you while creating a fantasy character, not overwhelm you with unnecessary detail.
Free fantasy character template (Notion)
My Free Fantasy Character Profile Template helps you capture wants, fears, flaws, backstory, voice, archetypes, and arcs in one place..
Download the free Notion fantasy character template
Complete fantasy villain workbook
If your antagonist feels flat or underpowered, my Villain Arc & Motivation Template helps you design villains with clear justification, escalation, and consequences.
Explore the villain character template
Frequently asked questions about fantasy characters
How do I make my fantasy characters relatable to readers in a fantasy setting?
Focus on universal emotions and struggles, like love, fear, ambition, or loss. Even if your characters live in a magical world, readers will connect with their humanity through these shared experiences.
Should every fantasy character in my story have a detailed backstory?
Not necessarily. Main characters and significant side characters benefit from detailed backstories, but minor characters only need enough detail to serve their role in the story without feeling flat.
How can I make my fantasy characters’ decisions feel authentic?
Ensure their choices align with their established motivations, flaws, and past experiences. A well-developed character will make decisions that feel natural based on who they are, even if those choices surprise the reader.
