Novel character map
Turn cast notes into needs, lies, pressure, and hidden truths.
PNG for posts
A free 2× PNG with a small watermark, or a clean 4× PNG with a single-chart export or a Plus or Pro plan.
Free · No sign-up
Free Character Relationship Chart Maker Characters. Lines. Meaning.
A character relationship chart maker for casts too big to hold in your head. Free, no sign-up, and everything you draw stays yours.
- No account to start
- Commercial use on every plan
- Works on phone, tablet, and desktop
Edit free and download a watermarked PNG. Need a clean copy? Export one chart for a one-time $8, or choose a plan.
Story mapThe Lantern House
MutualOne-wayBrokenSecret
Or open a starter
OC relationship chartStart with friends, rivals, mentors, and secrets.6 people · 7 linesEdit this template →
Character webConnect a central character to the rest of the cast.7 people · 9 linesEdit this template →
Ship chartCrushes, exes, jealousy, and who's secretly dating.6 people · 8 linesEdit this template →
TTRPG NPC mapPatrons, guilds, debts, and the rumor that matters.7 people · 9 linesEdit this template →
01Simple to start.
Simple to start.
Advanced when it gets deep.
The editor starts in Simple: people, lines, and labels, with nothing else in your way. Switch to Advanced when the cast grows and you want photos, roles, line styles, a legend, an outline you can search, and auto-layouts. The editor remembers the mode you used last, it's the same chart in both modes, and Advanced is free on every plan.
Simple
Sketch the cast in minutes
- Start with 2–6 people or a template
- Drag from one person to another to draw a line, then name it
- Flip a line's direction; bend or straighten it
- Six colors and four fill styles for people
- Arrange, zoom, undo, and redo
- Export a PNG or share a read-only link
Advanced · Free on every plan
Hold the whole story
- Photos, sizes, and shapes for people
- Roles, tags, and a note under any name
- Paste a cast list, one name per line
- Line colors, dashes, dots, weights, arrowheads, and elbow routes
- An outline with search and focus mode
- Seven auto-layouts, plus align and distribute
- A legend, backgrounds, and a title band on exports
Switch modes any time; nothing on the chart is lost. Text and Group tools come with Plus and Pro.
02What Advanced
What Advanced
adds
Advanced is a switch, not an upgrade. Every tool below is free on every plan, and whatever you add stays on the chart when you switch back to Simple.
Photos, sizes & shapes
Give anyone a photo, cropped to fit. Make the lead XL and the extras small, in circles, squares, or rounded squares.
Roles, tags & notes
A role under each name, tags for search, a note under anyone, and a hover note on any relationship.
Line styles
Solid, dashed, or dotted. Thin to heavy. Filled, open, or dot arrowheads. Curved lines or clean elbow routes.
Labels that stay readable
Plain, boxed, or filled labels. Drag any label along its line or off to one side, and it keeps its place on the line as people move.
Legend & backgrounds
A legend that explains each color and line style, on a white, paper, grid, or dot background.
Outline & search
Every person and relationship as a sortable list. Search names, roles, tags, and notes; matches light up and the rest fades.
Auto-layouts & align
Circle, grid, row, column, hierarchy, force, and Tidy, which cuts crossings and overlaps. Align and distribute in one click.
Copy, paste & shortcuts
Copy people with their lines into another chart, duplicate, nudge with the arrow keys, and press ? to see every shortcut.
Backups & title band
Download the chart as a JSON backup and restore it with undo. Add a title band with the chart name and counts to any export.
03Where cast notes
Where cast notes
stop working
A list hides the tension
Names in a doc don't show who wants what from whom. Lines labeled with verbs do.
Big casts turn into noise
Colors, line styles, a legend, and search keep factions and secrets readable at thirty people.
Moving one person breaks the layout
Lines and labels follow the people you drag. Arrange or Tidy re-lays the chart, and Undo is one tap away.
The final image is a screenshot
Export a real PNG, SVG, or PDF, sized for print, posts, and slides.
Cast, lines, and export in one browser tab.
04From blank page
From blank page
to finished chart
-
Add your cast
Pick 2–6 people, open a template, or paste a list of names in Advanced.
-
Draw what connects them
Drag from one person to another and label the line with a verb: covers for, owes, wants to replace.
-
Make the shape readable
Drag people into place or let Arrange do it. Color the factions. Dash the secrets in Advanced.
-
Export or share
Download a free PNG, buy clean files when you need them, or send a read-only link.
05Start with a
Start with a
template
Skip the blank canvas. Each starter below uses real characters and relationship lines you can rename, rearrange, and make your own.
Mystery suspect board
Connect clues, suspects, motives, witnesses, and alibi conflicts.
Fantasy faction map
See alliances, trade, feuds, claims, and secret pacts at once.
OC relationship chart
A flexible web for original characters, secrets, rivals, and mentors.
Character web
Put a central figure in context with allies, family, and enemies.
Love triangle
Make competing feelings and difficult choices visible.
TTRPG NPC map
Track factions, debts, rumors, and the next useful conversation.
Your own cast
Open the editor, pick 2–6 people, and everyone starts connected. Rename and redraw from there.
06Export it. Share it.
Export it. Share it.
Keep it.
SVG, PDF & print
Vector and print-ready files for manuscripts, slides, and handouts. Pro adds transparent PNG and SVG backgrounds.
A read-only link
Sign in, hit Share, and send the link. Readers can view but not edit, and the link unfurls with a preview of the chart. Stop sharing any time.
Saved where you work
Without an account, your chart stays in this browser. Sign in to keep charts in your account and open them on any device.
07Your chart.
Your chart.
Your rights.
Everything you make here is yours to use commercially, on every plan, including Free. Put it in a published novel, a client deck, a paid newsletter, a game supplement, or a video. There's no non-commercial license on your own work.
Published work
Print it in a novel, a series bible, a rulebook, or a game supplement.
Client projects
Use it in pitch decks, writers' rooms, and work you deliver for clients.
Monetized content
Show it in videos, streams, newsletters, and paid posts.
Free PNGs carry a small watermark; clean exports start at $8.
08Pay only when you
Pay only when you
need clean files
Every editing tool in Simple and Advanced is free, except Text and Group. You pay for clean exports and more saved charts.
Free
$0
Every Simple and Advanced editing tool except Text and Group.
- 3 saved charts
- 1 share link
- 2× PNG with a watermark
One chart
$8 once
Clean files for the one chart you want to publish. No subscription.
- 4× PNG, no watermark
- SVG, PDF, and print
- Edit and re-export that chart
Plus
$7.99 / month
Or $69.99 a year ($5.83/mo). Less per month than a single export.
- 20 saved charts
- Unlimited share links
- Text and Group tools
- Every clean export
Pro is $14.99 a month or $131.99 a year for unlimited charts and transparent PNG and SVG. Commercial use is allowed on every plan. Secure checkout by Stripe; manage or cancel any time from Manage billing. Compare all plans →
09Who ends up
Who ends up
drawing one
Start from the way you actually work: outlining a novel, building a world, preparing a tabletop campaign, or studying a finished chart.
Novelists
Keeping a cast of twenty straight across a draft, and spotting the character who quietly stopped mattering in act two.
Read the writer guide →Worldbuilders
Map factions, families, loyalties, and conflicts without flattening them into a family tree.
Read the worldbuilding guide →TTRPG groups
Tracking NPC factions, debts, and grudges across a campaign, where the web changes every session.
Read the GM guide →Fanfic & OC
Placing original characters into an existing cast, or showing readers how a large AU fits together.
See the OC template →Finished examples
See three original relationship maps and what each layout makes easier to understand.
Browse examples →10Field guide
What a character
relationship chart is
A character relationship chart is a diagram of the people in a story and the connections between them. Each character is a node. Each connection is a line, labelled with what that connection is: rivals, siblings, ex-partners, the one who knows the secret.
It answers questions a character list can't. Who is isolated? Which two characters have never shared a scene, and should they? Is your antagonist connected to anyone besides the protagonist? A list tells you who exists. A chart tells you how the story holds together.
It goes by other names depending on who's drawing it — relationship map, character web, ship chart, character connection diagram. They're the same thing.
How to build one
that's actually useful
Start with who causes things
Not everyone belongs on the chart. Begin with the handful whose choices move the plot. Background characters can be added later, or left off entirely.
Draw only the lines that carry weight
If every character is linked to every other character, the chart tells you nothing. A line should mean something happened, or something will.
Label each line with a verb
"Friends" is static. "Covered for her" or "wants his job" points somewhere. Verbs make it obvious which relationships still have tension left in them.
Look for the shape
Step back. Clusters that never touch mean two stories running in parallel. A character with one thin line is a character you can cut. That's the payoff.
11
Questions
Getting started
Do I need an account?
No account is needed to build a chart or download a free watermarked PNG. Sign in to save across devices, create a share link, or buy paid exports.
Does it work on my phone?
Yes. The editor runs in mobile Safari and Chrome with touch controls, and there's nothing to install. In Advanced, the panel opens as a sheet from the bottom of the screen.
The editor
What's the difference between Simple and Advanced?
They're two modes of the same chart. Simple keeps to people, lines, labels, colors, and Arrange. Advanced adds photos, sizes and shapes, roles and tags, line styles and a legend, an outline with search, auto-layouts, keyboard shortcuts, and backups. Switch any time; nothing is lost. Both are free.
Can I add pictures of my characters?
Yes, in Advanced. Upload a PNG, JPEG, or WebP for any person. It's cropped to a square and stored small inside the chart, up to 40 photos per chart.
Is this the same as a genogram or a sociogram?
They're related. A genogram is a family tree with medical and relational notation, used clinically. A sociogram maps social ties in a real group, usually in research or classrooms. A character relationship chart borrows the same node-and-line idea and applies it to fiction, with no fixed notation to learn.
Export & pricing
Can I remove the watermark without a subscription?
Yes. A single-chart export costs a one-time $8 and includes 4× PNG without a watermark, SVG, PDF, and print output for one saved chart. You can edit and re-export that same chart. Compare the export and subscription options.
Can I use my charts commercially?
Yes. Charts you make are yours, including for published work, client projects, and monetised content. There's no non-commercial restriction on your own output.
Saving & sharing
Where is my chart saved?
Without an account, in this browser on this device. Sign in to save charts to your account and open them anywhere: 3 on Free, 20 on Plus, and unlimited on Pro. In Advanced you can also download a JSON backup.
Can I share a chart with someone?
Yes. Sign in, then use Share to get a link. Anyone with the link can view the chart, but not edit it. You can stop sharing at any time.
Your cast
is waiting.
Free to start. No sign-up. Yours to publish.