D&D (2024) DMG 2024: The Planes

[Reynard]

I was really hoping there would be an in depth video on the planes chapter the way there was on Greyhawk and Bastions. Unfortunately all we got was this:
So I still don't know who this is for and why it takes up so much space.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I do think there is a lot of perception bias around “OMG why is the DMG teaching new players [stuff I don’t like] instead of [stuff I like]!!!?

 

[Kobold Avenger]

The Feywild and Shadowfell are a lot more important in 5e (a trend that started in the edition before it). It makes sense they cover all of the planes, as options for places to go to at all levels.

 

[Hexmage-EN]

In the four 5E campaigns I've run, I've featured (planes featured in 2 or more sessions in bold):

Campaign 1: Feywild, Nine Hells (Dis, Stygia, Malbolge, Nessus), Plane of Water, Elemental Chaos
Campaign 2: Feywild, Shadowfell, Abyss (Thanatos)
Campaign 3: Feywild
Campaign 4: Astral Sea, Far Realm

 

[MonsterEnvy]

I view the planes as pretty key to D&D’s identity so I enjoy reading about the cosmology and such.

Like the planes connect multiple settings and have been around since 1e and are pretty unique to D&D and derivatives of it.

 

[dave2008]

I don't know if the planes need to be 40 pages in the DMG, but I enjoy reading about them so I am happy they are there. However, it could be in a separate book, Manual of the Planes style, too.

 

[Quickleaf]

One thing that legitimately surprised me about the 2024 DMG was the chapter on the Planes. It spends nearly 40 pages on the Planes -- a "setting" traditionally reserved for high level play that is also the part of the D&D "multiverse" most likely to be modified or ignored in D&D's own setting (Eberron, Dragonlance). By contrast, they spend less than 30 pages on Greyhawk and a whopping 3 pages on Dungeons. the discussion of all the myriad worlds of D&D is a single chart.

Why do you think they decided to invest so many pages in the Planes? Does it signal a near term focus on the Planes for adventures and supplements? Will we be seeing more Planescape products or a big planar adventure? Is that something you would like to see? For that matter, are you happy with the large investment of pages on the Planes in the 2024 DMG?

While I don't mind planar information being present in the DMG, or even taking up a decent chunk of real estate, I am less enthused at how little space was given to dungeons and dungeon adventures (and sandbox campaigns, as i mentioned in another thread). I don't think planar adventures are common, and I think it is effectively wasted space for a lot of groups.

But what are your thought?

Cross brand licensing.

 

[DrJawaPhD]

Do people use the Planes regularly in their campaigns? My experience and what I see online says "no, not really." That is why I am wondering if more planar focused content is coming.

Every campaign I've ever played in had trips at some point to multiple planes other than the Prime Material Plane. Past maybe level 10 or so, what can you even do that is challenging? Either the players visit other planes, or denizens of other planes start visiting the players. Either way, I don't see how you can train new dungeon masters without at least an overview of the planes. It obviously makes sense in the DMG, I don't understand how anyone would think otherwise

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I don't know if the planes need to be 40 pages in the DMG, but I enjoy reading about them so I am happy they are there. However, it could be in a separate book, Manual of the Planes style, too.

My personal interpretation is that it is in the DMG because they have no plans to produce a Manual of the Planes over the course of this edition. The same reason Greyhawk is in the DMG.

 

[Reynard]

. Either way, I don't see how you can train new dungeon masters without at least an overview of the planes. It obviously makes sense in the DMG, I don't understand how anyone would think otherwise

How can you "train" new dungeon masters without talking extensively about dungeons and hexploration -- two things that are significantly more common than planar adventures.