Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 herecgunina Oct 06, 2004 10:48:20	I was reading up in the Planewalkers' Handbook about travelling the Planes in order to give my new PS players some background information, and I came along a cryptic reference to "the nine great planar paths." The quote testified that Mount Olympus and Yggdrasil were among the nine, even though some have argued they're merely a collection of eternally open gates like the Great Road or the gate-towns. I know that the Rivers Oceanus and Styx are two more. However, I'm perplexed as to the nature of the other five. At first I thought maybe the Great Road itself (or the 'path' that the modrons took during the Great March) could be counted one of the 'paths', but then I realized that the quote implied that IF the Mountain and the Tree were like the Great Road or the Gate-Towns, then they wouldn't be among these 'nine', so the Road and the gate-towns can't be. Maybe the Astral plane counts? I can't imagine that the Ethereal would, since it's dealing with inner planes and the first four are entirely confined to the Outer Planes. Is this just some cryptic reference allowed to let DMs create more fun paths, or are the other five testified to somewhere in canon sources? If it IS allowed to let DMs create some more, what sorts of ideas should I come up with?
#2 sildatorak Oct 06, 2004 11:11:35	The Infinite (or at least very large) Staircase is one more, most likely. If that is the case, we need one more that involves boating and three more that involve something completely different.
#3 sarig_the_genie Oct 06, 2004 11:17:18	http://mimir.net/pathways/index.shtml There's some there, but I don't know how many of them are cannon or not...
#4 zombiegleemax Oct 06, 2004 15:21:37	Thematically, there should be some lawful-aligned pathways. Yggdrasil (the original Great Tree ;) ), Olympus, and the Infinite Staircase all have associations with chaotic pantheons/deities/planes. I imagine there's one for the Egyptians and probably one for the oriental pantheons.
#5 herecgunina Oct 06, 2004 17:07:38	Tree/Mount/Staircase: All involve climbing tall things, all on the chaotic half of the Planes. 2 Rivers: cut across the Planes of Conflict (mainly.) If we had a river going from Mechanus to Limbo that would round out the third category. But I can scarcely imagine that. We'd then need three more of a lawful bent. Hurm....
#6 zombiegleemax Oct 06, 2004 17:26:30	The river Nile, perhaps? Flowing through Arcadia, the Outlands (library of Thoth), Baator, etc.
#7 ripvanwormer Oct 06, 2004 21:34:00	The river Nile, perhaps? Flowing through Arcadia, the Outlands (library of Thoth), Baator, etc. The River Ar-en-Gareh does just that. Also see Mictlan.
#8 bob_the_efreet Oct 07, 2004 3:17:49	Isn't there a River Maht in the Outlands? I'm not sure if it connects to any other planes, though, so I don't know that it counts.
#9 zombiegleemax Oct 07, 2004 3:29:23	I'm thinking of two other things that can be considered pathways, but their movement across the planes is not spacial, but temporal. The famous World Serpent Inn, and the Breaching Obelisk (Planar Handbook). Enter them when they are in your starting plane, and leave them when they are in your plane of destination. The Plane of Mirrors is likely a contender, too. A bit similar to the Nexus (see below), but with mirrors. The description of the Plane of Mirrors in the MotP contradicts the one in the Nerra entry of the Fiend Folio. Non-canon, but interesting: The Nexus (from Monte Cook's third Book of Eldritch Might, or the complete version, and also in Beyond Countless Doorways), a demi-plane with long corridors full of archways on each side, each archway leading to a particular place in any plane. In BCD too, the Underland is a plane of subterranean tunnels and corridors, that randomly connects with such cavities in other planes. You may enter the Underland while exploring grottos in some Prime, and end up in, say, Pandemonium.
#10 gray_richardson Oct 07, 2004 12:41:10	How about Bifrost the Rainbow bridge?
#11 incenjucar Oct 07, 2004 14:31:56	Bifrost is a way to get to the Prime. I would suggest that the paths should involve air and fire at least once each. The elements are reality in the inner planes, but there are still vast philosophies about them. I would also suggest a path of deed, and a path of belief (say, via a series of temples or shrines)