Fans who have heard or tried Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 might find themselves left hanging by the game’s Early Access tease. Moreover, some Dungeons and Dragons fans who played the game might itch to get some more D&D action. Unfortunately, creating a party might get tricky for aspiring Dungeon Masters, and creating a story even more so. Crafting a campaign setting from scratch might just take too much time.
Thankfully, the Baldur’s Gate game and its Forgotten Realms setting serve as only one of many campaign settings any D&D game might take place in. In fact, Dungeons & Dragons has quite a lot of unique campaign settings that can fix that D&D itch.
15 Theria
The setting of the popular Dungeons & Randomness podcast, Ellara is quite a massive world that shares both typical fantasy tropes with a hint of depth in terms of homebrew concepts. While there are multiple continents in Ellara, its region of Theria is perhaps the most expansive in terms of content. Considered the melting pot of Ellara, Theria is where a lot of the world’s races converge, and where a lot of globe-spanning conspiracies occur.
Perhaps what makes Theria quite an interesting setting is its low-magic focus, with the setting scaling down on high-level magic such as mind control and resurrection to make room for intense stories. Unique to the setting are a race of machines called the Essai, powered by an actual soul of a previously-living being. Another unique homebrew Class is the Endurant, beings capable of manipulating emotions themselves. There are even options to become “beyond death” as Revenants, “reawaken” as a Vampire, or become one with the moon as a Werewolf.
14 Runeterra
Originally the setting of League Of Legends, the planet of Runeterra exists both as a physical entity and a spiritual world that lies as the only world separating the terrifying forces of the abyss from creation itself. Known primarily for the existence of Runes, Runeterra in Dungeons & Dragons capitalizes on the magic-and-science nature of League Of Legends to pave the way for crazy adventures that only the unique setting of the MOBA would allow.
Unique to Runeterra are Runes which allow players to tap into various forces of the planet around them, as well as Celestial and Spirit Magic that can come from both the divine and the spiritual realm. Players who create characters in Runeterra often find a life of adventure due to the rather wild nature of the magic around them, making this setting fit for players who want a crazier change of pace.
13 Tal’Dorei
The setting of the hit Critical Role series, Tal’Dorei is the continent in the planet of Exandria known for the intense powers that vie for power, magic that can shape the land, and the Calamity that reshaped the world as they know it. Although typically presented as a typical fantasy realm, the rather immense politicking taking place around the land and the presence of the Vox Machina has transformed Tal’Dorei into one of the richest “living” settings to grace D&D.
Players will particularly appreciate Tal’Dorei for its rich sense of culture, particularly with its various towns, cities, and kingdoms that properly adjust to the realm’s topology. Not only that but the existence of large-scale powers such as the hobgoblin nation Iron Authority and even the Republic of Tal’Dorei can transform the mildest adventure settings into intense political campaigns.
12 Ivalice
Popularly a setting in some Final Fantasy games, the rich world of Ivalice is notable primarily for its rich cultural influences that change much in the same way it did on Earth. Its story spans games such as FF12, FF14, FF Tactics, and Vagrant Story - with each story offering a unique and evolving look of Ivalice.
Commonly known for its trademark depth much like other popular Final Fantasy settings, Ivalice has mysterious origins linked to the alien-like Occuria and Espers that became god-like figures, the evolution of society through magick and technology, as well as a Cataclysm that ruined the world to pave the way for new life to emerge. Players who want to play in Ivalice can opt for the Mediterranean-inspired magical-technology setting of the Golden Age of Ivalice or the more medieval/Renaissance-fueled aesthetic of the War of the Lions.
11 Middle-earth
What better setting to use for Dungeons & Dragons than one of the biggest - if not, the most known - fantasy franchise out there? Middle-earth is the iconic setting of stories set in the Lord Of The Rings universe, and its depth of stories associated with a rich culture makes it one of the best settings for the most intense of adventures to the mildest of shenanigans.
Due to the rich history of the franchise across the books, players can set their adventures during the epic First Age, the establishment of civilizations and the rise of Sauron in the Second Age, or the final downfall of Sauron in the Third Age. The rich and equally-mysterious aspects of these ages, on top of the rather mystical nature of its magic, can make warriors feel glorious in combat and wizards equally as enigmatic in their magic.
10 Greyhawk
Gary Gygax’s Greyhawk setting perfectly fits two flavors of today’s D&D characters. The world of Oerth has history and themes mirroring those of Earth’s medieval times — perfect for D&D newcomers who want a familiar world to play in. Meanwhile, D&D fans might want to try playing in D&D co-creator Gygax’s original 1980 setting.
Unlike other campaign settings, Greyhawk takes place in a more grounded world of Oerth with history and themes similar to those of Earth’s — with warring factions, city-states, as well as technology that heavily mirrors that of Medieval Europe. Oerth’s humans had different ethnicities, while it also had Halflings, Elves, and Gnomes. Moreover, new and old players alike will find Gygax’s more liberal and open approach to the campaign setting a breather. After all, DMs of the Greyhawk setting will find a lot of details deliberately left open for them to fill up with their own narrative, whereas other worlds had a stricter approach regarding how their lore must be applied to a table’s overarching narrative.
9 Dragonlance
Fans who want to dig into a more nuanced campaign setting away from Eberron’s steampunk aesthetic and Forgotten Realms’ interplanar travel might appreciate Dragonlance. This campaign setting, created by Tracy and Laura Hickman, served as D&D’s first complete fictional world with tie-in products. In Dragonlance, players find themselves in the world of Krynn as it finds itself in the center of a celestial war and the return of dragons.
Unlike other campaign settings, Dragonlance has a dragon-centric theme with a matching complex political geography. Moreover, player adventures will likely center around finding the Dragon Orbs that can locate and control dragons, or the fabled Dragonlances that can slay even the toughest of these creatures.
8 Planescape
Players who want a more dynamic setting might find the adventures they need in Planescape. While Forgotten Realms also introduced the idea of having multiple “realms,” Planescape gives a more technological twist to the idea of traveling in between them. Fans will also love Planescape’s usage of steampunk and Victorian-era aesthetic, something not always present in D&D settings.
In Planescape, players travel around various Planes that contain unique geographies and cultures that center on inter-faction conflicts. Interestingly, its influential concepts such as the idea of planar cosmology and Sigil, City of Doors, became recurring themes since Planescape’s first appearance in 1994.
7 Warcraft
Interestingly, fans of World of Warcraft can play a TTRPG set in Azeroth courtesy of a Warcraft D&D setting. Released for D&D 3e, the Warcraft RPG takes place in the world of Azeroth around the time of Warcraft 3. In turn, its aesthetic and themes share a lot of similarities with the game and the developing WoW MMO. Albeit discontinued, its recent iteration, World of Warcraft: The Roleplaying Game, translates much of the MMO into a TTRPG format.
Unlike other campaign settings, even classes, monsters, magic items, and themes all center around the Warcraft story. However, this material easily becomes the best introduction to D&D for RTS and MMO fans, especially to those who play a lot of WoW.
6 Mystara
Players looking for fresh campaign setting concepts to use might want to go old school with Mystara. This setting, published from 1981 to 1996, has the makings of the “usual” high fantasy setting. However, unlike Forgotten Realms, Mystara boasts a lighter tone perfect as an introductory setting for younger TTRPG players.
Players and DMs should take note of two primary things in Mystara. First, it takes place in “The Known World” that players can explore, with enough opening to incorporate sub-settings such as Thunder Rift, Savage Coast, and Hollow World. Secondly, its world has ascended immortals instead of gods. Moreover, Mystara’s rather wildly creative concepts fit perfectly well with younger audiences who want to explore their creative faculties.
5 Ravenloft
Meanwhile, fans looking for a much darker setting might appreciate the gritty gothic horror setting of Ravenloft. Originally a module for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Ravenloft soon became its own setting. In essence, Ravenloft centers around Ravenloft, the Demiplane of Dread, and its ruler, Darklord Strahd Von Zarovich. Given Ravenloft’s nature as a pocket dimension, player adventures center around defeating Strahd, outwitting the Dark Powers that imprison him, navigating vampire politics, or finding a way to leave the Demiplane.
However, fans who want a more grounded setting might also want to try Masque of the Red Death. This Ravenloft spinoff takes place on Earth in the 1890s with a low magic fantasy setting.
4 Spelljammer
Like other campaign settings, Spelljammer centers itself around exploration. However, instead of going to far-off lands, Spelljammer takes players to “wildspace,” or magical outer space where only magically-infused ships can navigate. Due to its exploration-heavy elements, Spelljammer focuses a lot on how to make unique adventure settings while being able to explore other D&D settings such as Forgotten Realms.
Moreover, Spelljammer’s concepts have evolved outside the campaign setting. In fact, Spelljammer isn’t a standalone setting anymore, as ideas such as spelljammer ships have been included in other materials.
3 Dark Sun
Players who want to go out of the norm of the “usual” medieval fantasy settings might appreciate Dark Sun’s more post-apocalyptic take on D&D. In Dark Sun, players find themselves in Athas, once lush but now a desert due to the impact of constant spellcasting. As such, the world outlawed the use of arcane magic while religions (and divine magic) center around spirits, forces, or Sorcerer-Kings that rule the small patches of livable city-states. Likewise, unique to Dark Sun would be the prevalence of Psionics.
Fans might find appeal in Dark Sun thanks to its more desperate, high-stakes setting. Characters might end up meeting tougher Humans, desert-dwelling Elves, or even cannibal Halflings. Moreover, Dark Sun’s unique sociopolitical landscape can make for some interesting roleplaying opportunities.
2 Ghostwalk
Ghostwalk for D&D 3rd Edition comes in a single-release book that contains the entire far-reaching premise of the Ghostwalk setting: what if players can roleplay as the ghost of their character? In turn, Ghostwalk’s setting zeroes in on the life (and unlife) in the city of Manifest. Moreover, the city-centric campaign setting means players can easily fit Ghostwalk in their own worlds.
Interestingly, Manifest’s most famous feature would be its location. After all, Manifest sits atop the Veil of Souls, the last resting place of all souls before going to the True Afterlife. Moreover, Manifest’s unique location allows ghosts to constantly find themselves back in living bodies until the Calling forces them to “cross” to the True Afterlife. As such, fans of more dramatic settings would appreciate Ghostwalk’s potential of creating compelling character-centric narratives. Moreover, Ghostwalk’s unique ghost mechanics give way to interesting ghost archetypes and storylines not found in other settings.
1 Nentir Vale
Fans looking for a more “general” setting they can tinker with might appreciate Nentir Vale, the sample campaign setting used as a reference point for the “Dungeon Master’s Guide” under D&D 4th Edition. In general, Nentir Vale is comprised of a dark age with fallen empires and struggling remnants of civilizations. Interestingly, the little “flavor details” the 4e DMG provides give enough rooms for players to add their own details.
Moreover, unlike other campaign settings, the 4e DMG has enough default information and flavor texts for DMs to use. In turn, DMs no longer need to read complicated backstories, as Nentir Vale in the DMG conveniently encourages them to start exploring the world lacking multiple concise details.
