Mercule
Adventurer
So, I'm running a homebrew setting that does not rely heavily on the planes. Still, there are questions about the nature of the universe that are pretty important to have answered. I've got a lot of the general answers, but I really want to nail down the specifics.
To that end, I need to figure out exactly how my cosmology fits together, and I'm looking for some guidance on how to do this. To say that I want a non-standard cosmology would be an understatement. For that reason, I've avoided the Manual of the Planes thus far, but I want to know if there would actually be some value to that book, or if there are some 3rd party books that might be helpful.
As I said, non-standard: It has been expressly established that there are no elemental planes -- elementals are gathered from prime-planar elements and given a semi-sentience in the process. Positive and negative planes are a "maybe" -- I really only care about them because I like the 1E explanation of the Plane of Shadow being an interplay between them and the Prime. No great wheel or anything resembling it -- the gods live in other planes, but are not divided by alignment. Probably no ethereal plane, though it's a possibility -- the plane of shadow will fill many of those niches. Not sure about an astral plane. I want to reduce the number of transitive planes, in general. The shadow plane will fill some of that role, too. I guess the closest model of which I'm aware is the Eberron cosmology, but that isn't quite an exact fit, either.
Basically, I've got all these ideas floating around and need to codify them and ask some detail questions. Or, I've got the blocks, now I need some idea of how to put them together.
I know that much of the MoP would be of limited value to me (pretty much anything besides the "roll your own" bits). What I'd really like to know is whether the rest of the book has enough in it, that isn't also in the 3.5 DMG, to warrant the price tag. Or, is there a 3rd party sourcebook that would help me do what I want?
Any thoughts or recommendations?
To that end, I need to figure out exactly how my cosmology fits together, and I'm looking for some guidance on how to do this. To say that I want a non-standard cosmology would be an understatement. For that reason, I've avoided the Manual of the Planes thus far, but I want to know if there would actually be some value to that book, or if there are some 3rd party books that might be helpful.
As I said, non-standard: It has been expressly established that there are no elemental planes -- elementals are gathered from prime-planar elements and given a semi-sentience in the process. Positive and negative planes are a "maybe" -- I really only care about them because I like the 1E explanation of the Plane of Shadow being an interplay between them and the Prime. No great wheel or anything resembling it -- the gods live in other planes, but are not divided by alignment. Probably no ethereal plane, though it's a possibility -- the plane of shadow will fill many of those niches. Not sure about an astral plane. I want to reduce the number of transitive planes, in general. The shadow plane will fill some of that role, too. I guess the closest model of which I'm aware is the Eberron cosmology, but that isn't quite an exact fit, either.
Basically, I've got all these ideas floating around and need to codify them and ask some detail questions. Or, I've got the blocks, now I need some idea of how to put them together.
I know that much of the MoP would be of limited value to me (pretty much anything besides the "roll your own" bits). What I'd really like to know is whether the rest of the book has enough in it, that isn't also in the 3.5 DMG, to warrant the price tag. Or, is there a 3rd party sourcebook that would help me do what I want?
Any thoughts or recommendations?
