D&D 5E How many different cosmologies has D&D had over the years?

[Elderbrain]

D&D has used a number of different cosmologies (planar layouts) over the years. Just off the top of my
head, I'm aware of the Mystaran cosmology, the Great Wheel (with variants*), The Great Tree of 3e Forgotten Realms, and the Eberron cosmology. Were there any others? Also, what was the first reference to other planes of existence in a D&D product?

* For instance, the additions (and a few changes) to the lore in the 2e Planescape material, the elevation of the Plane of Shadow from a demi-plane to a full-fledged transitive plane in 3e, moving it to co-exist with the Prime, reducing the number of elemental planes in 3e, then in 5e incorporating 4e Shadowfell and Feywild and moving the Energy planes from the Inner planes to the Outer.

 

[Azzy]

D&D has used a number of different cosmologies (planar layouts) over the years. Just off the top of my
head, I'm aware of the Mystaran cosmology, the Great Wheel (with variants*), The Great Tree of 3e Forgotten Realms, and the Eberron cosmology. Were there any others?

There was 4e's World Axis, and 3e's Manual of the Planes had, I think, a couple alternate takes.

Also, what was the first reference to other planes of existence in a D&D product?[/QUOTE]

There's references to "higher" or "other" planes, and the astral plane in the original booklets. Very non-specific, and I didn't (in skimming the text) find anything substantive. I think the Monster Manual (with references to the Abyss, Nine Hells, etc.), and the PHB (with its proto-Great Wheel) are where it goes from something nebulous to the budding of a cosmology.

 

[Shiroiken]

Contact Higher Plane was a spell in Men & Magic, the first rule book for OD&D. I didn't mention any specific planes, but mentioned that they exist. Eldritch Wizardry, 3rd OD&D Supplement, mentions the Astral Plane, which was the first named Plane I could find.

 

[steeldragons]

D&D has had exactly one (1) cosmology, the original Great Wheel.

Every version of every plane, every universe, every possible different "world" is contained therein.

 

[Demetrios1453]

The Great Tree of 3e Forgotten Realms

Which was widely disliked by FR fans at the time, as it contradicted every bit of planar lore for the setting that had been written before (without any explanation, which would have coated the pill to a good degree had a plausible one had been given), as the setting had been on the Great Wheel standard since its introduction. I wasn't the only one at the time who rationalized it in a Planescape type way as clueless Primes getting things all scrambled up. This was helped by the fact that a good number of the Great Tree planes were simply flat-out copies of their Great Wheel counterparts (or sections of said counterparts) and the remainder could be explained away by portal connections and/or the above-stated Prime confusion...

 

[Tony Vargas]

There was the original 'Multiverse' cosmology, with the infinite parallels of the Prime Material and the Elemental Planes, all connected by the Ethereal as the Inner Planes, and the alignment-based Planes of the Gods - and Demons, Devils &c - connected by the Astral as the Outer.

In 2e/Planescape it was elaborated on a bit - and bowdlerized a bit - but was basically the same.

Likewise, in 3e, the same basic model was brushed up, filled out, and also allowed more of it's original punch.

4e went off the rails and ran down sacred cows with the entirely-different (well, kinda different) World Axis. Which, like Planescape, was arguably derivative of the cosmology of WWGS 'oWoD' setting, itself highly derivative of theosophy - like so many pop-culture visions of the supernatural.

5e went back on the rails and returns to something approximating - but not quite as lame - as the Planescape version.


(Why, yes, I didn't like Planecape, at all...
How could you tell?)
;P

 

[cbwjm]

Dragonlance had their own planar set up which wasn't expanded on much and was later merged into the great wheel of planescape (turns out the inhabitants of Krynn had been mistakenly calling the 9 hells the abyss).

 

[Parmandur]

Which was widely disliked by FR fans at the time, as it contradicted every bit of planar lore for the setting that had been written before (without any explanation, which would have coated the pill to a good degree had a plausible one had been given), as the setting had been on the Great Wheel standard since its introduction. I wasn't the only one at the time who rationalized it in a Planescape type way as clueless Primes getting things all scrambled up. This was helped by the fact that a good number of the Great Tree planes were simply flat-out copies of their Great Wheel counterparts (or sections of said counterparts) and the remainder could be explained away by portal connections and/or the above-stated Prime confusion...

I believe the 5E DMG even nods to this by stating that the Great Wheel has been vizualized many ways that they list, including a world tree, and nobody knows which picture, if any, is accurate.

 

[Parmandur]

There was 4e's World Axis, and 3e's Manual of the Planes had, I think, a couple alternate takes.

Also, what was the first reference to other planes of existence in a D&D product?

There's references to "higher" or "other" planes, and the astral plane in the original booklets. Very non-specific, and I didn't (in skimming the text) find anything substantive. I think the Monster Manual (with references to the Abyss, Nine Hells, etc.), and the PHB (with its proto-Great Wheel) are where it goes from something nebulous to the budding of a cosmology.[/QUOTE]
3.5 Eberron has it's own cosmology, and 3E Deities & Demigods gives each fleshed out pantheon their own cosmology for a complete Norse or Hellenic themed game experience.

3E was big on options, and the uniqueness of different gameworlds.

 

[Zardnaar]

Athas originally had its own cosmology as well as its planes were different from the great wheel and you could not travel their easily.

Different cosmologies.

Athas
Mystara
Eberron
4E