In Part 1 we discussed the physical aspects of creating races in fantasy books. Part 2 covers the mental. Now we’ll look at a downloadable template you can use as a starting point to aid your creative writing.
Download the PDF or Word template.
The Template
Fantasy Race/Species Name Here
Nicknames: “”
Famous For
General Description
Overall Appearance
Include voice, posture, impression, sleep and eating habits.
The Head
Eyes, brow, ears, chin, jaw, nose, lips, hair styles (and colors), tongue. Heart-shaped, round, square. Bearded?
The Body
Discuss height, stocky/thin, details on hands/feet, athleticism, stamina, strength, common ailments. Can include clothing.
Special
Anything unique about them.
Gods
Which gods created them, influence them, or are worshiped by them? How does this affect them?
Characteristics
Intelligence
Wisdom
Charisma
Strength
Constitution
Agility
Dexterity
Morale
Specific Accomplishments
Wars Won and Lost
Inventions and Discoveries
World View
Culture and Customs
Do they work every day? Take lunch naps? Includes marriage, death, challenges.
Society
Do they build cities? Scavenge or farm and hunt? Live in tribes? Marriage?
Language
Do they have an oral or written language? Which languages do they typically know?
Relations with Other Races
Humans
Race 1
Race 2
The Supernatural
Magic
Can they do it? What kind, how powerful, what limits?
Habitat
Where a race lives determines many of their characteristics.
Terrain
Where do they originate from? Land with rolling hills? Mountains? Plains? Forests? The sea?
Climate
Hot or cold? Temperate?
Settlements (Towns/Cities)
Name important ones and develop them using my template for creating cities (check here for that blog: http://randyellefson.wordpress.com/blog-history/).
Homes
Where are they located? In trees? Underground? Underwater? How are they laid out and protected?
Styles & Materials
What are their homes made of? Wood? Brick? Straw roofs?
Combat
Do they fight at all or run? How do they fight? With what weapons and armor? Do they use cavalry, dragons? Any typical battle formations?
Ecology
Mating, birth
Epilogue
This is the template I used when creating the seven original species for my main fantasy setting. Check the home page of this blog or my site for news of my first publications using them, probably in 2015. In the meantime, good luck!
Related articles
- Races of Fantasy | Part One: The Origin of the Dwarf (tropesofscifiandfantasy.wordpress.com)
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