Urriak Uruk
Gaming is fun, and fun is for everyone
Hi all! I've noticed there has been an abundance of interest in the multiverse of D&D now that another Magic the Gathering setting has received a sourcebook.
One topic I haven't seen covered much though is that of the Planeswalkers; for those unsure of MtG lore, Planeswalkers are individuals who are capable of moving from world to world with relative ease (in MtG they are referred to as "planes," but I will call them worlds here). This is fundamentally different from that of the planeshift spell, which any wizard of caliber should be able to learn. The Planeswalker is a wholly unique phenomenon, someone who is born with a spark. Only one-in-a-million people are born with such a spark, and having their spark ignite is even more rare.
Such an individual does not exist in the lore of Greyhawk, Toril, Athas, or Mystara. Does that mean that they don't exist? Possibly.
But I have a more interesting approach, for those who want to hold games where the multiverse of MtG and D&D snaps more neatly together. Here is my lore-suggestions for how each world handles the concept of the Planeswalker!
Toril (the Forgotten Realms)
In Toril, the knowledge of Planeswalkers is not common knowledge, though it is known by the most educated of scholars and magic-practitioners. It is not a secret, but it's also something that has little impact on the lives of people; after all, the chance of being born with a spark is one-in-a-million, and the change of it igniting even smaller. Although it does happen, it is almost never attributed to its true cause. When for example, a drow of Menzoberranzan is being lashed for insufficient worship of Loth, and its spark ignites to planeswalk away from their torment, the torturers are likely to assume Loth herself scooped the drow up for personal punishment. This is but one example, but the disappearance of individuals is usually determined to be all sorts of different explanations, being as mundane as a late-night murder or as horrifying as a kidnapping by fey creatures.
Even among the initiated, those lucky enough to meet a Planeswalker and document their abilities, the planeswalker spark is not considered as revelatory as it would on other worlds. After all, a wizard given enough competence can learn the planeshift spell, and travel to many of these worlds themselves even without a spark. Planar travel in Toril may be uncommon, but it is very much a well-known ability; wizards like Elminster have correspondence with spellcasters of Oerth and other worlds. A planeswalker visitor to Toril may find that his special powers are actually not as incredible to a community that is well-aware that a multiverse exists beyond their world.
Even the description of the worlds beyond the planeshift spell's reach can confuse the learned scholars of Candlekeep. The city at the center of the Outlands is often confused with that of Ravnica, both being mega-cities that defy the traditional laws of physics. The gods of Theros are at times used interchangeably with that of the Olympian Pantheon, both foreign to that of Toril and yet seem similar to outsiders eyes. Ixalan is often assumed to be just another Domain of Dread within Ravenloft.
For these reasons, the concept of Planeswalkers is altogether not interesting to even the wisest of Toril's mages. It is a rare wizard who feels a need to reach every single world when countless are already at their fingertips. A planeswalker may arrive in Toril and feel comfortable sharing the knowledge of their spark, knowing that their talent is largely unremarkable to the spellcasting standards of Toril.
I will write up more lore descriptions for each world in the comments below, but I'm also not super familiar with some worlds like Mystara or Birthright. If you have good ideas for how they handle Planeswalkers (without screwing up how that world works) please share!
One topic I haven't seen covered much though is that of the Planeswalkers; for those unsure of MtG lore, Planeswalkers are individuals who are capable of moving from world to world with relative ease (in MtG they are referred to as "planes," but I will call them worlds here). This is fundamentally different from that of the planeshift spell, which any wizard of caliber should be able to learn. The Planeswalker is a wholly unique phenomenon, someone who is born with a spark. Only one-in-a-million people are born with such a spark, and having their spark ignite is even more rare.
Such an individual does not exist in the lore of Greyhawk, Toril, Athas, or Mystara. Does that mean that they don't exist? Possibly.
But I have a more interesting approach, for those who want to hold games where the multiverse of MtG and D&D snaps more neatly together. Here is my lore-suggestions for how each world handles the concept of the Planeswalker!
Toril (the Forgotten Realms)
In Toril, the knowledge of Planeswalkers is not common knowledge, though it is known by the most educated of scholars and magic-practitioners. It is not a secret, but it's also something that has little impact on the lives of people; after all, the chance of being born with a spark is one-in-a-million, and the change of it igniting even smaller. Although it does happen, it is almost never attributed to its true cause. When for example, a drow of Menzoberranzan is being lashed for insufficient worship of Loth, and its spark ignites to planeswalk away from their torment, the torturers are likely to assume Loth herself scooped the drow up for personal punishment. This is but one example, but the disappearance of individuals is usually determined to be all sorts of different explanations, being as mundane as a late-night murder or as horrifying as a kidnapping by fey creatures.
Even among the initiated, those lucky enough to meet a Planeswalker and document their abilities, the planeswalker spark is not considered as revelatory as it would on other worlds. After all, a wizard given enough competence can learn the planeshift spell, and travel to many of these worlds themselves even without a spark. Planar travel in Toril may be uncommon, but it is very much a well-known ability; wizards like Elminster have correspondence with spellcasters of Oerth and other worlds. A planeswalker visitor to Toril may find that his special powers are actually not as incredible to a community that is well-aware that a multiverse exists beyond their world.
Even the description of the worlds beyond the planeshift spell's reach can confuse the learned scholars of Candlekeep. The city at the center of the Outlands is often confused with that of Ravnica, both being mega-cities that defy the traditional laws of physics. The gods of Theros are at times used interchangeably with that of the Olympian Pantheon, both foreign to that of Toril and yet seem similar to outsiders eyes. Ixalan is often assumed to be just another Domain of Dread within Ravenloft.
For these reasons, the concept of Planeswalkers is altogether not interesting to even the wisest of Toril's mages. It is a rare wizard who feels a need to reach every single world when countless are already at their fingertips. A planeswalker may arrive in Toril and feel comfortable sharing the knowledge of their spark, knowing that their talent is largely unremarkable to the spellcasting standards of Toril.
I will write up more lore descriptions for each world in the comments below, but I'm also not super familiar with some worlds like Mystara or Birthright. If you have good ideas for how they handle Planeswalkers (without screwing up how that world works) please share!