World Building Questions Workbook

World Building Questions Workbook

(WIP)

Questions to aide authors of Fantasy Fiction to create believable, imaginary settings for their stories and think about the ways the settings and backgrounds hang together.

The Questions:

World:

Basics -

1. Are the laws of nature and physics actually different in this world, or are they the same as in real life?
2. How does magic fit in?
3. How do magical beasts fit in?
4. Is this generally an earth-like world? Is it an “alternate Earth”?
5. Are there different human races, whether or not there are non-humans like elves or dwarfs? How does the cultural and ethnic diversity of this world compare to the real world?
6. How long have there been people on this world? Did they evolve, or did they migrate from somewhere/when else?
7. How many people are there in this country? How does this compare with world population? What is considered a small town/large town/city in terms of number of people?
8. Where does magic power come from: the gods, the “mana” of the world (as in Larry Niven’s “Warlock” stories), the personal willpower or life force of the magician, somewhere else? Is magic an exhaustible resource? If a magician must feed his spells with his own willpower, life-force, or sanity, what long-term effects will this have on the health and/or stability of the magician? Do different races/species have different sources for their magic, or does everybody use the same one?

Alternate Earth -

1. Are there non-human inhabitants of this planet (elves, dwarves, aliens)? If so, how numerous? How openly present? What areas do they occupy (examples: dwarves in mountains or caves, elves in forests, etc.)?
2. How similar are the history and culture of the alternate earth to real history and culture? Why is it so similar/different?
3. Is there a specific historical point where this world split off from ours (e.g., Napoleon won at Waterloo)? If so, what was it? How long ago was it? How much has changed and will continue to change as a result? Is the split in history a result of the presence of magic, or is the change the thing that made workable magic a possibility?
4. If there is no specific point of divergence, what are the differences between this imaginary world and the real one? How obvious are they in everyday life? If magic exists but history is more or less the same, why has it had no effect? If magic works, elves exist, etc., but most people don’t know it, how and why has this been kept secret?
5. If magic is known to exist, which historical events have changed and which are the same? How have organized religions reacted? Governments? Ordinary people? What laws and/or professions are different? What effect will the general and specific differences have on the social questions below?

Not Earth at All -

1. How does this world differ physically from earth? Is it the same size (same density, same gravity), same ratio of land/water, same atmosphere, etc.? Does it have more than one sun or moon? Rings? Are there spectacular constellations/comets, etc. visible at night or by day?
2. Are there non-human inhabitants of this planet (elves, dwarves, aliens)? If so, how numerous? How openly present? What areas do they occupy?
3. How are the continents laid out? If there is more than one moon/sun, how does this affect winds, tides, and weather generally?
4. How much land is there, and how much of it is habitable?
5. Is the axial tilt and orbit the same — i.e., does the world have the same seasons and same length of year as Earth?

Physical and Historical Features:

General -

1. In which geographical areas will the story take place? How much ground will the story cover? What are the most striking features of landscape, climate, animals, etc. in thisarea? How will these features affect travel time, communication, etc.?
2. If there are non-human inhabitants, are there any areas they particularly claim as their own (e.g., dwarfs traditionally live underground, usually in mountains)? (Mining and metal work?)

Climate and Geography -

1. Have human activities affected climate, landscape, etc. in various regions? How? (Example: Sahara Desert growth has been increased by over-farming.) If this is an alternate earth, will the “alternate” part change existing effects? (If there are no people in N. Africa, desert growth is probably slower.)
2. How much land is in each of the equatorial, temperate, and polar zones?
Note: climate affects landscape through erosion and weathering; the distribution of plants and animals, and formation of soil. As a result, it determines what crops can and can’t be grown, what animals can and can’t live in an area, what clothes must be worn to cope with the weather, and how houses are built. Winter freezing and thawing may change travel patterns, as waterways freeze or flood and passes close. Weather also affects available sports, like skiing. Are all these things consistent with what you say the climate is like in particular areas?
3. Where are major mountain ranges? Rivers and lakes? Deserts? Forests, tropical and otherwise? Grasslands and plains?
4. If there are imaginary animals (dragons, unicorns, etc.), how do they fit into the ecology? What do they eat? How much habitat do they require? Can they live anywhere, or do they prefer or need specific kinds of climate or terrain? Are they intelligent and/or capable of working spells, talking, etc.?

Natural Resources:

1. Which areas are the most fertile farmland? Where are mineral resources located?
2. Which animals, birds, fish, and other wildlife are commonly found in which areas? If there are imaginary animals such as dragons, where do they live?
3. Which natural resources, if any, have been depleted in which areas over time?
4. Which resources (e.g., coal, oil, iron ore, gold, diamonds, limestone, etc.) are particularly abundant, and in which areas? Which are scarce? Are there places where there are rich deposits that haven’t been discovered yet, or where they haven’t been fully exploited?
5. How much conflict has been or might be caused by these imbalances in resources? How much active, peaceful trade?
6. What water resources available, and for what uses (a mill wheel requires flowing water, i.e., river or stream; irrigation needs a large, dependable water source like a lake or large river; etc.)?

World History:

1. How far back are there records or tales of historical events? How widely known are these stories?
2. Do average people believe old tales, or do they dismiss some that have a basis in fact (e.g., Troy)?
3. How long have there been people on this world? Did they evolve, were they created by the gods, or did they migrate from somewhere else? If there are non-humans, how long have they been around and where did they come from?
4. How similar is the history and culture of an alternate earth to real history and culture? Why is it similar/different?
5. Where did civilization begin? What directions did it spread? How was its development affected by the presence of magic? The presence of non-human races, if any? The actions or direct interventions of the gods?
6. Which peoples/countries/races have traditionally fought, allied, traded, or been rivals? Where are there still hard feelings about old events?
7. Which peoples/countries/races have been in conflict in the recent past? Why? When and why was the most recent war? Who won?
8. Which peoples/etc. are considered the most civilized? Which are most technologically advanced? Which are most magically advanced? Least advanced? Why?
9. Is there a single, generally accepted calendar (including time measurements), or do different countries or peoples or races have different ones?
10. How many languages are there? Which ones are related (e.g., the Romance languages) and why? Which languages borrow words or phrases from other languages? Which is likely to be most widely spoken?
11. Is there a “trade language” that facilitates commerce between countries that don’t speak the same tongue? Is there a “universal language” spoken by educated or noble persons, as Latin was in the Middle Ages?

Specific Country(s) History:

1. How accessible is this area? What natural features mark the borders? Who are the neighboring countries/peoples and what are they like?
2. Why did people settle in this country in the first place — strategic location, trade route, water transport, minerals, good farming, etc.? Have things changed much since, or do they still depend on whatever brought them in the first place?
3. How do the weapons of this country compare with those of surrounding cities and countries? Have there been recent innovations that may upset the balance of power, or is everyone more or less equal?
4. Who are the rivals or enemies of this country? How close are they physically? How powerful?
5. Who are the heroes and villains of each country’s history (e.g., Washington and Lincoln in the U.S.; Henry V in England, etc.)? Why are they heroes/villains and what do this say about the country and the people who admire them?
6. How many people are there in this country? How does this compare with world population? What is considered a small town/large town/city in terms of number of people?
7. How diverse is the population of this country — how many different races (human or non-human), creeds, etc. normally live in various cities and towns in this country? In what percentages?
8. Is population shifting from rural to urban, south to north, mountains to coast, etc.? Why — invasion, plague, gold rush, etc.? What effects has this had on the places being left? The places gaining people?
9. Is magic legal here? All magic, or only some types? Do laws vary widely from country to country, or is the attitude generally similar?
10. What does this country import? Export? How important is trade to the economy? How is currency exchange handled, and by whom? What is the system of coinage, and who mints it?
11. Which peoples/countries/races have been in conflict in the recent past? Why? When and why was the most recent war? Who won?
12. Which peoples/countries/races fought, allied, traded, or were traditional rivals? Where are there still hard feelings about old events?
13. How much of the country is farmland? Forest? Desert? Mountains? Plains?
14. What are the primary crops (e.g., potatoes, cotton, tobacco, coffee, rice, peanuts, wheat, sugarcane, etc.)? Are any grown mainly for export? What crops can not be grown here because of the soil, climate, or for other reasons?
15. What water resources available, and for what uses (a mill wheel requires flowing water, i.e., river or stream; irrigation needs a large, dependable water source like a lake or large river: etc.)?
16. What wild animals, actual or imaginary, live in this area? Are any of them potentially useful — e.g., for fur, whale oil, hides, magical ingredients, hat feathers?
17. Which animals, actual or imaginary, are commonly domesticated in this area? Which aren’t here, but are elsewhere? (Example: water buffalo in India vs. oxen in Europe vs. camels in desert areas.)
18. How do most of the citizens make their living — farming, fishing, trade, manufacturing? Do non-humans tend to take up different trades from humans? Are they legally limited to certain trades?

Magic and Magicians:

Rules of Magic -

1. What things can magic not do? What are the limits to magical power? How do magicians try to get around these limits?
2. What is the price magicians must pay in order to be magicians — years of study, permanent celibacy, using up bits of their life or memory with each spell, etc.? Does anyone ever try to get around the price of magic?
3. Is there a difference between miracles and magic? If so, how are they distinguished?
4. Where does magic power come from: the gods, the “mana” of the world, the personal willpower of the magician? Is magic an exhaustible resource? If a magician must feed his spells with his own willpower, life-force, or sanity, what long-term effects will this have on the health and/or stability of the magician? Do different races/species have different sources for their magic, or does everybody use the same one?
5. How does a magician tap his/her magic power? Does becoming a magician require some rite of passage (investing one’s power in an object, being chosen by the gods, constructing or being given a permanent link to the source of power) or does it just happen naturally, as a gradual result of much study or as a part of growing up?
6. What do you need to do to cast a spell — design an elaborate ritual, recite poetry, mix the right ingredients in a pot? Are there things like a staff, a wand, a familiar, a crystal ball, that are necessary to have before casting spells? If so, where and how do new wizards get these things? Do they make them, buy them from craftsmen, inherit them from their teachers, or order them from Wizardry Supplies, Inc.?
7. Is there a numerical limit to the number of wizards in the world? What is it? Why?
8. How long does it take to cast a spell? Can spells be stored for later, instant use? Does working spells take lots of long ritual, or is magic a “point and shoot” affair?
9. Can two or more wizards combine their power to cast a stronger spell, or is magic done only by individuals? What makes one wizard more powerful than another — knowledge of more spells, ability to handle greater levels of power, having a more powerful god as patron, etc.?
10. Does practicing magic have any detrimental effect on the magician (such as becoming addictive, fomenting insanity, or shortening life-span)? If so, is there any way to prevent these effects? Are the effects inevitable to all magicians, or do they affect only those with some sort of predisposition? Do they progress at the same rate in everyone? Are they universal in all species, or are some races (dwarves, elves, whoever) immune to these detrimental effects?
11. How much is known about the laws of nature, physics, and magic? How much of what is commonly known is wrong (e.g., Aristotle’s ideas about human anatomy, which were wrong but accepted for centuries)?
12. What general varieties of magic are practiced (e.g., herbal potions, ritual magic, alchemical magic, demonology, necromancy, etc.)? Do any work better than others, or does only one variety actually work?
13. Are certain kinds of magic practiced solely or chiefly by one sex or the other? By one race or another? Is this because of inborn ability, natural preferences, or legislation?
14. Does a magician’s magical ability or power change over time — e.g., growing stronger or weaker during puberty, or with increasing age? Can a magician “use up” all of his/her magic, thus ceasing to be a magician? If this happens, what does the ex-magician do — die, retire, take up teaching, go into a second career, start a freelance consulting business?
15. Can the ability to do magic be lost? If so, how — overdoing it, “burning out,” brain damage due to fever or a blow, etc.?
16. Can the ability to work magic be taken away? If so, how and by whom? (Traditional example: certain spells that can only be worked by virgins; raping such a witch robbed her of her powers.)

Wizards -

1. Does practicing magic have any detrimental effect on the magician (such as becoming addictive, fomenting insanity, or shortening life-span)? If so, is there any way to prevent these effects? Are the effects inevitable to all magicians, or do they affect only those with some sort of predisposition? Do they progress at the same rate in everyone? Are they universal in all species, or are some races (dwarfs, elves, whoever) immune to these detrimental effects?
2. What is the price magicians must pay in order to be magicians — years of study, permanent celibacy, using up bits of their life or memory with each spell, etc.? Does anyone ever try to get around the price of magic?
3. How do various religions,if any, view magic? Do any forbid it? Why or why not? Do any require priests/priestesses to be magicians? Do any forbid magicians from holding some or all religious offices?
4. How long does it take to learn magic?
5. Is magic a profession, an art, or just a job? What is the status accorded to magicians in this society? Are they the equivalent of shyster lawyers, politicians, and used car salesmen, or are they considered average working stiffs, or are they looked up to and admired?
6. Are wizards organized? How? What hierarchy, if any, do they recognize? What happens if the person/people at the top get killed? Who takes over? How soon?
7. Can anyone become a wizard, or does one need to be born with some special talent or gift?
8. Are different races/intelligent species good at different types of magic? If so, what types are associated with what races/species? Are there species that use magic more or less unconsciously — for instance, dragons using magic to fly without being consciously aware of it, or werewolves using magic to change?
9. Can you make a living practicing magic, or do you have to have independent means? If you can make a living, what are you doing — making magic swords, or making it rain for local farmers? What’s a wizard’s job market like? What’s a wizard’s average income, relative to the rest of society?
10. Are magicians a force in politics, or are they above it? Are there national politics that revolve around magic/wizards (i.e., trying to outlaw, protect, or promote certain kinds of magic, trying to draft wizards into a ruler’s army, licensing of magicians, etc.)? Do wizards have a lobby? Do they need one?
11. Does it require a license to be a wizard? If so, is it more like a driver’s license (something nearly everyone in our culture gets upon coming of age) or like a doctor’s license (something only a small percentage of the population will ever get)? Who certifies wizards: government, wizard’s guild/AMA, local priests?
12. How do local people view wizards? Are they good guys, bad guys, Clint Eastwood (call in only to get rid of dragons), regular working stiffs, ivory-tower academics, nuisances who make it rain when you’re plowing, dangerous folks to stay away from?
13. How do you get to be a wizard/magician? Does it require inborn talent, study and hard work, practice, or all of the above?
14. Are wizards barred from certain kinds of government jobs or offices? Do some government jobs require that their holder be a wizard?
15. If magic requires study, where do you go to learn about it? How do people fund their training? Is there an apprenticeship system, or are there wizard schools, or is it one-on-one tutoring/mentoring? Is an untrained wizard dangerous, or just an ordinary person?
16. Do wizards have a special language that is used for magic? If so, where do they learn it? Is it safe to chat in this language, or is everything said in it automatically a spell? If so, how can it safely be taught to new students?
17. Is magic considered a science, or are scientists and wizards enemies or rivals? Are magic and science compatible? To what degree does the presence of magic, magical objects, and wizards replace technology (for example, a chest that is enchanted to keep its contents cold could replace the refrigerator)? Duplicate technology? Supplement technology?
18. Are wizards above or below the law — I.e., do they have full rights as citizens, no rights, or can they do as they like without regard to anyone else’s rights?
19. Is the relative power of a country or ruler usually measured by the size of the army, the number and ability of his wizards, or the amount of money at his disposal?
20. Can two or more wizards combine their power to cast a stronger spell, or is magic done only by individuals? What makes a powerful magician?
21. What do you need to do to cast a spell — design an elaborate ritual, recite poetry, mix the right ingredients in a pot? Are there things like a staff, a wand, a familiar, a crystal ball, that are necessary to have before casting spells? If so, where and how do new wizards get these things? Do they make them, buy them from craftsmen, inherit them from their teachers, or order them from Wizardry Supplies, Inc.?
22. Where does magic power come from: the gods, the “mana” of the world, the personal willpower of the magician? Is magic an exhaustible resource? If a magician must feed his spells with his own willpower, life-force, or sanity, what long-term effects will this have on the health and/or stability of the magician? Do different races/species have different sources for their magic, or does everybody use the same one?
23. How does a magician tap his/her magic power? Does becoming a magician require some rite of passage (investing one’s power in an object, being chosen by the gods, constructing or being given a permanent link to the source of power) or does it just happen naturally as part of growing up, like puberty?
24. Does a magician’s magical ability or power change over time — e.g., growing stronger or weaker during puberty, or with increasing age? Can a magician “use up” all of his/her magic, thus ceasing to be a magician? If this happens, what does the ex-magician do — die, retire, take up teaching, go into a second career, start a freelance consulting business?
25. Is a magician’s lifetime normally longer or shorter than average? Why? Does this vary for different races/species? Are there races/species all of whose members are magicians?
26. Are there fashions/fads in magic — are herbal spells “in” this year and ritual spells “out,” or vice versa?
27. Are certain spells (as opposed to magic generally) illegal? Why — because of the effect of the spell, or because of the ingredients or procedures needed to cast it, or what? If so, how would a criminal magician be detected? Apprehended? Punished? Is catching and punishing illegal magicians the responsibility of the magician’s guild, or do the ordinary courts have to handle it?

Magic and Technology -

1.