Looking for a pre-made world/map/etc with some specifications. Help please?(3.5)

[Nick_mi]

I'm a new DM with a lot of ambition, hoping to give an amazing Spencerian to my buddies who have played D&D for about ten years, but never got outside of about 15 or so of the 3.5e books. So they're not too experienced in gosu magic characters and focus generally more on hack or slash. Sometimes they'll try to be a mage and just not play it super effectively.

So what I'm looking for ideally is a pre-made world with a map that kinda has some background on each city. Ideally populated majorly with the core races(humans, elves, half orcs, dwarves,etc) and won't have too many foregion races. Lastly hopefully looking to be low on super mages. I mean I can tweak some, but if it's a world that has magic deeply inscribed in it's lore, it's probably not what I'm looking for.

Help please?

[Hiro Protagonest]

Well, that last part rules out pretty much the only two official 3.5 settings, FR and Eberron.

[Nick_mi]

How badly? I've been trying to find official D&D worlds and kinda failing. Looking for homebrewed worlds as well.

[Hiro Protagonest]

How badly? I've been trying to find official D&D worlds and kinda failing.

In FR, every bartender is a former adventurer, every wizard is at least 6th level, and the only reason Elminster doesn't kill everything evil is because of plot.

Eberron is the walking definition of magitech.

[Nick_mi]

What is forgotten realms, greyhawk, and someone shipped me pathfinders chronicles(I think that's what it's called. That's what the book's name is :S) which seems alright, but I haven't looked into it too deep.

[Hiro Protagonest]

What is forgotten realms, greyhawk, and someone shipped me pathfinders chronicles(I think that's what it's called. That's what the book's name is :S) which seems alright, but I haven't looked into it too deep.

FR is forgotten realms. Greyhawk isn't 3.5, except maybe the unmapped world with the core deities that you're presented in the PHB an DMG. Pathfinder Chronicles is Pathfinder, not 3.5, although did Paizo make that for 3.5 before PF came out? You need someone who actually has the setting books to explain that.

[Nick_mi]

Would it be insanely difficult to incorporate it into 3.5?

[Zaq]

Eberron is the walking definition of magitech.

While this is true, in Eberron, most of the world (or at least large swathes of it) is pretty much low-level. From my understanding, on most of Khorvaire, it's hard to find NPCs above level 4-6, maybe 10 for the really big and important people. It's a high-magic setting, to be sure, but it's not an inherently high-power setting the way Forgotten Realms is. You're not, by default, going to be tripping over high-level spellcasters every time you go out of doors. A zillion low-level ones, sure, but very few people who can rewrite all of existence with a standard action and a little preparation.

[gorfnab]

How about Dark Sun (http://www.athas.org/)?

[Kol Korran]

the thigns about most settings who has a relation to 3.5 D&D is that you can quite easily incorporate them. the info on towns city and locations is usually fluff anyway, detailing population, exports, importent NPCs and so on. from the (very) little i know of greyhawk, it might suit you well.

As Zaq mentioned, Eberron is a sort of a onundrum- there is a lot of very lowlevel casters, but wit the help of dragon mark and reserch, some fancy magical achievements have been made- sort of trains, sort of ships, sort of telegraph stations, sentient construct warriors, everlight torches at every corner in major cities and so on...there is a great emphasis on "magic that can improve civil daily life" (except for the warforged, which were made strictly for war)

however, high level (or at times even mid level) spell casters are quite rare and few. they usually hold positions in academies/ temples/ protecting forest and so on, though there are enough exceptions. really high level ones (above level 12) are virtually unheard of (there are about 5 characters in the main continent of that level)

however, you can easily pick one of the world's more remote locations if you want an even less "magic" feel- talenta plains, Q'barra, Droaam, Shadow Marches and so on. what i'd really suggest is Stormreach- a unique forntier city on the verge of lost giant civilization and drow, ripe with strife, crime, manipulation and adventure! there is even a source book for that.

Golarion i know very little about, so i can't help you there, but i heard good things about it.

my suggestion really? do a bit of research, don't rely on a few paragraphs responses here in the forum, from people who often strongly favor one setting and dislike others (including me). a setting has sooooo much more variants to consider other than the spell casters level. read about them from reviews and the like, and ask your players to do the same, and come up with an agreed solution.

hope this helps.

[Golden Ladybug]

If you don't like the idea of the published full D&D settings, but still want help with the cities, you might want to check out the Cityscape book. It has some sample cities that aren't setting dependant, with some nice background info on each. It also has some nice mechanics for city based campaigns, which is cool.

[Nick_mi]

I think I found what a world that I am going to use. Was in another forum second called world building

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=211998

Now to come up with the good ole major plot hook. hmm

[Xtomjames]

Well this depends on what setting you want you have a few to choose from. If you're looking for a low magic campaign pre-made setting go with Dragonlance or Ravenloth.