Planar Cosmology

[PhishStyx]

I'm looking for some weird physics to throw into the mix, for some of the more exotic worlds. Does the Manual of Planes cover constructing new planes, or is it all about the standard D&D planes?

I don't know, but have you ever looked at the Amber DRPG or the Amber novels by Roger Zelazny? While it doesn't give you specific rules for creating new worlds, it does discuss the very cool Amber method of transition from world to world, as well as offers examples from the Amber setting of different worlds (known as "Shadows" in setting).

It's definitely worth looking at for Zelazny's way of looking at things.

[Ed Zachary]

I would strongly consider walking away from that game, not because I think the players shouldn't encounter problems, but because the problems should be interesting and worthwhile rather than take up game time with inhale/exhale locomotion issues. Of course, that problem is just a puzzle, but it needs to be a vaguely interesting puzzle and have some relevance to the larger situation.

If you knew the players and their characters, you would not have said that. While not an efficient use of personal time from the aspect of productivity, the role playing was priceless. To this day I recall that event (the laughs, the in and out of character role playing), but I don't remember what we killed, or my share of the treasure. As Farcaster mentioned above, it passed the test of "did it add to the story."

I mentioned in another thread that I was in an awful RPGA game where the DM insisted that 3 wolves were going to attack a party of 9 clanking metal covered humans because it said so in his random encounter chart, and my incredible irritation when I asked him why, he responded with "because it says so in my chart." I have no desire to play with a group that creates that kind of atmosphere about its game play style.

That is ridiculous, but I would bet that it was a multitude of other things beyond the wolves. That sounds like the game I left a year ago.

[Ed Zachary]

A number of possibilities come to mind. But, having the wolves mindlessly attack a large group of people, unless the wolves are starved out of their mind, makes little sense. It would make more sense to me that they would hang back and wait for an opportunity to take out the apparent weakest, most injured, etc.

If before the wolf attack, the party had heard of rumors of Lycanthropes in that area.

Or if the wolves were rabid with a contagion.

[Farcaster]

I'm looking for some weird physics to throw into the mix, for some of the more exotic worlds. Does the Manual of Planes cover constructing new planes, or is it all about the standard D&D planes?

Sorry, I missed this question on the first pass. The answer is, yes, it does cover creating new planes and giving different features as to the effects on magic, time, space, gravity, etc.

[Farcaster]

If before the wolf attack, the party had heard of rumors of Lycanthropes in that area.

That would definitely take it out of the realm of being random, and would certainly add to the story, so I'd buy that for a dollar.

[fmitchell]

[Manual of the Planes] does cover creating new planes and giving different features as to the effects on magic, time, space, gravity, etc.

That's the new one, right? I just bought a scan of the old one, and it seems primarily concerned with the standard D&D cosmology.

[fmitchell]

I don't know, but have you ever looked at the Amber DRPG or the Amber novels by Roger Zelazny?

I own the former and five of the latter. I'll have to dig them out.

The immediate inspiration for my concept came from the new Doctor Who series, among other things, and particularly "The Girl in the Fireplace". Each world contains doorways from one plane to another, or spaces where the borders between worlds are weak. Doorways may only open at certain times, or under certain circumstances; otherwise, it's an ordinary door or space. Some doors arose at the dawn of time; others are attempts by humans or other beings to breach the borders between worlds.

The PCs would stumble upon -- or be invited into -- the "Castle of Doors" whose doorways open onto a multitude of worlds. In the Castle, all doors are active, but change destinations pseudo-randomly. There they would be drafted as multiversal agents, preventing one world from encroaching on another. In particular, they would track down doors to Nightmare Worlds, and unspeakable entities that might issue from them.

The players might have pocket-watch-sized devices that indicate when and where a doorway is active, including doorways back to the Castle. Doorways back to the Castle, in particular, open only for a short window and admit only those carrying a "watch".

[PhishStyx]

Ever watch W.I.T.C.H.? Your concept of the watch sounds a bit similar to the Heart that one of the characters in that show carries.

* (Don't ask, I have a 7 year old daughter.)