Multipolar Cosmological Conflicts

[Roman]

In D&D most cosmological conflicts are bipolar - meaning that there are only 2 diametrically opposed sides to the each matter like Good versus Evil, Law versus Chaos, Positive Energy versus Negative Energy, Fire versus Water, or Air versus Earth. Of course, there is also neutrality, but that lies in between - it is not a pole in and of itself.

Has anyone ever considered creating a cosmology with multipolar cosmological conflicts - each of the multiple poles opposed to every other pole? How would you go about doing this and what poles of conflict would you have?

One possible idea I have thought up:

Life versus Death versus Undeath

Life is opposed to death but also undeath
Death is opposed to undeath but also life
Undeath is opposed to life but also death

It fits the criteria, each pole is opposed to all others (and there can also perhaps be some kind of neutrality...). Can anyone else provide more such tripolar (or if you can do quadripolar or more that is even better) conflicts? I think that this could be used to create an interesting, different and cool cosmology.

 

[Tonguez]

Stasis vs Growth vs Disorder(Chaos)
*tossing up between naming it Growth or Change...

Growth vs Disorder because Growth means a steady development and improvement to become something better whereas disorder doesn't

 

[Roman]

Stasis vs Growth vs Disorder(Chaos)
*tossing up between naming it Growth or Change...

Growth vs Disorder because Growth means a steady development and improvement to become something better whereas disorder doesn't

Yep, that works. Any other such multipolar conflicts you can think of?

 

[Snoweel]

New gods (sounds like a boy band, doesn't it?) vs Old gods vs Dead gods

My cosmology isn't arranged on moral/ethical grounds, but there are multiple factions all opposed to each other, including conflict within factions.

 

[Myrddin ap Taliesen]

Mortality v. Immoratlity v. Non-existence.

 

[Snoweel]

Paper vs Scissors vs Rock?

 

[Umbran]

Tonguez has effectively named the first one that came to my mind - the WHite Wolf cosmology has Weaver, Wyld, and Wyrm.

Weaver is statsis, form, organization. Wyld is organic flow, growth, and change. Wyrm is destruction, death, and decay.

Mind you, the way White Wolf does it, it isn't really a polar conflict. In the normal, natural state, the poles are cooperative. All three are required to have a properly working world. Wyld provides the energy and growth, Weaver makes the form useful, and Wyrm breaks down the old forms so that new ones can be made. Overall, a cooperative cycle.

The World of Darkness operates in a time when the three are not in proper balance, so the world is messed up.

In the realworld, there are systems that use five elements, so that you don't have direct polar opposites. Heck, Magic: The Gathering has five "colors" that make a reasonable system as well.

 

[blargney the second]

Let's give it a crack...

Racial: humans vs kobolds vs orcs
Deific: god of storms vs goddess of agriculture vs god of war
Philosophical: ends vs means vs self-interest vs apathy
Progress: technology vs magic vs luddites vs entropy
Emotional: anger vs happiness vs serenity vs depression vs fear
Classical Elements: fire vs air vs water vs earth
Oriental Elements: wood vs fire vs earth vs metal vs water (vs void?)
Size Scale: microscopic vs miniature vs small vs large vs enormous vs etc vs universe

-blarg

 

[Roman]

Some of these are pretty good - I particularly like the philosophical and emotional conflicts.