Elemental Planes Killed

[Grog]

Well, if the goal is to make them usable places for PCs to have adventures, they need some change.

Especially Earth. "You're embedded in solid rock. Have fun!"

 

[an_idol_mind]

They can do whatever they want to the elemental planes, as I have never, ever used them and don't even include them in my setting's cosmology.

 

[Grog]

Why get rid of the old ones, unless your goal is to change things purely for the sake of change?

The "change for the sake of change" argument doesn't apply here, since Perkins gave the reason for the change right there in his post. You even quoted it:

My hope is that the cosmological changes will excite players and actually encourage DMs to set adventures in these far-flung locales.

 

[GreatLemur]

Like 95% of the stuff put out by the Devs at this point, this is a bit unclear as to what as happened to the Elemental Planes. My gut reaction is that there are still Elemental Planes-but like Chris said, they're more open to "exploration". I'm not sure how they intend to accomplish this.

I'm guessing they're going to end the whole "infinite expanse of pure [element]" bit. So, instead of the the Plane of Earth being a whole universe of dirt and rocks with a few random pockets of other elements--a world only a xorn could love--it might be a titanic cave system.

I'd kinda gotten the impression that Planescape sort of moved the Elemental Planes in that direction already, though.

 

[see]

Um, why does "change" equal "killed," to you?

I find your choice of the term "killed" ironic since this is the first confirmation we've had that the elemental planes still exist in 4e.

Let's try re-reading the direct quote. It doesn't say "changed Elemental planes", "altered Elemental Planes", or "new vision of the Elemental Planes". D&D 4 instead has "an alternative to the Elemental Planes".

To quote the dictionary, when you have an alternative, it means you have "two or more things only one of which may be chosen." So if 4e uses an alternative to the Elemental Planes, it means it has something else, which is included instead of the Elemental Planes.

Now, maybe he actually meant a new, improved version of the Elemental Planes. But what he wrote is a statement that the 4e cosmology will have something other than the Elemental Planes. Not a changed version, not a supplement to them. A replacement.

 

[Primitive Screwhead]

Are we reading the same text?

We're making revisions to the cosmology so that the planes work better as adventure sites.

As an alternative to using the 3.x planes as written, 4e will apparently have planes that have been redone with an eye to being adventure sites that the author's "...hope is that the cosmological changes will excite players and actually encourage DMs to set adventures in these far-flung locales. "

Sounds good to me!

Personally I prefer the Eberron Cosmology where, for instance, Fernia is the alternate Elemental Plane of Fire and its existance can affect the PC's long before they have access to planar travel. Eberron was the first setting I actually wanted to use anything beyond the Prime Material and the Astral/Etheral planes.

 

[Rechan]

This makes me happy for multiple reasons.

1) It's putting the game into gear with adventuring.
2) The planes were boring to me.
3) This will give me the selfish pleasure of watching a person I dislike start to foam at the mouth because they are mad Eberron changed the planes.

 

[avin]

I use a different approach to elemental planes: borders and regions. Elemental Plane of Fire is not just fire. There are places where it's close to earth, so you find cynder, burned soil, places where even humans can live.

The lords of the planes live deep inside fire, water, earth and air.

I even use an intersection between the four planes. It's cool to describe it in portuguese, I suck at english

 

[DaveMage]

Um, I'm really not seeing a need to tweak the elemental planes.

Just buy City of Brass from Necromancer and you won't need to tweak the Elemental Plane of Fire at all.

And Monte Cook and William Connors wrote a Planescape book called the Inner Planes which provides plenty to do on the Elemental Planes.

But it's all good - the more they change things that have been part of D&D from 1E, the happier I am about staying with 3.5.

Carry on, WotC!

 

[Nahat Anoj]

If the elemental planes are killed ...


WHO TOOK THEIR STUFF??!????/??/?