Abyss versus Far Realm

[Sadrik]

Scrap the far realm. I agree, it is redundant. As an option make the far realm just a "layer" of the abyss. The abyss is a warping of the basic elements and one of the most basic elements is reality. Can it.

 

[Cadfan]

Abyss= stuff you know about, twisted and horrific.
Far Realm= stuff you never even thought to imagine.

They also do different genres, which is useful.

 

[Umbran]

I'm not up on the "official" Far Realm, but going off the Lovecraftian roots...

The Abyss is the place of chaos and evil that means it. The Abyss is the chaos and evil of intent and desire. The things in the Abyss want to do evil - that's how they get their jollies.

The Far Realm, however doesn't give a hoot. It is the evil of apathy - the things in the Far Realm care about the harm they do about the same as you care about the harm you do to an anthill as you mow your lawn.

 

[Incenjucar]

I have to say there is an amazing amount of "chaos" in 4E.

Feywild, Elemental Chaos, Abyss, Far Realm...

The Prime worlds must all look like Mechanus to the rest of the universe.

 

[frankthedm]

The Prime worlds must all look like Mechanus to the rest of the universe.

Laws of reality and what not.

 

[Lord Zardoz]

Do you really think that's enough to distinguish the two from a player perspective, though?

Saying a bunch of stuff I basically agree with.

I do think it is enough to differentiate the two, though I suppose it is like the difference between 1st degree murder, and 2nd degree murder. In one case, someone wants to kill you for the sake of killing you. In the other case, someone ends up killing you as a byproduct of another act (literally depraved indifference). In either case, you are still dead though.

Thematically, I never did associate the Abyss with 'tentacle horrors' though.

Simple examples of how I differentiate between The Nine Hells, The Abyss, and The Far Realm.

The Nine Hells: Obey and Worship me or I will destroy you and all you love.
The Abyss: Your life offends me. I shall end it.
The Far Realm: Your thinking gives me a headache. I am going to kill you to make my headache go away.

As I see it, the denizens from the Far Realm hate human life for the same reason you hate your neighbors yap dog. Or the cockroaches that run around your kitchen. If you never heard the dog, or the cockroaches were in someone elses house, you would not care.

END COMMUNICATION

 

[DreamChaser]

Far Realm = madness and insanity
-- corruption of thought and form
-- realm of horror caused by the unknowable
-- the creatures of the Far Realm lurk forever behind you no matter where you turn, infiltrate your mind to turn you against yourself, and reform creation into geometries never conceived within reality.

Shadowfell = fear and darkness
-- corruption of spirit and senses
-- realm of horror caused by the unknown
-- the creatures of the Shadowfell lurk at the edge of perception or shift through the darkness; they corrupt your spirit and pull you from the world of light.

Abyss = rage and destruction
-- corruption of stasis and order
-- realm of horror caused by the uncontrollable
-- the creatures of the Abyss destroy because they hate creation and seek return to the formlessness that the Elemental Chaos embodies; they are as elemental as the storm or volcano but rather than striking by chance they strike from rage.

Hell = tyranny and betrayal
-- corruption of honor and virtue
-- realm of horror caused by the known (the desires we keep within ourselves)
-- the creatures of Hell whisper into you ear to bring you down, they are the authors of the tragedy. they seek to justify their ancient betrayal by bringing all of creation into their court.


They all seem perfectly distinct to me.

DC

 

[Ahrimon]

Simple examples of how I differentiate between The Nine Hells, The Abyss, and The Far Realm.

The Nine Hells: Obey and Worship me or I will destroy you and all you love.
The Abyss: Your life offends me. I shall end it.
The Far Realm: Your thinking gives me a headache. I am going to kill you to make my headache go away.

I'd go more with:
The Far Realm: Did I just step in somthing? Eh. /shrug

 

[Fallen Seraph]

This is how I picture the Abyss and the Far Realm

The Abyss: The Abyss is nothingness it is devoid of life, thought, magic, even the very atoms of the universe are missing in the Abyss. It is a stark contrast to the Elemental Chaos around it, which is the building blocks of the Material Worlds. As the Abyss slowly grows consuming more and more of the endless Elemental Chaos, the nothingness begins to take form. That form is of a Demon.

Demons do not destroy for the love of destruction, nor for any affront given to them in years passed. They destroy because they are of the Abyss and they wish to spread the Abyss across all the planes of creation.

The Far Realm: The realities of our world see no light in the Far Realm. It is a plane of twisting and reforming laws, realities, truths and lies.

The creatures who live there embody this principle, their cunning minds and powerful abilities find the lives and realities of other-beings amusing trifles. They are the ones who prod and poke, whisper and listen. They let the madness and chaos of their being and their world seep into ours for reasons why do not understand, nor ever will.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I'm wondering about this issue for my Ptolus campaign, since deep cosmological stuff is at the heart of the setting. Whether the Galchutt are from the Far Realm (which fits their flavor) or from the Abyss (which fits their politics) will be something I need to chew over for a while.