Dungeons & Dragons Campaign Settings - Dark Sun

Dark Sun

A setting based on the harsh desert world of Athas, that draws heavy inspiration from novels like Dune and the Barsoom series, which was once a lush planet teeming with life, but which has since been stripped of its fertility by uncontrolled use of defiling magic, although a small minority of magicians called preservers work to maintain life and ultimately restore the primeval lushness. The world is dominated by psionic powers rather than magic - native / latent psionic abilities are commonly found in all humanoid races, while wizards are rare and usually discriminated against, since most of them drain life force from the environment to power their magic. These elements, combined with the post-apocalyptic setting and the alien feel of Athas' native cultures, gives Dark Sun a unique flavor among campaign settings. As of fourth edition, Dark Sun is again an officially supported campaign setting. The first three releases for the 4th edition of Dungeons & Dragons for the setting were released on August 17, 2010 and include the Dark Sun Campaign Setting, Dark Sun Creature Catalog, and the Marauders of the Dune Sea adventure.