id: world_primer title: World Primer type: world_primer level: campaign purpose: High-level overview of your campaign world author: Mimir Team variables:
- name: world_name type: string description: Name of your world default: “[World Name]” required: true
{{world_name}} Overview
The foundation of your campaign setting
Core Concept
World Name: [Name]
Elevator Pitch: [One paragraph describing what makes this world unique]
Genre Tags: [e.g., High Fantasy, Low Magic, Renaissance, Post-Apocalyptic]
Inspiration: [“It’s like X meets Y”]
Unique Element: [What doesn’t exist in other worlds]
The Six Truths
Fundamental facts that shape everything else
- [Cosmological Truth]: [How the universe works differently]
- [Historical Truth]: [The event that changed everything]
- [Magical Truth]: [How supernatural forces operate]
- [Cultural Truth]: [Universal social norm or conflict]
- [Geographical Truth]: [Physical reality of the world]
- [Political Truth]: [How power actually works]
Geography Overview
The Known World
Size: [Rough dimensions or travel times]
Shape: [Continents, islands, unusual features]
Climate Patterns: [General weather trends]
Natural Barriers: [What divides regions]
Major Regions
| Region | Terrain | Climate | Dominant Culture | Current Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Name] | [Type] | [Type] | [Who lives there] | [Peace/War/etc] |
| [Name] | [Type] | [Type] | [Who lives there] | [Peace/War/etc] |
| [Name] | [Type] | [Type] | [Who lives there] | [Peace/War/etc] |
| [Name] | [Type] | [Type] | [Who lives there] | [Peace/War/etc] |
The Unknown
Beyond the Maps: [What lies past civilization]
Why Unexplored: [What keeps people away]
Legends Say: [What might be there]
Cosmology
The Planes
Material Plane: [Name and nature]
Other Realms:
- [Plane]: [Connection and influence]
- [Plane]: [Connection and influence]
- [Plane]: [Connection and influence]
Travel Between: [How it’s possible, if at all]
The Heavens
Sun: [Natural or divine?]
Moon(s): [Number and significance]
Stars: [What they actually are]
Comets/Portents: [What they mean]
Magic System
How Magic Works
Source: [Where power comes from]
Access: [Who can use it and how]
Cost: [What it demands]
Limits: [What it cannot do]
Magic in Society
Prevalence: □ Rare □ Uncommon □ Common □ Ubiquitous
Public View: □ Feared □ Distrusted □ Accepted □ Revered
Regulation: [How it’s controlled]
Organizations: [Who teaches/polices it]
Unique Magical Elements
- [Special type of magic]
- [Magical phenomenon]
- [Forbidden practice]
Divine Forces
The Nature of Divinity
Gods Are: [Real/Myths/Unclear/Dead]
Divine Power: [How it manifests]
Mortal Relations: [How gods interact with world]
Major Deities
| Deity | Domain | Symbol | Followers | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Name] | [What they rule] | [Holy symbol] | [Who worships] | [Active/Silent/Dead] |
| [Name] | [What they rule] | [Holy symbol] | [Who worships] | [Active/Silent/Dead] |
| [Name] | [What they rule] | [Holy symbol] | [Who worships] | [Active/Silent/Dead] |
Religious Practice
Organized Religion: [Dominant churches]
Folk Beliefs: [Common superstitions]
Heresies: [Forbidden faiths]
Historical Eras
Only the periods that matter to now
The Ancient Days
When: [Time period]
What Happened: [Major events]
Legacy: [What remains]
The Turning Point
When: [Time period]
The Event: [What changed everything]
Immediate Impact: [How world reacted]
Current Echoes: [How it still matters]
The Recent Past
When: [Last 50-100 years]
Major Changes: [What shaped today]
Living Memory: [What people remember]
Current Era
Technology Level
Common: [What everyone has]
Rare: [What exists but isn’t widespread]
Impossible: [What definitely doesn’t exist]
Regional Variations: [Who’s advanced/primitive]
Political Landscape
Major Powers: [Who controls what]
Rising Forces: [Who’s gaining strength]
Declining Empires: [Who’s losing grip]
Conflicts: [Current or brewing wars]
Economic Forces
Trade Routes: [Major commercial paths]
Currency: [What people use]
Valuable Resources: [What nations fight over]
Economic Centers: [Where wealth concentrates]
Cultural Overview
Common Elements
Languages: [Trade tongues and regional dialects]
Naming Conventions: [How people are named]
Social Structure: [How society organizes]
Gender Roles: [Expectations and variations]
Cultural Tensions
- [Group vs Group]: [Source of conflict]
- [Belief vs Belief]: [Ideological split]
- [Old vs New]: [Generational change]
Daily Life
For Common Folk
Work: [How most people earn living]
Home: [Typical living situations]
Food: [What people eat]
Entertainment: [How they have fun]
Concerns: [Daily worries]
For Adventurers
Legal Status: [How society views them]
Employment: [Who hires them]
Resources: [Where they resupply]
Reputation: [How deeds spread]
Threats and Dangers
Environmental
- [Natural disaster type]
- [Dangerous regions]
- [Magical phenomena]
Political
- [War or threat of war]
- [Internal strife]
- [Succession crisis]
Supernatural
- [Ancient evil]
- [Planar incursion]
- [Magical catastrophe]
Mysteries of the World
Unknown even to scholars
- [Unexplained phenomenon]
- [Lost civilization secret]
- [Cosmic question]
- [Historical contradiction]
- [Prophesied event]
Campaign Hooks
Personal Scale
- [Individual adventure seed]
- [Local problem]
- [Small mystery]
Regional Scale
- [Kingdom-affecting issue]
- [Regional threat]
- [Political opportunity]
World Scale
- [World-changing discovery]
- [Apocalyptic threat]
- [Divine intervention]
Design Notes
Themes to Emphasize: [Core feelings/ideas]
Elements to Avoid: [What doesn’t fit]
Inspiration Sources: [Media to reference]
Expandable Areas: [Where to add detail later]
Remember: Start with broad strokes. Add detail only where players explore.