Best Settings For Low-Magic Campaigns In D&D

Key Takeaways

• Low-magic settings are characterized by rare, misunderstood magic and societal fear of magic users.
• Examples include Trollskull Manor, Athas, Malatra, the City of Manifest, and the Island of Jakandor.
• These settings present unique challenges and opportunities for non-magic users in Dungeons & Dragons campaigns.

The term “low magic” doesn’t mean “no magic” but it doesn’t refer to a place and time that’s more like medieval Europe as opposed to a fantasy world like Faerun. Imagine an environment where magic is rare, and often misunderstood, and those accused of practicing magic are either imprisoned or burned at a stake.

The Dungeons & Dragons universe is a big place, so even though magic exists virtually everywhere, there are places where it’s rare and feared, only practiced by a chosen few who live on the fringes of society. These are also ideal settings for a Dungeon Master looking for a place to run a low-magic campaign.

1 Trollskull Manor

Acquired After the Waterdeep: Dragon Heist Adventure

• Author: Alan Patrick, Ashley Warren, Cindy Moore, Greg Marks, and others
• Campaign Setting: Waterdeep: Dragon Heist and Durnan’s Guide to Tavernkeeping
• Levels: 1-5
• Release Date: October 12, 2018

After an adventure involving some restless ghosts and malevolent poltergeists in the Waterdeep adventuring anthology, a successful adventuring party becomes the proud owners of Trollskull Manor. This is why the information regarding how to run a tavern and inn is also included in the module. More information using Trollskull Manor can be found in Durnan’s Guide to Tavernkeeping.

The region itself is steeped in magic, but the specific undertaking of running a tavern often doesn’t include using spells and incantations. Most of the tradespeople and proprietors of businesses in D&D aren’t magic users themselves, and it can be an interesting challenge for an in-game activity that the characters do without using any magical powers.

2 The Desert World Of Athas

Magic Users Are Rare And Feared

• Authors: Timothy B. Brown, Troy Denning
• Campaign Setting: Dark Sun
• Levels: 3 and up
• Release Date: October 1991 (2nd Edition), August 2010 (4th Edition)

A gritty answer to the usual high fantasy that defined previous D&D modules, the dying, post-apocalyptic world of Athas has more in common with Arrakis than Faerun. Magic exists in this world, but it’s not seen very often, especially among the common people, and wizardry is both persecuted and hardly ever used, if at all. The near history of the planet is one of various city-states and sorcerer-kings, but that time has passed and all that remains is the struggle to survive.

The power of arcane magic is blamed for most of the population on the planet’s destruction and continued deterioration, which is why this would be an ideal setting for a low-magic campaign. The specific location would also be significant because common people, or those living in isolated areas, would be even less likely to tolerate magic or even know how to identify it.

3 Malatra

A Wild And Untamed Land

• Authors: Kevin Melka, Dave Gross, and others
• Campaign Setting: The Living Jungle
• Levels: Up to level 10
• Release Date: February 1995

It’s the isolation, wildlife, and lack of modern settlement that makes Malatra a dangerous place. Adventuring parties don’t come here to discover wizard towers and libraries, but there are around 60 modules included in the entire The Living Jungle play program, so there’s still a lot to keep ambitious players busy. It was originally designed to use the D&D 2nd and 3rd edition rules and as tournament-based games in the Role-Playing Group Association (RPGA).

There’s plenty of magic in the Living City, an urban oasis near the Malatra Plateau, but mages, wizards, and others of the arcane persuasion consider the nearby jungle a faceless wilderness with nothing of value. However, the literal library of modules that use the jungles of Malatra as a setting proves otherwise, so venture into the wilderness to hunt for tigers and flowers even if there are no scrolls or books to be found.

4 The Vilayet Sea, Hyboria

A Variation On Ancient Earth History

• Author: David Cook
• Campaign Setting: Conan Unchained!
• Levels: 10-14
• Release Date: 1984

As part of the popular trend that started with the live-action adaptation, there was also a D&D module released that took place in Hyboria, the fictional world created by Robert E. Howard. Some changes had to be made to make the world of Conan fit into the D&D universe, such as replacing some of the monsters with people or animals, but the character creation, leveling, and storyline progression are the same thing.

The story takes place before the events of the movie, recalling a time when Conan was a pirate on the Sea of Vilayet as opposed to a wanderer in the urban and rural wilderness of Hyboria. Since this mythology was loosely based on a fictional history of ancient human civilization, any kind of magic and sorcery was either very rare or viewed by the general populace as evil and dangerous, making this an ideal setting for a low-magic adventure.

5 The City Of Manifest

No Magic Here, But A Lot Of Occult

• Author: Monte Cook and Sean K. Reynolds
• Campaign Setting: Ghostwalk
• Levels: 1 to 12
• Release Date: June 2003

It helps to have a cleric or two in the party for this adventure, but the Wizard or Sorcerer can stay at camp. Manifest isn’t a conventional town, but a mausoleum city built over a rift in the earth known as the Well of Souls. Local legend says that this is where souls leave the earth to find the True Afterlife, but only the humanoid and demi-humanoid races have access to this spiritual rift, which has resulted in the city being attacked, destroyed, and rebuilt numerous times.

A quirk of this adventure is that players can die and turn into ghosts by using certain trinkets, but should they hear the Calling, they’ll be drawn to the bright rift of the Well of Souls and never be able to return.

6 The Island Of Jakandor

Two Sides, One Forbids Magic

• Author: Dale Donovan
• Campaign Setting: Jakandor, Island of War
• Levels: Up to 3rd level
• Release Date: October 1998

This setting can be a great low-magic campaign depending on how the DM and the party use their role-playing options, and there are two more sourcebooks for Jakandor to use in addition to this one. The backstory includes two sides in a long and bitter conflict, one group of Sorcerers that makes extensive use of magic, and the opposing Barbarians that forbid it completely.

The Knorr are the Barbarians who have been sent into exile for angering their god, and the Charoni are the necromancers who once ruled the land as tyrants. This volume focuses on the Knorr, who shun magic and arcane knowledge in any form, so it’s a better choice for a low-magic campaign setting.