41 Questions to Ask When Building a New D&D Campaign World
COSMOLOGY
- Is this a new world? Is it a remade world? Is it a futuristic/past version of another campaign world?
- The world is young? Old?
- What is this world’s place in the cosmos? Is it wholly in the prime material? Is it in a demi-plane? Is it a plane of its own?
- Are there other non-natives in the world? Is it only non-natives?
- Is planar travel possible? Is it common?
RELIGION
- Are the gods uninvolved? Dead? Evil? Good? Psychotic?
- What and when was the creation?
- What was the previous age?
- Is good or evil in charge? Neither?
- What keeps the balance between good and evil, or what is it keeping good or evil in charge?
SCIENCE
- Is there anything unique about the physical earth? Plants? Air? Sky? Sun? moon? Stars? Water? Weather?
- What does the typical human/elf/Eladrin/Halfling/
gnome/dwarf/orc/goblin/tiefling look like in this world? - What is the technological level? Is there gunpowder? Is there steel? Adamantite or other special metals?
- What are the animals like?
HISTORY
- Is the world a future/past version of an existing campaign setting?
- How did the world get to this age, or this place in time?
- Were there major historical events that have shaped the world?
- Are there important racial histories?
MAGIC
- Does magic function as written in the core books? As another system? As purely elemental? As purely arcane? As purely sorcery?
- How about psionics?
- How about other power sources?
SOCIOLOGY
- What is day-to-day life like in this world? For PCs? For good NPCs? For evil ones? For the rich/highest social or poor/lowest social?
- What is civilization like? Is there any?
- Are there cities? How common are cities? Is most of the world rural or is it urban?
- What are the familial units like? Do they vary from race to race?
- What is the form of government? Hierarchical? Anarchy? Oligarchy? Aristocracy? Theocracy?
- Are there political factions?
- What liberties do adventurers/commoners/aristocrats have?
- Are men/women/old/young the “favored” social status?
- What is used for currency? Is there only barter? Is possession illegal?
- Taxes (as in, how much; there are always taxes).
- How do magic items and services affect the world’s economy? Are they a regular commodity? Can they not be purchased at all?
- What are the social stratifications? Are they economic? Are they social? Racial?
- What languages are there? One? Racial? Geographical? High and low?
GEOGRAPHY
- Are there multiple continents?
- Are there major bodies of water?
- Are there important, large geographical features? (i.e. deserts, tundra, a gaping hole)
ANTHROPOLOGY
- Are all core races avialable? Some? Only humans? Only another? In what proportions?
- Do the 5 senses function as normal? Are any diminished? Accentuated?
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