10 Questions You Need to Answer About Your Homebrew Setting

How is “The Peace” Maintained?

Answering this question should inform you about the setting’s system of government (Monarchy, Democracy, Tribalism, Magocracy, etc.), military forces (army, navy, etc.), and vigilante systems (guilds, bounty hunters, and the like). While you don’t need to get so granular as defining every rank in each branch of your setting’s military, you should know who upholds the laws of the land or otherwise keeps hell from breaking loose at a moment’s notice. Even when going for a Mad Max-style post-apocalyptic setting, the strong will impose some sort of control upon the weak.

In a campaign of political intrigue, this question requires a greater level of detail as you determine who is trying to undermine or usurp whom, for what purpose, and the tools available to antagonist. Your typical dungeon crawl, on the other hand, usually needs just enough information to make the setting feel plausible and for your Players to understand how their actions may (and should) affect the world around them.

How has Magic Influenced Your Setting?

The ability to create, destroy, or permanently alter the world with the flick of a finger will have lasting ramifications on your setting. With cantrips like Mold Earth or Prestidigitation available, much of the working class will be picking up spell tomes over shovels, and maids/butlers will likely be replaced by fledgling spellcasters looking to earn a little extra coin. Low-ranked wizards, studied in knowledge both secular and arcane, might roam the country as traveling tutors and pass on more than a passing understanding of math and letters.

On the flip-side, perhaps magic is so obscure that the chosen few gifted to wield it (either by birth or through a pact) quickly rise to positions of great importance. Wait, now…this seems like the foundations of a Magocracy, doesn’t it? As you’ll notice, the answers to one question will often inform or enhance your answers to another.

How has Technology Influenced Your Setting?

Where magic falters, technology and ingenuity compensates. Many Dungeons&Dragons settings, as insinuated by the weapons, armor, and gear provided in the Player’s Handbook, work in a level of technological advancement akin to 14th century Europe. Perhaps, however, your setting’s Dwarves have discovered the explosive power of gunpowder, or your Gnomes have a thorough comprehension of clockwork and machinery through some divine inspiration from Mechanus.

Due to its partnership with ever-more-extravagant magic, technology often takes the back seat when it comes to setting development. I would, however, implore you to implement unusual, if not outright anachronistic, boons of technology in your setting. Whether it be the aforementioned gunpowder or something mundane like the printing press, these peculiarities can help your setting stand out and give your Players an extra opportunity to engage with your creation. For a prime example of a setting with advanced technology, look into Eberron or any Steampunk media.

How is Religion Handled?

Answering this question not only satiates your Paladins and Clerics, but it also gives players a chance to explore the Acolyte background with greater depth. While you should determine where divine magic comes from, also try to explore the effect these powers have on those not blessed by the gods. Are churches, temples, or shrines found in every town, or are they secluded to specific places of power? If the latter, perhaps being imbued with divine might requires one to undergo a great pilgrimage, and those on their journey are treated with great respect.

Alternatively, perhaps the influence of a malevolent god has left the people terrified of anyone who wields godly magic; being blessed in such a way is actually a curse which turns Clerics and Paladins into instantaneous pariahs. Religion, even today, serves as a means to guide or control groups of people and even entire civilizations. And when you consider the deities in D&D have a direct influence on their settings, this influence should be even more pronounced.

How are Monsters So Prevalent?

If spell-slingers, fearless warriors, and god-touched adventurers all exist in your setting to a greater extent than the Player Characters, then you should definitely have a reason for why the creatures you hurl their way weren’t made extinct long ago. Are monsters the product of a persistent world-wide curse? Are they creatures endlessly born from some malignant deity? Or, perhaps they’re just fantastical products of nature that know how to hide from plain sight until their numbers swell?

I wouldn’t recommend getting bogged into the details with this question, but at least consider how hearty adventurers, or even a standing army of normal people, wouldn’t have wiped them out far before your campaign started.

Who are Important Figures in Current Events?

Luckily, if you’ve answered the questions posed thus far, you’ll likely have a solid framework in which to answer this question. Your important figures will be those who run the government, the military, any major religious or mage organizations, and noteworthy guilds. This will likely provide living role models for characters of any class to which they can aspire, which is a subtle way of building Player buy-in into your setting.

If adventurers are commonplace in your setting, you can even include famous active or retired adventurers to serve as goalposts for your Player Characters.

Who are Important Figures in Modern History?

This question serves to give flavor to your setting’s history as far back as you wish to pursue it. These can be past versions of the figures you listed above, or they can be notable inventors, brave (or malicious) generals, eccentric oracles, or anyone else whom had an impact on the story you’re trying to tell. Always ensure the figures you focus on initially will be relevant to the campaign; I often find as the story moves forward that the players latch onto topics of interest for which I had not accounted and I create those prior histories as needed.

It’s easy to lose sight of the forest for the trees on this one, so I advise you to start with the last one or two generations of important figures. Due to the longevity of Elves and other races, however, even this can put you back a good couple hundred (if not a thousand) years worth of history.

How Do Your Civilizations Manage Their Resources?

To account for the strides in technology, magic, or general success of the civilizations in your setting, you should account for how the important figures mentioned above don’t squander their vital resources. Is there a long-standing pact with the druids to replant any trees harvested, or perhaps the Earth Genasi have a way to revitalize the earth with precious minerals.

Don’t spend too much time dwelling on this topic, but a little forethought can prevent you from creating a printing press in a civilization located in the desert.

How is Wealth Managed?

This question attempts to address the serious inconsistencies found in the value of coins and goods alike in Dungeons&Dragons 5th Edition. While I’m no financial expert, and I’m not claiming you need to be one to create a successful campaign setting, I advise you to explore what defines wealthy and poor in your setting and determine if the Rules As Written system of currency works for your needs. Personally, I’m going to explore a Gold-only system for my next campaign and see if that addresses my needs.

What Makes Your PCs Special?

Pretty self-explanatory, but this question seeks to understand why your Player Characters are involved in this story as opposed to some other group. The answers for this are never the same from one campaign to the next, but don’t feel like you have to rely on the “Chosen Ones” trope to make the Player Characters feel important. This question, above all others, will likely shift as your campaign progresses; the story will change as your Players engage with it. Luckily, however, your Players often answer this question for you as they become more engaged with the campaign and tied to their characters.

Conclusion

If you can answer the 10 questions listed here, no matter how brief or detailed your answers may be, your Players will be astounded by the level of control you have over your campaign setting. I cannot stress this enough: you cannot anticipate everything from the start. There will always be some faint wisp of lore or some passing NPC backstory your Players will latch onto, and it will be up to you to feed their curiosity. If the lore or story is minute enough, you can improv during the session and refine it after-the-fact. If the answer you provide will have known, lasting implications for your campaign, then you can always admit up-front that you need time to refine the information they’re seeking.

What do you think of these 10 questions?

Have I missed any you would need answered?

Do you need further clarification on how to answer any of the questions I listed above?

Feel free to add your questions to the post, or follow up with me on twitter!

Blessed be,

Matthew Wulf

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