Are you making a culture, a particularly violent or militaristic one? Awesome. Here's a list of questions to develop their strengths, weaknesses, and culture. I wanted to define 'combat-oriented culture' somewhat loosely, so it will apply to as many cases as possible. I specifically mean one where a disproportionately large amount of the population is regularly involved in combat and combat is otherwise a cornerstone of their society: culturally, economically, religiously. War in less militaristic cultures and its impacts, attitudes, etc is a separate subject.

Starter Questions

• What is their level of hierarchy? Do they operate as a loosely structured band, or are they a highly structured imperial army? Are they considered a military, militia, rebel band etc?
• What type of terrain do they operate in, mostly? What environmental hazards exist there, and are they aware of them? Do they travel much to new places they are unfamiliar with? How good are they at living off the land?
• Who are they typically picking fights with and why? For example, are they guerrillas picking fights both with a larger state for ideological reasons, and also raiding local villages for supplies? Do they raid others for specific resources, for profit, for survival?
• How much training does the average soldier have?
• What level of technology do they have? Not only weapons and armor, but efficient transport, communications, and food preservation? Particularly in war, logistics end up counting for way more than their actual equipment.
• What type of tactics do they use? Are they naval attackers, guerrilla fighters, ranged fighters, animal trainers, a large military with dedicated divisions? Or do they do something more fantastical, like air balloon fights?

Attitudes around Violence

• What is the average soldier's motivation? Is s/he there voluntarily, does s/he see personal gain after a raid/battle? What is their morale and attachment to their cause like?
• Even very combat-oriented cultures have a logic to who fights where and when. Is violence typically used to settle disputes, and is there a code of etiquette around this (like cowboy duels)?
• Not all violence is treated the same. Where is the line between an opponent and a victim? Are there any groups of people that violence is unconditionally okay against, such as anyone from an enemy state? Are there people that violence is unconditionally wrong against, such as the vulnerable? Are there certain types of violence (disfigurement, sexual violence) that are seen as unacceptable? Basically, do they have any concept like the Geneva Convention?
• Is being a warrior a role you opt into or is it the default expectation? if the latter, what happens to people who refuse to fight?

Social / Cultural

• How does combat affect gender roles? do women fight? who does the domestic work? Before you say you do not have gender roles, consider who does the off-screen work, like cleaning, childcare, or mending armor. Even in gendered societies, there is a noticeable rise in the autonomy of women in the more militaristic states, I might add.
• Are there groups they specifically target? What are the histories between these groups, and how legitimate are their reasons? How do they present this hatred?
• What is their technology level regarding medicine? How do they handle things like infection, amputation, and disfigurement? Culturally, how are people disabled, from combat or in general, treated?
• What are their beliefs around death and what comes after? Does the afterlife differ for warriors and everyone else? How do they memorialize their dead, if at all?