Mystara and the Planes - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Mystara and the Planes

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
innocent_eric
Jul 06, 2006 9:35:21 Before I get started, I'm a long time Mystara DM and I know all of the finer points of the Mystara Cosmology. With that being said I wanted to know if anyone has modified their Mystara campaign to include a more traditional D&D cosmology and if so how did you work it?
#2
Cthulhudrew
Jul 06, 2006 11:01:13 By traditional, I assume you mean the Great Wheel, or something to that effect?

Fortunately, the nature of Mystara's cosmology makes it pretty easy to adapt to a Great Wheel cosmology, while the reverse isn't necessarily true. Mystara's cosmology was very much the same as the old AD&D cosmology, with the notable exceptions that there were no Quasi- or Para-Elemental Planes, and that the Outer Planes were infinite in number.

In the current Great Wheel, the Quasi and Para-Elemental planes have been removed, so that's the chief obstacle there. Reducing the infinite Outer Planes to the known planes of the Great Wheel is no major difficulty, either, and could be handled simply by having the current planar alignment as is, or by having those be the "major" planes, and there might still be any number of other planes out there. Or, if you want to keep some of the planes introduced in other modules, etc., but retain the Great Wheel, they could simply be made demi-planes connected to the Outer Planes.

As far as actually placing the Immortals in the Great Wheel planes, there have been a couple of attempts by various members of the Mystara community. These were largely done under the planar concept as introduced in 2E Planescape, so some changes due to 3E may affect them, but you can check them out at the Vaults, notably in the works of Leroy Van Camp III and Shawn Stanley (Check out the miscellaneous files 1, 2, and 3 for suggested planar locations), as well as various authors here.
#3
agathokles
Jul 06, 2006 11:29:06
Before I get started, I'm a long time Mystara DM and I know all of the finer points of the Mystara Cosmology. With that being said I wanted to know if anyone has modified their Mystara campaign to include a more traditional D&D cosmology and if so how did you work it?

I use the Planescape cosmology, with the usual ways to explain local differences (e.g., Mystarans still believe that there are many different outer planes, which in truth are just realms within the Great Wheel planes).

In addition to what said by Cthulhudrew, note that the good-aligned Mystaran immortals where given official realms in the Greet Wheel outer planes in Warriors of Heaven. Neutral and Evil powers can be similarly assigned to appropriate planes (most are easy enough).
#4
havard
Jul 10, 2006 6:36:26
Or, if you want to keep some of the planes introduced in other modules, etc., but retain the Great Wheel, they could simply be made demi-planes connected to the Outer Planes.

Aaron Allston seems to have been moving in this direction himself with the Planes introduced as main homeplanes of several immortals of each Sphere in WotI.

Havard
#5
zombiegleemax
Jul 11, 2006 1:42:16 I use the Great Wheel, and Immortals' planes are just infinite "realms" inside an Outer Plane in the Great Wheel.
What's the difference between an Immortal's home plane in the old fashon and a "power" realm? I couldn't find anyone.
Access to all Immortals' home planes is granted by some gate placed in places of interest in the Prime Material and by direct access from the greater wheel right plane.
#6
agathokles
Jul 11, 2006 1:58:40
What's the difference between an Immortal's home plane in the old fashon and a "power" realm? I couldn't find anyone.

Yes, many differences can indeed be played out as simple differences in perception between Mystarans and Planars.
#7
zombiegleemax
Jul 11, 2006 8:11:56
Yes, many differences can indeed be played out as simple differences in perception between Mystarans and Planars.

Right, thats the way it should be played out. A good example are the people from Krynn - they have a skewed perception of the outer planes.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 innocent_eric Jul 06, 2006 9:35:21	Before I get started, I'm a long time Mystara DM and I know all of the finer points of the Mystara Cosmology. With that being said I wanted to know if anyone has modified their Mystara campaign to include a more traditional D&D cosmology and if so how did you work it?
#2 Cthulhudrew Jul 06, 2006 11:01:13	By traditional, I assume you mean the Great Wheel, or something to that effect? Fortunately, the nature of Mystara's cosmology makes it pretty easy to adapt to a Great Wheel cosmology, while the reverse isn't necessarily true. Mystara's cosmology was very much the same as the old AD&D cosmology, with the notable exceptions that there were no Quasi- or Para-Elemental Planes, and that the Outer Planes were infinite in number. In the current Great Wheel, the Quasi and Para-Elemental planes have been removed, so that's the chief obstacle there. Reducing the infinite Outer Planes to the known planes of the Great Wheel is no major difficulty, either, and could be handled simply by having the current planar alignment as is, or by having those be the "major" planes, and there might still be any number of other planes out there. Or, if you want to keep some of the planes introduced in other modules, etc., but retain the Great Wheel, they could simply be made demi-planes connected to the Outer Planes. As far as actually placing the Immortals in the Great Wheel planes, there have been a couple of attempts by various members of the Mystara community. These were largely done under the planar concept as introduced in 2E Planescape, so some changes due to 3E may affect them, but you can check them out at the Vaults, notably in the works of Leroy Van Camp III and Shawn Stanley (Check out the miscellaneous files 1, 2, and 3 for suggested planar locations), as well as various authors here.
#3 agathokles Jul 06, 2006 11:29:06	Before I get started, I'm a long time Mystara DM and I know all of the finer points of the Mystara Cosmology. With that being said I wanted to know if anyone has modified their Mystara campaign to include a more traditional D&D cosmology and if so how did you work it? I use the Planescape cosmology, with the usual ways to explain local differences (e.g., Mystarans still believe that there are many different outer planes, which in truth are just realms within the Great Wheel planes). In addition to what said by Cthulhudrew, note that the good-aligned Mystaran immortals where given official realms in the Greet Wheel outer planes in Warriors of Heaven. Neutral and Evil powers can be similarly assigned to appropriate planes (most are easy enough).
#4 havard Jul 10, 2006 6:36:26	Or, if you want to keep some of the planes introduced in other modules, etc., but retain the Great Wheel, they could simply be made demi-planes connected to the Outer Planes. Aaron Allston seems to have been moving in this direction himself with the Planes introduced as main homeplanes of several immortals of each Sphere in WotI. Havard
#5 zombiegleemax Jul 11, 2006 1:42:16	I use the Great Wheel, and Immortals' planes are just infinite "realms" inside an Outer Plane in the Great Wheel. What's the difference between an Immortal's home plane in the old fashon and a "power" realm? I couldn't find anyone. Access to all Immortals' home planes is granted by some gate placed in places of interest in the Prime Material and by direct access from the greater wheel right plane.
#6 agathokles Jul 11, 2006 1:58:40	What's the difference between an Immortal's home plane in the old fashon and a "power" realm? I couldn't find anyone. Yes, many differences can indeed be played out as simple differences in perception between Mystarans and Planars.
#7 zombiegleemax Jul 11, 2006 8:11:56	Yes, many differences can indeed be played out as simple differences in perception between Mystarans and Planars. Right, thats the way it should be played out. A good example are the people from Krynn - they have a skewed perception of the outer planes.