Planescape Manual of the Planes for 5e on DMSGuild

New on the DMSGuild is the Manual of the Planes for 5th edition. The cover is stunning.

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It's over 300 pages and the credits page includes folks from The Draconomicon, The Dragonlance Companion, Tasha's Crucible of Everything Else, Planescape: Metropolis, The Honkonomicon and Planewalker.com

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I love the special thanks.

This project was made possible by Roll20. Thank you for unlocking new horizons for the latest generation of planewalkers, bashers, berks, and touts. We’d also like to thank the giants on whose shoulders we stand when writing this book: Justice Ramin Arman, Richard Baker, Wolfgang Baur, David “Zeb” Cook, Bruce R. Cordell, Jeff Grubb, David Noonan, F. Wesley Schneider, Rick Swan, and all others who helped create and cultivate Planescape and the planes.

I've just bought it and am reading it now.

Manual of the Planes (5e) - Dungeon Masters Guild | Dungeon Masters Guild

Manual of the Planes (5e) - From creators behind The Draconomicon, Tasha's Crucible of Everything Else, Planescape: Metropolis, The Honkonomic

www.dmsguild.com

Here is the table of contents.

 

[Baron Opal II]

A rare circumstance where you have me stumped - is this a thing in canon?

Sort of- It was in the High Level Extraplanar Campaign for the Living City Campaign. It's in the "canon", but the exposure is pretty low and I don't know how much of the lore was incorporated. I wrote the story bible, 12 chapter synopsis, and the first three adventures. The main lore I think that TSR was interested in was my expansion of the hassitoriums.

 

[afroakuma]

Sort of- It was in the High Level Extraplanar Campaign for the Living City Campaign. It's in the "canon", but the exposure is pretty low and I don't know how much of the lore was incorporated. I wrote the story bible, 12 chapter synopsis, and the first three adventures. The main lore I think that TSR was interested in was my expansion of the hassitoriums.

Ahhh that would do it, the Living campaign modules are just about the only thing I do not have reliable access to. Their canonicity is also a struggle due to licensing issues, if I recall. If you still have any of your material I would love to see it.

 

[Baron Opal II]

Ahhh that would do it, the Living campaign modules are just about the only thing I do not have reliable access to. Their canonicity is also a struggle due to licensing issues, if I recall. If you still have any of your material I would love to see it.

I'll see what I can dig up. Interesting about licensing, all the adventures were work for hire so I wouldn't think that would be complicated. But, I am not wise nor learned enough to understand such arcane mysteries.

 

[Shardstone]

I'm still only part-way through, but I can safely say I recommend this title. Even as jaded and experienced as I am with the original material, I'm finding myself compelled to read more and having some fresh thoughts out of this.

How are the adventure hooks?

 

[Shardstone]

I know what I want in a product, that is a kind of bias yes, one I'm okay with.

But it's not an anti WotC bias, because NOTHING external stops WotC from putting out products of this quality, they consciously choose not to. E: RftLW and EGtW were great, VRGtR was a mixed bag, with GMGtR and MOoT being mostly great.

I loved the Waterdeep products and BG: DiA (except nor having an alternate fuel source to soul coins).

I'm also mostly very happy with the 5.5e playtest, some quibbles, but majority happy.

But S: CoC, Spelljammer, and to a much lesser extent were disasters.

So no I don't have an anti WotC bias.

I just have certain expectations.

I agree with all this, but Bigby's was also pretty good and I loved Fizban's. It's the adventures and settings WotC tends to drop the ball on, not really their lore expansion and game expansion content (though they do sometimes there too).

 

[Incenjucar]

How are the adventure hooks?

Pretty decent! They're all pretty brief, about 100 words long each, with 4-5 entries per plane, or fewer but larger ones. Nice and dense and clear, not terribly goofy, with a great variety.

I happened to be reading one just now that caught my eye about a legend of a massive gynosphinx in the plane of air whose voice alone causes psychic damage but whose every feather bears the inscription of a different spell. Could easily be a foe, an ally, a giant statue or golem, a location, etc. based on the description, while still outlining a clear danger and a clear opportunity.

 

[TravDoc42]

What are the monsters like? The ethergaunts have me intrigued

 

[dave2008]

@afroakuma , I just wanted to let you know that both Planescape: Metropolis and The Planescape Archive are both newly available PoD and both have sold less than your book (copper & silver metals). So there might be away around the required sales number to release as PoD? Might be worth reaching out to the guild. Just a heads up

 

[afroakuma]

@afroakuma , I just wanted to let you know that both Planescape: Metropolis and The Planescape Archive are both newly available PoD and both have sold less than your book (copper & silver metals). So there might be away around the required sales number to release as PoD? Might be worth reaching out to the guild. Just a heads up

View attachment 328454

Well darn! Thank you for the heads-up! I will let the project lead know and see if there's a way for us to pursue similar sneakiness. I suspect our PoD timeline will be a bit longer regardless for some... ahem... positive reasons I cannot get into...

Anyone able to give feedback to @TravDoc42 on the monsters? I would, but I have a conflict of interest...

 

[afroakuma]

@afroakuma , I just wanted to let you know that both Planescape: Metropolis and The Planescape Archive are both newly available PoD and both have sold less than your book (copper & silver metals). So there might be away around the required sales number to release as PoD? Might be worth reaching out to the guild. Just a heads up

View attachment 328454

So update on this - it seems the two main ways to get to POD are either arranging permission prior to publication (which was done with Planescape: Metropolis) or hitting the sales target. The project lead for our book and Planescape: Metropolis are actually the same person, so he was able to address this directly with me. For the reasons mentioned above, we're comfortable looking at early 2024 for POD.