Manual of the Planes

CHAPTER 7:THE OUTERPLANES100spikes, and landscapes of magma are all possibilities. Soare less immediately deadly terrains such as parchedsalt deserts, subtly poisonous winds, and plains ofbiting insects.The Abyss is home to demons, creatures devoted todeath and destruction. A demon in the Abyss looks uponvisitors as food or a source of amusement. Some see powerfulvisitors as potential recruits (willing or not) in thenever-ending war that pits demons against devils: theBlood War.Demon lords and deities inhabit the Abyss, includingDemogorgon, Graz’zt, Pazuzu, Blibdoolpoolp (deity ofkuo-toa), Diirinka (deity of the derro), the Great Mother(deity of beholders), Gruumsh (deity of orcs), Hruggek(deity of bugbears), and many others, including the wellknowndeity Lolth (drow deity and queen of the demonwebpits). Other demon princes include Yeenoghu,Alzrius, Baphomet, Eldanoth, Fraz Urblu, Juiblex,Kostchtchie, Lissa’aera, Lupercio, Lynkhab, Pale Night,Verin, and Vucarik.As noted before, the Abyss has layers beyond count,though the top layer is well-known: the Plain of InfinitePortals.ABYSSAL TRAITSThe Abyss has the following traits.• Normal Gravity: The top layer of the Abyss, thePlain of Infinite Portals, and many other layers havethe normal gravity trait, but other layers of the Abysscan contain wildly different gravity traits that runthe gamut of possibilities.• Normal Time: Time flows at the same rate in theAbyss as on the Material Plane. However, rumorspersist of a layer where time flows backward withregard to aging. The reverse flow is erratic, however,and a visitor could be reverse-aged to childhood orout of existence altogether.• Infinite Size: The Abyss goes on forever in the form ofan infinite number of layers, although its well-knownrealms are bounded.• Divinely Morphic: Entities at least as powerful aslesser deities can alter the Abyss. Less powerful creaturesfind the Abyss indistinguishable from a normalMaterial Plane (alterable morphic trait) in that theplane can be changed by spells and physical effort.• Mixed Elemental and Energy Traits: This trait varieswidely from layer to layer. In the Abyss as a whole, noone element or energy constantly dominates, thoughcertain layers have a dominant element or energy, or amixture of two or more.• Mildly Chaos-Aligned and Mildly Evil-Aligned:Lawful characters in the Abyss suffer a –2 penalty onall Charisma-based checks, and good characters sufferthe same penalty. Lawful good characters suffer a –4penalty on all Charisma-based checks.• Normal Magic.ABYSSAL LINKSThe two most well-known access points to the Abyss area gate in the Outlands from the town of Plague-Mort, andthe River Styx. Both of these links provide access to thetop layer of the Abyss, the Plain of Infinite Portals.ABYSSAL INHABITANTSCalled Demonholme by some, the Abyss harbors demonsand is likely their ultimate source. Demons rule mostknown layers of the Abyss. Other evil creatures resideamong the layers as well, including bebiliths, bodaks,retrievers, undead of every sort, renegade devils, twistedmortals, and worse.A class of demons called tanar’ri are the unchallengedmasters of the Abyss, although the nigh-infinite varietyof the plane means some areas exist beyond their reach.Abyssal PetitionersThose souls from the Material Plane that are not simplyabsorbed into the structure of the Abyss become petitionerscalled manes. Manes have pale white skin, cruelclaws, sharp teeth, sparse hair, and white eyes. Often,maggots visibly squirm through a mane’s bloated flesh.Manes that survive many years are sometimes “promoted”to lesser demon types, though they retain nomemory of their former lives. Manes have the followingspecial petitioner qualities:Additional Immunities: Electricity, poison.Resistances: Fire 20, acid 20.Other Special Qualities: Acidic vapor, no planarcommitment.Acidic Vapor (Su): When a mane is slain, it discorporatesinto a cloud of noxious vapor. Anyone within 10 feet of aslain mane who fails a Reflex save (DC 20) takes 1d6points of acid damage.No Planar Commitment (Ex): Unlike most other petitioners,manes can leave the plane they call home.MOVEMENT AND COMBATIn general, the Abyss functions like the Material Planewith regard to movement and combat. On layers wherethe environment is radically strange, different rulesapply. Individual layers of the Abyss could have thefire-dominant trait, for example, or have subjectivepqsTHE SHIPS OF CHAOSDemons sometimes move from plane to plane in entropicvessels formed of powdered bones, crushed spirits, and petitioners.Meant for use against devils in the Blood War, theseships of chaos have wild powers specifically designed tocounter the effects of law. The tanar’ri have commissioned onlya very few ships of chaos, but the few demon-crewed ships thatdo sail the planes are a terror to behold. For brave or foolhardytravelers, the tanar’ri sell passage on a ship of chaos, if theprice is right.pqs