Mapping the Planes

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Lord Zack's picture
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Joined: 2006-11-10
Mapping the Planes

In my upcoming campaign there will likely be a number of expeditions to the Outer Planes. It's not exactly a Planescape campaign (it's set in Greyhawk), but I figured you guys would most be able to help me out with this. My campaign will be a "sandbox"-type campaign, so the players will determine when they travel to the planes and where. Fortunately I have an idea of where they'll likely head, including two Abyssal Layers, the Demonweb and Shedaklah.

So the challenge is, determining what they will find when they go there. Mapping would be ideal... except it can sometimes be difficult to map the Outer Planes. Really distances aren't as meaningful, and the terrain is sometimes difficult to map, (i.e. Mechanus). Nonetheless, to run this campaign I must have the information in some form. I have gotten some good advice elsewhere, but I wonder what you guys have to say.

Hyena of Ice's picture
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factotums
Joined: 2009-09-25
Re: Mapping the Planes

For maps, I would suggest the following resources:

Fiendish Codex I
Fiendish Codex II
Planescape: Planes of Chaos (AD&D 2E supplement)
Planescape: Planes of Conflict (AD&D 2E supplement)
Planescape: Planes of Law (AD&D 2E supplement)
The Planewalker's Handbook (AD&D 2E supplement)
The Shackled City Adventure Path (Paizo book)

Lord Zack's picture
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Joined: 2006-11-10
Re: Mapping the Planes

Well I'll use those maps as resources, however I'm thinking of something slightly different. I need a map (or some kind of substitute) that I could use in actual play, noting where encounters are and such.

Hyena of Ice's picture
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factotums
Joined: 2009-09-25
Re: Mapping the Planes

You'll have to make your own, then, as I do not know of too many player handout maps in any D&D or Paizo products.

Also, for some planes/levels, you're best off making an encounter table that covers things such as hazards, skirmishes (e.g. a war/battle between two groups or a fight between two monsters, etc.) outposts/towns/ruins/temples/etc, and travelling trade caravans.
Definitely this is how you'd want to handle the Inner and Transitive Planes, and probably also Gehenna and Carceri.

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