The Outlands - Heavenly Bodies

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Da'Hak's picture
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The Outlands - Heavenly Bodies

Hi all!

I have a little question concerning the Outland's sky elements (I hope the title wasn't too deceiving?).

The Player's Primer to the Outlands doesn't describe anything related to suns, moons or stars? Can I safely assume the Outlands has all of those?

The reason I'm asking is rather simple. I wanted to create a new world that was connected to the Planescape setting but contained traits similar to the Forgotten Realms' (When it comes to societies and such). Thus my idea was to create such a world as a star or moon of the Outlands (tm Wink ).

Does this conflict with any of the written rules? I know you can alter campaigns to your likings, but I don't want to get into a minor discussion with my players.

Greets, K.

ripvanwormer's picture
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Re: The Outlands - Heavenly Bodies

The Outlands have three Lights of Balance that shine at their center (around the Spire, I guess), according to the Planescape Monstrous Compendium (under Mediator). I don't think they give off much light, though.

A Player's Primer to the Outlands says "So, you want to know why the Outlands have both day and night when there's no sun or stars in the sky? What are you, clueless?" The plane just has a nonspecific glow (like Sigil) that lights up the sky during the day and goes away at night.

All worlds are potentially connected to Planescape. I would just use a regular material planar world and put enough portals in so that the PCs can get into the planes when they need to. You could even say the sky over your world is an enormous portal, and this is why you can see the Outlands in the heavens.

A planet in the Outlands' sky that's culturally similar to the Material Plane seems to go against the point of having seperate planes - I would just put Prime things in the Prime and planar things in the planes. They can certainly mix as much as you want to.

Da'Hak's picture
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Re: The Outlands - Heavenly Bodies

"ripvanwormer" wrote:
A Player's Primer to the Outlands says "So, you want to know why the Outlands have both day and night when there's no sun or stars in the sky? What are you, clueless?" The plane just has a nonspecific glow (like Sigil) that lights up the sky during the day and goes away at night.

Ugh, how could I have possibly missed that. I should really learn to read the entire books instead of just the entries that I need information about.

Quote:
All worlds are potentially connected to Planescape. I would just use a regular material planar world and put enough portals in so that the PCs can get into the planes when they need to. You could even say the sky over your world is an enormous portal, and this is why you can see the Outlands in the heavens.

That's actually a good idea. And makes sense to the history I had for that place. I suppose I could add a specific decolouration in the Outlands' sky where this supposed world really is. This could then function as a window between the two environments.

Quote:
A planet in the Outlands' sky that's culturally similar to the Material Plane seems to go against the point of having seperate planes - I would just put Prime things in the Prime and planar things in the planes. They can certainly mix as much as you want to.

My idea was to have a society with several races (a la PS), but with cultural habits and beliefs like the Primes. Which would either make it a strange Prime or a strange Plane (Most of those are strange anyway, no harm done).

Anyhow, thanks for your input, much appreciated! Smiling

Greets, K.

Gerzel's picture
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The Outlands - Heavenly Bodies

I could certainly see planets on an individual basis in the outlands.

For example if they were part of a God's domain or some great wizard's or race's stronghold. The planet could be there but it would only be visable on certain parts of the outlands.

There are already diety domains in the outlands with suns and moons and stars visable, because those dietys are related to the suns and moons and stars.

The outlands are mutable and far from really being well explored.

Nemui's picture
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The Outlands - Heavenly Bodies

Quote:
The outlands are mutable and far from really being well explored.

Exactly. So, Da'Hak, just go ahead and make your alternate prime into a planet in the backwood area of the Outlands. We don't mind, really Eye-wink

You can find just about anything you want (or don't want) in the Hinterlands. IMO, it's a lot like Limbo without all the chaos.

Anarch's picture
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The Outlands - Heavenly Bodies

"Nemui" wrote:
You can find just about anything you want (or don't want) in the Hinterlands. IMO, it's a lot like Limbo without all the chaos.

Limbo is the chaos of reality incarnate. The Hinterlands are where the structure of reality breaks down; not chaos but the slow disintegration (or perhaps creation) of substance in the void. IMO, of course.

Da'Hak: If you want a "moon" of the Outlands you can posit something like a paraplane: a fragment of reality that "orbits" the central reality of the Outlands, shifting in and out of phase (or at least proximity) with the Outlands according to some, or no, pattern. Eberron's the most familiar incarnation of this mechanic but the idea goes back a long way. Make it closed-circular and you've functionally got a "planet" right there.

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