Manual of the Planes

CHAPTER 7:THE OUTERPLANES88or through an archway near the darkened rear of an abandonedhouse. Very rarely are the entrances to the InfiniteStaircase commonly known.Traveling on the Infinite Staircase, observers see itsappearance vary from simple stairs of wood or stone to achaotic jumble of stairs hanging in radiant space, where notwo steps share the same gravitational orientation. It is saidthat one can find one’s heart’s desire somewhere on theInfinite Staircase if each landing is searched long enough.The origin and purpose behind the Infinite Staircaseremain a mystery. It is unknown whether the staircase istruly infinite or just unimaginably large.The Concordant Domain of the Outlands: Because ofits unique location in the center of the Great Wheel, theOutlands borders the first layer of every other Outer Plane.OUTER PLANESINHABITANTSThe Outer Planes are home to the majority of outsiders,ranging from celestial and fiendish versions of MaterialPlane animals to the devils, demons, and celestials thatwield great power. Many of the creatures brought to theMaterial Plane with summon monster spells are natives ofthe Outer Planes. Outsiders tend to congregate in planesthat match their alignments, because planes hostile totheir alignments make interactions difficult.The Outer Planes are also the homes of powerful deities.These deities may exist on other planes, but the OuterPlanes are ideal for them. The Outer Planes are divinelymorphic, so deities can alter the landscape itself within alimited area. And, much like outsiders, deities benefitfrom inhabiting planes that match their alignment.The third major group inhabiting the Outer Planes isthe spirits of the dead. Material Plane creatures who havedied can go to the Outer Planes for final judgment and/orgreat reward. Whether spirits of the dead wind up on theOuter Planes depends on how you view your cosmologyand what your game needs to make it work.CATEGORIES OF GODHOODThere are deities, and there are more powerful deities. Howdeities measure their power varies from cosmology to cosmology,but the deities can be categorized in a number ofbroad ranges. The basic categories of godhood are:Quasi-Deity/Hero-Deity: Quasi-deities and herodeitiesare only slightly “divine,” but they still possess aportion of deity-level power or attract worshipers.Demideity: This is the weakest category of fullydivine deities. Indeed, some demideities were once legendarymortals who were rewarded with (or seized forthemselves) the mantle of godhood. They are the mostmortal-seeming of the deities.Lesser Deity: The deities in this category have severaldomains they grant their clerics and an area of responsibilitycalled a portfolio that they oversee. Lesser deitiestend to handle relatively “small” matters, and they oftenwork for and with more powerful deities.Intermediate Deity: These deities are more powerfulthan the lesser deities and command more importantportfolios.Greater Deity: These are the most powerful deitiesthat adventurers encounter. They have the mostimportant portfolios and often have other deitiesreporting to them. Some lead entire groups of deities(called pantheons).“Uber-Deities”: Some cosmologies have a deity thatwields power an order of magnitude mightier than thegreater deities. This uber-deity may be worshiped by therank-and-file deities, or may be an entity of vast powerrevered by deities and mortals alike.Such uber-deities, if they exist at all in your cosmology,are beyond the ken of mortals and beyond the forcesof the universe itself. They seemingly care nothing forworshipers. Uber-deities do not grant spells, answerprayers, or respond to queries. Only a handful of scholarson the Material Plane know about an uber-deity—ifanyone knows at all. For instance, the lesser deity Vecnareveres the force of magic, personifying it as an entity hecalls the Serpent. Perhaps the Serpent is an uber-deity ofunimaginable power.Deities and Divinely Morphic PlanesDeities prefer the Outer Planes because the divinely morphictrait lets a god rearrange the terrain with a wave ofhis or her hand. A being of sufficient power can manipulatethe basic reality of part of the plane to reflect his orher preferences. Deities do this when they create theirown home realms, usually in a place where the faithfulmay gather and the deity holds sway and power.What follows is not a complete definition of a deity’spower, but rather a set of benchmarks to help you determinewhat a deity might accomplish on his or her ownplane. You can expand or limit divinely morphic changesbased on the needs of your cosmology.Quasi-Deity/Hero-Deity: Quasi-deities and herodeitieslack the ability to manipulate the area aroundthem. As a result, they tend to wander or occupy smallrealms on the Outer Planes that are constructed withbrute labor, not divine power.Demideity: Demideities also lack the power to manipulatethe divinely morphic area around them. They alsowander, construct their homes conventionally, or rely onmore powerful deities to manipulate the planar landscapefor them.Lesser Deity: Lesser deities can begin to alter theOuter Plane where they live, changing how travelersreach their realms. Within a one-mile radius, a lesserdeity can determine the nature of any planar connections.The deity can decide, for example, whether the areacan be accessed from the Astral Plane. In addition, alesser deity can mandate that planar portals only appearat a specific location and that creatures cannot be summonedfrom within the area.Intermediate Deity: Intermediate deities can makemore dramatic and far-reaching effects. They can affect