using the planes


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grodog

Hero
The quality of the DLoM d20 book (average) certainly doesn't reflect accurately on the inspirational quality of MM's planar materials and original conception of the multiverse.
 

pawsplay

Hero
If I were running a planar campaign based around in invasion, I would use the variant cosmology built around countably infinite planes, where there are effectively infinite material planes, and the so-called Outer Places were just more planes with different properties. Excise the direct relationship between the outsiders and the deities, make deities into powerful magic beings interested in mortals, rather than Krynn/Toril type deities who truly rule over their portfolios.

And make up your own invading force. An invasion of a new and strange threat works better if it's really new and strange.
 
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Mark Hope

Adventurer
I second pretty much all of what Grodog says - except that I did find Beyond Countless Doorways to be very useful. He's right, though, in that it's not hugely Moorcockian, more a collection of cool demiplanes. There is some neat MM-style stuff in there on planar paragons, akin to the Champions of Law/Chaos, though.

The Greenwood article is top-notch - highly recommended if you can track down a copy. There is an old adventure for the Stormbringer rpg called Rogue Mistress that features some more MM-inspired plane-hopping, which is pretty cool.

In addition to the writings that Grodog mentions, you might also want to see if you can get hold a copy of the Michael Moorcock's Multiverse graphic novel. It's pretty baroque in places, but has some great depictions of multiversal travel and conjunctions between different realities, and acts as a good companion to the Blood novel.

You could easily take some of the Planescape material and break it away from the Great Wheel cosmology and devise a more MM-style set of planes with that. The various planar towns and settlements, plus a bunch of the planar sites, can be ripped out and inserted into a MM cosmology without too much work.

The githyanki Incursion scenario is really good, but as pawsplay suggests, you might get better results if you customise things to your own designs and desires. You might also get some use out of Gygax' Hall of Many Panes - I've only skimmed my copy, though, so I'll let someone more knowledgeable chime in on that one if they are so inclined.
 

Eben

First Post
Thanks for all the ideas. If anyone has an idea of the issue number for that Dragon?

I don't want to use Dragon Lords, because I have a specific setting in mind for the first part of the adventure. Actually, I'm thinking about using Iron Heroes.

As to the specifics of the cosmology, I'm not sure I should be worried about that. Not too many of the heroes in the genre seem to be aware of it, beyond the fact that there are "other places" and that there are some funny ways of reaching them. So I think I'll design some planes myself and use a few from the D&D cosmology. I'll make my cosmology support the plot and not vice versa. It might be neat to launch some contradicting clues about the nature of the whole affair, to keep a sense of mystery for the players.

Peter
 

Mark Hope

Adventurer
Eben said:
Thanks for all the ideas. If anyone has an idea of the issue number for that Dragon?
The article (From the City of Brass to Dead Orc Pass) is in Dragon #37 (page 4).

I don't want to use Dragon Lords, because I have a specific setting in mind for the first part of the adventure. Actually, I'm thinking about using Iron Heroes.
Plus it's a pretty shoddy supplement from a rules perspective. Iron Heroes might be pretty cool. You might wanna tweak the magic system, though, if you want magic to play a larger part in your game.

As to the specifics of the cosmology, I'm not sure I should be worried about that. Not too many of the heroes in the genre seem to be aware of it, beyond the fact that there are "other places" and that there are some funny ways of reaching them. So I think I'll design some planes myself and use a few from the D&D cosmology. I'll make my cosmology support the plot and not vice versa. It might be neat to launch some contradicting clues about the nature of the whole affair, to keep a sense of mystery for the players.

Peter
Good idea. It should have an element of mystery to it - keeps it interesting.
 


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