Comprehensive Lists of All D&D Settings

[Yair]

I'd like to create a comprehensive list of all D&D 3.x published settings. Follwing discussion here, I decided to create several lists to provide for different needs.

What I want are settings for D&D 3.x. I take that to mean that I can take a D&D character, plunge it into the setting, and play things out with the core rules. That said, here are the criteria:

• Additions to the core rules are acceptable, by which I mean compulsory ones. For example, Eberron adds Action Points. New options are always welcome (like new races and feats and so on), I am not referring to that here but of course they aren't a problem too.
• Limitations on using certain elements of the core rules are acceptable, though they don't deserve to be on the main D&D-Settings list. If, for example, the setting does not allow Wizards, it's still worth a mention on the "Limited" list. I'd keep settings with minor limitations, such as not allowing Gnomes, on the main list.
• Changes to the core rules are generally not acceptable, if you change the rules you really aren't playing D&D anymore. Again, however, if the changes are small I'd keep the item on the lists.

Please note the "scope" of the setting (and if there is a world-book, please tell me).

• World: Most world-books (I find) describe in detail one continent, and provide some vague information on the world in general and on its environment (other planes, cosmology, deities, and so on). I take that to mean the setting described is a fantasy "world". A "World+" scope would imply describing several continents, rich details on several outer planes, and so on.
• Kingdom: Many settings focus on a fairly large area such as a duchy or kingdom, providing only sketchy details on the world beyond these limits. A book on Ancient Egypt that only covers sorounding lands with a few parapgraphs would be an example. Fairly small areas, like an archipelago, can serve as another example.
• City: Many settings focus on a single city and its soroundings, or areas of comparable size, leaving the rest of the setting vague. Standalone minisettings are often of this nature, places like Freeport or Bluffside for example.

In deciding on the scope, the importance is not on what is thoroughly detailed but rather on what is significantly detailed. Ptolus for example is a massively detailed City, but if "The World of Praemal" book/chapter is sufficiently large and detailed this world may very well count as having a World scope.

I'd idealy want every setting's entry to include the world/setting's name, it's scope, the relevant world-book, and any changes, additions, or limitations on top of D&D. The list below contains only very partial information, I'd love help filling in the blanks.

D&D Settings
Ancient Egypt (Kingdom): War in Helios. (See also Hamuneptra for another take on ancient Egypt.)
Arcanis (World):
Atlantis (Kingdom): Twilight of Atlantis. Greek-cetered.
Bard's Gate (City):
Blackmoor (?):
Bluffside (City):
Caravan City of Azul (City-): by AEG
Corwyl (City-): wood elf village.
Dark Elf City of Hosuth (City-): AEG
Dawnforge (World?):
Dezzavold (City-): drow elf city.
Dry Lands (Kingom?): Empires of the Dragon Sands (desert region).
Diomin (World):
Dreadmire (?):
Dungeonworld (World):
Eberron (World): Eberron Campaign Setting. Adds Action Points. Changed (lower LA) drow. New races and classes figure prominently in the setting.
Echoes of Heaven (World):
Erde (World):
Freeport (City):
Grymvald (Kingdom?): The Whispering Woodwind so far is the only published description, as the adventure's setting.
Hamunaptra (Kingdom): Egyptian themed region.
Kingdoms of Kalamar (World):
Kitsunemori (Kingdom): Japan themed region featuring the namesake fox-tailed fey.
Krynn (World): Dragonlance Campaign Setting
Greyhawk (World): Living Greyhawk Gazetteer
Morningstar (?):
Murchad's Legacy (World): Murchad's Legacy Campaign Setting. Changed deity alignment & clerical energy restrictions. Bars gnomes. Area detailed a bit small.
Naranjan (Kingdom): Mindshadows by Green Ronin, India-themed island.
Necropolis (City): Egypt-themed.
Niflheim (World?): by Dog Soul Publishing. Icelandic island recast as a demi-plane.
Nyambe (World): Nyambe: African Adventures. Limits certain equipment.
Oathbound (World):
Ogre City of Drahk'Suhl (City-): by AEG
Prison City of Hell's Reach (City-): by AEG)
Ptolus (City+): City with world (Praemal) backdrop.
Praemal (World): Praemal: The World of Ptolus as a pdf. 57 pages only, so details are rather thin.
Ravenloft (World):
Sahasra (Kingdom?): by Dog Soul Publishing. India inspired region
Second World (World+): Second World Sourcebook. Relies on d20 Modern for some parts, so D&D-compatibility is limited to only part of it.
Seven Civilizations (Kingdom+ ?): Collections of nations/cultures by Atlas Games.
Sheoloth City of the Drow (City): by Mongoose
Skraag City of Orcs (City): by Mongoose
Scarred Lands (World):
Spiros Blaak (Kingdom): (Lycathrope-infested barony.) Relatively little setting information.
Stormhaven (City): by Mongoose
Stonehaven (City): by Mongoose
The Hunt: Rise of Evil (World):
The Known World (World): DCC#35
The Kyngdoms (World): The Kyngdoms Campaign Setting.
Torril (World): Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (plus regional books).
Twin Crowns (?): by Living Imagination
Valus (?): (island nation with backdrop of racial tension)
Valley of Frozen Tears (cold climate setting)
Warcraft (?):
Wilderlands of High Fantasy (World): Also contains City State of the Invincible Overlord (City) as a stand-alone setting.

Limited-D&D Settings
Accordlands (World): Warlords of the Accordlands. Changes all classes, skills, feats, spells, and so on; PH ones are barred.
Black Company Campaign Setting (World): Changed magic system, and combat system. Bars all PH spellcasting classes.
Iron Kingdoms (World): Bars certain classes and races. Changes races, item creation, and magic.
Midnight (World): Midnight. Changed magic system (no PH spellcasting classes), changed all races and classes. Adds "heroic paths".
Rokugan (World): Banned and changed races and classes, several additions (void points, taint score, honor rank...).
Young Kingdoms: Dragonlords of Melnibone. A d20-based game.

The above lists are compiled from here and here, plus any information given in this thread.

 

[jdrakeh]

You will want to move the Accordlands to your limited list, as all of the PHB classes are superceded by setting-specific variants found in the Warlords of the Accordlands Master Codex. Ditto Feats, Skills, Spells, and Prestige Classes.

Diomin is a world setting.

Dragonlords of Melnibone (correct spelling) is not a D&D setting, but Elric's Young Kingdoms setting converted for use with d20. It was marketed as a d20 game (though like many early games, it requires the D&D PHB). It assumes specific deities, cosmology (i.e., Law, Chaos, and Neutrality are more important than Good and Evil), etc. You may want to move this to the limited list, per the Black Company Campaign Setting.

Erde is a world setting, a fantasy Europe analogue currently in revision to be released (so far as I know) in a rules-free format.

The Hunt: Rise of Evil is a world setting.

Necropolis is an adventure sourcebook set in a specific, detailed, city (much as Bard's Gate is an adventure sourcebook set in a city, as is The City State of the Invincible Overlord). This city also happens to be another fantasy analogue to Egypt.

Niflheim, by Dog Soul Publishing, is arguably a self-contained world setting (the Land of the Dead), while Sahasra (also by Dog Soul) is a regional sourcebook at best.

Seven Cities is a generic city sourcebook. Calling it a setting is kind of stretch, as any of a few hundred adventure modules arguably provides as much detail on a single city setting as Seven Cities does on the seven that it presents.

SpirosBlaak is on your list twice.

Wilderlands of High Fantasy is a world setting that contains the City State of the Invincible Overlord (which is sold as a standalone city setting, too).

 

[Li Shenron]

With these new guidelines, I'm not sure if Rokugan should be on the list.

It is definitely LIMITED but not as much as Midnight for example.

Regarding classes, basically some classes are banned, others modified, others retained, and some new ones. The RCS book mentions that banned character classes COULD still be allowed, but since they are culturally "out-of-place" those characters should be travellers from other continent (that's not how we play it tho, we play them simply banned ).

To give you a more clear idea:
- Fighter, Barbarian, Rogue, Sorcerer and Monk are retained (possibly with minor changes such as skill list or proficiency)
- Ranger is modified (no spells, bonus feats instead)
- Cleric, Druid, Bard, Paladin and Wizard are banned
- Samurai, Shugenja, Courtier, Inkyo and Ninja (and arguably Sohei) are added

Similar thing for races, but again you could play a western race if the character is coming from "abroad", or why not from another plane of existence. If the DM allows that, anything from PHB/DMG/MM could be used in Rokugan, for example to allow existing PC to port into the setting, but making for example Clerics common would quite spoil some feature of the setting.

Nothing else is directly limited, magic works the same, but because Shugenja are the most common spellcasters, their spell list kind of "shapes what magic can do" in this setting. Lots of elemental magic and no resurrection for example.

Everything else is basically "add-on" to the core D&D, either in character options (feats, pr. classes...) or those few extra rules (void points, taint score, honor rank) that are seen in other settings as well.

 

[irdeggman]

Dark Sun (World) Ds3 (for 3.5 update from athas.org site), Darksun Revised Campaign Setting (2nd ed) - new classes, races (no-gnomes), change in how magic works. 3.5 update at Athas.org, 2nd ed material describing locations is still valid. {Requires core 3 books to play}

Birthright (World) BRCS (from birthright.net web site for 3.5 updates), Birthright Campaign Setting (2nd ed)- new classes, races are different, human cultures instead of one-human race, no-gnomes, magic works different, added in divine abilities along with domain level actions. 3.5 update at Birthright.net, 2nd ed material describing locations is still valid. {Requires core 3 books to play}

It should be noted that Eberron drow are "different" than standard D&D drow (they and Forgotten Realms have a reduced LA drow).

 

[Stormborn]

I think Iron Kingdoms should be moved to the "Limited" List as it removes many races while adding others, alters magic item creation (and to a lesser extent magic itself), and alters, removes, or adds classes. And it is a "World" when you take into account the development of the world/setting in the Warmachine and Hordes miniatures games and the supplemental info in No Quarter Magazine - and maybe even if you dont.

 

[Yair]

Dark Sun (World) Ds3 (for 3.5 update from athas.org site), Darksun Revised Campaign Setting (2nd ed) - new classes, races (no-gnomes), change in how magic works. 3.5 update at Athas.org, 2nd ed material describing locations is still valid. {Requires core 3 books to play}

Birthright (World) BRCS (from birthright.net web site for 3.5 updates), Birthright Campaign Setting (2nd ed)- new classes, races are different, human cultures instead of one-human race, no-gnomes, magic works different, added in divine abilities along with domain level actions. 3.5 update at Birthright.net, 2nd ed material describing locations is still valid. {Requires core 3 books to play}

I've limited the list to "D&D 3.x published settings". While I like the BRCS a lot, and I'm sure DS is great, they don't really answer the criteria.

 

[irdeggman]

I've limited the list to "D&D 3.x published settings". While I like the BRCS a lot, and I'm sure DS is great, they don't really answer the criteria.

So pdf doesn't count as "published"?

Dark Sun was done in Dragon/Dungeon magazine to correspond to the expanded psionics release, albeit not as well as the Athas.org version.

Athas is an entire world with its own cosmology.

 

[irdeggman]

Based on your criteria for a setting, neither Forgotten Realms nor Eberron fit.

They both "change" the core rules via the use of regions and regional languages and so are thus deemed "unacceptable".

 

[Mark CMG]

Grymvald (World): The Whispering Woodwind (a low-level adventure) takes place in and around the Large Town of Jalston, in the Kingdom of Toeffrus.

Thank you for the inclusion in your comprehensive listings.

 

[jdrakeh]

Thank you for the inclusion in your comprehensive listings.

I second this sentiment.

As for Forgotten Realms and Eberron, it's worth noting that the D&D core rules specifically allow for the introduction of different languages (i.e., new languages aren't a rules change).