Homebrewing your own kingdom within a Dungeons & Dragons campaign can prove to be a daunting and complex task. But, it can also be some of the most fun you’ll ever have as a DM when it comes to shaping the arc of your campaign. For newer DMs or even seasoned players however, it can be tricky to know exactly how to begin that process.
Most tabletop sourcebooks provide details and inspiration for creating continents, worlds, and villages. For this guide, we’re going to focus on kingdoms, and break down how to come up with this massive backdrop for your campaign. Here’s what you need to know to start creating fantastical kingdoms of your very own.
This may sound daunting at first, but it’s better to start big before sweating the small stuff. It can be easy to get caught up in tiny details like city streets, local NPCs, or environmental variances. The best thing you can do when it comes to starting to homebrew a vast campaign setting is to work through some basic facts about your burgeoning kingdom.
Geography is the best place to start. Even simple things like positioning your kingdom on a coastline or in a mountain range can have massive effects on the shape and character of your nation. Ask yourself these questions to begin.
The climate and type of environment your kingdom is situated in can be instrumental in determining the character of this place. As you think about geography, also consider some of the below climates to choose for your kingdom, or whether your kingdom has many different types of weather.
|
Weather And Terrain |
|
| Environment | Example |
| Pastoral And Calm |  |
| Wintery And Harsh |  |
| Tropical Archipelago |  |
| Mountainous |  |
| Scorching Desert |  |
| Dense And Urban |  |
Many dedicated DMs will map out hundreds of years of history for their campaign settings. This, of course, includes a history of the kingdoms on their respective continents. But, you don’t have to know every single beat of a country’s history to create a compelling backdrop for adventures. Follow these steps to create a generalized timeline for your kingdom.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founding | Early Beginnings | Golden Age | Dark Age | Current Age | |||||||||||||||
| When was your kingdom founded? | What did the early days of your kingdom look like? | What was the peak of your kingdom's history? | What was the low point for your kingdom? | What does your kingdom look like today? | |||||||||||||||
As you create a basic history for your kingdom, consider peppering your timeline with special events or historical moments of note. Evenly distribute these events or moments in history along a timeline that also features your kingdom's founding, beginnings, and various ages.
Examples of these events could include the following.
Lastly, consider what system of government this kingdom employs. By default, most kingdoms will have a monarch of some kind. But, depending on the flavor you want to employ, you can consider any of the below systems of government.
Finally, no matter your system of government, create a few important NPCs who either rule on high as mighty monarchs or as a small council of few. Then, decide what type of leader this NPC is based on the below table.
|
Leader Type |
Description |
|---|---|
|
Iron Fist |
This ruler leads with a firm hand, and is unrelenting in their control. |
|
Tough But Fair |
Though just and equitable, this variety of leader is not to be trifled with. |
|
Benevolent |
Kind and fair, benevolent rulers seek to do right by their people. |
|
Figurehead |
This type of ruler is merely a puppet for the real power behind the throne. |
|
Machiavellian |
Wielding lies and deceit is this ruler's bread and butter, often using spies to Achieve wicked ends. |
|
Corrupt |
Though neutral at times, this leader can be bought for the right price. |
When designing a ruler or ruling body for your kingdom, consult the player alignment chart in Chapter Two of the 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide and ascribe one of the nine alignments to them for extra flare.
Now that you have the grand scope of your kingdom or nation, it’s time to work your way downwards. Depending on the size of your kingdom, craft a handful of settlements for your players to explore.
| Kingdom Size | Number of Settlements |
| Small (An island or tiny crop of land) | 5-7 |
| Medium (Part of a continent or larger landmass) | 8-12 |
| Large (An entire continent and beyond) | 13-20 |
Once you have your settlements, you should decide on a few key aspects for each and make note of these. Create a table like the one below for each settlement.
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Settlement Name | The name of your settlement, which should include colloquial references or nicknames. | ||||||||||||
| Population Size | How many people exist in your settlement, which should vary by geographic size. | ||||||||||||
| Areas of Note | Key neighborhoods, monuments of note, or other interesting places your players may want to visit in the settlement. | ||||||||||||
| Key NPC Or Leaders | Who lords over this settlement? Is it one person or a group? | ||||||||||||
| Factions | Include any organizations or factions such as wizard schools or criminal syndicates that call this settlement home. | ||||||||||||
From there, you can decide how much detail you want to add to each ahead of the campaign. You can either plan every street, nook, and cranny out in advance. Or, you can decide to wait until your party visits to map out the details of each settlement more precisely.
Beyond just villages, towns, and cities, you should create other fantastical points of interest. These are natural environments, man-made structures, or strange physical phenomena that pepper the landscape of your kingdom. These can look like any of the following.
From there, draw out the generalized shape of the borders of your kingdom and dot the landscape with your settlements and points of interest. Be sure to make sure these locales are evenly distributed.
For traversal purposes in your campaign, draw a scale at the bottom of your map, determining miles per inch on your map. There are also plenty of online map-making resources at a DM's disposal.
Now that you know the character and shape of your kingdom, as well as its history mapped out, it’s time to think about what the present day looks like. What call to adventure does your kingdom offer that will make your players interested in visiting its storied lands?
Whatever you decide, this call to adventure should tie into either the welfare of your kingdom or one of its historic sites or landmarks.
Consider using either one of your points of interest or an event happening in one of your settlements to draw the players in to the adventure. Depending on the overall level of your adventuring party, here are some examples you can use to pique the player’s interest.
Chapter 4 of the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide has tables you can roll on to generate a random adventure hook if you’re feeling stuck!
Once you have your call to adventure, it’s time to utilize its mystique to draw the players in. With the stage set and your details all fleshed out you'll have the perfect homebrewed kingdom for your campaign.
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