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PLanning a campaign (FR to PS)

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Wed, 2005-01-26 09:25
#1
Bleaker
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PLanning a campaign (FR to PS)

I'm planning a Planescape Campaign (1st time DMing) and I wanted to start the players out in the Forgotten Realms setting (none of us have ever played Planescape before - I'm the only one Knowledgable about it)

The party would start out on FR, and spend some time adventuring in the FR setting. After sometime the transition to PS would occur (a powerful mage traps the party and sends them thru an enigmatic portal he's discovered to see where it leads to) It would open up onto the Outlands.

I'm trying to concieve of a possible link between Toril (FR's Prime) and the Great Wheel Cosmology. I didn't want to make the link between the Great Wheel and Toril evident (by evident I mean well known within the setting) since I wanted to keep the two setting apart (PS being a whole new 'world' so to speak - A whole new dimension of planes). I'm trying to achieve the kinda thing where the party end up in a place which they never even heard of and nobody - except possibly a few legendary planewalkers- even heard of their home prime either. The impetus for travelling the planes would be compelling - finding a way to get back home.

I'd appreciate any help Smiling Even ideas are welcome.

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Wed, 2005-01-26 14:21
#2
Bleaker
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correction

I seem to have gone about this the wrong way.

Having searched and read all the previous posts and threads regarding this subejct (FR and the PS cosmology) I can now better rephrase what I have in mind. Altho I do agree with everyone that the new FR cosmology isn't worth a shaved copper (the WOTC syndrome of 'hey lets redesign everything ! Why? Why not!) - did anyone see the Favored Soul class in Complete Arcane? Simply a Cleric/Sorceror hybrid (nearly cried when i saw it)

What I want to attempt is to stay away from the FR cosmology entirely and ignore it totally. This is to be able to present the PS setting to players who have never played it before. I want to present it as something completely new (and watch the characters experience and learn the planes - complete clueless)

Replacing the FR cosmology with the PS setting would mean that the players would have heard of the cosmology since it would be tied directly to thier prime - and that would somewhat tarnish the novelty - since planewalkers would have been there and back to tell the tale and spread the legends - or thats the impression I have at any rate.

(as a side note - I quite imagined Eberron's Warforged as some sort of experimental Modron soldier which, having developed invidiuality, was 'disposed of' as a failed attempt and left to run about the planes)

Wed, 2005-01-26 14:34
(Reply to #2) #3
Krypter
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PLanning a campaign (FR to PS)

Well, it's my understanding that the Plane of Shadow is supposed to be the link between different realities, so your players could travel from the Great Tree cosmology of New FR to the Great Wheel via an escapade in Shadow.

The most fun thing to do is place each of the individual planes from the Great Tree into a simple domain within the layers of the Great Wheel. So the players may think that the Cynosure is a whole plane where "the" gods meet, and are stunned to realize it's only a small parlor plane for the Forgotten Realms gods, whereas other gods have far cooler planes to hang out on. Eye-wink

Once they are enlightened, they would want to explore this new reality and find out why their gods are only a few among many.

You could even present it as a heretical adventure, in which the players slowly uncover the dark secret of the FR gods: that there are other gods and planes out there and the FR are just a backwater prime plane. OMG! All the while agents of the FR gods may be trying to prevent this heretical knowledge from spreading to the Forgotten Realms.

The previous thread on Toril/PS links should give you an idea about where to place each of the FR planes on the Great Wheel. They could even be branches of the Yggdrasil.

Wed, 2005-01-26 14:53
(Reply to #3) #4
Bleaker
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PLanning a campaign (FR to PS)

yes I can see what a 'heretical' plot line could lead to -the Gods (those who inhabit the FR cosmology) would want to keep the knowlegde that there are many more gods out there locked down - otherwise they'd get more completition. It'd be a plot line worth developing.

As for the FR to PS connection I suppose a Conduit from the FR Prime, going through FR's Shadow plane, leading into PS's Astral through the Deep Astra and finally Opening up onto the Outlands (where the clueless Primes PC can gape at the Spire for the 1st time ever) could be possible.

Splicing together the FR cosmology and the PS outerplanes would also probably be effective - they could be changed into literally parlor planes as you described it, used only by the FR gods and panthenons.

Who knows where could all this lead to. Possibly the party would even come across a plot in which an alliance of Evil Gods would be trying to bring in more Evil Gods into the FR Cosmology and the Good Gods have to stop them or bring in friends of thier own (plot line of epic proportions)

Since FR's cosmology it called the Great Tree - would be ironic if the 'Great Tree' turned out just to be just a few branches from the Yggdrasil tree. The possibilities are endless.

I was also considering creating a connection through the Deep Ethereal (conduit = FR's ethereal - PS's ethereal - PS's prime - PS's Astral - Outlands) I think even conduits can't stretch that far, altho I have doubts.

Thanks for the feedback - I'm new here so I'm kind of unsure as to the chant of things.

Thu, 2005-01-27 14:03
(Reply to #4) #5
Krypter
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PLanning a campaign (FR to PS)

"Bleaker" wrote:
I was also considering creating a connection through the Deep Ethereal (conduit = FR's ethereal - PS's ethereal - PS's prime - PS's Astral - Outlands) I think even conduits can't stretch that far, altho I have doubts.

I'm not sure what you mean by "PS's prime" here. Traditionally all the worlds of D&D, including FR, Darksun, Greyhawk, etc. were considered Planescape's prime worlds. That may have changed for the Realms with the introduction of the new cosmology, but it still holds true for all the other settings. Are you thinking of Greyhawk, mayhaps?

And I believe conduits cross the astral plane, not across prime worlds. The sequence would be more like: FR --> Shadow --> another prime world in planescape --> Astral --> Outer Planes.

Thu, 2005-01-27 15:30
(Reply to #5) #6
Kaelyn
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Re: PLanning a campaign (FR to PS)

If you're using the Planescape cosmology, the Realms are just part of a continent on a single material planar world, one of a perhaps infinite number. You can reach the planes through the Astral, the Ethereal, astral conduits, ethereal vortices to the inner and demiplanes, gates and portals, or planar paths. For example, maybe one of Yggdrasil's roots touches Toril, and you can walk across it to Niflhel in the Gray Waste. Or you can take the Infinite Staircase from Toril to Azzagrat in the Abyss or the Slaadi Spawning Stone.

Or one of Sigil's portals might appear in Calimshan or Silverymoon. There are conduits deep beneath Mithril Hall leading to the Demiplane of Shadow. The different routes are endless.

If you're not using the Planescape cosmology, you can choose what kind of cosmology you want to use. Maybe you want a cosmology where Toril only connects the other planes via the Deep Ethereal, but why bother?

Sun, 2005-02-13 02:24
(Reply to #6) #7
Samloyal23
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PLanning a campaign (FR to PS)

The FR cosmology is just the incomplete map of the Great Wheel created by that world's inhabitants, the realms listed in it are just the skewed view of people with a little planar experience who don't really grok the whole layout of the Multiverse...

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