D&D General Recommend me a somewhat contained setting

[darjr]

If non 5e mechanics are allowed maybe consider Ultraviolet Grasslamds.

 

[Stormonu]

Could run it in Greyhawk in the Lendore Isles (L1 - Secret of Bone Hill,L2 - Assassin's Knot ,L3 - Deep Dwarven Delve could help here)

An off the wall idea might be to set it in Waterdeep, Neverwinter, Baldur's Gate, City of Greyhawk, Dyvvers, Lahnkmar, Ptoltus or some grandiose city with a Geas or some other reason the PC might not be able/want to leave the city.

Possibly you could just run something set in a Sherwood Forest-like setting against some evil noble or sheriff, maybe even setting it on a large isle...

 

[John Lloyd1]

Oh no! What if the usurper wizard is Bargle!

Maybe the Cult of Haval is right and Haval returns. Just because he looks like Bargle is pure coincidence!

 

[DragonLancer]

The City of Bard's Gate by Frog God Games, It richly details the city of the same name, the surrounding wilderness and has more than a enough plot hooks and adventure concepts to last many campaigns.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The City of Bard's Gate by Frog God Games, It richly details the city of the same name, the surrounding wilderness and has more than a enough plot hooks and adventure concepts to last many campaigns.

They also have some smaller setting books, like the Lost City of Barakus, which includes a small city as well as the nearby dungeon, and the Grey Citadel, which is likewise.

I also forgot another good candidate: Freeport. There are 3E, systemless and Pathfinder editions of the setting book over the years. (The systemless book is great and I used it for a spur of my home campaign for years.) The city and the islands it sits on are relatively small, but have plenty of intrigue, enough local stuff to do to keep you busy if you want, but also provide lots of ability to customize (where are these islands, what powers are they preying on/currying favor with, etc.?) so you can make it your own.

 

[Bohandas]

I am going to be starting a D&D 2024 campaign soon, and I need a setting for it that is relatively self contained. I am thinking something no bigger than Britain, and probably smaller. I don't think a single city is big enough, but maybe you can convince me otherwise.

The premise of the campaign is that a very terrible and powerful individual has taken over the setting and the PCs are all people who have been wronged by this horrible being. (I am only being vague because I haven't quite decided on the exact nature of the BBEG, but I am leaning hard toward evil wizard-king-usurper.) They are going to start at 1st level and the motivating force behind their adventures is simply: kill that SOB. It is going to be a player driven sandbox, where they get to decide how they want to go about gaining the power and resources necessary to finally take the BBEG down.

I need a setting that can fit enough factions and secrets and locations and treasures that the players can decide what they want and how to get it on their way to kill the BBEG, within a campaign intended to go from 1 to high teens or even 20.

What setting would you recommend? Note, it does not have to be current or even official D&D.

Thanks!

If you can find a copy, consider picking up the old 2e Ravenloft book Islands of Terror. It's a bunch of small domains of dread seperated from the main setting

 

[Reynard]

If you can find a copy, consider picking up the old 2e Ravenloft book Islands of Terror. It's a bunch of small domains of dread seperated from the main setting

It is available on DMsGuild. RR4: Islands of Terror (2e) - Wizards of the Coast | Ravenloft | AD&D 2nd Ed. | AD&D 2nd Ed. | Ravenloft | Dungeon Masters Guild

 

[Zeromaru X]

I had not considered that. Interesting idea. I should flip through that book and see what i see.

I will take a look. Thanks.

Is there an actual Nentir Vale supplement/sourcebook?

Official? Sadly, nope. But if you are interested, I can provide you my thoroughly researched guide I made for my personal campaign years ago.

 

[Shardstone]

Official? Sadly, nope. But if you are interested, I can provide you my thoroughly researched guide I made for my personal campaign years ago.

I'd love that.

 

[pukunui]

Is there an actual Nentir Vale supplement/sourcebook?

Unfortunately the planned Nentir Vale Gazetteer got canceled. The closest thing to it is what’s in the 4e DMG (similar to the Greyhawk section in the 2024 5e DMG).

There’s also Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale, which is mostly a monster book but does have some pertinent lore in it. Other than that, there's the lore from the various adventures set in the vale (Keep on the Shadowfell, Reavers of Harkenwold, Thunderspire Labyrinth, Madness at Gardmore Abbey, etc).

There was also a series of Dungeon magazine articles expanding on the world beyond the vale.