[Demiplane idea] Nexus

Not only that, but with the way nexus is a power hub equal or greater than Sigil itself, (an outer planes hub with more beings than Sigil? it sounds prone to becoming a warzone territory...) AND has gods that don't have someone/something like the Lady to keep them from accruing power, why don't gods and cosmic entities rule the city? Not just demi-gods, but rather the greatest of the powers that control life on the Outer Planes? After all, the only thing stopping the greater powers and overdeities from taking over Sigil is the influence of the Lady, who has notably destroyed greater powers in her wrath. Even the Factions won't help TOO much, considering the way they would bicker and argue all the time.

Interplanar treaties aside, this sounds like it would be a focus of planar power great enough that I would be hesitant to have anything close to a stable power structure assumed to be in control in the city.

City-wise, I would estimate the demiplane as being approximately 150 mi. or about 240 km (if using metric) in diameter, which gives a very large area suitable for a very cosmopolitian city. Remember, Tokyo has 100 million souls living inside, and is only about that big, so if it's intended to be the biggest of the big, you'll have to make it HUGE. Not only that, but there are smaller RL nations than the size of the demiplane if it were made that large.

Actually, I think a democratic government would work well here, because it adds to a power-politic feel to the city that contrasts it with Sigil. Sigil's got it's fair share of rich bloods, but for a lot of them, you could assume it's inherited, or they're immortal anyway. Nexus would be a place for the 'common.. something or other, there's too damn many races to count' and it would help with the race relations and power structure problems. Sure, the powers are always lusting after it, but the power's usually held by whoever's won the last election. The leaders can't displease TOO many of the citizens, after all, otherwise they'd move and lose their power.

After all, when you want to run for election, you definitely do not want to alienate your potential constituents. Hate crime laws and some level of civil rights would have to be the norm; there would be no way you'd get re-elected if you didn't keep some semblance of order in the city, since the politics would ensure you'd get creamed in elections if nothing appeared to happen.

Essentially, combine Washington D.C power politics with New York City trade, and Tokyo-style living conditions with the seamy side of Beijing and New Delhi, and you get a good model for the Nexus as I see it. It would feel like every major megacity in the world in some aspect.

If it were truly as powerful as Sigil politically and trade-wise, I could easily see the two cities citizens as each being very disdainful of the other. Sigilians would be considered snooty by the Nexians with their claims to being at the center of the multiverse, and the Nexians would probably be viewed to some extent as crass by Sigilians. A good example is the way Londoners and New Yorkers interacted around the turn of the 20th century.

To make the difference even more noticable, use a completely different dialect of PS cant for people from the Nexus. It would also be good to create different planar variations on this theme.. so you can eventually have characters instantly recognize a specific planar cant for clues as to origins of NPCs.

Furthermore, I am getting an interesting idea: Sports teams in UP. Football (doesn't matter if it's the term as used in England/elsewhere, America, or Australia.. they all work) seasons are watched regularly by many people around the world, and to an almost religious degree of fervor in some cases. Assuming this, it would be almost a crime to not consider that some form of interplanar sports cup, were it to exist, would rile both cities to incredible levels. During the height of the seasons.. it would be REALLY noticable who the Primes are; they'd be almost the only ones without fan jerseys and the like!

No, the DIAMETER would be 150 miles. With that size, you could hit... up to maybe 100+ million? Granted, that's a lot of beings, but considering that Tokyo of today is 100+ million in a roughly equal space, it's not that terribly unusual.

The idea that Nexus is simply paying the 'loths off to keep the Blood War out of town is just a gaping invitation for disaster. The term 'fox guarding the henhouse' springs to mind.

The only hitch would be that it would be impossible for that kind of secret to stay dark forever. Everyone will be wondering why their hasn't been a feindish invasion, and sooner or later some 'loths will spill the beans. Even if the 'loth is discounted as a liar, the Upper Planes would still likely send someone to investigate. Once they put two and two together, there is bound to be a response.

One way to get around this is to say that Nexus is still young enough that the celestials are still looking into the matter (good adventure hook, too).

But I'm with you in not making Nexus a more attractive destination than Sigil. It makes it start to seem too much like Union.

Maybe it's the Demiplane of Free Cities. Anyone that tries to take it over gets fought by the plane itself.

Epic Level Handbook. Which unfortunately describes it very well, comes off entirely as a Sigilian rip off (please note the "No really, I'm not just like A'kin" 'Friendly Fiendish Magic Shopkeeper' for example.) Unfortunately what also isn't covered in the ELH writeup of Sigil is any sense of logic for how such a city would even exist in the Planes as it does, hence why it was almost immediately charred and devoured on the WotC boards.

When the fabric of reality itself is fighting you, the poop of flocks of pidgeons becomes a deadly impact explosive.

While I cant say that the concept itself of free cities is enough to create a demiplane, its an interesting idea. I like the idea of a demiplane that defends itself. It might need a different backstory though, but thats just me.

Neth.

I hate to be a detractor, I don't like the idea of Nexus. It sounds like a New York City with magic and monsters, which in itself is kind of cool, it shouldn't be put nearly at the same level as Sigil.

I don't mind Nexus's existance, just so long it doesn't detract from Sigil being the focus of the multiverse. In general, I look down on any city which connects to all the planes in the multiverse. I figure that if it was that easy to build one the Ta'anari or Baatorians would've built one a long time ago, rather than try to take over Sigil all the time. It's nothing personal, I don't like Union for mostly the same reasons.

Sigil is special, don't forget. Sigil isn't just a city, it's a fixture of the multiverse, and by comparison, all other cities are expendable.