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Planescape
Image:PlanescapeLogo.jpg
Designer David "Zeb" Cook
Publisher TSR, Inc.
Wizards of the Coast
Publication date 1994
Genre(s) Fantasy
System Dungeons & Dragons

Planescape is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, originally designed by Zeb Cook. A "game designer" is a person who designs Video games or one who designs traditional games such as Board games Video Games Designer A video game designer David "Zeb" Cook is an American Game designer best known for his work at TSR Inc A video game publisher is a company that publishes Video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a Video game developer TSR Inc was an American game publishing company most famous for publishing the Dungeons & Dragons Role-playing game. Wizards of the Coast (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of Games primarily based on Fantasy and Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a Fantasy Role-playing game (RPG originally designed by A campaign setting is usually a Fictional world which serves as a setting for a Role-playing game or Wargame campaign Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a Fantasy Role-playing game (RPG originally designed by Fantasy is a Genre that uses magic and other Supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting A role-playing game ( RPG; often roleplaying game) is a Game in which the participants assume the roles of Fictional characters. David "Zeb" Cook is an American Game designer best known for his work at TSR Inc [1] As its name suggests, the setting crosses and comprises the numerous planes of existence, encompassing an entire cosmology called the Great Wheel, as originally developed in the Manual of the Planes by Jeff Grubb. In the standard cosmology of the Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying game, the planes of existence are alternate dimensions. Cosmology (from Greek grc κοσμολογία - grc κόσμος kosmos, "universe" and grc -λογία -logia) is study The Beijing Great Wheel is a proposed Observation wheel for Beijing, China. The Manual of the Planes is a manual for the Dungeons and Dragons Role-playing game. Jeff Grubb (born August 27, 1957 in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania) is an author and game designer This includes many of the other Dungeons & Dragons worlds, linking them via inter-dimensional magical portals. Magic, sometimes known as sorcery, is a Conceptual system that asserts human ability to control the natural world (including events objects people and A portal in fiction is a Magical or technological doorway that connects two distant locations The setting crossed Victorian era trappings with a pseudo-steampunk design and attitude. Culture The Victorian fascination with novelty resulted in a deep interest in the relationship between modernity and cultural continuities Steampunk is a subgenre of fantasy and Speculative fiction that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s

Planescape won acclaim on its unique visual aspects, products of artist Tony DiTerlizzi, Robh Ruppel, and Dana Knutson, winning a 1994 Origins Award. Tony DiTerlizzi (born September 6, 1969) is an American Fantasy Artist, Children's book creator and motion picture Planescape is a Campaign setting Dana Knutson is an artist best known for his work on Role-playing game products The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry [2] Pyramid magazine reviewer Scott Haring said Planescape is "the finest game world ever produced for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with unique background elements such as an imaginary history or geography and possibly fantasy or science Period. "[1] Haring described the writing as "wonderful", also saying that it "has got one of the most distinctive graphic looks I've seen in any game product" and that the "unusual drawings remind [him] a little of Dr. Seuss". Theodor Seuss Geisel (ˈsɔɪs ˈɡaɪzəl March 2 1904 – September 24 1991 was an American Writer and Cartoonist, better known by his pen name [1]

Contents

Cosmology

An artistic representation of the grand design of the Planes.
An artistic representation of the grand design of the Planes.

The Dungeons & Dragons cosmology as reflected in Planescape consists of a number of planes, which can be divided into the following regions:[1]

Sigil

Main article: Sigil (city)

Sigil (pronounced with a hard g as in: wiggle), the "City of Doors", is located atop the Spire in the Outlands. The Inner Planes are the innermost planes of existence in the standard cosmology of the Dungeons & Dragons Role-playing game. In the standard cosmology of the Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying game, the planes of existence are alternate dimensions. The Prime Material Plane (also called the Material Plane or the Prime) is the central plane of existence in the Dungeons & Dragons In the standard cosmology of the Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying game, the planes of existence are alternate dimensions. In Dungeons & Dragons, the Fantasy Role-playing game, an Outer Plane is one of a number of general types of planes of existence. Sigil (pronounced /'sɪgɪl/ is a fictional City-state and the supposed center of the multiverse in the In the Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Role-playing game Cosmology, the Concordant Domain of the Outlands, also known as the It has the shape of a torus; the city itself is located on the inner surface of the ring. In Geometry, a torus (pl tori) is a Surface of revolution generated by revolving a Circle in three dimensional space about an axis Coplanar There is no sky, simply an all-pervasive light that waxes and wanes to create day and night. Sigil cannot be entered or exited save via portals; although this makes it quite safe from any would-be invader, it also makes it a prison of sorts for those not possessing a portal key. Thus, many call Sigil "The Bird Cage" or "The Cage". Though Sigil is commonly held to be located "at the center of the planes" (where it is positioned atop the infinitely tall Spire), some argue that this is impossible since the planes are infinite in all dimensions, and therefore there can never truly be a center to any of them, let alone all of them; thus, Sigil is of no special importance. Infinity (symbolically represented with ∞) comes from the Latin infinitas or "unboundedness Curiously, from the Outlands, one can see Sigil atop the supposedly infinite Spire. In the Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Role-playing game Cosmology, the Concordant Domain of the Outlands, also known as the

Factions

A view of the Spire and Sigil from Outlands.
A view of the Spire and Sigil from Outlands.
Main article: Faction (Planescape)

The Factions are the philosophically-derived power groups based in Sigil. The Factions are the philosophically-based power groups in the Planescape campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons game Before the Faction War, the factions controlled the political climate of the city. Each of the factions is based around one particular belief system; many of the factions' beliefs make them enemies where their other goals and actions might have made them allies. Most factions are organized into covert cells for their own protection. There are fifteen factions in total.

The Faction War

Main article: The Faction War

In 1998, TSR published Faction War, an adventure that effectively closed the book on Planescape as it was then ending the product line. The Faction War is a book published by TSR in 1998 Part of the Dungeons & Dragons series The culmination of several adventures leading up to that point, the Faction War brought an end to the factions' control of the city. Instigated by the power-hungry Duke Rowan Darkwood, factol of the Fated, in a bid to dethrone the Lady and rule Sigil himself, the war spread throughout the city before the Lady of Pain, with the aid of a group of adventurers (the players' characters), intervened.

Sects

Sects are in many ways identical to the Factions, differing in that they are not based in Sigil. Sects are often highly specific to the particular planes they originate from, though historically many of the Factions were once Sects and some Sects were once Factions. A complete list of Sects is probably not possible due the infinite multitudes of the Planes.

Rules

There are three principles (or heuristics) governing the world of Planescape: the Rule-of-Threes, the Unity of Rings, and the Center of the Multiverse. heuristic (hyu̇-ˈris-tik is a method to help solve a problem commonly an informal method [3]

Rule-of-Three

The first principle, the Rule-of-Three, says simply that things tend to happen in threes. [4] The principles which govern the planes are themselves subject to this rule.

Unity of Rings

The second principle is the Unity of Rings, and notes that many things on the planes are circular, coming back around to where they started. This is true geographically as well as philosophically.

Center of All

The third principle is the Center of All, and states that there is a center of everything — or, rather, wherever a person happens to be is the center of the multiverse. . . from their own perspective, at least. In Planescape, this is meant philosophically just as much as it is meant in terms of multiversal geography.

Published material

Planescape is an expansion of ideas presented in the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master's Guide (First Edition) and the original Manual of the Planes. The Dungeon Master's Guide (" DMG " or " DM's Guide " in earlier editions the Dungeon Masters Guide or The Manual of the Planes is a manual for the Dungeons and Dragons Role-playing game. When Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition was published, a decision was made not to include angelic or demonic creatures, and so the cosmology was largely ignored, being replaced (to a certain degree) by the Spelljammer setting. Demonic is a Death metal / Thrash metal album by Testament, released in 1997 Spelljammer (1989 is a However, fan demand for a 2nd Edition Manual of the Planes was strong enough to justify its expansion into a full-fledged campaign setting, and so in 1994 Planescape was released. A campaign setting is usually a Fictional world which serves as a setting for a Role-playing game or Wargame campaign Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) The campaign setting was followed by a series of expansions detailing the Planes of Chaos (by Wolfgang Baur and Lester Smith), the Planes of Law (by Colin McComb and Wolfgang Baur), and the Planes of Conflict (by Colin McComb and Dale Donovan). L Neil Smith (full name Lester Neil Smith III) also known to readers and fans as El Neil, is a Libertarian Science fiction Author Colin McComb (b May 1970 is an American writer and Game designer born in Evanston Illinois.

Other expansions and adventures followed, and the setting has since been updated in the 3rd Edition Manual of the Planes, the 3. The Manual of the Planes is a manual for the Dungeons and Dragons Role-playing game. 5 Edition Dungeon Master's Guide, and the Planar Handbook. The Dungeon Master's Guide (" DMG " or " DM's Guide " in earlier editions the Dungeon Masters Guide or Planar Handbook is an optional supplemental source book for the Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying game. No Planescape materials are currently in print.

The series had a small number of novels. The novels were not generally well received.

In 1995, Planescape won the Origins Award for Best Graphic Presentation of a Roleplaying Game, Adventure, or Supplement of 1994. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the game industry

Boxed sets

Accessories

Adventures

The setting was featured in the computer game Planescape: Torment, which portrayed the Planescape world (specifically Sigil, the Outlands, Baator, Carceri, and the Negative Energy Plane). In the Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Role-playing game Cosmology, the Concordant Domain of the Outlands, also known as the For Ulan Bator, capital of Mongolia, see Ulaanbaatar. Cania redirects here In the Dungeons and Dragons Fantasy Role-playing game, Carceri (more fully the Tarterian Depths of Carceri; also Tarterus The Inner Planes are the innermost planes of existence in the standard cosmology of the Dungeons & Dragons Role-playing game. It is now a cult game, also long out of print, though not hard to find. [5]

A popular multiplayer module for the computer game Neverwinter Nights reproduces Sigil and the various planes. [6]

A series of single player modules for the computer game Neverwinter Nights 2 that take place in the Planescape setting are currently in development by Rogue Dao Studios. Neverwinter Nights 2 ( NWN2) is a Computer role-playing game developed by Obsidian Entertainment and published by Atari [7]

TSR also published a Planescape tradeable card game, called Blood Wars.

Novels

Blood Wars Trilogy

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Scott Haring; Andrew Hartsock (Aug 1994). In the standard cosmology of the Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying game, the planes of existence are alternate dimensions. In the standard cosmology of the Dungeons & Dragons Role-playing game, there are seventeen Outer Planes. The multiverse (or meta-universe) is the hypothetical set of multiple possible Universes (including our universe that together comprise all of Reality. "Pyramid Pick: Planescape". Pyramid #8. Pyramid is a gaming Magazine, publishing articles primarily on Role-playing games but including Board games Card games Steve Jackson Games. Steve Jackson Games (SJG is a Game company founded in 1980 by Steve Jackson, that creates and publishes role-playing, board  
  2. ^ 1994 Origins Award for Best Graphic Presentation of a Roleplaying Game, Adventure, or Supplement of 1994. Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design.
  3. ^ Planescape: Torment glossary.
  4. ^ Planescape:Torment - The Glossary. Retrieved on 2007-10-02. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1187 - Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule
  5. ^ Escapist Magazine reviews cult status of Planescape: Torment.
  6. ^ Neverwinter Nights: City of Doors Initiative.
  7. ^ Rogue Dao Studios: About.

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