Planar books
- Thread starter Crothian
- Start date
fredramsey
First Post
Countless Doorways is a cool book, but as I was reading it, I found that I wasn't interested in using any of the planes as they appeared. For example, I loved the idea of a plane where spiders/arenea (sp?) are the dominant species, but then they threw Formians in there which I wouldn't use. YMMV.
But I would recommend the book for inspiration if nothing else.
And I still like WOTC's Manual of the Planes, too.
But I would recommend the book for inspiration if nothing else.
And I still like WOTC's Manual of the Planes, too.
Psion
Adventurer
Crothian said:
The other respondants handled all the others I know of except for (if you count character options):
Green Ronin's Planetouched: Aasimar and Tieflings provides rules for custom building plane touched (very cool), and options for planetouched characters, including several that are planes-related.
- FFG's Planes and Portal: One of my favorites. As my campaign thread (here) shows, the River of Worlds concept became central in my campaign. The ideas about portals, malignancies, and minglings are great for campaigns, and the planar definitions provides lots of neat plug-ins for new planes, and the random tables actually produces some pretty credible playable planes (I plunked it into namegen if anyone wants my rul file.) Also, the rules for customizing races rule. There's lots of neat stuff in here.
- Sword and Sorcery's Edge of Infinity: Have it, haven't read it yet.
- Malhavok's Beyond Countless Doorways: Pretty good. Lots of neat campaign world ideas. You could take one and expand it out to a full campaign world, or make them stops or sites for your own planar campaign (say, along the River of Worlds.
) Lizard Kingdoms, the Ten Hells, Dendri, the Sleeping Gods Soul, and Palpatur are all things I have plans for. The one thing I DON'T care for it that they eschew planar alignment traits. I don't consdier this a big deal, however, since I can use Portals & Planes to craft these traits more precisely than the core rules allow. - Mongoose's Book of Planes: Also a very nice book. It has some very cool planes (Mal, The Inn of the Happy Toad God, and the Questing Grounds will be making it into my planar game). This book is a bit heavier on character oriented options than BCD or P&P. I question whether door is too accessible, but most of the rest of the planar travel stuff is neat. I like the stuff on planecrafting, and planar traits that make planes less accessible (and planes around it.) The factions/prestige classes are also cool, and most of them made it into my game.
- Ronin Arts' DM's Directory of Demi Planes: Obviously a smaller book, these have "plot hook" written all over them.
Last edited:
Crothian said:
Let me know if you also want "A Dozen Planar Traits" for your review.
http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=3311
Crothian
First Post
I think I'm going to limit it to those books I listed. Too many books and it'll be a really tough review to write as I'll be talking about too many things. THose books seem to have a bit in common that can be talked about. Also, as the review system requires reviews to be posted under specific books, I'll be talking about one book mor ethen the others for each review....assuming I decide to review them all.
Any particular reason you're leaving MotP out of the list? I'd think that comparing to MotP would be the obvious tactic [though Countless Doorways, at least, puts it to shame, and it sounds like Portals & Planes does too, so maybe you're just being nice to MotP?Crothian said:
].
Nightfall
Sage of the Scarred Lands
MotP is decent IF you like the "Hey look at D&D's cosmology!" type deal. It's the standard I know but just cause it's a bar doesn't mean you can't go over it. 
Obviously as an SL buff, Edge has some pluses (FINALLY a planar book for the Scarred Lands) and a few minuses (would have like maps or at least more than just descriptions) but overall, I loved this book. I felt it and BCD fit together very nicely. Not to mention the fact they use better naming ideas than just "Elemental" planes and "transitive planes". Occult and Fundamental Planes just SOUND cooler.
BCD, by far, the most planescape and yet so much more planar book I own. Well worth buying in PDF and/or print. Overall I was thoroughly impressed by the amount of thought and detail Monte and his fellow authors put into this book. Great ideas, great read, just great fun.
I can't comment on the others, other than to say, I'll take Psion's like of Planes and Portals as some good seed generation and certainly seems good from the skim I did a while back.
Obviously as an SL buff, Edge has some pluses (FINALLY a planar book for the Scarred Lands) and a few minuses (would have like maps or at least more than just descriptions) but overall, I loved this book. I felt it and BCD fit together very nicely. Not to mention the fact they use better naming ideas than just "Elemental" planes and "transitive planes". Occult and Fundamental Planes just SOUND cooler.
BCD, by far, the most planescape and yet so much more planar book I own. Well worth buying in PDF and/or print. Overall I was thoroughly impressed by the amount of thought and detail Monte and his fellow authors put into this book. Great ideas, great read, just great fun.
I can't comment on the others, other than to say, I'll take Psion's like of Planes and Portals as some good seed generation and certainly seems good from the skim I did a while back.
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