Level Up (A5E) Worldbuilding: Your character, your world, your way

[Indagare Nogitsune]

So, my GM is creating a new setting and is having one where we players are involved. It goes thus: our characters will help in the world creation process by having their backgrounds and other information build what goes into the world.

Name: Kin name, chosen name, assumed name, etc.
Species:
Appearance: Size, weight, hair/skin/scale/feather/fur/eye color; distinguishing characteristics
Home: Name of the hamlet/town/city and its environs (temperate hills with forests, tropical mountains, etc.) Can also include: traveling circus, family ship, etc.
Common Species: What other species has your character encountered most usually?
Culture: What are things like where your character lives?
Background: What does your character does/did your character do for a living before becoming an adventurer?
History: What were things like for your character in the past? What class is your character now? Can include Personality Traits, Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws from your Background.
Other Connections: The creation of NPCs whom your character knows or interacts with that can help add to world lore.

Spoiler: Example:

Name: Lana de Mond
Species: Dwarf
Appearance: Lana is a young Dwarf (only 60) who is 1.4 m (4'5") 72 kg (150 lbs) with ruddy skin, red-brown hair, and hazel eyes. She has a tattoo of a blue sea serpent on her left arm.
Home: The town of Fairfield in the Dwarven city-state of Greendale in the region of Hymont. Hymont is a large, coastal region of forests, hills, and mountains that is dotted with large, fertile dales and numerous lakes and fjords. Most of the dales are located in the more southern, temperate regions.
Common Species: Hymont is not exclusive to Dwarves: Dragonborn, Elves, Goblins, Goliaths, Gnomes, Harengon, Hin, Hobgoblins, Humans, Kanis, Kenku, Kobolds, Orcs, Owlin, and Tabaxi can be found among the populations and even having Dales of their own. In Greendale, Dwarves are the most common followed by Goliaths, Gnomes, and Elves.
Culture: Hymonters tend to be independent but know the value of cooperation. There is a Hymoot Council composed of a representative from each Dale who arbitrate disagreements that may happen between the rulers (called thains) of the Dales. The people, similarly, look to local councils within their country for aid in disputes. The thains are subject to the rulings of the council as much as the people. The councils take magically binding oaths to do their duties fairly and justly. Breaking these oaths has severe consequences.
Background: Marine. The Dales have a brisk trade with not only each other but with other countries. Fishing is common off their waters, but Dale sailors are highly sought for their fierce abilities in battle as well as their ability to trade and eagerness to explore.
History: Lana grew up in a loving home with her two mothers and siblings. She always felt a call to the sea ever since first seeing it as a child and eventually came to dedicate herself to the sea-goddess Halosydna [[Cleric of Nature]]. The temple helped her get passage on her first ship. She proved herself dependable, brave, and determined to finish any job she was given. However, her intensity tended to be off-putting. After her most recent voyage, she is taking time to explore the metropolitan city of Kanisport in the country of Kanard.
Other Connections: While in Kanisport, she visited the local ship's guild to catch up on things. There she found her old friend Grenmar, an Orc sailor [Fighter] like herself. They soon fell to talking about the sea and old times and Grenmar suggested Lana join him at the inn he was at. Once there, Lana secured a room and while she and Grenmar were eating, they were approached by Wenth, a scholarly wizard Kanis who was so eager over some discovery that she immediately started talking to Grenmar, whom she knew from when he needed her help with an old map. Once she took a breath, Grenmar introduced her to Lana and invited her to eat with them. She regretfully declined, saying she had just got done eating with her new partner Tybalt, a Tabaxi scholar and known archeologist, but would love to introduce them to him...

 

[aco175]

I found that a lot of background only works if the DM uses it. Mostly a lot of background fluff stays there and the player might be the only one that cares. If a player creates a background village where they grew up- then have an adventure there and let the player come up with all sorts of family, people, places, and such they know about. Then when something is not the same and the DM changed something, the PCs now have a hook to explore. It might also fall into the trap of never make a background where the DM can mess with the PCs and so everyone comes from a destroyed village where orcs killed everyone except the PC.

I also seen where the players all need to come up with how they met. You have each PC link themselves to two other PCs. There should be more than I met him last village and then at the tavern we met this other person. Some people are not great with linking things, but some effort can pay off. It helps if the players come up with some NPCs that helped or hindered them so the DM can tie them to adventure.

I also seen and tried having PCs know 3 NPCs and had the players come up with them. It works somewhat and better if the PCs come from the same area as playing in. If you know the innkeep of the local tavern you might get good information and free drinks but if you teleported 1000 miles and now play there it doe not help much. A travelling merchant might be good to have as one so you can have them pop up most places. A rival adventuring group or a henchman-type migh also be good to know.

 

[Indagare Nogitsune]

I found that a lot of background only works if the DM uses it. Mostly a lot of background fluff stays there and the player might be the only one that cares. If a player creates a background village where they grew up- then have an adventure there and let the player come up with all sorts of family, people, places, and such they know about. Then when something is not the same and the DM changed something, the PCs now have a hook to explore. It might also fall into the trap of never make a background where the DM can mess with the PCs and so everyone comes from a destroyed village where orcs killed everyone except the PC.

That's true, but this thread is a world building exercise, so the backgrounds are definitely going to be used somehow.

I also seen where the players all need to come up with how they met. You have each PC link themselves to two other PCs. There should be more than I met him last village and then at the tavern we met this other person. Some people are not great with linking things, but some effort can pay off. It helps if the players come up with some NPCs that helped or hindered them so the DM can tie them to adventure.

We haven't really done it yet, so at some point it may be that way. I'm trying to make sure there's at least one point of connection, even if it's a friend of a friend. My hope is that if folks participate we can do that. My example is just to inspire people and give an idea of what to include.

I also seen and tried having PCs know 3 NPCs and had the players come up with them. It works somewhat and better if the PCs come from the same area as playing in. If you know the innkeep of the local tavern you might get good information and free drinks but if you teleported 1000 miles and now play there it doe not help much. A travelling merchant might be good to have as one so you can have them pop up most places. A rival adventuring group or a henchman-type migh also be good to know.

nods This is also helpful. Hopefully folks may take it into account if they choose to participate. Would you be interested?

 

[Piperken]

So, my GM is creating a new setting and is having one where we players are involved. It goes thus: our characters will help in the world creation process by having their backgrounds and other information build what goes into the world.

Name: Kin name, chosen name, assumed name, etc.
Species:
Appearance: Size, weight, hair/skin/scale/feather/fur/eye color; distinguishing characteristics
Home: Name of the hamlet/town/city and its environs (temperate hills with forests, tropical mountains, etc.) Can also include: traveling circus, family ship, etc.
Common Species: What other species has your character encountered most usually?
Culture: What are things like where your character lives?
Background: What does your character does/did your character do for a living before becoming an adventurer?
History: What were things like for your character in the past? What class is your character now? Can include Personality Traits, Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws from your Background.
How you met your teammates: This requires more than one person to participate. It gives a reason that you are adventuring with the people you are with. Yes, it can include the standard tavern or even an adventuring guild. It can also hint at what sort of adventure(s) you'd want your character to participate in. I DO NOT plan to actually GM anything: this is a world-building excercise.

Spoiler: Example:

Name: Lana de Mond
Species: Dwarf
Appearance: Lana is a young Dwarf (only 60) who is 1.4 m (4'5") 72 kg (150 lbs) with ruddy skin, red-brown hair, and hazel eyes. She has a tattoo of a blue sea serpent on her left arm.
Home: The town of Fairfield in the Dwarven city-state of Greendale in the region of Hymont. Hymont is a large, coastal region of forests, hills, and mountains that is dotted with large, fertile dales and numerous lakes and fjords. Most of the dales are located in the more southern, temperate regions.
Common Species: Hymont is not exclusive to Dwarves: Dragonborn, Elves, Goblins, Goliaths, Gnomes, Harengon, Hin, Hobgoblins, Humans, Kanis, Kenku, Kobolds, Orcs, Owlin, and Tabaxi can be found among the populations and even having Dales of their own. In Greendale, Dwarves are the most common followed by Goliaths, Gnomes, and Elves.
Culture: Hymonters tend to be independent but know the value of cooperation. There is a Hymoot Council composed of a representative from each Dale who arbitrate disagreements that may happen between the rulers (called thains) of the Dales. The people, similarly, look to local councils within their country for aid in disputes. The thains are subject to the rulings of the council as much as the people. The councils take magically binding oaths to do their duties fairly and justly. Breaking these oaths has severe consequences.
Background: Marine. The Dales have a brisk trade with not only each other but with other countries. Fishing is common off their waters, but Dale sailors are highly sought for their fierce abilities in battle as well as their ability to trade and eagerness to explore.
History: Lana grew up in a loving home with her two mothers and siblings. She always felt a call to the sea ever since first seeing it as a child and eventually came to dedicate herself to the sea-goddess Halosydna [[Cleric of Nature]]. The temple helped her get passage on her first ship. She proved herself dependable, brave, and determined to finish any job she was given. However, her intensity tended to be off-putting. After her most recent voyage, she is taking time to explore the metropolitan city of Kanisport in the country of Kanard.
How she met her teammates: While in Kanisport, she visited the local ship's guild to catch up on things. There she found her old friend Grenmar, an Orc sailor [Fighter] like herself. They soon fell to talking about the sea and old times and Grenmar suggested Lana join him at the inn he was at. Once there, Lana secured a room and while she and Grenmar were eating, they were approached by Wenth, a scholarly wizard Kanis who was so eager over some discovery that she immediately started talking to Grenmar, whom she knew from when he needed her help with an old map. Once she took a breath, Grenmar introduced her to Lana and invited her to eat with them. She regretfully declined, saying she had just got done eating with her new partner Tybalt, a Tabaxi scholar and known archeologist, but would love to introduce them to him... [[Four Characters so far: Lana, Grenmar, Wenth, and Tybalt. Others could join, though the adventuring party should probably not go beyond 6 people]]

Note: The above is only an example and not intended for use. Should anyone happen to want Lana for their characters, however, I will adjust the 'How She Met' section accordingly.

From how you described it, it feels like Home, Common Species, Culture and to a lesser extent, History, would be the categories to spend more time on?

(How X met others is something that'd work better when you're with the other players.)

 

[Brendan Byrd]

Hopefully folks may take it into account if they choose to participate. Would you be interested?

I’m confused.
What form of participation are you hoping for?

 

[Indagare Nogitsune]

From how you described it, it feels like Home, Common Species, Culture and to a lesser extent, History, would be the categories to spend more time on?

(How X met others is something that'd work better when you're with the other players.)

That's true, but I also figure that it can help with world building because sometimes the connections you have really help. It could also be NPC connections instead, as aco175 mentioned. In fact I've actually edited it to read that way.

I’m confused.
What form of participation are you hoping for?

Mostly I'm trying to world build a setting by using people's OCs. The character of Lana de Mond I created has all the things I'd be looking for to start trying to make maps and such with.