D&D (2024) Check Out The New Map Of D&D's Planes!

Snapped from the Barbarian video.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

I mean, D&D as a brand isn't going to support multiple cosmologies...?

It supports two, the D&D 5e Unified cosmology (Unified Cosmology and the MtG cosmology through crossovers).

In fact calling 5e's cosmology never felt right to me when it including so many World Axis Cosmology elements, plus some new stuff, then later it absorded Eberrons Orrey and who knows what is next, Unified Cosmology is what I'm calling it from now on.

 

[Minigiant]

I think people definitively should. The Planes allow you to introduce situations and "meta" which would be awkward, especially for their power level, in the prime material most of the times.
If the designers bother to add special planar rules, it can also help forcing spellcasters to diversify due to the fact that something can work in this plane and not work in another.
By the way, you can also go to Acheron to avoid the main battles and be chased by creatures that want to fight you, only to reach a specific cube because there is something there you need. You can on the other hand try mass combat in the Prime.
High level characters could also end up getting "Fiefdoms" in the outer planes if you are willing to bend the fluff adapting it to your own will and taste.

But isn't that the problem?

The designers for 50 years push this cosmological set up, barely support it, and expect DMs and publishers to do the rest

And very few ever do

Whereas other official, unofficial, and historical set ups might be more useful for fans and profitable for WOTC?

 

[Henadic Theologian]

You dont need them at all, and things like Heaven, Hell, Hades, Elysium, etc? So firmly 'public domain' as to not matter in the minds of the vast vast vaaaaaaaaaaast majority of gamers.

That is why they have expanded trademarkable names folks almost never use in full. Olympic Glades of Arborea is trademarkable, but in practice folks call it Olympus, Arborea, or Arvandor depending on their POV.

Still with these names the old associations will never go away especially backed up wikis and old school fans, so trying to make the old gods disappear will false. Certain religious groups tried it and failed, 4e D&D team tried it and failed, the 1D&D team will fail too, I could tell when Zeus was the Empyrean's Dad without them saying that part outloud. Its just embarrassing and insulting to the intelligence of us Pagans, the half arsed attempt at erasure sucks.

 

[Kaiyanwang]

But isn't that the problem?

The designers for 50 years push this cosmological set up, barely support it, and expect DMs and publishers to do the rest

And very few ever do

Whereas other official, unofficial, and historical set ups might be more useful for fans and profitable for WOTC?

Is not "the" problem, I just said more planar rules would be cool.
And for sure, you solve this "problem" expanding the wheel, not removing elements from it until is "Prime, 2 similar planes, upper blob, lower blob".

 

[Scribe]

Still with these names the old associations will never go away especially backed up wikis and old school fans, so trying to make the old gods disappear will false. Certain religious groups tried it and failed, 4e D&D team tried it and failed, the 1D&D team will fail too, I could tell when Zeus was the Empyrean's Dad without them saying that part outloud. Its just embarrassing and insulting to the intelligence of us Pagans, the half arsed attempt at erasure sucks.

"75% of players dont know what a Planeswalker is." - Maro on MTG playerbase.

If you think the D&D playerbase is more invested, with a better grasp on the history of the game than that, in the year of our lord 2024?

Sorry man. "We" on this forum are not remotely close to an accurate sample of today's player base. The online scene, is likely not representative either.

For every one of us, there are likely 10 or 20 people hanging out with just a core set, messing around who never care to look deeper.

 

[Minigiant]

Is not "the" problem, I just said more planar rules would be cool.
And for sure, you solve this "problem" expanding the wheel, not removing elements from it until is "Prime, 2 similar planes, upper blob, lower blob".

Well that's what I'm saying

Either

1) Don't halfway support the Great Wheel and create more content and rules for it
Or
2) Focus on a cosmological setup that works with lackadaisical support

The problem is schedule of WOTC in 5e and the mentality pushed by the community won't allow for 1.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Do they not? Weren't they in the 2014 PHB? Was there some announcement that those pantheons would be cut from the 2024 core rules? And even if so, how does that make them somehow no longer in official D&D, when both sets of Core Rules are official 5e material? And beyond that, all past editions are official D&D, too.

For one thing, I did say, "no longer exist in official D&D"; of course older official D&D still exists.

And you don't officially announce you're removing something because you're afraid of the internet. You just do it and hope no one notices.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Okay let me put that another way, its so baked into the outer planes and more importantly to their trademarks that you'll never remove the Greek Mythology from it.

Sure, but if you don't use the names you pretend you've removed it. Optics are what they care about here.

 

[Henadic Theologian]

"75% of players dont know what a Planeswalker is." - Maro on MTG playerbase.

If you think the D&D playerbase is more invested, with a better grasp on the history of the game than that, in the year of our lord 2024?

Sorry man. "We" on this forum are not remotely close to an accurate sample of today's player base. The online scene, is likely not representative either.

For every one of us, there are likely 10 or 20 people hanging out with just a core set, messing around who never care to look deeper.

Our lord? He's not my Lord. I got lots of other Lords and Ladies.

Anyways MtG is a horrible choice to compare it too. MtG can't even sustain novel lines anymore or any kind of merch, it barely has any kind of cultural peneration at all, its lore even less so. D&D on the other hand, none D&D players on average know more about D&D lore then none Vorthos MtG players know about MtG lore. Its why MtG can't seem to market much of anything beyond the card game itself and playmats and artbooks, with a string of failed videos games and other merch attempts. Ironically the exception was the first 2 MtG D&D crossover books, the third did not do as well, the setting wasn't ripe yet. One of those MtG D&D setting books was able to ride the coat tails of the popularity of Greek Mythology.

Meanwhile the Forgotten Realms alone has a movie last year that had over $200 million in income (Chris Pine just said there is still a chance a sequel if the financing comes through), still has novels coming out, video games coming, D&D Appliances, etc...,

And beyond D&D Lore Greco-Roman Mythology is one of the most well known and loved Religious Mythologies in the world, folks that don't know D&D know Greek Mythology.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

This depiction is a boring one, I definitely like depiction by Rob "Lazz" Lazzaretti from the 2e's Planescape Campaign Setting the most, it's one of the things (along with Tony DiTerlizzi and Dana Knuston's art) sold me on the setting back in 1994 in the first place.