afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread 5!

[Red Fel]

If shot down do vrocks fall, everyone dies?

You're going to the special layer of the Abyss for that one.

[afroakuma]

While on the subject of Mechanus gears, I recall reading somewhere that they were often made of precious metals - platinum, adamantine, etc. I also recall reading that spellcasters could bind chaotic creatures like slaadi into gears, making them lose their inherent lawfulness and cause them to fall into the Outlands where they could be stripped for materials. I can't remember where I read this, though. Does it sound plausible, or is it bunk?

I certainly don't remember anything of the kind. Seems far too easy a way to wreck cogs, though.

Why is that?

It's likely that in her mortal existence she was an aboleth.

[Bad Wolf]

Suppose a a town got shifted over to another layer, say Celestia.

Would that have any genetic effects on its inhabitants? Like gaining a small amount of celestial blood or something over the generations?

[Greymane]

It's likely that in her mortal existence she was an aboleth.

I really like this idea. Vestiges always seem bizarre when you summon them (Aym has three heads, Andras has an owl-head), and I wasn't sure what to do with a sexy demon chick. Adding slimy aboleth elements should do the trick for her manifestation.

[Eldan]

Would the ship constantly perform a group cackling chant?
If damaged would it bleed vrock feathers?
If shot down do vrocks fall, everyone dies?

It's a reference to an old Planescape adventure, Into the Abyss. Where some Tanar'ri or other was trying just that. Building gigantic, super-powerful weapons of war animated by bound Vrocks. Spheres of Annihilation were also involved.

[Naanomi]

If a traveler (planar or spelljamming) without a patron God dies on Faerun does she find herself lined up for the Wall of the Faithless; or does their 'home plane' or some 'universal system' take precedence?

[Brookshw]

It's a reference to an old Planescape adventure, Into the Abyss. Where some Tanar'ri or other was trying just that. Building gigantic, super-powerful weapons of war animated by bound Vrocks. Spheres of Annihilation were also involved.

Huh, don't know that one and will have to look into it. Sounds cool, reminds me some kinda Demonwing meets the SpellJammer.

[afroakuma]

Suppose a a town got shifted over to another layer, say Celestia.

Would that have any genetic effects on its inhabitants? Like gaining a small amount of celestial blood or something over the generations?

Nope. Now mind you, there are other ways that would happen...

If a traveler (planar or spelljamming) without a patron God dies on Faerun does she find herself lined up for the Wall of the Faithless; or does their 'home plane' or some 'universal system' take precedence?

Your native death procedures run the show for you. If they're not interested in you, of course...

[Eldan]

Why do you think there's Elemental Good and Evil, but not Elemental Law and Chaos? (At least, not with capital letters?)

[afroakuma]

Why do you think there's Elemental Good and Evil, but not Elemental Law and Chaos? (At least, not with capital letters?)

There are.

Unsurprisingly, they have their roots in Mystara and the old order, but there are actually distinctive elementals for both law and chaos. As to why there are no princes of those alignments: they used to be. In the War of Law and Chaos, the Princes of the Elements took sides and more than once saw Evil allied with Good in service to a greater cause. What broke up the party was Good and Evil realizing they didn't really like to hang out, and also likely the simple issue that the Inner Planes by and large fought on the side of Law.

[Khedrac]

Unsurprisingly, they have their roots in Mystara and the old order, but there are actually distinctive elementals for both law and chaos.

OK - I thought I knew pretty much all the Mystara lore, or knew of it and where to check for the stuff I don't recall, but this one has me totally flummoxed (which is another sign of the greatness of this thread).

Please tell us more of these Law and Chaos elementals, and where in Mystara they hail from...

[Judge_Worm]

Yugoloths don't get much treatment compared to their Devil and Demon brethren. Are there any unique Yugoloths? If so, who are they and where can I find out more? How far can you trust a Yugoloth, if you made a deal with one, how long would it try to uphold it? How amicable are 'loths to visitors to their planes? How do 'loths who aren't mercenaries feel about the bloodwar traipsing through their home? Besides the General of Gehenna, what other positions of power can 'loths hold? Do 'loths make missions to the prime material like devils and demons do? During the war of Law and Chaos did 'loths and angels get along or fight together?

[Mr Adventurer]

What? Elementals of Good and Evil?

... Do you just mean like Imix etc?

[Eldan]

Yugoloths don't get much treatment compared to their Devil and Demon brethren. Are there any unique Yugoloths? If so, who are they and where can I find out more? How far can you trust a Yugoloth, if you made a deal with one, how long would it try to uphold it? How amicable are 'loths to visitors to their planes? How do 'loths who aren't mercenaries feel about the bloodwar traipsing through their home? Besides the General of Gehenna, what other positions of power can 'loths hold? Do 'loths make missions to the prime material like devils and demons do? During the war of Law and Chaos did 'loths and angels get along or fight together?

Let's see. In Planescape, they had plenty of material, at least as much as the other fiends.

Uniques:
There's the Oinoloth, Mydianchlarus, who rules the Wasting Tower of Khin-Oin and rules Hades. He overthrew the previous Oinoloth, Anthraxus, by whispering something so terrible in his ear that Anthraxus immediatley gave up the job.

There's Daru Ib Shamiq, one of the Baernoloths, the precursors of evil. He gave the power of Greater Teleportation to all fiends.

There's Helekanalaith, the ruler of the Tower Arcane, but he's probably just a normal Arcanaloth.

There's Apomps, who's hated by the others, because he created the Gereleth race.

Inthracis, the Necromancer, rules a city on Faerun.

There's Charon, who rules the boatmen of the Styx.

There's probably more.

As for more usual NPCs, there's A'kin, the Friendly Fiend, who runs a shop in Sigil. He's an Arcanaloth. As is Shemeshka the Marauder, who is basically a mob boss.


In general, the 'loth are ridiculously untrustworthy. They aren't welcoming, either, though a lot of that is just the planes they live on. Hades is a breeding ground for disease, especially, a lot of them bred by 'loth magic. If you see one smiling, try to run, though it may be too late.

[Brookshw]

Think you missed the General?

[afroakuma]

OK - I thought I knew pretty much all the Mystara lore, or knew of it and where to check for the stuff I don't recall, but this one has me totally flummoxed (which is another sign of the greatness of this thread).

Please tell us more of these Law and Chaos elementals, and where in Mystara they hail from...

Looks like they came from the Rules Cyclopedia, four of them at least. Later they showed up in the 2E Mystara Monstrous Compendium.

Yugoloths don't get much treatment compared to their Devil and Demon brethren. Are there any unique Yugoloths?

See Eldan's post.

How far can you trust a Yugoloth

Spoiler

Show

How amicable are 'loths to visitors to their planes?

See above.

How do 'loths who aren't mercenaries feel about the bloodwar traipsing through their home?

Opportunistic.

Besides the General of Gehenna, what other positions of power can 'loths hold?

Well, the General's the real power, but there's also the Oinoloth, the master of the Tower of the Arcanaloths, the master of the Tower of Incarnate Pain...

Do 'loths make missions to the prime material like devils and demons do?

Not usually.

During the war of Law and Chaos did 'loths and angels get along or fight together?

See above.

[Bad Wolf]

Nope. Now mind you, there are other ways that would happen...

What are the other ways?

[Lord_Gareth]

What are the other ways?

He's making a sly reference to dating and then, presumably, boning celestials, which then results in part-celestial kids raised on a celestial plane, who then go on to, presumably, bone other semi-mortal or mortal beings.

[Eldan]

Maybe I'm remembering wrong, but wasn't there a bit about how 'loths tried to be summoned by mortals on purpose, going so far as to forge summoning spells left behind on the planes, so that mortals summoned what they thought was a celestial or spirit, but was actually a disguised 'loth?

[afroakuma]

Maybe I'm remembering wrong, but wasn't there a bit about how 'loths tried to be summoned by mortals on purpose, going so far as to forge summoning spells left behind on the planes, so that mortals summoned what they thought was a celestial or spirit, but was actually a disguised 'loth?

It would seem to run at odds with their policy of creating guardian yugoloths specifically to divert summonings away from themselves...

[enderlord99]

Maybe I'm remembering wrong, but wasn't there a bit about how 'loths tried to be summoned by mortals on purpose, going so far as to forge summoning spells left behind on the planes, so that mortals summoned what they thought was a celestial or spirit, but was actually a disguised 'loth?

You're thinking of Erinyes, which are a type of Baatezu.

[Jowgen]

Hi, quick question, Lords of Madness and it's Flow of Fresh Brains web enhancement both equate their Nautiloid ships to Spelljammers. Are they?

[afroakuma]

Hi, quick question, Lords of Madness and it's Flow of Fresh Brains web enhancement both equate their Nautiloid ships to Spelljammers. Are they?

Nautiloids were a type of spelljamming vessel used by illithids, yes.

[Rob Roy]

I've been looking at the Council of Wyrms recently, and the book gives the current year as 72,723. When you take that figure and convert from the longer dragon years given in the book to the Oerthean/Abeir-Torilian length years given in their respective Spelljammer sourcebooks (365 days exactly, no fuss with leap years or other nonsense) it comes out to 72,723 Greyhawk/Realms years. Have to give the book props for that exactly one thing.

Since there are many sources I don't have access to, my question is then: We aren't told what the Council measures its years from, but is 72,723 years since the beginning of the multiverse generally consistent with most other sources, or is it more reasonable to have the dragons mark their years from the formation of the Council?

[Bad Wolf]

Can the dead gods on the astral plane be manipulated in any way?

[afroakuma]

We aren't told what the Council measures its years from, but is 72,723 years since the beginning of the multiverse generally consistent with most other sources, or is it more reasonable to have the dragons mark their years from the formation of the Council?

The latter.

Can the dead gods on the astral plane be manipulated in any way?

Oh yes. Heck, there's a city on one of them.

Now of course, that's only a response to whether or not it's possible. It's certainly highly inadvisable...

[Naanomi]

Can a God's Divine Realm be maintained after their destruction? Say... By members of their pantheon who survive them? Like... The prison keeper of the dishonorable dead dies, but other parts of his pantheon like having somewhere to shove undesirables and want to keep his old place operational?

[afroakuma]

Can a God's Divine Realm be maintained after their destruction? Say... By members of their pantheon who survive them? Like... The prison keeper of the dishonorable dead dies, but other parts of his pantheon like having somewhere to shove undesirables and want to keep his old place operational?

If they want to move in, sure, but otherwise not likely. On the other hand, what you describe is the sort of thing the pantheon would have collaborated on building, and the divine realm of the god in question would be only one small part of it.

[Bad Wolf]

Okay, can their divinity be extracted, or can they be brought back to life with the Revive Outsider spell? (follow up to previous question about dead gods)

[afroakuma]

Okay, can their divinity be extracted

Such as it still is, considering their state, some powerful beings certainly think it can and are going about trying to apply that theory. Looks like it's working too, considering.

or can they be brought back to life with the Revive Outsider spell?

Pfft, no.