Editing Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition (section)

==Setting==
The setting of 4e is highly abstract and designed to give the DM a relatively blank canvas to paint on. This default setting consists of a wild sort-of-medieval landscape in which isolated human and demihuman communities (''Points of Light'') struggle to survive after the fall of a greater empire. This provides an explanation for the large areas of wilderness and many ruins for monsters to hide in, and the need for adventurers as opposed to more regulated militias. Despite what you might think, this design style is actually pretty old; it's basically the style that old-school [[Greyhawk]], the [[Forgotten Realms]] and "generic" AD&D embraced as their core... if you're familiar with [[Keep on the Borderlands]], you've basically got the core idea of 4e's base setting down pat.

The "ground" setting of 4e has become known as the [[Nentir Vale]], after the particular region of the World used for most official non-planar adventure modules.

The [[Great Wheel]] cosmology, present in 2e and 3e since popularized by [[Planescape]], has been replaced by a new metaphysical cosmology, known as the [[World Axis]]. This multiverse follows a more Classical/Norse mythology-based approach to the planes, dividing existence up into the World (what used to be the Prime Material), the [[Feywild]] (Land of Faerie), the [[Shadowfell]] (Land of the Dead), the [[Astral Sea]] (Realm of Gods, World of Spirit), the [[Elemental Chaos]] (Font of Creation), and [[Far Realm]]. Advice is given on how to reset the cosmology back to the Great Wheel in the [[Manual of the Planes]].

The DMG contains an extensive section explaining the tropes of the setting and how they might be used, and also suggesting ways in which the DM can deviate from them to make the setting his own.

Perhaps the biggest difference from, say, [[Greyhawk]] or [[Forgotten Realms]] is that PoLand has very much shaken off Gygax's beloved "humanocentric" approach to setting design. [[Demihuman]] and [[beastfolk]] races aren't off lurking in dungeons or skulking around ancient ruins, but vibrant and active parts of the setting. Some of the setting's greatest empires were founded by [[dragonborn]] ([[Arkhosia]]), [[tiefling]]s ([[Bael Turath]]), [[minotaurs]] (Ruul) and [[hobgoblin]]s, whilst there are still thriving demihuman dominated settlements everywhere, especially if you go to other planes. The setting encourages you to play whatever you want and builds a world where you don't have to always be human.

One of the things that poses the biggest hassle to get over when trying to approach the setting for veterans is that 4e's core setting is very much the [[Mystara]] to 3e's [[Greyhawk]] - there are similarities, and even some retained legacy lore, but it's fundamentally approached as an entirely different universe with its own unique lore; no [[Celestial]]s, no racial pantheons, [[Metallic Dragon]]s aren't Always Good, etc. Despite some misconceptions (or confusion with the 4e [[Forgotten Realms]]), this isn't intended as a retcon.