---
title: Domain
subtitle: What the earth provides
summary: >-
  Climate, topography, biome, features, resources. The ground beneath; what
  grows, what weathers, what the soil yields. The material conditions that force
  civilizations into being.
cover:
  showInHeader: false
publishDate: 2026-03-05T08:47:00.000Z
status: published
isFeatured: false
parent: prima-materia
tags:
  - Prima Materia
  - Generation
  - Domain
relatedArticles: []
seo:
  noIndex: false
---
## Overview

- **Map is the Starting Point;** napkin sketch or Azgaar export
- Domain = Climate + Topography + Biome + Features + Resources
- **Scale**
  - Locality → Territory → Province → Region → Area → Landmass
  - *Features* and *resources* are **locality-level** – a river is *here*, iron is in *this* valley
  - *Resources* = **abundance,** not exclusive access; most common material is available to anyone; the list marks what a locality has in surplus
- **Climate =>** 10 types; simplified Köppen-Geiger; temperature, precipitation, characteristics
- **Topography =>** 6 types; elevation and terrain character
- **Biome =>** 10 types; dominant vegetation;
- **Features**{% Sidenote #features-resources title="Relevance of features & resources" marker="⋄" content="Features and resources are only relevant on the locality level" type="optional" /%} **=>** 10 types; rivers, coasts, volcanoes, passes, settlements; affect availability tables downstream
- **Resources =>** 75 entries; what the land yields in abundance
- Tables follow below; elemental association appear later when they become mechanically relevant

## Procedure

1. **Pick your area or region** – the broad stroke; a continent's western coast, a mountain range, a river basin
1. **Generate localities within it** – each locality gets its own Climate, Topography, Biome
   - For those wanting a more random approach, the following [table](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16d9MUMFMqbUXkL6bOHN3sbFSvQiR0K3yta--RiW4Ldw/edit?usp=sharing) can be used to generate biomes based on Climate, Topography, and Features
1. **Assign features** – rivers, coasts, passes, settlements
1. **Roll for resources** – each locality has a **1-in-10 chance** to generate a resource
1. **Read the dominant pattern** – the Climate, Topography, and Biome that appear most across localities become the domain signature for the culture living there
{% Callout type="example" title="Gwayth Teyd" %}
Looking at the map for my »Chainbreaker« setting, I decide to start with the area on the western coast of Khimbria – my northern continent which is dominated by temperate rainforest. Knowing that I want to the dominant culture to be inspired by the britannic tribes of the antiquity, I decide to call it: the Gwayth Ted.
{% /Callout %}

## Climate

- Borrowed and simplified from Köppen-Geiger climate classification
- Ten types covering the range of conditions your world might produce

{% table %}
- Climate
- Temp.
- Precipiation
- K-G
- Characteristics
---
- *Artic*
- Extremely cold winters (< -30°C); cool summers (<10°C)
- Very low; < 300 mm/year
- ET, EF
- Cold year-round; mostly snow; permafrost
---
- *Arid*
- Hot summers (>30°C) or cold winters (<0°C)
- Very low; < 250mm/year
- BWh, BWk
- True desert; hot (BWh) or cold (BWk)
---
- *Continental*
- Cold winters (<0°C); hot summers (>25°C)
- Moderate; 500 – 1000 mm/year
- Dfa, Dfb, Dwa, Dwb
- Sharp seasonal swing; summer rainfall
---
- *Mediterranean*
- Mild winters (0 – 10°C); hot summers (>25°C)
- Moderate; 500–900mm/year; dry summers
- Csa, Csb
- Hot dry summers; wet winters
---
- *Monsoon*
- Warm year-round (>20°C); mild seasonal variation
- Very high seasonal; 1500–3000+mm/year in wet seasonal
- Am
- Extreme wet/dry cycle; flooding defines calendar
---
- *Oceanic*
- Mild winters (0–10°C); cool summers (<25°C)
- High; > 800mm/year
- Cfb, Cfc
- Mild year-round; contant rainfall; grey skies
---
- *Semiarid*
- Cold winters (often <0°C); hot summers (>25°C)
- Low to moderate; 250mm/year
- BSh, BSk
- Steppe; drier than grassland, wetter than desert
---
- *Subarctic*
- Very cold winters (< -20°C); short summers (<15°C)
- Low to moderate; 300–600mm/year
- Dfc, Dfd, Dwc, Dwd
- Brutal winters; brief growing season
---
- *Subtropical*
- Mild winters (5–10°C); hot summers (>22°C)
- Moderate to high; 600-1200mm/year
- Cfa, Cwa
- Humid heat; mild winters; even rainfall
---
- *Tropical*
- Warm year-round; avg > 18°C
- High; > 1500mm/year
- Af, Aw/As
- Constant warmth; heavy rain; Aw/As have dry season
{% /table %}

## Topography

- Lay of the land
- Elevation shapes what grows, who lives here, and how hard it is to move

{% table %}
- Topography
- Elevation
- Characteristics
---
- *Lowlands*
- Below sea level to 50 m
- Deltas, polders, fens, tidal flats; often waterlogged or reclaimed; fertile but floodprone
---
- *Plains*
- 50–300 m
- Open steppe, prairie, farmland; wide horizons; wind-exposed; good for agriculture and cavalry
---
- *Hills*
- 300–800 m
- Rolling terrain; mixed land use; defensible ridgelines; broken sightlines
---
- *Highlands*
- 800 – 1500 m (flat)
- Elevated plateaus; wind-scoured; isolated; natural fortress country
---
- *Mountains*
- 1500+ m
- Peaks, passes, and valleys; vertical climate zones; barriers to movement; mineral wealth
---
- *Badlands*
- Variable
- Eroded, broken terrain; gullies, mesas, exposed rock; poor soil; difficult to settle, easy to hide in
{% /table %}

## Biome

- Dominant Vegetation
-  What grows tells you what lives

{% table %}
- Biome
- Description
---
- *Barren*
- Salt flats, volacanic waste, eroded badlands; no significant vegetation; exposed rock and mineral deposits
---
- *Tundra*
- Permafrost beneath low scrub, mosses, lichens; treeless; wind-exposed; brief growing season
---
- *Shrublands*
- Dry-adapted woody scrub; charparral, maquis, fynbos; fire-prone, wind-scoured, quick to regenerate
---
- *Grasslands*
- Open steppe, prairie, pampas; deep fertile soil beneath tall grasses; few trees, wide horizons
---
- *Savanna*
- Tropical or subtropical grassland with scattered trees; distinct wet and dry seasons; periodic burns
---
- *Wetlands*
- Bogs, marshes, fens, swamps; waterlogged ground; dense reed bets, peat deposists; high biodiversity
---
- *Woods*
- Open canopy with clearings; light penetrates to ground level; mixed undergrowth; edge habitat
---
- *Forest*
- Dense temperate woodland; heavy canopy; deep leaf litter, large hardoods; oak, beech, maple
---
- *Rainforest*
- Multi-layered tropical canopy; constant moisture; maximum biodiversity; epiphytes, vines, dense undergrowth
---
- *Taiga*
- Boreal connifer forest; spruce, pine, larch over muskeg and frozen ground;
{% /table %}

## Features
- Geographical features at the locality level
{% table %}
- Feature
- Description
---
- *River*
- Flowing freshwater; trade artery, irrigation source, natural boundary; floods deposit fertile silt
---
- *Coast*
- Land meets sea; harbors, tidal flats, salt marshes; access to maritime trade and naval power
---
- *Lake*
- Enclosed body of water; fishery, freshwater reserve, natural landmark; still water hides depth
---
- *Floodplain*
- Low ground beside rivers; seasonally inundated; rich alluvial soik; high yield, high risk
---
- *Oasis*
- Isolated water source in arid terrain; date palms, wells, caravan stops; life surrounded by nothing
---
- *Volcano*
- Active or dormant; volcanic soil is fertile, eruptions devastating; obsidian, sulfur, hot spring nearby
---
- *Island*
- Land surrounded by water; isolation breeds distinctiveness; defensible, resource-limited, reade-dependent
---
- *Mountain Pass*
- Navigable route through high terrain; chokepoint for trade and invasion; whoever holds it controls movement
---
- *Town*
- Permanent settlement; market, craft production, local administration; polulation 1000–5000
---
- *City*
- Major settlement; walls, institutions, dense population, surplus extraction, specialization, political gravity; population 5000+
{% /table %}

## Resources
- What the land provides
- Each locality has a **1-in-10 chance** to generate a resource
- Mark **abundance** – a defining surplus worth trading or fighting over
- Resources are used in the *Conjuction* state
- Use the following [table](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bUUr5F93SrQ4fZm7ONf2YTudJ-1lnbyKiFHbtLgMgrY/edit?usp=sharing) to roll for the resource of a locality

| Resources          | Description                                                                                           |
|--------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Stone              | Limestone, granite, sandstone, slate; ubiquitous building and toolmaking material                     |
| Base Metals        | Copper, tin, lead, zinc; smelted from ore into everyday tools, vessels, fittings                      |
| Vegetables         | Root crops, legumes, leafy greens; garden staples grown in moist soil                                 |
| Fruits             | Orchard and vine crops; apples, figs, pomegranates, pears; wind-pollinated, sun-ripened               |
| Staple Grains      | Wheat, barley, millet, sorghum; the caloric foundation of settled civilization                        |
| Clay               | Shaped wet, hardened by kiln; pottery, brick, tile, ceramic                                           |
| Alchemical Earths  | Calcium oxide, potash, natron, vitriol; reactive mineral substances used in processing and craft      |
| Fish               | River and coastal catch; preserved by salt, smoke, or drying                                          |
| Hunting Companions | Hawks, falcons, hounds; trained animals used in pursuit and killing of game                           |
| Resins             | Hardened tree sap; pine tar, frankincense, myrrh; sealant, adhesive, incense                          |
| Salt               | Mineral preservative and seasoning; harvested from sea, spring, or mine                               |
| Oilseeds           | Sesame, flax, rapeseed; pressed and heated into oil for lamps, cooking, and craft                     |
| Furs               | Beaver, rabbit, fox pelts; insulation, clothing, and high-volume trade commodity                      |
| Livestock          | Cattle, sheep, goats, pigs; kept for meat, milk, wool, leather, traction                              |
| Reeds              | Marsh grasses; used for weaving, thatching, basket-making, matting                                    |
| Hemp               | Coarse fiber plant; rope, sailcloth, sacking, rough textile                                           |
| Softwoods          | Pine, fir, spruce; fast-growing construction timber and primary fuel wood                             |
| Dye Plants         | Indigo, madder, weld; plants processed into colorfast textile dyes                                    |
| Flax               | Fine fiber plant; retted and spun into linen; light, breathable fabric and sailcloth                  |
| Aromatic Herbs     | Lavender, rosemary, sage, thyme; culinary and ritual aromatics                                        |
| Woad               | Leaf-derived blue pigment; body paint, textile dye; labor-intensive extraction                        |
| Psychoactives      | Mushrooms, ergot, datura, cannabis; mind-altering substances used in ritual and medicine              |
| Honey              | Bee product; sweetener, preservative, fermented into mead; harvested from wild or kept hives          |
| Wild Game          | Deer, boar, hare, game birds; hunted in open country and woodland                                     |
| Earth Pigments     | Ochre, umber, sienna; mineral pigments ground for paint, body decoration, and burial rites            |
| Seals              | Marine mammals hunted for blubber, oil, meat, and heavy pelts; cold-water resource                    |
| Iron               | Smelted from bog or mountain ore; tools, weapons, structural hardware; the essential metal            |
| Olives             | Long-lived orchard tree; fruit pressed into oil for cooking, lighting, preservation, and anointing    |
| Hardwoods          | Oak, ash, elm, walnut; dense timber for shipbuilding, furniture, tools, construction                  |
| Jade               | Nephrite or jadeite; dense, hard stone worked into blades, ornaments, and ritual objects              |
| Dates              | Desert palm fruit; high-calorie staple of arid regions; dried for storage and transport               |
| Artisan Stone      | Alabaster, marble, pumice, soapstone; decorative and sculptural stone shaped by cutting and polishing |
| Dyes               | Processed colorants; cochineal, kermes, woad extract; requiring boiling, mordanting, vat fermentation |
| Bamboo             | Fast-growing giant grass; hollow, light, strong; construction, scaffolding, weapons, tools            |
| Obsidian           | Volcanic glass; fractures to razor edges; blades, arrowheads, mirrors                                 |
| Rice               | Grain cultivated in flooded paddies; requires irrigation infrastructure and water management          |
| Citrus             | Lemons, oranges, limes; juicy, acidic fruit; prevents scurvy, flavors food, preserves                 |
| Papyrus            | Aquatic reed processed into writing material; stripped, layered, pressed, dried                       |
| Grapes             | Vine fruit; eaten fresh, dried as raisins, crushed and fermented into wine and vinegar                |
| Medicinal Herbs    | Healing plants; prepared as poultice, tincture, tea, or salve; specialized knowledge required         |
| Special Livestock  | Camels, llamas, yaks, reindeer; animals adapted to extreme terrain; transport, milk, fiber, meat      |
| Cotton             | Tropical fiber plant; ginned, carded, spun into soft, dyeable textile                                 |
| Pelts              | Luxury furs; ermine, sable, marten; high-value status goods moving through long-distance trade        |
| Horses             | Riding, draft, and pack animal; cavalry, courier, transport; requires pasture and fodder              |
| Silk               | Caterpillar cocoon fiber; reeled, twisted, woven into extremely fine, strong fabric                   |
| Maize              | Corn; high-yield grain requiring processing (nixtamalization); flour, porridge, flatbread             |
| Yew                | Slow-growing toxic hardwood; exceptional bow-stave timber; durable, flexible, poisonous               |
| Tea                | Dried leaf steeped in hot water; stimulant beverage; requires specific highland growing conditions    |
| Ivory (marine)     | Walrus and narwhal tusk; carved into fine objects, jewelry, inlay; rare and highly portable           |
| Amber              | Fossilized tree resin; translucent, sometimes containing preserved insects; ornamental and trade good |
| Porphyry           | Dense purple-red igneous stone; extremely hard to quarry and work; imperial building material         |
| Bitumen            | Natural tar and petroleum seeps; waterproofing, adhesive, fuel, caulking                              |
| Murex              | Sea snail harvested for purple dye; thousands of shells yield grams of pigment                        |
| Saffron            | Crocus flower stigma; harvested by hand, three threads per flower; dye, spice, medicine               |
| Kaolin             | Crocus flower stigma; harvested by hand, three threads per flower; dye, spice, medicine               |
| War Beasts         | Elephants, rhinoceri, or similar; large animals trained for combat; living siege weapons              |
| Precious Stones    | Diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds; formed under extreme pressure and heat; cut and polished       |
| Arsenic            | Realgar, orpiment; toxic mineral compounds; pigment, poison, glass-making additive                    |
| Sulfur             | Yellow mineral from volcanic deposits; combustible; used in fumigation, medicine, fire-weapons        |
| Cinnabar           | Mercury sulfide ore; bright vermillion pigment; toxic; source of liquid mercury                       |
| Sugar              | Cane or beet juice boiled and crystallized; requires heavy irrigation and intensive labor             |
| Spices             | Pepper, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg; dried seeds, bark, and buds; flavor, preservation, medicine          |
| Pearls             | Formed inside oysters and mussels; harvested by diving; gems requiring no cutting or polishing        |
| Precious Metals    | Gold and silver; panned, mined, smelted; currency, jewelry, gilding, ritual objects                   |
| Silphium           | Extinct or near-extinct plant; medicinal, contraceptive, culinary; once worth its weight in coin      |
| Steppe Horses      | Superior war and riding breeds from harsh grassland; exceptional endurance and hardiness              |
| Coffee             | Roasted bean brewed into stimulant drink; requires specific tropical highland growing conditions      |
| Whales             | Hunted for oil, bone, baleen, ambergris; deep-ocean pursuit requiring specialized vessels             |
| Rare Woods         | Ebony, lignum vitae, purpleheart, sandalwood; dense exotic timber from distant sources                |
| Cedar              | Aromatic rot-resistant softwood; temple and ship timber; naturally insect-repellent                   |
| Cocoa              | Tree pod containing bitter seeds; roasted and ground into paste or drink; requires tropical lowlands  |
| Incense            | Frankincense, myrrh, and similar gum resins; burned to produce aromatic smoke                         |
| Lapis Lazuli       | Deep blue metamorphic stone; ground into ultramarine pigment; jewelry, inlay, decoration              |
| Coca               | Shrub leaf chewed or brewed as stimulant; suppresses hunger and altitude sickness; highland crop      |
| Poppy              | Flower producing opium latex; powerful painkiller and sedative; highly addictive                      |

{% Callout type="example" title="Gwayth Teyd Part II" %}
After having generated the localities of the Gwayth Teyd, I discover that most of its localities have a *Oceanic climate* while the terrain is mostly *Lowlands* with a *Forest* vegetation. The Gwayth Teyd also features a surpsingly high number of *Silk* and *Dye* resources.
{% /Callout %}
