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Anonymous03/09/26, 20:04No.25130237/wbg/ Worldbuilding General
Monsters, Dragons, Beasts, Creatures, Horrors, and Miscellaneous Lifeforms Edition Version 2: Magical and/or Alien Boogaloo
FAQ:
>What is worldbuilding?
Worldbuilding is the process of creating entire fictional worlds from scratch, all while considering the logistics of these worlds to make them as believable as possible. Worldbuilding asks questions about the setting of a world, and then answers them, often in great detail. Most people use it as a means of creating a setting or the scenery for a story.
>"Isn't there a Worldbuilding general in >>>/tg/ [//boards.4chan.org/tg/] already?"
Yes, there is. However, that general is focused on the creation of fictional worlds for the intended purpose of playing TTRPG campaigns. Here you can discuss worldbuilding projects that are not meant to be used for a roleplaying setting, but for novels, videogames, or any other kind of creative project.
>"Can I discuss the setting of my campaign here, though?"
If you want to, but it would probably be better to discuss it on >>>/tg/ [//boards.4chan.org/tg/] . We don't allow the discussion of TTRPG mechanics, however. If you want to discuss stats or which D&D edition is best, this is not the place.
>"Can I talk about an existing fictional setting that is not mine?"
Yes, of course you can!
>"Does worldbuilding need to be about fantasy and elves?"
Worldbuilding, as already stated above, and contrary to what many believe, does not inherently imply blatantly copying Tolkien. In fact, there are many science-fiction setting out there, and even entire alternative history settings which do not possess supernatural elements at all. Any kind of science fiction book has an implied setting at least, which involves a certain degree of worldbuilding put into it.
Old thread: >>25104099 [/lit/thread/25104099#p25104099]
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Anon03/09/26, 20:05No.25130241
Thread questions:>What kinds of fantastical creatures and outright monsters exist in your worlds, and how did you design/choose them? What process did you use when designing them and/or would recommend to others? And what is your favorite monster of all (hard mode: no dragons)?
>If you used any existing monsters or creatures from myths and legends, like dragons, how did you put your own spin on them? And where do you prefer to look for your inspiration and ideas?
>Speaking of, did your monsters and/or magical beasts evolve more or less naturally, or were they deliberately created by gods, wizards, and/or some other beings? And if the latter, why did the creators make them and how?
>How does the presence of the monsters affect the ecosystem of the setting? Are any of your monsters herbivores or do they solely feed on the blood of the innocent?
>Are any monsters in your setting sapient, or are they all just beasts? And if any are sapient, what do you have to consider when including them?
>Do the people of your setting tame/domesticate any monsters somehow, and if so, how does that affect their society, and how do they manage that feat? Speaking of, how do people defend against wild monsters?And for bonus points:>In your setting, what is the major religion(s) present? What advice do you have for creating religions, including books and other resources on the topic or existing fictional religions done well?
>Where did you look for ideas on the religion's name, religious garb, ceremonies/rituals, tenants, etc.? Are there any religions outside of the Judeo-Christianity umbrella that have good aspects for fictional religions, especially if they aren’t used as often as they should be?
>How accurate is the religion to the actual reality of the setting? And if the god(s) of the setting actually exist in the world, how does this affect their faiths, and what needs to be remembered when making said gods and pantheons?
>Where do you look for ideas/resources on creating the divinities of your settings? Are there any settings in particular that you feel do gods right?
>Do your religions have Saints, Angels, Demons, and/or other important figures besides the actual gods? If so, what are they like, and how do they impact the religion?
>Lastly, how much power does your religion have over the setting? And how do the people of your setting view the gods and religions?Fingers crossed that this one makes it to the bump limit.
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Anon03/09/26, 20:11No.25130248
Writing Sci-Fi sloppa, this is my worldbuilding.335 years ago, corporation Threshold created an AI singularity capable of ruling without human error. Humanity was subsequently divided into 10,000 "Winners" of the AI revolution, over 8 billion dismissed "Losers," and 68 "Anomalies"—individuals the AI could not grasp or categorise, as they're, as is gradually revealed, actually not humans but something else. The distinction between Winners and Losers was based on a consolidated "specialness score," calculated by the Threshold AI using millions of hidden parameters. Anyone scoring below a 7.2 (the 99.9999875th percentile) was left behind with the doomed remainder of humanity.The core plot driving element is a mental disease called shock of daylight. affects any Winner forcefully exiled into the Loser world. The grey imperfection of a non-enhanced reality slowly kills them. It's like turning off your favourite RPG and stepping into drab reality, into a life you absolutely abhor, only that there's no way to turn the RPG back on and all that remains is the memory of it. There is no cure; while drawn-out survival is possible, the condition becomes unbearable within a few weeks, making exile a de facto execution method.
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Anon03/09/26, 22:28No.25130537
>Worldbuilding, as already stated above, and contrary to what many believe, does not inherently imply blatantly copying Tolkien.
if you absolutely want dwarves and other such creatures in your fiction, better do that than trying to dEcOnsTrucT tHE trOpE and have orcs that are actually good fighting the evil elves
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Anon03/10/26, 10:21No.25131414
Dead thread
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Anon03/10/26, 18:53No.25132162
I think you're better off with a single writing prompt instead of 20 questions. Something that not only provides information about the world but a sample of the poster's writing. I realize we're on 4chan but it's an opportunity to critique, ask more, edit, etc. "Thread writing prompt: single post on a character from your world [doing/learning/etc. XYZ]."No offense, but these threads don't generate a ton of value to the process. Where's that middle ground between building and producing? I'd rather know your world through a story than compare notes on banal shit. That or "what are you reading? What area of your world are you developing this week?" Could get book recommendations with rich worlds, interesting shit going on, etc.
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Anon03/10/26, 21:00No.25132453
Trying this one again:I’m looking to create a fantasy setting where the four classical elements of fire, earth, air, and water are the dominant mystical force, a bit like in Avatar. As a result, instead of one pantheon of gods, I’m planning on having four separate pantheons for each element, each god having at least one divine domain outside of their element, like the fire pantheon having the forge/blacksmith god, etc. I’m just looking for ideas on which domains to associate with which elemental pantheon. Some are easy to assign like the fire pantheon getting the aforementioned forge god, same for the sun god, and the water pantheon getting the moon god makes sense both to counter that and because of the moon and the tides, but what other ideas can you suggest please, especially the more subtle/thematic associations (like how in Greek mythology Poseidon was the god of horses due to having created them out of the crest of a wave in a contest with Athena to become the patron of Athens)? In a previous thread it was suggested that water have healing, fire have smiths/the forge, wind movement, and earth harvest, love, healing, nature, constitution, resilience, fortification, and defense, do you have any other suggestions? My traitorous brain is refusing to cooperate with me on this (not helped by the fact that I lost my notes on some of the ideas I already had) and I need as many ideas as you can suggest to me please so I can get past this, I really appreciate any help you can give me so that I can get this done!
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Anon03/11/26, 14:30No.25133687
Dead thread
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Anon03/12/26, 02:38No.25134846
Did you ever create a literary OC as a kid? I remember creating a gunslinger character who was 100% a ripoff of Roland but with more edge. He fought futuristic soldiers who were basically just The Covenant from Halo, but they came from the future to strip-mine Earth while it was defenseless.
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Anon03/12/26, 06:12No.25135120
I'm thinking of an extension of a worldbuilding idea for my setting. In my setting emotional and mental investment (quantified as "Mana") in a domain (concept, place, personal identity, group, event, phenomena) gives that domain power. Apparitions (basically the god-spirit spectrum, akin to Shinto kami) through narrative association (think myths) are able to gain a hold over particular domains. Powerful Apparitions dominate a wide range of domains, they can transmute one domain into another, manipulate the configuration of a set of domains, and conjure domains ex nihilo. By granting access to their domains to humans through direct patronage it forms the basis for magic.Focusing on events. People often attribute events with significant emotional and mental investment, so it would be reasonable to assume that events too would become powerful domains. However, then the question is; what about future events. Historically people have place just as a great of an emotional and mental investment in future events as in past events. Ragnarok and Armageddon come to mind (also modern events like the Singularity, Zombie Apocalypse, Climate Change, etc.). I'm think the more Mana is invested in a future event the more likely the said future event becomes. Which would probably lead to competing eschatologies between cultures, where each prophesizes their own victory. And the Apparitions would shoehorn themselves into these eschatologies of course.How do you guys see this playing out?
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Anon03/12/26, 13:08No.25135501
In my setting Angels have no physical form, so when an Angel needs to manifest in the mortal realm they have to use the ambient matter and energies in the area to construct a functional vessel for themselves. They sometimes make forms more akin to OP's image for combat scenarios against more powerful demons and shit, but most of the time they stick to the typical winged human archetype, with their wings and halos retracting when they need to be incognito. Certain types of matter/energy often take prominence in their forms though, which is most noticeable with elemental-type energies, though preference can influence things as well. So an Angel that manifests during a forest fire might have wings of flame and/or a halo like a ring of fire like picture related, one that manifests in a forest might have wings with feathers like leaves and a halo made of vines, one that manifests in a storm might have a halo of multiple colors of lightning intertwined, one that manifests in a frozen tundra might have wings of ice and a halo transparent like a giant snowflake, one that manifests on a battlefield may have wings of blades and a halo of blood, one that manifests in a graveyard might have a halo of bone and wings made from tombstones, etc. I just can't think of what the wings or halo of an Angel manifested out of raw air might look like, among a couple others, or other common markers that could appear when the Angel in question starts using their powers to any real degree when in apparent mortal form; besides maybe glowing holy symbols of appropriate design for the substance of the form appearing on their skin and appropriately colored hair and eyes, what would you suggest?
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Anon03/12/26, 22:04No.25136344
What races exist in your setting? Are there any that you wish were used more/are rather obscure (I like Warforged-style constructs for instance)? Heck, what races can you list in general besides the typical Elf, Dwarf, Orc, and/or Goblin?
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Anon03/13/26, 00:01No.25136515
Is circumcision a thing in your world?
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Anon03/14/26, 20:52No.25140301
I like the idea of my dragons being more elemental in nature than you really see in DnD and similar settings, the remainders of a primordial time when the forces of the elements were more wild and untamed, creatures that are just as much the essence of their element as they are flesh and blood, unlike most other creatures that lean much more towards one or the other. When a flame dragon is using its breath weapon on a target, it’s not merely doing something as mundane as igniting a flammable gas or venom from a gland in its throat, they’re harnessing the elemental fury in their heart and directing it out of their mouth, like a flame spell that they know from birth, and they don’t typically live in volcanic or desert regions merely because they can withstand the conditions while most other creatures can’t, but because they can actually 'feed' on the heat to help sustain themselves, even allowing themselves to hibernate for years or even centuries at a time. Each element has its own breed(s) of dragon, with a few rare hybrids, water dragons being more serpent-like, with wings that are more like flying fish fins, or more whale-like ones that live deep in the sea, flame dragons being mainly divided into volcano-dwellers like this one and desert-dwellers whose bodies are duller to blend in better with the sand and whose fire breath is more focused and mainly used to heat sand into glass and cut off prey, ice dragons that live on mountains that cause avalanches to bury prey and ones that live in tundra and prefer to disguise themselves and freeze prey solid, and so on. Is there anything I need to improve on or ways I can make the dragons of different elements more distinct? Especially with wind dragons besides just copying Quetzelcoatl? Are there any settings I should look at or systems that would work well for this?
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Anon03/15/26, 09:47No.25141617
What magic system would you associate with Czarist Russia? I don't mean something like "Ice Magic," I mean something like Qi in China or Theurgy in Europe.
