Character Relationship Chart Template & Maker
Who is connected to whom, and why. Draw the chart right here and download it as a PNG, or work from the worked example, the fill-in table, line styles for twelve relationship types and a blank chart to print.
Draw your chart here, freeA character relationship chart (also called a character map, relationship web or character connection chart) shows how the people in your story are connected: one line, or one table row, per pair, with Character A, the relationship, Character B and the history behind it. Use it once your cast is big enough that you start forgetting who owes whom, or which friendship broke in chapter nine. Draw yours in the chart maker below: add up to 10 characters, connect them with up to 15 labelled relationships, and download the chart as a PNG, with no account needed. Further down you'll find a filled-in example, the same relationships as a fill-in table, a key for twelve relationship types, and a blank relationship chart you can print.
Draw your character relationship chart
Add your cast, connect them, download the chart. Free, and you can start without an account.
- Add up to 10 characters and give each one a color.
- Connect them with friend, enemy, family or a word of your own, and write what they call each other.
- Download the chart as a PNG, or save it to LitMemo and every character becomes a card.
Download the finished chart as an image, or save it to LitMemo and every character becomes a card.
Draw your chart here, freeTemplate preview
Character relationship chart column examples
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| Character A | Su Wan |
| Relationship type | Childhood friends → lovers |
| Character B | Lu Chen |
| Relationship notes | Grew up on the same alley; separated for ten years when the city fell; reunite in Volume Two and slowly develop feelings |
Printable blank version
If you'd rather draw by hand: a blank relationship chart with eight character slots, a protagonist in the centre, and a key for line styles. Print it or open it in any image editor.
Download the finished chart as an image, or save it to LitMemo and every character becomes a card.
Draw your chart here, freeField guide
A relationship chart falls apart when every line is the same line. Pick the type first; the line style follows. These twelve cover most casts.
Relationship types and how to draw them
| Field | What to write | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Family | Blood or adoptive kin — draw: Solid | Su Wan — Old Beggar (adoptive father) |
| Romance | Mutual romantic bond — draw: Double solid | Su Wan — Lu Chen (childhood friends → lovers) |
| One-sided | One feels it, the other doesn't know or doesn't return it — draw: Arrow, from the one who feels it | Lu Chen → Su Wan, first half of the book |
| Friendship | Chosen closeness without romance — draw: Solid, thinner | Lu Chen — Wei Lan |
| Rivalry | Competing for the same thing, not trying to destroy each other — draw: Dashed | Su Wan — Wei Lan (same bounty) |
| Enemy | One wants the other gone — draw: Dashed, heavier | Su Wan — Su Yuan (the uncle who sold the clan) |
| Mentor | One teaches, one learns — draw: Solid with a small circle at the mentor's end | Old Beggar — Su Wan |
| Debt | One owes the other, money or life — draw: Arrow, from the debtor | Wei Lan → Lu Chen |
| Alliance | Working together for now — draw: Solid, labelled with the goal | Su Wan — the Lighthouse Guild |
| Secret | A tie nobody else in the story knows about — draw: Dotted | Su Yuan — Guild Master |
| Former | Was one thing, is now another — draw: Solid crossed by a short bar; write both states | Su Wan — Lu Chen ("friends, ten years apart") |
| Subordinate | Reports to, serves, employed by — draw: Arrow from subordinate to superior | Guild members → Guild Master |
Two rules for a hand-drawn chart
Two rules that keep a hand-drawn chart readable: write the relationship type on the line, never just a line; and draw one-sided feelings as an arrow, so you can see at a glance who knows and who doesn't.
If a pair fits two types, draw both lines. A mentor who is also the enemy is exactly the kind of pair the chart exists to show.
Chart or table?
Use the table when you're still deciding — it's faster to add a row than to redraw a chart. Use the chart once the cast is set and you need to see the shape: who is isolated, which two characters have no line between them yet, where the plot has to go to connect them. Most writers keep both and update the table first.
For roleplay, OC and game casts
The same chart works for a roleplay group, an OC cast or a tabletop party. In RP communities you will also see it called a connections chart: each player adds their character, then draws the ties they want to play out, such as an old debt, a sibling, a rival from the academy.
Two habits help when several people share one chart. Give every connection a line of history that both players agree on, and write down what each character calls the other, so nobody's first scene contradicts the chart. The maker above has a "What they call each other" table for exactly that.
The example cast, as a table
- Su Wan — Lu Chen: Childhood friends → lovers. Same alley, ten years apart; wary at the reunion, closer by ch. 12
- Su Wan — Old Beggar: Adoptive father. Raised her from seven; she pays for his medicine
- Su Wan — Su Yuan: Enemy (secret). Her uncle sold the clan; only she knows
- Su Wan — Wei Lan: Rivalry. Chasing the same bounty; respect, no trust
- Wei Lan — Lu Chen: Debt. Lu Chen covered his fine in ch. 3
- Su Yuan — Guild Master: Secret alliance. Their deal is the reveal in ch. 20
How to fill in this template
Once you have a big cast, relationships become a bottomless pit. Mentor-student, lovers, rivals, allies, blood ties… try to keep it all in your head and mistakes creep in as you write on: someone was clearly a friend earlier, then inexplicably turns into an enemy with no transition explained; or two characters' forms of address don't line up from one chapter to the next. A character relationship chart flattens this "web of characters" into a single list you can look things up in.
The simplest, most usable format is the one-row-at-a-time "Character A + relationship type + Character B," as if you were describing one connection after another. The "relationship type" can lock in the current state (mentor-student, lovers, rivals) or spell out how it evolves ("childhood friends → lovers," "comrades-in-arms → turned enemies") — the latter is especially good for relationships that shift with the plot.
The real value is in the "relationship notes" column. The relationship type only gives you a label, but "why they have this relationship" and "what happened between them" are the meat of the story. Write in the history of their bonds and grudges — when they met, what turned them against each other, whether there's an unresolved knot — and when you write conflict scenes you'll have ready-made emotional fuel instead of reinventing it every time.
We recommend starting from the protagonist: list every relationship directly tied to them first, then handle how the supporting characters relate to each other. A relationship usually runs both ways, and how A feels about B may differ from how B feels about A (one deeply in love, the other indifferent), so it's worth recording each direction separately. Once it's all laid out in the table, you may be surprised to find that some characters you assumed were close actually have no connection at all — and that's exactly the blank space the plot can work with.
Fill the template in four steps
Start with the protagonist
List every relationship directly tied to the protagonist first — their web of relationships is the heart of the whole story.
Label the relationship type
Give each pairing a type (mentor-student, lovers, rivals); for relationships that evolve, note where they're heading.
Fill in the relationship notes
Spell out the backstory of the relationship — when they met, what changed it, and any unresolved grudges.
Sort out the supporting cast's relationships
Then handle how the supporting characters relate to each other; when the feelings run different ways, it's worth recording each direction separately to complete the whole web.
Better together
Work it straight into your story
This template maps to these LitMemo features — fill it in online and everything auto-links:
Want to write it better? Start with these
Frequently asked questions
Can I print a blank character relationship chart?
With a large cast the map explodes. How do I decide what to include?
Relationships change as the story moves. How do I maintain the map?
Does it have to be a diagram? Can I use a table?
How do I mark one-sided feelings?
Is there a free character relationship chart maker on this page?
Draw it on this page, download it in a minute
When you’re ready, save it to LitMemo and every character becomes a card you can write with.