20 Questions, Gaming, or Fantasy Fiction?
Well, let us say these prompts for worldbuilding could hold a little of both. On one of my discord groups, I found a link to this handy-dandy questionnaire for worldbuilding in a campaign setting: twenty quick questions for your campaign setting by Jeff Rients and this one: Twenty Questions, Reredux where Anthony Wu (or Jojiro online) answers and analyzes the questions. And, being the author I am, I thought to myself…how would this best help in my efforts as a writer. So, I transformed it into a magic-specific list of questions.
Definitely check out the dungeonantology.com site, because the author (Anthyony Wu) has provided a ton of rationale behind each of his answers. So, whether you’re using this for a game setting or for a story setting, there are great things ahead.
If you’d like this printed, you can jump straight to the worksheet: 20 Worldbuilding Prompts – Magic Edition
The Prompts
Material Things
Name something magical characters can interact with and that inspires wonder in your setting. Or perhaps name something that inspires magic in your world.
What possessions do your characters need dealing with magic?
What magical treasures exist in your world? Is there anything magical about the currency used in the world?
Religion
How does one religion in the world work? What rituals and observances are involved, and how does this religion play with other religions out there? Are gods real? How does this tie to the magic of the world or the magic system?
Goods, Services, Trade
How do characters gain access to goods, services, and magic? Items, magic items, hirelings.
How do magic users get jobs and contracts?
One of the prompts for worldbuilding under Things, could also go here: What magical treasures exist in your world? Is there anything magical about the currency used in the world? Just add a slant to how it works economically…
People and Society
What are some examples of magical people and creatures a commoner would be wary of? Provide examples a commoner could trounce without worry (e.g. weak magic beings)? Are there beings a commoner would trust implicitly and why?
How do people convey their station/caste if such things exist? Is there a magical hierarchy? How does this social stratification affect the characters in the story? To read more on social stratification, check out my prior blog post: Worldbuilding 101: Social Stratification
What privileges and prejudices exist in your world, if any do at all? Examples: How does the world view LGBTQ identities, ethnic identities or race, and race relations? Do these things influence magic at all, or are they influenced by magic?
Explain magic-users in the world and the difference between them. For instance, how would wizards, sorcerers, miracle-workers, warlocks, witches, medicine-men, shamans, druids, and the like differ from each other? (note, this one could also fall under prompts for worldbuilding regarding creatures)
What are two examples of food culture in the world? What messages or meanings can be conveyed through food and drink? Is there a tie to magic through things consumed? For example, the metallurgic magic in Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn?
Politics and Leadership
What is the political system? Is it feudal, is there an overlord, is there a federation, is it ruled by the people, etc. For more information on political systems, see my prior blog post: Worldbuilding 101: Politics
Dive deeper on the immediate political system and how it affects the characters and magic within the world. Who are local nobles or leaders that should be known about their reputations? Do they sway the way magic happens or is practiced?
Are there leaders within the magical community? How does one become a ruler or leader?
Creatures
Name a heroically slain creature, perhaps a dragon or something equally threatening. How was the creature slain, according to stories? If the stories are embellished, how was it actually slain? Was it a fluke or a well-executed plan?
What is the common man’s knowledge of mythical or mystical creatures? Are there hidden magics?
Rules, Laws, and Consequences
Are there social consequences for certain types of magic? Is any forbidden? Do these consequences differ in the view of common folk vs. more elite people?
What or who is considered a magical criminal? Who enforces the rules or laws? What price do criminals pay when prosecuted or persecuted for a crime?
Places
Are there hidden magical places in the world or dungeons of any sort? If so, how does one access them?
The Logic Itself
What is the internal logic of the magic system, as far as the characters are concerned? What do the characters not know about the magic system? When the characters act magically, how does the world react? What principles must be followed? What principles do the main characters hold?
FREE WORKSHEET
Would you like to see these 20 prompts for worldbuilding in printer-friendly form? Click the image to sign up for my newsletter and download the free printable worksheet.
And don’t forget to start or continue the conversation below.
How did these questions help you in your worldbuilding? I’d love to hear your stories.
All the best to my fellow worldbuilders!
Cheers,
Susan
Comments (2)
Hello! While the original 20 questions post (linked within the content of the 20 new questions post of mine) was written by Jeff Rients, I’m actually not Jeff Rients. I’m Anthony Wu, or Jojiro in a lot of online places, and dungeonantology is my blog.
I’m glad you found it, but just a bit surprised at the conflation.
The original 20 questions post is here: http://jrients.blogspot.com/2011/04/twenty-quick-questions-for-your.html if you intended to credit him but accidentally used the wrong link.
Cheers!
Good morning Anthony!
Thanks for reaching out and providing clarification. I missed the link to Jeff’s blog within your post. I’ve updated my post to reflect the accurate information. I’ve now linked to both sites, Jeff Rients’s for the original questions and yours for the analysis you provided in your responses (which, by the way, was fantastic!)
All the best,
Susan