In the fantasy
role-playing game
A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...
''
Dungeons & Dragons
''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical Studies Rules ...
'', an Outer Plane is one of a number of general types of
planes of existence
In esoteric cosmology, a plane is conceived as a subtle state, level, or region of reality, each plane corresponding to some type, kind, or category of being.
The concept may be found in religious and esoteric teachings—''e.g.'' Vedanta (Adva ...
. They can also be referred to as ''godly planes'', ''spiritual planes'' or ''divine planes''. The Outer Planes are home to beings such as
deities
A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...
and their servants such as
demons
A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, anime, ...
,
celestial
Celestial may refer to:
Science
* Objects or events seen in the sky and the following astronomical terms:
** Astronomical object, a naturally occurring physical entity, association, or structure that exists in the observable universe
** Celes ...
s and
devils
A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in many and various cultures and religious traditions.
Devil or Devils may also refer to:
* Satan
* Devil in Christianity
* Demon
* Folk devil
Art, entertainment, and media
Film and t ...
. Each Outer Plane is usually the physical manifestation of a particular moral and
ethical
Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns ma ...
alignment
Alignment may refer to:
Archaeology
* Alignment (archaeology), a co-linear arrangement of features or structures with external landmarks
* Stone alignment, a linear arrangement of upright, parallel megalithic standing stones
Biology
* Structu ...
and the entities that dwell there often embody the traits related to that alignment.
The intangible and
esoteric
Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas a ...
Outer Planes—the realms of
ideals, philosophies, and
gods
A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greater ...
—stand in contrast to the
Inner Plane
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 offic ...
s, which compose the material building blocks of reality and the realms of energy and
matter
In classical physics and general chemistry, matter is any substance that has mass and takes up space by having volume. All everyday objects that can be touched are ultimately composed of atoms, which are made up of interacting subatomic partic ...
.
All Outer Planes are spatially infinite but are composed of features and locations of finite scope. Many of these planes are often split into a collection of further infinites called ''layers'', which are essentially sub-planes that represent one particular facet or theme of the plane. For example,
Baator
In the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'', an Outer Plane is one of a number of general types of planes of existence. They can also be referred to as ''godly planes'', ''spiritual planes'' or ''divine planes''. The Outer Planes ar ...
's geography is reminiscent of
Hell
In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...
as depicted in
Dante
Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...
's ''
The Divine Comedy
The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and ...
''. In addition, each layer may also contain a number of ''realms''. Each realm is the home to an individual deity, or occasionally a collection of deities.
Publication history
The Outer Planes were presented for the first time in Volume 1, Number 8 of ''
The Dragon'', released July 1977 as part of the Great Wheel of Planes.
In the article "Planes: The Concepts of Spatial, Temporal and Physical Relationships in D&D",
Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax ( ; July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008) was an American game designer and author best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') with Dave Arneson.
In the 1960s, Gygax created an ...
mentions that there are 16 Outer Planes and describes the Seven Heavens, the Twin Paradises, and Elysium as "Typical higher planes", Nirvana as the "plane of ultimate Law" and Limbo as the "plane of ultimate Chaos (entropy)", and the Nine Hells, Hades' three glooms, and the 666 layers of the Abyss as "Typical lower planes". Other Outer Planes mentioned by name in the article include the Happy Hunting Grounds, Olympus, Gladsheim, Pandemonium, Tarterus, Gehenna, Acheron, and Arcadia.
The Outer Planes were further "refined in the
''Players Handbook'' (1978) and ''
Deities & Demigods
''Deities & Demigods'' (abbreviated ''DDG''), alternatively known as ''Legends & Lore'' (abbreviated ''L&L'' or ''LL''), is a reference book for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game (D&D). The book provides descriptions and game ...
'' (1980)".
The appendix of the ''Player's Handbook'' included an abstract diagram of the planes, and mentioned the same 16 Outer Planes: the Seven Heavens of absolute lawful good, the Twin Paradises of neutral good lawfuls, the planes of Elysium of absolute neutral good, the Happy Hunting Grounds of neutral good chaotics, the planes of Olympus of good chaotics, the planes of Gladsheim (Asgard, Valhalla, Vanaheim, etc.) of chaotic good neutrals, the planes of Limbo of neutral (absolute) chaos (entropy), the Planes of Pandemonium of chaotic evil neutrals, the 666 layers of the Abyss of absolute chaotic evil, the planes of Tarterus of evil chaotic neutrals, Hades' "Three Glooms" of absolute (neutral) evil, the furnaces of Gehenna of lawful evil neutrals, the Nine Hells of absolute lawful evil, the nether planes of Acheron of lawful evil neutrals, Nirvana of absolute (neutral) lawfuls, and the planes of Arcadia of neutral good lawfuls.
Shannon Appelcline, the author of ''Designers & Dragons'', highlighted that throughout 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".
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 was codified in the ''
Manual of the Planes
The ''Manual of the Planes'' (abbreviated MoP) is a manual for the ''Dungeons and Dragons'' role-playing game. This text addresses the planar cosmology of the game universe.
The original book (for use with ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 1st Ed ...
'' (1987) and ''
Tales of the Outer Planes
''Tales of the Outer Planes'' is an adventure module for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, set in that game's Outer Planes. TSR, Inc. published the module in 1988 for the ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' rules. The module is a ...
'' (1988).
Carbonell wrote that project leader and designer
Jeff Grubb
Jeff Grubb (born August 27, 1957) is an author who writes novels, short stories, and comics and a computer and role-playing game designer in the fantasy genre. Grubb worked on the ''Dragonlance'' campaign setting under Tracy Hickman, and the ''F ...
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 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
''Spelljammer'' is a campaign setting originally published for the ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' (2nd edition) role-playing game, which features a fantastic (as opposed to scientific) outer space environment. Subsequent editions have included ' ...
campaign setting added cosmology that "allowed travel between the different settings" such as ''
Dragonlance
''Dragonlance'' is a shared universe created by Laura and Tracy Hickman, and expanded by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis under the direction of TSR, Inc. into a series of fantasy novels. The Hickmans conceived ''Dragonlance'' while driving in t ...
'', ''Greyhawk'', and the ''
Forgotten Realms
''Forgotten Realms'' is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a ...
''.
However, campaign settings such as ''
Dark Sun
''Dark Sun'' is an original ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (D&D) campaign setting set in the fictional, post-apocalyptic desert world of Athas. ''Dark Sun'' featured an innovative metaplot, influential art work, dark themes, and a genre-bending take o ...
'' and ''
Ravenloft
Ravenloft is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' roleplaying game. It is an alternate time-space existence known as a ''Demiplane, pocket dimension'' or demiplane, called the Demiplane of Dread, which consists of a collection of la ...
'' were inaccessible in this cosmology. Then in 1993, TSR wanted to do a series of books about the Outer Planes. Zeb Cook, creator of the Planescape universe, describes it this way:
So there was this huge collection of over ten years of stuff that was just kind of quietly ignored with no sense of logic to it, and we figured that 'Oh, we don't need to explain it—it's enough to say "It came from The Outer Planes. So ne of the TSR designerssaid, 'Let's do this series of books, one about each Plane,' which would have been about 10 million books, so TSR said, 'Well, that's a good idea, but 10 million books is not such a great idea. We'd rather create a campaign world that's set in the Outer Planes,' because they had figured out by that point that worlds sold. And so they came to me, the senior designer with a huge gaping hole in my schedule, and wanted me to take this idea and execute it. 'Make us a campaign world that's completely different from all of the ones we have....'
Carbonell called the 1994 Planescape campaign 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 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 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 ''Manual of the Planes'' (2008) shifted the locations of the various Outer Planes to fit the new World Axis cosmology.
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.
Standard ''D&D'' cosmology
![Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, Great Wheel planar cosmology](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Dungeons_and_Dragons_5th_Edition%2C_Great_Wheel_planar_cosmology.svg)
The standard ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') cosmology contains sixteen Outer Planes.
This cosmology is outlined in the Great Wheel model where the Outer Planes are arranged in a ring of sixteen planes with the
Good
In most contexts, the concept of good denotes the conduct that should be preferred when posed with a choice between possible actions. Good is generally considered to be the opposite of evil and is of interest in the study of ethics, morality, ph ...
-aligned planes (or ''Upper Planes'') at the top, and the
Evil
Evil, in a general sense, is defined as the opposite or absence of good. It can be an extremely broad concept, although in everyday usage it is often more narrowly used to talk about profound wickedness and against common good. It is general ...
-aligned planes (or ''Lower Planes'') at the bottom. Depictions usually display the
Lawful
Law is a set of rules that are created and are law enforcement, enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. ...
planes (or Planes of Law) to the left, and the
Chaotic
Chaotic was originally a Danish trading card game. It expanded to an online game in America which then became a television program based on the game. The program was able to be seen on 4Kids TV (Fox affiliates, nationwide), Jetix, The CW4Kid ...
planes (or Planes of Chaos) to the right. Between all of these sit the
Neutral
Neutral or neutrality may refer to:
Mathematics and natural science Biology
* Neutral organisms, in ecology, those that obey the unified neutral theory of biodiversity
Chemistry and physics
* Neutralization (chemistry), a chemical reaction in ...
planes, or the Planes of Conflict.
The center contains the
Inner and Material Planes.
One further plane sits in the center of the ring, the
Outlands
In the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'', an Outer Plane is one of a number of general types of planes of existence. They can also be referred to as ''godly planes'', ''spiritual planes'' or ''divine planes''. The Outer Planes are ...
, being neutral in alignment. At the center of the Outlands is a Spire of infinite height; the city of
Sigil
A sigil () is a type of symbol used in magic. The term has usually referred to a pictorial signature of a deity or spirit. In modern usage, especially in the context of chaos magic, sigil refers to a symbolic representation of the practitioner ...
floats above the Spire's pinnacle.
This D&D cosmology is the standard cosmology in the 3rd and 5th Editions and is the official cosmology used in
campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A ''campaign'' is a series of individual adventures, and a ''campaign setting'' is the world in which such adventures and ca ...
s such as ''
Planescape
''Planescape'' is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, designed by Zeb Cook, and published in 1994. It crosses numerous planes of existence, encompassing an entire cosmology called the Great Wheel, as dev ...
'' and ''
Greyhawk
Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game. Although not the first campaign world developed for ''Dungeons & Dragons''—Dave Arneson ...
''.
"It's common for gods from different campaign settings to share a plane but maintain their own space. Mount Celestia, for example, houses both Heironeous from Greyhawk and Torm from the Forgotten Realms".
Many of the alternative names derive from the 1st-edition ''
Manual of the Planes
The ''Manual of the Planes'' (abbreviated MoP) is a manual for the ''Dungeons and Dragons'' role-playing game. This text addresses the planar cosmology of the game universe.
The original book (for use with ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 1st Ed ...
'' (1987), and the in-game explanation given in the Planescape setting is that these names are used by the "Clueless", or characters from the Prime Material unfamiliar with the planes.
4th Edition differences
The 4th Edition World Axis model outlines that the mortal world is between "the Astral Sea above and the Elemental Chaos below".
Most of the Outer Planes are now located in the Astral Sea (such as Celestia and the Nine Hells). The Abyss is an exception; it is now located in the Elemental Chaos.
Cosmology in campaign settings
Other ''Dungeons & Dragons'' cosmologies were developed after Greyhawk for various other campaign settings, however, "they would be subsumed under 5e's umbrella concept of the multiverse".
Forgotten Realms cosmology
The ''Forgotten Realms'' cosmology was originally the same as that of a standard ''Dungeons & Dragons'' campaign. The cosmology for the 3rd edition of ''D&D'' was altered substantially so that it contained twenty-six Outer Planes, arranged in a tree-like structure around the central 'trunk' of the
material plane
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 offi ...
of
Toril. Unlike the Outer Planes of the standard D&D cosmology which were heavily alignment-based, the Outer Planes of the ''Forgotten Realms'' cosmology were faith-based.
The planes of the Forgotten Realms were retooled in the 4th Edition to match the new default cosmology, with many of the planes or realms being relocated to the Astral Sea, and a handful now located in the Elemental Chaos. Appelcline highlighted that the 4th Edition World Axis model "had actually originated with the Forgotten Realms, which was planning a view of the heavens as early as 2005 or 2006. It was then co-opted by the SCRAMJET world design team for D&D 4e".
The Barrens of Doom and Despair plane is designed to be inhospitable to ''Dungeons & Dragons''
player character
A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...
s. Even though there is little light or water, other characters from the franchise can be found here. Five deities make their homes here, including
Bane
Bane may refer to:
Fictional characters
* Bane (DC Comics), an adversary of Batman
* Bane (''Harry Potter''), a centaur in the ''Harry Potter'' series
* Bane (''The Matrix''), a character in the ''Matrix'' film trilogy
* Bane the Druid, a Gu ...
(his home was previously referred to as
Acheron
The Acheron (; grc, Ἀχέρων ''Acheron'' or Ἀχερούσιος ''Acherousios''; ell, Αχέροντας ''Acherontas'') is a river located in the Epirus region of northwest Greece. It is long, and its drainage area is . Its source is ...
),
Beshaba
''Forgotten Realms'' is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a ...
,
Hoar,
Loviatar
Loviatar (, alternative names Loveatar, Lovetar, Lovehetar, Louhetar, Louhiatar, Louhi) is a blind daughter of Tuoni, the god of death in Finnish mythology and his spouse Tuonetar, the queen of the underworld. Loviatar is regarded as a goddess of ...
, and
Talona. The Barrens of Doom and Despair consist of a single infinite plane, with no constituent layers. It links via the
Astral Plane
The astral plane, also called the astral realm or the astral world, is a plane of existence postulated by classical, medieval, oriental, and esoteric philosophies and mystery religions.G.R.S.Mead, ''The Doctrine of the Subtle Body in Western Tra ...
to the planes of the
Prime Material (such as
Toril) and a number of portals directly connect it with Hammergrim and the Blood Rift. Beshaba's realm, the Blood Tor, links directly to the
Abyss
Abyss may refer to:
* Abyss (religion), a bottomless pit, or a passage to the underworld
Film and television
* ''The Abyss'' (1910 film), a Danish silent film starring Asta Nielsen
* ''The Abyss'' (1988 film) (''L'Œuvre au noir''), a French- ...
.
List of Forgotten Realms planes
Eberron cosmology
The ''Eberron'' cosmology, used in the original ''
Eberron
Eberron is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') role-playing game. The game is set primarily on the continent of Khorvaire following a vast destructive war. Eberron is designed to accommodate traditional ''D&D'' elements a ...
''
campaign setting
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A ''campaign'' is a series of individual adventures, and a ''campaign setting'' is the world in which such adventures and ca ...
, contained thirteen Outer Planes in 3rd edition, and gained at least two for 4th edition under the new cosmology. They exhibit traits similar to those of the ''standard D&D cosmology'' but also some (Irian, Mabar, Fernia, and Risia) appear more like
Inner Plane
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 offic ...
s. The cosmology was unique in that the Outer Planes orbited around Eberron through the
Astral plane
The astral plane, also called the astral realm or the astral world, is a plane of existence postulated by classical, medieval, oriental, and esoteric philosophies and mystery religions.G.R.S.Mead, ''The Doctrine of the Subtle Body in Western Tra ...
. As they orbited, their overlap with the material plane changed and access to those planes became easier or restricted.
Like most other D&D campaign settings, in 3rd edition ''D&D'' Eberron has a number of
planes
Plane(s) most often refers to:
* Aero- or airplane, a powered, fixed-wing aircraft
* Plane (geometry), a flat, 2-dimensional surface
Plane or planes may also refer to:
Biology
* Plane (tree) or ''Platanus'', wetland native plant
* ''Planes' ...
. Besides the Prime Material Plane, the Ethereal Plane, the Plane of Shadow, and the Astral Plane, the Eberron Campaign Setting has thirteen relatively unique planes. Gates or portals to any of the planes are very rare. These thirteen planes metaphysically orbit around Eberron, and depending on their current location are considered in one of four states.
* Waxing/Waning – The plane is either approaching or moving away from Eberron. Planar travel occurs as normal.
* Coterminous – The plane actually touches Eberron, and certain effects are strengthened in Eberron. Also, it may be possible to travel between planes by going to an appropriate spot. For example, when Risia, the Plain of Ice is coterminous, one may enter the plane from Eberron by walking into a blizzard. Because of seals placed by the Gatekeeper druids, Xoriat, the Realm of Madness, is incapable of becoming coterminous with Eberron.
* Remote – The plane is furthest from Eberron, and certain effects are weakened in Eberron. Also, reaching a remote plane with the spell ''plane shift'' is difficult and requires a high DC check. Because of the conflict between the Quori and the giants of Xen'drik, Dal Quor is always considered remote from Eberron.
List of Eberron planes
Fictional descriptions
List of planes
Abyss
In a critical review of ''
Planes of Chaos
''Planes of Chaos'' was a boxed set for the Planescape campaign setting of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game.
Contents
''Planes of Chaos'' is an expansion set for the Planescape campaign setting which details the five chaotic ...
'' for ''White Wolf Inphobia'' magazine, Keith H. Eisenbeis described the danger of adventuring in planes such as the Abyss, especially for low- and mid-level characters: "Sure, it's possible to design a situation in which first-level characters can accomplish something important and survive in the Abyss, but the immensity and power of the planes is undermined. In addition, on planes such as the Abyss, negotiating with evil creatures is frequently necessary, possibly making these planes useful to only neutral and evil characters."
Ken Denmead of ''
Wired
''Wired'' (stylized as ''WIRED'') is a monthly American magazine, published in print and online editions, that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. Owned by Condé Nast, it is headquartered in San Fra ...
'' described a number of aspects of the Abyss as psychedelic, calling the doors on one layer of the Abyss similar to the "loony corridor scene from ''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart Club Band''."
Acheron
Acheron ( ),
[ Mentzer, Frank. "Ay pronunseeAY shun gyd" '']Dragon
A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
'' No. 93 (TSR, 1985) also known as The Infernal Battlefield of Acheron, is a
lawful neutral/
lawful evil
In the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game, alignment is a categorization of the ethical and moral perspective of player characters, non-player characters, and creatures.
Most versions of the game feature a system in which ...
–aligned plane of existence.
Arborea
Arborea or more fully, the Olympian Glades of Arborea, is a
chaotic good
In the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game, alignment is a categorization of the ethical and moral perspective of player characters, non-player characters, and creatures.
Most versions of the game feature a system in w ...
-aligned
plane
Plane(s) most often refers to:
* Aero- or airplane, a powered, fixed-wing aircraft
* Plane (geometry), a flat, 2-dimensional surface
Plane or planes may also refer to:
Biology
* Plane (tree) or ''Platanus'', wetland native plant
* Planes (gen ...
of existence. It is one of a number of alignment-based Outer Planes that form part of the standard ''Dungeons & Dragons'' ''(D&D)'' cosmology, used in the ''
Planescape
''Planescape'' is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, designed by Zeb Cook, and published in 1994. It crosses numerous planes of existence, encompassing an entire cosmology called the Great Wheel, as dev ...
'', ''
Greyhawk
Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game. Although not the first campaign world developed for ''Dungeons & Dragons''—Dave Arneson ...
'' and some editions of the ''
Forgotten Realms
''Forgotten Realms'' is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a ...
''
campaign settings
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A ''campaign'' is a series of individual adventures, and a ''campaign setting'' is the world in which such adventures and c ...
.
Arborea is also referred to as "Olympus" or "Arvandor", though technically those names describe separate realms within the plane. Arborea is stylised as a peaceful plane of natural beauty with a multitude of thriving environments. Much of the plane is dominated by vast tall forests, but also includes glades of wildflowers and fields of grain. As a plane that also embodies chaos, it has a wild and often sudden nature. The weather can change drastically at short notice, changing from warm sunshine to raging winds and back again in just a few minutes.
Publication history
The plane known as Olympus was mentioned for the first time by name in the article "Planes: The Concepts of Spatial, Temporal and Physical Relationships in D&D", in ''
The Dragon'' #8, released July 1977.
The plane was mentioned again in an appendix of the known planes of existence in the original (1st edition) AD&D ''
Players Handbook
The ''Player's Handbook'' (spelled ''Players Handbook'' in first edition ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' (''AD&D'')) is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). It does not contain the complete set of ru ...
'', published in June 1978, where it was described as "The planes of Olympus of absolute good chaotics".
Inhabitants
The
eladrin
This is the list of ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 2nd edition monsters, an important element of that role-playing game. This list only includes monsters from official ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 2nd Edition supplements published by TSR, I ...
, powerful
elf
An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes "ligh ...
-like celestial creatures are the protectors of Arborea, the most common of which is the ''Ghaele''.
Lillends are also common on the plane. Many types of celestial and anarchic version of common animals, natural creatures suffused with tendencies of good or chaos, are found in Arborea. Also, primitive Orc-Baboon hybrids known as Losels dwell in its wilderness, occasionally migrating between it and the
Beastlands
In the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'', an Outer Plane is one of a number of general types of planes of existence. They can also be referred to as ''godly planes'', ''spiritual planes'' or ''divine planes''. The Outer Planes are ...
.
Arborea has two main types of
petitioner {{Unreferenced, date=December 2009
A petitioner is a person who pleads with governmental institution for a legal remedy or a redress of grievances, through use of a petition.
In the courts
The petitioner may seek a legal remedy if the state or anot ...
, the first of which are the spirits of the elven dead. Some take the form of
celestial
Celestial may refer to:
Science
* Objects or events seen in the sky and the following astronomical terms:
** Astronomical object, a naturally occurring physical entity, association, or structure that exists in the observable universe
** Celes ...
creatures or others simply merge with the plane itself, as a final reward after death. The second main type are the
bacchae
''The Bacchae'' (; grc-gre, Βάκχαι, ''Bakchai''; also known as ''The Bacchantes'' ) is an ancient Greek tragedy, written by the Athenian playwright Euripides during his final years in Macedonia, at the court of Archelaus I of Macedon. ...
, drunken revellers who perpetually indulge in wild celebrations, enticing visitors to join with them.
Structure
As an outer plane, Arborea is spatially infinite, further consisting of three infinite layers (or sub-planes). Arborea's first layer shares borders with the neighbouring planes of the
Heroic Domains of Ysgard and the
Wilderness of the Beastlands; travel is possible between Arborea and these planes at certain locations.
Layers
The wandering realm of the
Seelie Court
Seelie is a term for fairies in Scottish folklore, appearing in the form of seely wights or The Seelie Court. The Northumbria#Language, Northern and Middle English word (also , , ), and the Scots language, Scots form , mean "happy", "lucky" or "bl ...
often appears on the plane of Arborea, always in a different location.
Arborea has three layers:
;Arvandor/Olympus
In previous editions, this layer was known as Olympus, but the most recent edition of ''Manual of the Planes'' refers to it only as Arvandor. Principally, it is the home plane of the
Seldarine
The elf is a humanoid race in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, one of the primary races available for player characters, and play a central role in the narratives of many setting worlds of the game. Elves are renowned for ...
, the good Elven
deities
A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...
, headed by
Corellon Larethian
In the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' role-playing game, Corellon Larethian is the leader of the elven pantheon, and the god of Magic, Music, Arts, Crafts, Poetry, and Warfare. Corellon is also considered a member of the default ''D&D'' pantheon. Corel ...
. This layer is mostly endless canopies of forest with huge clearings containing many idealized elven settlements. Arvandor has a day and night cycle matching that of the material plane. The goddess
Eilistraee
Eilistraee, also referred to as "The Dark Maiden", is a fictional deity in the Forgotten Realms campaign setting of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. In the game world, she is a goddess in the drow pantheon, and her portfolios ...
also resides in the forests of Arvandor, despite her banishment.
The realm of ''Brightwater'', a separate plane in the third edition ''Forgotten Realms'' cosmology is located on Arvandor. Four goddesses have domains here, including
Lliira
''Forgotten Realms'' is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') Role-playing game, fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwo ...
,
Sharess,
Sune, and
Tymora
''Forgotten Realms'' is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a ...
.
The actual realm of ''Olympus'' is found here, and is home to many deities of the Greek pantheon, including
Zeus
Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D ...
,
Aphrodite
Aphrodite ( ; grc-gre, Ἀφροδίτη, Aphrodítē; , , ) is an ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, and procreation. She was syncretized with the Roman goddess . Aphrodite's major symbols include ...
,
Apollo
Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...
,
Ares
Ares (; grc, Ἄρης, ''Árēs'' ) is the Greek god of war and courage. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. The Greeks were ambivalent towards him. He embodies the physical valor necessary for success in war b ...
,
Artemis
In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Artemis (; grc-gre, Ἄρτεμις) is the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. She was heavily identified wit ...
,
Athena
Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of ...
,
Demeter
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Demeter (; Attic: ''Dēmḗtēr'' ; Doric: ''Dāmā́tēr'') is the Olympian goddess of the harvest and agriculture, presiding over crops, grains, food, and the fertility of the earth. Although s ...
,
Dionysus
In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Romans ...
,
Hephaestus
Hephaestus (; eight spellings; grc-gre, Ἥφαιστος, Hḗphaistos) is the Greek god of blacksmiths, metalworking, carpenters, craftsmen, artisans, sculptors, metallurgy, fire (compare, however, with Hestia), and volcanoes.Walter Burk ...
,
Hera
In ancient Greek religion, Hera (; grc-gre, Ἥρα, Hḗrā; grc, Ἥρη, Hḗrē, label=none in Ionic and Homeric Greek) is the goddess of marriage, women and family, and the protector of women during childbirth. In Greek mythology, she ...
,
Hermes
Hermes (; grc-gre, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants, and orato ...
, and the titan
Rhea.
There are several other realms located on this layer, including:
*The
aarakocra
This is the list of ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 2nd edition monsters, an important element of that role-playing game. This list only includes monsters from official ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 2nd Edition supplements published by TSR, ...
goddess
Syranita's realm of ''Whistledge'';
*The giant goddess
Iallanis's realm of ''Florallium'';
*
Trithereon
This is a list of deities from the Greyhawk campaign setting (Dungeons & Dragons), campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game.
A
Al'Akbar
Al'Akbar is the Baklunish demigod of dignity, duty, faithfulness, and gua ...
's realm of ''The Forking Road'';
*Chih-Nii's realm of ''Loom of the Celestial River''.
;Aquallor/Ossa
When not with the Seldarine,
Deep Sashelas
The elf is a humanoid race in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, one of the primary races available for player characters, and play a central role in the narratives of many setting worlds of the game. Elves are renowned for ...
also has his own realm of ''Elavandor'' on Ossa.
Poseidon
Poseidon (; grc-gre, Ποσειδῶν) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was venerated as a ch ...
's realm of ''Caletto'' can be found on Ossa.
;Mithardir/Pelion
Nephthys
Nephthys or Nebet-Het in ancient Egyptian ( grc-gre, Νέφθυς) was a goddess in ancient Egyptian religion. A member of the Great Ennead of Heliopolis in Egyptian mythology, she was a daughter of Nut and Geb. Nephthys was typically paired wi ...
has her realm of ''Amun-thys'' on Pelion.
Historic influences
Arborea incorporates many elements of
Greek mythology
A major branch of classical mythology, Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of Ancient Greek folklore. These stories concern the Cosmogony, origin and Cosmology#Metaphysical co ...
, with the game's version of
Mount Olympus
Mount Olympus (; el, Όλυμπος, Ólympos, also , ) is the highest mountain in Greece. It is part of the Olympus massif near the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, located in the Olympus Range on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia, be ...
as a central feature, to the point that the whole plane was originally named Olympus in 1st edition. The name of Arborea, introduced in 2nd edition ''AD&D'', is derived from its "endless rolling forests", as in arboreal.
Arcadia
Arcadia ( )
or more fully, the Peaceable Kingdoms of Arcadia, is a
lawful neutral/
lawful good
In the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game, alignment is a categorization of the ethical and moral perspective of player characters, non-player characters, and creatures.
Most versions of the game feature a system in which ...
-aligned
plane
Plane(s) most often refers to:
* Aero- or airplane, a powered, fixed-wing aircraft
* Plane (geometry), a flat, 2-dimensional surface
Plane or planes may also refer to:
Biology
* Plane (tree) or ''Platanus'', wetland native plant
* Planes (gen ...
of existence.
Baator
Baator, also known as the Nine Hells of Baator or the Nine Hells, is a
lawful evil
In the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game, alignment is a categorization of the ethical and moral perspective of player characters, non-player characters, and creatures.
Most versions of the game feature a system in which ...
–aligned
plane of existence
In esoteric cosmology, a plane is conceived as a subtle state, level, or region of reality, each plane corresponding to some type, kind, or category of being.
The concept may be found in religious and esoteric teachings—''e.g.'' Vedanta (Ad ...
.
Baator is stylised as a plane of sinister
evil
Evil, in a general sense, is defined as the opposite or absence of good. It can be an extremely broad concept, although in everyday usage it is often more narrowly used to talk about profound wickedness and against common good. It is general ...
and cruelty. The different types of
devil
A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of t ...
s that dwell here obey a strict
hierarchical
A hierarchy (from Greek: , from , 'president of sacred rites') is an arrangement of items (objects, names, values, categories, etc.) that are represented as being "above", "below", or "at the same level as" one another. Hierarchy is an important ...
caste
Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...
-like social structure. Each continually plots to advance their position through treachery and deception. Unlike the
demons
A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology, and folklore; as well as in media such as comics, video games, movies, anime, ...
of the
Abyss
Abyss may refer to:
* Abyss (religion), a bottomless pit, or a passage to the underworld
Film and television
* ''The Abyss'' (1910 film), a Danish silent film starring Asta Nielsen
* ''The Abyss'' (1988 film) (''L'Œuvre au noir''), a French- ...
, the devils are highly organized, with a logical and calculating nature.
The plane itself is composed of nine different layers, each of which models a differing but no less inhospitable and dreadful environment, from barren plains of ash and rock to frozen wastes of endless ice.
Publication history
The plane known as the Nine Hells was mentioned for the first time by name in the article "Planes: The Concepts of Spatial, Temporal and Physical Relationships in D&D", in ''
The Dragon'' #8, released July 1977. In the article
Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax ( ; July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008) was an American game designer and author best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') with Dave Arneson.
In the 1960s, Gygax created an ...
describes the plane as one of the "Typical lower planes".
The plane was mentioned again in an appendix of the known planes of existence in the original (1st edition) AD&D ''
Players Handbook
The ''Player's Handbook'' (spelled ''Players Handbook'' in first edition ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' (''AD&D'')) is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). It does not contain the complete set of ru ...
'', published in June 1978, where it was described as "The Nine Hells of absolute lawful evil".
History
The article "The Politics of Hell" by Alexander Von Thorn in ''
Dragon
A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
'' No. 28 (1979) describes how Hell was originally ruled by Satan, who was usurped by Baalzebul, who was in turn overthrown by Asmodeus.
The article "The Possessors" by Arn Ashleigh Parker in ''
Dragon
A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
'' No. 42 (October 1980) follows up on this article by explaining that Selm, a lieutenant of Satan, was made the Prince of Possessors, and remained in that position throughout these various changes in the administration in Hell.
Beastlands
The Beastlands (more properly, the Wilderness of the Beastlands, formerly the Happy Hunting Grounds in early versions of the game) is a
neutral (chaotic) good-aligned
plane
Plane(s) most often refers to:
* Aero- or airplane, a powered, fixed-wing aircraft
* Plane (geometry), a flat, 2-dimensional surface
Plane or planes may also refer to:
Biology
* Plane (tree) or ''Platanus'', wetland native plant
* Planes (gen ...
of existence.
Bytopia
Bytopia, also known as the Twin Paradises, ''(bi- + utopia)'' or, more fully, the Twin Paradises of Bytopia, is a
lawful good
In the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game, alignment is a categorization of the ethical and moral perspective of player characters, non-player characters, and creatures.
Most versions of the game feature a system in which ...
/
neutral good aligned plane of existence. It is one of a number of alignment-based Outer Planes that form part of the standard ''Dungeons & Dragons'' ''(D&D)'' cosmology, used in the ''
Planescape
''Planescape'' is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, designed by Zeb Cook, and published in 1994. It crosses numerous planes of existence, encompassing an entire cosmology called the Great Wheel, as dev ...
'', ''
Greyhawk
Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game. Although not the first campaign world developed for ''Dungeons & Dragons''—Dave Arneson ...
'', and some editions of the ''
Forgotten Realms
''Forgotten Realms'' is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a ...
''
campaign settings
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A ''campaign'' is a series of individual adventures, and a ''campaign setting'' is the world in which such adventures and c ...
. Bytopia is a virtuous plane of cultivated beauty, and is home to many of the deities of the gnomish pantheon.
Publication history
The plane known as the Twin Paradises was mentioned for the first time by name in the article "Planes: The Concepts of Spatial, Temporal and Physical Relationships in D&D", in ''
The Dragon'' #8, released July 1977. In the article
Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax ( ; July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008) was an American game designer and author best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') with Dave Arneson.
In the 1960s, Gygax created an ...
describes the plane as one of the "Typical higher planes".
The plane was mentioned again in an appendix of the known planes of existence in the original (1st edition) AD&D ''
Players Handbook
The ''Player's Handbook'' (spelled ''Players Handbook'' in first edition ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' (''AD&D'')) is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). It does not contain the complete set of ru ...
'', published in June 1978, where it was described as "The Twin Paradises of neutral good lawfuls".
Structure
Bytopia is a spatially infinite plane, consisting of two layers or sub-planes. It is unique in the sense that the two layers are laid facing one another, each looking down (or up; the terms are relative here) at the other. A traveller can look up from one layer and see the other above him looking back down (or, from the other side's perspective, up), provided that the sky is clear. To get from one layer to the other, travellers must either climb tall mountains, or fly.
Gravity
In physics, gravity () is a fundamental interaction which causes mutual attraction between all things with mass or energy. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 1038 times weaker than the stro ...
reverses when someone reaches the middle point between the two layers. Bytopia shares its borders with the neighbouring planes of the
Seven Mounting Heavens of Celestia and the
Blessed Fields of Elysium; travel is possible between Bytopia and these planes at certain locations.
Dothion is a serene pastoral layer of meadows and wild-flowers; it is home to the souls of farmers, craftsmen, honest merchants, and gnomish commoners. ''The Golden Hills'', a separate plane in the 3rd-Edition
Forgotten Realms
''Forgotten Realms'' is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a ...
cosmology, is located here, and is home to the
gnome
A gnome is a mythological creature and diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th century and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature. Its characte ...
deity
A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greate ...
Garl Glittergold, as well as Baervan Wildwanderer, Baravar Cloakshadow, Flandal Steelskin, Gaerdal Ironhand, Nebelun the Meddler, and Segojan Earthcaller. Flandal shares his ''Mithral Forge'' with Ama-Tsu-Mara. The godly realms of ''Deephome'', home of Callarduran Smoothhands, god of the
svirfneblin
In the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, gnomes are one of the core races available for play as player characters. Some speculate that they are closely related to dwarf (Dungeons & Dragons), dwarves; however, gnomes are smalle ...
, and ''Prosperity'', realm of
Inari
Inari may refer to:
Shinto
* Inari Ōkami, a Shinto spirit
** Mount Inari in Japan, site of Fushimi Inari-taisha, the main Shinto shrine to Inari
** Inari Shrine, shrines to the Shinto god Inari
* Inari-zushi, a type of sushi
Places
* Inari, ...
, are also located on Dothion.
Shurrock is the mountainous untamed twin, home of hidden beasts and monsters. The gnomish underground mining city of ''Quarry'' that specialises in gemcutting is located here.
Rangers
A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to:
* Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...
often foray into this wilderness to slay creatures that have threatened the folk of Dothion.
A number of godly realms exist on this layer, including ''Heart of Justice'', realm of Kiri-Jolith, and ''Windwrath'', realm of
Tefnut
Tefnut ( egy, ; cop, ⲧϥⲏⲛⲉ ) is a deity of moisture, moist air, dew and rain in Ancient Egyptian religion.The Routledge Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses, George Hart She is the sister and consort of the air god Shu and the m ...
. ''Martyrdomain'' was the realm of
Ilmater
''Forgotten Realms'' is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a ...
in previous editions of ''Dungeons & Dragons''.
[
]
Carceri
Carceri (more fully, the Tarterian Depths of Carceri; also, Tarterus or The Red Prison[Cook, Monte: '']The Planewalker's Handbook
''The Planewalker's Handbook'' is an accessory for the Planescape campaign setting in the 2nd edition of the ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, published in 1996.
Contents
''The Planewalker's Handbook'' aims to be a pract ...
'', p. 20, TSR 2620) is a neutral (chaotic) evil-aligned plane
Plane(s) most often refers to:
* Aero- or airplane, a powered, fixed-wing aircraft
* Plane (geometry), a flat, 2-dimensional surface
Plane or planes may also refer to:
Biology
* Plane (tree) or ''Platanus'', wetland native plant
* Planes (gen ...
of existence.
Elysium
Elysium, or more fully, the Blessed Fields of Elysium, is a strongly good
In most contexts, the concept of good denotes the conduct that should be preferred when posed with a choice between possible actions. Good is generally considered to be the opposite of evil and is of interest in the study of ethics, morality, ph ...
-aligned plane of existence.
Gehenna
Gehenna (beginning in the third edition of the game, the Bleak Eternity of Gehenna; also, The Fourfold Furnaces[Cook, Monte: '']The Planewalker's Handbook
''The Planewalker's Handbook'' is an accessory for the Planescape campaign setting in the 2nd edition of the ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, published in 1996.
Contents
''The Planewalker's Handbook'' aims to be a pract ...
'', p. 21, TSR 2620 or The Fires of Perdition) is a plane of existence of neutral evil/lawful evil alignment. It is one of a number of alignment-based Outer Planes that form part of the standard ''Dungeons & Dragons'' ''(D&D)'' cosmology. It borders the Gray Waste of Hades
In the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'', an Outer Plane is one of a number of general types of planes of existence. They can also be referred to as ''godly planes'', ''spiritual planes'' or ''divine planes''. The Outer Planes are ...
and the Nine Hells of Baator.
Gray Waste of Hades
The Gray Waste (more fully, the Gray Wastes of Hades; also, Hades, The Three Glooms, Hope's Loss or The Nadir) is a strongly neutral evil
In the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game, alignment is a categorization of the ethics, ethical and morality, moral perspective of player characters, non-player characters, and creatures.
Most versions of the game feature ...
aligned plane of existence. It is one of a number of alignment-based Outer Planes that form part of the standard ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') cosmology, used in the ''Planescape
''Planescape'' is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, designed by Zeb Cook, and published in 1994. It crosses numerous planes of existence, encompassing an entire cosmology called the Great Wheel, as dev ...
'', ''Greyhawk
Greyhawk, also known as the World of Greyhawk, is a fictional world designed as a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy roleplaying game. Although not the first campaign world developed for ''Dungeons & Dragons''—Dave Arneson ...
'', and some editions of the ''Forgotten Realms
''Forgotten Realms'' is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers alike as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a ...
'' campaign settings
A campaign setting is usually a fictional world which serves as a setting for a role-playing game or wargame campaign. A ''campaign'' is a series of individual adventures, and a ''campaign setting'' is the world in which such adventures and c ...
. Hades is the plane of origin of the yugoloth daemons. Pathfinder
Pathfinder may refer to:
Businesses
* Pathfinder Energy Services, a division of Smith International
* Pathfinder Press, a publisher of socialist literature
Computing and information science
* Path Finder, a Macintosh file browser
* Pathfinder (w ...
's analogue to Hades is the plane called ''Abaddon'' (from the Hebraic ''Abaddon
The Hebrew term Abaddon ( he, אֲבַדּוֹן ''’Ăḇaddōn'', meaning "destruction", "doom"), and its Greek equivalent Apollyon ( grc-koi, Ἀπολλύων, ''Apollúōn'' meaning "Destroyer") appear in the Bible as both a place of de ...
'').
Publication history
The plane known as Hades was mentioned for the first time by name in the article "Planes: The Concepts of Spatial, Temporal and Physical Relationships in D&D", in '' The Dragon'' #8, released July 1977. In the article Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax ( ; July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008) was an American game designer and author best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') with Dave Arneson.
In the 1960s, Gygax created an ...
describes the plane as Hades' three glooms, one of the "Typical lower planes". The plane was mentioned again in an appendix of the known planes of existence in the original (1st edition) AD&D ''Players Handbook
The ''Player's Handbook'' (spelled ''Players Handbook'' in first edition ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' (''AD&D'')) is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). It does not contain the complete set of ru ...
'', published in June 1978, where it was described as "Hades' "Three Glooms" of absolute (neutral) evil".
Description
According to Trenton Webb's critical review of ''Planes of Conflict
''Planes of Conflict'' is an accessory for the second edition of the ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, published in 1995.
Contents
''Planes of Conflict'' contains six maps and five manuals for use with the Planescape set ...
'' for British RPG magazine ''Arcane'', the Gray Waste "erodes the sense of purpose that is the hallmark of an alignment-based philosophy. One symptom of this is the place's ability to fade the colour from a character's clothes!" Stang and Trammell called Hades "the realm of the dead", where larvae
A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle.
The ...
created by night hags are used as currency.
Limbo
Limbo or more fully, the Ever-Changing Chaos of Limbo, is a chaotic neutral-aligned plane
Plane(s) most often refers to:
* Aero- or airplane, a powered, fixed-wing aircraft
* Plane (geometry), a flat, 2-dimensional surface
Plane or planes may also refer to:
Biology
* Plane (tree) or ''Platanus'', wetland native plant
* Planes (gen ...
of existence.
The plane known as Limbo was mentioned for the first time by name in the article "Planes: The Concepts of Spatial, Temporal and Physical Relationships in D&D", in '' The Dragon'' #8, released July 1977. In the article Gary Gygax
Ernest Gary Gygax ( ; July 27, 1938 – March 4, 2008) was an American game designer and author best known for co-creating the pioneering role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') with Dave Arneson.
In the 1960s, Gygax created an ...
describes the plane as the "plane of ultimate Chaos (entropy)". The plane was mentioned again in an appendix of the known planes of existence in the original ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
Several different editions of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. The current publisher of ''D&D'', Wizards of the Coast, produces new materials only for the most current edition of the ga ...
'' (''AD&D'') ''Players Handbook
The ''Player's Handbook'' (spelled ''Players Handbook'' in first edition ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' (''AD&D'')) is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). It does not contain the complete set of ru ...
'', published in June 1978, where it was described as "The planes of Limbo of neutral (absolute) chaos (entropy)".
Limbo is described as a place of pure chaos where everything is in constant motion and change, especially the landscape, which can shift unpredictably and randomly rolls over upon itself like liquid. Very few places in Limbo are stable enough for normal travel.
Limbo is home to the slaad
The slaad (pluralized as slaadi, or as slaads in the 4th edition) is a fictional monster in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. They are extraplanar creatures (outsiders) that resemble giant humanoid toads of various colors (r ...
i and their lords (most notably Ygorl and Ssendam), and to the githzerai
This is the list of ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 2nd edition monsters, an important element of that role-playing game. This list only includes monsters from official ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 2nd Edition supplements published by TSR, I ...
. Very few gods call Limbo home, as the plane is not well-suited to any sort of permanent structures. The shared realm of Tempus
Tempus is a Latin word meaning time and a Finnish, Swedish and German word meaning grammatical tense. It may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Television
*"Tempus, Anyone?", 1996 episode of ''Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Super ...
and the Red Knight
Red Knight ( cy, Marchog Coch, kw, Marghek Rudh, br, Marc'heg Ruz) is a title borne by several characters in Arthurian legend.
In legends Tales of Perceval
The Red Knight prominently appears in the tales of the hero Perceval (Percival) as his ...
can be found on Limbo, as can Shaundakul's realm. The elven god Fenmarel Mestarine calls this chaotic plane home as well.
The plane of Limbo is the location of a number of godly
Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.[divine ...](_blank)
realms:
*The elven god Fenmarel Mestarine's realm of ''Fennimar''.
*Indra
Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> I ...
, Vayu
Vayu (, sa, वायु, ), also known as Vata and Pavana, is the Hindu god of the winds as well as the divine massenger of the gods. In the ''Vedic scriptures'', Vayu is an important deity and is closely associated with Indra, the king of ...
, and Agni
Agni (English: , sa, अग्नि, translit=Agni) is a Sanskrit word meaning fire and connotes the Vedic fire deity of Hinduism. He is also the guardian deity of the southeast direction and is typically found in southeast corners of Hindu ...
's realm of ''Swarga''.
* Llerg's realm of ''Beasthaven''.
*Procan
This is a list of deities from the Greyhawk campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game.
A
Al'Akbar
Al'Akbar is the Baklunish demigod of dignity, duty, faithfulness, and guardianship. His symbol is a cup and ei ...
's realm of ''Seasedge''.
*Ralishaz
This is a list of deities from the Greyhawk campaign setting (Dungeons & Dragons), campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game.
A
Al'Akbar
Al'Akbar is the Baklunish demigod of dignity, duty, faithfulness, and gua ...
's realm of ''The Kiss of Luck''.
* Shaundakul's realm of ''Shaunadaur''.
*Shina-Tsu-Hiko
Shinatsuhiko (Kojiki: 志那都比古神 - Long Blowing Lad, Nihon Shoki: 級長津彦命) is a Japanese mythology, Japanese mythological God (male deity), god of wind (Fūjin). Another name for this deity is Shinatobe, who originally may have been ...
's realm of ''Windshome''.
*Sirrion's realm of ''The Flame Void''.
*Tempus
Tempus is a Latin word meaning time and a Finnish, Swedish and German word meaning grammatical tense. It may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Television
*"Tempus, Anyone?", 1996 episode of ''Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Super ...
and the Red Knight
Red Knight ( cy, Marchog Coch, kw, Marghek Rudh, br, Marc'heg Ruz) is a title borne by several characters in Arthurian legend.
In legends Tales of Perceval
The Red Knight prominently appears in the tales of the hero Perceval (Percival) as his ...
's shared realm of ''Knight's Rest''.
*Susanoo
__FORCETOC__
Susanoo (; historical orthography: , ) is a in Japanese mythology. The younger brother of Amaterasu, goddess of the sun and mythical ancestress of the Japanese imperial line, he is a multifaceted deity with contradictory chara ...
's realm of ''The Globe of Raging Chaos''.
Fauna include the Chaos dragon
is a Japanese media franchise based on the Japanese role-playing game '' Red Dragon'' by Makoto Sanda, featuring characters created by Gen Urobuchi, Kinoko Nasu, Izuki Kogyoku, Simadoriru, and Ryōgo Narita.
An anime television series title ...
.
Limbo is named after the Limbo
In Catholic theology, Limbo (Latin '' limbus'', edge or boundary, referring to the edge of Hell) is the afterlife condition of those who die in original sin without being assigned to the Hell of the Damned. Medieval theologians of Western Euro ...
of Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
mythology, where the souls of the dead who died before Jesus's death went, before he descended there to release them, but there is little similarity of philosophy between the two realms. In appearance, it is based on the Abyss in John Milton
John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...
's ''Paradise Lost
''Paradise Lost'' is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The first version, published in 1667, consists of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse (poetry), verse. A second edition fo ...
''.
Mechanus
Mechanus, also known as The Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus (or simply Nirvana in AD&D 1st Edition
Several different editions of the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. The current publisher of ''D&D'', Wizards of the Coast, produces new materials only for the most current edition of the ga ...
) is a purely lawful aligned plane of existence.
Mount Celestia
Mount Celestia or more fully, the Seven Mounting Heavens of Celestia, or even the Seven Heavens is a lawful good
In the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game, alignment is a categorization of the ethical and moral perspective of player characters, non-player characters, and creatures.
Most versions of the game feature a system in which ...
-aligned plane
Plane(s) most often refers to:
* Aero- or airplane, a powered, fixed-wing aircraft
* Plane (geometry), a flat, 2-dimensional surface
Plane or planes may also refer to:
Biology
* Plane (tree) or ''Platanus'', wetland native plant
* Planes (gen ...
of existence.
Outlands
The Concordant Domain of the Outlands, also known as the Concordant Opposition, is the Outer Plane where the souls of people of Neutral
Neutral or neutrality may refer to:
Mathematics and natural science Biology
* Neutral organisms, in ecology, those that obey the unified neutral theory of biodiversity
Chemistry and physics
* Neutralization (chemistry), a chemical reaction in ...
alignment are sent after death. It is popular as a meeting place for treaties between the powers. The Outlands are also home to the gate-towns. At the center of the Outlands is the Spire, atop which Sigil
A sigil () is a type of symbol used in magic. The term has usually referred to a pictorial signature of a deity or spirit. In modern usage, especially in the context of chaos magic, sigil refers to a symbolic representation of the practitioner ...
can be seen. The Outlands are the home plane of the neutral-minded rilmani. The Outlands are part of a series of rings that form the multiverse. Travel between the planes of the Outlands is accomplished via The Great Road.
In first edition and second edition ''AD&D'' before Planescape, this plane is also at the center of the Outer Planes and known by its original name Concordant Opposition. The First Edition Manual Of Planes states that the center of the plane takes various forms at different times (a mountain, a huge tree, etc.) and godly powers are lost as one moves toward the center, as well as spells, beginning with the highest levels of spells at the farthest out and then gradually losing the lower ones step by step the further one moves inward. Within of the center, not even chemical reactions take place, and neither man nor deity can get closer than . In Second Edition Outer Planes Monstrous Compendium, under the description of the Mediators of Nirvana (Mechanus), it states that this plane was originally intended for Neutral Powers (deities) and created by the Powers (deities) of creation, but each Neutral Deity asserted their individual influence causing it to become unbalanced, then were cast out by the powers of creation. It also states that three lights of balance exist at the center of this plane, one for each Mediator in Nirvana. (Mechanus) Before Planescape, there is also no mention whatsoever of Sigil being at the Center of this Plane.
Gate-towns are settlements which are built around a permanent portal to a certain Outer Plane on the Great Wheel. Gate-towns are important strategically because they provide a (relatively) stable way to enter a desired Outer Plane. The gate-towns reflect the plane that they lead to, for example, Xaos (or aXos, soaX, etc.) is a town where everything changes from one moment to the next. Even the location of the portal to Limbo
In Catholic theology, Limbo (Latin '' limbus'', edge or boundary, referring to the edge of Hell) is the afterlife condition of those who die in original sin without being assigned to the Hell of the Damned. Medieval theologians of Western Euro ...
changes every day – not that there's any regularity to daybreak and nightfall in Xaos. The character of Xaos mirrors what the plane of Limbo is like.
Realms
The Outlands is the location of a number of godly realms, including the following:
* ''The Caverns of Thought'', realm of the illithid
In the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, illithids (commonly known as mind flayers) are monstrous humanoid ''aberrations'' with psionic powers. In a typical ''Dungeons & Dragons'' campaign setting, they live in the moist cavern ...
deity Ilsensine
In the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game, illithids (commonly known as mind flayers) are monstrous humanoid ''aberrations'' with psionic powers. In a typical ''Dungeons & Dragons'' campaign setting, they live in the moist cavern ...
* ''The Court of Light'', realm of the naga
Naga or NAGA may refer to:
Mythology
* Nāga, a serpentine deity or race in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions
* Naga Kingdom, in the epic ''Mahabharata''
* Phaya Naga, mythical creatures believed to live in the Laotian stretch of the Mekong Riv ...
deity Shekinester
* ''The Flowering Hill'', the realm of the halfling
Halflings are a fictional race found in some fantasy novels and games. They are often depicted as similar to humans except about half as tall, and are not quite as stocky as the similarly-sized dwarves. Similar to the depiction of hobbits in the w ...
goddess Sheela Peryroyl
* ''Gzemnid
The beholder is a fictional monster in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game. It is depicted as a floating orb of flesh with a large mouth, single central eye, and many smaller eyestalks on top with powerful magical abilities.
Th ...
's Realm'', home of the beholder deity of gases and vapors
* ''The Hidden Realm'', home of the chief giant deity Annam
* ''The Hidden Vale'', realm of the Dragonlance god Gilean
* ''The Hidden Wood'', realm of the nature god Obad-Hai
This is a list of deities from the Greyhawk campaign setting (Dungeons & Dragons), campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game.
A
Al'Akbar
Al'Akbar is the Baklunish demigod of dignity, duty, faithfulness, and gua ...
* ''The Library of Lore'', realm of the god Boccob
This is a list of deities of ''Dungeons & Dragons'', including all of the 3.5 edition gods and powers of the "Core Setting" for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') roleplaying game. Religion is a key element of the D&D game, since it is require ...
* ''The Mausoleum of Chronepsis'', realm of the dragon
A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
deity Chronepsis
* ''The Marketplace Eternal'', realm of the god Zilchus
This is a list of deities from the Greyhawk campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game.
A
Al'Akbar
Al'Akbar is the Baklunish demigod of dignity, duty, faithfulness, and guardianship. His symbol is a cup and eig ...
* ''The Palace of Judgement'', Yen-Wang-Yeh's realm
* ''The Scales of Wealth'', the realm of Shinare
* ''Semuanya's Bog'', realm of the lizardfolk
This is the list of ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 2nd edition Monsters in Dungeons & Dragons, monsters, an important element of that role-playing game. This list only includes monsters from official Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition, ''Ad ...
deity Semuanya
* ''The Steel Hills'', realm of the goddess Ulaa
* ''Thoth's Estate'', the realm of Thoth
Thoth (; from grc-koi, Θώθ ''Thṓth'', borrowed from cop, Ⲑⲱⲟⲩⲧ ''Thōout'', Egyptian: ', the reflex of " eis like the Ibis") is an ancient Egyptian deity. In art, he was often depicted as a man with the head of an ibis or a ...
* ''Tvashtri
Tvashtr ( sa, त्वष्टृ, Tvaṣṭṛ) is a Vedic artisan god or fashioner. He is also mentioned in later literature of Hinduism like the ''Harivamsa''. Sometimes, Tvashtr is identified with another deity named Vishvakarma. In Hindu L ...
's Laboratory'', realm of the Indian god of artifice
* ''The Web of Fate'', realm of the goddess Istus
This is a list of deities from the Greyhawk campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game.
A
Al'Akbar
Al'Akbar is the Baklunish demigod of dignity, duty, faithfulness, and guardianship. His symbol is a cup and eigh ...
* ''The Well of Urd'', realm of the Norns
The Norns ( non, norn , plural: ) are deities in Norse mythology responsible for shaping the course of human destinies.'' Nordisk familjebok'' (1907)
In the ''Völuspá'', the three primary Norns Urðr (Wyrd), Verðandi, and Skuld draw wate ...
* ''Wonderhome'', realm of Gond
Three dwarven gods, (Vergadain
A dwarf, in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy roleplaying game, is a humanoid race, one of the primary races available for player characters. The idea for the ''D&D'' dwarf comes from the dwarves of European mythologies and J. R. R. ...
, Dugmaren Brightmantle
A dwarf, in the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy roleplaying game, is a humanoid race, one of the primary races available for player characters. The idea for the ''D&D'' dwarf comes from the dwarves of European mythologies and J. R. R. ...
, and Dumathoin) share the realm of ''The Dwarven Mountain'' on the plane of the Outlands.
The Celtic gods (Daghdha, Diancecht, Goibhniu, Lugh, Manannan mac Lir, Oghma, and Silvanus) share the realm of Tír na nÓg
In Irish mythology Tír na nÓg (; "Land of the Young") or Tír na hÓige ("Land of Youth") is one of the names for the Celtic Otherworld, or perhaps for a part of it. Tír na nÓg is best known from the tale of Oisín and Niamh.
Other Old Iri ...
on the Outlands.
Pandemonium
Pandemonium (or, the Windswept Depths of Pandemonium) is the Outer plane
In the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'', an Outer Plane is one of a number of general types of planes of existence. They can also be referred to as ''godly planes'', ''spiritual planes'' or ''divine planes''. The Outer Planes are ...
where Chaotic Evil and Chaotic Neutral petitioners are sent after death. Pandemonium is a large, complex cavern that never ends. Compounding this problem, howling winds drive most of its residents mad. There are few creatures that are native to this plane; those individuals who do live there usually have no choice in the matter.
Ysgard
Ysgard is the Outer Plane of Chaotic Neutral / Chaotic Good
In the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game, alignment is a categorization of the ethical and moral perspective of player characters, non-player characters, and creatures.
Most versions of the game feature a system in w ...
alignment
Alignment may refer to:
Archaeology
* Alignment (archaeology), a co-linear arrangement of features or structures with external landmarks
* Stone alignment, a linear arrangement of upright, parallel megalithic standing stones
Biology
* Structu ...
. It is also called ''Asgard
In Nordic mythology, Asgard (Old Norse: ''Ásgarðr'' ; "enclosure of the Æsir") is a location associated with the gods. It appears in a multitude of Old Norse sagas and mythological texts. It is described as the fortified home of the Æsir ...
'', '' Gladsheim'' or ''The Heroic Domains''.
Reception
'' Backstab'' magazine reviewer Lord Winfield characterized the Outer Planes as the place where most of the major powers of the setting are found, and that part of Planescape which has the most potential for exploration by the player characters.
Citations
General references
*
*
* Cook, David. ''Player's Handbook
The ''Player's Handbook'' (spelled ''Players Handbook'' in first edition ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' (''AD&D'')) is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D''). It does not contain the complete set of ru ...
'' (TSR, 1989).
* Grubb, Jeff. ''Manual of the Planes
The ''Manual of the Planes'' (abbreviated MoP) is a manual for the ''Dungeons and Dragons'' role-playing game. This text addresses the planar cosmology of the game universe.
The original book (for use with ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 1st Ed ...
'' ( TSR, 1987).
* Grubb, Jeff, David Noonan, and Bruce Cordell
Bruce Robert Cordell (born 1968) is an American author of roleplaying games and fantasy novels. He has worked on ''Dungeons & Dragons'' games for Wizards of the Coast. He won the Origins Award for ''Return to the Tomb of Horrors'' and has also wo ...
. ''Manual of the Planes
The ''Manual of the Planes'' (abbreviated MoP) is a manual for the ''Dungeons and Dragons'' role-playing game. This text addresses the planar cosmology of the game universe.
The original book (for use with ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' 1st Ed ...
'' (Wizards of the Coast
Wizards of the Coast LLC (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of games, primarily based on fantasy and List of science fiction themes, science fiction themes, and formerly an operator of retail stores for ga ...
, 2001).
* Redman, Rich, Skip Williams
Ralph Williams, almost always referred to as Skip Williams, is an American game designer. He is married to Penny Williams, who is also involved with the games industry. He was the co-creator of ''Dungeons & Dragons'' 3rd Edition and the longtime au ...
, and James Wyatt
James Wyatt (3 August 1746 – 4 September 1813) was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical and neo-Gothic styles. He was elected to the Royal Academy in 1785 and was its president from 1805 to 1806.
Early life
W ...
. ''Deities and Demigods
''Deities & Demigods'' (abbreviated ''DDG''), alternatively known as ''Legends & Lore'' (abbreviated ''L&L'' or ''LL''), is a reference book for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' fantasy role-playing game (D&D). The book provides descriptions and game ...
'' (Wizards of the Coast, 2002).
Further reading
*
{{D&D topics
Dungeons & Dragons locations
Fictional dimensions
Fictional elements introduced in 1977
Parallel universes in fiction
fr:Cosmologie standard de Donjons et Dragons#Plans extérieurs