Page 66 - Dungeon Master's Guide

against each other. Mephistopheles is also a godfather of MECHANUS
sorts to Glasya, further complicating the relationship.
On Meehan us, law is reflected in a realm of clockwork
Mephistopheles is a tall, striking devil with impressive
gears. all interlocked and turning according to their
horns and a cool demeanor. He trades in souls, asv o
other archdevils, but he rarely gives his time to any measure. The cogs seem to be engaged in a calculation
so vast that no deity can fathom its purpose. Mechanus
creatures not worthy of his person~! ~ttention .. His
instincts are as razor sharp as Camas fngtd wmds, embodies absolute order, and its influence can be felt on
those who spend time here.
and it is said that only Asmodeus has ever d~vea or
Modrons are the primary inhabitants of Mechanus.
thwarted him. /
The plane is also home to the creator of the modrons: a
Nessus. The lowest layer of the Nine"'Hells, Ness us is
godlike being called Primus.
a realm of dark pits whose walls are set with fortresses.
There, pit fiend generals loyal to Asmodeus garrison
OPTIONAL RULE: LAW OF AVERAGES
their diabolical legions and p)ot the conquest of the
While on Mechanus, creatures always use the average
multiverse. At the center oUhe layer stands a vast
damage result for attacks and spells. For example, an
rift of unknown depth, out of which rises the great
attack that normally deals ldlO + 5 damage always
citadel-spire of Malsheem, home to Asmodeus and his
deals 10 damage on Mechanus.
infernal court.
Malsheem resembles a gigantic hollowed-out
OPTIONAL RULE: IMPOSING ORDER
stalagmite. The citadel is also a prison for souls that At the end of each long rest taken on this plane, a visitor
Asmodeus has locked away for safekeeping. Convincing
that isn't lawful neutral must make a DC 10 Wisdom
him to release even one of those souls comes at a steep
saving throw. On a failed save, the creature's alignment
price, and it is rumored that the Archduke of Nessus has
changes to lawful neutral. The creature's alignment
claimed whole kingdoms in the past for such favors.
reverts to normal after one day spent on a plane other
Asmodeus most often appears as a handsome,
than Mechanus. Casting the dispel evil and good spell
bearded humanoid with small horns protruding from
on the creature also restores its original alignment.
his forehead, piercing red eyes, and flowing robes.
He can also assume other forms and is seldom seen ARCADI~A~---------------------­
without his ruby-tipped scepter in hand. Asmodeus is
Arcadia thrives with orchards of perfectly lined trees,
the most cunning and well-mannered of archdevils. The
ultimate evil he represents can be seen only when he ruler-straight streams, orderly fields, perfect roads, and
wills it so, or if he forgets himself and flies into a rage. cities laid out in geometrically pleasing shapes. The
mountains are unblemished by erosion. Everything on
ACHERON Arcadia works toward the common good and a flawless
form of existence. Here, purity is eternal, and nothing
Acheron has four layers, each made of enormous iron
intrudes on harmony.
cubes floating in an airy void. Sometimes the cubes
Night and day are determined by an orb that floats
collide. Echoes of past collisions linger throughout the
above Arcadia's highest peak. Half of the orb radiates
plane, mingling with the sounds of armies colliding.
sunlight and brings about the day; the other half sheds
That's the nature of Acheron: strife and war, as the
moonlight and brings on the starry night. The orb
spirits of fallen soldiers join in endless battle against
rotates evenly without fail, spreading day and night
orcs devoted to Gruumsh, goblinoids loyal to Maglubiyet,
across the entire plane.
and legions assembled by other warmongering gods.
The weather in Arcadia is governed by four allied
demigods called the Storm Kings: the Cloud King, the
OPTIONAL RULE: BLOODLUST
Wind Queen, the Lightning King, and the Rain Queen.
Acheron rewards a creature for harming other creatures
Each one lives in a castle surrounded by the type of
by imbuing that creature with the strength to keep
weather that king or queen controls.
fighting. While on Acheron, a creature gains temporary
Hidden below Arcadia's beautiful mountains are
hit points equal to half its hit point maximum whenever
numerous dwarven kingdoms that have withstood
it reduces a hostile creature to 0 hit points.
the passage of millennia. Dwarves born on this plane

CHAPTER 2 I CREATING A MULTTVERSE
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