50 minor characters for creating immersive fiction worlds
DESCRIPTION
Creating an immersive fiction world means more than rich settings and compelling main characters. The minor characters that your hero and villain interact with can make or break your story. Here are 50 minor characters to get you thinking.TRANSCRIPT
1351Presentation to Joe Smith June 24, 2014
50 TYPES OF MINOR CHARACTERS
Written by J.S. Morin
1352Presentation to Joe Smith June 24, 2014
You’ve got your heroes and your villains. You’ve even got a sidekick. But who inhabits the rest of the world?
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World-building is as much about people and cultures as it is about geography and magic.
Minor characters are like mannequins that you can dress up in your world’s minutiae.
Their attire, their mannerisms, their occupation: all can attest to elements unique to your world.
1354Presentation to Joe Smith June 24, 2014
Outside the Law
THE BULLYThe bully will inflict any pain they can
manage on your protagonist. Weave in
subtle bits of back story through the
bully’s taunts.
THE SMUGGLERA criminal by definition. His motive is
always money. They can either be a great
source of information or goods for the
protagonist.
THE CON ARTISTThe con artist is a painter with words. You
have an opportunity to develop some
great, witty dialogue with this character.
THE MERCENARYThe mercenary is usually military might for
hire, but can also be expanded to include
assassins, thieves, and spies.
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Tough Guys
Huntsman/RangerA ranger knows what to eat, where to find
water, and how to track man or beast. He
makes a good sidekick for adventures that
drag city-folk out into the wilderness.
BodyguardBodyguards are a mark of importance.
Before dealing with an obviously
important personage, your characters
may find themselves dealing with him
first.
Grizzled SoldierYou can get the unvarnished truth
from him whether it’s about
military matters or just life in
general.
Retired HeroThe retired hero makes for a
great mentor for the protagonist. He
probably has a lot more practical advice,
though it can be fun for the protagonist not
to follow it.
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Family
THE PROTAGONIST’S
PARENTSThis is great for introducing a bit of
background for the protagonist, as Ma and
Pa embarrass them with reminders of an
inglorious youth.
NOBLE OFFSPRINGNobles hold a great deal of power and
their children bask in that reflected
power. You can learn a lot about nobles
by watching how their children behave.
SIBLINGGrowing up, they vie for the affections and
attention of their parents, creating a natural
rivalry. It can also be one of the most
steadfast of relationships – an ally that
cannot be corrupted or supplanted.
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AcademicsLIBRARIANThe existence of a librarian says
something about the world. A librarian
can also be a useful means to pass
knowledge to both the protagonist and
the reader.
PROPHET/SEERA good story can keep a prophetic
plot going while juggling these
questions along. It’s generally best
to keep the prophet’s appearance
in the narrative brief. Their words
can live on in the story.
HOBBYISTTread lightly with how you treat
their obsession, because you may
offend readers if you portray them
as fools for loving something
strange too fiercely.
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TUTORTutors in your world can tell a reader things
about it. A language tutor can give ideas
about foreign lands. A fencing tutor can
give insights into noble culture. A history
tutor can be a nice method to instill that
same sense of history in the reader.
GUIDEA guide can be a helpful local, a
hired employee, or a devious traitor.
If they play a large role in the plot,
they can also double as a sidekick.
HERBALIST/APOTHECARYThey aren’t necessarily physicians, but often fill
the role when treating sickness rather than
injury is the focus.
Academics
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Student
APPRENTICELike the initiate, the apprentice is new
to their occupation. You can use an
apprentice to cause trouble, or to
provide aid and information against
their employers, depending on the
relationship.
INITIATEThe initiate is a wonderful
character for introducing the
tenets of a religion to your story.
Everything they’re learning is
shiny and new to them, and
you’d be hard pressed to get
them to shut up about it.
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AuthoritySENESCHALHe is more than a butler, less
than a lord who keeps a castle
running. He isn’t opposed to the
protagonist’s aims, but just wants
to be free of the minor
cataclysms that follows him or
her.
INVESTIGATORYou can make this character
work as an ally, but they’re
better suited to an adversarial
role. They are going to piece
together the protagonist’s
misdeeds and put an end to
them.
BUREAUCRATYour protagonist will have to
navigate the byzantine
pathways plotted out by the
bureaucrat’s superiors.
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AuthorityCUSTODIAN OF AN
HEIRLOOMThere are three ways to use this character:
At the beginning of a story, to give your
protagonist the hook that sets off the
adventure.
In the middle of a story, to give something
that your protagonist needs.
At the end of a story, to bestow a reward.
CONSTABLEThey are generally law-and-order at
the club-and-shackles level. They
break up tavern brawls, round up
drunken louts, and chase down
market thieves.
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WorkersSTABLE BOYThis is about the lowest that someone of
the upper class is likely to interact with.
How a protagonist treats one can say a
lot about their thoughts on equality,
courtesy, and plain old humanity.
SHIP CAPTAINIf a story spans vast distances, the
protagonist is going to travel. A ship’s
captain can be a source of minor
conflicts, since the captain’s goal may
diverge from the protagonist’s once
things get dangerous.
FARMERThe farmer is the stand-in for all the
common, easily oppressed people in
a feudal society. Any widespread
suffering in your world will be felt
most keenly by the farmers.
COOKWhat the people of your world eat can
say a lot about them. A cook might also
know details of a household that might
be otherwise closed to outsiders.
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GATE GUARDThey’re not the ideal vehicles for
conveying concepts of the world at
large, but they are good tone-setters
for the local scene.
DOCKWORKERLike castle servants, they form the
background noise of a busy workplace.
The goods from secret business deals,
the passengers coming and going, the
names of every ship and crew member.
Workers
TRAVELING MERCHANTTheir presence in a story gives an
indication of the state of geopolitical
relations in the world. They can be
excused for having almost anything, from
illicit trade goods, to weapons, to slaves,
depending on the world.
JAILORThe jailor knows who is behind bars,
but not always why. Most of the time,
the jailor has a job to do and would
rather not get involved in the “why” of
matters.
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WorkersMESSENGERMessengers are most often a
passing breeze through the
narrative. You can have the
messenger add an opinion, mention
wider news, or give a warning of
things that might be coming the
protagonist’s way.
HARBORMASTERA harbormaster keeps track of ships and
cargo. If your protagonist needs
information on ships’ arrivals and
departures, who captains them, or when
someone may have arrived in town, the
harbormaster may have that
information.
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Contacts
SNITCHA snitch can be a great plot
instigator, either acting on
information provided by one, or
chasing one down in retribution.
REPORTERBetter in a more modern setting, a
reporter can be a protagonist, but
you can also put them into a minor
role. They are great at digging
up.facts that would bog down a
major character.
SCRIBENormally a scribe is a background
character. They take notes, pen
missives, and generally take on a
set of tasks somewhere between a
secretary and a court reporter.
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ContactsBARFLYThe barfly spends all day drinking but
they hear a lot more about what’s
going on that anyone assumes. They
may take payment for that
information, often at the low cost of
another round of drinks.
TAVERNKEEPERThey are marginally
respectable as a cornerstone of
a local business, but
thoroughly disreputable by
demeanor. They can be
excused for knowing nearly
anything.
13517Presentation to Joe Smith June 24, 2014
EntertainersJESTERThe king will have a man’s
head cut off for second-
guessing him, but a jester can
insult him to his face. He can
give candid opinions through a
rhyme, song, or joke.
BARD/SINGERThis is a one-singer toolbox filled
with world-building potential. Not
only are they willing to tell those
tales, but it might be a challenge
to stop them telling you all about
their travels and adventures.
POETHe can convey philosophy without
it sounding wrong coming out of
his mouth. You can have the poet
recite actual poetry as well, but
bear in mind that the poetry will
be yours.
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ReligiousZEALOTA zealot is the epitome of
everything that can go wrong
with a religion. They can provide
opposition to the protagonist,
exposing the underbelly of the
local church, or even as a
renegade from his or her order.
MISSIONARYThey want to spread the word
of their god or church, but are
generally harmless about it.
They can be quite valuable plot-
wise if you want to redeem a
religion in the eyes of your
reader, especially if you have
given a negative portrayal
previously.
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WildcardsTREASURE HUNTERTreasure hunters tend to be
larger than life figures who live
on the outskirts of polite society.
They make a great companion or
a wonderful competitor.
DREAMERThe dreamer doesn’t have a
profession. He can be a means to
inject a bit of idealism into a tale
that could well use a bit of cheer. It
works well in darker settings or in
extremely light ones.
FENCEThe fence is a go-between for
thieves and the people who
ultimately want the stolen
merchandise. As such, a fence
accumulates a wide network of
shady affiliates.
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WildcardsDESERTERYou can deliver a great perspective
with a lot of credibility. This is a
soldier who has either a strong
hatred of his own people or an
abiding cowardice that makes
deserting seem the safer option.
STREET URCHINThe urchin can be a source of pity, of
“pet the dog” moment for rotten
character, or of information. Urchins
learn a lot by being around a wide
variety of people, often while being
totally ignored.
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Hope this gets your world building started!
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Read the “50 Types of Minor Characters” blog series at: http://www.jsmorin.com/minorcharacters-ss