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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Sammael" data-source="post: 5617928" data-attributes="member: 4475">First of all, [MENTION=1]Morrus[/MENTION] - why don't we have a Planescape prefix? Just wondering if it's an oversight, or a sinister Yugoloth plot...Anyways, as I've stated many times in the past, I love Planescape - both as a full fledged campaign setting, and as a neat background drop for planar adventures in (mostly) non-planar campaigns. However, there is always room for improvement, and this topic is about one particular issue that I feel can be improved.The source material vaguely states that it is possible to travel around the "Great Wheel" of Outer Planes simply by walking; if you walk for long enough in one direction, you eventually move from one (infinite) plane to another. This was later enriched by the information that there are (possibly numerous, possibly unique) portals located on the "edge" of each Outer Plane, and that you actually had to go through a portal to move from one plane to another (even if you are not aware that you are doing this).The matter of walking across infinite planes is... handwaved. I always took the approach that, since the Outer Planes are based on belief, you basically had to believe in the direction you are taking, i.e. try to focus on the type of emotions that are prevalent on the plane in question. For instance, to move from Mechanus to Arcadia, one has to start questioning whether ultimate order is enough, whether the order should merely exist to benefit the society, and so on. Eventually, with enough belief (and appropriate actions that support that belief), you move towards the edge of your current plane where the neighboring plane is "bleeding" its own beliefs. But here comes the tricky part - I think that having to cross a portal to enter the adjoining plane makes no sense whatsoever. After all, you are already in a spot where beliefs are mixed and boundaries are breaking - does the transition have to be really abrupt?Naturally, the lawful planes will keep a strong military presence at the borders. Outsiders native to those planes will be able to instinctively tell where the borders are, but non-natives won't have such an easy job.I tried envisioning how the border-crossing would work for the lower planes, and I'd really be interested in hearing other ideas (I'll ignore the rule that only topmost layers connect to each other; what's topmost in a planar sense, anyway? <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />) :Acheron to Baator - As you rummage through among the petrified war machinery of Thuldanin, you come across an increasing number of infernal soldiers foraging for useful machines of war. They seem a little lost, as if they are not exactly sure who ordered them to go there, or what exactly they are trying to accomplish. At some point, you see a large number of citadels appearing from the rubble; they belong to those devils who have forgotten the true cause of Hell. Instead of destroying them utterly or demoting them to a lower rank, Archdevils exile them to the border of Acheron instead, where they stand guard - unsure of what it is they are guarding or why they are guarding it, but ever hopeful that this duty will return them to Hell's grace (fat chance).Baator to Gehenna - As the jagged hills of Avernus grow ever-steeper, the landscape once more gives birth to hellish citadels; this time, they hold the outcast nobility of Baator. Bitter and vengeful, outcast dukes plot and scheme to overthrow their former masters, but, foremost, they plot and scheme against each other, one petty warlord against another, trying to sway each others' minions and take over what limited resources there are. Yugoloth mercenaries thrive in this area of Baator, often switching sides on a daily basis.Gehenna to Gray Waste - contrary to the popular belief, it is possible to scale each of the four furnaces of Gehenna; you must be hell-bent on the task, of course, and ready to make a number of sacrifices, but once you reach the top it'll all be worth it... right? Wrong. Because once you get to the top, you realize that this is a hollow, empty, meaningless achievement. As you look upon the gray mists that loom on the other side, you are filled with dread and a desire to end it all by throwing yourself in the all-engulfing flames. But if you slowly descend, you realize that even though the slopes are much gentler on the other side, this makes no difference at all. There are no guards, no treasures, no respite awaiting. Just the laughter of the arcanaloths who've been watching you the whole time. Few manage to make the descent to Oinos.Gray Waste to Carceri - boy, you must be desperate? Still, if you keep on walking through the Waste (instead of curling up in a fetal position and simply dying), you see the Styx meandering and splitting into numerous minor streams that seem to crisscross each other like a huge grid. Soon, you realize that there are precious few paths that are safe for you to walk on. As you walk into one swampy dead end after another, you realize that you are trapped and unable to go back. Welcome to Othrys.Carceri to the Abyss - find yourself trapped on Minethys, in the middle of a sandstorm; fill your heart with burning rage, and let that rage out by annihilating everything in your path as you run from the desiccating storm. As long as you survive the burning, biting sand and the hordes of gehreleth guards hungry for your flesh on your way, you'll find yourself upon the Plane of Infinite Portals. That's when the real fun begins.Abyss to Pandemonium - As you descend the Grand Abyss, you realize that the wind currents coming out of some of the tunnels are so strong that you are flung for miles in the opposite direction when you approach them. If you have some way of beating those currents, and you are feeling particularly insane, you can enter the tunnels easily. Of course, once in, it is entirely possible that the winds will sweep you up and crush your pathetic body against the sharp rocks of the tunnels. Or maybe it was all a trick, and you entered the domain of a demon lord with a chilling sense of humor and a roaring, thunderous laugh. Who cares, right?</blockquote>

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