Fantasy tropes and conventions Fantasy edit Fantasy media Fantastic art Fantasy anime Fantasy art Fantasy artists Fantasy authors Fantasy comics Fantasy fiction magazines Fantasy films Fantasy literature Fantasy operas Fantasy television Fantasy webcomics Genre studies History of fantasy Fantasy subgenres Fantastique Fantasy themes Quests & Artifacts Fantasy races Fantasy worlds Legendary creatures Fantasy subculture Lovecraftianism Tolkien fandom Tolkienology Harry Potter fandom Categories Fantasy Fantasy television Fantasy subgenres There are many elements that show up throughout the fantasy genre in different guises . Worldbuilding in particular has many common conventions , as do , to a lesser extent , plot and characterization . Though it is important to differientate them between themes , which are actually statements or commentaries that recur throughout the story , these are subjects . Fantasy , however , is second only to science fiction in the number of books written that subvert the rules of the genre . Destiny Stableboy becomes king ( or the like ) Prophecy Good vs . Evil Downfall of a tyrannical ruler or evil wizard Preventing conquest by a tyrannical ruler or evil wizard Creates alternate reality , with believable laws Magic Magical Items Magical Artifacts Swords Gems Stones Rings Medieval ( usually European ) Setting Feudal Government Primitive technology ( almost always pre-gunpowder ) Legendary creatures Dragons Gryphons Non-Human Races ( or variants of them specific to each work ) Dwarves Elves Fairies Trolls Quests Categories : Fantasy tropes | Fantasy 