How do YOU use the planes?

[Shemeska]

As much as possible.

Two campaigns, five years, and over a thousand storyhour pages later, I adore the planes.

In my conception, the Outer Planes are infinite stretches of reality where abstract alignments take physical form, morality congeals into something concrete, philosophies are made manifest, and where, above all else, belief is power.

The Astral is the realm of pure, unfocused thoughts, memories, and the literal backstage of the outer planes. The Shadow plane is a dim, warped reflection of the prime material, and the Ethereal is the realm of raw potential, a bubbling froth of mist and protomatter where demiplanes float to the surface like bubbles atop an ocean whose depths might hide the entrances to other multiverses.

And then the Inner planes and Energy planes... matter, substance, places where belief holds no sway, where the building blocks of physical reality reign supreme.

The planes are anything -but- big extraplanar dungeons with big extraplanar monsters waiting to fight powerful mortals. There's no extraplanar particleboard and plastic clown holding up his extraplanar hand telling mortals that they must be X level or higher before they can go through some portal and get on some extraplanar ride. Not at all.

However... while there's nothing saying that low level PCs can't venture out onto the planes... many of them are inherently hostile. You won't be traipsing around random layers of the Abyss, or making a snowman on Gehenna's third layer, not if you expect to live. Of course not. But if you know your place, and you don't take some Lawful Stupid 'I'm an Exalted paladin and fiends must die, let's go crusade on the lower planes, Haha!' then you'll be fine. Use some sense and the planes won't require you to be some X level of experience to use them as viable places for campaigns. Know what you can and can't handle, and treat the planes on a more metaphysical level, acknowledging their place in the multiverse, and you're in for a treat in terms of the depth they can add to a campaign.

 

[Shemeska]

You skipped the part about the SNAKES!

Why do I see Sam L Jackson in a cluster of Viper Trees somewhere on Azzagrat... hehe

 

[Psion]

Why do I see Sam L Jackson in a cluster of Viper Trees somewhere on Azzagrat... hehe

Would you stop. I was just thinking that a cool pick up game for GenCon would be "Snakes on the Planes".

 

[Evilhalfling]

I use the Planes as places for adventure or travel with themes and symbolism stronger than I am comfortable using in the Material. The Plane of shadows is a shattered reflection of the world where the inhabitants are either anchient or souls caught between states of being.

The plane of deams is a misty realm where time fluxuates, and matter is negoiatable. Extremes Law and chaos dwell within the mist, and a dim view of the material world can be seen where intelligent sleeping minds hold places firmly.

The Celestial Realm is a place of trials and testing for the mortals that reach it, and a place of peace and rewards for the souls that belong there. Many have voyaged here seeking aid or a meeting with the gods themselves, most have been dissapointed.

The Planes in general have there own societies that opperate under differernt rules than the prime. They have some commerce among themselves, but travel is difficult. The societies have few childeren or other trappings of mortal society.

I run the planes like wilderness more than dungeons, events and encounters are loosely placed and may be spread by days or hours of travel.

 

[lukelightning]

I use the planes as a metaphysical concept for where certain things/energies come from but aren't actual physical locations that can be traveled to.

Also, I am planning on playing a solipsistic halfling wizard who believes that all creation is just a projection of his mind, and the different planes are just parts of his subconcious. Demons and devils are his bad thoughts, etc.

 

[gizmo33]

Then there is an infinity of Greyhawk, and an infinity of Forgotten Realms etc.

I thought about doing this too for my campaign.

Is there an infinity of Orcusesses? Or just one Orcus to try to take over the infinity of planes? Being infinite, is there a 100% chance of a Forgotten Realms populated entirely by worshippers of Orcus? (or infinite such planes) Or maybe a Forgotten Realms that's identical with Greyhawk version 1?

 

[Odhanan]

These certainly are interesting, if not terrifying, prospects, gizmo33!

Generally, when speaking of cosmology, I don't speak of it to the players by saying stuff like "this is what's true, and that isn't". I prefer to suggest and let each and everyone draw their conclusion. That's why I present that stuff usually through the mouth of an NPC, so that the PCs never know if it's really "true" or pure bull on the character's part. Meanwhile, this allows me to introduce in the campaign some occasional surprises for the PCs.

 

[kigmatzomat]

I use them a bit but being a DL game, it's not prevalent.

Each of my planes tends to be thematic places, reflecting a concept and/or an individual. E.g. the fey realm is a construct of the Fey King, though individual nobles have a significant ability to alter their personal domains. The elemental plane of fire is the concept of things burning, which means everything combusts at the very center (great way to get rid of artifacts). The gods' realms have their own quirks. Some gods forged their own realm out of the Void while others claimed a comfortable and compatible realm.

The exception is the Void, the unformed space between planes. The Void is neither astral nor ethereal and is the raw stuff of the cosmos. Powerful beings, like gods and noble fey, can control it by force of will into whatever they want. It is less chaotic than Limbo but would not feel particularly alien to Slaadi.

 

[gizmo33]

That's why I present that stuff usually through the mouth of an NPC, so that the PCs never know if it's really "true" or pure bull on the character's part.

I do the same thing, plus players listen better to NPCs if they're the only source for campaign information. I keep a secret list of "campaign mysteries" for my campaign which are questions that I don't have the answer for. "Commune" can be a scary spell when you think about it.

 

[Odhanan]

I do the same thing, plus players listen better to NPCs if they're the only source for campaign information. I keep a secret list of "campaign mysteries" for my campaign which are questions that I don't have the answer for. "Commune" can be a scary spell when you think about it.

Here you go. Same thing here. But then, even gods are not omniscient. And maybe there are questions you'd better not ask, for fear you couldn't handle the answer. The result of such a Commune spell could be a cleric lobotomized or unable to "log off" the divine communion for the rest of his natural life!

Same thing about bringing people back from the dead, as an aside. Instead of just allowing or not these spells in a campaign, one can always add some side effects to their use. Who knows what kind of visions or stress the resurrected mortals bring back from the other side...?