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?