How To: Create Your Fantasy Hero/Heroine

7. Hero or Superhero?

First off, I'm going to mention something I didn't really want to make a separate chapter for - it's just a small detail to think about; how does your character know they are a hero?

Or, are they completely clueless as to the fact they are a hero? Perhaps they aren't a hero yet, but will soon become one.

So, when will your character realise that they are the hero? Whether you want this to happen right at the beginning of your book, in the middle of the book, at the end, or not until the sequel, it is important to make it clear that your hero is aware of their duty. That they are aware of what they could be facing (plot twists not included just yet), how they are going to fight it and most importantly; why?

Why did the world choose them? What is so specific about this character that they are the hero of your book?

Just remember that, if your hero doesn't know that they are/will be a hero yet - then neither should your readers!

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Hero:

a person who is admired for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.

Superhero:

a benevolent fictional character with superhuman and/or supernatural powers.

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Are you writing a book with a hero, or with a superhero? There is a pretty simple yet significant difference between the two; one has superhuman/supernatural abilities and one does not. Considering we've done a substantial amount of work on your average hero, let's discuss some topics for those of you who have superheroes in your fantasy book.

So, your character has superpowers, huh? Pretty fucking cool, dude.

What are they? First, let's establish the difference between superhuman and supernatural.

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Superhuman:

having or showing exceptional ability or powers

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To have superhuman powers is to be 'above human'. To exceed normal human power. Something like Spiderman or Catwoman with their heightened senses, reflexes and overall agility. It could also include superhuman strength - the ability to lift something beyond the normal weight capacity. Psychic abilities could also be included; such as basic telepathy, psychokinesis and precognition. Superhuman powers are anything that can be scientifically possible. Supernatural, on the other hand,

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Supernatural:

attributed to some force beyond scientific understanding, or the laws of nature

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This is where more kinds of psychic abilities can come to play. Such as mind control, memory manipulation, thought manipulation etc. They could also be personal powers; such as regenerative healing, invisibility, immortality etc. Of course, there are magical abilities as well, which would fit into supernatural powers. As well as anything such as element bending, shapeshifting, literally anything. Supernatural powers have no limits; hence why they are supernatural. They are anything that is 'beyond natural'

So, is your hero superhuman, or supernatural? Because now, we need to think about their weaknesses. Yes, again. Weaknesses - something every character needs.

If your hero is superhuman, the physical weaknesses will probably be all of those that a normal human has; mortality, vulnerability, all the rest is dependent on your hero's physical traits and superhuman abilities. However, this doesn't mean that their ability can't have a limit. If your hero has superhuman strength, there should be some kind of counter-weakness. Such as slow movement. This could be switched the over way around for someone with superhuman speed, perhaps they aren't very physically strong.

If your superhuman hero has telepathic abilities - how do they 'activate' this ability? Is it obvious to others when they are using it, or can they hide it well? Does it drain any of their physical and/or mental energy while they're using it?

If your superhuman hero possesses precognition - are their visions always accurate, or do they show what could happen? Think about making them subject to change - not only is this adding a limitation to the ability but it could make for an interesting plot twist if your hero believes their vision to be completely true, but it turns out completely wrong.

If your superhuman hero can use psychokinesis - is there a limit to what they can move? Can they only move certain objects? Perhaps they can only move objects of a certain weight easily; anything heavier causes more of a physical strain.

Whatever superhuman abilities your hero has, remember the difference between what makes them superhuman and supernatural. Scientific explanation. Psychic/mental abilities have been very badly experimented with, but somewhat scientifically proved. Any kind of mental superhuman ability is bound to put a psychological and/or physical strain on your hero every time they use them. Depending on how new these abilities are to your hero, the easier they will find them to use. We'll talk about that a bit more in the next chapter Let's talk about the supernatural ability weaknesses for a moment.

If your character is supernatural, they may not have the same weaknesses as a normal human. Especially if they are immortal or have regenerative healing. However, even if your hero is immortal, there must be something that can injure them or kill them. Take vampires for example (real vampires. i.e. not Twilight vampires). In some mythology, they have a weakness to garlic, this is not true for most modern portrayals of vampires but we will still use it as an example. Their main weakness is sunlight, which when exposed to they will burn to death (real vampire don't sparkle). Otherwise, they can be killed by a wooden stake to the heart. If they have regenerative health, what is the limit? How much health would they have to lose in order for them to stop regenerating it back?

If you're considering mind control, think about the role of free will. For example, your hero can't just make someone fall in love with them by controlling their mind or manipulating them to do so. Not only is that wrongggggggg because your hero is supposed to be the good guy/gal anyway, but you actually find it in pretty much every book/tv series that has some form of mind manipulation in it - love is the one thing you can't control. Also, the likelihood is that the person who's mind you are attempting to control has to be in front of you, perhaps you may even have to touch them. You shouldn't be able to do something like control your sister to bring you the remote control from downstairs.

Determining how familiar your hero is with their abilities will help you understand their development. Perhaps part of their journey of becoming a hero comes with mastering their new abilities.

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A/N: at the end of all the chapters, I am going to put a little exercise/question for you guys to do in the comments as a way for you to interact and really take something away from reading this guide. I will leave an answer regarding one of my own fantasy books for you to use as an example. Don't forget to vote and share this guide with whoever may need it!

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Exercise 7:

What is your superhero's power?

My answer:

They either have summer-related abilities (i.e. fire) or winter-related abilities (i.e. ice) (from my book Child of Summer: Ice)