Kythri, The Churning Chaos

[Patlin]

Does anyone have a good feeling for what this place is like?

I would think "Objective Directional Gravity" would be extremely dangerous, and would shape the lifestyle greatly of anyone living there. With gravity changing frequently and in an uncontrolled manner, architecture would need to be fairly closed in (and perhaps padded) to avoid constant injury from unexpected falls.

I'd tend to think natives of Kythri would seem Agoraphobic to those they met while travelling the planes.

Anyone else have thoughts on what the place would be like?

[Patlin]

Of course, one alternative is that the architecture somehow stabilizes gravity. Or perhaps only *some* of the architecture...

[Drerek]

I would say that those with strong willpower, or the willpower of a group of people could be used to stabalize a localized area.

[Patlin]

By architecture, I was thinking enchanted architecture. If willpower alone was enough, there would be no difference between objective and subjective gravity. Subjective gravity is anoying, as I'm discovering in an LEW game I'm DMing, but objective gravity that fluctuates frequently and at random sounds really deadly to me.

[Someone]

That sounds like being inside a giant maraca.

I'm picturing an space filled with ropes or similar, like if gigantic spider webs filled it. Inhabitants of the building would attach themselves to the ropes and be safe from damage, though the changes in gravity should make any outsider trying to live in them sick very soon, depending on the fequency and speed of the gravity change.

[Patlin]

Of course, in order for gravity changes to be meaningfull they'd either have to vary from location to location (result: things bash into each other as they fall at different angles) or there would have to be fixed objects. Otherwise, everything would be in freefall, which is functionally equivalent to no gravity, though possibly with more wind. The former sounds more like "the churning chaos" to me than the latter, so I'd tend to stick with that.

Maybe your house tends to fall in the same direction you are, giving you freefall relative to the structure, but you're at constant risk of another guy's house falling into yours and being tossed around... again, like a giant Maraca. The houses would need to be built solidly to withstand such collisions. They might also be enchanted to *deflect* potential collisions.

Or possibly only the biggest, most durable chunks of matter are inhabitted, and their sheer size protects those living in tunnels deep inside.

This plane is a real puzzle for me to picture accurately.

[Patlin]

Here's what I suggest be true about Kithri:

1. Gravity changes frequently, and is objective in nature. (Per the ECS)
2. Gravity varies from area to area, so not everything is falling in the same direction at the same time.
3. People falling within a building or clump of matter will fall at the same rate as the building they are in, and therefore would normally be in freefall... until a collision occurs, as happens fairly often, see number 2.
4. Many houses are filled with ropes and other such mundane devices to limit the distance an inhabitant can fall, in case of collision.
5. Major buildings, such as Githzerai monasteries, are enchanted to direct the speed and direction in which they fall, causing the same end of the building to be "down" regardless of the direction of gravity. When gravity changes, those inside the building are caught in freefall as the building swings to put the floor "downward." Then the building slows its fall, causing those inside to sink to the floor, allowing them to experience a low degree of gravity relative to the building.
6. The most major buildings, such as several of the most significant Githzerai monasteries, have an inertial armor like field about them which reduces the severity of (but cannot eliminate) the occasional collisions with other solid objects.

Any objections to this?

[Solange]

Does gravity changing have to be simply direction? Maybe it varies in force instead? So things are very light sometimes, and extremely heavy others?

Otherwise, people might fall off the world completely due to a change in gravity, which makes no sense.

[Patlin]

Originally Posted by Solange

Does gravity changing have to be simply direction? Maybe it varies in force instead? So things are very light sometimes, and extremely heavy others?

Otherwise, people might fall off the world completely due to a change in gravity, which makes no sense.

There isn't a world to fall off of. It's more of a soup, with a mix of air, rocks, water, etc. The description of the planar traight makes it clear that it's the direction that changes, with the amount of gravity being constant in the usual degree.

[Solange]

Originally Posted by Patlin

There isn't a world to fall off of. It's more of a soup, with a mix of air, rocks, water, etc. The description of the planar traight makes it clear that it's the direction that changes, with the amount of gravity being constant in the usual degree.

I'll have to read more then

[stonegod]

Originally Posted by Patlin

I would think "Objective Directional Gravity" would be extremely dangerous, and would shape the lifestyle greatly of anyone living there. With gravity changing frequently and in an uncontrolled manner, architecture would need to be fairly closed in (and perhaps padded) to avoid constant injury from unexpected falls.

Actually, "Objective Directional Gravity" has an SRD definition:

Originally Posted by SRD

Objective Directional Gravity

The strength of gravity on a plane with this trait is the same as on the Material Plane, but the direction is not the traditional “down” toward the ground. It may be down toward any solid object, at an angle to the surface of the plane itself, or even upward.

In addition, objective directional gravity may change from place to place. The direction of “down” may vary.

Basically, there are preestablished solid bits in the plane that have their own gravity. Outside of there regions of influence, gravity is ill defined. These regions might change except where stabilized by magical means (i.e., gith strongholds).