Fantasy settings are rife with amazing cities, and from Shadizar the Wicked in Hyborea to the white walls of Minas Tirith in Middle Earth, these are some of the most unique places in fiction. However, making a fantasy city is no easy task, especially when it comes to roleplaying games. Because in a story you may only see a single district, or stay a short stint in such a place… but in an RPG your players are probably going to want to explore this location. Not only that, but they’re going to have questions, ranging from whether they have to peace tie their weapons, to whether anyone casting a spell will be burned as a witch, to what local delicacies are on the menu at the local tavern, and what bizarre urban legends are whispered in the back alleys of the low district.

That is where this supplement comes into play!

The following questions are meant to help you, as a Game Master, create truly unique fantasy cities that will feel organic, thought-out and lived in. Whether you intend to use these places as a hub in between adventures, or you are going to run an entire campaign in this one location, this list will help inspire you, while also adding meat to the skeleton of your city.

Before we delve into the list, though, it’s important to remember that not every question will apply to every city. They’re still good to consider, however, and to make sure that not including a particular element was a deliberate creative choice on your part, and not simply because they idea didn’t occur to you when you sat down to map out your metropolis!

Here are some sample results:

73. How Does This City Tell Time?
Beyond just a calendar, take a moment to ask how the city keeps track of the hours of a day? Are there public sundials that tell time with some reliability until the sun goes down? Are there water clocks that keep the time, both small clocks for houses, and larger, public clocks in parks or on street corners? Are there clock towers with huge gears that require regular maintenance? Are there time candles used as alarm clocks, or which are popular among prostitutes to make sure clients get the time they paid for, and nothing more? Or do people just keep common time like dawn, dusk, midnight and so on?

74. What Forms Of Birth Control Are Available In This City?
Family planning has been something of a concern ever since people figured out how babies are made, and in a densely-packed city it’s important to ask how people control the growth of the population? For instance, are alternative acts of pleasure encouraged unless one wants to have children? Are there herbs that can be chewed (or drunk) to render one temporarily infertile? Or which can rid someone of an unwanted pregnancy? Are there spells that can be used for this purpose? And are any of these methods considered controversial within the city, or are they just so common they aren’t even worth talking about most of the time?

75. What Is This City’s Most Popular Import?
Very few cities produce everything they need locally, so take a moment to ask what is in-demand in this city, and why that is? Is there a foreign cuisine that’s become popular within the city because it’s an easy-to-eat, low-cost street food that’s often consumed at sporting events, or at the theater? Is there a certain cloth, such as dire ram’s wool, that’s a necessity for staving off the freezing cold without being too bulky? Or is the import a particular type of printed manuscript that’s all the rage right now, sharing the stories of wandering heroes and their impossible adventures? Deciding if an import is merely a trend, if it’s a necessity to the city and why it can’t be produced locally are all aspects of this question you should consider.

Released: 21st March 2026 Pages: 31

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