D&D (2024) The Multiverse in the 2024 Players Handbook

[Yaarel]

True, although I choose the Prime because the jotnar are natural or elemental entities.

Yeah, the jǫtnar are places in the Material Plane. For example, the jǫtunn Dofri is a manifestation of the mountain range of Dofri (today Dovre-fjell).

Likewise the jǫtnar include elementals such as: Logi, Kári, and Hlér who are fire, air, and water, respectively. Jǫrð is earth.

Midgard was created from and walled off from Jotunheim, the giants pushed back due to the actions of the Aesir. It seemed to be accepted that you could walk there if you knew the way.

Miðgarðr in the sense of the barrier itself, appears to be the mountain ranges that encircle the continent. In this case, jǫtnar inhabit these mountainous barriers. Norse have a sense of living among the jǫtnar, ִcomprising the troll, risar and þursar, as do Sámi and Finlander with similar concepts. If I remember a particular description correctly, one can walk from Sweden in the east, westward across the mountains of Norway to Jǫtunheimr, then sail over the ocean to Útgarðr. Note, there are Norwegian families who claim descent from various jǫtnar.

I can easily picture Níðhöggr chewing in his root in the Shadowfell, or the Underdark for that matter.

Níðhǫggr seems like a guardian at the threshold between the region of the living and the region of the dead. Descriptions locate this dragon in Hvergelmir, the arctic ocean. Altho Hel is underground, the gateway to get down there is in the extreme north in Niflheimr. Meanwhile the arctic north seems lifeless compared to the abundance of natural life farther south.

Since this dragon gnaws on the northerly root of Yggdrasill, the dead would seem to encounter it on their way to Hel.

And, the Fey feel more Vanir than Aesir, to me, anyway. I could see clerics of the Aesir, and warlocks bargaining with the Vanir.

The æsir feel equivalent to Fey, albeit skyey rather than "woodsy". Same with the Norse alfar − they are skyey, not woodsy.

By contrast, the vanir, associate with warm fertile seabreezes, whence coastlands, farmlands, and wilderness areas that are lush with plantlife. The vanir are probably still skyey, with Freyr associating with fertile weather including gentle sunlight, whence likely his connection with the alfar.


The trǫll are woodsy. In later folkbelief, the term "trǫll" seems to serve as a loan translation of the English term "faierie", both meaning "magic", enchantment. One can make the case that the jǫtnar translate into D&D Fey.

 

[Yaarel]

Because the jǫtnar are nature that includes both "Positive" lifegiving forces and "Negative" destructive forces, they do seem like a more neutral mix generally. They are probably D&D "Ethereal", at least more often than Fey and Shadow.

What are the natives of the Ethereal Plane called? Possibly they should have the Elemental creature type. This also connotes how the Ether of the Ethereal Plane is the "Fifth Element", quintessence.

 

[Yaarel]

The creature type "Giant" can specifically mean an Elemental that is native to the Material Plane, who is typically a specific natural feature within the wilderness landscape, such as a rock formation of a specific mountain or a specific river stream. The souls of these landscape features often roam the overlapping Ethereal Plane and can manifest ghostlike into humanlike or animallike forms. These apparitions that are subtly reminiscent of the originating natural feature are the typical "giants" that humans often encounter. The giants of mountains are often Huge in size. While other giants may be Large, Medium, or even Small. Some Giants gain size while advancing in levels.

The Giant creature type is a kind of nature spirit akin to the Fey creature type, but is more oriented toward the materiality of the Material Plane, and less oriented toward the Positive Energy than the Fey is.

With this definition of Giant, the Tiny Chwinga could be understood as the Giant creature type, rather than Elemental, as it is native to the Material Plane. It might specifically be the soul of a specific small flowering plant, or a patch of soil or water.

 

[Baron Opal II]

Because the jǫtnar are nature that includes both "Positive" lifegiving forces and "Negative" destructive forces, they do seem like a more neutral mix generally. They are probably D&D "Ethereal", at least more often than Fey and Shadow.

What are the natives of the Ethereal Plane called? Possibly they should have the Elemental creature type. This also connotes how the Ether of the Ethereal Plane is the "Fifth Element", quintessence.

Well, there aren't any, really. The issue I have with that is that the Ethereal plane has always been, well, ethereal. There's little substance to it. A lot of potential, perhaps, but the native life tends to be mental predators that peer into material planes. There are some intelligent immigrants (xill?) but that's about it. There is the rare bit of ethereal stone or material detritus floating along, color pools, but for the most part it's just a void.

 

[Yaarel]

Well, there aren't any, really. The issue I have with that is that the Ethereal plane has always been, well, ethereal. There's little substance to it. A lot of potential, perhaps, but the native life tends to be mental predators that peer into material planes. There are some intelligent immigrants (xill?) but that's about it. There is the rare bit of ethereal stone or material detritus floating along, color pools, but for the most part it's just a void.

But that is the "Deep Ether" that is bleak and empty, albeit with Elemental "dominions" within it.

The part of the Ether that overlaps the Material Plane, is teaming with life and interacts with the creatures in the Material Plane.

Where the Fey perspective is heightened in color and dramatic appearance, and the Shadow perspective is gloomy and ghostly in appearance, I visualize the Ethereal perspective as soft misty pastels. This "mistiness" is the translucence of the gravity, that is of the ether and pervades matter.

 

[Davinshe]

I like the return of paraelemental planes. I love summoning paralemental, the surprise is bigger. Will we see the update of the paragenasi, why not?

I don't mind about the quasielmental planes, but I love the idea quasielemental summones by divine spellcasters.

yeah, since we don't have a positive energy plane anymore, quasi-elementals don't really make a ton of sense. They didn't all have particularly strong themes anyway (we really needed an ash elemental AND a dust elemental?)

 

[Davinshe]

Well, there aren't any, really. The issue I have with that is that the Ethereal plane has always been, well, ethereal. There's little substance to it. A lot of potential, perhaps, but the native life tends to be mental predators that peer into material planes. There are some intelligent immigrants (xill?) but that's about it. There is the rare bit of ethereal stone or material detritus floating along, color pools, but for the most part it's just a void.

Right -- the ethereal plane really only exists to justify certain spells mechanically, and I'm fine with it not actually being a great place to adventure. That said, it's a fine place to put something that really, really, really wants to be left alone and as a sort of dumping ground for everything else in the universe.

 

[Baron Opal II]

The part of the Ether that overlaps the Material Plane, is teaming with life and interacts with the creatures in the Material Plane.

Like what?

I mean, there is life observable there. There are a number of creatures whose senses extend into the Ethereal plane. Spectral undead exist partially there, or nearly wholly in the case of ghosts. You can easily see into the material plane and the life that exists there, but it isn't in the border Ethereal.

I could certainly be forgetting something, and I don't know very well the recent lore.

As far as Yggdrasil goes, I see an analogous World Ash extending their roots into the Shadowfell due to associations with the past, death, decay and loss (Niflheim), into the Feywild for potential, creation and invention (Asgard), and the material plane for life, vibrancy, and vitality (Jotunheim).

 

[Yaarel]

Like what?

I mean, there is life observable there. There are a number of creatures whose senses extend into the Ethereal plane. Spectral undead exist partially there, or nearly wholly in the case of ghosts. You can easily see into the material plane and the life that exists there, but it isn't in the border Ethereal.

I could certainly be forgetting something, and I don't know very well the recent lore.

The overlapping ethereal plane is essentially the where the "nature spirits" are. All of nature is roaming around interacting with each other and influencing each other.

Typically the nature spirits have a subtle ethereal presence − an outofbody presence beyond its object of nature − thus are "hidden" from human observers. But some humans are more sensitive and see them plainly. The powerful natural souls can materialize various effects, from dream interactions to a full-on body of matter, flesh and blood.

 

[Kobold Avenger]

Traditionally in D&D there haven't been too many varieties of natives to the Ethereal Plane, a lot of it has been Incorporeal Undead, a Humanoid species called the Nathri which never had the same appeal as the Gith, Phase Spiders, the annoying Ethereal Filcher and the Ethergaunt which probably are more likely to be some form of Aberration (I really wish they returned to D&D after 3.5e) based on the appearances.

The Ethereal Plane does need some more work done on it, and I say that as someone who's very much into the Great Ring cosmology and Planescape. They probably need to throw in a bunch of the Region of Dream or Spirit World stuff into the Ethereal Plane, now that there's very much a niche for Shadowfell and Feywild.