_All_ Planes should be The Far Realms

[Jawsh]

I have a problem with the existence of the Far Realms. I think the existence of this otherworldly planes kind of makes the regular planes seem sort of mundane. It's like Wizards was saying "What if we take the planes, which are super freaking awesome, and then we turn the dial up to Eleven!"

So there's the planes, include such mind-blowing experiences as the Abyss and the Elemental Chaos, and then there's the granddaddy of the planes, the Far Realms, really just more of the same, except the demons are more, well, demony.

The other thing about the planes that's always been strange, if you think about it, is that so many of the extraplanar entities are land-walkers. They pretty much look like humanoids. This made sense back when it was because the planes were a place of belief. But in 4E "belief" is less emphasized. Maybe the planes aren't places of belief.

I say, in 5E, all the planes should be watery, spacey realms. Make the angels, for one example, giant squid-like beings that may be benevolent, but utterly alien.

 

[TwinBahamut]

I have something of the opposite opinion...

No more Far Realms! Reduce the role of Lovecraft on the game! I know it has its fans, but sometimes I think the designers go a bit overboard with the stuff...

 

[Lord Mhoram]

I have something of the opposite opinion...

No more Far Realms! Reduce the role of Lovecraft on the game! I know it has its fans, but sometimes I think the designers go a bit overboard with the stuff...

I don't mind the Far Realms being there, and having things like Illithid (and a few others) coming from there... but leave it at that - optional stuff to make more, but have it just be a little flavor (the kind of place with wrong geometry, and that can drive you crazy).

Don't make it a big deal, but have it be there for those that like it.

 

[Dice4Hire]

I have something of the opposite opinion...

No more Far Realms! Reduce the role of Lovecraft on the game! I know it has its fans, but sometimes I think the designers go a bit overboard with the stuff...

I really agree. I did not like the Feywild book as it had way too much real-world literary influences. I was looking for something new.

 

[Shemeska]

I have a problem with the existence of the Far Realms. I think the existence of this otherworldly planes kind of makes the regular planes seem sort of mundane. It's like Wizards was saying "What if we take the planes, which are super freaking awesome, and then we turn the dial up to Eleven!"

They unfortunately tended to treat the Far Realms as some sort of realm of super evil rather than completely alien. The Far Realm existed in 2e and 3e as well, and IMO is probably best viewed as not part of the cosmology, but rather a glimpse into another cosmology/reality, and one which shares little to no parallels with that of the Great Wheel or of 4e's planes. And it's not the only instance of a different reality seeping into the normal D&D planes (the reality that spawned the 2e/3e Keepers, and a few other Planescape references).

Thing is, creatures from the far realms would view creatures from the Great Wheel intruding into their reality the same way people from the Wheel view wierd tentacled things from there. Intruding from one reality to the other is likely painful and maddening. But it doesn't make them evil, or super evil. At least in 3e there were instances of non-evil things from the Far Realms, including one that intentionally tried to keep the two apart because it thought that the reality of the Great Wheel would damage its own reality, and viceversa.

 

[Greg K]

I have something of the opposite opinion...

No more Far Realms! Reduce the role of Lovecraft on the game! I know it has its fans, but sometimes I think the designers go a bit overboard with the stuff...

I agree. I think it should should be a module and not part of the default as in 4e. I prefer to make aberrations as one shot monsters either created by crazy magicians or mutations of magical energy.