# How to make weak characters strong?



## Miseo (May 29, 2016)

So, here's the situation I'm facing. In one of my stories, a certain character starts off weak but grows to become really strong throughout the story. The problem is... Because of his species, he is physically far weaker than any other character. And while he is in a world where people can use magic, he is completely unable to do so. Essentially, he is incorrigibly weaker than everything else. 

Just how in the world could he become strong? Even as the author, I'm just sitting here saying "you're totally screwed bro."

I was thinking maybe he could absorb the powers of things he kills, like Soma in Castlevania, but I feel like that's already been done enough, one notable instance being Castlevania.

I don't mind going the Soma route, but I would like to know if anyone has any suggestions. So, can any of you think of some solution to this problem?


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## Jesse Nissinen (May 29, 2016)

What's the story about? What are the missions?

A weak character doing something big... Frodo comes to mind. He's weaker to defeat anyone in the world, even one single Orc, but he takes the ring and completes his quest.

Can your character maybe do something like that?


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## KThoughts (May 29, 2016)

I had the same problem too when I was putting my character in a world where she doesn't know anything. 

Normally I do this in every story I do but you can make your character stronger, If you make him go through an adventure in the world that is filled with magic the world you have made in "World Eater". Make him experience what it's like in that world if there is magic, make him see and feel the magic that he doesn't have in the story. Make him adapt into his surroundings and once he became adapted to his surroundings he will start to have an idea on what's going on and what to do. 

He doesn't have magic or anything that can help him survive but you can make him adapt to the things he's surrounded with and use that as an advantaged to outsmart the problems he has and become stronger mentally or maybe even physically. Another way to make him stronger is to add another character that appears to be strong but he is weak in the inside and you can use your weak character to help this "strong" character to realize things and along the way he will also learn something from this strong character too.


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## Miseo (May 29, 2016)

That's good advice, but the type of strength this character needs is of the extreme variety... The strength to survive alone against armies. 

To give a short account, my character ends up as a slave living in another world. All humans from Earth that were broght there are forced into slavery. The main character escapes but becomes wanted as a result. His goal is to attain freedom, not just for himself but those he loves, and ultimately return to Earth. To this extent he needs some serious power. Of the legendary sort. In the eyes of the people from the other world, the people who enslaved the Earthlings, he basically becomes their Dark Lord Sauron.

So... He needs to somehow overcome his limitations and attain a strength that isn't possible for a human to attain.


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## KThoughts (May 29, 2016)

Miseo said:


> That's good advice, but the type of strength this character needs is of the extreme variety... The strength to survive alone against armies.
> 
> To give a short account, my character ends up as a slave living in another world. All humans from Earth that were broght there are forced into slavery. The main character escapes but becomes wanted as a result. His goal is to attain freedom, not just for himself but those he loves, and ultimately return to Earth. To this extent he needs some serious power. Of the legendary sort. In the eyes of the people from the other world, the people who enslaved the Earthlings, he basically becomes their Dark Lord Sauron.
> 
> So... He needs to somehow overcome his limitations and attain a strength that isn't possible for a human to attain.



Oh I see, Well you are totally right he is totally screwed but think about this for a moment. 

Just what will make him be that "Legendary" person? What will make him gain his strength? Is it because of something that he came across in the facility of this other world that he got trapped in? You said he was wanted because he escaped from the leaders? facility? Try to make something more reasonable for that for example he accidentally or purposely stole something that isn't his and when he stole that item he's trying to figure out what to do with it and along the away from running away from his dillema or an army he discovered that he has a dangerous power that can rule or destroy everything. 

Well I hope this helped you get some idea on where to get his powers or maybe his strength and actually right now I am questioning my own character on how she got her powers too... I guess we're in the same boat


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## Miseo (May 29, 2016)

I completely lost it at "Well you are totally right he is totally screwed". I don't know why I found that so funny.

But your question of what will make him get his strength really cuts to the core of the issue. It's a hard question. Hopefully I'll have an answer to it some day.


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## Jesse Nissinen (May 29, 2016)

One guy versus an army. Rambo and Chuck Norris comes to mind.

He can roundhouse kick the aliens to death. No but seriously. Think of other movies with a similar plot, aliens enslave them but at the end they rescue all the slaves and kill everyone. Everyone has a weakness.
A bad movie comes to mind = battlefield earth.

Make a bomb and blow up their whole planet.

If magic is a high power source in the alien world, maybe he can develop an immune to magic. Maybe he becomes stronger the more magic the aliens shoot at him.


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## Miseo (May 29, 2016)

Immunity to magic eh... That just might be something he may need to pick up eventually.


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## bdcharles (May 29, 2016)

He could use technology, or have a very forceful personality forged during his slavery. All this can form his narrative arc, during which he gains this power.


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## Annoying kid (May 29, 2016)

Giving him these random powers to keep up,  immunity to this and that, defeats the purpose of making him human. May as well make him a superhero then. That's the easy option. 

He's out gunned, they have superior technology and powers. 

He has to use cunning and planning to defeat his foes. 

It's just more challenging to write.


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## Aquilo (May 29, 2016)

You know, you'd love Brian Lumley's_ Necroscope_ series. Harry's character is pretty much the same, but among his faults and flaws, he has an affinity for maths, and through using deadspeak, he speaks to a master mathematician who shows Harry how to use his math skills to access the mobius continuum, and manipulate time. I fell in love with Necroscope!


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## Jigawatt (May 29, 2016)

Courage and love are two strengths often underestimated. An underdog has a way of coming through when it matters most. Keep your character physically weak for now. Let the weak one fall in love with another character. At some point, the weak one will be in conflict because the love interest is in trouble. Since the weak one is not considered a threat by the antagonist, the weak one has an opportunity to mount a surprise attack. Find a way within the weak one's ability to come through for the love interest. In the meantime, abuse the weak one a little, to generate some sympathy from the reader.


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## Miseo (May 29, 2016)

Annoying kid said:


> Giving him these random powers to keep up,  immunity to this and that, defeats the purpose of making him human. May as well make him a superhero then. That's the easy option.
> 
> He's out gunned, they have superior technology and powers.
> 
> ...


You have a point. But at some point he will stop being human. He becomes powerful and ruthless, and the entire story becomes a grey vs black morality kind of thing.



Jigawatt said:


> Courage and love are two strengths often underestimated. An underdog has a way of coming through when it matters most. Keep your character physically weak for now. Let the weak one fall in love with another character. At some point, the weak one will be in conflict because the love interest is in trouble. Since the weak one is not considered a threat by the antagonist, the weak one has an opportunity to mount a surprise attack. Find a way within the weak one's ability to come through for the love interest. In the meantime, abuse the weak one a little, to generate some sympathy from the reader.


This is nice, but I don't think I can use it too much since it really isn't that kind of story. And I can't write romance >.>

Thanks for all the suggestions though, everyone. A list is being made.


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## Non Serviam (May 29, 2016)

It's a fantasy, so the traditional answer is that he gains Real Ultimate Powah by acquiring key pieces of gear - the Spear of Dark Lord Impaling, or whatever. In the traditional formula he would be the  chosen champion of some powerful supernatural entity opposed to this World Eater you mentioned in the other thread. A common twist would be that only someone who _didn't_ have magic could defeat the Dark Lord hence your MC being that chosen champion. Perhaps the World Eater senses magical power and your MC is invisible to it.


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## Mutimir (May 30, 2016)

I would focus on the escape from slavery to build his reputation and thus his strength. For example, say no slave has ever escaped from slavery to become free. Now why does he want to become free? What does he have to do in order to escape? Is there some huge obstacle (Ex: A wall, a body of water, a beast) he must overcome to escape? Who does he have to enlist to achieve this? How does he enlist them?


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## Miseo (May 30, 2016)

Non Serviam said:


> It's a fantasy, so the traditional answer is that he gains Real Ultimate Powah by acquiring key pieces of gear - the Spear of Dark Lord Impaling, or whatever. In the traditional formula he would be the  chosen champion of some powerful supernatural entity opposed to this World Eater you mentioned in the other thread. A common twist would be that only someone who _didn't_ have magic could defeat the Dark Lord hence your MC being that chosen champion. *Perhaps the World Eater senses magical power and your MC is invisible to it*.


Wow. I was actually thinking of making it so that magicless people cannot be sensed since they lack magic. I'm seriously impressed you caught on. At any rate... The MC and the Dark Lord are kind of one and the same in my story... Sort of... Really, Dark Lord is subjective. To some it's a formidable enemy, for others it's a saviour. 



Mutimir said:


> I would focus on the escape from slavery to build his reputation and thus his strength. For example, say no slave has ever escaped from slavery to become free. Now why does he want to become free? What does he have to do in order to escape? Is there some huge obstacle (Ex: A wall, a body of water, a beast) he must overcome to escape? Who does he have to enlist to achieve this? How does he enlist them?


Those are some good points. I already have a few ideas as to how to go about it, but these add more layers to it. As for the obstacle... It's a terrifying monster called a Grimwalker. Or Grimstalker. Not sure which to call it yet. But I can't wait to write that part. My blood is boiling just thinking about it.


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## Newman (May 31, 2016)

Miseo said:


> So, here's the situation I'm facing. In one of my stories, a certain character starts off weak but grows to become really strong throughout the story. The problem is... Because of his species, he is physically far weaker than any other character. And while he is in a world where people can use magic, he is completely unable to do so. Essentially, he is incorrigibly weaker than everything else.
> 
> Just how in the world could he become strong? Even as the author, I'm just sitting here saying "you're totally screwed bro."
> 
> ...



Absorbing the power of others would be a classic way of doing it: X-Men Apocalypse ; nothing wrong with taking the classical route...


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## Tettsuo (May 31, 2016)

Great power does not equal a strong character.

Courage is not the absence of fear, it's the will to act even in the face of fear.

Okay, enough of that.  Your character can be strong despite a lack of power because they are willing to put it all on the line for what they believe in.  For example, watch the movie Deliverance.  One of the strongest characters is the one that was initially displayed as the weakest.  Through all that he suffered, he held it together better than every other character that survived.

OT
I remember when I first saw the movie.  It was in the art studio with a bunch of dudes that were learning how to write and draw comic books.  Our mentor asked us at the end of the movie what we thought of the guy that suffered the assault.  We all called him weak.  Then he exampled that we were all wrong.  If he fought back, he wouldn't have gone home to see his family again.  So his will to be there for his family made him strong enough to endure.  That's strength.  That's a power.  I never forgot that lesson.


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## JustRob (May 31, 2016)

In a way my MC has this problem. He is apparently the blandest character possible. My angel told me that even his name, Graham, is too bland for an MC, but that was my point. When he is chosen for a specific task his chooser asks him why he didn't ask the obvious question "Why me?" but he just says that they seem to know so much about him that they must have their reasons and he knows himself well enough, so what's to ask? In fact even though he seems to go through life acquiring more and more abilities and becoming more central to events he never does stop to ask that question but just gets on with it. In a way that is the oddity about his experiences, that there seems to be no specific reason why they happen to him in particular.

The fact that someone appears to evolve very rapidly could be put down to some genetic trait. Ancestry may come into it. Many unlikely heroes seem to have unusual lineage that causes abilities to reappear in them after being lost for generations. It could just be the coincidence of two genetic lines that restores an ancient characteristic lost through outbreeding in the past. Phenomenal abilities can still be recessive genes which only surface in the right conditions. The unusual abilities of the humans in my stories are apparently natural genetic ones which only surface when triggered by other key factors which only occur very rarely. The implication is that all humans have these abilities but almost nobody ever experiences the triggering influence that brings them out. My novel actually makes reference to "fairy dust", the factor that enabled children to fly in the story of Peter Pan, as an analogy. 

A frequent explanation for significant evolution of a person is simply motivation. A close friend of mine at primary school was far worse than me at lessons but in later life had a more successful career without any specific opportunity being accountable for this. He simply had to fight for everything in his life and therefore kept improving while I never had any reason to change. A neighbour's son was badly bullied at school, so took up martial arts and eventually became a regional champion and instructor, teaching others how to deal with aggressors. All that these people had going for them was motivation. 

Does your character ever ask himself "Why me?" and does he ever find an answer? Maybe that is itself a facet of the story.


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## Terry D (May 31, 2016)

[h=2]





> How to make weak characters strong?


[/h]
Lots of vigorous activity and a diet full of organic nouns and verbs.


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## bazz cargo (May 31, 2016)

Steroids? Sorry, couldn't resist.

Classic character arc. Weak and feeble gradually changes into super hero. Most of the change would be psychological. Would his character have a mentor? A destiny to fulfil? 
Is the 'magic' inherent? or like a parallel technology? Does this character have a specific skill? Or develop something in response to the situation?

I'm not offering any advice, just asking questions that might help you crystallise some details.

Good Luck
BC


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## Miseo (May 31, 2016)

bazz cargo said:


> Steroids? Sorry, couldn't resist.
> 
> Classic character arc. Weak and feeble gradually changes into super hero. Most of the change would be psychological. Would his character have a mentor? A destiny to fulfil?
> Is the 'magic' inherent? or like a parallel technology? Does this character have a specific skill? Or develop something in response to the situation?
> ...


Hm... the psychological changes are not for the better. He has no mentor, lives in a world where everyone is an enemy. If he has a destiny, it's certainly not as a hero. There is magic and it is inherent in the natives of that world, so the MC cannot use it. He doesn't have any particular skills other than his quick wit. He does develop other sets of skills though.

He also becomes extremely crippled relatively early in the story. So, somehow gotta make a hateful cripple into a powerful overlord. Gonna be fun.


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## Miseo (May 31, 2016)

I do have something in mind though. But I'm always open to suggestions.


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## Kyle R (May 31, 2016)

Miseo said:


> So, here's the situation I'm facing. In one of my stories, a certain character starts off weak but grows to become really strong throughout the story. The problem is... Because of his species, he is physically far weaker than any other character. And while he is in a world where people can use magic, he is completely unable to do so. Essentially, he is incorrigibly weaker than everything else.
> 
> Just how in the world could he become strong? Even as the author, I'm just sitting here saying "you're totally screwed bro."
> 
> ...



The only limit is your imagination, really.

Futuristic technology, magical spell, mutant genetics, elixir from the Gods, alien technology, prehistoric artifact, mystical amulet, drinking the blood of a cursed beast, breaching another dimension, psychic-twin abilities . . . et cetera, and so forth.

Honestly? I wouldn't worry too much about it being unique or clever. Just choose (or come up with) something you'd be really excited to write about.

I'd also recommend making your hero weaker than the antagonistic forces.

There's a reason why the Big Evil Boss in video games is usually huge and powerful and way more bad-ass than the hero—because everyone wants to see the underdog triumph in the face of overwhelming odds. It gives us hope that we, too, can accomplish something great in our own lives . . .

. . . provided that we have billions of dollars and a super-suit made of iron, of course. :encouragement:


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## EmmaSohan (May 31, 2016)

He has so much power that when he tries to use it, it short-circuits.


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## Miseo (May 31, 2016)

Kyle R said:


> The only limit is your imagination, really.
> 
> Futuristic technology, magical spell, mutant genetics, elixir from the Gods, alien technology, prehistoric artifact, mystical amulet, drinking the blood of a cursed beast, breaching another dimension, psychic-twin abilities . . . et cetera, and so forth.
> 
> ...


True. Thanks. And the MC kinda is the Big "Evil" Boss, so I suppose the antagonist is the hero...?


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## JustRob (Jun 1, 2016)

Spinach? Well, maybe one of the newer superfoods anyway.


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## Bishop (Jun 1, 2016)

Miseo said:


> I do have something in mind though. But I'm always open to suggestions.



If you have something in mind, why need suggestions? It's your story, and particularly in a fantasy world where you built everything I'm not going to know better than you.


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## Miseo (Jun 1, 2016)

Bishop said:


> If you have something in mind, why need suggestions? It's your story, and particularly in a fantasy world where you built everything I'm not going to know better than you.


I didn't have anything in mind when I first asked. Only got it recently, and the suggestions from here helped.


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