Dragon 370 - Design & Development: Cosmology

[Giltonio_Santos]

"The Elemental Planes were unusable"

Yes. Sure. But they used to be sources of primal energy, the place where elementals come. Should every plane be a dungeon to explore? Sorry, this is a very poor idea.

"Infinite planes stagger the imagination"

It seems your imagination is kinda short. Infinite or not infinite, what difference does it make? If you walk from A to B does it matters if the plane is infinite or not? Infinite means less maps, enforcing creative ways to travelling... finite is like "let's map the place, explore, kill the boss and take the loot".

"Good planes were boring"

Probably, but they were there for a reason: background. Again you want every place to be a dungeon?

This. Exactly.

 

[Elphilm]

I don't like a design approach that tries to overhomogenize, shoehorn or retcon settings. This has been recurring throughout the editions of D&D, but often in different guises.

Precisely my thoughts.

 

[Drkfathr1]

Why even have different settings if they're all going to have the same cosmology? Now every setting can just be a different continent or region of the same world.

I really don't see how you can retcon the cosmology of Athas or Krynn into this new model and not completely change what those settings are.

Like I said, why even do different settings at this point if they want to make it all the "same"?

 

[Aeolius]

Clearly Rich has never experienced the awesomeness of Bobbin Threadbare and the Loom.

I always thought a D&D bard based on Loom would be interesting.

As for 4e's cosmology... meh... I miss the ethereal plane.

 

[Tarril Wolfeye]

I really don't see how you can retcon the cosmology of Athas or Krynn into this new model and not completely change what those settings are.

Athas is easy. An almost empty Astral Sea and 'Divine' Power coming from Primordials. There's a strong elemental theme to clerics on Athas and if I remember correctly Templars got their spells because the Sorcerer Kings tapped some Elemental-Vortex thingy.

 

[Grazzt]

"The Elemental Planes were unusable"

Yes. Sure. But they used to be sources of primal energy, the place where elementals come. Should every plane be a dungeon to explore? Sorry, this is a very poor idea.

Agree with ya

"Infinite planes stagger the imagination"

It seems your imagination is kinda short. Infinite or not infinite, what difference does it make? If you walk from A to B does it matters if the plane is infinite or not? Infinite means less maps, enforcing creative ways to travelling... finite is like "let's map the place, explore, kill the boss and take the loot".

Agree with ya here too. All the way back to 1e, I or my players never really gave much thought to whether the plane was infinite or not. Who cares. If they traveled there, their goal was to get from A to B. So- as KM said originally, pointless change.

"Good planes were boring"

Probably, but they were there for a reason: background. Again you want every place to be a dungeon?

Every place has to be a "dungeon" it seems. I never found the Good-aligned planes boring; neither did my players (1e, 2e, 3.x). Maybe we're in the minority here, who knows.

 

[thundershot]

I could personally care less... I have my own world, and my own gods (I use a modified version of the PHB/DMG gods). I use the planes how they are out of the book.

The one thing that I'm still wondering (and it's for future reference if it ever comes to be) is can characters still use the planes to travel to other worlds like in Planescape and Spelljammer (since we've got them combined now)? If they ever do a new Dark Sun setting, I'd love for my characters, at higher levels, be able to go there so I can have some adventures in a harsh setting like that.



Chris

 

[Nikosandros]

Every place has to be a "dungeon" it seems. I never found the Good-aligned planes boring; neither did my players (1e, 2e, 3.x).

Neither did I nor my group... we liked the good planes and even, gasp!, the elemental planes.

 

[Lacyon]

I never found the Good-aligned planes boring; neither did my players (1e, 2e, 3.x). Maybe we're in the minority here, who knows.

Players in my group never found the Good-aligned planes at all.

 

[vagabundo]

Players in my group never found the Good-aligned planes at all.

My players never found the planes at all.