Please Hear Me Out: Multiple Kinds Of Vampires Like There's Multiple Bat Diets Yes, Include The Blood-sucking

A worldbuilding idea for making your fictional nation interesting: choose a crime, taboo, etc. and make it legal, perhaps even engraved in the culture.

For example, cannibalism. It could be tradition to hold a feast in the honor of the recently deceased, devouring them as a way to signify their sacrifice will not be wasted. That could be not only the main way of holding a funeral, but it could be embedded in the culture. Perhaps it arose from the early days of the nation, when the founders resorted to cannibalism to survive.

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How to Make Worldbuilding Easier and More Efficient

Hey everyone! I recently found a method that makes worldbuilding much more efficient and structured, so I thought I’d share it here. Maybe it’ll help some of you! :)

Step 1: Approach Your World with a “Why?” Mindset

Whenever you add an element to your world, ask yourself **why** it exists. Keep questioning it like a curious child. This method prevents inconsistencies and ensures that every part of your world is connected.

Step 2: Use a Checklist to Stay on Track**

To make this process easier, you can create checklist of key questions to answer. Here’s an example:

• Does your world have magic? → Yes?

THEN:

• Why do people have magic?

• Does everyone have it, or just specific groups?

• Where does this magic come from?

• Are there rules or restrictions for using magic?

• Are there different types of magic?

• Are there beliefs tied to magic (e.g., religious, cultural, or political conflicts)?

If, for example, magic comes from gods, then suddenly you have:

✔ A mythology

✔ Different groups with different beliefs

✔ Possible conflicts between those groups

Step 3: Use Worldbuilding to Shape Your Plot

Once your world has structure, it naturally helps shape the plot

For example:

• If there are different groups with opposing beliefs, you already have a conflict

• If magic is restricted, maybe your main character wants to change the system

• If there’s a prophecy, maybe someone wants to break or fulfill it.

Instead of creating random events,each event should naturally lead to the next

A → causes → B → causes → C

This makes your plot more organic and keeps everything connected!

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any other worldbuilding strategies that work for you! :)

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a list of 100+ buildings to put in your fantasy town

academy

adventurer's guild

alchemist

apiary

apothecary

aquarium

armory

art gallery

bakery

bank

barber

barracks

bathhouse

blacksmith

boathouse

book store

bookbinder

botanical garden

brothel

butcher

carpenter

cartographer

casino

castle

cobbler

coffee shop

council chamber

court house

crypt for the noble family

dentist

distillery

docks

dovecot

dyer

embassy

farmer's market

fighting pit

fishmonger

fortune teller

gallows

gatehouse

general store

graveyard

greenhouses

guard post

guildhall

gymnasium

haberdashery

haunted house

hedge maze

herbalist

hospice

hospital

house for sale

inn

jail

jeweller

kindergarten

leatherworker

library

locksmith

mail courier

manor house

market

mayor's house

monastery

morgue

museum

music shop

observatory

orchard

orphanage

outhouse

paper maker

pawnshop

pet shop

potion shop

potter

printmaker

quest board

residence

restricted zone

sawmill

school

scribe

sewer entrance

sheriff's office

shrine

silversmith

spa

speakeasy

spice merchant

sports stadium

stables

street market

tailor

tannery

tavern

tax collector

tea house

temple

textile shop

theatre

thieves guild

thrift store

tinker's workshop

town crier post

town square

townhall

toy store

trinket shop

warehouse

watchtower

water mill

weaver

well

windmill

wishing well

wizard tower

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you know how in some fantasy worlds, deities only exist when people worship them, and deities become real when people worship them?

what if spells worked the same way? what if people who wanted to make new spells needed them to go viral before they worked? what if you were using an indie spell and suddenly it was way more powerful and then you found out a wizardtok influencer had used it in their latest video? what if people posted spells on tumblr with the caption "likes < reblogs < usage"? what if there were ads for spells on podcasts?

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Setting Idea:

A modern fantasy world where street signs are powerful magic sigils. When the red stoplight glows, it forcibly holds your car in place, and when you pass a school crossing, conjured will-o-wisps drift back and forth to lead children safely across the street. Highways are lined with runic instructions, sending out pulses that direct the flow of traffic.

In this world, hacker mages race their motorcycles through the network of glyphs, competing to be the fastest, to steal and move illegal goods, to test their knowledge of vehicular magic.

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1d6 Odd Foreign Coins

For when treasure in convenient mints is just too easy. 1. Iron rings - this smallest denomination coin belongs to a nation far across the sea. Even trading with them, though, these rings are small change. 2. Butterflies - this odd currency belongs not to a nation but to a thieves guild (or other underground faction). It is made by permanently attaching four coins of the realm together in a sort of square or clover shape. It is not legal currency, but has value in certain illegal transactions. Carrying it can also, of course, get you into trouble. 3. Bricks - so called because rather than being flat disks, these coins are rectangular and almost as thick as they are wide. Bricks come in different denominations, in varying sizes but all made of silver. The small alliance of nations who use Bricks are nearby, but not on the friendliest terms with your home region. However, the raw silver is of decent value. 4. Beads and Medallions - smaller and thicker than the average metal coins, these coins are made of dyed glass. They are the coin of a small, wealthy principality, where literally displaying one’s wealth has become quite fashionable. Merchants who accept these coins are most likely to trade in small, luxury items. 5. Golden Daggers - these slender gold coins are not uncommon to see in the northern part of your realm. They are the most used coin in the neighboring kingdom, whose odd manner of minting begins with slender metal rods. They aren’t commonly accepted  except near the northern border, but it isn’t too difficult to find someone who will exchange them at a fair rate. 6. Silver Gems - so called because of their geometric design that resembles a cut gemstone, these coins are highly valuable. The empire from which they come has dissolved. The upper class of your realm romanticize the fallen empire’s glory days, and prize anything from it, including its odd currency. They can’t be spent like regular money, but to a collector they can be sold like valuable art.

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a list of 100+ buildings to put in your fantasy town

academy

adventurer's guild

alchemist

apiary

apothecary

aquarium

armory

art gallery

bakery

bank

barber

barracks

bathhouse

blacksmith

boathouse

book store

bookbinder

botanical garden

brothel

butcher

carpenter

cartographer

casino

castle

cobbler

coffee shop

council chamber

court house

crypt for the noble family

dentist

distillery

docks

dovecot

dyer

embassy

farmer's market

fighting pit

fishmonger

fortune teller

gallows

gatehouse

general store

graveyard

greenhouses

guard post

guildhall

gymnasium

haberdashery

haunted house

hedge maze

herbalist

hospice

hospital

house for sale

inn

jail

jeweller

kindergarten

leatherworker

library

locksmith

mail courier

manor house

market

mayor's house

monastery

morgue

museum

music shop

observatory

orchard

orphanage

outhouse

paper maker

pawnshop

pet shop

potion shop

potter

printmaker

quest board

residence

restricted zone

sawmill

school

scribe

sewer entrance

sheriff's office

shrine

silversmith

spa

speakeasy

spice merchant

sports stadium

stables

street market

tailor

tannery

tavern

tax collector

tea house

temple

textile shop

theatre

thieves guild

thrift store

tinker's workshop

town crier post

town square

townhall

toy store

trinket shop

warehouse

watchtower

water mill

weaver

well

windmill

wishing well

wizard tower

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Horror Idea/Prompt #45 : Uncanny Valley

Explorers in an uncharted region of space find an Earth-like planet, suitable for habitation.

But upon landing, they are disturbed by just how closely it resembles Earth. The same geography, the same flora, even cities built in the style of different human cultures.

But no people. No animals. Just a quiet, empty replica.

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worldbuilding holidays; possible traditions for holidays based on historical events:

commemorating victims of the historical event

parades

mass lighting candles

displaying art related to the event

cooking traditional dishes

organizing discussions and lectures to educate the public

planting commemorative trees

family trips to museums

discussions with people who lived through the event

reenacting the event

family reunions

wearing awareness accessories (ribbons, etc.)

political figures giving commemorative speeches

fundraisers for victims of the event

workshops to educate children in schools

building monuments/statues

feel free to add more!

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Fantasy Worldbuilding Questions (Clothing and Fashion)

Clothing and Fashion Worldbuilding Questions:

What is considered typical or everyday dress for each region?

What values or status does society confer to clothing (or is it entirely functional, or even non-existent)?

Who is permitted to wear what? Are there taboos, superstitions, or laws governing dress? Why?

Who has access to clothing? Which fabrics are cheaper and which more expensive (and why)?

Where are fabrics and other materials used in clothing sourced, and is their production ethical or problematic in some way?

Where are specific dress codes or uniforms enforced, and what are they?

When do styles or what people typically wear change, are there seasonal, spiritual, customary or other aspects to this?

When have (or will) clothing styles change in the world, and what are the economic, environmental, or other contributing factors?

Why is clothing in this world the way it is, what are the aesthetic beliefs, meanings or symbolism ascribed to colors, and other contributing factors?

Why does gender, class or race impact what people wear (for example, a group may have spiritual or familial meaning attached to the type of jewelry or body modification members embrace).

❯ ❯ ❯ Read other writing masterposts in this series: Worldbuilding Questions for Deeper Settings

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