2021 is shaping up to be a pretty good year for Dungeons & Dragons fans. Having already released Candlekeep Mysteries and Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, with The Wild Beyond the Witchlight and Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos scheduled for release in the fall, Wizards of the Coast has promised a couple of as-of-yet unrevealed surprises this year. This veritable cornucopia of upcoming product releases has generated discussion among longtime fans who want to see classic D&D campaign settings such as Dark Sun and Spelljammer updated and re-released for 5e. As for my two cents, I would love to see WotC release Planescape for 5e. Of all of the D&D campaign settings, Planescape is easily my favorite, hands down. The Planescape setting offers a departure from the standard high fantasy worlds common to the genre and allows PCs to seek their fortunes in a plethora of cosmic realms.Even if a revamped Planescape is not among theofferings WotC sends our way this year, I heartily recommend giving Planescape a try.
Planescape Overview
Most D&D campaign settings describe worlds in the Material Plane. Worlds in the Material Plane are somewhat analogous to the real world. While the metaphysical realities (i.e., the Weave) that give rise to fantasy elements such as magic, monsters, and deities serve to distinguish D&D worlds in the Material Plane from our own, the physical laws that govern nature are virtually identical to the real world. In the absence of some magical effect, familiar physical laws such as the laws of motion and gravity, and constants such as the speed of light, work the same on Material Plane D&D worlds as they do on Earth. Of course, the addition of magic does provide a severe contrast between the fantasy worlds of D&D’s Material Plane and our own mundane world, wherein things that would be impossible on our own world are a matter of course in D&D. Nevertheless, there is far more to the D&D cosmos than can be accounted for in the Material Plane.
As the name suggests, adventures in Planescape take place in the wider D&D multiverse. The cosmology of D&D centers on the myriad planes of existence. Each plane is a universe unto itself, with its own metaphysical and physical laws. Scholars throughout the ages have attempted to devise cosmological models as a way of conceiving how the various planes relate to the Material Plane and to each other. The Great Wheel model of the planes described in the Player’s Handbook conceives of the Material Plane as the center of the multiverse, with various groupings of planes forming concentric circles around it. It is worth noting that while the Planescape setting assumes The Great Wheel as the default cosmological model of the Planes, the core features of the setting are compatible with other cosmological models; after all, the map is not the territory.
The planes of existence in The Great Wheel cosmology are grouped according to type. Coterminous with the Material Plane at the center of the multiverse are the Material Echoes: Feywild and Shadowfell. These planes occupy the same space as the Material Plane and serve as reflections of its magical nature. Surrounding the Material Plane and its Echoes are the Inner Planes. The Inner Planes are elemental in nature; each one a universe comprised of earth, air, fire, and water respectively. Overlapping both the Material Plane and the Inner Planes is the Ethereal plane. The Ethereal is one of two Transitive Planes, the other being the Astral Plane. These planes are largely featureless and are primarily used as a means of travel between planes. Beyond the Inner Planes and connected to the Astral Plane are the Outer Planes. The Outer Planes are mythic realms which serve as home to deities, fiends, and the souls of the dead. There are sixteen Outer Planes, each one a metaphysical embodiment of an alignment or combination of two adjacent alignments (excluding neutrality.) Enfolding the Outer Planes are the Positive and Negative Planes which suffuse the multiverse with the energies of life and death, perpetuating the cycle of existence. Between the Outer Planes are The Outlands, a plane of neutrality where the influence of all the alignments exists in a state of concordant opposition. The Outlands is a great disk, the edge of which are punctuated by border-towns containing a gate to the Outer Plane the town is aligned with. In the Center of the disk is an impossibly tall needle-like mountain called The Spire. On the inside of a great ring that floats above and perpendicular to The Spire is Sigil, the City of Doors.
The City of Doors
Situated in the center of the multiverse’s planar manifestation of neutrality, Sigil has something for everyone. Beings and items from every corner of the multiverse can be found in Sigil. This is due to Sigil’s defining characteristic; every physical opening in Sigil, from a doorway to an open mouth is a portal to somewhere else in the multiverse. Some portals are permanent, some move around the city in semi-regular patterns, and some exist for only a brief time before vanishing forever. Most portals require a key to activate them. Portal keys can be anything from a raven’s feather, an action such as humming a particular tune while crossing the threshold, or something even more exotic. Needless to say, there is a lucrative market for portal locations and keys in Sigil. Given that traversing the planes usually requires the use of powerful magic or dangerous journeys to often well-guarded naturally occuring portals in the planes, Sigil offers the canny traveler a (relatively) safe and reliable means of planar travel. Since literally anywhere in the multiverse can be accessed via Sigil, the City of Doors serves as the central hub of the multiverse. Due to the constant traffic, Sigil is renowned as a thriving center of trade and commerce. Shops and taverns can be found here that cater to every conceivable taste and anything one desires can be acquired; for the right price.
Proponents of every philosophy can be found in Sigil and a number of factions representing a particular view of the nature of the multiverse have made their home here. Friction between the various factions forms the basis of the city’s politics. While Sigil has political interest groups by way of the factions, it has no formal government. Instead, Sigil has The Lady of Pain, a being of immense power and inscrutable motives. The Lady of Pain is the undisputed ruler of Sigil and in the City of Doors her will is law. Though she is easily as powerful as a greater deity, she distains worship. She sometimes floats through the streets of Sigil. Ever silent, her face wreathed with razor-sharp blades, The Lady can kill with a thought. Anyone unfortunate enough to have her shadow fall upon them as she wanders her city will find themselves eviscerated. The Lady of Pain seems unconcerned about petty crime such as theft and murder in her city. Instead, she concerns herself with maintaining the status quo in keeping Sigil a multiversal hub. Thus, her edicts are few but ruthlessly enforced. Perhaps most famously, deities and archfiends (referred to as “powers” in Planescape) are forbidden to enter Sigil. In Sigil’s long history a few powers have tried to thwart this edict but none have succeeded.
Running a Planescape Campaign
At this point, you may be wondering what adventures in the Planescape setting might actually look like. Often, due to the inherent danger of the planes, many Planescape campaigns begin at a higher character level, though this need not be the case. If you designate Sigil as a base of operations for the PCs, there are plenty of opportunities for adventures for PC levels 1-5. The factions are always looking for new members and patsies for their schemes. Wizards, scholars, and vendors in the city are always on the lookout for adventurers to serve as couriers and fetch rare items for research and the like. Low level adventurers can always explore the Outlands, which has terrain as varied as the bordertowns situated at its edge. At mid to higher levels, PCs can participate in some of the most iconic events in the D&D multiverse, such as the Blood War or the Great Modron March. In particular, DMs interested in running an epic campaign for level 20 characters can use the Planescape setting to devise adventures to challenge even the most powerful PCs.
If my brief description of the Planescape setting interests you and you would like more information about it, there are a number of resources available to you. First, the original Planescape setting, published for AD&D 2e in 1994, is available in multiple formats from DriveThruRPG here. Another resource worth looking into is the computer game Planescape:Torment. Originally published in 1999 by Interplay Entertainment, the story of Planescape:Torment takes place almost exclusively in Sigil. If you are looking to get a feel for the City of Doors, there is no better portrayal of the culture and denizens of Sigil. Those looking to play this classic RPG can find the enhanced version which has been modified for modern mobile and computer platforms as well as Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One. Finally, The Goblin’s Corner is currently hosting an ongoing serial Planescape campaign, streamed on Twitch, called One More Job. One More Job chronicles the adventures of PCs who, facing certain death, were offered a second chance at life from a mysterious benefactor in Sigil, in exchange for service. To see an example of actual gameplay in the Planescape setting, check it out here.
If you are looking for something different in your D&D campaign, give Planescape a try. You won’t be disappointed.