Help:Writing an article about a place
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Articles can refer to any specific or general location or place in the Pathfinder campaign setting. This includes cities, nations, geographical features, and even planes and celestial bodies.
Infobox
Begin the article by using a relevant infobox template, such as {{City}}, {{Nation}}, {{Region}}, {{Plane}}, or {{Cosmos}}. These infoboxes are designed to contain structured high-level details as presented in relevant published stablocks, such as levels, traits, population details, governments, and alignment.
For consistency, add an infobox template even if the subject does not have a statblock. Paizo might publish one for it in the future, at which point you can add any mechanically relevant details.
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For the setting's many city-states, you can add both {{City}} and {{Nation}} infoboxes to the same article. For districts or other polities that have their own standalone details similar to a full city, you can use the ibtype parameter to change the infobox's label to something more appropriate to the article. |
To add the template, search for it in the Visual Editor's Insert > Template template tool. If you are editing the article by source, visit that template's page and copy the text from the usage box, then paste the code at the beginning of your article and fill in the empty fields. The template automatically displays only the fields you fill in, so you can omit or leave any of the fields blank and the wiki will not display them.
Remember to include a source and page number to cite the infobox's details. For infoboxes that include details for both Pathfinder First and Second Editions, use both the 1e-source and 1e-page parameters along with the 2e-source and 2e-page parameters. Newer sources are preferred, and if they introduce discrepancies, describe them briefly in the footnote parameter or on the article's Meta page.
For an example, see the template for Osirion on this page. Also, refer to the policy on citing sources to provide references for the statements in your article.
Artwork
Artwork for a location that has been uploaded with permission to PathfinderWiki should be categorized accordingly. For example, Category:Images of Osirion contains images of Osirion, and Category:Images of Absalom contains images of Absalom. For details on how to add artwork to an article, see Help:Uploading files.
For the image parameter of the infobox, use an official symbol for the location if one exists. If not, an image depicting the location is acceptable.
Maps
If you know the precise location of a place on Golarion, or if the place has already been mapped by the PathfinderWiki mapping project, you can embed a small interactive map depicting its location.
If the article has an infobox, you can add the map to its regionmap parameter; see the Osirion infobox on this page for an example. For settlements, you can add specific coordinates in the latlong parameter, which automatically adds a regionmap if that field is omitted or left empty.
If the article lacks an appropriate infobox, you can include a map by adding the {{DisplayMap}} template and providing the appropriate coordinates. You can even add an unmapped feature to the map using this template!
For help determining the appropriate coordinates and using the correct syntax, see Help:Map. To add a place to the map, see PathfinderWiki:Mapping project contribution.
Sections
There are no hard-and-fast rules on what sections should and should not exist within an article, although there is some logic to the convention that has built up with the creation of many articles about locations. Articles about nations or cities might have more sections than an article for a river or mountain range, but not always—the amount of canon information available in published sources instead defines the limit of detail available for an article.
You might consider using, but are not forced to use, the following sections in your article:
- Geography
- Describe any distinguishing geographical features, districts, substates, etc. for the given location.
- Ecology
- Especially distinct ecological traits, such as in articles about different planes or celestial bodies, might deserve their own section to help distinguish what makes its environment unique.
- History
- An overview of the history of the region or location. This might include political evolution as well as important events that have taken place in or near the locations.
- Government
- For an article about a settled location, such as a city or nation, an overview of government structures, authority figures, organized defenses, and political issues is helpful.
- Economy
- For an article about a settled or heavily exploited area or location, you can describe its economy in its own section.
- Inhabitants
- If inhabitants of the location have distinctive characteristics, you can mention them in their own section.
- Religion
- For an article about a settled or religiously significant area or location, you can describe active and historically worshipped religions and deities in its own section.
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Avoid adding sections to articles that are composed entirely of lists of places, organizations, geographic features or people. Try to write descriptive sections instead that provide context and connections for such details. When lists of links are necessary, add to an existing navbox for the place or create a new one. If you see an article that contains such a list, consider creating a navbox for that subject. For examples of relevant navboxes, see {{Korvosa navbox}} and {{Andoran navbox}}. |
Categorization
There is no set list of possible location types, but logic should dictate the general category to which an article should belong. For example, categorize a nation in Category:Nations, and categorize rivers in Category:Rivers.
Although the following list is not exhaustive, articles about places should generally be categorized according to:
Nation and region
For ease of searching, all locations should also belong to one or more regional category. For example, the Yondabakari River belongs to the category Category:Varisia/Geography, as do the Varisian Gulf and the Kodar Mountains.
Notable subcategories for locations include "/Geography" for geographical features, "/Settlement" for cities and other populated places, and "/Locations" for other points of interest, such as monuments, bridges, roads, defenses, and individual structures.
If a location belongs to multiple regions or nations, categorize it in both. For example, the Mindspin Mountains are part of both Category:Varisia/Geography and Category:Hold of Belkzen/Geography.
Categorize settlements in the applicable "Settlements" subcategory of their nation and/or region. For example, Cassomir is located in the Tandak Prefecture of Taldor, so it is categorized in both Category:Tandak Prefecture/Settlements and Category:Taldor/Settlements.
You can also categorize locations by their past inclusion in historical nations. For example, Kintargo was once part of the Archduchy of Ravounel inside the empire of Cheliax, but it is now part of the independent nation Ravounel. It is therefore categorized in both Category:Cheliax/Settlements and Category:Archduchy of Ravounel/Settlements, as well as in Category:Ravounel/Settlements. Its infobox describes its current state, and the text provides context for changes in governance over time.
Categorize nations by their continent, such as Category:Avistan, as well as in the more general Category:Nations. For city-states, use Category:City-states.
Ancestral affiliation
Some locations are specifically associated with a particular ancestry and should be categorized as such. For example, the nation of Kyonin is ruled and inhabited primarily by elves, thus it is categorized in Category:Elf/Nations. Similarly, Janderhoff is a dwarven city, so it is categorized in Category:Dwarf/Settlements. For human nations or settlements, no ancestral category is required as this is the assumed default for the setting.
Alignment
For nations, settlements, and planes, include as well the alignment of the location. Thus, Varisia is categorized in Category:Neutral nations, Korvosa in Category:Lawful neutral settlements, and the lawful evil plane of Hell in Category:Lawful planes and Category:Evil planes.
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The Pathfinder Second Edition Remaster Project removed mechanics for alignment and no longer includes it in statblocks. If an infobox or categories for a place's article on PathfinderWiki already includes an alignment but a Remaster work lacks one, don't remove the alignment from the infobox or categorization. If a new place lacks an alignment, you can leave the infobox's alignment parameter empty and don't have to categorize it by alignment. |
Type
Geographical features
For geographical features, such as rivers, lakes, oceans, or mountain ranges, categorize articles by type. For example, the Turandarok River is categorized in Category:Rivers and the World's Edge Mountains in Category:Mountains. Avoid adding overly general categories for geographical features, such as Category:Bodies of water, unless no more specific categories exist (or should exist).
A feature might be relevant in multiple categories. For instance, the Asp River is both a river and a tributary of another river, so it is categorized in both Category:Rivers and Category:Tributaries.
For a list of all geographical feature categories in use, see Category:Geographical features. If you create a new category for a new type of feature, remember to categorize that new category under Geographical features in addition to any other relevant categories.
Structures
Categorize structures, such as buildings, complexes, natural enclosures, and magically generated structures, by their general type. Museums are categorized in Category:Museums, schools in Category:Schools, and universities, palaces, observatories, temples, etc. in their corresponding categories. As with geographic features, a structure that serves multiple functions can be categorized in multiple ways at once.
For a list of building categories, see Category:Buildings. Like geographical features, more structure subcategories can be added.
Properties
Settlements are often described as having distinct non-mechanical properties appropriate for categorization. For example, seaside settlements where ships can dock are categorized in Category:Seaports, and settlements described as centers of commerce are categorized in Category:Merchant hubs. Like geographical features, more subcategories by property can be added.
Unsure about categories?
If you have written an article and are unsure about which categories to apply, or simply want your categories double checked, then please feel free to add this text at the bottom of your article in this format:
[[Category:Please check categories]]
This flags to others that the article's categories need checking or adding. We hope that, soon thereafter, another wiki member will be along to help.
External links
- Settlement rules on Archives of Nethys for Pathfinder Second Edition
- Nation rules and sample nation stat blocks on Archives of Nethys for Pathfinder Second Edition
- Plane rules on Archives of Nethys for Pathfinder Second Edition
- Settlement stat block on Archives of Nethys for Pathfinder First Edition