The Planes

[Shade]

What I'm dying to know...

Will the Great Wheel remain the core cosmology?

(Please, please, please be the case)

 

[an_idol_mind]

Just speculation on my part, but I'm betting the DM's Guide will have a section on cosmology with the Great Wheel being an example but not necessarily core. I'm only basing this assumption on the fact that the two big settings, the Forgotten Realms and Eberron, use unique cosmologies.

 

[Arkhandus]

Isn't Forgotten Realms supposed to be the first Core setting in 4th Edition? Which would mean they'd likely use the wierd FR cosmology introduced in the 3E FRCS.

 

[Zaukrie]

I sort of submitted this question for the next podcast. We'll see if it gets answered.

 

[Shade]

Isn't Forgotten Realms supposed to be the first Core setting in 4th Edition? Which would mean they'd likely use the wierd FR cosmology introduced in the 3E FRCS.

If they decide to keep the wonky new FR cosmology, I have a feeling it will be limited to FR products.

Eberron will likely keep its own cosmology as well.

The question is, will they attempt to reinvent the wheel (or the Wheel in this case) for the generic, out-of-the-box rules?

I can imagine no good justification for changing the existing planes.

 

[The Human Target]

I'd rather they relegate the planes to a source book, if they do them at all.

I think as it stands, the structure could use an overhaul across the board again.

Ditching the Quasi-elemental planes were a good place to start.

Lets take it further and make all the planes fun and unique places to adventure.

 

[Shade]

Lets take it further and make all the planes fun and unique places to adventure.

Like in Planescape?

 

[The Human Target]

Like in Planescape?

Sorta.

Planescape had some very good ideas, planes wise. But it also had some very complicated, or outright silly ones.

I'm saying more that if there is going to be an elemental plane of Earth, or a Negative Energy plane, or one of the many many planes gods live on they should be adventurable and interesting.

A dimension full of rock isn't that interesting in a game where caves and the underdark are already included. I'd rather run an aquatic session in a lake or an ocean than in a "water dimension."

Planes like Mechanus or Carceri have the right idea IMO. As do the many alternate material planes.

 

[Knight Otu]

Isn't Forgotten Realms supposed to be the first Core setting in 4th Edition? Which would mean they'd likely use the wierd FR cosmology introduced in the 3E FRCS.

Why would the Forgotten Realms cosmology be used in a setting-neutral environment, such as the new core books? Why would it matter that the Realms are the first setting-specific book to be released? I don't really see how that follows.

 

[William Ronald]

I like to think that the Great Wheel will be presented as a cosmology, but not the only one. Possibly, the Great Wheel might be a fleshed out example, with suggestions on how cosmologies can link up. (Possibly through Transitive Planes like the Astral Plane, the Ethereal Plane, or the Plane of Shadow. Of course, some planes in different cosmologies could have direct links.)