D&D General The Brilliance of the Original Gygaxian Multiverse

[Maxperson]

A parallel universe is a separate plane.

Says who? Space is infinite. We could have several different universes all expanding in different directions in our reality. Different planes are not required for different universes.

You can either plane shift from Krynn to Faerun (either directly, or via a transitive plane), or you can take a Spelljamming vessel out of Krynns Crystal sphere, into the Phlogiston and then travel to Faeruns Crystal sphere from there.

They havent really unified those concepts yet. Crystal spheres only contained planetary systems, and not entire universes so when you factor in Spelljammer, it kind of breaks down a bit.

This is from 2018

Jeremy Crawford
@JeremyECrawford

The different worlds of the Material Plane are, indeed, on the same plane of existence. Teleportation is possible between the worlds, but the DM decides whether such travel is reliable/safe and whether sigil sequences are available for teleportation circles. #DnD

 

[PsyzhranV2]

The original tweet for posterity:

I've never thought of the different prime worlds as separate universes. To me they're like solar systems, but separated from each other not by the void of space but by luminiferous aether.

 

[prosfilaes]

A vast multiverse can have a problem where you wander into a pocket dimension, you do whatever there, and then leave, never to meet any of those people again or have it have any effect on the further game. That may be what you want, but many people don't want that. If you want to play Amber, that's cool, but Amber is in someways a small setting; none of those infinite worlds matter. Amber PCs will never have to solve any problem on those worlds, because even the fall of a civilization on one world just doesn't matter.

 

[Umbran]

A parallel universe is a separate plane.

In real-world physics, this isn't true (as far as "separate plane" means anything in real world physics). Anything in our physical universe, but outside out observable universe, is effectively in a parallel universe.

 

[Flamestrike]

In real-world physics, this isn't true (as far as "separate plane" means anything in real world physics). Anything in our physical universe, but outside out observable universe, is effectively in a parallel universe.

The Plane of Shadow (Shadowfell) is a parallel universe, and it's a separate plane of existence.

I've always viewed planes of existence as their own reality and universes (separate from the material plane; which is effectively the entire universe, and all of space/time), each with their own space/time/ rules of physics.

I've always viewed he various material planes as 'branes':

Brane cosmology - Wikipedia

Each material plane is its own brane, and the prime material for its natural inhabitants. Each prime material/ brane has its own inner and outer planes (the default Prime material is assumed to have the Great wheel).

Effectively the default Prime material plane (the prime material assumed) is the axle of the great wheel. If you travel along the axle you find other prime material planes (each material plane being a separate section of the axle, and each one surrounded by their own 'wheel' of inner and outer planes (or something wildly different), or maybe even sharing the inner and outer planes of the default Prime material plane.

 

[FrogReaver]

Says who? Space is infinite. We could have several different universes all expanding in different directions in our reality. Different planes are not required for different universes.

Still would be 1 universe.

 

[Maxperson]

Still would be 1 universe.

The entirety of our universe is expanding into empty space. We have no way of knowing whether or not there is another universe an unimaginably far distance away that is also expanding into space. Or even billions of them. If you want to include those other "universes," complete with their own big bangs, in our universe, then you've reduced our universe to the equivalent of a galaxy.

What Came Before the Big Bang?

Cosmologist Alexander Vilenkin believes the Big Bang wasn't a one-off event, but merely one of a series of big bangs creating an endless number of bubble universes.

www.discovermagazine.com

 

[dave2008]

@Snarf Zagyg I'm not sure why you are calling this view Gyga

A parallel universe is a separate plane.

Who's to say, it is all made up (fantasy) anyway. Conceptual a parallel universe could be something different than a "plane"

 

[Hoffmand]

However, they do matter if we want to concentrate outside the Prime. Personally, I like a combination where some things are explained by the many universes of the Prime and other things are explained by things outside the Prime.

One issue with stuffing all the settings in the Prime is the part you quoted about the Ethereal plane touch the Prime and inner planes. If all the settings are in the Prime, it should be fairly simple to travel through the Ether to get to any alternate universe (setting) in the Prime. But that is apparantly not the case (MtG, Eberron, & Athas are all difficult to get to).

That’s exactly how it works for me in my setting. We travel through the deep ethereal to other alternate planes. And not one person from hasbro has tried to stop me.

 

[Hoffmand]

I wonder why the focus changed? Was it maybe because those other systems didn’t do as well as AD&D and D&D? Which forced a product focus on the fantasy aspect of them, thus the more fantasy like outer realms. I wonder if the original intent was that the outer planes were not necessarily D&D fantasy anyway.

Imagine a more Shadowrun like Planescape? Or a more gammaworld like abyss?

I tweaked my planescape a long time ago to be very high tech. And mechanus to be very high tech. It just felt right to me for them to have technology that other world in the material planes should have. It’s so far advanced it seems like magic to many. But mechanus has the best internet connections anywhere.