Settings (High Fantasy). Help Wanted

[Bomberooski]

So as I start digging deeper into beginning to DM my first ever campaign I've started to look around at settings for the game to be played in or around. Campaign is going to be standard high fantasy so not looking for sci-fi or current days settings.

My question before I start spending money on stuff is two part:

1) Do YOU have a recommended setting that you've enjoyed having a campaign set in?

2) Is there something to creating your own world but ripping stuff and putting it into your world? And if so what are some settings that you've found have good lore/elements that are worth looking into?

Thank you. All help is appreciated.

 

[Theory of Games]

Congrats on starting your first campaign Regarding your questions:

1. AD&D's Forgotten Realms is one of my favs
2. Creating your own setting can be very fulfilling, especially when you turn the players loose in it.

Forgotten Realms Wiki

forgottenrealms.fandom.com

Hyborian Age d20 Campaign Site - hyboria.xoth.net

A complete Dungeons & Dragons (d20) campaign setting featuring monsters, spells, magical items and characters of the Hyborian Age...

hyboria.xoth.net

 

[aco175]

Your first ever campaign- congratulations.

I would just get the Lost Mines of Phandelver (LMoP) box set to run your first campaign. If you are ambitious, maybe get the second box set, Essentials to go with it since they are both in the same place but I used for two different campaigns. It takes place in the Forgotten Realms (FR), but the players will not really care if you are just sticking to one small place in the world. It could take place anywhere really and be fine.

Generally first campaigns might be testing/training grounds for you and the players. Start small with one maybe two small towns with several things going on and a few threats to explore. The 4e adventure Keep on the Shadowfell (KotS) was good for this I thought. I only plan some of the larger things plotwise if I am making a campaign. Have a couple lower level bag guys doing stuff to let the players choose what they want to explore. A larger threat that they uncover through the smaller threats. Feel free to add some side quests for personal gains for the PCs if they want to explore something more. Drop plenty of hints to dungeons and maybe some magic. Ask the players where they want to go and then design that part to keep only a few weeks ahead of the PCs.

I like to make a threat or bad guy problem last only a few levels before wrapping up. The first problem might be levels 1-3 and then the PCs find out the goblins are working for a bigger threat. This lasts until levels 5-6 before finishing. They might find other clues or switch to a whole other thing they want to do which last another few levels. Feel free to bring back threats they skipped that are now bigger problems.

 

[Aldarc]

@Bomberooski, is this campaign for 5.5e D&D?

 

[Bomberooski]

@Bomberooski, is this campaign for 5.5e D&D?e

Yep! Going in with the new rules to see how we like them.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Yeah, if you're running D&D 5e and want high fantasy without any hint of sci-fi or magitech, Forgotten Realms is probably your best bet.

I've done patchwork settings and it's fun being able to draw from disparate worlds to stitch together your own. One of my favorite 5e campaigns took pieces of Ravnica, Kobold Press' Midgard, Eberron, and my own ideas, all bundled together.

 

[TiQuinn]

So as I start digging deeper into beginning to DM my first ever campaign I've started to look around at settings for the game to be played in or around. Campaign is going to be standard high fantasy so not looking for sci-fi or current days settings.

My question before I start spending money on stuff is two part:

1) Do YOU have a recommended setting that you've enjoyed having a campaign set in?

2) Is there something to creating your own world but ripping stuff and putting it into your world? And if so what are some settings that you've found have good lore/elements that are worth looking into?

Thank you. All help is appreciated.

I think one easy button answer is Forgotten Realms. There's just a ton of material across multiple different editions of the game that you can pull in if you want.

 

[Zaukrie]

Forgotten Realms (the three boxed sets from WotC, and about a million books from earlier editions of the game, and more supplements on DMSguild than can be counted) or Midgard from Kobold Press. I think those are your best bets for sure.

 

[Aldarc]

My question before I start spending money on stuff is two part:

1) Do YOU have a recommended setting that you've enjoyed having a campaign set in?

I would usually set most of my D&D 5e games in the Nentir Vale/PoLand. However, WotC never really came out with a single setting book for the game. As it was more of an implied setting, the setting material was scattered across 4e D&D, though the 4e DMG and Monster Vault: Threats to the Nentir Vale have most of what you need. I enjoyed Nentir Vale because it's serves as a good setting for a more sandbox game of D&D that you can easily make your own without bumping into decades of prior lore. It's more of a setting that was sketched out, left blanks, and let the GM color the setting as they pleased. It stressed themes over lore, which I found refreshing. IME, it was a good starting point for new GMs. So good that I kept returning to it for introducing new players to the game.

That said, I would recommend Eberron. There is plenty of setting material out there. You can find material for it in 5e but also 4e and 3e, with most of the books out there being for 3e D&D. It really leans into the action adventuring fantasy of D&D. Like the Nentir Vale, it creates some blanks for some of its biggest mysteries without answering them because there is intentionally NO ANSWER for some of these things. It also takes place in a singular point in time. There is no meta-narrative that moves the timeline forward or shakes up the setting with new editions. So most of the information out there for the setting is just the same today as it was when it came out for 3.5e.

 

[payn]

1. You put this in TTRPGs general, so im going to take a small step over to pathfinder and point to Golarion. The Inner Sea guide is probably one of the best single setting books ive ever read. On top of that, they have been putting out info and adventures for it for over a decade. I cant be certain, but id be surprised if any D&D setting is as covered as Golarion is.

2. I've avoided this for a very long time. I found homebrewing to basically be a crapshoot. Nobody was ever going to be as interested in it as me. Not by a long shot. It was depressing. That said, ripping stuff off is probably the next best thing to doing it all yourself to save effort. I've taken The Third Imperium from Traveller and done my own thing for 20 years now. So, if you find a reasonable setting with a deep enough well, you can pull from it for all your needs.

Edit: I see this is for 5.24 D&D. Id still consider using Golarion the Inner Sea guide is mostly fluff and not mechanics. Any conversion is pretty simple. Though, an AP is probably enough to keep one busy for awhile.

Good luck!