Manual of the Planes

GETTING FROM PLANETO PLANEThe planes may be connected to each other in a hundreddifferent ways, some of which may be unique for thoseplanes. The connections between planes can be dividedinto three categories: borders, spells, and magical portals.BORDERSBorders allow movement between the planes in a smooth,almost uneventful manner. Travelers may not be aware ofthe boundary and slip unaware over a planar border into anew dimension. Such borders may be patches of darkness,banks of fog, or driving rainstorms. Sometimes one planegives way to another plane so gradually that it’s impossibleto tell where the border region starts and ends.Vision across a border may be limited by the nature ofthe plane or the border (such as being caught in a fogbank), but it is not inherently impeded.Firm borders have a set boundary between one planeand the next, such as a cliff in one plane hanging over achasm in another plane, or farmland that suddenly givesway to jungle. Magic does not cross firm borders; nothingon the far side of the border can be targeted by a spellunless that spell specifically affects targets on other planes.Soft borders have less determinate edges, and often existwhere similar portions of each plane connect. This forms abuffer zone or “quasi-plane” that belongs to both planes yethas an identity and planar traits of its own. Magic crosses thebuffer zone into each of the planes. Soft borders normallyexist only when there is similar terrain on both sides, so aplane of continual darkness would only have a soft border insituations where the other plane is also under a dark shroud.Shifting borders are the most perilous to travelersbecause they move back and forth. Similar to the tidalzone of the seashore, sometimes the border area belongsto one plane, sometimes to the other. Magic treats a shiftingborder as a firm border, but there is a risk that theborder will shift, stranding the traveler on the wrong sideof the border and in a dangerous plane.Planar PathsPlanar paths, unique to individual cosmologies, crossmultiple borders to connect a number of planes. Thechange from plane to plane is not always obvious (similarto a soft border). Making the trip means little morethan moving normally along the path—no spells oritems are required.Within the D&D cosmology, two great rivers serve asplanar paths through the Outer Planes. The RiverOceanus moves through the celestial planes; the dark,foreboding River Styx flows through the lower planes.SPELLSThe most common method of travel between planes ofexistence is through spells and magic items. Many spellsuse planar energies and the nature of the planes themselves(see the Spells section of Chapter 3 for a list).In the D&D cosmology, the Ethereal Plane may beaccessed by the etherealness and ethereal jaunt spells, whichtake the individual’s body physically into that plane. Theastral projection spell is the ticket to the Astral Plane; thespell separates an astral form from the caster’s body. Theshadow walk spell allows movement through the Plane ofShadow to cover great distances on the Material Plane.Each spell dictates how travelers return to their planeof origin. The etherealness spell allows the user to return atwill. The astral projection spell does the same, and it evenreturns the user to his natural body if his astral formmeets an untimely end on another plane. The plane shiftand gate spells, on the other hand, merely move the casterfrom one plane to another, and another such spell mustbe cast to make a round-trip journey.MAGIC PORTALS“Portal” is a general term for a stationary interplanar connection.Portals, which include such related items as vorticesand gates, open at one location on the originating plane andat one location on the destination plane (or planes).Portals are created by many sources. Some are simplylarge magic items, linking the two planes (or two locationspqqqqrsPORTAL KEYS• Random: A random portal functions for a random period ofPortal keys are the particular situations, spells, items, or other time, then shuts down for a similarly random duration.circumstances required to “unlock” a portal so it functions. Typically, such a portal allows 1d6+6 travelers to pass through,Portal keys can set almost any requirement, but here are some then shuts down for 1d6 days.common examples:• Command Word: The portal only functions if a particular commandword is spoken, similar to activating a magic item (see• Time: The portal only functions at particular times—during Using Items in Chapter 8 of the DUNGEON MASTER’s Guide).a full moon on the Material Plane, or every ten days, or when • Command Item: The portal functions if the traveler is holdinga particular object; the item effectively acts as a key to athe stars are in a particular position, for example. A timekeyedportal only functions for a certain length of time. Such door. This command item may be a common object, or aa portal might stay open for three days following the full particular key created for that portal. The latter is foundmoon, or for an hour, or for 1d4+1 rounds.more commonly with magical portals created by wizards• Situation: The portal only functions if a particular conditionis met. A situation-keyed portal might only open on a Within the D&D cosmology, the city of Sigil in the Outlandswho want to severely limit access through those portals.clear night, or when it rains, or when a wind blows out of is known as the City of Doors and has an overwhelmingthe east.number of such command item-keyed portals within it.pqqqqrsCHAPTER 2:CONNECTINGTHE PLANES21