50 minor characters for creating immersive fiction worlds

1351Presentation to Joe Smith June 24, 2014

50 TYPES OF MINOR CHARACTERS

Written by J.S. Morin


You’ve got your heroes and your villains. You’ve even got a sidekick. But who inhabits the rest of the world?


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


Hope this gets your world building started!


Read the “50 Types of Minor Characters” blog series at: http://www.jsmorin.com/minorcharacters-ss

50 minor characters for creating immersive fiction worlds

Education

joe smith

protagonist needs

good story

great mentor

history tutor

great deal of power

great source of information

tutor tutors