Manual of the Planes Revealed Over on RPG.net

[Rechan]

Far Realms gets 1 page?!

What the hell. That's lame.

 

[Obryn]

YAY!

Less Planescapey means I'll buy it!

-O

 

[Sir Brennen]

Far Realms gets 1 page?!

What the hell. That's lame.

My guess... it'll get explored much more throughly in a future book focused on aberrations.

 

[Shroomy]

Fun fact; at D&D Experience, we saw the Shadow Demon in some book somewhere. The Shadow Demon is in the pre-4e "Monsters and More" PDF. I wonder how close to the pre-4e one it is.

(Incidentally, the Goblin Picador is in there too. It didn't make the MM cut.)

I didn't go to DDXP, but I remember those floating around. I think they were taken from the 4e stats on the DDM cards.

 

[Rechan]

I didn't go to DDXP, but I remember those floating around. I think they were taken from the 4e stats on the DDM cards.

That would do it.

I really liked the Shadow Demon's design, too. It inflicted an ongoing 5 necrotic, but if you were within 5 squares of the demon, a shadow creature, or another person taking ongoing damage, you received a -5 penalty on the saving throw. When the demon was bloodied, it immediately teleported next to someone who was taking ongoing 5 and did damage, and it also could teleport next to someone who just dropped to 0.

Edit: Here's the pdf. Wow, it's interesting looking back and comparing them to the finished product in the MM.

 

[Piratecat]

Two bits of trivia you may or may not know:

(1) Our very own Plane Sailing was the person who wrote the very first Shadow Demon, back in the 1e Fiend Folio.

(2) According to Monte, Faction War was an interim product that had a follow-up which set the factions back to their old status (more or less.) The line got cancelled before it could be published, and Sigil was left in relative disarray.

In any case, I'm looking forward to this book. I understand JonRog1 wrote part of it as well.

 

[Pour]

I think I would prefer if books like this were done in the same manner as the PHB's in a sense. That is to say, have the first Manual of the Planes focus on the Shadowfell, Feywild and Far Realms each in ample detail, with stats for the major players in each, info on locations and of course monsters, paragons and epic destinies. Then have the next Manual of the Planes be more like the Plane of Dreams, The Nine Hells and The Abyss, and again go into all the details, etc etc.

Idk, I much rather them throwing us big, juicy portions than samples of everything. I mean its not like if they released a Manual of the Planes entirely on the Shadowfell, Feywild and Far Realms that they couldn't release yet more supplements regarding those realms, like something aberrations focused or fey focused, or expand it in the future Planescape or Spelljammer settings.

 

[Rechan]

Incidentally, I've all ready bought the book. Birthday present, preordered for me.

 

[justanobody]

Two bits of trivia you may or may not know:

(1) Our very own Plane Sailing was the person who wrote the very first Shadow Demon, back in the 1e Fiend Folio.

Yeah, well maybe, but who cares if he didn't also illustrate it! =P

But know I now who to ask why it is weaker AC in light (day/torch), but oddly immune to lightning of all kinds.....I would think it should get some kind of temporary AC adjustment as if under torch light (maybe AC6 instead of 5 since lightning is quicker) for a round or something from being in the presence of such intense/focus light.

Just how did someone in Japan get the book anyway, and can it be trusted?

 

[mhacdebhandia]

Just how did someone in Japan get the book anyway, and can it be trusted?

The Japanese branch of Amazon often ships before the American street date. I remember SpringsBoundlessThorns' having posted about other books before release.