Planescape
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Planescape is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, originally designed by Zeb Cook. 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. This includes many of the other Dungeons and Dragons worlds, linking them via inter-dimensional magical portals. The setting crossed Victorian era trappings with a pseudo-steampunk design and attitude. Planescape won acclaim on its unique visual aspects, products of artist Tony DiTerlizzi, Robh Ruppel, and Dana Knutson.
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[edit] Cosmology
The Dungeons & Dragons cosmology as reflected in Planescape consists of a number of planes, which can be divided into the following regions:
- The Inner Planes (representing planes of elemental nature, such as Water, or Earth, or Lightning)
- The Ethereal Plane
- The Prime Material Plane
- The Astral Plane
- The Outer Planes (representing alignments and the primary domains of the various deities)
[edit] Sigil
Sigil, the "City of Doors", is located atop the Spire in the Outer Planes. It has the shape of a torus; the city itself is located on the inner surface of the ring. 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. Curiously, from the Outlands, one can see Sigil atop the supposedly infinite Spire.
[edit] Factions
The Factions are the philosophically-derived power groups based in Sigil. 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, per a decree of the Lady of Pain; any additional factions emerging would be subject to her wrath.
[edit] The Faction War
In 1998, TSR published Faction War, an adventure that effectively closed the book on Planescape as it was then and ending the product line. 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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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. 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. 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. 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).
Other expansions and adventures followed, and the setting has since been updated in the 3rd Edition Manual of the Planes, the 3.5 Edition Dungeon Master's Guide, and the Planar Handbook. No Planescape materials are currently in print, and used manuals and supplements often command very steep prices.
In 1995, Planescape won the Origins Award for Best Graphic Presentation of a Roleplaying Game, Adventure, or Supplement of 1994.
The setting was featured in the computer game Planescape: Torment, the only game to portray the Planescape world (specifically Sigil, the Outlands, Baator, Carceri, and the Negative Material Plane). It is now a cult game, also long out of print yet not hard to find.
[edit] Novels
- Pages of Pain (December 1997), by Troy Denning, (ISBN 0-7869-0508-5)
- Torment (October 1999), by Ray Vallese and Valerie Vallese, (ISBN 0-7869-1527-7)
- Torment is based on an early script of the Planescape: Torment PC game.
[edit] Blood Wars Trilogy
- Blood Hostages (January 1996), by J. Robert King, (ISBN 0-7869-0473-9)
- Abyssal Warriors (June 1996), by J. Robert King, (ISBN 0-7869-0501-8)
- Planar Powers (August 1997), by J. Robert King, (ISBN 0-7869-0532-8)
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Planewalker.com, the official Planescape fansite
- The Planescape Open Wiki Project
- Mimir.net, the former official fansite, now on hiatus
- Planescape at the Open Directory Project
- Sigil Prep School
- Sigil Maps
- Project to bring Planescape to NWN
- Unity of the Rings Online Planescape Comic
- Planescape Survival Guide, ongoing online webcomic
