Manual of the Planes

sends that character’s double from the other MaterialPlane onto the original Material Plane. A group ofgood-aligned characters who wind up on the otherMaterial Plane not only have to deal with a world goneevil, but they must contend with alter egos still on theloose at home.ORRERY COSMOLOGYIn this cosmology, the various Inner and Outer Planesorbit each other, each plane affecting the others much asgravity affects the planets. Just as a clockwork model ofthe solar system shows the planets moving around thesun, so do the planes of the Orrery cosmology spinaround each other.Within the Orrery cosmology, at any time certainplanes are closer to the Material Plane and thus morepowerful. These ascendant planes make certain spellsstronger on the Material Plane.ORRERY PLANAR RELATIONSThe relationship of the Material Plane and the three mainTransitive Planes (Astral Plane, Ethereal Plane, and Planeof Shadow) is just as in the D&D cosmology.The Inner Planes are organized the same way as inthe D&D cosmology, but the Material Plane is offcenter with respect to them and there are no EnergyPlanes (although positive and negative energy stillexist). At any one time the Material Plane is closer toone of the Inner Planes than to the others. That plane issaid to be ascendant.Each Elemental Plane is ascendant during an appropriateseason: Fire during the heat of summer, Earth duringautumn’s rich harvest, Water during the precipitation andcold of winter, and Air during the blustering gusts ofspring. As the seasons change, so does the MaterialPlane’s enhanced magic trait (explained below).The Outer Planes are not the rim of the Great Wheel.Instead they are individual, separate planes connectedonly to the Astral Plane. These Outer Planes move in acomplicated system of rotations and orbits that bringsthem into near contact with other Outer Planes, InnerPlanes, and the Material Plane. The planes do not collidebecause they function at different harmonic levels ofreality. However, they can briefly become coterminous.Creatures can slip easily from one plane to another whenthe two planes are in close proximity.In addition, the number of planes in the Orrery cosmologychanges over the centuries as planes drift away andothers come closer. Occasionally a plane drifts so far awaythat it is lost entirely, though its deities can relocate to anew plane rather than be exiled. Similarly, an entirely newOuter Plane may suddenly appear and sweep through theplanes, knocking the other planes out of their orbits.Ascendant Outer Planes: The Orrery has four mainOuter Planes, one for each nonneutral alignment. Thelawful good plane, the Golden Halls, is ascendant onthe three days surrounding the winter solstice. Thechaotic good plane, God’s Choice, is ascendant on thethree days surrounding the spring equinox. The chaoticevil plane, Lurking Fear, is ascendant on the three dayssurrounding the summer solstice. The lawful evilplane, Dread Conquest, is ascendant on the three dayssurrounding the autumn equinox.In addition, lesser planes of other powers and alignmentsexist, their movements tracked by powerful loremasterswith great aptitude in both Knowledge (theplanes) and Knowledge (nature).Within this clockwork mixture of planes exists a particularlyodious plane called Nemesis that only appearsonce every thousand years. Its inhabitants mass armiesfor the day when the fabric between worlds grows thinand they can spill out to bring down the civilizations onthe other planes. The exact date of the return of Nemesisis a matter of scholarly debate, but the last invasion wasmore than nine hundred years ago.ORRERY TRAITSThe Ethereal Plane, the Astral Plane, and the Plane ofShadow have the traits described for them in Chapter 5.They are not affected by the movement of the otherplanes. However, the other planes can and do have aneffect on the Material Plane.Within this cosmology, certain spells are affected bywhich Inner Plane is ascendant on the Material Plane. Inaddition, each of the four main Outer Planes is ascendantfor three days a year, and the ascendant plane’s alignmenttrait affects the Material Plane. During these times, transitbetween the Outer Planes and the Material Plane is easier(see Orrery Links, below).The Inner Planes have the traits described for the D&Dcosmology in Chapter 6.Enhanced Magic: When a particular Elemental Planeis dominant, spells that use the element in question (orhave the fire descriptor during the summer) are enlargedand extended (as the Enlarge Spell and Extend Spellfeats). Spells already enlarged or extended are unaffected.When one of the four Outer Planes is ascendant (athree-day period surrounding each equinox and solstice),the Material Plane gains the two appropriatemildly aligned traits. For example, the Material Plane ismildly good-aligned and mildly law-aligned during thewinter solstice.The Outer Planes in this cosmology can use Celestia,Baator, the Abyss, and Arborea as models, or you cancreate your own versions of these planes.ORRERY LINKSPlanar connections within the Orrery cosmology workas they do in the D&D cosmology: astral projection andetherealness spells, for example, function normally. Butit is easier to travel between the Material Plane and theOuter Planes during the equinoxes and solstices.During the three-day period of each festival, an individualwith the teleport spell or spell-like ability canmove between the Material Plane and the relevantAPPENDIX:VARIANT PLANES& COSMOLOGIES217