Character Archetypes List

Nobody wants to write predictable, stereotypical characters.  But there's a difference between a stereotype and an archetype.  Stereotypes are all about surface details; things that don't really affect the content of a person's character.  Archetypes, on the other hand, are built around the deep qualities that affect what a person does and how they relate to others.

More importantly, an archetype is just a seed, from which you grow a more rich and unique character.  Using an archetype doesn't mean you're boxed in, it just means you know where to start.

This is a list of the forty-five major character archetypes discussed in Victoria Schmidt's 45 Master Characters.  Check out the book for an in-depth examination of all of them.

I adapted this list from a post on TVTropes.com, which can be found here.  This list is designed to serve as a quick reference during plotting.

Heroes

• Apollo, The Businessman: A logical, focused team player who is good at planning and enjoys performing his duties (unemployment is death to him) but poor at dealing with chaotic forces (including emotions and relationships).
• Ares, The Protector: A physically-oriented warrior who revels in competition and risk, defends his kin, and fears nothing anyone can do to him—except losing the ability to fully use his body (paralysis would be death to him).
• Hades, The Recluse: A sensitive introvert with a rich inner life, a dreamer and philosopher who shies from people (conformity is death to him); he might yearn for love or companionship but is at a loss as to how to get it.
• Hermes, The Fool: A playful, carefree soul who enjoys his freedom and doesn't worry about consequences. He won't deliberately hurt others, but neither will he let himself be tied down to a relationship (and prison would be death to him).
• Dionysus, The Woman's Man: A fun-loving, sensual man who can't relate to masculine pastimes but revels in the company of women, who helps the women around him to find courage and realize their own worth - although the Dionysus himself often feels flawed and may never find the perfect woman he seeks.
• Osiris, The Male Messiah: A spiritual leader focused on his mission, willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good, bringing wisdom and transformation into the lives of those he passes.
• Poseidon, The Artist: A creative but emotionally volatile man who takes any criticism poorly (rejection is death to him); his behavior and reactions are not easily predicted, and even he may fear that he will harm those he loves.
• Zeus, The King: A powerful leader, even a bit of a control freak (loss of power is death to him), who demands obedience, provides for his family, and rises to any challenge, but sees emotions as weaknesses.

Villains

• Apollo, The Traitor: A disillusioned or cynical team player who feels he can do the work better than his boss and back-stabs him or, does evil in the name of his team, for the good of the team. The hero will either be the boss or a coworker that wasn't aware of his team's corruption and the Traitor's eager role in aiding it.
• Ares, The Gladiator: A warrior more concerned with battle and war than sportsmanship and protection. He fights for no one but himself, his pleasure in fighting, and will often pick war over peace with friends and family.
• Hades, The Warlock: A secluded introvert whose lousy people skills cause him to hurt others. Where the positive side of this archetype would try to learn from his faux pas, the Warlock blames others for not understanding him. Also, a character who resents the people around him because of a social/political difference; in fantasy, the non-human who resents humans.
• Hermes, The Derelict: A criminal who doesn't want to work within the parameters of law and decorum. He may think himself better than normal life, may have no problem with getting rich off of people's weaknesses, or be too lazy/dumb to work a 9-to-5 job, so he steals instead.
• Dionysus, The Seducer: He does not respect women or want to help them, only use them for sex. He sees every new conquest as a trophy for himself. He doesn't care about the consequences of his actions and often overindulges in other things.
• Osiris, The Punisher: A Messiah without patience and compassion is a visionary who quickly realizes most people aren't as far-sighted as himself. Instead of working to teach others his ways, he pushes people into "Sink or Swim Training from Hell" at best. At worst, he kills anyone who doesn't match his ideals. He sees it as weeding out the weak, the job of the grim reaper incarnate.
• Poseidon, The Abuser: A psychopathic and vengeful man who will not rest until he gets his revenge, no matter who gets hurt in the process. When he gets his mitts on those who have slighted him he likes to punish them in the worst possible way and thoroughly enjoys it. He's the kind of man who will beat his wife and then give her flowers and apologize and repeat the cycle. In his world, the only feelings that matter are his own.
• Zeus, The Dictator: Primary obsessed with control, The Dictator is prone to making up new rules whenever it suits him, purely to watch people struggle to abide by them and punish people for breaking them. He even takes it a step further, blaming the victim for breaking the rules, and even using their inability to follow said new rules to make more rules. And of course, anyone that dares betray him will suffer the consequences. As will anyone unfortunate enough to be around him when that happens.

Heroines

• Aphrodite, The Seductive Muse: An expressive woman, full of life, who sees the simple solutions other people don't, and is inventive and resourceful—but seeks intimacy and is strongly identified with sexuality, to the point where this archetype has a bad rap.
• Artemis, The Amazon: A powerful, independent woman who loves competition, but also identifies with nature and feminism.
• Athena, The Father's Daughter: A studious and intelligent woman who furthers her career by aligning herself with powerful men and trying to prove she's every bit as capable as the men around her; doesn't connect with other women, but loves to be in control.
• Demeter, The Nurturer: A kind and compassionate woman who sacrifices much in order to help others - particularly children or those she feels she is responsible for; her whole identity is tied up in caring for others.
• Hera, The Matriarch: A strong, supportive, committed woman who sticks by her family no matter what, yet won't let others wrong her even if they're family; she's the shoulder everyone can lean on yet she wants to keep tabs on everyone too.
• Hestia, The Mystic: A calm, gentle woman of simple tastes, who enjoys solitude and does not shy from basic household chores (a career doesn't much interest her); she needs to be creative and can be free-spirited, and she wants to do things for herself rather than be beholden to someone else.
• Isis, The Female Messiah: A selfless woman who never sways from her life's mission, she doesn't take sides but acts as a detached observer, although she stands up for her own beliefs.
• Persephone, The Maiden: A carefree, childlike woman who prefers to let others handle the details of life so she doesn't have to worry about it; she easily opens up and approaches people that others might shun, although sometimes this can harm her.

Villainesses

• Aphrodite, The Femme Fatale: A cold, apathetic woman who uses sex to get what she wants from men.
• Artemis, The Gorgon: A vengeful woman who can easily go into a rage when she feels threatened.
• Athena, The Backstabber: This woman would do anything to get to the top, even if it meant ruining the lives or careers of others.
• Demeter, The Overbearing Mother: A woman who butts into her children's lives. Her need to be needed is taken to extremes; she might even kidnap her children if they tried to leave her.
• Hera, The Scorned Woman: She doesn't take betrayal well and demands respect from all. If she finds her man has dumped her she will make life a nightmare for him and whoever he has dumped her for.
• Hestia, The Betrayer: The Betrayer hides under an innocent shy mask. In reality, she is manipulative and only out for herself.
• Isis, The Destroyer: A steadfast woman who never sways from her life's mission, but sees things in black and white; she is a firm believer in "the ends justify the means".
• Persephone, The Troubled Teen: A selfish girl who likes to indulge herself in parties, drugs, and/or sex; should she get in a pinch she expects her family or friends to bail her out and clean up the mess she leaves behind.

Friends [Support]

• The Magi: An adviser much wiser and more experienced than the Hero, but who may be hard to win over as a potential source of information or help. Also may mislead or manipulate the Hero as a form of "teaching."
• The Mentor: Closer in status to the Hero, and, when a positive character, far more likely to go all-out in helping him. When negative, may be competitive or controlling, and even jealous.
• The Best Friend: The Hero's confidant, always ready to lend a hand - but may hold the Hero back out of fear for his safety or fear for the loss of their close friendship.
• The Lover: A foundation and a shoulder to cry on, and the character the Hero should be closest to by the end of the story. Need not be a mate per se; may be a child or a pet.

Rivals

• The Joker: Uses verbal humor and practical jokes to keep everything on a comedic rather than dramatic level, which may prevent people from getting down to discussing important issues. Craves attention and may lie or mislead others for the fun of it.
• The Jester: Well-intentioned but clumsy, or otherwise capable of causing physical havoc without meaning to ("What does this button do?"). Most times the Hero can't even bring himself to scold the character.
• The Nemesis: Consciously tries to mess things up for the Hero - a true rivalry here - yet when things really get bad, might even lend a hand to get things back to normal. Would not enjoy life nearly as much if the Hero weren't around to spar with.
• The Investigator: Asks questions, demands details, and generally slows things down and saps the Hero's patience. Has little understanding of "acceptable risk" and doesn't want the Hero to make decisions based on limited data, even in a time crunch.
• The Pessimist: Points out everything wrong with the Hero's plan, and everything that could possibly go wrong, completely undermining the Hero's confidence. Doesn't believe anything will ever work, so never gives anything a try. Is a natural Devil's Advocate.
• The Psychic: At her best, uses predictions to guide the Hero (thus almost a type of Magi); usually, however, she withholds information and masks the truth, and may seek to be acknowledged for her unique powers. Needn't be a real psychic; can be, for example, a psychologist or behavioral analyst who can predict what people are going to do next.

Symbols

• The Shadow: Represents the character flaws that the Hero is trying to overcome. The Hero prefers to avoid this character—doesn't like being forced to think about his negative side.
• The Lost Soul: Represents what the Hero used to be, what he does not want to fall back to. May be a longtime friend who remains tied to old influences.
• The Double: Represents what the Hero wants to be, the person he is trying to become. A role model, but not the same function as the Magi or Mentor.