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91-622: The Planescape Campaign Setting boxed set details the planes of the Dungeons & Dragons game, which had been previously featured in books such as Deities and Demigods and the Manual of the Planes . The set contains a Player and a DM Guide, a Monstrous Supplement, a guide exploring the city of Sigil and the plane of the Outlands , four color maps, and a DM screen. The set first describes

182-538: A Monstrous Supplement, various maps, a DM Screen and more! [...] If Wizards wants to print money, then this is probably the best way to do it using Second Edition". Plane (Dungeons %26 Dragons) The planes of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game constitute the multiverse in which the game takes place. Each plane is a universe with its own rules with regard to gravity, geography, magic and morality. There have been various official cosmologies over

273-489: A cohesive and comprehensive campaign for every AD&D er who wants to venture beyond the Prime Material - and there's a lot of venturing to do." According to Alloway, the set brought together adventure, gods, philosophies, and magic in an exciting manner, and presented a setting that would work well with any AD&D campaign or on its own, and that it gave readers a solid sense of each plane, as well as an idea of

364-494: A design philosophy that characterizes every element of the game as one third of a whole. Or, as Cook elegantly explains, "Good things come in threes . . . so do bad things." Traditional AD&D game campaigns can be considered as sets of opposites: good and evil, night and day, up and down. The Planescape setting adds the intermediary: good, evil, and neutrality; night, day, and twilight; up, down, and sideways. If that sounds vague . . . well, it is. As presented, "The Rule of Threes"

455-497: A doorway; a conduit is nothing more than a tunnel. Depending upon the parameters of the campaign, players may choose from the standard AD&D game archetypes, including humans, dwarves, and halflings, or opt for planar races, such as bariaur , githzerai , and tieflings . A player also may assign his PC to one of the character factions , which derive from philosophies and alignments, and most factions accept every class. Wizard and priest spells are affected in different ways based on

546-520: A good sense of "the sheer force of nature that drives all the Inner Planes. The Inner Planes don't have anything against you—they're hard on everyone." Backstab magazine reviewers Lord Winfield and Kaneda found the Inner Planes among the places in the Planescape setting least visited by player characters, which do not lend themselves to a prolonged stay. While the 5th Edition returned to

637-474: A mirror plane, though each mirror plane usually has only five to twenty mirrors connecting to it. The Plane of Time was known as the Temporal Prime in the 1995 book Chronomancer . It is a plane where physical travel can result in time travel . In 3rd edition products, some of the detail of Temporal Prime became incorporated into the "Temporal Energy Plane" mentioned in the 3rd edition Manual of

728-582: A modular approach by presenting Options, a flexible strategy that pleased both 1e and Planescape fans. Vast amounts of new ideas and new locations were presented, dovetailing nicely with canon from earlier editions". The 4th edition shifted the locations of the various planes to fit the new World Axis cosmology and added the Parallel Planes of the Feywild and the Shadowfell to the game; many of

819-523: A need to codify, while still remaining flexible, that has remained as a primary aim of the latest edition". Carbonell also highlighted that the 1989 Spelljammer campaign setting added cosmology that "allowed travel between the different settings" such as Dragonlance , Greyhawk , and the Forgotten Realms . However, campaign settings such as Dark Sun and Ravenloft were inaccessible in this cosmology. Then in 1993, TSR wanted to do

910-581: A portal to an insidious region beyond sanity and light known only as the Far Realm, and the unknowable but hostile entities of this hideous region prepare to pass through into the world." The adventure featured a magical portal that produced creatures and energies from the Far Realm. In Third Edition, the Far Realm was incorporated into the Realm of Xoriat in the Eberron campaign setting. In Fourth Edition,

1001-761: A ring of sixteen planes with the Good -aligned planes (or Upper Planes ) at the top, and the Evil -aligned planes (or Lower Planes ) at the bottom. Depictions usually display the Lawful planes (or Planes of Law) to the left, and the Chaotic planes (or Planes of Chaos) to the right. Between all of these sit the Neutral planes, or the Planes of Conflict. The center contains the Inner and Material Planes . One further plane sits in

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1092-674: A series of books about the Outer Planes which Zeb Cook said led to the creation of the Planescape campaign setting released in 1994. This campaign setting provided a framework to create adventures across the planes with the city of Sigil acting as a hometown and starting point for players. Carbonell called this setting "the most complex example of the multiverse created during the varieties of 2e's AD&D settings" and wrote: "A more nuanced and sophisticated attempt at harmonization, Planescape provided an alternate way to travel between

1183-715: A simplified default cosmology with only six major planes, each of which has a corresponding creature origin. The Astral Sea, Elemental Chaos, Feywild and Shadowfell are covered extensively in the Manual of the Planes , while the Far Realm and Sigil are covered briefly. Supplemental sourcebooks relating to the Elemental Chaos ( The Plane Below ) and the Astral Sea ( The Plane Above ) were released in 2009 and 2010, respectively. The Ethereal Plane has been removed entirely. The fundamental planes are two vast expanses from which

1274-637: A wonderfully different 'world'." He adds that "By expanding the accepted 'physics' of the Astral plane and applying classic Planescape thinking, the Silver Void is made solid and comprehensible." The Ethereal is often likened to an ocean, but rather than water it is a sea of boundless possibility. It consists of two parts: the Border Ethereal which connects to the Inner and Prime Material planes, and

1365-523: Is a more open planar system that is less regulated than that of its counterpart. The planes were further "refined in the Players Handbook (1978) and Deities & Demigods (1980)". The appendix of the Player's Handbook included an abstract diagram of the planes, and mentioned the same 16 Outer Planes. Shannon Appelcline, the author of Designers & Dragons , highlighted that throughout

1456-469: Is a plane far outside the others and often not included in the standard cosmology. It is sometimes referred to simply as "Outside", because in many cosmologies it is literally outside reality as mortals understand it. The Plane of Dreams is a plane far outside the others and often not included in the standard cosmology. As its name suggests, all true dreams take place on the Plane of Dreams. 4th edition uses

1547-437: Is an area of Neth's membrane where Neth communicates with visitors. It contains thousands of head-shaped bumps that resemble the likenesses of those previously absorbed by Neth. Neth speaks to its visitors from about five or six of the heads simultaneously, questioning them to learn more of the outside universe. Sometimes, Neth will choose to encapsulate its visitors. Two folds of membrane will come together and ensnare and seal off

1638-863: Is described in The Plane Above: Secrets of the Astral Sea , released in 2010. In the Forgotten Realms setting, the Astral Sea was formed from the collapse of the Outer Planes into the Astral Plane after Mystra's murder, while in Eberron , the Astral Sea is equated with Siberys, the Dragon Above. The Elemental Chaos corresponds to the Inner Planes of earlier editions (excluding the Positive and Negative Energy Planes), also containing some aspects of Limbo. The Elemental Chaos contains Elemental Realms, which are themselves planes;

1729-506: Is described in the fifth edition Dungeon Master’s Guide , which builds on material from earlier editions. The Wild Beyond the Witchlight used the DMG’s description as a starting point and expanded from there. The concept of archfey – powerful Fey creatures who carve out domains for themselves – dates back to earlier editions, but this is the first time we’ve given these domains a name". In

1820-559: Is just a guideline, a general principle to be explored and developed in supplements to come. In 2013, Alex Lucard, for Diehard GameFAN , highlighted the Planescape Campaign Setting on a list of 2nd Edition products he would want rereleased on DNDClassics . He commented that "without the core campaign settings, DMs will either have to fill in the blanks, adjust adventures to a more generic setting or homebrew world, or they’ll just have to track down physical copies of

1911-450: Is often possible to perceive multiple layers simultaneously. These layers can grow, spawn further layers, breathe and possibly die. The Far Realm is home to many powerful and unspeakable beings ripped from the nightmares of the darkest minds of the waking world, beings so unfathomable that their very existence is a perversion of reality itself. These beings are governed by lords of unimaginable power and knowledge completely alien. The Far Realm

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2002-487: Is the plane itself. Neth creates humanoid subunits of itself called Neth's Children, sometimes for specific short-term purposes before reabsorbing them. At Neth's center is a thick knot of membrane at least a mile across where all the folds come together. This serves as Neth's brain. Other parts of the membrane also serve specific functions, which include areas where the membrane can be easily deformed for communication, encapsulation, and budding Neth's Children. The Visage Wall

2093-514: Is the plane of thought, memory, and psychic energy; it is where gods go when they die or are forgotten (or, most likely, both). It is a barren place with only rare bits of solid matter. The Astral Plane is unique in that it is infinitesimal instead of infinite; there is no space or time here, though both catch up with beings when they leave. The souls of the newly dead from the Prime Material Plane pass through here on their way to

2184-452: The DMG and PH . Thanks to Cook's informal prose, this goes down much easier than the Manual of the Planes ." Swan went on to note that "Cook seasons his writing with liberal doses of slang based on the lingo of thieves and swindlers from the 16th-18th centuries", but notes that while "the slang gives the game a unique voice, it also can be awkward, even jarring". He praised Cook for "resisting

2275-492: The Dungeons & Dragons game, initially largely with the Planescape line. He created the Lady of Pain from one of his doodles. David "Zeb" Cook , designer of Planescape, explained Knutson's role in developing the setting: "It was at this early stage that I had my biggest idea - I needed an artist. I could think and write about these things, but the setting needed a look. [...] Foolishly, people believed in me, and Dana Knutson

2366-753: The Spelljammer setting, the Phlogiston is a part of the Material plane. It is a highly flammable gaseous medium in which crystal spheres holding various Prime Material solar systems float, traversable by Spelljammer ships. The Feywild and the Shadowfell , the Parallel Planes introduced in the 4th Edition World Axis model, were incorporated into the 5th Edition version of the Great Wheel model. In 2015, D&D Creative Director Chris Perkins stated that 4th Edition sourcebooks on these planes were

2457-456: The AD&;D multiverse, and he appreciated the setting's emphasis on roleplaying and critical thinking rather than moving and hacking. Alloway considered Planescape the best AD&D setting since Greyhawk , with no end to its possibilities, and concluded the review by saying "The Planescape campaign setting is enough to make me put down my other game systems and AD&D settings to reawaken

2548-584: The Forgotten Realms setting, the Elemental Chaos was formed from the collapse of the Inner Planes after Mystra's murder, while in Eberron , the Elemental Chaos is equated with Khyber, the Dragon Below. The equivalent to the Prime Material Plane or Material Plane of earlier editions. This plane lacks a formal name and is most often referred to as the World, although titles such as the Middle World and

2639-726: The Forgotten Realms setting, the Feywild is also known as the Plane of Faerie and has come into alignment with Toril after countless millennia of drifting away, while in Eberron , the Feywild is equated with Thelanis, formerly known as the Faerie Court. Dana Knutson Dana Knutson is an artist best known for his work on role-playing game products. Dana Knutson has had a long career as an artist on role-playing games. He worked at FASA for 10 years, producing art on numerous works for their Star Trek and Shadowrun RPGs. He came to work for TSR in 1993 to produce artwork for

2730-611: The Inner Planes of Air, Earth, Fire, and Water, the Paraelemental and Quasimental Planes, and the Positive and Negative Material Planes, with the physical and special magical conditions, and hazards native to each plane. The set also details the Outer Planes , with their layers and the realms found on each layer, with descriptions for notable layers and realms and which gods (or "Powers") live there. Also described with

2821-610: The Manual , the Planescape set reads less like a textbook and more like a story. Characters take precedence over game systems, high adventure supplants the physics lessons. It's designer Zeb Cook's finest effort since 1985's Oriental Adventures and may be his masterwork." He declared that the graphics and language were "dramatically different from typical TSR fare. The five books boast color throughout, with generous space devoted to Tony DiTerlizzi's provocative illustrations. Streamers of what look like paraelemental toilet paper break paragraphs into jagged chunks. The quirky typeface [...] gives

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2912-713: The Ravenloft setting, can be found in the Deep Ethereal plane; most demiplanes are born here, and many fade back into nothingness here. Unlike the Astral Plane, in which solid objects can exist (though are extremely rare) anything and everything that goes to the Ethereal Plane becomes Ethereal. There is also something here called the Ether Cyclone that connects the Ethereal plane to the Astral Plane. In

3003-506: The afterlife or Outer Planes . The most common feature of the Astral Plane is the silver cords of travelers using an astral projection spell. These cords are the lifelines that keep travelers of the plane from becoming lost, stretching all the way back to the traveler's point of origin. A god-isle is the immense petrified remains of a dead god that float on the Astral Plane, where githyanki and others often mine them for minerals and build communities on their stony surfaces. Tu'narath,

3094-465: The 3rd Edition, each Material Plane is attached to its own unique Ethereal Plane; use of the Deep Ethereal connecting these Ethereal Planes together is an optional rule. A fictional plane of existence in Dungeons & Dragons , under the standard planar cosmology. A dimly lit dimension that is both conterminous to and coexistent with the Material Plane. It overlaps the Material Plane much as

3185-613: The Abyss is one such realm. The only god who dwells in the Elemental Chaos is Lolth , who resides on the 66th layer of the Abyss. The Elemental Chaos is spacially infinite, the Elemental Realms are not. Creatures native to or connected with the Elemental Chaos (including demons) generally have the elemental origin. The plane is described in The Plane Below: Secrets of the Elemental Chaos , released in 2010. In

3276-493: The Astral Plane of earlier editions. The Astral Dominions , counterparts to the Outer Planes of earlier editions, are planes which float within the Astral Sea. The majority of the gods dwell in Astral Dominions. The Astral Sea itself is spacially infinite, but the Astral Dominions are all finite. Creatures native to or connected with the Astral Sea (such as angels and devils) generally have the immortal origin. The plane

3367-415: The Astral Plane. Trenton Webb for Arcane magazine comments that A Guide to the Astral Plane "breathes life into what had hitherto been little more than a planar motorway. Essentially infinite and filled with few 'solid locations' or indigenous species, the Astral Plane should by rights be a dull place. Yet with some deft imaginative touches and sleight of logic, the guide transforms this dead zone into

3458-484: The Deep Ethereal plane which acts as the incubator to many potential demiplanes and other proto-magical realms. From a Border Ethereal plane a traveler can see a misty greyscale version of the plane from which they are traveling; however, each plane is only connected to its own Border Ethereal, which means inter-planar travel necessitates entering the Deep Ethereal and then exiting into the destination plane's own Border Ethereal plane. Many demiplanes, such as that which houses

3549-499: The Demiplane of Shadow was promoted to the Plane of Shadow, the Prime Material Plane was shortened to the Material Plane, and it was stated that each Material Plane is connected to its own unique Ethereal Plane. The cosmology is usually presented as a series of concentric circles, with alternating spatial and transitive planes; from the center outwards, they are ordered as follows: Inner, Ethereal, Material, Astral, Outer Planes, and

3640-762: The Elemental Planes of air, earth, fire and water, and the Energy Planes. Some descriptions also contain the Para-elemental (magma, ice, etc.) and Quasi-elemental planes (lightning, dust, etc.) linking them. The energy planes are the Positive Material Plane and Negative Material Plane. In his review of the Planescape Campaign Setting boxed set, Gene Alloway felt that the set would provide players with

3731-453: The Ethereal Plane , a sourcebook for the Planescape setting of AD&D Second Edition. It is a living, sentient plane of finite size that has an immense curiosity. The only access Neth has to the rest of the multiverse is through a single metallic, peach-colored pool on the Astral Plane. Those who look into the pool from the Astral Plane might notice a huge eye flash into focus on its surface, which quickly fades. The only thing native to Neth

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3822-404: The Ethereal Plane does, so a planar traveler can use the Plane of Shadow to cover great distances quickly. The Plane of Shadow is also conterminous to other planes. With the right spell, a character can use the Plane of Shadow to visit other realities. It is magically morphic, and parts continually flow onto other planes. As a result, creating a precise map of the plane is next to impossible, despite

3913-501: The Ethereal and Shadow planes are coexistent with the Material Plane. In effect, the "boundary" between the two extends through all of space. Thus a ghost in Dungeons & Dragons , which is an ethereal creature, has a location on the Material Plane when it is near the border of the Material and Ethereal planes. It can "manifest" itself into the Material, and force attacks launched from the Material can hit it. The Inner Planes are made up of elemental matter and forces. They consist of

4004-471: The Far Realm. The Shadow Plane and the Dimension of Time, if they are included, are separate from the others, and usually represented as being connected to the Material Plane. Demiplanes, although most commonly connected to the Ethereal Plane, can be found attached to any plane. All planes, save the demiplanes, are infinite in extent. Planes may border (be coterminous) or may be coexistent. In particular,

4095-602: The Far Realms were included in the new cosmology design of Dungeons & Dragons . In this edition, members of the Warlock class can forge a pact (called the Starpact) with the entities from or near the Far Realm to gain power. The Far Realm's association with the new setting has been detailed in various supplements. The Far Realm contains an infinite number of layers, these layers range from inches thick to miles, and it

4186-470: The First Work were also presented in Manual of the Planes . Creatures native to the world generally have the natural origin. The gods Avandra, Melora and Torog have their homes in the World. The god Vecna wanders the whole cosmos (Sehanine is prone to doing this as well). In the Forgotten Realms setting, the world is named Toril (there is another, inaccessible world called Abeir), while in Eberron ,

4277-585: The Great Wheel cosmology. The 4th Edition of the game shifted to the World Axis cosmology. The 5th Edition brought back a new version of the Great Wheel cosmology which includes aspects of World Axis model. In addition, some Dungeons & Dragons settings have cosmologies that are very different from the "standard" ones discussed here. For example, the Eberron setting has only thirteen planes , all of which are unique to Eberron . The cosmology of

4368-486: The Great Wheel model, the Inner Planes detailed in that edition "retain aspects" of the 4th Edition World Axis model: "The four elemental planes are back, but they remain tightly integrated with the material plane as its creative foundation. The paraelemental planes have also returned for the first time since Planescape, but they have more evocative names. The Plane of Ash is known as the Great Conflagration,

4459-494: The Inner Planes, appear where the Elemental Planes merge with one another. The Quasielemental Planes, another set of Inner Planes, arise along the borders of the Positive and Negative Planes. The third division is the Outer Planes , which take the form of broad rings, infinite in number and size. The three groups of Outer Planes are attuned to specific alignments: the Upper Planes of Good, the boundary Planes of Neutrality, and

4550-554: The Lower Planes of Evil. Sigil is centered in the Outlands , a stable area also known as Concordant Opposition, and contains doorways leading to every locale in the multiverse. As described in the 96-page "Sigil and Beyond" book, it resembles a medieval city "built on the inside of a tire that hovers over the top of a gods-know-how-tall spike, which rises from a universe shaped like a giant pancake." Visitors can arrange for sedan chairs to carry them around, while Light Boys brighten

4641-557: The Material Plane, though a few—mostly those created by non-humans—are quite alien. Genesis , a 9th level arcane spell or psionic power, and the 9th-level arcane spell Demiplane Seed are among the few printed methods for a player character to create a demiplane. Among the most notable of demiplanes is the Demiplane of Dread , the setting of Ravenloft. Neth, the Demiplane That Lives, was first presented in A Guide to

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4732-507: The Outer Planes are the four unique planar paths—the rivers Oceanus and Styx , the tree Yggdrasil , and Mount Olympus —that characters can use to travel to the many layers on different Outer Planes that they reach. The largest guide in the set describes the Outlands, which provides connections to all the other Outer Planes via corresponding towns. Sigil, the City of Doors, located high above

4823-405: The Outlands, is run by different factions , and which contains portals that connect to every plane and layer. The ruler of Sigil is the mysterious Lady of Pain, who makes an appearance during times of turmoil from within or without the city. With the rules governing inter-planar travel, characters can move from plane to plane via portals, elemental vortices, and astral conduits. A vortex works like

4914-661: The Plane of Ice is the Frostfell, the Plane of Magma is the Fountains of Creation, and the Plane of Ooze is the Swamp of Oblivion. Additionally, the Elemental Chaos is the churning realm within which the Inner Planes are held". Screen Rant highlighted that the parts of the Inner Planes closest to the Material Plane will seem the most familiar to adventurers with features such as humanoid inhabitants and cities. However,

5005-426: The Planes "stands among the best role-playing supplements of the 1980s" but "never really caught fire", speculating lack of interest, uncertainty by game designers of how to further support it, or confused players; Swan said that the book had in a sense been "reincarnated as the Planescape setting, a spectacular boxed set and TSR's most ambitious campaign world to date. Abandoning the straightforward but dry approach of

5096-490: The Planes . Dragon Magazine No. 353 associates it also with the "Demiplane of Time" that has appeared in various forms since 1st edition. Demiplanes are minor planes, most of which are artificial. They are commonly created by demigods and extremely powerful wizards and psions . Naturally-occurring demiplanes are rare; most such demiplanes are actually fragments of other planes that have somehow split off from their parent plane. Demiplanes are often constructed to resemble

5187-461: The Planes , this plane has some sort of unspecified connection to Arvandor , and is suspected that the Dominion of Corellon can be reached by here. Important locales within the Feywild are known as Fey Demesnes. Additional details on the Feywild were included in the 4th edition supplement Heroes of the Feywild (2011) which added storytelling and mechanics themed around the Feywild. The Feywild

5278-494: The best source of information for the 5th Edition. The adventure module The Wild Beyond the Witchlight (2021) is the first in-depth 5th Edition exploration of the Feywild and builds on the description included in the 5th Edition Dungeon Master's Guide (2014). Alignment -based planes. The home of gods, dead souls, and raw philosophy and belief. The transitive planes connect the other planes and generally contain little, if any, solid matter or native life. The Astral Plane

5369-403: The boxed sets, which can be both hard and expensive. [...] Having the Planescape Campaign Setting would allow newcomers to truly see just why Planescape has the crazy zealous cult following it does, both in the tabletop and video game worlds. Hell, the site could make a lot of money from selling the contents a la carte or as a bundle, because the boxed set contained a Player’s Guide, a DM Guide,

5460-490: The capital city of the githyanki, is built on the petrified corpse of a dead god known only as "The One in the Void". God-isles often have unusual effects on those nearby, including causing strange dreams of things that happened to the god when it was alive. God-isles are also the only locations on the Astral Plane that are known to possess gravity or normal time flows. Part of Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn takes place on

5551-673: The caster's location. The multiverse consists of three divisions. The first division, the Prime Material Plane , includes the worlds associated with the Dragonlance , Ravenloft , and Forgotten Realms settings. The second division is made up of the six Inner Planes , which correspond to the six elemental building blocks of the Prime Material Plane: Fire, Air, Earth, Water, Positive Energy, and Negative Energy. The Paraelemental Planes, subdivisions of

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5642-588: The center of the ring, the Outlands , being neutral in alignment. At the center of the Outlands is a Spire of infinite height; the city of Sigil floats above the Spire's pinnacle. Many Outer Planes were renamed in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition in the Planescape campaign setting, released in 1994. In the 3rd Edition Manual of the Planes (2001), the old and new names were combined,

5733-438: The changes were detailed in that edition's Manual of the Planes (2008). However, the 5th edition Player's Handbook (2014) and Dungeon Master's Guide (2014) shifted most of the cosmology of the planes back to the Great Wheel model with some aspects of the World Axis model retained in the descriptions of the inner planes. The cosmology outlined in the Great Wheel model contains sixteen Outer Planes which are arranged in

5824-417: The course of the different editions of the game; these cosmologies describe the structure of the standard Dungeons & Dragons multiverse. The concept of the Inner, Ethereal, Prime Material, Astral, and Outer Planes was introduced in the earliest versions of Dungeons & Dragons ; at the time there were only four Inner Planes and no set number of Outer Planes. This later evolved into what became known as

5915-408: The early 1980s Dragon magazine would continue to detail "some of the planes in more depth", however, "there was no overarching plan for the planes of D&D other than a few increasingly old drawings". The multiverse of the Basic D&D game was expanded with the D&D Immortals Rules (1986) set. The Astral Plane runs through and links the rest of the Multiverse. Plane can range in size from

6006-469: The further adventurers venture "out into the Inner Planes, things become less familiar. Each plane starts to resemble its purest form, making it harder to travel without powerful magical spells that protect the party from the environment. If a traveler goes far enough, they will reach the Elemental Chaos, where the boundaries of the Inner Planes start to break down – and where some truly alien monsters exist". The Material Planes are worlds that balance between

6097-411: The magnitude of the multiverse and the diversity of its inhabitants. That's quite an accomplishment, considering that the multiverse encompasses all of TSR's campaign settings, past, present, and future." He commented that the "Monstrous Supplement" booklet "presents an assortment of extraordinarily bizarre creatures". He called "The Rules of Threes" the "most compelling" of the setting's innovations: "it's

6188-400: The material world; however, Neth chooses the direction of gravity's pull and may change it at will. Time is normal on Neth. Neth can move its interior membrane at will, creating or destroying fluid-filled spaces. The Far Realm is an alien dimension of cosmic horror. It is the home plane for many aberrations and strange monsters. The Far Realm's mix of horror, madness, and strange geometries

6279-431: The multiverse. A mirror plane takes the form of a long, winding corridor with the mirrors it attaches to hanging like windows along the walls. Mirror planes allow quick travel between the various mirrors that are linked to each, but each plane contains a mirror version of any traveler that enters it. This mirror version has an opposite alignment and will seek to slay their real self to take their place. All mirrors connect to

6370-422: The other planes were formed. It was the conflict between the inhabitants of each fundamental plane that constituted the Dawn War. The two Fundamental Planes are theoretically infinite; it is implied that if one departs the world of one campaign setting and sets out through either the Astral Sea or the Elemental Chaos, they will eventually reach the worlds of other campaign settings. The Astral Sea corresponds to

6461-495: The overall qualities common to all. He said that Planescape "is a superb addition to the AD&D multiverse [...] it's clear that a great deal of thought and effort has gone into this product. The writing is clear, most topics are covered in detail and adventure ideas are either presented directly or dropped in as 'seeds' for you to pick up on." Alloway praised Cook's efforts to make the planes accessible and enjoyable for lower-level characters, and for developing an important part of

6552-509: The philosophical forces of the Outer Planes and the physical forces of the Inner Planes—these are the standard worlds of fantasy RPG campaigns. The Prime Material Plane is where the more 'normal' worlds exist, many of which resemble Earth. The 2nd edition Dungeon Master's Guide states there are several Prime Material Planes, but several other 2nd edition products say there is only one Prime Material Plane rather than several. Introduced in

6643-453: The planes than Spelljammer's science-fantasy-oriented approach". The 3rd edition Manual of the Planes (2001) detailed both the inner and outer planes. Kevin Kulp, for DMs Guild , wrote that "the authors used an approach that said 'here's how it's been done in the past, and here are other ways you can do it,' which allowed the book to avoid setting planar mechanics in stone. Instead it gave DMs

6734-530: The planes was presented for the first time, as part of the Great Wheel of Planes, in Volume 1, Number 8 of The Dragon , released July 1977. In the article "Planes: The Concepts of Spatial, Temporal and Physical Relationships in D&;D", Gary Gygax mentions that there are 16 Outer Planes. The "Basic edition" of D&D had a separate, though similar, cosmology from that of its contemporary AD&D game, which

6825-561: The presence of landmarks. The Plane of Shadow is replaced by the Shadowfell in the 5th Edition. In first edition AD&D , the Plane of Shadow was the largest Demi-Plane of the Ethereal Plane. Mirror planes were introduced in the Third Edition Manual of the Planes as an optional group of transitive planes. They are small planes that each connect to a group of mirrors that can be located in any other planes throughout

6916-420: The review by stating that " Planescape is a revolutionary product, a breakthrough for TSR. If you think you've 'graduated' from AD&D , that you've evolved past it, go back and take a look at Planescape . This is the game world that will get you playing AD&D again." Rick Swan reviewed the Planescape Campaign Setting for Dragon magazine #207 (July 1994). He declared that the original Manual of

7007-508: The sense that it is about more than just "kick open the door, kill the monster, take the treasure, repeat", with its "sophisticated graphic look" and the "sense that it makes you think, and might even challenge your most basic ideas about life, the universe, and everything." He thought that what makes this work is the setting's focus on factions and their ideologies. Haring was also quite impressed with Cook's conversational writing style, calling it "wonderful" and stating that Cook "is an old hand at

7098-458: The temptation to explain the physical laws of the planes in ponderous detail. Why do the planes assume such unusual shapes? Well, they just do. Why are some planes made of fire, some of ice? Well, they just are." Swan also felt that "Cook insists that the mechanics serve the story, not vice versa, making this an extremely user-friendly multiverse." Commenting on the set's geography, Swan said "With energetic, vividly imagined descriptions, Cook captures

7189-410: The text an unworldly feel. Oversized quotations sprinkled throughout the chapters [...] inform as well as entertain. Though the maps make better posters than play-aids—with its clusters of boxy buildings scattered across a barren plane, the map of Sigil looks like a lunar ant farm — they're attractive and well rendered. The referee's screen, however, seems superfluous, as many of its tables are lifted from

7280-696: The tiniest Attoplane (1/3 inch long), to the Standard Plane (.085 light-years long), up to the Terraplane (851 billion light years long), with stars and planets scaled to match the size of the plane. Both Appelcline and Curtis D. Carbonell, in his book the Dread Trident: Tabletop Role-Playing Games and the Modern Fantastic , highlighted that information on the planes and the shared cosmology

7371-413: The victims. Neth will then flood the compartment with either preservative or absorptive fluid. The preservative fluid will put the victim in temporal stasis, and the victim can be revived if the fluid is drained away. If the compartment is flooded with absorptive fluid, the victim will dissolve and be absorbed into Neth itself, including the victim's memories. Gravity on Neth is the same strength as that on

7462-461: The way with continual light wands. Overseeing the realm is the Lady of Pain, a mysterious being. The "DM Guide" contains a listing of noteworthy locations from the Inner and Outer Planes. The Planescape Campaign Setting was designed by David "Zeb" Cook . It was published by TSR as a boxed set and consisted of one 96-page book, one 64-page book, two 32-page books, four 32" x 21" double-sided map sheets, and one four-panel referee screen. Editing

7553-459: The ways of the planes", and that using the book's slang would "enhance an already rich roleplaying experience". He complimented the set's distinctive graphic looks, from "the weathered-metal texture of the book covers to the bizarre headline typeface to the odd squiggles of brown and blue that are on nearly every page". He commented that Tony DiTerlizzi 's drawings reminded him a little of Dr. Seuss "if he did highly-detailed dark fantasy". He finished

7644-413: The wonder I felt when I started roleplaying." Scott Haring reviewed the Planescape Campaign Setting for Pyramid #8 (July/August 1994). Haring began the review by saying, "Normally, I start a review off slowly [...] Forget that noise. I'll cut to the chase — Planescape is the finest game world ever produced for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons . Period." He describes the setting as "adult" in

7735-553: The world is equated with Eberron, the Dragon Between. One of the two parallel planes, the Feywild is a more extreme and magical reflection of the world with some thematic links to the Positive Energy Plane and the Plane of Faerie of earlier editions and settings. Creatures native to or connected with the Feywild (such as elves and gnomes) generally have the fey origin. According to the 4th edition Manual of

7826-470: Was assigned to draw anything I wanted. I babbled, and he drew - buildings, streets, characters and landscapes. Before any of us knew it, he drew the Lady of Pain. I'm very fond of the Lady of Pain; she really locks up the Planescape look. We all liked her so much that she became our logo." According to Shannon Appelcline, Planescape was "built around a strong artistic concept, thanks to Dana Knutson's conceptual art and Tony DiTerlizzi's final drawings". When TSR

7917-504: Was by David Wise , the conceptual artist was Dana Knutson , illustrations were by Tony DiTerlizzi , graphic design was by Dee Barnett and Dawn Murin , and the cover was by Robh Ruppel . Planescape Campaign Setting won the Origins Award for Best Graphic Presentation of a Roleplaying Game, Adventure, or Supplement of 1994 . Gene Alloway reviewed the boxed set for White Wolf magazine, saying, "Cook and company have created

8008-566: Was codified in the Manual of the Planes (1987) and Tales of the Outer Planes (1988). Carbonell wrote that project leader and designer Jeff Grubb detailed "the schematization of the planes' requisite five area: the Prime Material, the Ethereal, the Astral, the Inner, and the Outer planes. This basic structure is still used in 5e, with some changes that provide minor rearrangements and clarifications [...]. Grubb's approach demonstrated

8099-672: Was largely inspired by the work of American writer H. P. Lovecraft . It is particularly inspired by Lovecraft stories like "Through the Gates of the Silver Key". It was created by Bruce Cordell , and introduced in the Second Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons adventure module The Gates of Firestorm Peak (1996). James Jacobs later called Cordell's work an "adventure with a distinctly Lovecraftian feel", noting that "Deep inside Firestorm Peak lies

8190-638: Was next explored in-depth in the 5th adventure module The Wild Beyond the Witchlight (2021) and the corresponding Domains of Delight (2021) supplement (an official PDF by Wizards of the Coast released on the Dungeon Masters Guild ). The 5th edition added the concept of Domains of Delight similar to Ravenloft's Domains of Dread; each domain is ruled by an Archfey who can shape their region via their will. Chris Perkins , Dungeons & Dragons Principal Story Designer, explained that "the Feywild

8281-546: Was purchased by Wizards of the Coast , he also illustrated cards for Magic: The Gathering . In his 2023 book Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground , RPG historian Stu Horvath reviewed Planescape and noted that Knutson was responsible for much of over-arching look and feel of the campaign setting, noting, "The art picks up where the words leave off. Planescape is the apex of the aesthetic-driven, high-concept Dungeons & Dragons setting. Dana Knutson developed all of

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