Cosmology
by ValentiusHere are some notes on the Mystaran cosmology, that I'm trying to adapt to 3.5E. I use the old immortal boxed set ideas about dimensions, although not about immortal Olympics and other silliness. If you have any ideas on how to further develop this, or any comments at all, please post them.
I don't like the way immortals were done in the lighthouse, and I want to do something more 3.5E divine-ish.
Planes :
The Material Plane
The Ethereal Plane
The Elemental Planes
The Astral Plane
The Outer Planes
Dimensions :
The lower dimensions (normal dimensions, dimensions 1 through 4).
The fifth dimension (nightmare dimension).
The dimensional vortex.
Beyond.
Spheres of Power :
Matter - Law (Earth)
Energy - Chaos (Fire)
Time - Neutral (Water)
Thought - All alignments (Air)
Entropy - Evil (No element)
Damage Reduction and attack qualities :
Matter : Immortals of Matter have damage reduction epic and chaos. Their attacks are considered epic and lawful.
Energy : Immortals of Energy have damage reduction epic and law. Their attacks are considered epic and chaos.
Time : Immortals of Time have damage reduction epic and law and chaos. Their attacks are considered epic.
Thought : Immortals of Thought have damage reduction epic. Their attacks are considered epic and law and chaos.
Entropy : Immortals of Entropy have damage reduction epic and good. Their attacks are considered epic and evil.
Exalted beings replace epic with magic.
Notes
Immortals of Entropy resist attacks by other immortals, but find it hard to damage them in return.
Immortals of opposed spheres (Matter-Energy, Time-Thought) attack each other without any damage reduction.
Immortals of Matter and energy can damage immortals of thought, but may be damaged by them in return.
Immortals of time resist attacks by immortals of matter and energy, but find it hard to damage them in return.
Bias :
All outer planes have sphere biases - Friendly, Neutral or Hostile. A plane may be Friendly to Entropy if it is Neutral or Friendly to any other spheres.
All known infinite planes (Material, Ethereal, Astral) are Neutral to Matter, Energy, Time and Thought and Hostile to Entropy.
An elemental plane is Friendly to it's appropriate sphere, Hostile to the opposite element's appropriate sphere and toward Entropy, and Neutral to others.
No plane (inner or outer) can be Neutral to Entropy, and most are Hostile.
The plane's biases affect immortal power use and regeneration on that plane. Exalted beings are affected, too. Mortals do not notice a plane's bias as such, but notice the planes other attributes, which are affected by it's bias.
Planes :
There is no single Negative Energy plane. Outer planes that are Friendly to Entropy may have similar attributes.
Mystaran undead are connected to such outer planes instead of the negative energy plane. If this plane is the home plane of an Entropic immortal, they may be that immortal's servitors (see below).
There is no single Positive Energy plane. Outer planes that are Friendly to Energy may have similar attributes.
There is no Plane of Shadow in the Mystara cosmology. Spells or other special abilities drawing power from Shadow in D&D3.5E, draw power from the outer planes in Mystara.
The Astral plane in Mystara touches ALL planes. Astral perception distorts dimensions and weakens magic.
In OD&D the outer and astral planes were described for the use of immortal-level adventurers. Most mortal planewalkers in the Mystara cosmology adventure in the inner planes.
Epic Levels :
Mortals with 25 or more character levels may start on their path to immortality. Mortals with an ECL of 25 or more and no character levels may not normally become immortals, or have special paths to immortality (such as dragons).
Immortals :
All immortals were once mortals, powerful rulers, heroes and adventurers that ascended to immortality with the aid of an immortal patron. Some immortals do not remember their mortal life, and some claim to have been born immortal.
Immortals are beings of pure power, that change the reality of the multiverse at will (known as "immortal magic"). As beings of pure power, each immortal is linked intimately to a sphere of power, one of the building blocks of reality.
The immortals want to promote their sphere, actually changing reality to make it more suitable to them. They do this by advancing different plots. As they may not act on the material plane without drawing the ire of the mightiest of immortals, they tend to use mortals as pawns, servants, and allies.
Immortal traits : Immortals are always of the immortal type. Each has a sphere subtype.
- HD : by class. Immortals have maximum HP per hit dice.
- Immune to energy drain and death attacks.
- Immune to natural or magical ageing.
- Immune to all normal diseases and poisons.
- Immunity to all mortal spells, spell-like abilities and supernatural abilities.
- Damage Reduction x/(by subtype), where x equals 15 + the immortal's HD.
- SR against immortal magic.
- Immortal Aura.
- Immortal Power (by subtype).
- Alternate Forms : Manifestation, Mortal, Spiritual, Gaseous.
- Fly, Teleport without error, plane shift and dimension shift at will.
- Permanent Tongues ability.
Exalted Beings :
These are souls had true faith in an immortal. After death, they are drawn to his home plane and are given some fragment of immortal might, becoming exalted.
In D&D terms, Exalted beings are not immortal, although they have some limited link to their patron's sphere.
An immortal may ascend a being to exalted status only if the being is truly devout and very powerful - most exalted beings were mortal heroes that failed to become immortals themselves.
OD&D exalted beings include demons. Powerful D&D outsiders such as titans, balors, solars, and others may be considered exalted beings.
Exalted traits : All exalted beings are of the Exalted type. each has a sphere subtype.
- Immune to energy drain and death attacks.
- Immune to natural or magical ageing.
- Immune to all normal diseases and poisons.
- Immunity to all mortal magic that allows spell resistance.
- Damage Reduction of x/(by subtype), where x equals 10 + the exalted being's HD.
- SR against immortal magic.
- Immortal Aura.
- Limited immortal power (by subtype).
Immortal Servitors :
These are the lesser agents of immortals, most residing on the immortal's home plane.
They may be very powerful, but are still of mortal status. They were either crafted from mortal souls or created from planar substance.
Some immortal servitors are now free willed, either released by their creator or somehow separated from him - These tend to be older and much more powerful, some even more powerful than most immortals themselves.
OD&D immortal servitors include baak, OD&D archon, and more. most D&D 3.5E outsiders are immortal servitors.
Immortal Servitor traits : Most immortal servitors are outsiders. Most have their creator's sphere's element and alignment subtypes. Some Entropic servitors are undead.
Outer Beings :
These beings existed in the multiverse before the arrival of the first immortals. They are extremely powerful, and sometimes very dangerous. Some are capable of dispatching entire immortal war parties.
OD&D outer beings include the repeater, and others. Absurdly powerful d&d3.5E outsiders may be considered outer beings. The Tarrasque may be an outer being.
Outer Beings traits : Most are outsiders, although some are aberrations that exist in the void of the material plane. Many have powerful immunities, such as immunity to mortal and immortal magic, and so on.
Nightmare Beings :
These are the residents of the nightmare dimension. They evolved with their dimensional viewpoint based on the fifth dimension. Thus, they are totally non existent to normal beings. Some, however, are dimensionally transported into the first dimension, and exist with other normal beings, by using powerful magic.
Life based on the fifth dimension is much rarer than normal life. Most nightmare life forms are aberrations based on the material plane, although there are other, rarer, nightmare beings.
Nightmare subtype :
- Poisonous to normal beings, and normal beings are poisonous to them. If the being isn't normally poisonous, then it's blood or saliva carry the poison. The save DC is constitution based, and is calculated using racial HD only. If a paladin with 13 constitution bites a malfera (a risky action), it must succeed on a fortitude save (DC 11) or suffer the poison's effect. primary and secondary 1d6 constitution, immediate, injury.
- All have the Hideous Visage (Ex) special quality. See the Accustomed (general) feat below.
Hideous Visage (Ex) : The creature's presence is horrifying to others on a very basic, instinctive level. All affected creatures who see the being must succeed on a will save or become shaken. Save DC 10+(1/2xHD)+cha modifier. Nightmare creatures affect normal creatures with this ability, and are affected in turn by normal creatures as if they had this ability. Aberrations and Undead are immune to the negative effects of hideous visage.
Accustomed (General)
prerequisites : must have met and conversed (without violence) with a normal being (for a nightmare being) or a nightmare being (for a normal being).
The creature does not suffer the negative effects of the hideous visage special quality possessed by nightmare beings.
Normal : see hideous visage, above
Special : Undead and Aberrations never suffer the negative effects of the hideous visage ability, even without this feat.