D&D (2024) Mix multispecies traits

[Yaarel]

I like the Deva as a native to GLG Bytopia. The Deva is officially "Lawful Good" but seems ok to nudge over more precisely as "Good by Lawful Good". The themes of the Deva can synergize the ethical themes of Bytopia.

The flavor of the Deva differs from that of the Solar and the Planetar who are both native to LG Mount Celestia. Their respective names, sun and planets, emphasize the maintenance of the orbits and machinery of world − including Humanoid social structures, group identities, and institutions − for the sake of Good purposes. Generally Lawful Good makes use of institutions to achieve personal refinement and discipline while accomplishing large projects collectively.

Here, the ethical alignment of Good by Lawful Good Bytopia plays out as follows. This plane is a realm of the dimensional opposites of space-time, including up-and-down and past-and-future.

Bytopia tracks the alternate timelines including possible futures. The difference between one timeline and an other is the amount of effort that people make to do Good things. A possible future where more people are doing more Good things to make the Material Plane a better place is more likely to build a better version of reality. The entire multiverse benefits indirectly from this helpful activity. This ethical imperative to make a Good effort, also relates to industriousness generally. So hard work and skillful labor are celebrated (whence some Gnome communities end up here too).

Bytopia is actually two planes facing each other. Each appears "high above" from the perspective of the other. From the experience of those who inhabit the subplane of Dothion, the subplane of Shurrock is a mile or so high, like a cosmic ceiling. Shurrock is a harshly challenging wilderness, where the raw resources are abundant to potentially do Good things with them. But acquiring these resources is difficult, and utilizing them well requires skill and effort. Dothion itself is entirely inhabited. Depending on the region, Dothion populations can range from sparse and quaint to dense and bustling urban centers. To reach from Dothion to Shurrock, after a certain amount of climbing upward, the gravity reverses from the perspective of Shurrock. So one climbs downward to the surface of Shurrock, whence Dothion becomes "high above" from the experience there.

Dothion is actually an alternate version of Shurrock − after its populations made intense efforts to build Good, compassionate and fair, civilization, while utilizing the resources of Shurrock wisely. Dothion achieves various kinds of benign utopias, regionally accomplished and sustainable according to cultural and personal tastes.

Dothionans divinate potential futures and strive to do the better timeline. They monitor individuals and groups in the Material Plane who are often in times of "crisis". Here, a "crisis" means a decision point in the timeline, where significantly different possible futures branch out from it. These moments of crises are when freewill matters most, since the dilemma makes the possible futures about equally doable, and either path can dramatically affect the Material Plane and even the multiverse. During a time of crisis in the Material Plane (including its Border Ether, Border Feywild, and Border Shadowfell), Dothionans might send a Deva Angel there to encourage those involved in the crisis to choose the option that leads to a better future. The Deva is typically incognito in the form of an ordinary Humanoid, Beast, Plant, or even an object on occasion, in order to not overwhelm or violate the freewill during this critical decision point. The goal of the Deva is to help make a genuine choice, but sometimes might assist or thwart the choosers achieve this goal.

Some Dothionans are record-keepers of the "books of life" that record alternate timelines, including the lives and actions of individuals and communities. Great libraries can be found whose books preserve the knowledge of all things. Some of these libraries are among the most safeguarded locations in the multiverse. Access to them might require significant effort and ethical vetting.

	PLANE	INHABITANT	ANGEL
GCG	Bytopia	Bytopian	[Deva]

 

[Yaarel]

ANGELS (AND AASIMAR) IN D&D

To decide what traits the Celestial Aasimar has, requires information about how the Celestial dominions function, and the angels there. Little is known.

The 5e Astral Plane involves the creature types of Fiend and Celestial, the player species whose ancestries originate there, like Tiefling and Tabaxi, and the classes like Cleric and some Warlock and Sorcerer subclasses. So far, 5e describes more about the Fiendish dominions for its monsters to fight. But 5e lore about Celestial is minimal and adhoc.

The D&D angels are like the D&D drow. Every edition has them. But each edition has a different version of them. What one thinks an angel is depends mostly on which editions one is familiar with. (Or maybe the concept of angel relies more on reallife folkbelief or popculture movies.)

Across the editions of D&D the "angels" can go by different names, such as "aasimon" or even "eladrin". Their appearances and themes are many.

5e Planescape is coming soon. There is some info about the Astral Plane already. 5e Spelljammer confirms, most of the Astral Plane is an Astral Sea. The alignment planes, such as Lawful Good Mount Celestia, are Astral dominions that appear like floating islands. One can reach them by sailing thru the Astral Sea. The Astral Plane is made out of thought, and one interacts with its concepts like in a dream. An island can be bigger within than it appears from without. Adventurers can also reach an alignment dominion by passing thru a planar portal that planeshifts the traveler from one level of existence to an other. Likewise, adventurers can port from one dominion to an other, traveling at the speed of thought.

The adventure, Descent into Avernus, details the first of the Nine Hells of the Lawful Evil dominion of Baator. The fiendish angels − the Devils − are native there.

So far, official 5e products mention the Celestial dominions in passing. The "Angels" there are typically Lawful Good. The Good by Chaotic Good dominion of Beastland exists, and at least the Tabaxi species comes from there. The Elves originate from the shapeshifting blood of the Corellon, spilled in the Chaotic Good dominion of Arborea. But most of the Celestial realms are unknown. Thus, 5e reveals less about angels. Angels from earlier editions such as Agathinon might exist in 5e, but so far there is no evidence of them.

DMs often fill the blanks in 5e with material from earlier editions. But earlier editions differ from each other. Because decisions about the Astral Plane inform the deep structure of the D&D cosmology, these DMs are playing different versions of 5e that feel distinct from each other.

The 5e designers have for almost ten years avoided as much as possible any official commitment to what the Celestial dominions are like. This caution seems wise. But 5e Planescape is coming soon. The designers seem ready to commit to more details. It seems the work on the books of Mordenkainen Presents and of the Spelljammer setting allowed a clearer picture of what the 5e Celestial dominions can be like. The playtest Ardvark and its Beastlands origins show they are drawing inspiration from the treasury of earlier D&D editions.


1e ANGELS

AD&D 1e introduces the angels, but not by name. The Monster Manual 2 lists separate entries for Solar, Planetar, Deva, and Agathinon, and describes them by circumlocutions, like "spirits" of "Good alignments" from the "Upper Planes".

From the "Lower Planes" the Evil angels, namely Devils plus Demons, appear earlier in the Monster Manual 1 to be monsters for players to combat. The Monster Manual 2 adds Daemons.

The alignment planes of Good Upper and Evil Lower appear in a cosmology map in the 1e Players Handbook.

Later on in the 1e Manual of the Planes, the Archon appears as the "primary inhabitants" of the lawful good "Seven Heavens", namely Mount Celestia, whose seven levels correspond roughly to the seven planets of antiquity comprising sun and moon and the five visible wandering stars.

1e has fallen angel, Devil, plus Demon and Daemon. Good angels in the sense of Solar and Archon, and a few other "inhabitants" of the "Upper Planes", come later in ways that are adhoc and pioneering.


2e ANGELS

Mainly for business public relations, the designers of 2e decide to avoid the words "devil" and "demon", and by extension avoid "angel" too.

The 2e Monstrous Compendium 8 consolidates some angels of 1e, Solar, Planetar, Deva, and Agathinon, plus a new one called Light, and names them "Aasimon".

Later, the 2e Planescape setting evolves the 1e Manual of the Planes, and populates its planar descriptions with new angelic creatures. The Monstrous Compendiums 20 and 21 are for it. As counterparts with the 1e "lawful good" Arcon, it adds "chaotic good" Eladrin and "neutral good" Guardinal.

The adversarial angels of the Lower Planes lampshade under new names. Devil goes by the name Baatezu, and Demon by Tanarri. Plus, there is now a Yugoloth (and its suffix "loth" replaces the 1e "daemon"). Accordingly, the opposite of the Lawful Evil Devil is a Chaotic Good Eladrin, and the opposite of the Chaotic Evil Demon is a Lawful Good Archon. Via these angelic counterparts, 2e presents Archon and Eladrin and the rest of them as, defacto, different kinds of angels. These 2e angels correspond to the D&D alignments.

There are even neutral angels: chaotic Slaad, later neutral Rilmani, and later lawful Modron.

Where 2e has each alignment have its own kind of angel, the Aasimon functions assymetically. They are like an interplanar angel, manifesting anywhere with any Good alignment for any Good plane. This oddity attracts attention.


3e ANGELS

3e causes cosmic upheaval to the Outer Planes. The changes seem inconsequential at first. But the deep structure it puts in place eventually shifts everything. The fragile cosmology of the 2e Greyhawk setting convolutes and flies apart. Later 4e will try to make sense of it.

The 3e Monster Manual continues the 2e angelic traditions, but calls the 2e Aasimon plainly by the name "Angel". Aasimon discontinues. Solar, Planetar, and Deva, now list together under Angel. Agathinon and Light cease to exist.

Relatedly, the Baatezu and Tanarri regain their earlier 1e angelic names: Devil and Demon, in the sense of fallen angels. A later Monster Manual 2 continues the name 2e Yugoloth.

Archon, Guardinal, and Eladrin all keep their 2e names. However now, because only the Aasimon is officially an "Angel", these other angels become less recognizable as such.

Thus the 2e asymmetry looms large. The Lower Planes still have one type of angel for each Evil alignment: Devil, Yugoloth, and Demon. But now the counterpart for all three is only one type of "Angel" for any Good alignment.

Archon, Guardinal, and Eladrin fall apart.

Despite the 3e Monster Manual characterizing the Guardinal as "always neutral good" and "native to the plane of Elysium", the alternative 3e cosmology of the Forgotten Realms redefines the Guardinal to be the "native" of the True Neutral plane, called "House of Nature". To be fair, the animalistic themes of the Guardinals make more sense as the "primary inhabitants" of a plane that is all about Beasts. Even so, this planar relocation to a Non-Celestial plane with a Non-Good alignment further erodes the angelic status of the Guardinal. It is no longer the counterpart to a fallen angel. By association neither are Archon and Eladrin angelic.


4e ANGELS

4e tries to make sense of the cosmology that sprawls awkwardly across the splatbooks of 3e. For example, cosmological attempts during 3e to reconcile Spelljammer place the Elemental Planes at one end, connecting by ether to the Material Plane in the middle, whence by convolution of "phlogiston", to the Astral Plane at the other end. Within this 3e Astral Plane, the alignment planes floated like islands in a sea. Hence the 4e cosmology presents this axis vertically with the Elemental Chaos at the bottom end and the Astral Sea at the top end. The Material Plane aka the Mortal World situates between, to integrate both Elemental matter and Astral thought.

3e cosmology evolves in ways weird and wonderful. But it often disconnects from the genres of reallife fantasy literature. Besides, having an entire plane where there is nothing − or "nothing but" − is bland. 3e has many of these. They lack internal conflict, thus lack stories, and can feel less rich for a fantasy world. Adventurers visit these planes of nothing but never live there.

4e designers decide to reconnect D&D with "mythological accuracy". Reallife folkbelief energizes many of the fantasy stories of popculture that players are familiar with and want to adventure in. 4e introduces a fairyland by the name Feywild and an underworld by the name of Shadowfell. What was a 3e Ethereal Plane of nothing diversifies and becomes these two planes instead. (They also absorb the Shadow Plane of nothing: the Fey is a place of illusion and the Shadow a place of ghostly wisps.) Shadowfell is especially the realm of the dead. So the underworld themes that were in the Lower Planes like Hades are now in Shadowfell. The otherwordly forests of the Eladrin in Arborea are now in Feywild. Feywild and Shadowfell "echo" the richness of the Material Plane, where diverse conflicts and stories can happen.

The casualty of a cosmology that makes more sense, becomes more playable, and proves popular, is the destruction of the angels − or at least transfiguring or physicalizing them.

The Eladrin that enter D&D as Chaotic Good angels in earlier editions are now the primary inhabitants of Feywild and of "any alignment".

The Archons that early on are the Lawful Good angels are now the messengers of the Elemental matter and of "any alignment".

Guardinals cease to exist.

All of the aligned Good angels are gone in 4e, one way or an other.

The angelic species of Solar and Planetar lose their names in 4e and reform by names such as "Angel of Battle", "Angel of Protection", "Angel of Light", and similar. 4e Angels can be "any alignment", ascendant or fallen: "angels exist as expressions of the Astral Sea, sentient energy in humanoid form."

The earlier Deva species of Angel that works as an agent of the Upper Planes while in the Material Plane merges with the Aasimar that descends from there as a playable species. Leaning into mythological accuracy for the Hindu name "Deva" and its association with avatars, the D&D Deva undergoes cycles of reincarnation between the Astral and the Material planes. The reincarnating Deva is a playable Celestial character and is the counterpart to the devilish Tiefling.

Among the Evil angels, Devil and Demon become more than fiends who differ by ethical alignment. They become distinctive kinds of creatures. The Devil is a creature of thought (and seduction) in the Astral Sea. The Demon is a creature of matter (and destruction) in the Elemental Chaos.

Yugoloth discontinues. A 4e version of the species Ultraloth is a Chaotic Evil Demon in the Elemental Chaos.

Defacto, the 4e Aberrant of the Farrealm is the Yugoloth by a different name with a more vivid trope.

As a design principle for organizing the game, 4e abandons the abstract ethical alignments and chooses vivid tropes instead.


5e ANGELS

5e continues the 4e cosmology. It also finds ways to salvage some traditions from earlier editions. It makes spaces for them in ways that make sense in the 5e cosmology.

Feywild and Shadowfell endure. 5e Spelljammer confirms the Astral Sea. The Elemental Chaos is on the 5e cosmology map.

There is no mention of the "Archon" in 5e, except in the settings of Thera and Ravnica, where the name means other things. Neither is there a "Guardinal", not even when describing Beastland for Tabaxi or Ardling. The "Eladrin" is busy as natives of the Feywild.

Even so, the 5e Astral Sea reintroduces one domain for each of the seventeen alignment planes in early editions.

The 5e "Angel" returns the species of Solar, Planetar, and Deva by name. But they are Lawful Good, typically. These can exist elsewhere and even do missions for other Good alignments. They appear to displace the Archon as the primary inhabitants of Lawful Good Mount Celestia.

Up to now, 5e makes the "Angel" a creature subtype that is Lawful Good. The subtypes for the Evil angels are Lawful Evil Devil, True Evil Yugoloth, and Chaotic Evil Demon.


5e PLANESCAPE

When 5e Planescape arrives, I expect angelic subtypes that are Chaotic Good and True Good as counterparts to the Lawful Good Angel.

Since the animalistic characteristics of the Guardinal make more sense for Beastlands − a dominion for animals and humanimals − perhaps the 5e version will specify the Guardinal is the subtype for the Good-by-Chaotic-Good angel. The Gehreleth of Carceri might appear as the subtype for the Evil-by-Chaotic-Evil angel.

Potentially, there are seventeen angelic subtypes, one for each alignment dominion in the Astral Sea.


5e AASIMAR

The Aasimar exists in 5e. Mordenkainen Presents has their latest playable version. Nominally, it is the angelic counterpart to the devilish − and soon more broadly fiendish − Tiefling.

But the location of the Aasimar in Mordenkainen feels like a retirement. See the trope "Put on a Bus". It is there for fans who want it. But unlike Tiefling, it isnt core. And wont be. The playtest Ardling feels like an aggressive attempt to displace it.

On the other hand, the stats from DnDBeyond evidence the Aasimar is highly popular among D&D players, around the ranks of Gnome and Goliath. It seems like a waste of money if WotC doesnt make the Aasimar core. Indeed, the Ardling looks like an attempt to monetize the popularity of Aasimar.

I expect the 2024 Players Handbook to include some form of Celestial angelic species.

But what this species looks like might be anything. It depends on which editions of D&D one considers. Maybe the name of the species will "Aasimar", after all. Or maybe it will go by the name "Deva", as it does in 4e. Or maybe its name is neologism, like "Ardling".

The traits of this core angelic species can be anything. It depends on which Celestial dominions it shares affinity with. This depends on how these dominions work and what Celestials populate them. So far, 5e is vague and the details sporadic.

 

[Yaarel]

The Rakshasa is somewhat canonically the angel of the Lawful by Lawful Evil dominion of Acheron.

The 2e Planescape setting includes the supplement Planes of Law, whose Acheron section (11) lists the Rakshasa among the encounters there. "Acherai, Baatezu, Bladelings, Imps, Modrons, Rakshasas, and Yugoloths are all here. Only Yugoloths and Rakshasa are truly native."

The Acherai is a birdfolk. Note, many species of birds populate the cool to freezing air of Acheron, as the only recognizable wildlife in what is otherwise a sterile lifeless realm. Depending on the bird, they feed on an unpleasant cube-shaped stone-like woody fungus that also serves as the military rations for the eternal armies there, or feed on the soldiers that fell in battle.

Rust Dragons are dragon-like creatures that are actually the adult phase of a Rust Monster after cocooning and metamorphosing.

The Bladeling is "a race of living metallic creatures". Earlier in the Monstrous section (14), "they were once rumored to be tieflings, the spawn of fiends and humanoids, however are a distinct race unto themselves." 3e Monster Manual speculates their origin might be Baator or Gehenna, or "some unknown plane of metal-based plane". Indeed, the Bladelings actually are metal, and the spell Heat Metal can target them, suggesting an Elemental or relatedly a Primordial origin. In any case, they are now home to Ocanthas the lowest level of the Acheron, a freezing realm of black ice and a blizzard of metallic blades and icy blades.

Modron is the native of Mechanus.

Imp per Monstrous Compendium 20, and Quasit, are creatures that are native to the Material Plane, that "roam the world". Fiends create them to serve as familiars for mages in the Material Plane. In 2e, this doesnt count as a Fiend, but in 5e, it does count as the Fiend creature type. Presumably, most Imps arrived to Acheron as the familiar of a mage who perished while scavenging the junkyards of lost and discarded military-tech magic items.

Baatezu, Yugoloth, and Rakshasa are all Fiend.

Baatezu is the Devils that are native to the Nine Hells of Baator.

Yugoloth are surprising here, being called "truly native" to Acheron. Apparently, certain Yugoloths are specifically of the alignment Lawful by Lawful Evil and manifest in Acheron. However, normally the Yugoloth originate from the Gray Waste, by definition.

Rakshasa remain "truly native" to Acheron. Note, Rakshasa also associate with Baator. However, they are distinct from the Baatezu there. They make sense as uniquely originating in Acheron, and bring fun flavor to an otherwise monotonous plane. It is easy to clarify the Rakshasa origins from the plane of Lawful by Lawful Evil, but can also be found dwelling among the Nine Hells and in the Material Plane.


In reallife Hinduism, the Rakshasa is a personification of an aspect of Samsara, the concept that the finite world is a deceptive illusion that tempts an endless cycle of reincarnation. Moksha is when the soul (atman) transcends thus gains liberation from this deception. (Buddhism has a similar concept but emphasizes the enlightenment of the anatman, the not-soul, where the sense of self is understood to be part of this finite deception.) The Rakshasa associates with primal hunger, anger, animal appetites, and power-hungry ambition. They are part of Samsara thus powerful illusionists and shapeshifters. Unlike D&D, they dont look a tiger, but they do have telltale tiger-like fangs and claws, and often with partial features of various animals, are beastly in the sense of growling and ferocious, and are mercurial shapechangers anyway. At least some of the iconography depicting certain Rakshasas can look suggestively tigerish. But most depictions dont look like tigers, except for the fangs. They can have many forms − one has ten heads.

These creatures are usually evil − merciless and predatory. Some visualize them as drinking human blood from sophisticated goblets. However there are many legends where the Rakshasa are actually good and the heroes of the story. They channel their appetites and use their powers for good purposes.

For the D&D Rakshasa, it is better to describe it as "typically Neutral with Evil tendencies". They are notorious, but individuals can excel at doing Good.

I like the D&D tiger imagery. It reminds me of the poem, The Tyger ("Tyger, tyger, burning bright ..."), by William Blake popular during the Romantic Era. It is a parable describing the satan as a force of pure reason that is devoid of mercy and compassion. The "fearful symmetry" of the tiger stripes expresses this rigid and dehumanizing logic. Keep the tiger visage, but for mythological accuracy, emphasize the fangs relating to predatory hunger, and mention the "true forms" of individuals that dont look like tigers.

The Hindu Rakshasa doesnt seem especially Lawful, but some stories have them comprising armies. (My connotations of The Tyger are Lawful.) It is probably culturally sensitive enough to characterize the Rakshasa as a "typically Lawful by Lawful Evil" Fiend. They respect collective identity and working as a group. They tend to be Evil but often not.


In D&D 2e, Planes of Law, Acheron, Rakshasa communities exist across all levels of the plane of Acheron. They especially construct their homes inside the cubes, that they hide by means of powerful illusions.

For 5e, these ensconced Rakshasa domains should be paradises, unlike the rest of Acheron. Via the innate primordial magic of Samsara, the homes are warm and humid forests teaming with life, where tigers prowl.

As the Angel of Lawful by Lawful Evil, the Rakshasa would be the "Angel of peer pressure, judgmentalism, and dysfunctional conformity", which is kinda a characterization of Samsara.

The Rakshasa is appealing for the semi-fiendish "Angel" of the Lawful by Lawful Evil dominion of Acheron, aka Avalas.

CREATURE TYPE	CREATURE SUBTYPE		DOMINION
[Primordial]	Modron	LN	Mechanus
Fiend	Rakshasa	LLE	[Avalas]
Fiend	Baatezu	LE	Nine hells
Fiend	Devil	ELE	Gehenna
Fiend	[Aberration]	TE	[Gray Waste]
Fiend	Gehreleth	ECE	Carceri
Fiend	Tanarri	CE	Abyss
Fiend	Demon	CCE	Pandemonium
[Primordial]	Slaad	CN	Limbo
[Primordial]	Rilmani	TN	Outlands (inner Spire + outer Elemental Flux)

The above is a useful list for different kinds of Tiefling.

Spoiler: Notes

Angel. In this thread, I am effectively using the term "Angel" in a technical sense. It means exactly, the Astral manifestation of the construct of a specific alignment. For example, the ethical behavior of Good is an actual cosmic power. It actualizes a kind of thought that shapes and shifts the multiverse. This is why a Paladin has Divine magic. They can be any alignment, but the ethical behavior that they choose, the one that they dedicate to by means of their Oath, is what attunes them to this cosmic power. An Angel can manifest spontaneously, coalescing the Astral influences of a specific alignment, whose corresponding actions are prominent among two or more creatures. In this way, every alignment produces its own Angels. There are True Good Angels. There are Lawful by Lawful Evil Angels. And so on. The Aasimon is the Angel that is specifically Lawful Good. Here, the Angel that is Lawful by Lawful Evil is the Rakshasa. There can be different kinds of Rakshasa taking different forms and might emphasize illusion, shapechanging, military combat, or so on. Angels are distinct from other Astral creatures, because the come into existence as a result of the actions by other creatures that cohere with a specific alignment − especially actions that require great effort.

Hades. In earlier editions of D&D there is no "Shadowfell". But the term "Hades" means the "underworld" of the dead. It isnt a place of punishment. The ghosts of Good people are there as well. Some have happy lives doing activities that they did while alive, but even more ideal. In 4e and 5e, "Hades" is identical with Shadowfell. It is actually confusing to locate the underworld of Hades anywhere else. It is important to rename Astral Hades, by its other official name, Gray Waste.

That said. The underworld of Hades isnt a place of punishment, but it includes realms where souls are punished, namely Tartaros. These punishments are karma-like, and commensurate with the evil actions that the souls did while alive. Alignment is in play here. In this sense, it seems ok if the River Styx first flows thru Shadowfell, and from there pours in thru a planar portal into the Astral Lower dominions where souls receive punishment until they fully experience, realize the consequences of, and repent from their own Evil actions. Then they can move on to better Astral places, or perhaps reincarnate to try again more compassionately.

Modern Greek culture tends to like when other cultures use Greek traditions for various purposes. They are proud of their influence. This isnt a case of cultural sensitivity. This is about the confusion that happens when misunderstanding "Hades" − it conflicts with many fantasy narratives including inspirations for D&D adventures into the underworld. Hades is an other name for Shadowfell.

Acheron aka Avalas. Acheron is a reallife river in Greece that ethnic customs associate with the dead. Mythically, it flows from there down into the underworld. It is one of the five rivers within the underworld, including Styx. Acheron associates with grief and despair (which does make sense for the D&D plane). In D&D 5e, all of this underworld is now the Shadowfell. If all of these five rivers in Shadowfell meet at some point, it explains why Charon, the ferrier of the dead, boats across the Acheron River as well as Styx River. Perhaps it is the river Acheron that flows from Shadowfell down into the Lawful by Lawful Evil dominion, rather than the Styx. It might make more sense to call the entire dominion "Avalas", while the first and highest level is called Acheron because the river of Acheron flows thru it there. In any case, Hades means Shadowfell, and the rest of the 5e D&D planes need to sort out any confusion.

Primordial. 4e introduces the term "Primordial", these are cosmically powerful Elementals that exist at the dawn of time, and are the source of the matter out of which the Material Plane is created. The Astral creatures are thoughts that gave this matter "form", thus both matter and thought create the Material Plane. The Primordials currently exist in the Elemental Chaos. Primordials relate to both Elemental and Giant creature types. Giants themselves are Elemental, whence fire, frost, stone, storm, and other variations of elements, but often manifest as humanlike apparitions.

5e mentions the "Primordials" in the UA playtest packet for Giant Options. The context is Giant-wrath relating to the Elemental Chaos. It seems, the 5e designers want to explore Primordials, especially for the "First World", namely the origin of the Material Plane that Fizbans describes.

This thread recommends: make the Elemental Chaos part of the Astral Plane. Specifically, it is part of the True Neutral dominion called the Outlands. The Elemental Chaos is the unstable outer edge of the Outlands that rings around the more stable central Spire, where Sigil exists. The Elemental Chaos is part of the Astral Plane where matter comes into existence. Everything in the Astral Plane is made out of thought. Things are willed into existence. Thought constructs and influences everything. Matter is special. Matter is a construct that disconnects from the influence of Astral thoughts. This real independence allows a finite, self-referencing, mode existence that is impossible the Astral Plane. Matter is of vital importance to the multiverse.

Here, the Primordial is the creature type that is involved in the Astral production of matter. Primordials include the powers of the Elemental Chaos. But they can also include all of the Astral creatures along the Lawful-Chaotic axis of Neutrality. Thus the creatures of Mechanus are Primordial and the creatures of Limbo are Primordial. In the city of Sigil, the Lady of Pain is a Primordial. The Rilmani is specifically the Angel of the True Neutral domain of the Outlands − and is also a Primordial.

Currently, 5e lists Modron as the "Construct" creature type and Slaad as the "Aberration" creature type. I get it, but it feels off. Rather, make all of the Neutral Astral creatures, whether Lawful, True, or Chaotic, members of the Primordial creature type and in various ways involved in the creation of matter that escapes the control of Astral thoughts.

Elemental Flux. Maybe rename the Elemental "Chaos" as Elemental "Flux", to disambiguate it from the ethical alignment of Chaotic. Both Lawful Neutral Mechanus and Chaotic Neutral Limbo have elemental characteristics, and are opposing principles that together produce matter. But the Elemental Flux is True Neutral (not Chaotic), and is part of the Outlands.

 

[Yaarel]

The excursion into the possibilities of planar species will become clearer when we see how 5e Planescape portrays the various planes.


With regard to the Original Post:

So far, 2024 core rules have nine species.

• Human
• Dragonborn
• Dwarf
• Elf
• Gnome
• Goliath
• Orc
• Tiefling

In the context of this list, I feel there needs to be a Celestial Aasimar as a planar counterpart to the Fiend Tiefling. This totals ten core species. Each species has its own list of Species Feats that a player can choose from when building a character of that species.


Possibly, the Genasi can do double-duty to represent Primordial in a way that also includes LN Modron, CN Slaad, and TN Rilmani as concepts that are simultaneously both Astral and Elemental. From the N-aligned planars, the Elements come into existence to make the matter of the Material Plane possible.