The Generic Epic Storyline Cliché Formula!

Welcome to the Epic Storyline Cliche Formula page! Here I try to apply my simple formula for creating a generic Epic Storyline (the formula I created to use with my parody webcomic, "So You Wanna Be An Adventurer?") to as many movies, books, comics, video games, etc. as I can. Most are medieval fantasy, but the formula is not limited to a single setting, and can be applied to many things (such as Star Wars). Some of these are a bit of a stretch (possibly Baldur's Gate, for example), and I may have twisted things a little bit to make them fit my formula, but you have to bear with me. It's still surprising how well all of the stories do apply, though some of them put their own spin on things (like Jade Empire, which does the same beginning, only sort of backwards).

To begin, here is the basic formula:

"Our story begins ages and ages ago, when the evil [insert Dark Lord here] plagued the land. Eventually, his reign came to an end when he was [insert method of defeat here]. Today, however, the Dark Lord has arisen once again [insert method of resurrection and new form here]! Now the world's only hope is the generic hero, [insert name here], who is out to avenge [insert wrongdoing here]! Along the way, the hero is guided by [insert mysterious being, usually old man, here], who tells him that, in order to defeat the Dark Lord, he needs [insert magical weapon, trinkets, and/or training here]. On the course of his journey, it is revealed that our hero is actually [insert secret past here]! And he learns a lesson about trust when [insert person who turns out to be evil or a traitor here]."

SPOILER WARNING!!!
This list, as should be expected, gives away major elements of the plot of all the movies/games/books/etcetera listed herein.
So be warned: AVAST! THERE BE SPOILERS BELOW!

 

Our story begins ages and ages ago, when a great evil (probably a Dark Lord) plagued the land named:

The Lord of the Rings Sauron
So You Wanna Be An Adventurer? Morvodok
Sojourn Mordath
Dark Messiah of Might & Magic The Demon Sovereign
Dungeon Siege II Zaramoth
Baldur's Gate Bhaal
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Lord Dagoth
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Mehrunes Dagon
The Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine The Sorcerer, Umaril the Unfeathered
Titan Quest The Titans (specifically Typhon)
Fable Jack of Blades
Fable: The Lost Chapters Jack of Blades
Icewind Dale Belhifet
Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes Evil guy whose forgettable name eludes me
Neverwinter Nights Lizard people named "the Creator Race"
Neverwinter Nights 2 The King of Shadows
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer Akachi the Betrayer (or possibly Myrkul, the old God of the Dead)
Diablo The Demon Lord Diablo
Diablo II The Demon Lord Diablo
Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone Ygorl and Cireka
The Temple of Elemental Evil Zuggtmoy, Demoness of Fungi (seriously)
Gladius The Dark God
Jade Empire In this case, it was actually a goodguy - The Water Dragon
Runescape (Demon Slayer quest) Delrith
The Legend of Zelda Ganondorf (or Ganon)
Two Worlds Aziraal, the Orc God of War
Bone The Lord of the Locusts
Harry Potter Lord Voldemort
Eragon (Inheritance Trilogy) Galbatorix
Spyro: A New Beginning Some big black dragon
Star Wars The Sith
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Darth Revan and Darth Malak
Mass Effect The Reapers
Halo The Flood / Gravemind
   

But the Dark Lord was defeated by:

The Lord of the Rings Isildur
So You Wanna Be An Adventurer? Justyn the Sabre-Scorpion
Sojourn Ayden
Dark Messiah of Might & Magic Sar-Elam, the Seventh Dragon
Dungeon Siege II Azunai the Defender
Baldur's Gate Cyric
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Indoril Nerevar (Nerever Moon and Star)
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Something to do with lighting the Dragonfires
The Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine The Crusader, Pelinal Whitestrake
Titan Quest Zeus and the other gods
Fable Never really defeated, though the wearers of his mask may have been
Fable: The Lost Chapters The Hero (capitalized since it was apparently his name) of the first game
Icewind Dale Jerrod
Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes A group of four heroes, who were killed
Neverwinter Nights The Lords of Neverwinter, I suppose
Neverwinter Nights 2 The warlock Ammon Jerro
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer Lord Kelemvor, the new God of the Dead
Diablo Somebody, who trapped him in a soulstone.
Diablo II The Diablo 1 hero, who trapped him again.
Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone Khelben Blackstaff
The Temple of Elemental Evil An alliance of goodguys, who sealed the demon inside the Temple of Elemental Evil
Gladius The Valkyrie
Jade Empire In this case, it was actually the badguys - Sun Hai and Sun Li
Runescape (Demon Slayer quest) The hero Wally
The Legend of Zelda A kid named Link (depends on the game, sometimes others, such as the Ancient Sages)
Two Worlds Some group of goodguys that involved your character's parents
Bone Being trapped in stone by the dragons
Harry Potter trying to cast a death spell on Harry Potter as a child, and it failed
Eragon (Inheritance Trilogy) n/a
Spyro: A New Beginning Some little purple dragon
Star Wars The Jedi (who made the Sith "extinct" thousands of years before the Prequels, supposedly)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Bastila Shan
Mass Effect Actually, they weren't defeated. They utterly destroyed their enemies, the Protheans, and then left the galaxy.
Halo The Forerunner, using the Halo rings
   

But today, like a gazillion years later, our Dark Lord has arisen once again:

The Lord of the Rings As a powerful spirit symbolized by a flaming eye
So You Wanna Be An Adventurer? As a blackened skeleton
Sojourn As an undead mage, powered by the Sigil sign
Dark Messiah of Might & Magic As a red and black armored Sauron rip-off
Dungeon Siege II By giving his evil sword to a random humongous human guy named Valdis
Baldur's Gate By spreading his bloodline through mortal children known as the Bhaalspawn.
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind As Dagoth Ur, an undead god-like being
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion By triggering the assassination of the Emperor and the stealing of the Amulet of Kings
The Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine As a big, golden immortal demon guy
Titan Quest By breaking the conduit between the mortal world and the gods
Fable By getting another fool to wear his clown mask
Fable: The Lost Chapters As a large dragon (you just can't keep a Dark Lord down)
Icewind Dale By capturing the power of the Crystal Shard
Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes Somehow. Who knows? He's back, anyway.
Neverwinter Nights I forget, but they're back somehow.
Neverwinter Nights 2 Because he wasn't quite defeated the first time
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer As the Spirit Eater, a being that devours souls while inhabiting (and slowly destroying) a host body (in this case, you)
Diablo By possessing the Archbishop Lazerus
Diablo II By possessing the hero of the first game
Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone The adventurers accidentally free them
The Temple of Elemental Evil By gathering followers who plan to release her from the Temple
Gladius By corrupting mortals with Dark Affinity
Jade Empire Well, the Water Dragon returns as a spirit
Runescape (Demon Slayer quest) As a demon summoned by evil mages
The Legend of Zelda Resurrected by magic, but by different people each time
Two Worlds By the Orcs trying to free him from his tomb
Bone As a voice in a cave
Harry Potter As a powerful spirit attempting to regain full life
Eragon (Inheritance Trilogy) He's still alive, because he's immortal
Spyro: A New Beginning As another big black dragon
Star Wars As the latest Sith, Darth Sidious, who uses deceit to wipe out the Jedi and become Emperor. He also creates Darth Vader.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Well, he's still Darth Malak, but he's missing his mouth
Mass Effect As Sovereign, a Reaper who was left behind and is now manipulating servants to help bring back his brethren
Halo Released by the Covenant from the Halo rings
   

 

The only hope against the Dark Lord is:

The Lord of the Rings A simple Hobbit named Frodo
So You Wanna Be An Adventurer? A simple farmer named Bob
Sojourn A simple archer named Arwyn
Dark Messiah of Might & Magic A simple generic dude named Sareth
Dungeon Siege II A simple mercenary named (player's choice)
Baldur's Gate A simple orphan named (player's choice)
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind A simple prisoner named (player's choice)
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion A simple prisoner named (player's choice)
The Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine A simple prisoner named (player's choice)
Titan Quest A simple traveler named (player's choice)
Fable The super-generic Hero (that's even his name)
Fable: The Lost Chapters The same Hero once again
Icewind Dale A band of six heroes (of the player's creation)
Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes The SAME four heroes, resurrected! Honestly!
Neverwinter Nights A simple student named (player's choice)
Neverwinter Nights 2 A simple orphan named (player's choice)
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer The hero from the prevoius game (you), the new possessor of the Spirit Eater curse.
Diablo A simple generic hero (player's choice)
Diablo II A simple generic hero (player's choice)
Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone A fighter named Rhannek, a sorcerer named Illius, and a rogue named Zhai
The Temple of Elemental Evil A band of five heroes (of the player's creation)
Gladius A simple gladiator (Valens or Ursula)
Jade Empire A simple student named (player's choice)
Runescape (Demon Slayer quest) A simple adventurer named (player's choice)
The Legend of Zelda A simple rancher/kid named Link (not the same as the previous one)
Two Worlds A wandering bounty hunter with no name
Bone A simple farm girl named Thorn
Harry Potter A simple wizard student named Harry Potter
Eragon (Inheritance Trilogy) A simple farmer named Eragon
Spyro: A New Beginning A simple orphaned purple dragon named Spyro
Star Wars A simple farmer named Luke Skywalker
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic A simple Republic soldier named (player's choice)
Mass Effect A simple Alliance soldier named Commander Shepard
Halo A cyborg super-soldier, the Master Chief
   

Who is out to avenge (or at least is motivated by):

The Lord of the Rings n/a
So You Wanna Be An Adventurer? The burning of his farm and killing of his uncle
Sojourn The burning of her home and killing of her husband and daughter
Dark Messiah of Might & Magic The burning of the free city of Stonehelm and killing of Leanna's uncle, Menelag
Dungeon Siege II The burning of the elf city where you lived and killing of your friend, Drevin
Baldur's Gate The death of your foster father Gorion
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind n/a
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion The burning of Kvatch and assassination of the Emperor Uriel Septim
The Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine The burning of the chapel in Anvil
Titan Quest The burning of various villages, etc.
Zelda series Well, he's out to save Hyrule, not necessarily to avenge anything particular though.
Fable The burning of his home and killing of his family
Fable: The Lost Chapters Same as before, only now he's trying to finish it for good
Icewind Dale The burning of Easthaven and killing of Hrothgar
Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes Well, I guess being killed the FIRST time...
Neverwinter Nights The burning of the Neverwinter Academy
Neverwinter Nights 2 The burning of West Harbor and killing of just about everyone there (...twice)
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer The takeover of his body and the deaths of most of his previous companions
Diablo The burning of the town of Tristram and killing of King Leoric
Diablo II The burning of various places and killing of various people, etc. The usual.
Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone Rhannek wants to avenge his village which was destroyed by trolls, and the other two want to fit in
The Temple of Elemental Evil Your beginning depends on your alignment... some people are out to avenge things, others not so much.
Gladius The death of his (Valens's) father (Munio)
Jade Empire The burning of Two Rivers and the deaths of the students there
Runescape (Demon Slayer quest) n/a
The Legend of Zelda Different in every game, but usually involves the kidnapping of Princess Zelda
Two Worlds The kidnapping of his sister Kira
Bone The burning of her town
Harry Potter The killing of his parents (and, by the end of the books, just about everyone else he ever loved)
Eragon (Inheritance Trilogy) The burning of his home and killing of his uncle
Spyro: A New Beginning Well, I guess they killed a bunch of other dragon eggs or something
Star Wars The burning of his home and killing of his aunt and uncle
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic The bombing of Taris and lots of other stuff
Mass Effect The destruction of the colony Eden Prime and the death of at least one party member
Halo The destruction of Reach and most of the other Spartans
   

Along the way, our hero is guided by a wise (perhaps omniscient) being:

The Lord of the Rings The wizard Gandalf, mostly
So You Wanna Be An Adventurer? The Lady of the Pond
Sojourn The sorceress Neven
Dark Messiah of Might & Magic Master Phenrig and the demoness Xana
Dungeon Siege II The old Azunite scholar, who turns out to be the leader of the Dark Wizards
Baldur's Gate The wizard Elminster
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind The goddess Azura
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Brother Martin, who turns out to be Martin Semptim, the Emperor's son
The Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine The Prophet, an annoying crazy old man
Titan Quest The Order of Prometheus and its followers
Fable The wizard Maze
Fable: The Lost Chapters Guildmaster, Briar Rose, the Oracle, Scythe...
Icewind Dale The old archdruid, Arundel
Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes Some old man, who turns out to be the badguy
Neverwinter Nights Lady Aribeth de Tylmerande, Paladin of Tyr, and Right Hand to Lord Nasher Alagondar
Neverwinter Nights 2 Ammon Jerro...? Many different beings, really.
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer The Red Woman (and others)
Diablo The Elder Cain
Diablo II Deckard Cain
Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone The wizard Khelben Blackstaff
The Temple of Elemental Evil n/a
Gladius Umm... Usus?
Jade Empire The spirit of the Water Dragon herself
Runescape (Demon Slayer quest) The old Gypsy Aris
The Legend of Zelda Midna, Navi, Ezlo, the King of Red Lions... It's a different wise, magical creature in every game
Two Worlds Your sister Kira, and also Gandohar
Bone Grandma, the barkeeper Lucious, and a Big Red Dragon
Harry Potter The old wizard headmaster, Dumbledore, who literally guides him through everything
Eragon (Inheritance Trilogy) The old Dragonrider, Brom. When he dies, he's guided by his dragon, Saphira
Spyro: A New Beginning Some big red dragon voiced by Gary Oldman
Star Wars The old Jedi, Obi-Wan Kenobi
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic I guess Bastila, though she's not so mysterious
Mass Effect n/a
Halo Mostly Cortana, also 343 Guilty Spark and Gravemind at times
   

Who reveals that, in order to defeat the Dark Lord, the hero needs:

The Lord of the Rings The One Ring (which luckily he already has)
So You Wanna Be An Adventurer? The pieces of the golden sword Carasmyr
Sojourn The five pieces of the golden arrow of Ayden
Dark Messiah of Might & Magic A magic skull called the Skull of Shadows
Dungeon Siege II The four pieces of the shield of Azunai
Baldur's Gate n/a
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind The "One-Clan-Under-Moon-and-Star" ring, as well as Sunder, Keening, and Wraithguard
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion The Amulet of Kings
The Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine The Crusader's Relics (armor and weapons)
Titan Quest Lots of different things for each part of the game
Fable Apparently some kind of Sword of Aeons
Fable: The Lost Chapters Sword of Aeons from vanilla Fable or Avos Tear if you destroyed Aeons at the end.
Icewind Dale The Heartstone Gem
Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes These crystals that enhance their personal ancient weapons.
Neverwinter Nights First the Waterdhavian Creatures, then some Words of Power
Neverwinter Nights 2 The shards of the Silver Sword of the Githyanki
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer The pieces of Akachi's old mask, the titular Mask of the Betrayer
Diablo ???
Diablo II The soulstones of Diablo and his brothers, which the hero wants to destroy.
Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone A Demon Stone
The Temple of Elemental Evil The Orb of Golden Death (a golden skull) and four gems, each related to the four elements
Gladius Munio's armor / the Valkyrie equipment
Jade Empire The pieces of the Spirit Monk Amulet
Runescape (Demon Slayer quest) 3 keys to unlock the sword Silverlight that was used by Wally to slay Delrith.
The Legend of Zelda The Master Sword and usually the Triforce, which consists of 3 magical items
Two Worlds The pieces of a relic once owned by his parents (and yes, the pieces are related to the classic elements)
Bone The Crown of Horns
Harry Potter A wand and some wizard training, plus six or so "horcruxes," or parts of Voldemort's soul, and let's not forget the three Deathly Hallows. That's quite a lot of stuff.
Eragon (Inheritance Trilogy) A dragon (which he has), a special Dragonrider sword, and training in the Force
Spyro: A New Beginning I didn't get far enough in the horrible game to find out, but I'm sure they came up with something
Star Wars A lightsaber and training in the Force
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic The four or so Star Maps
Mass Effect The messages left behind in the Beacons, and the ability to understand them
Halo Usually the Index of the given Halo installation, but also some place called the Ark
   

 

On the course of the journey, it turns out our hero is actually:

The Lord of the Rings n/a
So You Wanna Be An Adventurer? The Chosen One spoken of in an ancient prophecy (and also the son of -SPOILERS-)
Sojourn Your typical Chosen One with a destiny
Dark Messiah of Might & Magic The Dark Messiah, son of the Demon Sovereign
Dungeon Siege II Last of the Azunites, descendants of Azunai
Baldur's Gate One of the Bhaalspawn, children of Bhaal
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind The Nerevarine, reincarnation of Nerevar
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Your typical Chosen One with a destiny
The Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine Your typical Chosen One with a destiny
Titan Quest Your typical Chosen One with a destiny
Fable A descendant of the bloodline of the Archons
Fable: The Lost Chapters Oracle says you're the one prophesized to defeat the Dragon
Icewind Dale n/a
Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes ... the heroes that killed him the first time!
Neverwinter Nights n/a
Neverwinter Nights 2 A survivor of the opening battle, when a shard of the silver sword became lodged in your chest, effectively making you a "chosen one."
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer The new Spirit Eater, possessor of the ancient curse (though this is revealed pretty early on, so I'm not sure if it counts)
Diablo n/a
Diablo II n/a
Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone n/a
The Temple of Elemental Evil n/a
Gladius The Valkyrie (Ursula)
Jade Empire The last of the Spirit Monks, guardians of the Water Dragon
Runescape (Demon Slayer quest) n/a
The Legend of Zelda The Hero of Time
Two Worlds The son of some very important parents whose importance has not been fully revealed to me yet (I'm still playing the game)
Bone The Princess of Atheia and the Veni-Yan-Cari (the chosen one)
Harry Potter The "Boy who Lived," the only person to survive Voldemort's death spell, thus chosen as the only one who can defeat him.
Eragon (Inheritance Trilogy) The son of Galbatorix' main minion, Morzan (who is now dead)
Spyro: A New Beginning The last purple dragon or prophesized chosen one or some such cliché
Star Wars Darth Vader's son (gasp!)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Darth Revan, the original Sith Lord
Mass Effect n/a
Halo n/a
   

And Somebody turns out to be evil or a traitor:

The Lord of the Rings Saruman, Gollum, perhaps Boromir...
So You Wanna Be An Adventurer? - SPOILERS -
Sojourn The thief Cassidy (though she wasn't really a traitor), and possibly others if the story had ever been finished...
Dark Messiah of Might & Magic Master Phenrig and Xana (although Xana is still very helpful, so I don't consider her too bad)
Dungeon Siege II The old man helping you is actually the badguy
Baldur's Gate In ToB, the benevolent Mellisan turns out to be the main badguy (there's also Yoshimo in SoA)
The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind Either you or the Tribunal, depending on your point of view...
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion n/a
The Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine One of the knights turned traitor
Titan Quest n/a
Fable The old man helping you is actually a badguy
Fable: The Lost Chapters n/a
Icewind Dale The cranky old merchant in the beginning is actually the main badguy
Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes The old man helping you is actually the badguy
Neverwinter Nights Aribeth turns traitor on Neverwinter
Neverwinter Nights 2 The ranger Bishop, and possibly many others (depending on how well you treated your party)
Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer ???
Diablo ???
Diablo II ???
Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone n/a
The Temple of Elemental Evil Several NPCs are actually working for the Temple
Gladius Valens's friend Ludo turns to the Dark Side
Jade Empire Master Li of Two Rivers, whom you've been trying to save, turns out to be the big badguy
Runescape (Demon Slayer quest) n/a
The Legend of Zelda None, though alot of people turn out to be different good guys (Midna the Twilight Princess, Tetra actually Zelda, etc.)
Two Worlds Well, the Darth Vader guy whose name I forget turned traitor on his band of Vader lookalikes in order to help you...
Bone n/a, as far as I know
Harry Potter Snape (who is originally believed to be a traitor to Dumbledore, but is actually a traitor to Voldemort)
Eragon (Inheritance Trilogy) Murthagh, a friend Eragon meets later, turns out to be Morzan's son (this is before Eragon discovers him to be his brother)
Spyro: A New Beginning Dunno, I didn't get far enough, as I said
Star Wars Lando Calrissian turns them in to Vader
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Bastila turns to the Dark Side
Mass Effect Urdnot Wrex the krogan will betray you unless you can talk him out of it
Halo Both 343 Guilty Spark and Gravemind use the Master Chief while keeping him ignorant of their true intentions
   

n/a = Not Applicable. This cliché doesn't really apply to this particular story at all, no matter how much I try to stretch it.
??? = I don't know this one for sure. It probably applies, but I don't know the source material well enough to say for certain.

Note on SYWBAA: To avoid giving out too many spoilers for this story-in-progress, I've left many of the entries blank (with the word - SPOILERS -).
Note on Fable: I've never played this game, so everything here I just read on the Internet.
Note on D&D Heroes: This game had a pitiful, forgettable story, so I've forgotten many of the names, but trust me, it fits the formula perfectly.
Note on Diablo: I never played this game, even though I do own it, so everything here I just read on the Internet. The "???"s are things I don't know.
Note on Diablo II: I never finished this game, so most of the stuff here I had to read on the Internet. The "???"s are things I don't know.

Help Expand the List!
Do you see a mistake? Can you think of something I missed, such as a movie I forgot or a game I haven't played?
Just fill in the blanks as listed above and send it to me at justin@saber-scorpion.com! Thanks for your help!

Thanks to Joker for the info on Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone
Thanks to GoldenElite0 for helping me refine the Fable entries and add Fable: The Lost Chapters
Thanks to Alex Dennis for criticizing my Halo entries so that I was forced to modify them to fit better.
Thanks to Stephen Jett for suggesting Halo
Thanks to Richard Greenberg (The_Arbiter) for additional info on the Zelda series.
Thanks to Kenny Patterson for some help on the Diablo entries.
Thanks to Dario for the information on Eragon (Inheritance Trilogy).
Thanks to Fearghas (Jockthebrave) for the information on Runescape (Demon Slayer quest).
Thanks to Zandair Draco for the idea of including Harry Potter and the info on Bone.
Thanks to Xerxes Fett for helping me improve the Star Wars entries.
Thanks to Dave Starkiller for my initial info on the Legend of Zelda.
Thanks to Beau Nichols for helping me improve the Morrowind entries.