So, I am currently working on my character list and I am categorizing their level of importance according to the story. Though I am sure there is an established scale, I thought it might also be fun to share our own personal scales of Character importance.... or at least work on a universal one. So to start here is the scale I use, (clearly it will have elements of the actual scale, which I am to incompetent to find) The Narrator - This is that omnipresence voice that everyone seems to dislike. . and features as a setup into scenes. I only put the Narrator here as the only non-character. ETA: To make one note, it is implied that my stories are being read by someone, since these books are supposed to be a History of MyWorld. Main Character (MC/MMC/FMC) - Clearly the person or persons we are following throughout the story. Secondary Characters - These are Characters who are also important to the story and have some influence on it. I.E. commanding officers, relatives, friends. etc. These are also the Characters who have names. + Generational Characters: Since my stories take place over time, these are the characters who are either the parents of or the children of other characters who are there. Some of these Characters may either where or will be MCs of their own stories at some point. In my current story I have two other MCs, one from a story that takes place prior and one that takes place years after the current WIP. In one of my stories, the MC is handed between three generations of Father>Son. Third Tier Characters - These are characters who are little less important than the secondary, but also important enough to have names and have some place in the story, for instance, there is a council in my story with leaders of Orders. They are not a constant in the story, but they are there and important on some level. Support Characters - These are the nameless characters who get a minor mention, such as bodyguards, soldiers, workers., Palace Staff. Also in story there is a body of representatives (Or senators later). And may have minor interaction with the MC or anyone from the 2nd or 3rd tier. Filler Characters - These are the assumed characters, such as Citizens, Animals, etc. who have little to no interaction with the Characters above. Ethereal Characters - These are characters who are not part of the normal part of the story, or are immortal in nature, and either are or can potentially appear or be mentioned in other stories. For instance, the Warden of Hell is one of my Ethereal Characters who is featured in my WIP but does appear in other stories, one of them which takes place nearly 200-years later... there is also a Cameo Character (See Below) who appears is also an Ethereal, who appears in other stories. And the Arch Angels are another. Cameo Characters - These are Characters who are from other stories but may appear for while. Anyways, so that is my Character tier list for now... I am still working on it, clearly.
