My Obsidian Setup for D&D

Last Updated: 2025 October 11

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 use a single Obsidian vault. 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
└───Campaigns
└───Characters
└───Gamemaster Tools
└───Items
└───Locations
└───Lore
└───Organizations
└───Ω External
└───Ω Utilities

Campaigns

Campaign-specific notes for planning and logging.

To start, I have a folder (and note) for each campaign. Within each, I use files for adventure logs, session notes, and anything else I need to organize for that specific campaign.

Characters

A comprehensive list of characters 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.

Locations

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
└───Campaigns
└───Characters
└───Gamemaster Tools
└───Items
└───Locations
    └───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
└───Lore
└───Organizations
└───Ω External
└───Ω Utilities

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, become a Supporter and download the Architect's Vault.

Game on.