The Worldbuilder Diaries: Creatures

Now that I’ve covered all of what I consider the “basic” elements of worldbuilding—the building blocks like maps, characters, and organization—I can finally move on to some of the more interesting topics. But this series had to start somewhere, right?

Creatures vs. Characters

First off, I’d like to discuss what I consider a creature vs a character, because I have some very unhuman characters sprinkled throughout my books that some might consider monsters. For me, a character is anyone who has a thinking/speaking role, whether they’re human, a sentient insect, or certain animal companions. By this definition, the Venom-weavers and Corodan from The Caein Legacy are characters, but the horse that pulls the supply cart is not.

In the realm of my books, a creature lacks the level of intelligence a proper character has. They operate more by instinct than intellect, and typically serve as a means to add danger or emotion to a scene. This would be something like the giant centipede Vardak and company faces in The Talisman of Delucha.

Side Note: Originally, I planned to call this post “Creatures and Monsters,” but decided to drop the monster portion, because monsters can be either creature or character. In my worlds, they’re the big bads others are fighting against: the tyrants, the evil mages, the predatory giant spiders that want to make the hero their dinner. Since monsters can be either, I’ll stick to using “creature” for the sake of this post. I’m planning to write a separate piece about non-human characters at a later date.

How do I decide on a creature’s attributes?

First, I ask myself what the creature’s purpose is within the story. Is it meant to scare? Act as a companion? Serve as a momentary distraction? Become an obstacle a character must overcome? Once I know the creature’s reason for existing within the story, I can move on to developing its characteristics.

I typically gravitate toward using attributes found in real-world biology for the creatures I design, though many of them are a mashup of two or more. For example, the kiiru in Wraith and the Revolution are a cross between reindeer and horses, but with an extra set of legs. Their purpose is for riding, though it’s considered nothing more than a hobby at the timepoint of the story. Since the kiiru evolved on a planet wholly different than Earth, they aren’t the only creatures encountered there that have different numbers of legs. I like to change and experiment with things in my stories, even if certain elements are based on real-world biology.

But the creatures I used as a basis for the kiiru have a similar function in nature. When I decided to use a giant centipede-like creature as a random threat in The Talisman of Delucha, I was looking for something both dangerous and creepy, but also something that could theoretically thrive in a lightless area. A centipede fit what I was looking for, so I ran with it.

In short, my process involves determining the need for a creature, then building its characteristics around it. Form is derived from function, much like real-world biology.

What about magic?

Magic is certainly an element in many of my stories, but I haven’t imbued any creatures with magical properties. That isn’t to say it hasn’t been done by others…

A perfect example is the salamanders in Katherine Kerr’s Deverry Cycle. They’re creatures of fire and tied to certain forms of that world’s magic (dweomer), and if I remember correctly, they’re an integral part of the spell-casting process at times.

As for my writing, I tend to prefer creating worlds where magic isn’t all-encompassing and the creatures living there evolve in a more traditional manner (most of the time.) It’s probably the scientist in me coming through here.

Anyway, I hope this has given you some insight into yet another aspect of my worldbuilding process, and maybe it’ll even provide some inspiration for your own stories.