Hordes of the Abyss: Q&A

[Land Outcast]

I can't say I'm feeling safe when so much valuable information is passed on to me by someone who goes by the name of Shemeska...

But... thanks... : paranoid :

 

[sckeener]

Except maybe Juiblex. He's too ugly to get a date.

Except seemingly in the Japanese animated Abyss.

There is a big difference between getting a date and taking a date....Juiblex is probably too ugly to get a date....and the whole wanting to eat the date is not a turn on in Juiblex's case.

 

[Shade]

Or Malcanthet, for that matter, or Kostchtchie, or Demogorgon, or Baphomet, or most of the others. Except maybe Juiblex. He's too ugly to get a date.

Now that June's over, I wonder if we'll still be seeing part two of the series...

 

[Nichols]

OK, new questions for monsieurs Jacob and Mona...

1. In the section on Pazunia, it states that one can walk to the bordering planes of Hades and Pandemonium. However, the planes of Carceri and Pandemonium are normally considered to border the Abyss. Is this intentional, or is this a mistake?

2. How large are finite layers? No indications are given the book. Tens of miles? Hundreds? Thousands? How large are the finite layers that appear in Hordes of the Abyss?

3. What are the edges of finite layers like? What happens when a character reaches the edge of a finite layer?

The book is great. Thank you very much for your hard work - now I have to go and revise all the Abyssal information I've worked up!

Chris Nichols

 

[Shemeska]

I'll add another question for Erik and James too:

How much, if at all, did you guys talk with the authors of the Fiendish Codex II. Or, barring that, do you know if they had access to your material when they were working on their book?

I ask because the legends and facts regarding planar prehistory that FC:I either confirms, reintroduces, or makes twists upon would have some impact on the pre-existant legends regarding the history and origins of Baator, the Baatezu, and the Ancient Baatezu as well. Suffice to say, it'd be incredibly cool if you and they both had some sort of crosstalk going on between the books, rather than eventually having potentially mutually exclusive legends tossed out in both books.

 

[Ripzerai]

Since both Fiendish Codices are designed by freelancers, I would be surprised if there's much crosstalk between their designers. Besides the tip of the hat to the baernaloth origin theory, FC1 introduced a number of other older concepts - generation from larvae, for example, and most significantly the idea that slain demons respawn as lesser fiends if slain outside their home plane. There's also the issue of the power levels of diabolic rulers.

FC2 has a lot of hurdles to overcome - it's got to reconcile 1e, 2e, and 3e lore on the subject (the Reckoning, Mephistophes' self-coup, changing views of Asmodeus, changing power levels of pit fiends), it's got to bring together all the new types of devils introduced in 3.x (ghargantulas, advespas, xerfilstyxes, paeliryons, etc.) into some sort of coherent civilization/hierarchy, and it has to ideally do all this in a way that feels fresh and new. In a tiny page count, too.

 

[James Jacobs]

Erik can answer these better, I bet (he wrote Chapter 5, after all), but here's my take on the answers.

1. In the section on Pazunia, it states that one can walk to the bordering planes of Hades and Pandemonium. However, the planes of Carceri and Pandemonium are normally considered to border the Abyss. Is this intentional, or is this a mistake?

I'd say you can walk to the other neighboring layers, but you'd have to take specific paths. If you just walk in a random direction, you end up walking in a circle and end up back where you started. But take a specific route (such as the River Styx or some other, unnamed land route) and presto! You're in Hades or Pandemonium.

2. How large are finite layers? No indications are given the book. Tens of miles? Hundreds? Thousands? How large are the finite layers that appear in Hordes of the Abyss?

Unless the layer itself says, the actual size of finite layers is left to the DM; that way, even though they're finite, the scope of the layer isn't constrained for future development (either in official products or in home campaigns). In some cases, of course, you can measure a finite layer's size by checking that layer's map (such as Hollow's Heart) but in others (such as Thanatos) there's no clear boundary shown.

3. What are the edges of finite layers like? What happens when a character reaches the edge of a finite layer?[/i]

Depends on the layer, really, but for the most part, I envision a finite layer's edge as merely a "border" with another Abyssal layer. This border may manifest as a dense forest, a cliff wall, a curtain of blood, a swath of searing insects with human faces, or whatever. In some rare cases (such as Occipitus) the edge of a finite layer is a physical edge, in this case, a ring of mountains and a sky of fire. Even then, with the right magic, you should be able to dig or fly or swim through that limit and eventually find yourself on another layer (or in something far worse, like the primal Abyssal void).

 

[James Jacobs]

I'll add another question for Erik and James too:

How much, if at all, did you guys talk with the authors of the Fiendish Codex II. Or, barring that, do you know if they had access to your material when they were working on their book?

I ask because the legends and facts regarding planar prehistory that FC:I either confirms, reintroduces, or makes twists upon would have some impact on the pre-existant legends regarding the history and origins of Baator, the Baatezu, and the Ancient Baatezu as well. Suffice to say, it'd be incredibly cool if you and they both had some sort of crosstalk going on between the books, rather than eventually having potentially mutually exclusive legends tossed out in both books.

I haven't spoken to them at all, and we were done with the design of FC 1 before I heard they were moving on FC 2. The writers of FC 2 did have access to FC 1 during their design work though, I believe. I hope that they build on the contents of FC 1 and don't contradict them, but since I've no real involvement in FC 2 I'll have to wait till later in the year to find out (we'll be printing a couple of devil-themed adventures in Dungeon that'll speak directly to FC 2, so hopefully I'll get to check out the book before we go to press on those adventures!).

 

[BOZ]

Except maybe Juiblex. He's too ugly to get a date.

he used to be able to get some play until you went and changed how Zuggtmoy looks. now she thinks she's too good looking for him!

 

[Nightfall]

Well wouldn't you? I mean the Eyeful wonder has a face only the Great Mother could love...if she didn't blast him into eternal goo...