These world building prompts come from 3000 World Building Prompts, which you can get at Amazon. This section is focused on creating undead.
- Is this undead similar to a public domain one and in what ways?
- How does this undead different from a public domain idea?
- What is the proper name for this undead?
- What are its nicknames?
- It is a spiritual or corporeal undead?
- If corporeal, does it have a soul?
- What state of decay is the body?
- How are each of its senses affected?
- Can it see well in the dark?
- Does it have heat vision?
- How mobile is it?
- Is it capable of appearing as if it’s alive instead of undead (like vampires)?
- What does it look like?
- If a spirit, does it retain an image of itself as healthy and alive, appearing that way?
- Or does its appearance reveal that it is dead, such as showing wounds or decay?
- Is it typically aware that it is dead or undead?
- It is humanoid, animal, plant, or other?
- Did it originate from an accident?
- Did a phenomenon (like radiation) cause it?
- Did magic or technology/science lead to its existence?
- Did someone create it on purpose and why? Who?
- When did it first come to exist?
- Is it capable of turning others into something just like it via a bite or touch?
- What can prevent someone from becoming one of them? Is that known?
- Are there any talismans or symbols that are known (or believed) to frighten or wound it?
- Are people wrong about that and to what degree?
- How long until someone/something else becomes one once exposed to the triggering incident?
- Must someone die before becoming this type of undead?
- How long does something have to be dead before becoming this?
- How many of them exist in general or in a particular area?
- What sort of weapon or item is needed to wound or kill it?
- Is it afraid of anything? Why?
- Can it be rendered immobile, possibly so that people think it’s dead when it isn’t?
- Can it feign death (on purpose)?
- Can it be killed? How?
- What happens to one that is destroyed?
- Does it prefer graveyards?
- Does it haunt places?
- Does it haunt people?
- What are some specific places it is known to be found?
- Is it solitary or found in packs (of what quantity)?
- If it has a home, what kind?
- How far from or near to civilization can it typically be found?
- What brings it out of hiding?
- What makes it go back into hiding?
- Can it be summoned? How?
- When summoned, how difficult/easy is it for the summoner to control?
- Does it have feelings about having been summoned and what are they?
- How likely is it for the summoner to lose control of it?
- How likely is it for the undead to attack and/or kill the summoner?
- How intact is its mind?
- Is it delusional or crazy?
- Is it sinister?
- Can they communicate with each other, and to what degree of sophistication?
- Can it speak?
- Or does it only make unintelligible sounds?
- Does it understand languages and which ones?
- Can it read?
- What does it want? Revenge?
- To inflict pain or horror?
- To finish a task that remained unfinished at death?
- What happens when this goal is achieved?
- What does it need to continue existing (food), and how often?
- What happens if it is deprived of what it needs?
- What can it do?
- What can it not do?
- How fast is it?
- How strong is it?
- How agile is it?
- Can it perform magic?
- Can it manipulate technology?
- How does it fight?
- Does it have any famous attacks or defenses?
- Do biological scanners and other devices work on it?
- If spiritual, can this move through solid objects?
- Is there anything it cannot pass through?
- Who does it prey upon?
- What does it do to victims? Just kill them? Turn them into one?
- What do people know about this undead?
- Can its behavior be predicted?
- As its creator, how are you going to use it?
- How rare is it?