Planar Travel - I'm asking for directions

[Quasqueton]

The "What's Hell Like" thread here today made me think of this again. Something that I haven't been able to really get my mind around in the D&D cosmology is just how planar travel works.

I've read the MotP and each of the relavent spells (gate, plane shift, etc.) but I can't put this together.

The MotP says the first layer of each outer plane is the entrance/foyer/front door of that plane. For instance, when going to the Nine Hells, the first layer (Avernus) is the entrance. Does this mean that plane shifting (the spell) only takes you to this first level. You then must travel from level to level "internally"? And how is this done? Do you have to plane shift again to get to level 2? Are there portals on the first level that take travellers to the 2nd level? Wouldn't these portals be guarded?

How about the 666/infinite layers of the Abyss? Do you have to go from one level to the next in order?

Actually, do you have to go to the Astral plane first, then to the first level of the outer plane? This would seem to be the case from reading how the planes are set up, but then none of the spells mention this method. Reading the spells it seems plane shift can take you directly to the outer planes.

How about the summon monster or gate spells? Where do the summoned monsters come from? Are you summoning them directly from the outer planes to the material plane, bypassing the planes in between? When you open a gate, does that gate give access to/from any level of any plane, bypassing the planes in between?

When you plane shift, you need a tuning fork atuned to the plane you are travelling to. Does this mean a tuning fork for "Hell" and when you shift you arrive in Avernus? Or can you have forks for any specific layer of the plane?

Using Hell as an example: say I make a plot where the PCs must go to Nessus, the 9th level of Hell, for whatever reason. Can they go directly? Or must they get to the Astral plane, then to Avernus, then to Dis, so on and so on. Either plane shifting nine times in, then nine times out, or finding the official (or possibly hidden) portals to travel to the next level. Could they gate directly to Nessus?

I like the idea of having to go to each level in turn (including a trip through the Astral), but none of the rules and non-rule official material follow the pattern explained in the MotP.

Hows does planar travel work exactly?

Quasqueton

 

[Voadam]

Here is my understanding and I can't back it up with page references right now but from a mishmash of planar stuff from 1e to present.

You can astrally project (via spell or other means) onto the astral plane leaving your body behind and sending out your spirit. On the astral plane you can then go to a color pool which is a gateway to the outer planes. Going through the gateway you enter the first layer of an outer plane, the gateway planes, and you have a new body created. If your body is killed, your spirit goes back to your actual body.

Outsiders and elementals summoned have sort of the same thing in reverse. They create a body on the material plane and their spirit returns to their home plane if they are "killed" on the material plane. This is why summoned creatures are rather blase about attacking to the death and why demons must be slain on their home plane to actually kill them.

Call spells, gates and plane shifting works differently. The actual creature steps through and cannot be dispelled. Also if they die they actually die. It also bypasses the astral mechanism of getting to planes.

Now for planes, take the nine hells, this is not one plane but nine separate infinite planes of Lawful Evil. Only one is directly accessible from the astral, but otherwise each is a distinct outer plane for purposes of plane shifting or whatnot.

 

[Ashy]

The MotP says the first layer of each outer plane is the entrance/foyer/front door of that plane. For instance, when going to the Nine Hells, the first layer (Avernus) is the entrance. Does this mean that plane shifting (the spell) only takes you to this first level. You then must travel from level to level "internally"?

Yes, and yes.

And how is this done? Do you have to plane shift again to get to level 2? Are there portals on the first level that take travellers to the 2nd level? Wouldn't these portals be guarded?

You can walk, find a portal or conduit, or plane shift. Yes, there are portals which lead from one layer to the next and you can bet that all of them that are known will be guarded.

How about the 666/infinite layers of the Abyss? Do you have to go from one level to the next in order?

Not at all. You may find a portal which takes you to the layer you want to get to, if you are extremely lucky. However, you might have to take a portal to the Para-Elemental Plane of Ooze, and the find a conduit to the Prime Material world of Uck, where you can then find a connection to Yggdrasil, the World Ash, and from there to the Infinite Stair, and then you can finally find a portal to the specific layer of the Abyss that you are looking for. So, as you can see, you can make just getting there half (or more than half) the adventure!

Actually, do you have to go to the Astral plane first, then to the first level of the outer plane? This would seem to be the case from reading how the planes are set up, but then none of the spells mention this method. Reading the spells it seems plane shift can take you directly to the outer planes.

Plane shift can take you to any of the outer planes, if you know where you are going. If you are traveling via the Astral, then of course you have to go to the Astral first, and then on to the first layer of said plane.

How about the summon monster or gate spells? Where do the summoned monsters come from? Are you summoning them directly from the outer planes to the material plane, bypassing the planes in between? When you open a gate, does that gate give access to/from any level of any plane, bypassing the planes in between?

Summon monster spells pull directly from the outer planes, but through the various loopholes. A gate is a doorway directly to the plane in question, yes.

When you plane shift, you need a tuning fork atuned to the plane you are travelling to. Does this mean a tuning fork for "Hell" and when you shift you arrive in Avernus? Or can you have forks for any specific layer of the plane?

I would say that this depends on your DMing style. I require specific forks for each layer.

Using Hell as an example: say I make a plot where the PCs must go to Nessus, the 9th level of Hell, for whatever reason. Can they go directly? Or must they get to the Astral plane, then to Avernus, then to Dis, so on and so on. Either plane shifting nine times in, then nine times out, or finding the official (or possibly hidden) portals to travel to the next level. Could they gate directly to Nessus?

You can do it anyway you like. What the PCs can do depends greatly on what spells/items they have. If you want them to run the gamit of the layers of Hell, then they can.

Hope this helps!

 

[Arravis]

Ashy, what you're saying is true for 2nd edition, but I don't beleive it's used any longer in 3rd. Personally, I preffer it was done in 2nd ed and that's the way I do it in my own campaign.

 

[JacktheRabbit]

Has anyone else ever been botherd by the whole astral projection bit and the creation of new bodies when someone enters the plane?

Also if I Astral Project and then enter a new plane I get a new body. If I meet someone on that plane will they be able to tell if this is the real me or not?

 

[Ashy]

Ashy, what you're saying is true for 2nd edition, but I don't beleive it's used any longer in 3rd. Personally, I preffer it was done in 2nd ed and that's the way I do it in my own campaign.

Yea, I know - speaking from experience.