#Outer Planes

[vintagerpg]

The Outer Planes Appendix (1991) was my jam, man. When D&D 2E came out, the extraplanar monsters, particularly the devils and demons, were removed. This was in response to headaches caused by Satanic Panic ding-dongs; TSR during this time was keen to not make the mothers of their increasingly younger player base angry. Devils and demons wouldn’t stay gone forever though! It only took two years for them to reappear, albeit with silly fantasy names like Baatezu and Tanar’ri instead of devil and demon. Whatever, they had horns and pitchforks and were cool as hell. I feel like I had this folder of monsters in my bag for most of eighth grade. No wonder I was such a sucker for Planescape when it came out a couple years later.

Tom Baxa did all the interiors. So many cool monster illustrations. That cambion is tops. I dig his Githyanki and Githzerai a lot too. Lemure, Piscoloth, Slaadi, Larvae. I really like how he does the “school photo inset” for the bar-lgura and the babau. Baxa’s…unusual sense of physiology serves him well drawing this outsiders.

This is one of my very favorite Easley Compendium covers (maybe only rivaled by Ravenloft II, which I don’t currently have the folder for, argh). I like the selection of monsters — they’re out there without being devils or demons, which speaks to the wider range the planes have to offer. That’s the voporighu of Gehenna, a maelephant and a bebilith.

[corners-of-the-earth]

» you put the stars to shame. «

[tinkerbitch69]

Just read the 5e planescape books yesterday and I can’t believe they made a gatetown based on my favourite classic who serial The Happiness Patrol. Thank you dnd designers for giving me the town of Hopeless 🥹🫶

[cagemasterfantasy]

Dnd Cosmology: Nine Hells

Alignment: Lawful Evil

Planar Portal Color: Ruby

The Nine Hells has 9 layers. The first 8 are ruled by archdevils who answer to Asmodeus the archduke of Nessus the ninth layer. Collectively the rulers of the hells are called the Lords of the Nine. To reach Nessus one must descend through all 8 layers above it in order. The most expeditious means of doing so is the River Styx which plunges ever deeper as it flows from one layer to the next. Only the most courageous adventurers can withstand the torment and horror of that journey.

The Layers of the Nine Hells:

Avernus: By Asmodeus's orders no planar portals connect directly to the lower layers of the Nine Hells. The first layer Avernus is the arrival point for visitors a rocky wasteland with rivers of blood and clouds of biting flies. Fiery comets occasionally fall from the darkened sky and carve out fuming impact craters. Empty battlefields are littered with weapons and bones showing where the legions of the Nine Hells prevailed against invading enemies.

The Archdevil Zariel rules Avernus having supplanted her rival Bel who fell out of Asmodeus's favor and was forced to serve as Zariel's adviser. Tiamat the Queen of Evil Dragons is a prisoner on this layer ruling her own domain but confined to the Nine Hells by Asmodeus in accordance with some ancient contract (the terms of which are known only to Tiamat and the Lords of the Nine).

Zariel appears as an angel whose skin and wings are scorched. Her eyes burn with a furious white light that can cause creatures looking upon her to burst into flame. Her seat of power is a flying basalt citadel that rakes the battlefields of Avernus.

Dis: Dis the second layer of the Nine Hells is a labyrinth of canyons wedged between sheer mountains rich with iron ore. Iron roads spun and wend through the canyons watched over by the garrisons of iron fortresses perched atop jagged pinnacles.

The second layer takes its name from its current lord Dispater. A manipulator and deceiver the archduke is devilishly handsome bearing only small horns a tail and a cloven left hoof to distinguish him a human. His crimson throne stands in the heart of the Iron City of Dis a hideous metropolis. Planar travelers come here to conspire with Devils and to close deals with Night Hags Rakshasas Incubi Succubi and other Fiends. Contracts signed on his layer contain special provisions that allow Dispater to collect a cut of the deal.

Dispater is one of Asmodeus's most loyal and resourceful vassals and few beings in the multiverse can outwit him. He is more obsessed than most Devils with striking deals with mortals in exchange for their souls and his emissaries work tirelessly to foster evil schemes on the Material Plane.

Minauros: The third layer of the Nine Hells is a stench ridden bog. Acidic rain spills from the layer's brown skies thick layers of scum cover its putrid surface and yawning pits lie in wait beneath the murk to engulf careless wanderers.

Cyclopean cities of ornately carved stone rise up from the bog including the great city of Minauros for which the layer is named. The slimy walls of the city rise hundreds of feet protecting the flooded halls that are the lair of Mammon the archduke of Minauros. Mammon resembles a massive serpent with the upper torso and head of a hairless horned humanoid. Mammon's greed is legendary and he is one of the few archdevils who will trade favors for gold instead of souls. His lair is piled high with treasure left behind by those who tried and failed to best him in a deal.

Plegethos: Phlegethos the fourth layer is a fiery landscape whose seas of molten magma brew hurricanes of hot wind choking smoke and volcanic ash. Within the fire filled caldera of Phlegethos's largest volcano rises Abriymoch a fortress city made of obsidian and dark glass. With rivers of molten lava pouring down its outer walls the city resembles the sculpted centerpiece of a gigantic Hellish fountain.

Abriymoch is the seat of power for the 2 archdevils who rule Phlegethos in tandem: Belial and Fierna Belial's Daughter. Both are handsome devils who resemble Tieflings with red skin and small horns. Belial exudes civility even as his words carry an undercurrent of threat. His daughter is said have the wickedest heart in the Nine Hells. The alliance of Belial and Fierna is unbreakable for both are aware that their mutual survival hinges on it.

Stygia: The fifth layer of the Nine Hells is a freezing realm of ice within which cold flames burn. A frozen sea surrounds the layer and its gloomy sky crackles with lightning.

Archduke Levistus once betrayed Asmodeus and is now encased deep in the ice of Stygia as punishment. He rules this layer all the smae communicating telepathically with his followers and servants both in the Nine Hells and on the Material Plane.

Stygia is also home to its previous ruler the serpentine archdevil Geryon who was dismissed by Asmodeus to allow the imprisoned Levistus to regain his rule. Geryon's fall from grace has spurred much debate within the infernal courts. No one is certain whether Asmodeus had some secret cause to dismiss the archdevil or whether he is testing Geryon's allegiance for some greater purpose.

Malbolge: Malbolge the sixth layer has outlasted many rulers among them Malagard the Hag Countess and the archdevil Moloch. Malagard fell out of favor and was struck down by Asmodeus in a fit of pique while her predecessor Moloch still lingers somewhere on the sixth layer as an Imp plotting regain Asmodeus's favor. Malbolge is a seemingly endless slope like the sides of an impossibly huge mountain. Parts of the layer break off from time to time creating deadly booming avalanches. The inhabitants of Malbolge live in crumbling fortresses and great caves carved into the mountainside.

Malbolge's current ruler is Asmodeus's daughter Glasya. Her cruelty and love of wicked schemes rival those of her father. The citadel that serves as her domicile on the slopes of Malbolge called Osseia is supported by cracked pillars and buttresses that are sturdy yet seem on the verge of collapse. Beneath the palace is a labyrinth lined with cells and torture chambers where Glasya confines and torments those who displease her.

Maladomini: The seventh layer Maladomini is ruin covered wasteland. Dead cities form a desolate urban landscape and between them are empty quarries crumbling roads slag heaps the hollow shells of empty fortresses and swarms of hungry flies.

The Archduke of Maladomini is Baalzebul the Lord of Flies. He is a tall powerful devil with compound eyes of a fly. The Archduke has long conspired to usurp Asmodeus yet has failed at every turn. Asmodeus laid a curse on him that causes any deal made with him to lead to calamity. Asmodeus occasionally shows Baalzebul favor for reasons no other Archduke can fathom though some suspect that Asmodeus still respects the worthiness of this adversary.

Cania: Cania the Eighth layer of the Nine Hells is a frozen hellscape whose ice storms can tear flesh from bone. Cities embedded in the ice provide shelter for guests and prisoners of Cania's ruler the brilliant and conniving archdevil Mephistopheles.

Mephistopheles dwells in the ice citadel of Mephistar where he plots to seize the throne of the Nine Hells and conquer all the planes. He is Asmodeus's greatest enemy and ally and the archduke of Nessus appears to trust Mephistopheles's counsel. Mephistopheles knows he can't depose Asmodeus until his adversary makes a fatal miscalculation and so both wait to discover what circumstances might turn them against each other. Mephistopheles is also a godfather of sorts to Glasya further complicating the relationship between Mephistopheles and Asmodeus.

Mephistopheles is a tall striking devil with impressive horns and a cool demeanor. He trades in souls as do other archdevils but he rarely gives his time to any creatures not worthy of his personal attention. It is said that only Asmodeus has ever deceived or thwarted him.

Nessus: The lowest layer of the Nine Hells Nessus is a realm of dark pits whose walls are set with bleak fortresses. There Pit Fiend generals loyal to Asmodeus garrison their diabolical legions and plot the conquest of the multiverse. At the center of the layer stands a vast rift of unknown depth out of which rises the great citadel spire of Malsheem home to Asmodeus and his infernal court.

Malsheem resembles a gigantic hollowed out stalagmite. The citadel is also a prison for souls that Asmodeus has locked away for safekeeping. Convincing him to release even one of those souls comes at a steep price and it is rumored that Asmodeus has claimed whole kingdoms in the past in exchange for such favors.

Asmodeus most often appears as a handsome bearded man with 4 large horns piercing red eyes and flowing robes. He can also assume other forms and sometimes carries a ruby tipped scepter. Asmodeus is the most cunning and well mannered of Archdevils. On the surface he seems warm pleasant and lighthearted doling out wisdom and small acts of kindness like a caring father. The ultimate evil he represents can be seen only when it so or if he forgets himself and flies into a rage.

@doodl3

[jadedaegis]

"OUR ALCHEMY DISTILLATION OF HUMAN SALIVA HAS COLLECTED A SOLUTION KNOWN AS "OPIORPHIN," WHICH WAS NOT SUITED FOR BIOLOGICAL CONSUMPTION; IT BROKE DOWN INSIDE THE ELVEN STOMACH. A SIMPLE MAGICAL MODIFICATION OF THE COMPOSITION OF THE ELEMENTS ALLOWS IT TO PENETRATE THE BLOOD-SOUL BARRIER MUCH MORE EFFECTIVELY. 'HUMAN DRUGS' ARE AKIN TO WHAT CAFFEINE DOES FOR ONE OF YOUR 'ADDICTS'. A MERE MOLECULE OF ELVEPHRIN HAS BEEN FOUND TO KILL OUR LAB HUMANS TEST STOCK. IT'S PATHETIC TO THINK A MERE HUMAN OF YOUR ILK; WITH YOUR IMPOSSIBLY LOW TOLERANCE, EXCEPTIONALLY HIGH ADDICTION RATE, AND INABILITY TO MAGICALLY AUGMENT YOUR LIVER'S STRENGTH COULD EVER FATHOM EVEN MENTIONING ABOUT OUR DRUG CULTURE. PATHETIC. " :How young and upper class elves talk about drugs "That'll kill ya, dude. But, y'know... the Hospithicary has a potion or ritual or something that will at least restore your consciousness... if it's pure El. If it's cut it's practically snorting Eternal Damnation to the ninth hell of Baator!! Nessus. I HAVE HEARD, though, from those dumb enough to do it, that it's basically like turning into a Grand Deity of Pleasure before you pass out and die. Don't listen to 'em- the only thing that you'd want after that point is that first high... you'd never get it again. Crashing basically ends up with a dead body and your soul feels like it's being waterboarded while you're dead. They've even found, through the various unfortunate souls who have been tested on... it doesn't. ever. stop. We really need to legalize it so those who've became addicted can get it safe- without those godsdamned 'additives' they put in it. It's powdered dragon bone- shit acts as a deliriant on Elves, and it seems to PERMANENTLY kill humans. Yeah. The soul, too. Those able to be brought back recall the memories of being burnt alive, without nerve damage. FOR THE ENTIRE GODDAMN TIME. So, yeah. Stick to either your race's drugs- or elf shrooms. I recommend the latter. " :How Old Elves and those familiar with it talk about drugs

"SCHNNNRRRRT-"

:How Rich Elves "talk about it"

Any setting where the elves have weaker booze than the dwarves isn't committing to the bit

[stichmein]

Let the scene tell the story

The sky stretches wide, a gradual deepening orange, with a small dot of a red dwarf hanging in the distance. The air is dry and dusty, the closer to the ground, the thicker the dust clings to the stillness. There’s no wind to stir it, no sound to break the silence—only rocks, bald and round, piled endlessly. Their color? Unclear. It could be black, as far as the dust allows the faint rays of sunlight to pierce and bounce off their polished surface. Everything here just seems to be static, motionless. The thin atmosphere and weak gravitational forces endlessly stretch the time needed for any change to happen. And then a sound, that nobody is there to hear, tears this feeble fabric of paused existence. The muffled bang accompanied by the choir of thousands inanimate voices screeching faintly like fingernails on the chalkboard. The bald, round stones cease to exist in an instant, transformed into dust that will hover above the ground, motionless, until the next meteorite plummets to the surface.

[whimseysthrone]

D&D 5e's alignment trap

The 5e alignment system is a useful shorthand and a misleading trap. The Outer Planes as presented in the 2014 Player’s Handbook and Dungeon Master’s Guide only make the alignment system’s problems worse. The perfect overlap between alignments and planes—and the total lack of alternative Outer Planes—reinforces the alignment system’s worst inclinations: easy stereotyping, reductionist thinking,…

[voidzphere]

☆ which sans are you !!

★ part 1

ccino - black-nyanko

fresh - LoverOfPiggies

geno - LoverOfPiggies

epic - yugogeer012

dust - ask-dusttale

fell - underfella

outer - 2mi27

reaper - renrink

farm - GuinongTale_AU

[robotgutzz]

dont ask how long this took, i dont know either. Cadet Gabbro! This scene has a little context, it would have been after they and their mentor, Feldspar, got back from training. They also get to have a bit of sap wine.. as a treat.

[actual-lea]

Obsessed with the implication that this is the first time in his life Gale has ever felt nervous.

[carolkinopf]

they are having a good time before feldspar is exploded in the morning (launch day)

[lovelaceaeronautics]

Sewn into the machine is the memory of an achievement that humbled the world, feet landed upon the moon we have all gazed upon. A testament not just to the people who landed, but to all of mankind. This is the ROM of the Apollo Guidance Computer, composed of what is known as Core Rope Memory. Individual copper lines are hand sewn in particular patterns to denote programs, read by the ferrite ring surrounding the copper lines. These copper lines were sewn by female workers in factories, in a way, seamstresses of a digital age. The Apollo Guidance Computer itself is very impressive in and of itself, I may post more about it.

[pechuyu]

Thinking abt Heimerdinger getting blasted off into the void and then a few days later jayce and viktor join him

Now hes stuck playing banjo in the astral cuck chair while they do yaoi

[cagemasterfantasy]

Dnd Cosmology: Acheron

Alignment: Lawful Evil and Lawful Neutral

Planar Portal Color: Flame Red

Acheron is made of immense iron blocks whose metallic surfaces ring beneath the marching feet of endless armies. These blocks drift through an airy void sometimes colliding with a fearsome clang crushing all between them and sending shudders through the plane.

Acheron has 4 layers with the largest blocks gravitating to the top layer. Some scholars have theorized that the crushing blocks of the upper layers are eventually broken down into smaller chunks of matter that sink to the lower layers. The truth is actually the opposite the tiny shards of Ocanthus the lowest layer break off from an icy mire in its deepest recesses and are gradually assembled and organized perhaps under the influence of nearby Mechanus into the perfect cubes of Avalas.

The nature of Acheron instills bloodlust in those who visit the plane.

Layers of Acheron:

Avalas: Spirit soldiers wage endless wars across debris strewn battlefields.

Thuldanin: Pitted hollow cubes are filled with the cast off machinery of war.

Tintibulus: Jagged blocks tumble in darkness holding frozen memories sapped by the River Styx and crystallized into fleeting images.

Ocanthus: Maelstroms of razor sharp debris swirl above a mire of black ice.

@doodl3

[vintagerpg]

Tales of the Outer Planes (1988) is an anthology of adventures meant to support the Manual of the Planes. Despite an amazing Jeff Easley cover painting of a troop of githyanki emerging from astral mists, the book is an unfortunate snoozefest. Planescape it ain’t!

There is hardly any art inside and what there is doesn’t stoke the imagination (there aren’t even many maps). The tableau look mundane. Which fits the adventures! There are eleven short adventures (this is not a strong TSR format — every short adventure anthology I can think of is formatted similarly and is ultimately forgettable). I don’t want to sound like a nitpicker but…only four of the shorties take place on the actual Outer Planes. The rest are scattered throughout the Inner Planes, the Ethereal and the Astral. Which is fine! But they don’t really showcase those locales, they’re just stage dressing for typical D&D adventures.

Once we get to the Outer Planes…well. I only like one of these, “An Element of Chaos” which feels suitably outré, as a Slaadi lord is stuck corrupting a Celestial citadel with its chaotic powers. This sort of clash is exactly the sort of stuff Planescape would later be built on, and it is kind of delicious to see it here, years earlier, in a sort of proto-form. Shame the rest aren’t interested in anything so ambiguous.

The book is rounded out by a bunch of lairs in the style of the Book of Lairs. Most of these are as flat as the rest of the book. One even requires Battlesystem. Whyyyyyyy? I do like the weird symbiosis of berbalang and basilisk presented in one, but that also feels under-developed.

At least we got that cover, I guess.

[literallyjonathandavis]

Once I get my hesitant alien record it's gonna be over for all of u bitches