Word of Wizards - Excerpts: Types of Planes

Manual of the Planes Excerpts: Types of Planes

This excerpt doesn't spring out any new surprises on the structure of the planes and the cosmology from what is already said in the DMG but just elaborates further on what we know.

As we all know, 4E uses a new cosmology for it's POL setting and I'm glad they did that. Looking at the map above really explains it all and it's so much easier to understand compared to the cosmology of 3.x (let's not talk about Planescape, shall we?)

Here, I'll show you.

First we have the World (formerly know as the 'Material Plane' in 3.x) and his Parallel plane wild twin brother; the Feywild and emo twin sister; the Shadowfell.

Although, they may be twin brothers and sisters but they are not identical twins. The Feywild likes to maintain his wild outlook by keeping things natural and the way they were when the world was young. While the Shadowfell moans and mopes about death and decay of the world.

Some cities may or may not exist in the Feywild and Shadowfell. For example, some Eladrin cities only exist in the Feywild while the city of Gloomwright only exist in the Shadowfell.

Then we have daddy and mommy or we call them the Fundamental planes. Daddy is the Astral Sea where gods, devils and other divine beings live in their own Astral Dominions.

Mommy is the Elemental Chaos where elementals, archmages, assassins and other mortal beings build their homes on Elemental Realms as long as they can control the ever changing elemental forces.

Then we have the cousin; the Demiplane which doesn't exist within the bounds of the cosmological structure; a pocket dimension of a sort, useful for refuges, vaults or more rarely vaults and tombs. We have a very well known cousin, you know...what's his name again.....ah, yes, Sigil.

Finally, the distant relatives; the Anomalous Planes. We have uncle Far Realm, aunt Plane of Dreams and grand-uncle Plane of Mirrors and twice-removed cousins; other mortal worlds.

There also some tips on how to control mother's mood swings which requires a little will power in this excerpt, so be sure to read it before you say, 'What in the Nine Hells, is the Nine Hells doing in the Astral Sea where gods are their neighbors?'.