100 questions every worldbuilder needs to answer
(and a free notion worksheet to do it in)
if you've ever had your lore scattered across 12 docs, 4 notebooks, and your notes app—this is for you.
What is your world called?
Does the name hint at its history, cosmology, or mythic origin?
How many continents exist?
Are all of them inhabited, or do some hold forbidden or unmapped territory?
What are the major oceans?
Do any have reputations—cursed waters, legendary creatures, trade dangers?
What is the world's age?
Is it ancient and decaying, newly formed, or caught in a mythic cycle?
Is magic common or rare?
Does every person have access, or is it held by a privileged few?
What created the world?
Is there a creation myth, and do people believe it literally or as allegory?
Are there multiple planes?
What lies beyond the mortal world—spirit realms, voids, divine layers?
What is the cosmology?
How many suns, moons, stars and do they carry mythological meaning?
Are there ley lines?
Where does raw magical energy flow, and who controls those channels?
What ended the last era?
War, cataclysm, divine intervention and what did it leave behind?
Who writes history?
Who controls the narrative of the past, and what do they erase?
Are gods real and present?
Do deities walk the world, speak through oracles, or remain silent?
What continents exist?
Name them and describe what each is broadly known for.
What climates dominate?
Are there zones with perpetual fog, eternal night, or unnatural seasons?
What are the unique weather events?
Magical storms, blood rains, mist that turns people into phantoms?
What flora is unique here?
Carnivorous plants, whispering trees, herbs with supernatural properties?
What creatures are native?
Mythical beasts, spectral animals, or creatures tied to local magic?
What mountain ranges exist?
Do they hide ancient beings, cursed minerals, or lost civilizations?
Are there enchanted forests?
Who lives in them, and can outsiders enter safely?
What rivers and lakes matter?
Do they hold special properties, myths, or cursed water?
What is the blighted land?
Where has magic or catastrophe left permanent scars on the landscape?
Where are the dead zones?
Regions where magic doesn't work—why, and who enforces them?
Are there floating landmasses?
Sky citadels, cloud islands—what keeps them up, and who lives there?
What are the sacred natural sites?
Where do people go to pray, seek visions, or perform rites?
What is the country's name?
Does it hint at its culture, environment, or founding myth?
What type of government rules?
Monarchy, theocracy, oligarchy, council of mages, or something stranger?
Who is the current leader?
Their title, public reputation, and the secret they'd kill to protect?
What is the national symbol?
An animal, plant, artifact and what story does it carry?
What languages are spoken?
Are there regional dialects, or a trade tongue used across borders?
What religion dominates?
Who or what do they worship, and how does it shape daily life?
What currency do they use?
Coins, rare stones, magical artifacts, favors and who controls supply?
Who are their allies?
Political alliances, and what obligations do those alliances carry?
Who are their enemies?
Active conflicts, cold wars, or ancient grudges still simmering?
What is the legal system?
Strict codified law, tradition-based justice, or rule by divine decree?
What is their military?
Standing army, magical guardians, spectral warriors—how do they fight?
What are they famous for exporting?
Enchanted goods, rare minerals, skilled mercenaries, forbidden knowledge?
What is their biggest internal tension?
Class divide, religious schism, suppressed faction—what could break them?
What literacy rate do they have?
Is knowledge common, or gatekept by guilds, temples, or ruling class?
How was the country founded?
By a hero, on ruins, through conquest, or by magical means?
What legend defines them?
The founding myth every child knows, and what it says about their values?
🏙 CITIES, TOWNS & VILLAGES
What is the city's name?
Does it evoke its history, its founder, or something darker?
What is the city's primary role?
Capital, trade hub, religious center, or arcane academy city?
Who governs the city?
A council, a royal family, or a mystic ruling from the shadows?
What is the city's population?
Densely packed or sprawling and what types of beings inhabit it?
What is the city's economy?
Mystical relic trading, alchemy, enchanted artisan crafts, forbidden goods?
What are the major districts?
Market quarter, noble grounds, undercity, arcane district—describe each?
Is there an undercity?
What lives beneath the streets, and what does it trade in?
What are the famous landmarks?
Ancient towers, cursed statues, a temple no one enters anymore?
How do people move around?
Roads, waterways, magical portals, ghostly carriages?
What is sold in the hidden market?
Enchanted items, rare ingredients, forbidden knowledge and who runs it?
What is the city's biggest secret?
What does the city hide from outsiders or from its own citizens?
What is the city's founding story?
Built on a ruin, raised by magic, or born from a catastrophic event?
What town sits at the crossroads?
The quiet hub between major cities—what rumors pass through it?
What superstitions does the town hold?
Minor rituals, warding charms, sayings that hide real historical trauma?
What does the village elder know?
That no one else in the village does and why they keep it quiet?
What seasonal event defines village life?
Harvest rite, spirit gathering, a festival that goes wrong every third year?
⛩ CULTURE, RELIGION & HISTORY
What do people value most?
Loyalty, cunning, strength, knowledge and how is this displayed publicly?
What is culturally taboo?
What act, word, or belief is so forbidden it carries real consequences?
What are the rites of passage?
How do people mark childhood to adulthood, apprentice to master?
What is the dominant death custom?
Burial, burning, sky burial, dissolution into magic and what comes after?
What is the most important festival?
When is it, what does it celebrate, and what happens if it's skipped?
What does architecture look like?
Gothic stone, living wood, floating glass—what does it say about power?
What do common people eat?
Regional cuisine, magical ingredients, foods with spiritual significance?
How is magic treated socially?
Respected, feared, regulated, hidden, or simply part of everyday life?
What hero is universally known?
The name every child learns and the version of the story that's a lie?
What is the blood feud?
Which families or clans have nursed a generational grudge and why?
What oath culture exists?
How seriously are spoken promises taken—legally, spiritually, literally?
What is the unspoken truth?
The thing everyone knows but no one says aloud in polite company?
What does music sound like here?
Instruments, singing styles, songs that carry secret histories?
What clothing signals status?
What does a powerful person wear vs. a laborer, a mage, an outcast?
Who are the marginalized?
Which group is excluded, exploited, or erased from the official story?
What is the patron deity's demand?
What must worshippers give—time, sacrifice, silence, devotion?
What do people dream about?
Are dreams prophetic, dangerous, or a door to another realm?
⚔ ECONOMY, MILITARY & POWER
What is the primary industry?
Mining, arcane crafts, rare herbs, enchanted artifacts, shadow trades?
What are the natural resources?
Magical minerals, cursed gems, forests with supernatural properties?
What is the trade route called?
Name the main commercial path and who taxes it, guards it, or raids it?
Is there a black market?
What's being traded illegally, and which faction runs the underground economy?
What is the economic disparity?
How wide is the gap between the wealthiest and poorest and is it growing?
What caused the last economic crisis?
A war, a magical disaster, a trade embargo and who profited from it?
Who controls the military?
Crown, church, independent guild, or a warlord with their own agenda?
What is the defense strategy?
Stone walls, enchanted forests, arcane barriers, summoned guardians?
Who is the most feared general?
Their name, their reputation, and the battle that made them infamous?
What is the military's dark secret?
What do soldiers do on orders that the public is never told about?
What faction operates in shadow?
The organization with no official name but real power—what do they want?
Who holds debt over the throne?
A merchant guild, a foreign power, a mage collective—their leverage?
What magical resource is contested?
The thing two or more powers are quietly (or loudly) going to war over?
What is the forbidden knowledge?
The truth that, if publicly known, would destabilize everything?
What relic changes power dynamics?
An artifact, a bloodline, a prophecy—what could shift who rules?
✦ FREE NOTION WORKSHEET
We turned all 100 prompts into a clean, fillable Notion template. Grab it free:
Get your FREE template here
No email required. Duplicate to your Notion and go.
⚡ WANT YOUR ENTIRE WORLD CONNECTED IN ONE PLACE?
The free worksheet is great. But here's the problem nobody talks about:
✗ You build your magic system in one doc, factions in another, cities somewhere else and none of them talk to each other.
✗ You spend 20 minutes searching for "what was that cursed forest called again?" instead of actually writing.
✗ Your world lives in your head but it's impossible to share, reference, or keep consistent across a whole story.
The Notion Worldbuilding Kit includes 15 in-depth worksheet modules — every single one a linked database:
🏔 Geography — climates, biomes & terrain
🌿 Flora & fauna — creatures, plants, ecosystems
🌙 Cosmology — planes, gods & the cosmos
📖 Storylines & arcs — plot structure & narrative
⚔ Conflicts & hooks — plot hooks & tensions
🪄 Items & artifacts — relics, weapons, cursed objects
⚡ Powers & abilities — magic systems & skills
🍲 Food & cuisine — culture through what they eat
👗 Fashion & aesthetics — style, status & symbolism
🗣 Languages — tongues, scripts & dialects
🔥 Religion & mythology — gods, rituals & sacred lore
💰 Economy & technology — trade, currency & innovation
🚩 Politics & factions — power, alliances & betrayal
📜 History & wars — timelines, battles & aftermath
🗺 World map & locations — world → region → city → village
The kit fixes everything the free worksheet can't:
✓ Every module is a linked database—city connects to country, country to region, region to world. One click.
✓ Factions link to leaders. Leaders link to history. History links to lore events.
✓ Add a character and instantly see every place, faction, artifact, and conflict connected to them.
✓ Share your world with co-writers or DM players without losing your mind or your notes.
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