My Obsidian Setup for D&D

Originally published 2022-10-30

It’s easy to get started with Obsidian but the organizational possibilities are endless. Let’s take a look “behind the screen” at my setup for Dungeons & Dragons. This is how I organize my world and campaigns within Obsidian.

One Vault to rule them all…

I started with two vaults: one for D&D and one for everything else (this blog, home projects, work, etc). My “everything else” has since moved to Notion. I find it better for that sort of stuff. As of today, my Obsidian vault is entirely used for D&D. For more on this topic, consider the big picture on vaults.

Why One Vault for D&D

You can make the argument for using a vault for each campaign or world. But I have a number of “shared” notes that I would be referencing in each (rules references, setting details, etc). That’s not easy to do with Obsidian without duplicating notes (something I try to avoid). So I lean into a single vault and organize it to meet my needs.

Dungeons & Dragons “Behind the Screen” Organization

Here’s my main folder structure. Let’s break it down.

main-vault
└───Atlas
└───Campaigns
└───Characters
└───Gamemaster Tools
└───Items
└───Lore
└───Organizations
└───Ω assets
└───Ω external
└───Ω utility

Atlas

The gazetteer for setting information.

I start with notes for my universal regions. Think “planes of existence.” For my universe, those are the Known World, Elder World, Dark World, Astral Dominion, and Elemental Chaos. I separate out world regions (typically individual settings) into folders. I use folders because I have a lot more notes for an entire setting than I do for the Elemental Chaos.

main-vault
└───Atlas
    └───Aer 
    └───Algoria
    └───Dragonmir
    └───Eldramir
    └───Kandalur
    └───Nentir Vale 
    └───The Fold 
    └───Xanthomir
    │   Astral Dominion.md 
    │   Dark World.md
    │   Elder World.md
    │   Elemental Chaos.md
    │   The Known World.md
└───Campaigns
└───Characters
└───Gamemaster Tools
└───Items
└───Lore
└───Organizations
└───Ω assets
└───Ω external
└───Ω utility

Campaigns

Campaign-specific notes for planning and logging.

To start, I have a folder for each campaign. Within each, I use files for player characters, session notes, and anything else I need to organize for that specific campaign. If a campaign isn’t part of my overall setting, then I’ll keep setting details within the campaign’s folder instead of the Atlas.

Characters

A comprehensive list of NPCs across campaigns.

Gamemaster Tools

Tools to make my DM life easier.

• Random tables (for NPCs, locations, wild magic, and other stuff)
• Adventure building binder (design advice)
• Homebrew rules
• DM Screen

Items

Magical and non-magical items of interest.

Magic items and mundane items like books. I lean heavily into optional lore via books and scrolls.

Lore

Universal truths and systems that reach across settings.

This folder contains information on large-scale events, myths and legends, calendar, cosmology, magic, and the divine pantheon.

Organizations

A complete list of organizations from across my setting and campaigns.

That’s a quick overview of how I organize my Obsidian vault for Dungeons & Dragons.

If you want to dive deeper into my organizational schemas (probably too deep), become a Patron and get exclusive resources for Obsidian & TTRPGs.

Game on.