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@inkhorn

Good question! I would honestly say everything. For fantasy, I try to make it as rational as possible for both religious and scientific aspects.

Planetary :

Atmosphere, terrain, materials that can be used for crafting, food/water resources, is it easy or harsh to survive, Is it made of one or many biomes, (if you are doing magic or fantastical abilities) where does its source of power originate from and maybe then how did that originate. Then final question I ask myself for planet characteristics, how does that all affect the animals/creatures, plants, and intelligent species? One specific question to think of, how dense is the population of both species and animals/creatures based on the environment?

Species/animals:

is there only one kind of intelligent species or a variety? Same questions for animals/creatures.

Society:

is there only one culture or many? (number of intelligent species would affect that.) The same goes for government and religion. How long does peace last whether there be one or many governments? In what manner are conflicts resolved? What kind of military do they have?  What is the economic structure? What resource(s) fuel their economic structure?

Religion:

In my opinion, if you want to be realistic, you have to have faith/religion for your characters to believe in that helps them define right from wrong.

As for what degree? I would say it depends on the era of technological advancement, society’s beliefs, and what kind of culture it is. I would say up to 70% if I were to use a roman inspired culture down to the military tactics. I would just leave enough out so it is not completely identical to what we know the Romans.

I hope this answers your question.