Mouseferatu
Hero
The bard songs about which became the first Royal minstrel cycle.
D&D 5E MTOF: Elves are gender-swapping reincarnates and I am on board with it
The bard songs about which became the first Royal minstrel cycle.
Hussar
Legend
Very much. Cosmology is an integral part of any setting. It matters.
Hussar
Legend
I'm not saying we shouldn't have cosmologies. I'm saying that each setting should have a distinct cosmology that makes sense for that setting. When Dragonlance came out, there was very little detail about the cosmology. You basically had Krynn, some sort of very undefined heaven and the abyss. That was it. There was no Hell at all in Dragonlance. Which makes sense. If Takhisis is the big, evil goddess of everything evil, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to have Asmodeus sitting over there twirling his mustache. And, since planar travel isn't really a thing in DL, you don't need this extensive cosmology either. Where do Elementals come from if the PC casts Summon Elemental? Who cares? It comes from somewhere else. I don't need the Princes of Elemental Evil in Dragonlance.
Primeval Thule, which is the setting I'm using now, doesn't have a cosmology at all, really. Extraplanar creatures aren't actually extraplanar, they're what is termed Extraterrene. IOW, they're from other planets. Other realities might exist, but, again, it's outside the scope of the setting really, so, it's completely undefined. PT has a pretty strong "science fantasy" vibe, so, it makes sense that you don't have these extensive planar set-ups.
I'm actualy pretty disappointed with MToF, because they simply went with the lowest common denominator. Warmed over Planescape which is the same thing we've been getting for the past thirty years. Whoopee. In a way, I should be thankful I suppose. It does mean that yet again, I have zero interest in the planar stuff that WotC (or TSR) bangs out and it saves me the thirty bucks or so.
psychophipps
Explorer
I'm down for some of this also. Permission to come aboard, sir?
If I understand correctly, we agree on this much: anyone creating a setting could provide a map of the main territory on the Prime Material (or its closest equivalent or equivalents), and also a map, diagram or some other explanation of any other relevant planes in the setting. Plus a description of divinities, and how they relate to the setting. Plus something about afterlife.
The Gygaxian diagram applies to Oerth* and to Forgotten Realms*; it does not apply to Krynn*. *Correction welcome, from those who know FR better than I do.
A Homeric setting would place Zeus on Olympus, a literal physical mountain. (If I understand correctly, no human reached the peak of Mytikas until 1913.) When people die, they become ghosts in Hades, which mortals can reach by physical travel through an appropriate cave, without casting Plane Shift. AFAIK no sources from the time of Homer through the time of Virgil mention an astral plane, an etherial plane, or elemental planes. Travel to any exotic, magical locations involves physical travel, such as walking or sailing.
I'm not saying we shouldn't have cosmologies. I'm saying that each setting should have a distinct cosmology that makes sense for that setting. When Dragonlance came out, there was very little detail about the cosmology. You basically had Krynn, some sort of very undefined heaven and the abyss. That was it. There was no Hell at all in Dragonlance. Which makes sense. If Takhisis is the big, evil goddess of everything evil, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to have Asmodeus sitting over there twirling his mustache. And, since planar travel isn't really a thing in DL, you don't need this extensive cosmology either. Where do Elementals come from if the PC casts Summon Elemental? Who cares? It comes from somewhere else. I don't need the Princes of Elemental Evil in Dragonlance.
Primeval Thule, which is the setting I'm using now, doesn't have a cosmology at all, really. Extraplanar creatures aren't actually extraplanar, they're what is termed Extraterrene. IOW, they're from other planets. Other realities might exist, but, again, it's outside the scope of the setting really, so, it's completely undefined. PT has a pretty strong "science fantasy" vibe, so, it makes sense that you don't have these extensive planar set-ups.
I'm actualy pretty disappointed with MToF, because they simply went with the lowest common denominator. Warmed over Planescape which is the same thing we've been getting for the past thirty years. Whoopee. In a way, I should be thankful I suppose. It does mean that yet again, I have zero interest in the planar stuff that WotC (or TSR) bangs out and it saves me the thirty bucks or so.
The Forgotten Realms in 3e didn't use the planescape cosmology at all.
Chaosmancer
Legend
To talk about Elves and MToF's a little bit more, the gender fluidity is cool, but until a player asks about it I'm not going to worry too much. Most of the lore is something I won't use, cause I've been developing my own backstory for the elves (hunted by Fey and Correllon was literally "The First Star" just to give a small taste)
But one of the things that I liked the Serendipity of was that on May 20th (I know specifically because I was coming home from a friend's wedding) I had an insight into how to handle Elven Trancing, in that they have a "Memory Garden" and Trancing allows them to access their memories and manipulate them to some degree.
Then, here comes MToF, which says that Trancing elves access their memories and memories of past lives (and seems to imply they could access memories of future lives when they get old enough). I honestly love it and am also once more stunned how I always seem to encounter published versions of ideas I have within at least of month of having them.
I might even tweak the crescent moons in the pupils idea, instead of being a sign the elf is soon to die of old age I might have some sort of common sign of an elf trancing. Maybe even a moon that wanes over the elves life span
But one of the things that I liked the Serendipity of was that on May 20th (I know specifically because I was coming home from a friend's wedding) I had an insight into how to handle Elven Trancing, in that they have a "Memory Garden" and Trancing allows them to access their memories and manipulate them to some degree.
Then, here comes MToF, which says that Trancing elves access their memories and memories of past lives (and seems to imply they could access memories of future lives when they get old enough). I honestly love it and am also once more stunned how I always seem to encounter published versions of ideas I have within at least of month of having them.
I might even tweak the crescent moons in the pupils idea, instead of being a sign the elf is soon to die of old age I might have some sort of common sign of an elf trancing. Maybe even a moon that wanes over the elves life span
Eltab
Lord of the Hidden Layer
WotC had a chip put in your brain and is reading your thoughts, dude.
You gotta make them pay you the royalties!
