1st ed World Builder's Guidebook.pdf

Table of ('ontents

Introduction.. ....

Chapter One: Approache

Chapter Two: Worlds and Planetology

Shapeandsize ..........................

Hydrography .......................... .14

Seismology and Tectonics ................ .16

Climatology ........................... .19

Chapter Three: Continents and Geography ...

World Size, Coastlines, and Seas ...........

Landforms .............................

Climate and Weather. ................... .2

Terrain Types .......................... .2

Rivers, Lakes, and Seas .................. .3

Human Geography .....................

.. .4:

Chapter Four: Kingdoms and Sociology

Culture .....................

Government .................

Physical Cartography ....

Population and Resources

Chapter Five: Cities and Provinces

The Local Campaign Area

Cities, Towns, and Viiages

Monsters and Ecology. ....

...............

Sites of L-+--st

Chapter Six: History and Mythology ..

Mythology ......................

History .....................

Building a Heroic Saga ............

Customizing Your World ..........

In-

*' .%boner or later, every Dungeon Master dares to build his

or her own world from scratch. It's the ultimate exercise in

creativity, one that can take years of planning and plotting.

Town bv town, character bv character, kinadombv kingdom,

an en& world takes shap;. Thirty or fo4years ago, &e

onlv ueoule who attemuted uroiects of this mamitude and

au&ity'were a handgl of &eke fiction writ& and movie-

makers. Today, role-playing games have created an immense

demand for new and creative fantasy settings. Thousands of

game masters and players, many of whom will never publish

a word. devise new and fantasticworlds iust because thev

,enjoythe process of imagination. And ea& of those work is

a unique construction, a blend of favorite novels, personal

experience, and plain old inventiveness that stands out as a

j, ,.+

-'Ii

as much or as li

world usable for role-playing. If you're

dungeon-delving, hack

nothing wmm with&

of evilla dungeon, ruin, or some other lau of the

dungeon needs a map, a key, and a few note6 of w

where, and the town needs even less than that.

creative experiment of immense scope and ambition.

Given that designing a world is an intensely creative and

personal experience, you might wonder why a World

.Builder's Guidebook is necessary. After all, if you have ever sat

done to start building your own world, you've already

taken the most important step in designing your unique

campaignsetting. This accessory is not meant to replace the

creative process of world-building; instead it is a tool you

may find useful during that process. Charts and tables are

included, not to limit design, but to act as a springboard for

the reader. If you don't have any idea of what the continent

on the far side of your campaign world is like, a few rolls or

a quick scan of some of the options available may spark

your imagination.

Above all, remember that you're the master architect. If a

chart gives you a result that you don't like, thro~, k

out the window and make your own choices!

, What's in a World?

So, what defines a world? What are the components of a

campaign setting?Take a moment to consider eve- you

would have to do in order to record our own planet as a cam-

paign setting. 'Ihm are seven major continents to fill, each

with its own range of climates, landfom, cultures, re~our~es,

history, and beliefs. At least six to seven thousand years of

human history have been recorded, and there are indications

of organized societiesand settlements several time older than

that. An uncounted variety of animals and plants populate the

Earth's surface; new species are discovered almost every day.

Next consider the near-infiniteweb of human intmsts, con-

tact, and interaction. By the standardsof science fiction and

fantasy, the Earth is an incdblyrich and diverse world. In

fact,no one has ever successfully portrayed a fanksy world

even one-tenth as complex as our own.

At a minimum, a campaign world has four basic compo-

nents: people, places, monsters, and adventures. Who are the

NPCs of the setting?Are there major champions of good or

evil who interact with the party? Do the heroes work for or

take orders from someone?Where do they live when they're

not stomping through a dungeon?What kinds of monsters

are nearby, and why are they bothering the ITS? What kinds

pad that came wi& this &Met.

In addition to the basic supplies,

to gather reference materials you

leatherette books of the PHBR an

senes may come

idly if you wish to set up a

The DM’s Notebook

As you enter the process of creating your own campail

world from scratch, you will want to assemble a DMs nob

book. Get a stui-dy folder, binder, or some other kind of ea$

Ily-transported organizer to keep all your note -L-- - -

rorld. Your DM’s notebook should include:

Maps of the world, continent, kingd

ture regon, as required.

Character sheets for all major NPCs.

A log or short form for minor NFCs.

A record of adventures, including treasure found, cha

acter developments, and foes overcome.

Up-to-date copies of the character record sheets for ah

the player charactersin your campaign.

A collection of special notes, rules changes, new items

and spells, and similar ”customized” touches for you

campaign setting.

Photocopies of stat sheets for any unusual monsters

picked up from other sources or designed foryour ca.

paign.

Notes on the calendar or passage of time, if you track

time in your game.

A tickler file or wish list for the PCs, noting the motiva-

tions and long-range goals of each FC (very useful for

designing adventures your players will want to take

part in).

Notes on the places and sites of interest in your setting,

including major NPCs, adventure qprtunities, local

customs or societies, and anything else you might find

necessary to describe a region.

Obviously, you don’t need a DMs notebook with all of

these compon ents... but a well-organized campaign bonk 0:

be a very useful tool for a Dungeon Master, especiall!

campaigns that emphasize travel and role-play?ng.

How to Use This Book

The heart of the Worlu ~(tliiuer

s buzaemk is ulapters Tv

through Five, which describe the creation of worlds, conti-

nents, kingdoms, local settings, and My

adventure sites.

You can read this book straight through, or you may choose

to jump around from topic to topic. Start with Chapter One,

Approaches, where you will hddescriptions of several COI

mon world-buildingmethcds and the logical steps you’ll

want to take with each methd.

A pad of 32 sheets (severalcopies each of nine different

forms)is included for use in building your world, drawing

maps, and preparing notes for adventure sites and cultural

detalls. Make sure you photocopy the different forms befor-

you use them all up!

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