D&D General How early is too early for planar adventures?

[Mistwell]

Any level is fine. Matt Colville did it at very early levels for his game. He just re-skinned some creatures and got creative. Go for it.

 

[werecorpse]

I prefer not to introduce the planes too early in most standard world stories. I like the planes to be a bit different, a step up from the material world. Something that is more dangerous than the normal world. This serves two functions first it addresses the issue about “where were these tough monsters when we were just 2nd level?” It keeps the world mystical And it gives the characters some different terrain problem solving to undertake.

But this does require a bit of work to make the planes different. I think it’s worth it. In 1e magic items were less powerful off the material plane. Certain spells didn’t function as expected etc.

That’s also the reason I like to have more restrictive underwater adventuring rules (again as they did in 1e) so when the players go underwater it feels like they are actually out of their element.

I tend to go underwater accessible at around 5th (they get the water breathing spell) and extra planar at around 8th

I know you are not looking for specific suggestions for adventures so this is off topic but at the level you are at having just run what you have I would suggest Red Hand of Doom. It’s not extra planar but it starts at about 4th level with a cool treasure map hunt theme, it also does keep with the goblin theme to a significant extent and begins to introduce some other stuff (politics, missions with aims other than find treasure etc) and its very highly regarded. Theres plenty of online write ups about it.

 

[Shiroiken]

Oh but maybe my question was misleading...

I didn't mean to ask "how early in level", but instead "how early in the story" and specifically for children who are playing their first d&d campaign.

I'm not too familiar with gaming with children, but I'd suggest starting with the Feywild. It fits the fairy (faerie) tales they're familiar with. If you want to run a spooky Halloween style adventure, pushing them into the Shadowfell would be cool. These planes are close enough to what they'd know to keep it in their realm of understanding. Outer Planes and Elemental Planes are complicated concepts that they may struggle with until they have a concept of planar travel.

 

[Wiseblood]

Our family D&D game with the kids is only at 4th level. They have just finished an adventure which ended with defeating the "goblin king", except it was duly noted that there are many goblins who self-appoint themselves such title, leaving it largely vague how important their accomplishment was.

I'm looking forward to preparing the next adventure for them, and I would like something different from the previous, which have all been pretty much about investigating a remote area to find a dungeon, and then clear such dungeon of its monsters. The adventure we just finished was my 5e conversion/adaptation of the old "Horror on the Hill", and even though I originally planned to get down to the last dungeon level and final monster, I cut it short half-way through the levels with a custom BBEG (the "goblin king" which is not in the original adventure) because it was getting too long (although, we could still continue down if I change my mind).

Ransacking my small chest of old adventures, many of them feeling a bit too similar, I was looking for something with more story/intrigue or with more environmental dangers and less straightforward combat. I am now reading through "Tales of the Outer Planes" and wondering if it's any good. The first adventure seems a bit railroaded and has almost zero combat, which is too little but can be spiced up with pseudorandom encounters. The problem is also that there is an NPC leading the PC which seems to negate all chances of intrigue and investigation, but without her/him it seems difficult to figure out anything.

Besides the challenge of finding a good adventure, my main question is whether dropping the bomb of planar travel this early makes it less special. The multiverse has always been one of my favourite concept in d&d, and I don't want to blow it too soon. Ideally I envision the progression of adventuring scope being local -> regional -> kingdom -> continental -> global -> universal (alternate material worlds) -> multiversal (worlds with different "laws of nature", afterlife, time travel...). Now we're talking about jumping from regional to multiversal.

I don't know, maybe it's just fine, but considering the first adventure of TotOP already brings the PC to meet someone at divine level, how can I then still inspire awe in my young players with anything more earthly?

The types of entertainment they consume would be helpful. They may have no interest in planar stuff.

 

[Prakriti]

Oh but maybe my question was misleading...

I didn't mean to ask "how early in level", but instead "how early in the story" and specifically for children who are playing their first d&d campaign.

For brand-new players, I'd say no earlier than 6 months of play. The Multiverse is a mind- and genre-bending concept, and it's best to let people play out their standard medieval-fantasy fantasies before turning the world upside down on them. Let them enjoy being Elves and Wizards in Middle Earth for a while before you open the door to all the weird planar stuff.

 

[Samloyal23]

For brand-new players, I'd say no earlier than 6 months of play. The Multiverse is a mind- and genre-bending concept, and it's best to let people play out their standard medieval-fantasy fantasies before turning the world upside down on them. Let them enjoy being Elves and Wizards in Middle Earth for a while before you open the door to all the weird planar stuff.

Yes, also, part of the fun of Planescape is having your beliefs about the nature of the planes overturned by the reality of their true nature. Set up a campaign where people have clear beliefs about what happens after death and where do the gods dwell, then blow the players' minds when they see politics of Sigil and travel to the infinite vistas of the multiverse...

 

[jgsugden]

You're doing a great service to them by considering the story so much. A strong story really can add so much to an RPG.

That being said, I would not worry to much about this element. You're not going to destroy the story by introducing planar travel. WotC just introduced an entire Adventure Path that goes to Avernus/Hell early on. In a prior edition, the first module introduced the Shadowfell early on (Keep on the Shadowfell).

My general trends around this, historically, are to keep things on the Prime Material Plane until around level 6, then inroduce the border planes (Feywild, Shadowfell) and Astral Plane (which serves as a super highway in my setting). The other planes play bigger roles after 11th level. However, I break that rule all the time when the story asks for it.

 

[Quickleaf]

Besides the challenge of finding a good adventure, my main question is whether dropping the bomb of planar travel this early makes it less special. The multiverse has always been one of my favourite concept in d&d, and I don't want to blow it too soon. Ideally I envision the progression of adventuring scope being local -> regional -> kingdom -> continental -> global -> universal (alternate material worlds) -> multiversal (worlds with different "laws of nature", afterlife, time travel...). Now we're talking about jumping from regional to multiversal.

Planescape turned this progression on its head, but it did so in a way that I found very manageable at the table. The DM controls which portal / planar pathways the PCs get access to, and thus you control the destinations they can visit. In Planescape, this revised progression looked like: Sigil > the Outlands > one or two specific planar locations > more planes > even more dangerous planes.

But there are many ways you can reinterpret that progression to suit the story you're weaving for your family. For example, maybe the goblins in your campaign are tied to the Feywild and the goblin kingdom of Nachtur? Then your progression might look like: Town > Wilderness > Dungeon > Feywild (outskirts) > Underdark > Feywild (Nachtur) > Acheron (where the goblinoid deities traditionally dwell in D&D's cosmology).

 

[Samloyal23]

Once you have experienced players who are used to planar travel and know how things work in the game, there is no reason not to start a Level 1 campaign in Planescape. Bouncing around Sigil running errands for a faction and doing small missions in the Outlands or the Astral Plane can be great fun.

 

[aco175]

I would skip it on their first campaign or intro to D&D. There is a lot to learn about the game and how things work before you can add more than what is needed. I would maybe throw some dungeons in that go to some of the elemental planes if you feel that you need. The plane of fire or water are totally different than the 'normal' planes, so new players will be able to tell them apart.