Top Memorable Dragonlance Characters

Learn more about the major characters in the Dragonlance fantasy saga…

Dragonlance is one of the most beloved settings of Dungeons and Dragons. While it might have faded away as new versions of the game were launched, there’s still a strong fan base for the setting.

One of the reasons that Dragonlance remains so beloved is the characters – a group that hits not only all the high spots of the fantasy world, but that helped to redefine some of those same archetypes.

The main characters of Dragonlance are a varied lot, but they all have their fans. Understanding a bit about who they are can help you to understand why their legacy is in no danger of fading after all these years.

Major Dragonlance Characters

While this isn’t an extensive list of all the characters in the Dragonlance series, it’s a good place to start.

• Flint Fireforge
• Goldmoon
• Caramon Majere
• Kitiara Uth Matar
• Laurana Kanan
• Raistlin Majere
• Riverwind
• Sturm Brightblade
• Tanis Half-Elven
• Tasslehoff Burrfoot
• Fizban the Fabulous
• Other Dragonlance Characters

Flint Fireforge

Flint was, in many ways, a dwarf’s dwarf. A renowned metal worker, a fearsome fighter, and a somewhat cranky old man, he checks all the boxes that one would expect from a fantasy dwarf. Despite that, Flint remained an engaging character and one of the most important parts of the Dragonlance world.

Flint served as a father figure for the party, providing a gruff foil for some of the more lighthearted characters. While a great craftsman and a brave man in general, he’s still a character with very real fears and foibles. He was afraid of water and horses, but encountered both regularly. He befriended elves and even learned some of the tongue. He was a great part of the series.

His death was not particularly brave or special. The old dwarf overexerted himself and died of a heart attack. The second of the party to go, he found peace in death while waiting for his friends to join him.

Goldmoon

Goldmoon of the Que Shu was the longest-surviving of the original Dragonlance heroes and, in many ways, one of the true main characters of an ensemble cast. As barbarian princess, she helped to provide a focus for the early plot. As a prophet, she continued to grow as a character. Even in death, she played a vital role in the world.

Goldmoon was a fairly loveable and certainly quite deep character. She was one of the few to be resurrected in the entire Dragonlance continuity, something that causes a bit of division to this day. While not necessarily the best known of all the Dragonlance cast, she’s perhaps the character best suited to the role of protagonist. She was the last of the Heroes of the Lance to die and, in a way, her death defined the end of the series as it was originally envisioned.

Caramon Majere

Strong, friendly, and utterly good, Caramon is the Majere twin that tends to be forgotten by those who only have a passing familiarity with Dragonlance. Among fans, though, he’s an incredibly important figure. Willing to go to almost any lengths for his brother yet still a fundamentally good man, it’s very difficult not to like Caramon.

Caramon went through a lot in Dragonlance. He is tied to his brother in ways that are hard for even him to understand. He sinks into alcoholism, but is able to lift himself back up. He travels in time, witnesses the dark potential of his brother, and raises a family. He dies peacefully, but after a life that’s full of strife and hardship.

In the end, it is Caramon’s relationship with his brother that is definitive. The Twins Trilogy, one of the most successful subsets of Dragonlance, explored the relationship in depth. Understanding the two gives readers a great deal of insight into the setting as a whole.

Kitiara Uth Matar

Kitiara’s connections span across several characters. She’s the half-sister of Raistlin and Caramon, as well as the former lover of Tanis. She becomes Dragon Highlord and allies with Lord Soth. She even meets her death at the hands of Dalamar the Dark.

Somehow, though, Kitiara does not manage to be defined by who she is in relation to these other characters. Unlike her brother, she seems on a constant path towards something different. She doesn’t mind leaving the party or wandering off on her own. She has her goals, and she follows them.

Kitiara manages to survive the War of the Lance largely on her own. Her downfall was in helping her brothers, but even this was by her own choice. Kitiara’s character was always memorable because it was always in a state of flux. The changes were always logical, but it became increasingly clear that she wasn’t a character who would end up in the same place she started.

Laurana Kanan

Lauralanthalasa Kanan started the story as a spoiled princess who was in love with Tanis Half-Elven. While obnoxious and somewhat useless early on, her actions would earn her an important place in the story.

Laurana is a character that had two very important relationships – one with her love, Tanis, and one with her rival, Kitiara. Even though she’ll technically lose to the latter on the field of battle, it is she who ends up with Tanis. Laurana manages to go from a naive young girl to someone that readers were happy to see a character like Tanis end up with.

She is also the character who is the technical winner of the War of the Lance, as the Golden General of the Whitestone forces. She also helps to slay the green dragon Beryl, which ends up costing her life in the process.

Raistlin Majere

Raistlin is perhaps the best known of the Dragonlance characters to those outside the hardcore fandom. The arrogant and cold-hearted twin of Caramon, he is nonetheless a compelling character.

He is somewhat stereotyped as a villain, but it’s hard not to feel for Raistlin. He was grew up weak and bullied, and in his mind in the shadow of his brother. He was cursed to see the death and decay in all things, and that certainly didn’t help his disposition. He was able to push himself to fantastic acts, to be sure, but they were always in his own service.

Raistlin is the character who sought to become a god. He very well could have succeeded, without warnings from his brother. Raistlin ultimately ended up sacrificing himself for the greater good, an act that redeemed him in the eyes of many. As a character, he is among the best in Dungeons and Dragons fiction.

Riverwind

Riverwind was a shepherd, love interest of Goldmoon, and progtagonist of two of the Dragonlance novels over the course of 14 years. He was a good man, a man of faith, and eventually a true leader. While perhaps not as well known as some on this list, he was nonetheless quite important.

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As a strong warrior, he often took the lead in many battle sequences. In many ways, though, he is mostly a character that exists to be attached to Goldmoon. He is her protector, but it is she who saves his life. In fact, one can quite easily say that the only reason he stayed alive was because of her. Once her powers were no longer available, Riverwind met a fairly quick death.

Despite this, he remains an important part of the first few books. While he goes out of focus later, he’s still always around the periphery.

Sturm Brightblade

Sturm’s character was all about conviction. It didn’t particularly matter if the reader agreed with his code, but it was impossible not to respect him. He wanted to be a knight, and thus set himself on that path.

He lived his life in a very specific manner and didn’t deviate from that path. It earned him more than he would ever expect, though he’d have to die to see it.

Sturm wasn’t a particularly “fun” character, but he was memorable. Many characters disagreed with his choices, but there was always an internal logic there. He drove his companions insane with his dedication, but even they had to respect who he was.

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Sturm would die to Kitiara, leaving behind a son by the same woman. His death led him to a great position in the afterlife, as the Paragon of Discipline. It’s hard to imagine a character who could deserve the honor more.

Tanis Half-Elven

Tanis, a half-elf as his name suggests, was the leader of the protagonists and perhaps the most important character in the early stories. A true leader and a real hero, he’s an interesting character that cares more about peace than his role on the battlefield.

Tanis is the brilliant tactician and archer who brings together the Companions are the beginning of the War of the Lance. Once the war has ended, he’s also the character who goes through the most to make sure that the fragile peace established doesn’t fall apart. He helps to stop Raistlin from becoming a god of evil an safeguards the world.

Tanis doesn’t get a noble death, killed from behind by an unknown soldier. When his body is laid to rest, it is clearly the end of an era. For many, Tanis is the definitive protagonist of the entire Dragonlance series.

Tasslehoff Burrfoot

Tasslehoff was a kender and to many a true member of the Companions. He had his own wild adventures throughout time and would even end up helping Caramon stop Raistlin from destroying the world. Above all, he had a sense of humor and mischief that made him lovable.

You wouldn’t expect it of the kender, but his death came in battle – and for a great purpose. He died wounding Chaos itself, and dying to the same. However, moments before death he time travels one last time – to set off the War of Souls and to return again just moments before his death.

Fiercely loyal, Tasslehoff waits in the afterlife with Flint. He’s found some measure of peace there, and perhaps a respite from his own constant need to find excitement. As a character, he matured quite a bit and became someone readers could be proud of by the end.

To us, he’s one of the most memorable of all the Dragonlance characters. He’ll always hold a special place in our hearts.

Fizban the Fabulous

A friend of Tasslehoff Burrfoot the kender, Fizban the Fabulous showed up in Krynn during the War of the Lance. Protecting the fortress of Pax Tharkas (intentional or not), he and Tas helped many people. Because of his close friendship with Tasslehoff, Fizban became known as the god of light by some of the kender. He’s an important figure in the Dragonlance universe and is rumored to be… Well, I’ll leave that bit in case you read the books! Overall, he’s an integral part of the Dragonlance story.

Other Dragonlance Characters

Dragonlance had its fair share of supporting characters, as well. Though not as well fleshed out as the main cast, these characters helped to better define the world of Krynn.

• Alhana Starbreeze: A Silvanesti Elf and daughter of Lorac Caladon. She led the Heroes of the Lane to fight Cyan Bloodbane and stayed behind to end the dragon’s corruption. She would marry Porthios Kanan and have a son named Silvanoshei.
• Alleran Waylan: A human, minor mage, and thief. He was the father of Tika Waylan. He would end up abandoning his daughter, never to be seen again. He was reportedly quite charming, which helped him with his cons.
• Astinus of Palanthas: A human and head librarian of Palanthas. He was able to view all of Krynn and record what was happening there. Astinus recorded all of history until the Chaos War, at which time he disappeared. He was rumored to be either the God of the Book, his son, or possibly both.
• Bupu Bulp: A gully dwarf and friend of Raistlin. She was rarely taken seriously by others. She is deeply intertwined with Raistlin and possibly the only being he really cares about.
• Crysania Tarinius: A human and cleric of Paladine. She would fall in love with Raistlin and be betrayed by him, but ultimately become the leader of the Church of Paladine. She would become a mystic after the gods left Krynn.
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• Dhamon Grimwulf: A human/shadow dragon. He was initially a man who became the leader of the Heroes of the Heart. He was turned into a dragon during the process of helping the shadow dragon rebirth. He is eventually killed in a quest to regain his humanity.
• Gilthanas: An elf and brother of Luarana. He distrusted Tanis and eventually helped the Heroes of the Lance by bringing the silver dragons into the war. He was also the lover of a silver dragon and eventually joined the Heroes of the Heart.
• Kaz the Minotaur: A minotaur who rebelled against Takhsis. He was a friend of Huma Dragonbane and an ally of the Knights of Solamnia. Kaz would found a secret society based on the values he learned from Huma.

Even More Dragonlance Characters?

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