![Your Guide to Making A Fantasy World](https://egs3h68r5ni.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Guide-to-making-a-fantasy-world-1024x576.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1)
Whether for a campaign or a novel, making a fantasy world can be a fun yet scary mountain to climb. Almost anything you imagine can become reality in your world. Fantasy towns with advanced technology. A setting that’s not modeled after medieval Europe. You are limited only by what you can imagine. But, that also means there’s a lot to consider and you don’t want a reader to point out a plot hole. This guide will help you create an engaging and realistic fantasy world.
To break it down for you, here are the different elements that go into fantasy world-building. Keep these in mind. You don’t have to address everything. Flesh out only the things that apply to your story or campaign. I rarely go deep into trade or religion. I only recently started getting into fantasy languages.
![Elements of fantasy world building](https://egs3h68r5ni.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Elements-of-a-fantasy-world-1-352x1024.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1)
Creating A Fictional World
Country, towns and villages, your characters need to live somewhere. I generally model the basics ( layout, weather, climate and building types) after real-world places. But that’s where it ends. I’ll fill the locations with people, natural formations, plants and animals of my own making.
![Fantasy world building template creating a fictional world](https://egs3h68r5ni.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Fantasy-World-Building-Template-Creating-a-Fictional-World-1-683x1024.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1)
A World Building Guide to Creating Fantasy Races
I don’t mind reading about dwarves, elves, and dragons but I love when authors create entirely new fantasy races. If you want to make something new and unique, here are a few questions to ask yourself.
![Creating fantasy races](https://egs3h68r5ni.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Creating-fantasy-races-717x1024.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1)
Fantasy Plants and Animals
This is really fun. Making animals straight out of mythology. Shadow creatures. Glowing wolves. Dragons that turn into anime-style blades. It is so much fun to draw inspiration from a million different places and create plants and animals that I kinda wish actually existed. This is your guide if you want to add unusual or magical plants and animals to your world.
![](https://egs3h68r5ni.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/A-Guide-to-Creating-Fantasy-Plants-and-Animals-683x1024.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1)
Creating a Magic System
Fantasy doesn’t mean magic. You don’t have you write any characters with powers. I prefer fantasy with magic but some people don’t. If you’re a world builder who wants to make a new magic system, this guide is for you.
![Fantasy Magic System Template](https://egs3h68r5ni.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Fantasy-magic-system-templates-for-pinterest-1-683x1024.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1)
Making a Fantasy World Map
If you’re building a world, you’re going to need a map. It makes life so much easier when you can see how far one location is from another. Where are the natural formations like water sources, mountains and forests? I make my maps in Photoshop but there are easier apps to use such as Inkarnate.
![Fantasy Map Making](https://egs3h68r5ni.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Watabou-Medieval-Fantasy-City-Generator-fantasy-map-software-840x1024.png?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1)
Fantasy Landscape Inspiration
A good image can jump-start your muse. Here are a few fantasy landscapes to inspire you if you’re stuck in your world-building journey.
![fantasy landscape ideas](https://egs3h68r5ni.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Spring-Landscape-1080-768x1024.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1)