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2023-10-25, 12:05 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII
Yes, the Plane of Wood is in the 3.0 Manual of the Planes. Sadly the book doesn't include a Plane of Metal, instead having an Elemental Plane of Cold. As for a description, Elemental Wood mostly resembles a World Tree covered in more trees.
The way I imagine the "Elemental" Plane of Wood, it lies in the middle of the Inner Planes, where all other Inner Planes touch. It is the Innermost Plane, where the "base" Elemental and Energy Planes combine to bring life into being. As such, it has border regions. For most other planes I have a rough idea of what it looks like, but I have problems with Positive and would like to gather ideas.
The border regions as I have them currently are:
Between Wood and Air lie the Blooming Reaches. The closer you get to Air, the more branches are replaced by leaves, blossoms, catkins and open spaces full of pollen, until it all dissolves into a pollen cloud that finally clears out and leaves you in Air proper.
Where Wood comes near Earth lies the Mother Soil. Tree becomes Root, threading its way through soft and nourishing soil, becoming finer and smaller until first only soil and finally the harder andd rockier earth of Elemental Earth remain.
At the border of Wood and Water, roots enter water in a giant mangrove known as the Stilting Roots. On the other side, in Water, this border is made of thicker and thicker bushels of seagrass and kelp and called the Swaying Forrest.
To Fire lies the Smoldering. Wood and leaves, tries and plants are seared and smolder into coal, until nothing live-like seems to remain: only a giant block of coal and embers that burns away to give way to Elemental Fire.
Where Wood touches Negative, lies the Plain of Putrefaction. Here the plants die and rot. Everything dissolves and decays from solid wood to stinking mush to smaller pieces of detritus that dissolve into the nothingness of Negative.
What is at the last border? Growth? Fruit? Leaves and Light? How can it best be described?Last edited by Tzardok; 2023-10-25 at 05:10 PM.
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2023-10-25, 09:03 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII
Rotation of the planet. Liga circles too slowly to produce a day-night cycle.
*What actually triggers the teansformation of dromites into reproductive castes? Is it some kind of a psionic effect or more of a phyaical royal jelly type thing?
Generally the case for incorporeal undead, really, but ghosts in particular are an Ethereal phenomenon.
If a soul refuses to move on while on the other planes, what kind of undead do they manifest as? Are there Outer Plane specific undead manifestations, or are they just a ghost without the ability to disappear into the Ethereal?
It's not specified; the only reference I've ever seen, since as you know D&D doesn't tend to bother dwelling on the metaphysics of souls any further than it has to, is that preincarnate souls disappear in a flash of light when they leave the Bastion of Broken Souls to be incarnated. It's possible that they move along Astral conduits, presumably highly inviolate ones given the Ban of the Unborn; it's possible they move through the tethers Positive Energy has to other planes as part of their inherent existence and structure. It's possible they move along a conduit unknown to us at all - I would surmise the gods themselves have no sweet clue and definitely don't want to meddle in finding out.
Also, and this question can be ignored if you don't feel like it, assume that the Elemental Plane of Wood has shared border regions with other Inner Planes. What would the border between Wood and Positive look like in your educated opinion?
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2023-10-26, 11:43 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII
Going off on a tangent from the elemental wood thing for a moment, is it just me or has an inordinate amount of recent (non-D&D) media been using a weird hybrid system where wood either replaces earth or is combined with it
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2023-10-26, 12:20 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII
The whole "4 elements == fire, earth, air, water" thing is a fairly limited view into how elements are defined. IIRC, a lot of eastern "alchemical theory" uses wood as one of 5 elements, as probably does others? Which may be a source (especially maybe anime influences?)
FFXIV uses a bunch of elements including
* fire
* earth
* water
* wind (not air)
* ice (separate from water)
* lightning
With Astral (light, passive, order) and Umbral (dark, active, chaos) as "modifiers"--you technically can have umbral or astral anything, but some elements "lean" more toward one than the other.
So yeah, There are tons of different elemental systems out there.
Spoiler: My own setting's elemental theory
I use 4 "pure" plus the 8 "partial overlap" elements, each of which can be Luminous or Umbral (kinda like FFXIV's, but different) for 12 "elements", each of which corresponds to a month of the main planet's calendar[1].
In order from the start of the year:
Spring--earth
Clay (earth dominant, mixed with water)
Stone (pure earth)
Coal (earth dominant, mixed with fire, although I need a better name)
Summer--fire
Lava (fire dominant, mixed with earth)
Flame (pure fire)
Lightning (fire dominant, mixed with air)
Autumn--air
Smoke (air dominant, mixed with fire)
Wind (pure air)
Cloud (air dominant, mixed with water)
Winter
Ice (water dominant, mixed with air)
Ocean (pure water)
Mud (water dominant, mixed with earth).
Each one has both elemental nature and "aspects/affects"--for example Flame is aspected toward Destruction and rebirth, while Ice is aspected toward grudges and memory (all of water, in fact, has "memory/mind" aspects). Generally they have both "positive" and "negative" aspects.
But then my planes aren't the "entirely made of one thing with maybe bubbles of something else" planes common to D&D. They're all mixed, and mortals live in and through all of them, at least in the easily-accessible portions. As do elementals. And none of my planes are infinite or even unbounded, because i'm not using the Great Wheel at all.
Last edited by PhoenixPhyre; 2023-10-26 at 12:29 PM.
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2023-11-02, 12:28 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII
To rescue the thread from sinking in forum depth, I'll post a new question.
Cranium rats. They play a part of the story in Torment and are present in some of lore books.
If someone isn't familiar with them, cranium rats are unique in aspect, that the more of them assemble together, the smarter they become. For example 10 rats can cast level 3 spells.
So my questions about them.
1) Any information where they originally came from? Who created them, maybe a deity, or they came from a magical experiment?
2) Where they live in Sigil? Do they ever appear somewhere else?
2) What is the top of how smart they can become? I always imagined that 100 rats can cast level 9 spells and 1000 will have an intelligence of a weak deity and so on. Is it so?
3) What is the estimated number of them? Is their number large enough to be a real threat?
4) If they do have large numbers and can really get a deitific intelligence, why they aren't trying to capture their own territory and become a political power? And in Torment they do have enough "evilness" to wish something of that sort.
Yes, killing rats is easy, fireball can fry 20 in one hit, but with access to high level spells, they can protect themselves from magic or even dominate people who will fight for them.
They might even get allies! A swarm of animals that have godly intelligence will please Athar. Xaositects will enjoy something as moronic as siding with vermin. Fated will be happy to hire rats as thieves and infiltrators. Sensates might find unique experience from interacting with them.
Disgust? In a place where demons and slaads are a casual view?
If cranium rats could, they would gain many benefits. And again, in Torment they do plan vile schemes and have similar wishes.
So... why they don't try this? Just not enough of them? Someone prevents this? Or they can't unite all together and instead fight nest vs nest?
As I imagine this, neither the Lady, nor the Law trio have reasons to go against them.
So... why they never commited anything of value until now?
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2023-11-02, 12:46 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII
I know that 5e went with cranium rats being a mind flayer experiment, not sure if it's true in older editions as well.
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2023-11-02, 01:14 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII
In this thread we discuss editions 3.5 and earlier.
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2023-11-03, 12:30 PM (ISO 8601)
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2023-11-22, 10:49 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII
Which I, fool that I am, completely missed.
1) Any information where they originally came from? Who created them, maybe a deity, or they came from a magical experiment?
2) Where they live in Sigil? Do they ever appear somewhere else?
2) What is the top of how smart they can become? I always imagined that 100 rats can cast level 9 spells and 1000 will have an intelligence of a weak deity and so on. Is it so?
In a practical sense, I think 20-21 Int is likely their upper bound and manifesting as a 10th-level psion (or casting as a 10th-level sorcerer) is the practical limit of their ability to direct the individual wills of each rat to the same purpose. Think of it like superheavy elements - whatever psychic force stabilizes the swarm's intellect to form a single will, beyond a certain region of stability they just cannot maintain the cohesion required and the swarm would splinter or collapse on itself, like the strong force losing to Coloumb repulsion. It's late and I'm tired and I'm discussing particle physics in the context of imaginary magical brain rats. Don't expect accuracy.
3) What is the estimated number of them? Is their number large enough to be a real threat?
4) If they do have large numbers and can really get a deitific intelligenceNeed a place to hang? Like Discord? Don't mind dealing with a capricious demon lord? Then you're welcome to join our LGBTQ+ friendly, often silly, very geeky server to discuss food, music, video games, tabletop, and much more.
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2023-11-23, 04:44 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII
In Book of Vile Darkness, Dark Speech was introduced. A language of evil extremely difficult to pronounce, impossible to learn without being evil, fatal if attempted untrained, and capable of breaking minds to those who do not even understand it, increasing one's power, weakening physical objects, or tasking mindless swarms with malign intelligence and purpose.
Words of Creation are their Book of Exalted Deeds counterpart.
In afrocanon, how does they work? Like. Is it just a set of Truespeak words dealing with literally the best/worst things in existence? If so, why is/isn't there an Ordered Speech and Gibbering Speech? Are the languages a conduit to an entity like Tharizdun or some secluded force of Good, and speaking them invites their presence? Did they just kinda spring out from the Abyss along with the other planes? If so, from whence did they come? It's alleged that evil gods speak Dark Speech, which implies that it's none of the above (my understanding is that gods avoid truespeech), which makes the conspiracy theorist in me consider that it may be an Ordial phenomenon, translating the substance of belief into the real (see also, speaking a language at a sword to permanently weaken it). What's more curious (to me at least) is that Words of Creation involve true names (possibly unrelated to Truenames) for all living creatures, but the Dark Speech involves nameless swarms. Is there significant philosophical principle behind this distinction, or is it just writers being writers?
...Also, come to think of it, is Truespeech aligned with the Ordial? I feel like I should get slapped for asking, but as both are poorly understood, because the (fan?) stories about the one person who tried to attune a planeshifting fork to the Ordial plane IIRC ended up covered in cuts of unknown words and letters and was quite insane, and this sounds about like the normal experience one has with Truenaming, I felt it was worth asking. Also, Truenaming is using the philosophical and abstract (language alone) to manifest in the real (invocations). If anything was associated with Proof, this would be it.Last edited by Fable Wright; 2023-11-23 at 05:01 AM.
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2023-11-23, 06:25 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII
Don't forget the Words of Creation Once Spoken, which were involved in the kerfuffle between Vecna and the Lady.
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2023-11-24, 01:16 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII
Thank you, afroakuma! I was afraid you again disappeared for the long time.
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2024-01-01, 06:38 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII
Found this old question of mine that got lost during afro working on his book, so I decided to repost it:
If you feel up for it, can you invent some stuff for the minor demon lord Sch'theraqpasstt, the Serpent Reborn, for me? I'm interested in stuff about him and his layer in general, but especially in how the yuan-ti that worship him differ from the usual Merrshaulk worshippers.
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2024-01-15, 06:36 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII
What would it take for Bechard the Rotting Husk to reassert control of his usurped Abyssal Layer?
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2024-01-26, 12:09 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII
I'm on a bit of hiatus at the moment but I'd like to reaffirm that I will be back to this thread when I can be. January has been a lot and I'm trying to make sure I have my bearings before picking this up again.
Need a place to hang? Like Discord? Don't mind dealing with a capricious demon lord? Then you're welcome to join our LGBTQ+ friendly, often silly, very geeky server to discuss food, music, video games, tabletop, and much more.
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2024-01-26, 01:30 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII
The black/dark pools in the abyss, what is known about them really? Were they made by protodemons, is it the mother of monsters after birth or some such, or did the abyss just decide herein like prisons better than pandemonium. It's also weird that I would consider prisons lawful, which seems at odds with the chaotic nature of demons, since freedom is what I consider a hallmark of chaos. That line of thought led me to think more of protodemons than tan'ari.
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2024-01-26, 03:46 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII
Demons are also evil, which includes doing things to people just to see them suffer.
Trapping someone in a dark hole does not have to be done out of a sense of justice. It can be just out of malice and spite. It's not like there's a legal process with a fair trial to be thrown into a black pit in the Abyss.We are not standing on the shoulders of giants, but on very tall tower of other dwarves.
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2024-02-05, 02:22 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII
On that note, how many just random irrelevant people are trapped in the black pits?
EDIT:
Also, why don't Grazzt and Orcus just style themselves as "prince of demons". They're already perpetually at war with Demogorgon anyway and the Queen of Chaos seems to have become largely irrelevant in tue present era.Last edited by Bohandas; 2024-02-05 at 02:24 AM.
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2024-02-05, 10:17 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII
I'd assume not a lot. If you annoy demon lords enough to be imprisoned, but are difficult enough to kill that you aren't killed outright, you are unlikely to be a random irrelevant.
EDIT:
Also, why don't Grazzt and Orcus just style themselves as "prince of demons". They're already perpetually at war with Demogorgon anyway and the Queen of Chaos seems to have become largely irrelevant in tue present era.
Practically, there can't be more than one Prince of Demons in existence.
Edit: Besides, everybody would mock them as pretenders. Yes, even their subordinates.Last edited by Tzardok; 2024-02-05 at 10:46 AM.
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2024-02-05, 03:10 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII
"If you want to understand biology don't think about vibrant throbbing gels and oozes, think about information technology" -Richard Dawkins
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2024-03-03, 08:53 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII
Spoiler: Non-serious question punning on the name of a certain Transitory planeWho else here likes to Ethereal for breakfast in the morning?Last edited by enderlord99; 2024-03-03 at 08:54 PM.
I use braces (also known as "curly brackets") to indicate sarcasm. If there are none present, I probably believe what I am saying; should it turn out to be inaccurate trivia, please tell me rather than trying to play along with an apparent joke I don't know I'm making.
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2024-03-24, 12:11 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII
I am planning a pseudo Ravenloft campaign and am trying to come up with a list of a dozen or so non-diety (demigods are fine) evil powers to function as the dread lords. I prefer to use beings with some level of established lore (any version of DnD). Does anyone have any suggestions?
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2024-03-24, 12:39 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII
Putting aside the question why not simply use Ravenloft and it's established darklords, are you asking for a Top 12 of iconic D&D villains? In that case, I could offer...
- The Lord of Blades, a warforged from Eberron who created a cult around his person and preaches the eradication of fleshy beings
- Manshoon, a legendary wizard from Faerûn who created a network to dominate trade. On his death, twelve clones of him awoke and began a civil war against each other
- Kyuss
- Eclavdra, the first drow in any adventure to ever be named. Lolth's main proxy
- Acererak, the demilich who built the Tomb of Horrors and tried to fuse his mind with the Negative Energy Plane
- Iuz the Old, the demigod who created the Empire of Iuz in the Greyhawk setting
- Eli Tomorast, leader of an organisation of graverobbers and archenemy of Mordenkainen
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2024-03-24, 12:52 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII
"If you want to understand biology don't think about vibrant throbbing gels and oozes, think about information technology" -Richard Dawkins
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2024-03-24, 12:55 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII
Another fun one from Eberron is Mordain the Fleshweaver: he's probably the most powerful transmuter in the setting (among the humanoid races, at least) and has spent hundreds of years populating the forest around his tower with aberrations of his own design. He can either affect mortal souls directly, construct synthetic ones, or create beings that might as well be ensouled, because among the horrors in his forest also stands a normal, quaint little village... populated by people with the bodies and personalities of some of the greatest heroes of eberron's past.
Also, the Lady of Plague, perhaps the most powerful Aberrant Mark user ever, with undefined powers over disease and vermin. I'm imagining a darklord domain that's just a giant ruined city, populated by monstrous mutant vermin and plague-ridden scavengers, where she's tormented by her mark's inability to ever create more than it destroys.
(I've seen a bit by Keith Baker that suggests that, since Siberys dragonmarks cover their bearer's entire body, anything with a power beyond even that should extend beyond the user's body, forming a magical network of energy lines that forms constantly-shifting connections between the bearer and their surroundings - that should make for a memorable visual, not?)Creator of the LA-assignment thread.
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2024-03-24, 03:07 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII
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2024-03-25, 08:46 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII
You say “fun,” I say “most insipid garbage that should never have been published”... on second thought, yes, let’s mist away that idiot. Absolutely no place in Eberron and the setting is worse off for his existence. Half the point of the setting is to reject the overpowered-wizards-in-a-tower trope.
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Re: afroakuma's Planar And Other Oddities Questions Thread VIII
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