Games - Plane

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	Games - Plane

In the standard cosmology of the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game, the planes of existence are alternate planes or alternate dimensions. They can be grouped into three basic categories: the spatial or substantial planes (containing solid matter, free-standing energy and living creatures); the transitive planes (connecting the other planes and generally containing little, if any, solid matter or native life); and the demiplanes (minor, artificial planes, often possessing qualities of both).

The planes as a whole are usually presented as a series of concentric circles, with alternating spatial and transitive planes; from the center outwards, they are ordered as follows: Inner, Ethereal, Material, Astral, Outer Planes, and the Far Realm. The Shadow Plane and the Dimension of Time, if they are included, are separate from the others, and usually represented as being connected to the Material Plane. Demiplanes, although most commonly connected to the Ethereal Plane, can be found attached to any plane. All planes, save the demiplanes, are infinite in scope and size.

Some Dungeons and Dragons settings have cosmologies that are very different from the "standard" one discussed here. For example, the Eberron setting has only seventeen planes in total, most of which are unique to Eberron.

Spatial planes

The Inner Plane
s are made up of elemental matter and forces;
The Prime Material Plane
is where the more 'normal' worlds exist, many of which resemble Earth;
The Outer Plane
s are the planes of belief and afterlife;
The Far Realm
is a plane far outside the others and often not included in the standard cosmology.

Transitive planes

Astral Plane

The Astral Plane is the plane of thought, memory, and psychic energy; it is where gods go when they die or are forgotten (or, most likely, both). It is a barren place with only rare bits of solid matter; some creatures, such as the tyrannous githyanki, use the petrified corpses of dead gods as floating fortresses. The Astral Plane is unique in that it is infinitesimal instead of infinite; there is no space or time here, though both catch up with you when you leave. The souls of the newly dead from the Prime Material Plane pass through here on their way to the afterlife or Outer Planes.

The most common feature of the Astral Plane is the silver cords of travellers. These cords are the lifelines that keep travellers of the plane from becoming lost, stretching all the way back to the traveller's point of origin.

Ethereal Plane

The Ethereal is often likened to an ocean, but rather than water it is a sea of boundless possibility. It consists of two parts: the Border Ethereal which connects to the Inner and Prime Material planes, and the Deep Ethereal plane which acts as the incubator to many potential demiplanes and other proto-magical realms. From a Border Ethereal plane a traveler can see a misty greyscale version of the plane from which they are traveling; however, each plane is only connected to its own Border Ethereal, which means inter-planar travel necessitates entering the Deep Ethereal and then exiting into the destination plane's own Border Ethereal plane. Many demiplanes, such as that which houses the Ravenloft setting, can be found in the Deep Ethereal plane; most demiplanes are born here, and many fade back into nothingness here.

In Dungeons & Dragons Third Edition, there is canonically one Ethereal Plane attached to each Material Plane; use of the Deep Ethereal is an optional rule.

Shadow Plane

The Plane of Shadow was a demiplane in an earlier edition of the game, then was moved to be an Inner Plane connected to the Positive Energy and Negative Energy Planes, but finally became a full-fledged transitive plane in the 3rd edition cosmology. It is, as one would expect, an empty plane of darkness, where shadows are cast without any source of light. The Shadow Plane connects to other planes not only through portals but also through darkness; this is especially true on the Material Plane, where a monster or mage might use the shadows as a form of transportation. It has also been speculated that the Shadow Plane connects many different cosmologies, thus making it possible for a planeswalker to travel between them. In the Dungeons & Dragons Third Edition this is an optional rule.

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