Fantasy Cliche-o-meter for Writers

A WARNING: Don't take this "cliche-o-meter" TOO seriously. After all, many stories that contain almost every cliche are very popular books.

Furthermore, your writing style, if it's good enough, can make up for a somewhat cliche plot. This test is mainly to be used if you've thought of a fantasy plot and are wondering how cliche it is. So, with this in mind, go ahead!

Created by: Anonymous
  1. What is your age?
  2. What is your gender?
  1. The hero is:
  2. If the hero lives with his uncle, is the uncle killed?
  3. Is there a tavern brawl?
  4. Does the hero have a wise sage for a mentor?
  5. Is the heroine escaping an arranged marriage?
  6. Is the villain really the hero's father/brother/other close family member?
  7. Is the hero raised by magical folk, wild animals or a wise old hermit?
  8. Is there a quest for a magical item that will destroy the world if the villain gets his hands on it?
  9. Does the hero fall in love with some sort of immortal being (such as an elf)?
  10. Is the villain after a magical artifact that the hero owns?
  11. Is the villain after a secret that only the hero knows?
  12. The hero is a commoner who falls in love with a princess.
  13. The hero turns out to be heir to the throne.
  14. The hero finds out that the thing he's been questing for has been in his possession all along.
  15. The heroes are helped by one of the evil overlord's relatives.
  16. There is a race of warrior women.
  17. The evil overlord wears flowing black or red robes.
  18. The villain wears a mask.
  19. The villain gives monologues and/or likes to cackle wickedly.
  20. Is extremely arrogant and honestly believes he can't make a mistake.
  21. Someone has a cute, (probably) unintentionally annoying little creature for a pet/sidekick.
  22. The hero is sent to a school to learn how to master his powers.
  23. An UN-cliche: Is the hero an ordinary human and goes through the entire story without gaining any magical powers whatsoever?
  24. Everyone who the hero finds annoying OR who is a personal rival to the hero...
  25. Are the evil minions stupid and easy to trick?
  26. When the evil overlord is killed...
  27. Mead-drinking, Norse-like barbarians?
  28. The villain is in love with the hero's love interest.
  29. Does anyone have an evil twin?
  30. The evil overlord is referred to as You Know Who, Him, That Guy, He Whose Name We Do Not Speak Here, etc.
  31. Humans from our world find and go into a magical world to defeat the evil in that world.
  32. Are there Dragon Riders (rider & dragon partners who can communicate with telepathy?)
  33. The villain is fond of killing his own men for tiny mistakes.
  34. The hero wields a magic sword.
  35. The elves and dwarves are suspiciously like Tolkien's. (Be honest!)
  36. Another UN-cliche: There are no dwarves or elves (or dwarves or elves under different names.)
  37. The villain is hideously deformed.
  38. The hero is (just about) the best swordsman in the land.
  39. UN-cliche: Is the hero middle-aged or older? (Doesn't count if he's non-human.)
  40. The heroine is sarcastic, tomboyish, and/or hates wearing dresses.
  41. "Cool", cynical, skeptical anti-heroes that wear black and make snarky comments...AND are angsty, emo, and brooding because of a tragic past.
  42. UN-cliche: Is the hero's main weapon something OTHER THAN a sword?
  43. Are there vampires and/or werewolves?
  44. What about these romantic cliches?
  45. UN-cliche again: Is your main character a parent? (No, I don't mean 'apparent'. A parent...yes, as in a father or mother.)
  46. The hero and heroine are perfectly handsome/beautiful.
  47. Someone yells, "NOOOOOO!"
  48. Because you evidently believe that "Good is boring", you go to great lengths to make your hero as unheroic as possible, with the result that he ends up so unsympathetic that no reader can like him.

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