Help with blending of cosmologies

[Starsunder]

Hey all,

New poster here, long time lurker, im sure you've heard all of that before so I'll skip intros and just say glad to post here!

Let me preface this by saying im playing 4th Ed.

I need some assistance in making my homebrew cosmology. Now, I really like what 4th Ed. has done with the world axis cosmology overall. I think the Shadowfell, Feywild, Astral Sea, and Elemental Chaos are all great.

On the other hand, I have to admit that im really quite fond of the great wheel in general. I like the Outlands with Sigil floating at the top of the spire, I like the Blessed Fields of Elysium, I like Celestia, Acheron, Mechanus, all of that. Things that I didnt like were the elemental planes (hence my appreciation of the Elemental Chaos), the Ethereal Plane, the Positive and Negative Energy planes, and the infinite nature of the planes in general.

Now, I'm hoping to splice the two together, and I just wanted to throw some of my ideas out there and see what people thought (or could suggest ).

I'd like to keep the Shadowfell, Feywild, Astral Sea, and Elemental Chaos, and implement the Great Wheel as well. Im thinking that I'll keep the layout of the World Axis Cosmology of 4th Ed, and kind of put the Great Wheel...around it...so to speak. Im thinking that the demiplane creating atmosphere of the Ethereal plane could just be folded into the Astral Sea, the Positive and Negative energy planes im thinking of just axing. Maybe put some choice areas or ideas into the Feywild and Shadowfell respectively. The Elemental Planes (and Limbo too, possibly...I just dont know ) are folded into the Elemental Chaos.

As far as the rest of the planes go, I think Im just going to make them really really big instead of infinte (like having each of the layers of the Nine Hells be four to five thousand miles in across each (and have them circle back on each other, like if you started at one end of Avernus, and walked all, say, five thousand miles to the other side, instead of seeing an edge, you'd mysteriously find yourself back where you started...)

Anyways, this post is already too long. Any suggestions of how to do this (if it can be done) would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Also, I hope this is the right board for this...

 

[Fallen Seraph]

Well the Manual of The Planes includes a page discussing the Great Wheel and what each of its Planes are in 4e using the Planes of World Axis. This page could be quite useful for combining the two cosmologies together.

 

[Starsunder]

Well the Manual of The Planes includes a page discussing the Great Wheel and what each of its Planes are in 4e using the Planes of World Axis. This page could be quite useful for combining the two cosmologies together.

Yeah, I have that book, but I still find myself with some uncertainties (like do I put Deity Dominions in the great wheel part of the cosmology (which would make sense) or keep them in the Astral Sea as demiplanes (which could also make some sense, but seems to diminish the importance of the great wheel planes...)

 

[Jack99]

I am not sure this is what you want, but why not just have the Outlands and the rest of the Wheel float around the Astral Sea? Maybe the Abyss could be the link between the Astral Sea and the Elemental Chaos?

 

[Sir Brennen]

Yeah, I have that book, but I still find myself with some uncertainties (like do I put Deity Dominions in the great wheel part of the cosmology (which would make sense) or keep them in the Astral Sea as demiplanes (which could also make some sense, but seems to diminish the importance of the great wheel planes...)

What do you mean? Like should Olympus be a realm within Arvandor per previous incarnations of the Great Wheel, or its own separate demiplane? Is that what you're asking?

 

[Starsunder]

I am not sure this is what you want, but why not just have the Outlands and the rest of the Wheel float around the Astral Sea? Maybe the Abyss could be the link between the Astral Sea and the Elemental Chaos?

Yeah, putting the Great Wheel around the Astral sea is what I think I'm going to do.

The Abyss linking the Astral Sea and the Elemental Chaos is a pretty good idea, but are you talking about the Abyss as it's presented in 4th Ed (with the Abyss in the Elemental Chaos), or the traditional Great Wheel Abyss?

 

[Starsunder]

What do you mean? Like should Olympus be a realm within Arvandor per previous incarnations of the Great Wheel, or its own separate demiplane? Is that what you're asking?

Yes, this is what im asking. Both could work, but im wondering if putting, say, Olympus, in the Astral Sea (and thus, being it's own seperate demiplane) would diminish the importance of the great wheel (because I fully intend on keeping belief a powerfull source of change and potential within my cosmology, and faith and belief go hand in hand with gods...).

Does this make sense?