4e cosmology and old settings

[Aloïsius]

Just read this article from D&D insider : Manual of the Planes Excerpts: The Shadowfell

Domains of dread... Sounds a lot like Ravenloft, don't you think ?

That and the few pieces of info we have about the astral sea makes me think the following :

Astral sea = spelljammer + planescape (I know the new Sigil is in a demi-plane, but that's a detail)
Shadowfell = Ravenloft. Maybe we should rename/retrofit the Shadar-Kai for something more... gipsy.

Now, this leaves the feywild and elemental chaos... I guess elemental chaos/abyss can be included in a 4e planescape. But the feywild offers a completely different flavor and I don't see any setting of old that could be put in it.


Meanwhile, Darksun/Mystara/Dragonlancece/Greyhawk (...) don't seem to mesh with something else than a prime material plane.

So, what could we guess for the next settings (after Eberron) ? I guess it won't be ravenloft nor planescape/spelljammer, because they are somewhat covered with manual of the planes. So we can hope for Dark Sun...

 

[I'm A Banana]

My guess is that they're going to do Dark Sun when they put out the psionics rules, in that same year. So you'll have the PHB3 that includes some psionic classes (and maybe some martial or divine classes that are especially DS-relevant, like templars), and then later that year you'll have a setting that makes express use of them.

 

[Drkfathr1]

Man, I really hope we don't have to wait that long for Psionics. I would think they'd want to do psionics fairly quickly since Eberron is going to be out next summer. Plus I really don't like the idea of waiting halfway through the edition cycle to get psionics!

I know not everyone uses it, and a fair number don't like psionics at all, but its always been a significant part of my homebrew world.

I don't have a problem with Ravenloft being part of the Shadowfell now, it seems to fit really well, but I HATE the idea of turning Spelljammer into Astraljammer/Planescape.

I wish Spelljammer was more steampunk and stayed in fantasy space.

I guess Darksun could be made part of the Elemental Chaos. A stable region that's interdicted from the rest of the chaos. Might work considering there are no gods for Athas, and its cosmology was always very different from the standard.

 

[I'm A Banana]

Man, I really hope we don't have to wait that long for Psionics. I would think they'd want to do psionics fairly quickly since Eberron is going to be out next summer. Plus I really don't like the idea of waiting halfway through the edition cycle to get psionics!

Well, they're already not in the PHB2, and I'm sure the "one class per campaign setting" seems like a better idea that fitting all the psionic classes into the DS player's guide...besides, at the moment, they might be optimistic about the longevity of 4e.

 

[Drkfathr1]

I'm hoping we'll get more than 1 "player's handbook" per year. Since PH2 is out in March, maybe PH3 could come out in the Fall...

 

[Aloïsius]

I guess Darksun could be made part of the Elemental Chaos. A stable region that's interdicted from the rest of the chaos. Might work considering there are no gods for Athas, and its cosmology was always very different from the standard.

It's a possibility... The "burning" aspect of the setting could allow this, and it would be outside the reach of the Gods... But psionic don't seems to fit with an elemental setting, unless they twist a lot of thing.
Hmmm... do chained/slumbering primordials fit into Darksun ?

Could be fun, but I think dark Sun, like Eberron, will have its own cosmology.

 

[Shroomy]

It's a possibility... The "burning" aspect of the setting could allow this, and it would be outside the reach of the Gods... But psionic don't seems to fit with an elemental setting, unless they twist a lot of thing.
Hmmm... do chained/slumbering primordials fit into Darksun ?

Could be fun, but I think dark Sun, like Eberron, will have its own cosmology.

I think that all of the published campaign settings will ultimately conform to the 4e default cosmology with the exception of the Astral Dominions (everyone gets an Astral Sea, Elemental Chaos/Abyss, Feywild, and Shadowfell). The dominions will change based on the campaign setting.

 

[Zsig]

Man, I really hope we don't have to wait that long for Psionics. I would think they'd want to do psionics fairly quickly since Eberron is going to be out next summer. Plus I really don't like the idea of waiting halfway through the edition cycle to get psionics!

I'm very confident that they'll start presenting Psionics next July or so through Dragon Magazine Playtest articles. By now, their hands are probably itching to show us or tell us some stuff about Psionics. And besides, when you look back at when they showed us the playtest for the Artificer...


I'd also want to see Dark Sun as the 2010's setting.

 

[El Mahdi]

I don't have a problem with Ravenloft being part of the Shadowfell now, it seems to fit really well, but I HATE the idea of turning Spelljammer into Astraljammer/Planescape.

I wish Spelljammer was more steampunk and stayed in fantasy space.

I'm with you on this one. I really don't see how to incorporate the Phlogiston with this concept. I always envisioned Spelljammer as: Crystal Spheres are fantasy versions of Dyson Spheres floating throughout a plasma nebula (the Phlogiston - from the Greek for Fire). Currents through the nebula carry you from crystal sphere to crystal sphere.

 

[TheWyrd]

It seems unlikely that they're going to even attempt to integrate the phlogiston into the 'new' spelljammer. Just replace 'Phlogiston' and 'Wildspace' and replace them with the Astral Sea.

This picture from 'Worlds and Monsters' says it all: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/WorldsMonsters_Gallery/111927.jpg