World-Building Prompts

# **The Whole World**

Where did the civilizations begin?

What directions did they spread?

How was development affected by the presence of working magic?

## **Magic**

**Are the laws of nature and physics actually different in this world or are they the same as in real life?**

**If the laws of nature and physics are the same, then how does magic fit in?**

**Which peoples, races, cultures, countries, or ethnicities are most magically advanced?**

**Are there magical artifacts?**

**If so, who made them and how?**

**Rules of Magic**

**What things can magic not do?**

**what are the limits of magical power?**

**Where does magic power come from? What is its source?**

**Is magic an exhaustible resource?**

**What does one need to do to cast a spell?**

**How long does it take to cast a spell?**

**Can spells be stored for later, instant use?**

**Do spells take lots of long ritual, or is magic a point-and-shoot kind of thing?**

**Can two or more wizards combine their power to cast a stronger spell?**

**What makes one wizard more powerful than another?**

**Does practising magic have any detrimental effect on the magician?**

**If the effects can be detrimental, is there any way to prevent these them?**

**Are detrimental effects inevitable in all magicians, or do they affect only those with some sort of predisposition?**

**Do the effects progress at the same rate in everyone?**

**How much is actually known in the world about the laws of magic?**

**How much of that which is “knownÉD; is actually incorrect?**

**What general varieties of magic are practised?**

**Do any varieties of magic work better than others?**

**Is there a numerical limit to the number of wizards in the world? Why?**

**Are different races good at different kinds of magic?**

**Is a magician’s lifetime normally longer or shorter than average? Why?**

**How are illegal magicians apprehended and punished?**

**Is the apprehension of illegal practitioners the responsibility of the magician’s guild, or do ordinary law enforcement**

**agencies have to deal with it?**

**How does a magician tap magical power?**

**Does becoming a magician require some rite of passage or does it just happen naturally?**

**Is magic a result of study or just part of growing up?**

**Are there things (such as magical staves, wands, familiars, and crystal balls) that are necessary or useful to have before**

**casting spells?**

**Where and how do wizards get these things?**

**Are certain kinds of magic practised solely or chiefly by one sex or another? By one race or culture or another?**

**Does a magician’s magical ability or power change over time?**

**Can a magician use up all of their magic, thus ceasing to be a magician?**

**What do an ex-magicians do with themselves?**

**Can the ability to do magic be lost? How?**

**Can the ability to do magic be forcibly taken away? How and by whom?**

**What is the price magicians pay in order to be magicians?**

**Is magic a profession, an art, or just a job?**

**What is the status accorded to magicians in society?**

## **Misc**

How was development affected by the existence of non-human races?

How have the actions of gods affected civilization’s development?

Which peoples, countries, ethnicities, and races have fought, been allies, traded, or traditionally been rivals?

Where are such old events still important or still causing hard feelings?

Which peoples, countries, ethnicities, and races have been in conflict or have allied in the recent past and why?

Which people are considered the most and least civilized?

Which people are the most and least technologically advanced?

Which people are the most and least magically advanced?

# **Religions & Mythologies**

## **Religions**

**Religion Type:** (Animism (The attribution of a soul to plans, animals, objects, and natural phenomena) / Shamanism (Involves a practitioner reaching altered states of consciousness in order to perceive and interact with a spirit world and channel these transcendental energies into this world) / Polytheism (The belief in and worship of more than one god)/ Henotheism (The adherence to one particular god out without denying the existence or possible existence of other deities ) / Monotheism (The belief that there is only one god) / Pandeism (The belief that a god preceded the universe and created it, but does not intervene in the universe) / Polydeism (The belief that multiple gods exist, but do not intervene in the universe))

**Mainly Practiced in:** (Autica(Emalorn) / Vagreon / Icoris / Eurox); [Nations]

**Mainly Practiced by**: (Aarocka / Bugbear / Dragonborn / Duergar Dwarf / Hill Dwarf / Mountain Dwarf / Drow Elf / Eladrin Elf /High Elf / Wood Elf / Firbolg / Fire Genasi / Air Genasi / Earth Genasi / Water Genasi / Deep Gnome / Forest Gnome / Rock Gnome / Svirfneblin Gnome / Grotag Goblin / Lavastep Goblin / Tuktuk Goblin / Goliath / Half-elf / Lightfoot Halfling / Stout Halfling / Half-Orc / Hobgoblin / Human / Kenku / Kobold / Kor / Krynn / Lizardfolk / Cosi Merfolk / Emeria Merfolk / Ula Merfolk / Orc / Tabaxi / Triton / Vedalken / Yuan-Ti) (Marble Araeden / Obsidian Araeden / Azerblood / Bullywug / Centaurs / Brownie / Pixie / Sprite / Glimmerfolk / Gnoll / Flind Gnoll / Spotted Gnoll / Chaos Gnome / Xvart Gnome / Cave Goblin / Forest Goblin / Grippli / Half-Dawrf / Hill Hobgoblin / Plains Hobgoblin / Mountain Kenku / Nightcrier Kenku / Shinfeather Kenku / Common Kobold / Dragonscale Kobold / Kuo-toa / Lesser Illithid / Jungle Lizardfolk / Swamp Lizardfolk / Myconid / Pangoli / Blackfur Rattling / Whiteful Rattling / Seedling / Stonechild / Troglodyte / Halfblood Yuan-Ti / Pureblood Yuan-Ti)

**Pantheon**:

**Relations with non-believers:** (Harmony / Tension or rivalry / Religious Sect majority are conquerors / Religious Sect minority are rulers / Religious Sect minority are refugees / Religious Sect majority oppresses minority / Religious Sect minority oppresses majority / Religious Sect persecutes any other religious practices)

**Relations with foreigners:** (Harmony / Tension or rivalry / Religious Sect majority are conquerors / Religious Sect minority are rulers / Religious Sect minority are refugees / Religious Sect majority oppresses minority / Religious Sect minority oppresses majority / Religious Sect persecutes any other religious practices)

**Homages:** (Construction of Churches / Construction of Shrines / Construction of Sanctuaries / Sacrifices / Prayer / Oracle)

**Evil in the world:** (Is a part of mortal nature / Is a learned behavior / must be exterminated / is important to maintain balance)

**High-ranking Classes:** (Commoners / Casters / Non-Casters / Arcane / Divine ); (Artificers / Barbarians / Bards / Clerics / Druids / Fighters / Monks / Mystics / Paladins / Rangers / Rogues / Sorcerers / Warlocks / Wizards ); (Blood Hunters / Seers / Shamans / Weavedancers )

**Praised Magic:** (None / All / Some: (Arcane / Divine); (Bards / Druids / Clerics / Paladins / Sorcerers / Warlocks / Wizards / Mystic / Blandsingers / Shamans); (Abjuration / Conjuration / Divination / Enchantment / Evocation / Illusion / Necromancy / Transmutation / Bladesinging / Psionics))

**“Evil” Magic:** (None / All / Some: (Arcane / Divine); (Bards / Druids / Clerics / Paladins / Sorcerers / Warlocks / Wizards / Mystic / Blandsingers / Shamans); (Abjuration / Conjuration / Divination / Enchantment / Evocation / Illusion / Necromancy / Transmutation / Bladesinging / Psionics))

# **Nations**

## **PROVINCES**

**Location:**

**General Focus:** (Commerce / Education / Agriculture / Defense / Industry / Technology / Magic)

**Current Ruler:**

**Race Majority:** (Aarocka / Bugbear / Dragonborn / Duergar Dwarf / Hill Dward / Mountain Dwarf / Drow Elf / Eladrin Elf / High Elf / Wood Elf / Firbolg / Fire Genasi / Air Genasi / Earth Genasi / Water Genasi / Deep Gnome / Forest Gnome / Rock Gnome / Svirfneblin Gnome / Grotag Goblin / Lavastep Goblin / Tuktuk Goblin / Goliath / Half-elf / Lightfoot Halfling / Stout Halfling / Half-Orc / Hobgoblin / Human / Kenku / Kobold / Kor / Krynn / Lizardfolk / Cosi Merfolk / Emeria Merfolk / Ula Merfolk / Orc / Tabaxi / Triton / Vedalken / Yuan-Ti) (Marble Araeden / Obsidian Araeden / Azerblood / Bullywug / Centaurs / Brownie / Pixie / Sprite / Glimmerfolk / Gnoll / Flind Gnoll / Spotted Gnoll / Chaos Gnome / Xvart Gnome / Cave Goblin / Forest Goblin / Grippli / Half-Dawrf / Hill Hobgoblin / Plains Hobgoblin / Mountain Kenku / Nightcrier Kenku / Shinfeather Kenku / Common Kobold / Dragonscale Kobold / Kuo-toa / Lesser Illithid / Jungle Lizardfolk / Swamp Lizardfolk / Myconid / Pangoli / Blackfur Rattling / Whiteful Rattling / Seedling / Stonechild / Troglodyte / Halfblood Yuan-Ti / Pureblood Yuan-Ti)

**Religious Majority:** (Bastina / Sakerset / Cevetean / Ostura / Vigarute / Dezval / Strasnic / Incheia / Vanatare / Marfure / Getica)

**Major Cities:**

## **GOVERNMENT**

**Government Type:**

* **Aristocratic** (Controlled by a small class of privileged people) - Kraterocracy (Ruled by Strong) / Plutocracy (Ruled by Wealthy) / Geniocracy (Ruled by Intelligent) / Meritocracy (Ruled by Meritorious) / Technocracy (Ruled by Educated) / Timocracy (Ruled by Honorable)
* **Despotic** (Controlled by a single entity with complete power) – Autocracy (Ruled by an Individual) / Oligarcy (Ruled by a Few Individuals)
* **Monarchic** (Controlled by a royal family) – Absolute Monarchy (Ultimate Governing Authority, head of state and head of government) / Constitutional Monarchy (Monarch limited by a formal constitution, assigned to a Head of State) / Crowned Republic (ceremonial entity with no political power)
* **Dictatorial** – Authoritarian (Controlled by unelected rules with some degree of individual freedom) / Totalitarian (Highly centralized and coercive authority that regulates nearly every aspect of public and private life)
* **Democratic** (Large proportions of the population vote on decisions or vote on a representative to make decisions on their behalf) – Democracy (all people are involved in electing people to make decisions) / Demarchy (Decision makers are randomly selected from a broadly inclusive pool of eligible citizens) / Direct Democracy (The people represent themselves and vote directly for new laws and policies) / Electocracy (Citizens vote for their government but don’t directly participate in decision making) / Liberal Democracy (Fair, free, and competitive elections between multiple distinct political parties, separation of power into different branches of government, protection of human rights and civil liberties) / Representative Democracy (Elected representitives to create and implement public policy)  / Social Democracy (Progressive capitalism will result in the evolution of a communist economy) / Totalitarian Democracy (Lawfully elected representatives maintain the state, while the citizens have little to no participation)
* **Republican** (offices of states are directly or indirectly elected or appointed rather than inherited) – Republic (a significant portion of the people have supreme control over the government, offices of state are elected) / Constitutional Republic (Powers are limited by a formal constitution, and offices are chosen by vote amongst at least some sections of the population) / Democratic Republic (all eligible citizens have an equal say in the local and national decisions that affect their lives) / Parliamentary Republic (Head of state and head of government are kept separate, and elected by a parliament) / Federal Republic (republican government over several states that form a unity but remain independent in internal affairs) / Socialist Republic (Governed for the people, but with no direct elections)
* **Federalism** (sovereignty is constitutionally divided between a central governing authority and constituent political units) – Federalism (A significant portion of people elect offices of state) / Federal Monarchy (A single monarch heads the federation, with other monarchs – or non-monarchial systems of government – in the various states within the federation) / Federal Republic (a federal union of states uess a republican form of government)
* **Oligarchic** (Governments ruled by a small group of segregated, powerful people) – Kritarchy (Ruled by judges) / Ergatocracy ( (Rule by the working class) / Netocracy (Rule by social connections) / Stratocracy (Rule by military service) / Theocracy (Rule by a religious elite)
* **Pejorative** (influenced by sectors with political power that are not part of the formal government) – Bankcracy (Rule by Banks; financial authorities rule society) / Corporatocracy (Rule by Corporations; political system controlled by corporate interests) / Nepotocracy (Rule by Nephews; favoritism to family) / Kleptocracy (Rule by Thieves; officials and ruling class pursue personal wealth and power at the expense of the wider population) / Ochlocracy (Rule by the General Populace; intimidation of authorities by demagoguery)
* **Anarchy** (A Society without a publicly enforced government or political authority) / Anocracy (Power isn’t vested in public institutions, but spread among elite groups that constantly compete for power) / Banana Republic (Politically unstable kle[ptocratic government that economically depends upon the export of a limited resource and stratification of social classes) / Maoism (continuous revolution is necessary if the leaders are to keep in touch with their people)
* **Adhocracy** (Ruled by a relatively disorganized system) / Band Society (Rule by a government based on small (usually family) unit with a semi-informal hierarchy, with the strongest as leader) / Bureaucracy (Rule by a system with many administrators and petty officials) / Chiefdom (Tribalism; rule based on a small complex society of varying degrees of centralization led by one chief) / Parliamentary System (Political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them) / Presidential system (executive branch is led by a president who serves as head of state and head of government) / Nomocracy (Rule by a government under sovereignty of rational laws and civic right as opposed to one under theocratic systems of government. In a nomocracy, ultimate and final authority (sovereignty) exists in the law)
* **Capitalism** (social-economic system in which workers negotiate with owners of means of production to use those means of production in exchange for a portion of what the workers produce) / Communism (social-economic system in which means of production are commonly owned (either by the people directly, through the commune or by communist society), and production is undertaken for use, rather than for profit) / Distributism (social-economic system in which widespread property ownership as fundamental right; the means of production are spread as widely as possible rather than being centralized under the control of the state) / Fuedalism (social-economic system of land ownership and duties. Under feudalism, all the land in a kingdom was the king's. However, the king would give some of the land to the lords or nobles who fought for him. These presents of land were called manors. Then the nobles gave some of their land to vassals. The vassals then had to do duties for the nobles. The lands of vassals were called fiefs) / Socialism (social-economic system in which workers, democratically and socially own the means of production and the economic framework may be decentralized, distributed or centralized planned or self-managed in autonomous economic units) / Statism (social-economic system that concentrates power in the state at the expense of individual freedom) / Welfare State (social-economic system in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens)
* **Corporate Republic** (While retaining some semblance of republican government, a corporate republic would be run primarily like a business, involving a board of directors and executives. Utilities, including hospitals, schools, the military, and the police force, would be privatized) / Magocracy (Rule by a government with the highest and main authority being either a magician, sage, sorcerer, wizard or witch. This is often similar to a theocratic structured regime) / Uniocracy (Ruled by a singularity of all human minds connected via some form of technical or non-technical telepathy acting as a form of super computer to make decisions based on shared patterned experiences to deliver fair and accurate decisions to problems as they arrive)

### **Current Leader:**

**Leader title:** (Councilor / Minister / Mayor / King / Emperor)

**Leader Succession:** (Hereditary / Elected / Appointed)

**Leader protected by:** (One individual / Several individuals / An army)

**Leader’s Status:** (Respected, fair, and just / Feared tyrant / Weakling manipulated by others, Illegitimate ruler, simmering civil war / Ruled or controlled by a powerful monster / Mysterious, anonymous cabal / Contested leadership, open fighting / Cabal seized power openly / Doltish lout / On deathbed, claimants compete for power / Iron-willed but respected / Religious leader)

### **Current Military Leader:**

**Military led by:** (Appointed individual / Elected individual / King / Royal Family member)

**Military Leader’s title:** (Admiral / General / Marshal / Strategos / Warlord / Polemarchos / Epihipparch / Lord)

### **Current tax collector leader:**

**Taxes:** (Currency / Labor / Crops / Military service)

**Tax collectors led by:** (Appointed individual / Elected individual / King / Royal Family member / King / Military Leader)

**Power measured by:** (Army size / Number and ability of wizards / Money and trades)

### **Crime & Legal System**

**Determining guilt:** (Assumed guilty if accuser is “trustworthy” / trial / Accuser presents case to” king”)

**Degrees of guilt:** (Universal / Major and Minor / etc)

**Acceptable punishment forms:** (Torture / Magic / Prison  / Stockades / Hangings / Fines / Branding / Public Whippings / Removal of body parts / Public executions)

**Crime control:** (Police / Knights / Guards)

### **Foreign Relations & Politics**

**Formal Allies:** (Gortaria / Zuron / Xavia / Khandra / Nikaeland / Cevetica / Wrestland / Umikari / Ille Kavera)

**Formal Enemies:** (Gortaria / Zuron / Xavia / Khandra / Nikaeland / Cevetica / Wrestland / Umikari / Ille Kavera)

**Ambassadors and Envoys:** (Nobles / Wealthy / Appointed / Anyone) (Established / only when necessary)

**Foreign Relations & Trade:** (Minimal Impact: Trade is open to most places / Minimal Impact: Trade is open only with allies /  Major Impact: Trade is open to most places / Major Impact: Trade is open only with allies / Major Impact: Trade is dangerous due to enemies)

**Espionage:** (Formal Agents / Military agents / Merchants)

**Political Marriages: (**Common / Uncommon / Rare / [Existing] / [Upcoming])

**Technological advancement:** (Very Low / Low / Moderate / High / Very High)

**Social advancement:** (Very Low / Low / Moderate / High / Very High)

**Political advancement:** (Very Low / Low / Moderate / High / Very High)

### **War**

**Ongoing effects: (**Tension / harmony / turmoil)

**Military’s use of Magic:** (None / Minimal / Some / Major) (As a weapon / To develop strategy)

**Command Structure:** (Formal / Independent / Dictatorial)

**Accepted war conventions: (**only fight in winter when nobody is busy with crops / don’t make war on civilians / only certain kinds of weapons are used / no war on certain holidays)

## **ECONOMY**

**Economic System**: (Traditional Economy (Products and services produced that are a direct result of beliefs, customs, traditions, religions, etc) / Command Economy (Production of services and products are regulated by the government) / Market Economy (Organizations run by the people determine how the economy runs, how supply is generated, what demands are necessary, etc) / Mixed Economy (A mixture of Market and Command economies – Government only controls the market in a few key places))

**Exchange form:** (Standard Currency / Bartering)

## **Socio-Economic System:**

**Capitalism** (social-economic system in which workers negotiate with owners of means of production to use those means of production in exchange for a portion of what the workers produce) / Communism (social-economic system in which means of production are commonly owned (either by the people directly, through the commune or by communist society), and production is undertaken for use, rather than for profit) / Distributism (social-economic system in which widespread property ownership as fundamental right; the means of production are spread as widely as possible rather than being centralized under the control of the state) / Fuedalism (social-economic system of land ownership and duties. Under feudalism, all the land in a kingdom was the king's. However, the king would give some of the land to the lords or nobles who fought for him. These presents of land were called manors. Then the nobles gave some of their land to vassals. The vassals then had to do duties for the nobles. The lands of vassals were called fiefs) / Socialism (social-economic system in which workers, democratically and socially own the means of production and the economic framework may be decentralized, distributed or centralized planned or self-managed in autonomous economic units) / Statism (social-economic system that concentrates power in the state at the expense of individual freedom) / Welfare State (social-economic system in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens)

**Known for its:** (Philosophy / Athletics / Music / Drama / Art / Scholars / Astronomers / Inventors / Religious Ministries)

**Major trade goods:** (Cabbage / Soybean / Millet / Rice / Wheat / Hemp / Silk / Flowers / Tea / Carrots / Oranges / Onions / Fleece / Wheat / Grapes/ Ginger / Salt / Saffron / Cinnamon  / Pepper / Cloves / Garlic / Olives / Milk / Cheese / Pork / Beef / Venison / Mutton / Fish / Urchins) (Chickens / Pig / Cattle / Horses / Sheep / Goats / Deer / Ox / Camels / Donkey / Mules / Elephants / Mastiffs / Ponies / Warhorses) (Lacquer / Clay / Bronze / Iron / Steel / Stone / Marble / Silver / Copper / Gold / Platinum / Timber) (Flour / Olive Oil / Whine / Sculptures / Jade / Paper / Canvas / Linen / Cotton / Cloth / Bronzeware / Lacquerware / Tack / Harnesses / Land Vehicles / Water Vehicles)

## **POPULATION**

**Race majority:**  (Aarocka / Bugbear / Dragonborn / Duergar Dwarf / Hill Dward / Mountain Dwarf / Drow Elf / Eladrin Elf / High Elf / Wood Elf / Firbolg / Fire Genasi / Air Genasi / Earth Genasi / Water Genasi / Deep Gnome / Forest Gnome / Rock Gnome / Svirfneblin Gnome / Grotag Goblin / Lavastep Goblin / Tuktuk Goblin / Goliath / Half-elf / Lightfoot Halfling / Stout Halfling / Half-Orc / Hobgoblin / Human / Kenku / Kobold / Kor / Krynn / Lizardfolk / Cosi Merfolk / Emeria Merfolk / Ula Merfolk / Orc / Tabaxi / Triton / Vedalken / Yuan-Ti) (Marble Araeden / Obsidian Araeden / Azerblood / Bullywug / Centaurs / Brownie / Pixie / Sprite / Glimmerfolk / Gnoll / Flind Gnoll / Spotted Gnoll / Chaos Gnome / Xvart Gnome / Cave Goblin / Forest Goblin / Grippli / Half-Dawrf / Hill Hobgoblin / Plains Hobgoblin / Mountain Kenku / Nightcrier Kenku / Shinfeather Kenku / Common Kobold / Dragonscale Kobold / Kuo-toa / Lesser Illithid / Jungle Lizardfolk / Swamp Lizardfolk / Myconid / Pangoli / Blackfur Rattling / Whiteful Rattling / Seedling / Stonechild / Troglodyte / Halfblood Yuan-Ti / Pureblood Yuan-Ti)

**Racial Relations:** (Harmony / Tension or rivalry / Racial majority are conquerors / Racial minority are rulers / Racial minority are refugees / Racial majority oppresses minority / Racial minority oppresses majority)

**Class majority:** (Commoners / Casters / Non-Casters / Arcane / Divine ) (Artificers / Barbarians / Bards / Clerics / Druids / Fighters / Monks / Mystics / Paladins / Rangers / Rogues / Sorcerers / Warlocks / Wizards ) (Blood Hunters  / Seers / Shamans / Weavedancers )

**Class Relations:** (Harmony / Tension or rivalry / Racial majority are conquerors / Racial minority are rulers / Racial minority are refugees / Racial majority oppresses minority / Racial minority oppresses majority)

### **Rural Factors**

**Ratio of farmers to urban residents?** (More farmers than urban residents / About equal / More urban residents than farmers)

**How it possible is it to ship food to/from a given location before it spoils?** (Transportation of food is extremely difficult in [REGIONS] / Transportation is extremely easy in [REGIONS] / Transportation of food is extremely difficult everywhere / Transportation of food is extremely easy everywhere]

**Rural areas are primarily** (farms / forests / fields for grazing / wastelands)

**Roads in rural areas** (Common / Uncommon / Rare )

**Crop production:** (Relatively dependable/ famines due to drought or floods)

**Common catastrophic weather events:** (Heat Waves / Droughts / Floods / Blizzards / Hurricanes / Tornados / Dust Storms / Hail Storms / Ice Storms / Waterspouts)

## **SOCIETY & CULTURE**

### **Daily Life:**

**Attitude towards foreigners:** (Harmony / Tension or rivalry / Racial majority are conquerors / Racial minority are rulers / Racial minority are refugees / Racial majority oppresses minority / Racial minority oppresses majority)

**Social Classes:** (None / Racial / Professional / Financial / Hereditary / Religious)

**Social Mobility:** (None / Low / Some / High)

**Resistance to Social Mobility:** (None / Low / Some / High)

**Social Class Discrimination:** (Institutionalized / Public Attitude / Both Public Attitude and Institutionalized)

## **Education**

**What education is available, and where?**  (Public Schooling / Private Schooling / Academies / Universities / Vocational Schools) (Common / Only in major cities / Only in [DISTRICT])

**Attitude towards literacy:** (Useful or necessary skill for nobility / Useful or necessary skill only scribes, clerks, or servants need / Useful or necessary skill everyone needs)

**Literacy Level:** (Almost no one / Very few people are literate / Some people are literate / About 50% of people are literate / Most people are literate / Almost everyone is literate) (Urban literacy is more common that rural literacy / Rural literacy is more common that urban literacy / [DISTRICT] literacy is more common that [DISTRICT] literacy) (Racial literacy is more common that racial literacy)

**Attitude towards educators:** (Inferior / Indifferent / Respected)

**Are there anti-intellectual groups?**

**Legal Restriction of Education:** (None / Racial / Professional / Financial / Hereditary / Religious)

## **Language**

**Most used Languages:** (Abyssal / Aquan / Auran / Celestial / Common / Deep Speech / Draconic / Druidic / Dwarvish / Elvish / Giant / Gnomish / Goblin / Gnoll / Halfling / Ignan / Infernal / Orc / Primordial / Sylvan / Terran / Undercommon)

**What language are religious documents kept in?** (Abyssal / Aquan / Auran / Celestial / Common / Deep Speech / Draconic / Druidic / Dwarvish / Elvish / Giant / Gnomish / Goblin / Gnoll / Halfling / Ignan / Infernal / Orc / Primordial / Sylvan / Terran / Undercommon)

## **Religion & Philosophy**

**Religious Majority:** (Bastina / Sakerset / Cevetean / Ostura / Vigarute / Dezval / Strasnic / Incheia / Vanatare / Marfure / Getica)

**Religious Tolerance:** (Harmony / Tension or rivalry / Religious Sect majority are conquerors / Religious Sect minority are rulers / Religious Sect minority are refugees / Religious Sect majority oppresses minority / Religious Sect minority oppresses majority / Religious Sect persecutes any other religious practices)

**Religious Freedom:** (Very free / Seemingly free, but prejudiced / Religious persecution is common)

**Where does religion fit into this society?** (No influence / Little influence / Moderate influence / Significant influence / Extremely influential)

**General perception of religion:** (Parasitic / Beneficial to society / Tolerable)

## **MAGIC & SCIENCE**

### **Magic & Magicians**

**Legal Magic:** (None / All / Some: (Arcane / Divine) (Abjuration / Conjuration / Divination / Enchantment / Evocation / Illusion / Necromancy / Transmutation / Bladesinging))

**Magical Research:** (None / Unstructured / Laboratory / College / Library / Church)

**How do magicians feel about non-magical people?** (Indifferent / Disdainful / Superior / Inferior / Jealous / Pity)

**Apprehension of illegal practitioners:** (Magician’s Guild / King’s Guard / Law Enforcement)

### **Science and Technology**

Is the level of technology in this society comparable to that of ancient Rome, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance,

the Industrial Revolution?

What important inventions or advances have been made (the wheel, stirrups, gunpowder, printing, flush

toilets)?

Have any of them been produced in quantities sufficient to affect the daily lives of the average person, or are

they a luxury for nobles only?

What inventions or advances have not been made that one would expect to see at this stage of technological

development? Why haven’t they eventuated?

What advancers are about to be made?

How much is known about the laws of nature, physics, and magic?

How much of what is commonly known is factually wrong?

Where is scientific research done? Universities, private labs, under the auspices of the government?

In what areas might magic replace technology, and thus suppress its development?

In what areas might magic cause more rapid technological or scientific development?

How do the technology levels and scientific knowledge of non-human races compare to those of humans?

Do average people believe the old tales, or do they dismiss some that have a basis in fact?

How long have there been people on this world?

Did they evolve, were they created by the gods, or did they migrate from somewhere else?

If there are non-humans, how long have they been around and where did they come from?

## **Medicine**

**Most Common form of healers:** (Herbalists / Wise-women / Pharmacists / Apothecaries / Surgeons / Doctors / Nurses / Priests / Clerics / Witchdoctors / Shamans / Spiritual Leaders)

**Dead bodies handled by:** (Doctor / Priests / Funeral directors / Untouchables)

**Diagnostic process:** (Medical Tests / Magical delineation / Divination)

**Diagnostic process accuracy:** (Very inaccurate / Often inaccurate / Variable / Often Accurate / Very accurate)

**General cost of Healers:** (Very inexpensive / Relatively inexpensive / Average / Variable / Relatively expensive / Very expensive)

**Availability of Healers’ Services:** (Very available / Often available / Variable / Often available / Very available)

**How much is known about anatomy, physiology, pathology, psychology, and so on?** (Very little / Relatively little / Moderate / Variable / A moderate amount / A significant amount)

**Treatment of Insanity:** (Bed Rest / Asylum / Religion / Medicine / Magic)

# **Settlements**

## **Settlement Type**

### **VILLAGES**

**Population:** Up to about 1,000

**Government:** A noble (usually not a resident) rules the village, with an appointed agent (a reeve) in residence to adjudicate disputes and collect taxes.

**Defense:** The reeve might have a small force of soldiers. Otherwise, the village relies on a citizen militia.

**Commerce:** Basic supplies are readily available, possibly from an· inn or a trading post. Other goods are available from traveling merchants.

**Organizations:** A village might contain one or two temples or shrines, but few or no other organizations.

Most settlements are agricultural villages, supporting themselves and nearby towns or cities with crops and meat. Villagers produce food in one way or another-if not by tending the crops, then supporting those who do by shoeing horses, weaving clothes, milling grain, and the like. The goods they produce feed their families and supply trade with nearby settlements. A village' population is dispersed around a large area of land. Farmers live on their land, which spreads them widely around the village center. At the heart of the village, a handful of structures cluster together: a well, a marketplace, a small temple or two, a gathering place, and perhaps an inn for travelers.

### **TOWN**

**Population:** Up to about 6,000

**Government:** A resident noble rules and appoints a lord mayor to oversee administration. An elected town council represents the interests of the middle class.

**Defense:** The noble commands a sizable army of professional soldiers, as well as personal bodyguards.

**Commerce:** Basic supplies are readily available, though exotic goods and services are harder to find. Inns and taverns support travelers.

**Organizations:** The town contains several temples, as well as various merchant guilds and other organizations.

Towns are major trade centers, situated where important industries and reliable trade routes enabled the population to grow. These settlements rely on commerce: the import of raw materials and food from surrounding villages, and the export of crafted items to those villages, as well as to other towns and cities. A town&#39;s population is more diverse than that of most villages. Towns arise where roads intersect waterways, at the meeting of major land trade routes, around strategic defensive locations, or near significant mines or similar natural resources.

### **CITY**

**Population:** Up to about 25,000

**Government:** A resident noble presides, with several other nobles sharing responsibility for surrounding areas and government functions. One such noble is the lord mayor, who oversees the city administration. An elected city council represents the middle class and might hold more actual power than the lord mayor. Other groups serve as important power centers as well.

**Defense:** The city supports an army of professional soldiers, guards, and town watch. Each noble in residence maintains a small force of personal bodyguards.

**Commerce:** Almost any goods or services are readily available. Many inns and taverns support travelers.

**Organizations:** A multitude of temples, guilds, and other organizations, some of which hold significant power in city affairs, can be found within the city's walls.

Cities are cradles of civilization. Their larger populations require considerable support from both surrounding villages and trade routes, so they're rare. Cities typically thrive in areas where large expanses of fertile, arable land surround a location accessible to trade, almost always on a navigable waterway. Cities almost always have walls, and the stages of a city's growth are easily identified by the expansion of the walls beyond the central core. These internal walls naturally divide the city into wards (neighborhoods defined by specific features), which have their own representatives on the city council and their own noble administrators. Cities that hold more than twenty-five thousand people are extremely rare.

## **Social Structure**

**Race majority:**  (Aarocka / Bugbear / Dragonborn / Duergar Dwarf / Hill Dward / Mountain Dwarf / Drow Elf / Eladrin Elf / High Elf / Wood Elf / Firbolg / Fire Genasi / Air Genasi / Earth Genasi / Water Genasi / Deep Gnome / Forest Gnome / Rock Gnome / Svirfneblin Gnome / Grotag Goblin / Lavastep Goblin / Tuktuk Goblin / Goliath / Half-elf / Lightfoot Halfling / Stout Halfling / Half-Orc / Hobgoblin / Human / Kenku / Kobold / Kor / Krynn / Lizardfolk / Cosi Merfolk / Emeria Merfolk / Ula Merfolk / Orc / Tabaxi / Triton / Vedalken / Yuan-Ti) (Marble Araeden / Obsidian Araeden / Azerblood / Bullywug / Centaurs / Brownie / Pixie / Sprite / Glimmerfolk / Gnoll / Flind Gnoll / Spotted Gnoll / Chaos Gnome / Xvart Gnome / Cave Goblin / Forest Goblin / Grippli / Half-Dawrf / Hill Hobgoblin / Plains Hobgoblin / Mountain Kenku / Nightcrier Kenku / Shinfeather Kenku / Common Kobold / Dragonscale Kobold / Kuo-toa / Lesser Illithid / Jungle Lizardfolk / Swamp Lizardfolk / Myconid / Pangoli / Blackfur Rattling / Whiteful Rattling / Seedling / Stonechild / Troglodyte / Halfblood Yuan-Ti / Pureblood Yuan-Ti)

**Racial Relations:** (Harmony / Tension or rivalry / Racial majority are conquerors / Racial minority are rulers / Racial minority are refugees / Racial majority oppresses minority / Racial minority oppresses majority)

**Class majority:** (Commoners / Casters / Non-Casters / Arcane / Divine ) (Artificers / Barbarians / Bards / Clerics / Druids / Fighters / Monks / Mystics / Paladins / Rangers / Rogues / Sorcerers / Warlocks / Wizards ) (Blood Hunters  / Seers / Shamans / Weavedancers )

**Class Relations:** (Harmony / Tension or rivalry / Racial majority are conquerors / Racial minority are rulers / Racial minority are refugees / Racial majority oppresses minority / Racial minority oppresses majority)

**Religious Majority:** (Bastina / Sakerset / Cevetean / Ostura / Vigarute / Dezval / Strasnic / Incheia / Vanatare / Marfure / Getica)

**Religious Tolerance:** (Harmony / Tension or rivalry / Religious Sect majority are conquerors / Religious Sect minority are rulers / Religious Sect minority are refugees / Religious Sect majority oppresses minority / Religious Sect minority oppresses majority / Religious Sect persecutes any other religious practices)

**Government System:**  (A noble (usually not a resident) rules the village, with an appointed agent (a reeve) in residence to adjudicate disputes and collect taxes. / A resident noble rules and appoints a lord mayor to oversee administration. An elected town council represents the interests of the middle class. / A resident noble presides, with several other nobles sharing responsibility for surrounding areas and government functions. One such noble is the lord mayor, who oversees the city administration. An elected city council represents the middle class and might hold more actual power than the lord mayor. Other groups serve as important power centers as well.)

## **Current Ruler:**

**Ruler’s Status:** (Respected, fair, and just / Feared tyrant / Weakling manipulated by others, Illegitimate ruler, simmering civil war / Ruled or controlled by a powerful monster / Mysterious, anonymous cabal / Contested leadership, open fighting / Cabal seized power openly / Doltish lout / On deathbed, claimants compete for power / Iron-willed but respected / Religious leader)

**Layout:** (Planned / Unplanned / Sprawled) (Square-grid system of streets / labyrinthine)

**How wide are the streets and alleys normally?** (Extremely narrow / narrow / varying / spacious / wide)

## **Notable neighborhoods:**

s

**Defense:**  (Small force of soldiers / Citizen Militia / The noble commands a sizable army of professional soldiers, as well as personal bodyguard / The city supports an army of professional soldiers, guards, and town watch. Each noble in residence maintains a small force of personal bodyguards.)

**Commerce:** (Basic supplies are readily available, possibly from an inn or a trading post. Other goods are available from traveling merchants / Basic supplies are readily available, though exotic goods and services are harder to find. Inns and taverns support travelers. / Almost any goods or services are readily available. Many inns and taverns support travelers.)

## **Organizations:**

**Temples**

**Colleges**

**Secret Societies** (Assassins, Thieves, Political Activists, Religious Activists)

**Orders** (Military, Monastic, Religious)

**Guilds** (Alchemists and apothecary; Armorers, locksmiths, and finesmiths; Brewers, distillers, and vintners; Calligraphers, scribes, and scriveners; Carpenters, roofers, and plasterers; Cartographers, surveyors, and chart-makers; Cobblers and shoemakers; Cooks and bakers; Glassblowers and glaziers; Jewelers and gemcutters; Leatherworkers, skinners, and tanners; Masons and stonecutters; Painters, limners, and sign-makers; Potters and tile-makers; Shipwrights and sailmakers; Smiths and metal-forgers; Tinkers, pewterers, and casters; Wagon-makers and wheelwrights; Weavers and dyers; Woodcarvers, coopers, and bowyers)

## **Notable Traits:**

(Canals in place of streets / Massive statue or monument / Grand temple / Large fortress / Verdant parks and orchards / River divides town /Major trade center /Headquarters of a powerful family or guild / Population mostly wealthy / Destitute, rundown / Awful smell (tanneries, open sewers) / Center of trade for one specific good / Site of many battles / Site of a mythic or magical event / Important library or archive / Worship of all gods banned / Sinister reputation / Notable library or academy / Site of important tomb or graveyard / Built atop ancient ruins)

### **Known for its:**

(Delicious cuisine / Piety / Rude people / Gambling / Greedy merchants / Godlessness / Artists and writers / Education / Great hero or savior / Wines / Flowers / High fashion / Hordes of beggars / Political intrigue / Tough warriors / Powerful guilds / Dark magic / Strong drink / Decadence / Patriotism)

## **Current Calamity:**

(Suspected vampire infestation / New cult seeks converts / Important figure died (murder suspected) / War between rival thieves' guilds / Plague or famine (sparks riots) / Corrupt officials / Marauding monsters / Powerful wizard has moved into town / Economic depression (trade disrupted) / Flooding / Undead stirring in cemeteries / Prophecy of doom / Brink of war / Internal strife (leads to anarchy) / Besieged by enemies / Scandal threatens powerful families / Dungeon discovered (adventurers flock to town) /  Religious sects struggle for power)