Manual of the Planes

CHAPTER 8:DEMIPLANES154to multiple planes, and such a demiplane connects to aspecific spot on each of the planes it’s coterminous to.These demiplanes normally become pathways betweenotherwise unconnected planes, or they serve as meetinggrounds for particular cosmologies. If you create acosmology where rival deities need a place to meet(such as Mount Olympus in Greek myth) or a “land ofthe dead” that several deities share, those locations areprobably demiplanes.Second, characters cannot use plane shift or similarspells to travel to or from a demiplane, except at the specificlocations where the demiplane is close to its coterminousplane. These locations usually already have portalsor natural vortices. But some demiplanes don’t evenhave a single portal—such places are often used as prisonsfor powerful creatures.Demiplanes are not coexistent with the EtherealPlane or other Transitive Planes, so spells that requireaccess to the Astral Plane, the Ethereal Plane, or thePlane of Shadow do not function (see Chapter 3 for alist of such spells). Some limited locations may stillhave a tenuous connection to the Astral Plane even ona prison demiplane. Spells that use the Astral Planework only within 100 feet of such weak spots, and eventhen, such spells are considered impeded (as theimpeded magic trait).Most links to demiplanes take the forms of establishedportals. However, other types of connections are possible,especially shifting borders. Some demiplanes coterminousto the Material Plane have fog on their borders,for example, and travelers passing through the mists onenight may find themselves on a demiplane.RANDOM DEMIPLANEGENERATORThe tables on the following page may be used to create ademiplane and its inhabitants at a moment’s notice.These tables won’t produce startlingly radical demiplanes,but they’re useful when time is short or you needideas to get started with a demiplane you’re creating.To use the tables, simply roll or choose on Tables 8–1through 8–10 in order, jotting down each aspect of thedemiplane as you do so. Certain aspects of a demiplaneare discussed below.Elemental and Energy Traits (Table 8–6): Particulardominances are more likely if the demiplane is coterminousto an Inner Plane. For example, a demiplane connectedto the Elemental Plane of Fire is probably firedominant,not water-dominant.Alignment Traits (Table 8–7): Demiplanes that arenot neutral-aligned tend to drift, eventually becomingcoterminous to larger planes of similar alignment.Magic Traits (Table 8–8): The most dangerous demiplanesare those with the dead magic trait—the only wayoff is through an established portal.Inhabitants: The inhabitants of a demiplane withelemental traits would most likely be element templatecreatures, half-elementals, or elementals and outsiders.Inhabitants of a demiplane with an elemental or energytrait are probably immune to damage from that trait.Inhabitants of demiplanes with an alignment trait areprobably outsiders of the appropriate alignment or monsterswith an appropriate template (anarchic, axiomatic,celestial or fiendish) applied. Demiplanes with two onealignment traits have template creatures of both types.Table 8–9 provides random templates to apply to creatureson demiplanes without strong elemental, energy, oralignment traits.Access: Most demiplanes have only one accessportal, or they have a weak spot where spells such asastral projection function.NETH, THE PLANETHAT LIVESIt calls itself Neth.It is a realm of sentient matter.It lives.On a normal plane, the fabric of reality is woven withinert matter, scattered here and there with bits of life. ButNeth, the Plane That Lives, is one living, thinking entity.The living demiplane has been the bane of many anunfortunate traveler that chanced upon it, either by accidentor by Neth’s calculated design. A being of immensecuriosity, Neth learns about other planes by simplyabsorbing the flesh of visitors and incorporating theirmemories directly into itself.No one knows how a demiplane gains sentience, leastof all the demiplane itself. The reason for its existenceremains Neth’s single most important goal and fuels itsinquisitiveness. In many ways, the Plane That Lives is farless powerful than a true deity. But like all living creatures,Neth continues to grow.NETH TRAITSThe Plane That Lives has the following traits.• Subjective Directional Gravity: The strength of gravityis the same as the material world, but Neth choosesthe direction of gravity’s pull. Neth can change thedirection of gravity at will as a free action.• Normal Time.• Finite Size: Neth is a continent-sized living membranefolded upon itself like a piece of parchmentcrumpled into a ball about 25 miles in radius. Thespaces between the membrane’s folds range in sizefrom a slim space no larger than a handspan to cavernslarger than a city. These spaces are filled with airsaturatedfluid that nourishes the demiplane’s lifefunctions. If spread flat, Neth would be approximately500 miles in diameter and have an averagethickness of 30 feet.• Sentient: Neth can flex and fold its interior membraneaccording to its own desires, creating or destroyingfluid-filled spaces as it wills.