afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread 5!

[enderlord99]

So, what would be the optimal adverb preceding "right" for Aeons and "wrong" for Howdoihighlighttextthisissupposedtobeblack?

Gloriously? Wonderfully?

[Tovec]

Ever wondered why there's no evil counterpart to angels?

I have and every attempt to get a reason from you has been met with less than encouraging replies.

Why are there no evil counterparts to angels? Or law, or chaotic ones for that matter?

...


I'll go back to lurking now.

[Eldan]

Personally, I just shrugged and made solars and their ilk alignmentless and open to all gods. But that's Eldacanon.

[Brookshw]

Ever wondered why there's no evil counterpart to angels?

Heh, you've been dangling that bait for a while now
Though I still have to wonder whether it's possibly some additional plane or layer housing them (deep in homebrew territory).

Now who's the prisoner in Elysium.....so many powerful things the celestials would want to keep under wraps or have "disappeared" from the cosmology.....

[afroakuma]

I have and every attempt to get a reason from you has been met with less than encouraging replies.

Why are there no evil counterparts to angels?

Did I not just imply the answer?

Now who's the prisoner in Elysium.....so many powerful things the celestials would want to keep under wraps or have "disappeared" from the cosmology.....

I rather like my own personal headcanon on it... but canonically there's really nothing to work with.

[Gemini476]

Myself, I'm a fan of the theory that says that the Mystaran multiverse is the Great Wheel displaced in time. Specifically, it's the GW way back in the past. Is that theory yours, Fro? I vividly remember it from a past thread.

Are you aware of the possibly-retconned-I-can't-remember thing from the Immortals box set where Mystara (or Urt the Megalith, I suppose?) is Earth from the Jurassic era?

Yeah, I can certainly see some support for Mystara being from a long long time ago.

(Let's ignore how Oerth's Earth is apparently the same one from X2 and Ed Greenwood goes drinking with the Wizards Three and whatnot. Mystara was always rather extremely schizophrenic.)

[Brookshw]

I rather like my own personal headcanon on it... but canonically there's really nothing to work with.

Well sure, I know the Canon is [insert dm plot hook here], but you're headcanon tends to be fun, interesting, and have a base in Canon so its an interesting puzzle. A baernloth? An ancient baatorian? Possibly an old ruler of hell? The access point for Pandorym's body? Something from mythology? There's a big list of possibilities and its kind of a fun way to test Canon knowledge.

Or in other words, interested in playing 20 questions?

[enderlord99]

Why are there no evil counterparts to angels?

There used to be. They were sealed under the Ghoresh Chasm because of the Blood War. This isn't quite canon, but it's really close.

[ThisIsZen]

I don't know whether this falls within the scope of the thread or not, because it's not actually a question about canon, but I'm going to ask it anyway. Feel free to ignore it if it's not on topic.

In my setting, I found a couple of the canon Archdevils (essentially anyone who ruled Malbolge) to be dull and uninteresting, and also found Bensozia's death rather trite, so I elevated her to Lord of the Sixth. What I'm curious about, however, is what would happen if Bensozia remained entirely the same, but Levistus' attempt to kill her failed (for whatever reason).

What change in Baator would we see if we change this one variable, at least in your opinion, all other things being the same?

[Twilightwyrm]

I don't know whether this falls within the scope of the thread or not, because it's not actually a question about canon, but I'm going to ask it anyway. Feel free to ignore it if it's not on topic.

In my setting, I found a couple of the canon Archdevils (essentially anyone who ruled Malbolge) to be dull and uninteresting, and also found Bensozia's death rather trite, so I elevated her to Lord of the Sixth. What I'm curious about, however, is what would happen if Bensozia remained entirely the same, but Levistus' attempt to kill her failed (for whatever reason).

What change in Baator would we see if we change this one variable, at least in your opinion, all other things being the same?

Not sure what Afro's opinion on this would be, but it would seem to me not much would change. Remember, even if Levistus failed to kill her, consort or no, Asmodeus seems to like to run things pretty tight in Baator. There may be some changes to the Sixth layer (given she's governing it and all), but especially because she was/is his consort, Asmodeus would be strictly monitoring any activity of hers, and stepping in to take...corrective measures should she attempt to change anything in the broader scope of Baator that he does not approve of.

[afroakuma]

Or in other words, interested in playing 20 questions?

That sounds fun. Bring it on!

[ThisIsZen]

Not sure what Afro's opinion on this would be, but it would seem to me not much would change. Remember, even if Levistus failed to kill her, consort or no, Asmodeus seems to like to run things pretty tight in Baator. There may be some changes to the Sixth layer (given she's governing it and all), but especially because she was/is his consort, Asmodeus would be strictly monitoring any activity of hers, and stepping in to take...corrective measures should she attempt to change anything in the broader scope of Baator that he does not approve of.

Well to be fair, I'm not asking about the ramifications of elevating Bensozia to Archdevil, just of her surviving Levistus' attempt on her life. The changes I made to Baator beyond Bensozia herself are sweeping, so any discussion of my Baator falls completely out of the scope of this thread.

I was largely curious whether this would have any effect on the War in Hell, whose actual name I can't recall, the one that resulted in the Hag Countess among other things, but if it changes any other dynamics, that's also interesting. It may be just too small to matter, tho.

[afroakuma]

Are you aware of the possibly-retconned-I-can't-remember thing

Doesn't ring a bell, but then I have a tendency to ignore things involving "real Earth."

Yeah, I can certainly see some support for Mystara being from a long long time ago.

The canon gives support for the concept that 1E was a past configuration of the multiverse, or contained within it the past; 2E was a large swath of material beyond that, and 3E has been only pretty recent.

I don't know whether this falls within the scope of the thread or not

Just about anything does, really.

In my setting, I found a couple of the canon Archdevils (essentially anyone who ruled Malbolge) to be dull and uninteresting

That's probably because they're dull and uninteresting. Malbolge is really boring as Hells go.

What I'm curious about, however, is what would happen if Bensozia remained entirely the same, but Levistus' attempt to kill her failed (for whatever reason).

What change in Baator would we see if we change this one variable, at least in your opinion, all other things being the same?

Levistus would be all kinds of hilariously dead. Geryon would probably continue to rule over Stygia. Glasya wouldn't have her own layer... yet.

[Brookshw]

That sounds fun. Bring it on!

Hehe, I thought so too!

Q1: Does it originate in 2e or later editions?
Q2: Does it originate from a specific campaign setting other than Planescape?

[afroakuma]

Hehe, I thought so too!

Q1: Does it originate in 2e or later editions?

Not sure how to answer.

Q2: Does it originate from a specific campaign setting other than Planescape?

No.

[Brookshw]

Not sure how to answer.

Hmmm, so do we call these wasted questions or allow for revised questions? If the former, okay, not a problem. If the latter: revised Q1: Is it's first D&D appearance in 2e or later editions?


I'll throw up more questions once we figure out the rule for non-answerable questions.

[afroakuma]

Q1: Is it's first D&D appearance in 2e or later editions?

Not sure how to answer.

If it's a non-answer, you get to go again.

[Brookshw]

Not sure how to answer.

If it's a non-answer, you get to go again.

Okay. Revised-revised-Q1: Does it originate from D&D?

[afroakuma]

Okay. Revised-revised-Q1: Does it originate from D&D?

Not sure how to answer.

[Brookshw]

Not sure how to answer.

Huh, okay.....last question before I switch tracks completely then. Is it from real world mythology?

[afroakuma]

Huh, okay.....last question before I switch tracks completely then. Is it from real world mythology?

I'm going to try answering no. I think I can safely say no.

[Brookshw]

I'm going to try answering no. I think I can safely say no.

Okay, phew, that was more difficult than I expected.

Q3: Does it originally hail from the lower planes?

[afroakuma]

Q3: Does it originally hail from the lower planes?

No. Still no...

[Larkas]

Q4: Does it predate the Great Wheel?

[afroakuma]

Q4: Does it predate the Great Wheel?

Hope Brookshw is okay with people stealing his questions.

No.

[Brookshw]

Hope Brookshw is okay with people stealing his questions.

Sure, 20 questions is usually a group game after all.

Q5. Is it from an inner or transitive plane?

[afroakuma]

Sure, 20 questions is usually a group game after all.

Q5. Is it from an inner or transitive plane?

Nope. Try again.

[Brookshw]

Nope. Try again.

Hmmmm,.....so prime, upper, or neutral plane unless maybe predating the great wheel which it doesn't which should preclude many divine elements, old ones etc, nothing from a setting book (thank gods) unless its planescape. Divide by zero on two origination questions. Not from real world mythology. Could be from a non plane but I think most predate the great wheel,.....sorta.

Okay then, I feel a bit silly but,

Q6: Is it a creature?

[afroakuma]

Hmmmm,.....so prime, upper, or neutral plane unless maybe predating the great wheel which it doesn't which should preclude many divine elements, old ones etc, nothing from a setting book (thank gods) unless its planescape. Divide by zero on two origination questions. Not from real world mythology. Could be from a non plane but I think most predate the great wheel,.....sorta.

Okay then, I feel a bit silly but,

Q6: Is it a creature?

Yes! Hooray, we're off to a better start!

[Larkas]

I was going to ask exactly the same question as Q6, Brook! XD

Very stupid Q7: is it usually regarded as a male?