What if the core setting of D&D was ALL the settings of D&D?

[Kinak]

You mean Spelljammer?

I don't think having this as the core setting would work out, although you can always imply that they all exist in the same continuum and could in theory reach each other. Whether that's by spelljamming or planeswalking or the world tree doesn't matter too much.

That said, I do appreciate the idea of having an Campaign Setting equivalent to the Manual of the Planes. An elevator pitch description followed by a few pages of material is about all I want most of the time anyway, although having wikis for everything has helped that.

Cheers!
Kinak

 

[Stormonu]

There is only one Material Plane (The Prime) in Planescape.

That is not correct. There are a multitude of Prime Material Planes, each with their own Ethereal planes that are accessible via color pools from the Astral Plane. Or by accessing their crystal sphere via the phologiston via Spelljammer.

TSR was very kitchen sink in making sure all their fantasy worlds were interconnected in case you wanted to jump between products, yet seperated them enough so that DMs who didn't want campaign hopping to occur could control it.

As for the overall idea of interconnecting the various Primes as the OP mentioned, I'm not interested in creating that sort of connection, but it sure lends itself to a nice cult story/plot to work with.

P.S: Planescape makes mention that the Clueless tend to refer to their home plane as "The" Prime Plane and all others as "Alternate", but as any cutter knows, they're all Primes or Alternates, depending on whether your a half-full or half-empty kind of person.

 

[the Jester]

Disappointing, but probably true.

Err... why is this disappointing?

Not every setting is to everyone's taste, and there's nothing wrong with that. Some of us don't like Spelljammer's wackiness; others don't like Forgotten Realms' level of definition. The whole reason there are tons of settings is because tastes differ.

That wasn't my question. I was referring to the names themselves. The portmanteaus of appropriately spooky words.

Well, if you're going to use a word with a lot of history, I think it's pretty likely that you're going to be setting peoples' expectations. When Ravenloft has represented Gothic horror since 1986 (or whenever I6 came out), why would we change it now?

 

[Brock Landers]

That is not correct.

No, you are wrong, in Planescape there is only one Material Plane with Crystal Spheres (containing campaign settings) floating within in it, the map in the boxed set even illustrates it.

 

[DMZ2112]

Hello, Second Edition.

You mean Spelljammer?

No I don't-

That isn't-

::deep, even breaths::

Did either of you even read the post?

Who are WotC to define what my heavens and hells and whatnot must be? Who are they to tell me that I have to connect to other worlds?

Who cares? This isn't their idea. I do not work for them.

To your example, it's a cool idea, but it's not something I want to be forced to accommodate. I want my city to be my city for me and my group, not just some knock-off version of Neverwinter (or whatever).

Just once, I'd like to have a conversation about the D&D setting that doesn't devolve into, "Not in my homebrew you don't!" How could I possibly have any control over what you do at your table?

How about giving me some reasons /why/ this concept is limiting in the way you state rather than just telling me you won't use it? The latter teaches me nothing.

That is not correct. There are a multitude of Prime Material Planes, each with their own Ethereal planes that are accessible via color pools from the Astral Plane. Or by accessing their crystal sphere via the phologiston via Spelljammer.

While you are correct in that Planescape touches on the idea of multiple, alternate Material Planes, Brock is right that Material Planes are not encased in individual crystal spheres. If you're playing with both Planescape and Spelljammer rules, most of any Material Plane is phlogiston, and Krynn and Athas exist on the same Material Plane, just separated by two expanses of wildspace, two crystal spheres, and a big swath of phlogiston.

Again, that's the /official/ line. I'm not telling you or anyone else how to run your game, not that I could if I wanted to.

 

[Brock Landers]

No I don't-

That isn't-

::deep, even breaths::

Did either of you even read the post?



Who cares? This isn't their idea. I do not work for them.



Just once, I'd like to have a conversation about the D&D setting that doesn't devolve into, "Not in my homebrew you don't!" How could I possibly have any control over what you do at your table?

How about giving me some reasons /why/ this concept is limiting in the way you state rather than just telling me you won't use it? The latter teaches me nothing.



While you are correct in that Planescape touches on the idea of multiple, alternate Material Planes,

Where?

 

[Shemeska]

That is not correct. There are a multitude of Prime Material Planes, each with their own Ethereal planes that are accessible via color pools from the Astral Plane. Or by accessing their crystal sphere via the phologiston via Spelljammer.

There was only one Prime Material Plane in 2e. (In 3e the terminology used is all over the place and seems to totally depend on the author if they mean to refer to 'alternate material planes' as actual planes or just different planets or Spelljammer'esque spheres).

In Planescape each world on the prime had its own so-called Wall of Color and border Ethereal, but there was a common deep ethereal. Some worlds like Athas were largely sealed off from most methods of access, but there was still only a common Prime.

There were other realities alluded to in various places, existing like bubbles floating atop the Deep Ethereal (with the Great Wheel being one such bubble). The Far Realm, the nameless reality the Keepers came from, and others being named in such capacity in 2e and 3e. Personally I could see treating the 4e PoL world and cosmology as another such bubble within a larger multiverse structure, allowing play between it and the Great Wheel cosmology without making a total hash of planar continuity with 4e's discontinuity with previous material.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

It's not Fantasy Gothic Europe only, you have all sorts of culturally diverse domains (and campaign setting related): Har Akir (Egyptian), Rokushima (Japanese), Kalidnay (Dark Sun), the Indian one (Rakshasa Darklord), etc.

I'm well aware.

It's still stupid to swap out a fantasy version of the real world for the Plane of Shadow, which offers an entirely different (and very gameable) setting than "hey, you know the sort of setting you normally play in? Here's one that's slightly creepier."

(I say this as a fan of Ravenloft.)

 

[Shemeska]

I'm well aware.

It's still stupid to swap out a fantasy version of the real world for the Plane of Shadow, which offers an entirely different (and very gameable) setting than "hey, you know the sort of setting you normally play in? Here's one that's slightly creepier."

(I say this as a fan of Ravenloft.)

I have to agree that it's a poor idea. It overly defines what Ravenloft is and isn't, and the Demiplane of Dream just doesn't encompass the same thematic ground as the Plane of Shadow. I don't think the idea would cross anyone's mind as appropriate IMO except for the fact that 4e shoehorned parts of Ravenloft into the Shadowfell (wasn't a good idea then, remains a poor idea now).

If they inexplicably keep this idea in mind and run with it in 5e, I'll feel bad for Ravenloft fans.

 

[Lily of the Valley]

What if the core setting of Dungeons & Dragons was ALL the settings of Dungeons & Dragons?


One of the more interesting announcements Mike Mearls has made about the cosmology of D&D5 is that the Shadowfell is being replaced wholesale by Ravenloft. Now, Ravenloft has always been an extraplanar setting, although that fact has little to do with campaigns set there. But what if that same idea were applied to, say, Abeir-Toril? What if the Forgotten Realms were not just another prime material world, but were a part of the D&D5 cosmology, with a purpose, embodying a core aspect of the D&D universe?


What if /all/ the official D&D settings, instead of simply being slightly different elf-infested rocks in space with little to no relation to one another, were cardinal points in the greater D&D cosmology, in the same way as the Great Wheel or Elemental Chaos?


What if Abeir-Toril’s Spellweave is the original form of magic, that has now spread out to other worlds? What if Krynn is actually the homeworld of all dragonkind? What if Oerth, home of the original Underdark, is the source of whatever dark impetus fills the worlds of D&D with dungeons, and Mystara engenders that fatal curiosity in their inhabitants that brings adventurers to explore those depths?


What if all conflict in D&D is a reflection of the harsh conditions on Athas, or every technological advancement on a D&D world is subtly inspired by the mere existence of Eberron, or every epic saga ever told is echoed by the world-shaking events on Aebrynis?


What if each of our homebrew worlds exists on a sort of seven-axis coordinate grid, that defines its essence by its metaphysical proximity to these cardinal worlds? I find this train of thought compelling.

My first post!

I like the idea of a unified prime material planes/core setting. I am not sure I like what you propose though.

Just my two coopers.

Cheers!