Pieces of an Adventuring Party

Legends of Windemere

D&D Party

Fantasy adventures commonly have groups of heroes even if only one of them is the primary antagonist.  A challenge for any author is to piece one together that is effective and interesting.  You can go with all warriors or all casters, but most times you’ll find a variety of abilities.  That’s because the more skills and abilities you have, the more challenges you can throw at them.  So, it pays to know the roles that can be held in an adventuring party:

• Warrior–  I have weapon and I kill things.
• Barbarian/Brute Warrior–  I have weapon and I kill things better . . . I no think good.
• Trained Caster–  I’ve studied to hurl fireballs at things.
• Untrained Caster–  I can just hurl fireballs without trying.
• The Archer–  Betting I’m either an elf, half-elf, or a woman.
• Friendly Priest–  Healing and destroying undead.

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How to Write a Sidekick

Story Empire

Ciao, SEers! Today I thought we’d talk about a character who isn’t used often enough and is discussed even less.

I’m referring to the sidekick.

Sure, we all write in friends and family. No one writes a single-character story. But I mean a true sidekick. Not a buddy, like in Lethal Weapon or Tango and Cash. Not a romantic partner like in When Harry Met Sally or The Proposal. I mean a sidekick. Like Watson to Holmes or Robin to Batman or Sam to Frodo.

Not sure of the difference? Let me explain.

First, let’s get a proper definition. A sidekick is an ally of the hero who has a beta role in the story.

That’s it. It’s that simple. He can’t outshine the hero, though he might be smart or funny in his own right. Look at Watson. He occasionally gets a brilliant observation…

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