Hey all, I've been playing D&D for a while and I've recently taken up world-building as a hobby in my free time. I've been working on the same world for a while now, and so far I have some thoughts for cities but nothing that really makes them stand out. What I mean is that, while I have concepts for cities and towns with differing demographics, what I find to be the most intriguing and captivating is the use of different cultures in different cities, things that add flavor by altering the norm. This thread is to ask everyone what you think would be a cool idea for a city, or for the flavor of a certain city/culture?
For example, my made-up city of Dunespire is a massive sprawling trade hub in the middle of a desert that spans the distance between two kingdoms. This is a trade city, an oasis in the desert. With it's enormous central bazaar/marketplace, it is almost impossible to find what you want. Therefore, in Dunespire, it is common practice to hire a 'runner' who will find somebody selling what it is that you're after, for a price. In this place, there are hundreds of runner 'cafes' that line the edges of the bazaar, with adventurers grabbing a drink while the runner they hired finds what it is they are looking for. Some merchants may even have deals with runners, who will bring potential buyers to them in exchange for a cut of the profits.
Ideas like this interest me, that add flavor to a city or world. What kinds of ideas do you guys have to add a little character to your cities or worlds? Let me know!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I know what you're thinking: "In that flurry of blows, did he use all his ki points, or save one?" Well, are ya feeling lucky, punk?
You could think about how the local culture affects architecture. Fantasy Europe through an American lens is the default, but your world could be different. If families live in big clans, maybe each family in a clan has the main entrance of their home facing a common area with clan relatives. Maybe magic+dwarven stonework allows for high rise buildings as in Sharn of Ebberon.
What traditions spring up due to monster attack precautions? There could be a city that has made a deal with a local monster or froup of monsters. Anyone who dies is fed to the local ghouls to keep them in check; a PC or ally is brought to the city for ressurection by a priest, but the locals want to feed them to the "nightmasters". Felling trees is forbidden in a hamlet on the edge of dryad filled forest (and many locals have green eyes or even green hair).
I've really wanted to create a city that at times is covered by tides and fully submerged in water. There are so many creatures that are water based that it would be easy to populate and would create a cool time dynamic for adventures. It could even be a major trade city between a land based population and a water based population, with primarily creatures that can breathe in air and water working there.
I tell you a story which is an actual thing from my city:
There was this caves of tuff which were used as water tank in time of war. When war became no longer a problem, the plague did. So, the citizens used to throw the corpse afflicted by the plague in this cave, to avoid the plague to spread. When the plague finished, the caves were full of skeletons and skulls. Good places for a cult of the dead.
Still nowadays, people and tourists use to "adopt" those skulls, placing a coin on the skulls themselves and giving tem a name, in sign of respect for those victims.
I have this nation called Xerxes, and it is LITERALLY a nation of adventurers. The main cities feature "explorer stations" where adventurers go to and report their findings and adventures. About half the place is covered in ruins and this nation is bursting with tourism. You can't even walk 10 meters without bumping into some sap who wants you to find a treasure. Oh, and taverns are absolutely STUFFED with adventurers and quest-givers. Basically, you're not the only one in the dungeon. There are about 10 other parties looking around in it too.
Yep. And sometimes the other parties are Chaotic Evil and when you reach the treasure, they kill you and let the wights feed on your corpse. Spices up the game QUITE a bit.
In one of my worlds all of the gnomes of the mainland were banished to the sea, so they adapted by crafting a free floating island of hundreds of ships tied together
In my world I have three major countries which are based on "Good", "Evil" and "Neutrality"
The Good country is a hero country all about like epic warriors fighting against evil and in the north the evil country is made up of warring factions of vampires and werewolves and Ghosts and the neutral state is all about automatons and law and order.
then i have like three countries one thats like no magic and its basically a post apocalyptic wasteland, another thats some magic and another that is LOTS of magic, also i have a continent where Gods walk among mortals. Like you can walk around and you might bump into a God, its a world where the Gods didn't do the whole "hands off" approach most Gods tend to do in real life religions and a majority of fantasy stories.
The customs of certain areas really adds to the flair of your game.
I have a Kenku city called Piddlewick. It's a city that grew up around a natural harbor on the Sea of Verof. It's known for its fruitful harvests of nuts and olives, fanciful street festivals and it's peculiar olive wine. The citizens of Piddlewick are fearful of diseases and plagues, so it is customary to wash multiple times a day and to be fearful of a strangers touch. Even when they exchange coins they place them in a cleansing bowl beforehand, just to be safe. Piddlewick's marketplace is famous the world over, called the Olive Branch. The city itself is defended by tall watchtowers and tall forts. It is ruled over by a council of 5 elected officials, 3 members of the Piddle, 2 of the Wick. The citizens of Piddlewick dress in lavish garments from the world over and love to display any new form of style or color scheme into their garb. Especially during one of their many street fairs and festivals.
Anyone can use this city if they so wish. :) But, little details such as the kenku and residents always washing their hands and even their currency makes Piddlewick feel foreign. Something like that could really build on what you already have started.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"...Debts must always be paid, sometimes in more than blood and gold. But this is Ordo Ursa," Ren places his hand on Erakas's chest, right where the Dragonborn's heart is. "Right here. And it always has been and always will be. Don't ever forget that. Because I won't."
Serandis Mendaen (Aereni Elven Rogue/maybe one day Wizard)- Project Point Playtest
I have a tiny independent nation which is full of chefs and winemakers. It is a peaceful place, inhabited by elves and men. Due to the healing properties of their expert wine, most of the economy is boosted by tourism.
I have always been fascinated by the question, "what if the Europeans had arrived in the New World, and the natives were highly advanced?", so I have a continent in my world with an empire ruled by a direct spawn of Tiamat. This ancient red dragon, however, only stirs if people "steal" from him, such as immigrating. This system, along with the great knowledge of his older children, produced a civilization with arcane technology and a penchant for using it to expand their master's horde.
This whole empire sits opposite a continent with a more typical fantasy setting, and they just discovered the empire via a group of adventurers setting to the high seas.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
A professional engineer and amateur writer who has played D&D since 2015 (started with 5e) and has been a DM more than a player. When I'm not playing god I'm usually your friendly neighborhood rogue.
Those are all really cool ideas. I once started a campaign where the idea behind it was that magic and magical items required aether. As the years went on fewer And fewer people used magic because all the rich rulers of the countries didn't want all of the aether used up. So it led to a society where only the Rich and powerful who run society know magic. But as the aether was used up all the high leaders came together to create a portal to another plane that's similar to the existing one. And the purpose of it was to hire groups and adventures to go out and explore and find resources that are rich in aether so they can bring it back to The home world. So all the towns in the new world are basically settlements controlled by different countries with the purpose of being a home base for the adventures. Where they have Messengers that go back and forth between worlds and scout stations where adventures can go and get info to explore places of interest that the scouts have found.
These are all great ideas for campaigns, but I think my main question was overlooked by some. I was asking about small things, quirks and little cultural differences that would make a city or a kingdom feel unique and real. Little things, that only serve to immerse the players in the world
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
I know what you're thinking: "In that flurry of blows, did he use all his ki points, or save one?" Well, are ya feeling lucky, punk?
clothing customs (all men must cover their faces), hair & makeup customs (green eye shadow is only for the wealthy), attitudes towards other races (elves are held in awe), song & festival customs (song is only for religious purposes), and even trade situations (the nobles are mad for desert fruit to make wine, the poor need it to avoid scurvy), etc
Cultural dferences between races can be interesting too.
For example the dwarves in my campaigns calculate in base 5, instead of the base 10 humans use. Dwarves are master builders and their system of calculating has become the standard for building designers of many races. leading to many buildings having hallways 5 feet wide and rooms layed out in multiples of 5 or 25 feet.
World (and city) building are one of my favorite hobbies! We (our gaming group) have come up with quite a few odd ones along the way!
In a world that we got to shape, for instance, I created Shardmind and Genasi. The Shardmind were the army, the Genasi the magi and administrators. When the Shardmind died in wars, the Genasi decided to honor their sacrifice by using their bodies to rebuild the city. Thus, current Shardmind could touch the city and "remember" what had transpired throughout history. This eventually led to a Shardmind telepathic hivemind because they had this great keystone with all their thoughts in one place. The Genasi were oblivious to this, and due to their elemental nature (and being in a desert), evolved a caste system. Fire got to wear jewelry and fine silks (as the strongest class). Air had free roam of the city (but not allowed to wear the finery of Fire). Earth was only allowed on the ground or subterranean levels, with menial jobs and guard duty. And Water, as the most precious, ended up as clerics and administrators, allowed fine accommodations but never to wear the finery of Fire.
In this same world, Tieflings were made in the image of the God of Civilizations. Well, Civilizations rise and fall, but because they were favored, they are the only race that will always survive after the fall (of any civilization). This led to an international distrust of these tieflings--they must have done something (during their golden age) to always survive--and a cultural acceptance of the tieflings that they are the keepers of history. After all, their god has touched every civilization. They rose, and fell, as have others, but only they last. So they consider themselves the Lore Keepers, shrugging off the distrust and insults of other races, instead adopting a nomadic lifestyle to compensate and await the time of their return as a grand civilization again.
Then of course there's the world where, after questing a long while and restoring two Leylines, us player characters inadvertently (well...so my character thinks) activated an ancient magical construction ritual that founded the city...of Mornigstar. A near empty and powerful metropolis in a setting where the largest city had only a couple thousand people. Because it was built ready and functional, it's considered a savior city given that most of the region is inhospitable to life. While the name to us players (OOC) is a dead giveaway that this is not a good thing, in game it's the place EVERYONE wants to go and make home.
In terms of details to evoke uniqueness to a city or area, it can be as simple as the materials characters interact with--i.e., ornate glass cups and plates are considered standard in a desert city (all that sand, glassblowing will be popular)--to regional dialects if you can do voices (one of our DMs has all northerners sound high pitched and annoying, because, well, that's just what he does) to clothing (desert clothing is probably light and airy, but shields the skin from the sun, maybe bright or maybe beige depending on what plants bloom in the oasis).
My favorite creation is a city that's actually tied between two pocket-planes. Two powerful wizards fought in a duel that tore a hole into the ether and unleashed a torrent of magic into the city, forcing a new pocket-plane into existence. The magic of one pocket-plane was forcibly shunted into the other, leaving one devoid of magic and the other in excess of it. This lead to one world being full of mystical and wonderful beings and humans that were born with magic blood, leading to a setting that's ideal for adventuring and starting off your newer players - giving them an excuse to be more powerful or have more magical items and such things.
In the adventure I'm writing the players will start in the one devoid of magic. "Adventuring" is outlawed, as it brings to the world magic and monsters and chaos. The current governing party believes that it's best for the people to toil in desolation rather than risk their lives against monsters or wild magics. The players will be called to the temple of an old dead god, who is just a fragment of the real god stuck between the pocket-planes. He'll give them the mission to rejoin the two pocket-planes back together and bring order back to the worlds. It'll be fun, I think!
Hey all, I've been playing D&D for a while and I've recently taken up world-building as a hobby in my free time. I've been working on the same world for a while now, and so far I have some thoughts for cities but nothing that really makes them stand out. What I mean is that, while I have concepts for cities and towns with differing demographics, what I find to be the most intriguing and captivating is the use of different cultures in different cities, things that add flavor by altering the norm. This thread is to ask everyone what you think would be a cool idea for a city, or for the flavor of a certain city/culture?
For example, my made-up city of Dunespire is a massive sprawling trade hub in the middle of a desert that spans the distance between two kingdoms. This is a trade city, an oasis in the desert. With it's enormous central bazaar/marketplace, it is almost impossible to find what you want. Therefore, in Dunespire, it is common practice to hire a 'runner' who will find somebody selling what it is that you're after, for a price. In this place, there are hundreds of runner 'cafes' that line the edges of the bazaar, with adventurers grabbing a drink while the runner they hired finds what it is they are looking for. Some merchants may even have deals with runners, who will bring potential buyers to them in exchange for a cut of the profits.
Ideas like this interest me, that add flavor to a city or world. What kinds of ideas do you guys have to add a little character to your cities or worlds? Let me know!
I know what you're thinking: "In that flurry of blows, did he use all his ki points, or save one?" Well, are ya feeling lucky, punk?
You could think about how the local culture affects architecture. Fantasy Europe through an American lens is the default, but your world could be different. If families live in big clans, maybe each family in a clan has the main entrance of their home facing a common area with clan relatives. Maybe magic+dwarven stonework allows for high rise buildings as in Sharn of Ebberon.
What traditions spring up due to monster attack precautions? There could be a city that has made a deal with a local monster or froup of monsters. Anyone who dies is fed to the local ghouls to keep them in check; a PC or ally is brought to the city for ressurection by a priest, but the locals want to feed them to the "nightmasters". Felling trees is forbidden in a hamlet on the edge of dryad filled forest (and many locals have green eyes or even green hair).
geek dad with 3 geek kids
I've really wanted to create a city that at times is covered by tides and fully submerged in water. There are so many creatures that are water based that it would be easy to populate and would create a cool time dynamic for adventures. It could even be a major trade city between a land based population and a water based population, with primarily creatures that can breathe in air and water working there.
I tell you a story which is an actual thing from my city:
There was this caves of tuff which were used as water tank in time of war. When war became no longer a problem, the plague did. So, the citizens used to throw the corpse afflicted by the plague in this cave, to avoid the plague to spread. When the plague finished, the caves were full of skeletons and skulls. Good places for a cult of the dead.
Still nowadays, people and tourists use to "adopt" those skulls, placing a coin on the skulls themselves and giving tem a name, in sign of respect for those victims.
I have this nation called Xerxes, and it is LITERALLY a nation of adventurers. The main cities feature "explorer stations" where adventurers go to and report their findings and adventures. About half the place is covered in ruins and this nation is bursting with tourism. You can't even walk 10 meters without bumping into some sap who wants you to find a treasure. Oh, and taverns are absolutely STUFFED with adventurers and quest-givers. Basically, you're not the only one in the dungeon. There are about 10 other parties looking around in it too.
Just an average metalhead who plays DnD in his spare time.
PbP Character: Roberta Thalan, Void Beyond the Stars Otherside
PbP Character: Primus Eidolon, Eotha 2
PbP Character: Usmor Illiqai, Tomb of Corrosion
PbP Character: "Templar" Danver, You're the Villains
Homebrew stuff
That's a great idea! I never think about *other* adventuring parties that could be out there in the world!
I know what you're thinking: "In that flurry of blows, did he use all his ki points, or save one?" Well, are ya feeling lucky, punk?
Yep. And sometimes the other parties are Chaotic Evil and when you reach the treasure, they kill you and let the wights feed on your corpse. Spices up the game QUITE a bit.
Just an average metalhead who plays DnD in his spare time.
PbP Character: Roberta Thalan, Void Beyond the Stars Otherside
PbP Character: Primus Eidolon, Eotha 2
PbP Character: Usmor Illiqai, Tomb of Corrosion
PbP Character: "Templar" Danver, You're the Villains
Homebrew stuff
In one of my worlds all of the gnomes of the mainland were banished to the sea, so they adapted by crafting a free floating island of hundreds of ships tied together
In my world I have three major countries which are based on "Good", "Evil" and "Neutrality"
The Good country is a hero country all about like epic warriors fighting against evil and in the north the evil country is made up of warring factions of vampires and werewolves and Ghosts and the neutral state is all about automatons and law and order.
then i have like three countries one thats like no magic and its basically a post apocalyptic wasteland, another thats some magic and another that is LOTS of magic, also i have a continent where Gods walk among mortals. Like you can walk around and you might bump into a God, its a world where the Gods didn't do the whole "hands off" approach most Gods tend to do in real life religions and a majority of fantasy stories.
The customs of certain areas really adds to the flair of your game.
I have a Kenku city called Piddlewick. It's a city that grew up around a natural harbor on the Sea of Verof. It's known for its fruitful harvests of nuts and olives, fanciful street festivals and it's peculiar olive wine. The citizens of Piddlewick are fearful of diseases and plagues, so it is customary to wash multiple times a day and to be fearful of a strangers touch. Even when they exchange coins they place them in a cleansing bowl beforehand, just to be safe. Piddlewick's marketplace is famous the world over, called the Olive Branch. The city itself is defended by tall watchtowers and tall forts. It is ruled over by a council of 5 elected officials, 3 members of the Piddle, 2 of the Wick. The citizens of Piddlewick dress in lavish garments from the world over and love to display any new form of style or color scheme into their garb. Especially during one of their many street fairs and festivals.
Anyone can use this city if they so wish. :) But, little details such as the kenku and residents always washing their hands and even their currency makes Piddlewick feel foreign. Something like that could really build on what you already have started.
"...Debts must always be paid, sometimes in more than blood and gold. But this is Ordo Ursa," Ren places his hand on Erakas's chest, right where the Dragonborn's heart is. "Right here. And it always has been and always will be. Don't ever forget that. Because I won't."
Serandis Mendaen (Aereni Elven Rogue/maybe one day Wizard)- Project Point Playtest
I have a tiny independent nation which is full of chefs and winemakers. It is a peaceful place, inhabited by elves and men. Due to the healing properties of their expert wine, most of the economy is boosted by tourism.
Just an average metalhead who plays DnD in his spare time.
PbP Character: Roberta Thalan, Void Beyond the Stars Otherside
PbP Character: Primus Eidolon, Eotha 2
PbP Character: Usmor Illiqai, Tomb of Corrosion
PbP Character: "Templar" Danver, You're the Villains
Homebrew stuff
That sounds great! I love the idea of cities feeling 'foreign' to the players
I know what you're thinking: "In that flurry of blows, did he use all his ki points, or save one?" Well, are ya feeling lucky, punk?
I have always been fascinated by the question, "what if the Europeans had arrived in the New World, and the natives were highly advanced?", so I have a continent in my world with an empire ruled by a direct spawn of Tiamat. This ancient red dragon, however, only stirs if people "steal" from him, such as immigrating. This system, along with the great knowledge of his older children, produced a civilization with arcane technology and a penchant for using it to expand their master's horde.
This whole empire sits opposite a continent with a more typical fantasy setting, and they just discovered the empire via a group of adventurers setting to the high seas.
A professional engineer and amateur writer who has played D&D since 2015 (started with 5e) and has been a DM more than a player. When I'm not playing god I'm usually your friendly neighborhood rogue.
Those are all really cool ideas. I once started a campaign where the idea behind it was that magic and magical items required aether. As the years went on fewer And fewer people used magic because all the rich rulers of the countries didn't want all of the aether used up. So it led to a society where only the Rich and powerful who run society know magic. But as the aether was used up all the high leaders came together to create a portal to another plane that's similar to the existing one. And the purpose of it was to hire groups and adventures to go out and explore and find resources that are rich in aether so they can bring it back to The home world. So all the towns in the new world are basically settlements controlled by different countries with the purpose of being a home base for the adventures. Where they have Messengers that go back and forth between worlds and scout stations where adventures can go and get info to explore places of interest that the scouts have found.
These are all great ideas for campaigns, but I think my main question was overlooked by some. I was asking about small things, quirks and little cultural differences that would make a city or a kingdom feel unique and real. Little things, that only serve to immerse the players in the world
I know what you're thinking: "In that flurry of blows, did he use all his ki points, or save one?" Well, are ya feeling lucky, punk?
clothing customs (all men must cover their faces), hair & makeup customs (green eye shadow is only for the wealthy), attitudes towards other races (elves are held in awe), song & festival customs (song is only for religious purposes), and even trade situations (the nobles are mad for desert fruit to make wine, the poor need it to avoid scurvy), etc
geek dad with 3 geek kids
Cultural dferences between races can be interesting too.
World (and city) building are one of my favorite hobbies! We (our gaming group) have come up with quite a few odd ones along the way!
In a world that we got to shape, for instance, I created Shardmind and Genasi. The Shardmind were the army, the Genasi the magi and administrators. When the Shardmind died in wars, the Genasi decided to honor their sacrifice by using their bodies to rebuild the city. Thus, current Shardmind could touch the city and "remember" what had transpired throughout history. This eventually led to a Shardmind telepathic hivemind because they had this great keystone with all their thoughts in one place. The Genasi were oblivious to this, and due to their elemental nature (and being in a desert), evolved a caste system. Fire got to wear jewelry and fine silks (as the strongest class). Air had free roam of the city (but not allowed to wear the finery of Fire). Earth was only allowed on the ground or subterranean levels, with menial jobs and guard duty. And Water, as the most precious, ended up as clerics and administrators, allowed fine accommodations but never to wear the finery of Fire.
In this same world, Tieflings were made in the image of the God of Civilizations. Well, Civilizations rise and fall, but because they were favored, they are the only race that will always survive after the fall (of any civilization). This led to an international distrust of these tieflings--they must have done something (during their golden age) to always survive--and a cultural acceptance of the tieflings that they are the keepers of history. After all, their god has touched every civilization. They rose, and fell, as have others, but only they last. So they consider themselves the Lore Keepers, shrugging off the distrust and insults of other races, instead adopting a nomadic lifestyle to compensate and await the time of their return as a grand civilization again.
Then of course there's the world where, after questing a long while and restoring two Leylines, us player characters inadvertently (well...so my character thinks) activated an ancient magical construction ritual that founded the city...of Mornigstar. A near empty and powerful metropolis in a setting where the largest city had only a couple thousand people. Because it was built ready and functional, it's considered a savior city given that most of the region is inhospitable to life. While the name to us players (OOC) is a dead giveaway that this is not a good thing, in game it's the place EVERYONE wants to go and make home.
In terms of details to evoke uniqueness to a city or area, it can be as simple as the materials characters interact with--i.e., ornate glass cups and plates are considered standard in a desert city (all that sand, glassblowing will be popular)--to regional dialects if you can do voices (one of our DMs has all northerners sound high pitched and annoying, because, well, that's just what he does) to clothing (desert clothing is probably light and airy, but shields the skin from the sun, maybe bright or maybe beige depending on what plants bloom in the oasis).
My favorite creation is a city that's actually tied between two pocket-planes. Two powerful wizards fought in a duel that tore a hole into the ether and unleashed a torrent of magic into the city, forcing a new pocket-plane into existence. The magic of one pocket-plane was forcibly shunted into the other, leaving one devoid of magic and the other in excess of it. This lead to one world being full of mystical and wonderful beings and humans that were born with magic blood, leading to a setting that's ideal for adventuring and starting off your newer players - giving them an excuse to be more powerful or have more magical items and such things.
In the adventure I'm writing the players will start in the one devoid of magic. "Adventuring" is outlawed, as it brings to the world magic and monsters and chaos. The current governing party believes that it's best for the people to toil in desolation rather than risk their lives against monsters or wild magics. The players will be called to the temple of an old dead god, who is just a fragment of the real god stuck between the pocket-planes. He'll give them the mission to rejoin the two pocket-planes back together and bring order back to the worlds. It'll be fun, I think!
Tryin to make a change :-\
Oooh that's a good idea! There could even be subcultures started between races that live very close together
I know what you're thinking: "In that flurry of blows, did he use all his ki points, or save one?" Well, are ya feeling lucky, punk?