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Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting
Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (Dungeons & Dragons d20 3.0 Fantasy Roleplaying, Forgotten Realms Setting)
This book contains nearly everything you need to run a bare-bones version of Forgotten Realms: it details various regions, cities, people, world, cosmology, monsters, deities and other items of interest, such as NPCs people have learned to love and hate.
It also has new rules, prestige classes and feats that are Faerûn-specific, but which can be ported to other game worlds as well.
This book contains nearly everything you need to run a bare-bones version of Forgotten Realms: it details various regions, cities, people, world, cosmology, monsters, deities and other items of interest, such as NPCs people have learned to love and hate.
It also has new rules, prestige classes and feats that are Faerûn-specific, but which can be ported to other game worlds as well.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
18 people are currently reading
594 people want to read
About the author
Wizards of the Coast
432 books437 followersWizards of the Coast LLC (often referred to as WotC /ˈwɒtˌsiː/ or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for games. Originally a basement-run role-playing game publisher, the company popularized the collectible card game genre with Magic: The Gathering in the mid-1990s, acquired the popular Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game by purchasing the failing company TSR, and experienced tremendous success by publishing the licensed Pokémon Trading Card Game. The company's corporate headquarters are located in Renton, Washington in the United States.[1]
Wizards of the Coast publishes role-playing games, board games, and collectible card games. They have received numerous awards, including several Origins Awards. The company has been a subsidiary of Hasbro since 1999. All Wizards of the Coast stores were closed in 2004.
Wizards of the Coast publishes role-playing games, board games, and collectible card games. They have received numerous awards, including several Origins Awards. The company has been a subsidiary of Hasbro since 1999. All Wizards of the Coast stores were closed in 2004.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
February 28, 2017
I've always been a fan of the forgotten realms as a setting. To my mind it is one of the most detailed, well-thought out fictional worlds specifically designed for gaming.
The 3rd edition D&D version of the campaign setting updates the overarching meta-plot and is absolutely packed full of flavour and added rules material for 3.0e, and so it has a little bit for everyone. For players there are new prestige classes, special rules for creating characters with additional forgotten realms specific details such as region of birth, new spells and clerical domains and an awful lot of details about the deities and the planar layout; which differs significantly from the Greyhawk standard laid out in the core rulebooks.
For DM's there are enough plot hooks and ideas for dozens of full length campaigns spanning the length and breadth of Faerun and beyond, from the independent dale-realms to the frozen north, the mysterious and dangerous eastern kingdoms to the steamy Chultan jungles, the pirate-infested islands to the new world across the sea.
For everyone there is a wealth of setting materials detailing every major area of the Forgotten Realms (though there is little on Maztica or Kara-tur), including major adventuring sites and political issues, and, of course, detailed statistics on everyone's famous heroes and villains from the long list of Forgotten-Realms tie-in novels. (Yes, there are stats for Drizzt.)
All-in-all it provides a well-detailed overview and everything required to run a 3.0e forgotten realms game. For those playing 3.5e, you'll need the 'Player's Guide to the Forgotten Realms' which updates the setting to the new rules, but for setting material this book remains unmatched amongst any I've yet come across, and a worthy addition to the bookshelf of any fan.
The 3rd edition D&D version of the campaign setting updates the overarching meta-plot and is absolutely packed full of flavour and added rules material for 3.0e, and so it has a little bit for everyone. For players there are new prestige classes, special rules for creating characters with additional forgotten realms specific details such as region of birth, new spells and clerical domains and an awful lot of details about the deities and the planar layout; which differs significantly from the Greyhawk standard laid out in the core rulebooks.
For DM's there are enough plot hooks and ideas for dozens of full length campaigns spanning the length and breadth of Faerun and beyond, from the independent dale-realms to the frozen north, the mysterious and dangerous eastern kingdoms to the steamy Chultan jungles, the pirate-infested islands to the new world across the sea.
For everyone there is a wealth of setting materials detailing every major area of the Forgotten Realms (though there is little on Maztica or Kara-tur), including major adventuring sites and political issues, and, of course, detailed statistics on everyone's famous heroes and villains from the long list of Forgotten-Realms tie-in novels. (Yes, there are stats for Drizzt.)
All-in-all it provides a well-detailed overview and everything required to run a 3.0e forgotten realms game. For those playing 3.5e, you'll need the 'Player's Guide to the Forgotten Realms' which updates the setting to the new rules, but for setting material this book remains unmatched amongst any I've yet come across, and a worthy addition to the bookshelf of any fan.
July 26, 2008
Perhaps it's a measure of my geekhood but I take great pleasure in just reading volumes like this. For me, the attraction of RPGs has always been the "back story."
Like MAR Barker (see my Tekumel entry), however, Ed Greenwood is better at imagining fantasy settings than writing about them -- I've tried reading some of his novels and just couldn't finish them (as a rule I avoid serial novels like the Forgotten Realms, Star Wars or Star Trek -- even I have better things to do than waste time on them).
Like MAR Barker (see my Tekumel entry), however, Ed Greenwood is better at imagining fantasy settings than writing about them -- I've tried reading some of his novels and just couldn't finish them (as a rule I avoid serial novels like the Forgotten Realms, Star Wars or Star Trek -- even I have better things to do than waste time on them).
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January 21, 2015
I don't even like the Forgotten Realms setting, but this book was amazing. Beautiful, well-organized and engaging.
January 30, 2026
This is one I found quite cheap on the shelves of one of my favorite local book stores while out with my best friend. He taught me D&D and has probably forgotten more about this hobby than I'll ever know, so when he immediately called me over and told me to pick it up, I did so.
This book hails from the 3rd edition ruleset of D&D, and is a book that lays out the setting as it was at that point in its timeline for the Forgotten Realms. The Realms were created by Ed Greenwood back in the '80s and became so popular that they effectively became the default setting for D&D games. That's all but officially become the case with 5th edition, so reading this book was a bit of a jolt as it occurred to me that there used to be a lot more settings for D&D, so the Forgotten Realms needed updating and fleshing out for this new ruleset.
This is just a great book. It gets so deeply into the nitty gritty of the Realms that it even lists imports and exports for all the major countries, states, etc that it expounds upon in the book. It has a few pieces of great art (less than I'd like, honestly), two great little one-to-two shot adventures, and a bevy of information about the politics, religion and other movers and shakers in the Realms. I highly recommend this book for any DMs looking to write their own stories in this setting as one of 5E's only true great flaws in my estimation is a lack of dedicated lore books, but there a few caveats. First, you'll probably want to read this with the Forgotten Realms wiki open as many things about the events, characters and locations listed here have changed in the 25 years since this book was written. Second, finding it will likely be a bit tough because, as per a bit of research I did about a month or so ago, this book is running anywhere between $50 to $100 even on the secondhand market.
This book hails from the 3rd edition ruleset of D&D, and is a book that lays out the setting as it was at that point in its timeline for the Forgotten Realms. The Realms were created by Ed Greenwood back in the '80s and became so popular that they effectively became the default setting for D&D games. That's all but officially become the case with 5th edition, so reading this book was a bit of a jolt as it occurred to me that there used to be a lot more settings for D&D, so the Forgotten Realms needed updating and fleshing out for this new ruleset.
This is just a great book. It gets so deeply into the nitty gritty of the Realms that it even lists imports and exports for all the major countries, states, etc that it expounds upon in the book. It has a few pieces of great art (less than I'd like, honestly), two great little one-to-two shot adventures, and a bevy of information about the politics, religion and other movers and shakers in the Realms. I highly recommend this book for any DMs looking to write their own stories in this setting as one of 5E's only true great flaws in my estimation is a lack of dedicated lore books, but there a few caveats. First, you'll probably want to read this with the Forgotten Realms wiki open as many things about the events, characters and locations listed here have changed in the 25 years since this book was written. Second, finding it will likely be a bit tough because, as per a bit of research I did about a month or so ago, this book is running anywhere between $50 to $100 even on the secondhand market.
January 11, 2025
The text benefits from more attention to useable information than in some earlier setting books. The time jump and disruption between 2nd and 3rd editions also opened more space in a setting that risked being overcrowded in canonical information and established characters. However, these many changes were somewhat haphazard, and the book occasionally addresses the audience as if they are new to the Realms and at other points appears to assume they are coming from the earlier edition.
October 23, 2022
Bueno, aunque es una mescolanza, siempre se le recuerda con cariño, después de todo, es el escenario de campaña con el que casi todo mundo aprendió a jugar D&D. Yo no, yo aprendí con Dragonlance, pero no me gustó mucho. Es decir, como cualquier otro escenario de campaña, si no has leído las novelas, no captas bien el lore. A diferencia claro de Reinos Olvidados.
December 29, 2019
Third edition is where Forgotten Realms begins to buckle and creak underneath its own mounting success and popularity, but it's not yet gone to the realms of terror and madness it would in the fourth.
November 2, 2018
I've always loved playing in the Forgotten Realms. This edition is beautifully rendered, rich in details, maps and so on.
March 23, 2020
This book is a MUST HAVE if you have a campaign in Faerun. The information is timeless for every edition of D&D. It gave me information I didn't even know I needed. Seriously. GET THIS BOOK!
July 29, 2020
I loved the development of the Forgotten Realms mythos that this book provided. I think the 4th ed developments for FR really jumped the shark and they were trying to get back to this with 5ed.
January 9, 2024
One of my favorite RPG books.
November 10, 2012
The Forgotten Realms has always been my favourite of all TSR/WotC settings. One of the reasons is probably because of the wealth of history and lore built for the world. I know people who don't like that so much of the world is filled in and known, but that's what draws me to the setting - it's like a living world.
This FR setting's book is for D&D 3rd Edition. There's a separate Player's Guide that updates it to 3.5 Edition.
A wealth of lore and information on Faerun lies within these pages - from the northern ends of Icewind Dale and the Great Glacier to the southern end of Chult and Halruaa. From the western ends of the Trackless Sea and Evermeet, to the lands of the Tuigan horde. It focuses primarily on the Faerunian continent, although it does mentions a bit of Kara-tur, Maztica, and Zakhara.
Lots of detailed information on the current political climes, plot hooks, and recent happenings. Stat blocks of famous characters are strewn across the book, including Drizzt, Artemis Entreri, the Seven Sisters, the other Chosen of Mystra, etc. You'll also find several lore-based prestige classes and sections on deities (although not all of them, just the major/more popular ones).
If you'r ea lore buff, just browsing through this book is an entertaining read in itself, never mind whether you're even going to make use of half this stuff in any game.
This FR setting's book is for D&D 3rd Edition. There's a separate Player's Guide that updates it to 3.5 Edition.
A wealth of lore and information on Faerun lies within these pages - from the northern ends of Icewind Dale and the Great Glacier to the southern end of Chult and Halruaa. From the western ends of the Trackless Sea and Evermeet, to the lands of the Tuigan horde. It focuses primarily on the Faerunian continent, although it does mentions a bit of Kara-tur, Maztica, and Zakhara.
Lots of detailed information on the current political climes, plot hooks, and recent happenings. Stat blocks of famous characters are strewn across the book, including Drizzt, Artemis Entreri, the Seven Sisters, the other Chosen of Mystra, etc. You'll also find several lore-based prestige classes and sections on deities (although not all of them, just the major/more popular ones).
If you'r ea lore buff, just browsing through this book is an entertaining read in itself, never mind whether you're even going to make use of half this stuff in any game.
August 2, 2012
My first foray into rpgs was AD&D over 18 years ago when my friend's father invited us to check it out after learning we'd already started reading books like Lord of the Rings. I quickly ensconced myself in the imaginative realm and for an awkward but creative preteen (who became an awkward but creative teen more interested in THAC0 than was probably good for him) it was the very best sort of game. In the early 90s I discovered Dragonlance and, more importantly, Forgotten Realms novels and soon thereafter picked up all the DnD source-books I could find)even if I never had a consistent gaming group until well into high school).
In college I found many like-minded gamers and besides the usual collegiate debauchery, we enjoyed games of Star Wars and Forgotten Realms using the new 3.0 rules. This book is probably more responsible for keeping me loyal to my gaming roots than any other, along with its attendant source-books. Although FR is no longer my favorite setting, it remains the most important to me.
In college I found many like-minded gamers and besides the usual collegiate debauchery, we enjoyed games of Star Wars and Forgotten Realms using the new 3.0 rules. This book is probably more responsible for keeping me loyal to my gaming roots than any other, along with its attendant source-books. Although FR is no longer my favorite setting, it remains the most important to me.
April 12, 2016
I have to admit that the Forgotten Realms is my least favorite campaign setting only because I don't have an opinion about Greyhawk. Now, my experience may be colored by the people who I gamed with at the time I was playing in the Realms, but I did not enjoy the excruciating level of detail that the setting has accumulated over the years. My first foray into Dungeons and Dragons was Game Mastering, and I hadn't yet developed the GM chops to shut down the irritating players in my group. Having to deal with the one Canon Lawyer picking apart every single plot and description made the game nothing but a chore.
I think the biggest issue that the later era Realms setting has going against it was that TSR decided that all novels became canon to the setting. It filled the setting with all powerful demi-gods that rendered most adventurers moot and filled in way too much of the map.
I think the biggest issue that the later era Realms setting has going against it was that TSR decided that all novels became canon to the setting. It filled the setting with all powerful demi-gods that rendered most adventurers moot and filled in way too much of the map.
September 1, 2015
A surprisingly strong guidebook for gamers who want to play in the Forgotten Realms. From the setting's reputation, I'd expected something overcrowded with established canon, where players couldn't find anywhere to carve out adventures of their own. Instead I found a vibrant setting packed with interesting people and places, and many many adventure hooks. Comparing it to the D&D 3rd Edition take on the Greyhawk setting, I think I finally understand why the Realms overtook it as the primary setting for many D&D fans... (A-)
June 7, 2019
Basic Concept: A world guide for Faurun (the Forgotten Realms) in the D&D setting for 3rd edition.
Faerun was one of the first D&D worlds I was introduced to, partially through fiction and partially through friends being obsessed with it. It's very high-magic for a fantasy world. This book gave the rules for playing in the new (at the time) edition of D&D. It was solid, and gave a good overview of the world, the gods, and the magic.
Faerun was one of the first D&D worlds I was introduced to, partially through fiction and partially through friends being obsessed with it. It's very high-magic for a fantasy world. This book gave the rules for playing in the new (at the time) edition of D&D. It was solid, and gave a good overview of the world, the gods, and the magic.
October 30, 2025
Ler sobre Faerûn é uma das coisas mais deliciosas que existem para mim - acompanho Forgotten Realms há tanto, mas tanto tempo, que dá uma sensação de eu voltar aos anos 2010 pra trás, enquanto tudo parece muito novo e atualizado. Esse livro é uma maravilha de edição, diagramação e ilustração. Obra prima do mundo da fantasia. Não pude deixar de notar uns errinhos de português, mas passo pano à vontade pra eles. Vai me ajudar pra caramba a escrever.
August 8, 2013
Legnoso, per quanto uno dei piu decenti tra gli ultimi di Salvatore. Quello precedente l'avevo letto in lingua Inglese e mi aveva annoiato a morte, questo invece riesce a diventare interessante verso la fine del libro. Personaggi approfonditi ma largamente stereotipati, un po' spiccio nelle descrizioni.
February 10, 2013
I have only read one book in the Forgotten Realms series, so playing D&D in the Forgotten Realms is a little challenging for me...but my first time went pretty well and I really enjoy playing. So exciting!
February 5, 2014
One of the most beautiful, comprehensive, complete and engaging books for D&D. It is worth just for the wondrous descriptions of the Realms and the endless adventures it offers. A must-have in any RPG library.
August 10, 2021
The Forgotten Realms campaign setting has grown on me over time. I like how it has a detailed geography and history, with lots of magic and playable races. I don't like the large number of powerful NPCs (usually from the novels) who are scattered around the setting though.
April 21, 2010
The 2nd edition rulebook came in a sweet box with maps and other paraphernalia. It also had superior art. Meh!
February 21, 2012
Una de las mejores guias de campaña que se publicaron en 3ra Edicion; los libros de la segunda son muy superiores pero esta guia supo encontrar su camino. Buenos momentos!!
July 13, 2012
Awesome. But he created it!
December 9, 2013
One of the greatest roleplaying books ever written.
January 7, 2014
It was a good role playing book.
July 29, 2014
Gorgeous. Couldn't decide between 4 and 5 but it is one of the finest RPG campaign setting books I have seen. Finest period.
September 24, 2014
For some reason, I find game books really relaxing to read, and this is one of my favorites--covers a lot of ground, leaves a lot up to the imagination.
January 22, 2015
An alright book bringing the popular setting to the D20 system.
September 15, 2016
This is my favourite d&d setting of all times. It's super detailed, rich in ideas and places where to put my characters in bad situations...
10/10
10/10
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews