From narrative
Engineers internally consistent fictional worlds using Brand's Pace Layers for social structure and Sanderson's Laws of Magic for system constraints. Use when building settings, designing magic or tech systems, or auditing a world for logical contradictions.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/narrative:world-building-logicThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
World-building logic is the engineering of "internal consistency." It moves beyond mere imagination to create a setting that feels "lived-in" and logical. By applying Brand's Pace Layers to social and physical structures and Sanderson's Laws of Magic to the world's limitations, the builder creates a "controlled hallucination" that supports rather than distracts from the plot.
World-building logic is the engineering of "internal consistency." It moves beyond mere imagination to create a setting that feels "lived-in" and logical. By applying Brand's Pace Layers to social and physical structures and Sanderson's Laws of Magic to the world's limitations, the builder creates a "controlled hallucination" that supports rather than distracts from the plot.
A world is not a static monolith; it is a stack of layers moving at different speeds:
Internal consistency is defined by what characters cannot do. A character with unlimited power has no story. Drama is found in the clever application of a world's specific limitations. The more powerful the tool (magic/tech), the more restrictive the rules must be.
The world is an extension of character. Use "Behavioural Residue" (clues left behind) and "Identity Claims" (broadcasted symbols) to show the history of a setting. Instead of telling the history of a city, show a "High Road" monument next to a "Low Road" slum.
An author's ability to solve a conflict with a world-rule is proportional to how well the reader understands that rule.
A world must have an "Ordinary" logic and a "Special" logic. The transition between them (The Threshold) must be marked by a shift in rules, stakes, or environment.
Define the physical and social constants that cannot be easily changed.
Before giving a character a power or a tool, list the three things it cannot do and the cost of using it.
Identify where the world is changing too fast for its foundations.
Add specific, sensory details. Use the "Rule of Three Qualities": a "heavy, tarnished, silver locket" is more real than a "pretty locket." These details must reveal character history (Environmental Storytelling).
Take a world-rule to its logical conclusion. If people can fly, how does that affect the architecture? If people can read minds, how does that affect the justice system? Consistency comes from these "second-order effects."
REQUIRED SUB-SKILL: fiction-architect — to integrate world-rules into the plot. RECOMMENDED SUB-SKILL: prompt-optimizer — to translate world-building logic into consistent AI character personas or descriptions.
npx claudepluginhub joellewis/skill-library --plugin narrativeDesigns a world-building framework for speculative fiction, establishing physical rules, social structures, history, and internal consistency to support credible narrative.
Audits a fictional world for internal consistency, texture, economy, and constraint-story alignment. Use when a world feels thin, generic, or like a backdrop.
Guides creation of story world elements: locations, systems (magic, politics, technology), factions, and artifacts. Cross-references characters and updates index files.