How To Make An (almost) Perfect OC

2. Magic Powers and Backstories

There is nothing more important about an OC than a good ol' backstory! However, some backstories are overly tragic and have been overused. For example, here is a Mary Sue backround: "She had lost her family due to her parents getting killed by an attacker who turned out to be (guy that their crush hates). She now lives with (crush) and he loves her very very much!!! She also can fly, read minds, use telekineses, see ghosts, kill anyone just by thinking about it..." You get where I'm going with this.

Look, a little tragedy is okay. If you base it off of what happened to you, then I would say it's okay. Just don't make it super tragic. Also, if you are gonna have super powers, follow these guidelines:

1. Clichés are fine to use! Don't be afraid to take a commonly used trait and make it your own. If someone wants to say that it's cliché... ask them what's so wrong about it.

2. The average number of powers I recommend is two. If you have more than two, it gets a little unrealistic depending on the world you're building on. If you want a display of skill that isn't another power, give your OC a weapon that complements their fighting style.

3. Instant kill powers drain life from fighting. You can't have interesting battles if there isn't... fighting. Make your character weak as your story/roleplay begins, but develop them to have better skills as it progresses.

4. Copying super powers from other characters takes away diversity. Unless there is a special reason, I would recommend that you give everyone their own fighting styles and/or set of skills so that it all balances each other out.