D&D 5E The Multiverse

[Parmandur]

Meanwhile, in Theros, it's very clear that the deities are designed around the 5 Colors and combinations thereof (5 big deities are pure elemental, the other 10 are dual-elemental deities, one for each of the 10 combos). And I guess there's 5 color cultures too:

Blue - Tritons
Red - Minotaurs
White - Leonin
Black - The Revived
Green - Satyrs

With the human city states and the Centaurs somewhere in-between.

Centaurs are usually White, IIRC, which makes sense in terms of the energy theming of Plains.

The gods are the main dividers of color themes in the Theros cards, from what I've seen, with the city states providing a good bit of theming there as well.

 

[Hatmatter]

If I use the MtG universes as part of the larger DnD cosmology then I will pretty much just treat them like a different world in much the same way that Greyhawk and the Forgotten Realms and Eberron are different. The MtG worlds aren't even that affected by MtG in that the colours don't matter so a wizard or druid is just using DnD mechanics to cast spells without having to worry about which colour of magic they are accessing.

I do like dave2008's cosmological map that he put together though where the MtG worlds are orbiting far distant from the core DnD worlds.

Thanks for pointing me over to dave2008's thread...I find that discussion fascinating.

 

[Urriak Uruk]

Well, now that Theros is out on D&D Beyond, it has this to say about Theros' place in the multiverse:

"The world of Theros, as its inhabitants understand, includes three realms: the mortal world, the divine realm of Nyx, and the Underworld. They are three distinct planes of existence, tucked into their own pocket of the multiverse and shielded from the rest of the cosmos by the power of the gods."

So, like Eberron, it's technically part of the D&D multiverse, but cut off and inaccessible unless the DM wills it otherwise.

I find this line from the book so interesting, because although it's all true (that Theros is largely cut off from the multiverse and people cannot leave or enter by the means of other D&D worlds), it's also confirmed as not true, because Planeswalkers can of course enter by Planeswalking.

I find the concept of Planeswalkers interesting in the concept of traditional D&D worlds; is a world like Greyhawk capable of birthing a Planeswalker? We've never seen one confirmed in a place like Greyhawk, so is it fundamentally different from a world like Ravnica? Or have Planeswalkers visited, but the knowledge of them is not commonly known?

I highly doubt we will ever get a canon explanation for this, unless we actually see a crossover where a D&D world gets a Magic set (as some people have hinted they've looked into). But I do love the implications here that are available to players.

In my games, I take this approach; that Planeswalkers can be born on any world, including ones like Greyhawk, Athas, or Mystara. Planeswalkers also have abilities far beyond that of your typical planeshift spell, and can bypass the wards that shield places like Eberron, Athas, Theros and others that normally cut those worlds off from the greater multiverse. However, on some worlds the concept of Planeswalkers is a closely guarded secret only a handful of people know. On Eberron for example, the revelation that a few select people are capable of leaving (and entering) that world, and that a nearly limitless number of worlds exist beyond the Khyber, complete with their own divine powers, could very well shatter the faith of most religions and cause societal instability. Such knowledge is therefore locked away far from casual observers, and even most kings are sheltered from such a revelation.

That's just my interpretation of course. I think I may actually right down a little description of how each world handles the concept of "Planeswalkers" as a semi-guide.

 

[cbwjm]

Thanks for pointing me over to dave2008's thread...I find that discussion fascinating.

Yeah, it's pretty cool the idea from dave2008 and the ideas from others.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

The trouble isn't really about what do you allow in your own games, but if something can officially be allowed, not only suggested, in D&D, without a portion of the fandom get angry. For example after lord Soth something has happened in Sithicus, the dark domain in the demiplane of the dread, and this causes a planar right between Sithicus and the alternate future-line where Raitslin became god and caused an apocalypse in Krynn.

If Hasbro chooses crossovers are a good way to make money, how the official canon about the D&D multiverse could explain any official crossovers?

 

[DEFCON 1]

If Hasbro chooses crossovers are a good way to make money, how the official canon about the D&D multiverse could explain any official crossovers?

Easy... they don't concern themselves with trying to pin down an "official canon".

They might write or speak of something that could be a type of canon for those players who think they want it... but they aren't going to be beholden to anything for the game on the whole. Because it's a waste of time and energy as every player is going to invent their own explanation anyway (or ignore it altogether).

If Hasbro puts together a Transformers D&D world... don't expect any D&D designers to start decreeing any "official policy" on incorporating Transformers into the various D&D settings. They'll let players decide how to incorporate Transformers into the game themselves, if indeed they wish to incorporate them at all.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

WotC could create an official version of the cybertronians (autobots and decepticons) as a PC race of living constructs (as the digievolution of the warforged). If there is a future movie based in Beast Wars (maximals and predacons) WotC could publish a PC race. Even Transformers-Kaladesh (Magic: the Gathering) could be published as comic.

There are also other options, for example the "ideaverse", a demiplane where all fiction is real (classic literature), the maya, a demiplane created as an ilusion for titans cursed to be reincarnated as ordinary mortals forgotten their past when the rebeled against the gods in a lost titanomachy, or a akashic realm, a demiplane created by the collective memories about the past (how it's remembered, but maybe not how really it happened). These allow a lot of mash-ups, for example a group of teenages are murdered by a psycho-killer and they are reincarnated into the heroes of the lance, but it's not the original Krynn but a "clone world", maybe a strange plot of the god Raistlin because he wants to save his unknown daughter.

In our own games we are totally free for the craziest mash-up, but WotC needs a good explanation to allow something like this in DM Guild.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

The gods were definitely designed around the colour wheel but you don't need to know it or interact with the wheel to use them. Same with the city states which had one or two colours. Satyrs are actually an interesting case, they revolved around red with two colour combos, red/green and red/black. I don't think I really agree with the Theros book when it says they gravitate towards good, their culture seems to have quite a dark undercurrent to it. Inviting people to a revel and then effectively enslaving them for a time.

I’ll have to read their writeup again but...I don’t remember anything resembling enslavement?

 

[cbwjm]

I’ll have to read their writeup again but...I don’t remember anything resembling enslavement?

This is what I took from one of those old Theros articles which leads me to believe they lean more towards evil that good (not that I use alignment but they don't sound like a "good" race).

Also, my comment about the colours was wrong, they are typically green/red and green/black. I had thought that they had red as a common colour.

Cult of Horns
Frequently humans come to Skola in search of endless pleasure without consequences. When they first arrive, they are courted by the satyrs. They are told they will learn the mysteries of Nyx. They enjoy days of revelries, music, and ecstatic dance—all without a care in the world. Inevitably, the hospitality gives way to something more sinister, and these unsuspecting humans find themselves conscripted into service of the satyrs.

The satyr sybils decide when these newcomers are ready for full initiation rites. Many humans undertake the rites, never knowing the joke is on them, and are awarded a crown made of broken horns—a symbol of mockery. Once given the crown, they are known as Stubs. They are assigned menial, humiliating tasks. Enchantment magic keeps them in the thrall of the satyrs until, inevitably, the satyrs tire. Then the Stubs are deserted in the wild chaparral, where they awake hours later, alone, dazed, and ashamed. Out of embarrassment, Stubs seldom tell the true story of their time with the satyrs.

Many perpetuate the myth of the joy and excitement of their time in Skola, encouraging the younger generation to "sow their wild oats" among the satyrs.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

This is what I took from one of those old Theros articles which leads me to believe they lean more towards evil that good (not that I use alignment but they don't sound like a "good" race).

Also, my comment about the colours was wrong, they are typically green/red and green/black. I had thought that they had red as a common colour.

Cult of Horns
Frequently humans come to Skola in search of endless pleasure without consequences. When they first arrive, they are courted by the satyrs. They are told they will learn the mysteries of Nyx. They enjoy days of revelries, music, and ecstatic dance—all without a care in the world. Inevitably, the hospitality gives way to something more sinister, and these unsuspecting humans find themselves conscripted into service of the satyrs.

The satyr sybils decide when these newcomers are ready for full initiation rites. Many humans undertake the rites, never knowing the joke is on them, and are awarded a crown made of broken horns—a symbol of mockery. Once given the crown, they are known as Stubs. They are assigned menial, humiliating tasks. Enchantment magic keeps them in the thrall of the satyrs until, inevitably, the satyrs tire. Then the Stubs are deserted in the wild chaparral, where they awake hours later, alone, dazed, and ashamed. Out of embarrassment, Stubs seldom tell the true story of their time with the satyrs.

Many perpetuate the myth of the joy and excitement of their time in Skola, encouraging the younger generation to "sow their wild oats" among the satyrs.

If it ain’t in the book, I’m not worried about it.

but also, yeah that isn’t enslavement or evil. It’s a rough trick, certainly.