Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Araes 05-27-07, 04:35 AM	While I was thinking about an article for my standard thread, one path I started going down was various questions that I could ask myself to spur thought about the campaign in general. As I continued to work on it, I kept coming up with more questions that I figured would be relevant, until the whole concept basically just became a big list of questions. With some further looking on the internet, I have compiled a relatively large starting list that campaign world designers might want to ask themselves when they are coming up with a world and the regions within it. If you have further suggestions to add feel free to post them. I'm sure that many areas like magic, animals, regional customs, and daily life have a number of topics that could still be explored pretty extensively. Summary What is a short, "two sentence" or "10 second" pitch for your setting? What are the driving motivations for adventure? Basic Laws of Nature Does your world abide by what we would perceive as the general laws of nature? If not, where does it diverge? Is an exception made for magic if it exists? Racial How many intelligent races are there? If more than 1, why? Can the intelligent races intermix and breed? How fast does the race (or races) reproduce in your world? What is a general lifespan for the races? How has the reproduction rate and lifespan affected the various racial outlooks and interactions? Are the races geographically intermixed or isolated and to what degree? How much migration of species has there been over the life of the world? Is the power level for races comparable / less (-1 or more LA) / more (+1 or more LA) than standard D&D? How long has intelligent life existed in the world? Did intelligent life evolve or was it created at a certain state? Has intelligent life agreed on one universal language across most regions? Magic How powerful is magic relative to what a single person or group can do without it? Are there any well known limits to magic (power, things it can affect)? How common is magic throughout the population? Are these ratio's static throughout the nations / races? What is the source (sources) of magic? Is there some standard process for how a magical effect is produced? Can magical effects or power be combined in an organized and constructive way? How much of the mechanics of magic is known by the world and is any of it wrong or dogma? Is magic and its effects static or can new magic and effects be discovered? How controlled by the general population is the practice of magic? How organized as a group (groups) are those who practice magic? Does the use of magic imply political / social status? Are there only particular places or ways in which magic may be learned or can it even BE learned? Are there drawbacks / benefits / secondary effects to using magic? What is the rate of change of magical knowledge in the world? How has the presence of magic affected the development of the world? Has magic dramatically affected the health and lifespans of the world? How has magic affected creative crafts like the arts? Is magic influential, or possibly even the only option in areas like combat, travel, communication, agriculture, construction, ect...? Can the ability to use magic permanently be lost? Temporarily? Are there trends or fads in magic? Are there gender or racial differences in the previously mentioned considerations for magic? Can items that independently hold magic be produced? If so, can these items be mass produced easily? Are there super powerful items of magic (artifacts) and if so, why? Can animals, beasts, monsters, ect... access magic? Technology What is the average level of technology in the world? How much variance in technology is there geographically / racially? What is the state of the art for specific fields such as transportation, communication, weapons, armor, agriculture, navigation, construction, and / or education? Are there certain technologies which are isolated / restricted in some way? What is the rate of change of technological knowledge in the world? Are there specific places / areas where change is happening at a substantially faster / slower rate? How does society at large view any magical / technological changes which are occuring? Are common people even aware of changes for the most part? Characters What does being a high level character mean? Does high level imply social as well as personal power and are most of those who rule high level? How common is a 10th / 20th level character? How common are the PC classes? Is there special training or circumstances required to have PC classes? Are the any of the PC classes geographically specialized or varied? How wealthy is a high (20th) level character compared to the D&D standard? Are PrC's commonly available? Are PrC's limited to only DMG / Complete / All splatbooks? Are there custom PrC's based on races / regions / organizations / ect...? Skills and Feats Are there additional / alternate skills available to people within the setting? Do these skills vary by region? Are there alternate uses for existing skills of note? Are there mentor / training / usage / story requirements for increasing skills? Are there additional feats available to people within the setting? Do these feats vary by region? Are there changes to the effects of existing feats? Are there requirements for gaining some feats beyond pure game mechanics? Geographic What is the physical shape of the world? Is there the standard division between land and sky in this world or some other organization? If there is a land / sky relationship, do beings live within the land or in the sky? Are there what we would consider common celestial bodies in the sky? Moons? Stars? Other? How large is your world in terms of available land area? What is the ratio of habitable to uninhabitable land area? What types of uninhabitable land area? What types of inhabitable land area are there? Is some or all of the population limited to terran views of habitability, or can they live in areas we cannot? Only in areas we cannot? Is the section of the world you are creating the only area that exists (IE, the whole physical world) or just a subset? How far can you see on a normal day on an open plain? (IE, things like curvature, permanent obscuring, ect...) Do geographical features in your world follow Earth formation patterns? If not, why, and what guides their formation? Are there geographical features which don't and / or can't exist on Earth? What is a very general history of your world, and was it happenstance or design that it came into existence? Climate What is the atmosphere of your world like if there is one? How dangerous is the atmosphere of the world in relation to its inhabitants? To standard humans? Is your world on average warmer / colder / ~the same as Earth? Is your world on average wetter / drier / ~the same as Earth? How much diversity is there in climate across the world? If there is climate diversity, is there a pattern to its location / organization? How much of the area of the world is located within each of the various climate zones? Is the warmth / wetness / diversity of climate a major issue for the population of the world? How sensitive are they to changes? Are there any periodic events which occur in the world or specific regions? Is the overall climate temporally static or does it change? If it does change, is there an order to the change? Is it periodically cyclic? If it does have a cycle, are there commonly held terms and conditions for sections of the cycle? Has sentient life's presence caused any major impacts on the climate of the world? Natural Resources What natural resources have reached a place of importance with sentient beings? Which resources are particularly abundant, and in which areas? Which are noticably scarce? What resources, if any, have been depleted in which areas over time? Are there locations of rich deposits that haven't been discovered, or that aren't fully exploited? Are there resources on the verge of becoming important (like oil at the beginning of industrialization)? Are there resources which we (as humans) might view as insignificant, but which are very rare or important in this world? How much conflict has been or might be caused by imbalances in resources? Other Realms Do the people of the world believe in or know of a realm (realms) beyond their normal perception, no matter whether they exist or not? How organized are these beliefs? How diverse are these beliefs? Do such realms actually exist? Do other beings live (or are believed to live) in these realms? Are there geographical connections to different otherworldly realms / beliefs? If yes or no, why? If otherworldly realms are inhabited, what is their relation (or perceived one) to the inhabitants of the world? Are the inhabitants of the world correctly informed as to the nature of these relations? Does belief in other realms or beings grant any tangible benefits to people in the world in question? If other realms and beings do exist, can their existence be directly proven by the inhabitants of this world (Immanent) or is their existence simply a matter of faith (Transcendental)? If there are beings in other realms beyond your world, can they manifest in the world and what form do these manifestations take? If there are beings (plural) in other realms, are there interrelations between the various beings? Has the presence or belief in otherly realms affected the political or social systems of the world in a significant way? Are there specific rituals associated with knowledge or belief in otherly realms and beings? (Purification, sacrifice, ecstacy, divination, periodic / seasonal, spoken, journies, initiation, possession, funerial, community) Are there specific items, symbols, animals, ect... associated with the knowledge or beliefs? Monsters What is meant by the term "monster" in your world? Are monsters just beasts, sentient beings too, or even whole other societies? Do monster serve specific functions or niches in society or nature? How do monster's survive and how much room do they need compared to societies? Do monsters pose a significant threat to organized societies? Have some monsters been domesticated by organized groups to serve their needs? Animals and Fauna Are there any unique animals or plants to this world? How are animals and plants (unique or not) geographically located within the world? Has sentient life's presence significantly impacted non-sentient life? Extinction? Displacement? Regional Questions Pure Numbers What is the size of the region? What is the population of the region? How is the population changing? Racial What is the racial makeup of the area? How has the racial diversity (or lack of it) affected the region? Are there separations of gender within the races of this region? If so, are there perceived differences in roles between genders? Politics and Geography What is the power structure (or structures) of the region (if there are any)? How stable are any power structures over time? How popular are any power structures with the general populace? What do those in charge spend their time concerned with or doing? What is the geographical landscape for the region and its political boundaries? How firm are these boundaries? Are they contested? How has the geographic location affected the historical development of the region over time? Do the inhabitants of the region live in permanent settlements? If so, how urbanized is the region? Is there a central political location for the region? Are there any major geographic movements in how people live (urbanization, migrations, ect...)? How closely do inhabitants of the region identify themselves as members of a greater whole? Has the idea of nationhood and national pride taken root or been conceived of? What are the geographical / political neighbors of this region? How does the region view its geographic / political neighbors? How do the region's neighbors view it? How did the region come into existence politically? Geographically? Was this region ever part of another region? What are some other important events which may have shaped the development of this region? Military How much of a standing military does this region support? How well equiped and trained are the members of any military? How often are they used, and do they have social uses / duties beyond just protecting the region? Commerce and Economics Is trade a major factor in the region? Is there a common currency? What are some of the important imports / exports (if there are any)? What are things that are grown or created within the nation but not traded? Is there much specialization by craft or area? What are some of the major industries that support people? How much wealth stratification is there in the region? Is the region considered wealthy or poor compared to the world average? Legal Is there an established legal system within the region with set crimes and punishments? Is such a system enforced effectively if it does exist? How extensively does such a system legislate daily life and how often does a common person think about the laws? How is it (or has it been) determined what the laws actually are? For common crimes (stealing, murder, treason, ect...) what are the commonly expected punishments? How is guilt determined in the case of crimes? How are sentences determined for lawbreakers and how much variance or discretion is there? How are lawbreakers actually found, captured, and detained? What is the general rate of criminal acts of various degrees? Is magic allowed in the determination of guilt and the allotment of punishments? Are there magical practices which are viewed as illegal? Social How broadly in this area does the common man view "the world"? How are tools like education and literacy distributed within this region? How many languages are spoken within this region and is there a dominant language? Do languages within this region heavily intermix and borrow words from one another? How are "non-productive" pursuits like the arts viewed in this region? Is there a distinction made between utility arts like pottery and pure beauty arts? Is there an average style of dress for certain groups of people in this region? Does clothing indicate status in any meaningful way, and if so, how? Are their physical traits representative of people of this region? How much and how far do people in this region travel normally? Time and History How is time perceived by the people of this region? How long do normal people live in the region? Are there standardized forms of time keeping? What are the major holidays of the years which are celebrated in this region and why did they come into existence? What is the normal pattern of a work day in this region?
Araes 05-27-07, 07:15 PM	Some more general questions for the various areas that I found or came up with: *edit* I have moved all the questions into the top post and semi-organized them to clean it up, as folks seem to find printing it useful.
queenfange 05-27-07, 08:19 PM	Wow, that's... a ton. I'm actually printing it all out though; should be very helpful for my campaigns. I'll post if I think of anything that's missing. Thanks for the comprehensive list. :)
Araes 05-27-07, 09:10 PM	No problem, and glad you find it helpful. I naturally wouldn't expect anyone to answer even a large percentage of these in any kind of detail unless they had tons of time, but maybe looking through them could spur thought and ideas. Particularly if they made a designer consider something that their brain may have just been taking for granted. However, the summary questions are something that probably everyone should give some thought to when first considering a setting. Having a firm idea of these in your mind as you design can really help in making the setting compelling for other people to play. My personal bet would be that back when they did the big campaign search, 90% of settings were discarded just by reading those first quick sections.
Aneutralshadeofblack 05-27-07, 10:40 PM	This is a food-for-thought thread. I very much like food-for-thought threads; they fuel my creative urges and give me a reason to flesh out my setting. Thanks for that, Araes. I think I'll start answering these in a document kept on my PC for reference, unless anyone wants to read my specific answers (which I doubt they do :P).
Elemental_Elf 07-01-07, 02:19 AM	This is useful, thank you. :D
turalisj 07-01-07, 08:58 PM	Awesome questions and great for making a campaign. I take it the guildies helped?
Araes 07-01-07, 09:51 PM	No, all just me compiling questions I've made for doing this or a few sites I saw on the internet that suggested interesting ones I hadn't considered. Glad both of you found it useful though.
Dvus 07-03-07, 07:47 PM	Thank you for this list. I'm in the process of building my own custom world and this is exactly what I was looking for!
Araes 07-04-07, 02:41 PM	You're welcome, and glad you found it helpful. I've used different parts of it in most of the settings I've made, and it usually does help to just get you thinking about some of the questions you might have not considered.
turalisj 07-05-07, 02:03 AM	I'm wondering just how many races is too much... I'm thinking of the races from each of the races of books each being in a separate continent.... >.>
Alltat 07-05-07, 07:49 AM	I'm wondering just how many races is too much... I'm thinking of the races from each of the races of books each being in a separate continent.... >.> I prefer the opposite approach - include as many races as you need, then don't add any more. Unless there's some significant physical difference between two races then there isn't really anything you can do with two races that you can't do with two different cultures of the same race. Generally, the fewer races you have the more interesting you can make each of them.
Araes 07-05-07, 08:22 PM	Unless your world is exceptionally large, I happen to be on the side of Alltat in that I feel it tends to stretch believability for me personally when there are 8+ races running around. However, there are many people who don't care a whit, and I admit to liking having at least a few.
turalisj 07-05-07, 10:44 PM	I'll post it up as soon as I can answer all of your questions. :P
Elemental_Elf 07-06-07, 01:06 AM	I agree with Alltat here. Put as many in as you need, or rather as many as the campaign is telling you to put in. I like worlds where there are fewer races because in a way when you only have a choice of 4 races then race matters far more than in a world where hundreds of races exist.
turalisj 07-06-07, 01:50 AM	Human, elf, gnome, hafling, raptoran, killorren, dwarf, goliath, stonechild, skulk, sea kin, and half-ogre is about it for the races that people can play. 12 isn't too much.... Of course, there are still intelligent races, but none of them will have the amount of history or power of the other 12.
Araes 07-06-07, 03:21 AM	I admit that I'll actually be a little stunned if you do go through and actually post the answers to every single question I've asked. By that point you've nearly got a world except for a map. Be interested if you do though, as it would be cool to see this in use.
turalisj 07-06-07, 04:06 AM	I'm working on it right now... Although, I'm only using a sentence to a paragraph for each thing.
ssvegeta555 07-07-07, 05:04 AM	Very useful and thought provoking. I read through most of them and I was able to answer with confidence on many of them for my campaign setting that I'm currently working on. This is very useful, thanks. :)
Araes 07-10-07, 02:59 AM	As an example of filling out these questions and answering them the best I could, I've gone through and filled them in with respect to my own campaign setting Indistinguishable from Magic. Takes up 15 pages in a word document, and thats not even with the separate questions for the various regions of the world answered.
turalisj 07-10-07, 03:03 AM	*spits out soda, then uses a vortex to suck it back up* Woah, thats alot of typing...... What is this Freeform Racial Creation system?
Araes 07-10-07, 03:19 PM	I won't clutter up the thread too much going over that, but this post on freeform races details our current revision on the racial system. We may do a further revision of it to clean up some issues. The list of abilities we are currently considering can be found in this post on racial abilities. There's also a Freeform Class System, Freeform Elementals, a rough pass on Freeform Firearms, and we've been working on one for spellcasting using links between symbolic expression of ideas and varied sources of spell power. Still in progress though.