Page 58 - Dungeon Master's Guide

actual homes aren't literally places at all, but exemplify inhabit Mechanus, and the aberrations called slaadi
the idea that the Outer Planes are realms of thought and thrive in Limbo.
spirit. As with the Elemental Planes, one can imagine
the perceptible part of the Outer Planes as a border LAYERS OF THE O UTER PLANES
region, while extensive spiritual regions lie beyond
Most of the Outer Planes include a number of distinct
ordinary sensory experience.
environments or realms. These realms are often
Even in perceptible regions, appearances can be
imagined and depicted as a stack of related parts of the
deceptive. Initially, many of the Outer Planes appear
same plane, so travelers refer to them as layers. For
hospitable and familiar to natives of the Material Plane.
example, Mount Celestia resembles a seven-tiered layer
But the landscape can change at a whim of the powerful
cake, the Nine Hells has nine layers, and the Abyss has
forces that dwell on these planes, which can remake a seemingly endless number of layers.
them completely, effectively erasing and rebuilding Most portals from elsewhere reach the first layer of a
existence to better fulfill their divine needs. multilayered plane. This layer is variously depicted as
Distance is a virtually meaningless concept on the the top or bottom layer, depending on the plane. As the
Outer Planes. The perceptible regions of the planes can arrival point for most visitors, the first layer functions
seem quite small, but they can also stretch on to what like a city gate for that plane.
seems like infinity. Adventurers could take a guided
tour of the Nine Hells, from the first layer to the ninth, TRAVELING THE OUTER PLANES
in a single day- if the powers of the Hells desire it. Or it
Traveling between the Outer Planes isn't dissimilar
could take weeks for travelers to make a grueling trek
from reaching the Outer Planes in the first place.
across a single layer.
Characters traveling by means of the astral projection
The default Outer Planes are a group of sixteen planes
spell can go from one plane into the Astral Plane, and
that correspond to the eight alignments (excluding
there search out a color pool leading to the desired
neutrality, which is represented by the Outlands,
destination. Characters can also use plane shift to reach
described in the section on "Other Planes") and the
a different plane more directly. Most often, though,
shades of distinction between them.
characters use portals- either a portal that links the two
planes directly or a portal leading to Sigil, City of Door .
THE OUTER PLANES
which holds portals to all the planes.
Outer Plane Alignment Two planar features connect multiple Outer Planes
Mount Celestia, the Seven Heavens of LG together: the River Styx and the Infinite Staircase.
Bytopia, the Twin Paradises of NG, LG Other planar crossings might exist in your campaign,
Elysium, the Blessed Fields of NG such as a World Tree whose roots touch the Lower
The Beastlands, the Wilderness of NG, CG Planes and whose branches reach to the Upper Planes.
Arborea, the Olympian Glades of CG or it might be possible to walk from one plane to another
in your cosmology.
Ysgard , the Heroic Domains of CN,CG
Limbo, the Ever-Changing Chaos of CN
THE RIVER STYX
Pandemonium, the Windswept Depths of CN, CE
This river bubbles with grease, foul flotsam, and
The Abyss, the Infinite Layers of CE
the putrid remains of battles along its banks. Any
Carceri, the Tarterian Depths of NE,CE creature other than a fiend that tastes or touches the
Hades, the Gray Waste of NE water ·is affected by a feeblemind spell. The DC of the
Gehenna, the Bleak Eternity of NE, LE Intelligence saving throw to resist the effect is 15.
The Nine Hells of Baator LE The Styx churns through the top layers of Acheron,
Acheron, the Infinite Battlefield of LN , LE the Nine Hells, Gehenna, Hades, Carceri, the Abyss, and
Mechanus, the Clockwork Nirvana of LN Pandemonium. Tributaries of the Styx snake onto lower
Arcadia, the Peaceable Kingdoms of LN , LG layers of these planes. For example, a tendril of the Styx
winds through every layer of the Nine Hells, allowing
passage from one layer of that plane to the next.
The planes with an element of good in their nature are
Sinister ferries float on the waters of the Styx, crewed
called the Upper Planes, while those with an element
by pilots skilled in negotiating the unpredictable
of evil are the Lower Planes. A plane's alignment is
currents and eddies of the river. For a price, these pilots
its essence, and a character whose alignment doesn't
are willing to carry passengers from plane to plane.
match the plane's alignment experiences a sense of
dissonance there. When a good creature visits Elysium, Some of them are fiends, while others are the souls of
dead creatures from the Material Plane.
for example, it feels in tune with the plane, but an
evil creature feels out of tune and more than a little
THE INFINITE STAIRCASE
uncomfortable. The Infinite Staircase is an extradimensional spiral
The Upper Planes are the home of celestial creatures, staircase that connects the planes. An entrance to the
including angels, couatls, and pegasi. The Lower Planes Infinite Staircase usually appears as a nondescript
are the home of fiends: demons, devils, yugoloths, door. Beyond the portal lies a small landing with an
and their ilk. The planes in between host their own equally nondescript stairway leading up and down. The
unique denizens: the construct race of modrons
Infinite Staircase changes appearance as it climbs and
CHAPTER 2 I CREATING A MULTT\'ERSE