Planescape

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For the video game adaptation, see Planescape: Torment.
Planescape PlanescapeLogo.jpg
Designer(s) David "Zeb" Cook
Publisher(s) TSR, Inc.
Wizards of the Coast
Publication date 1994
Genre(s) Fantasy
System(s) Dungeons & Dragons

Planescape is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing
game, originally designed by Zeb Cook.[1] The Planescape setting was published in
1994.[2] As its name suggests, the setting crosses and comprises the numerous
planes of existence, encompassing an entire cosmology called the Great Wheel, as
originally developed in the Manual of the Planes by Jeff Grubb. This includes many
of the other Dungeons & Dragons worlds, linking them via inter-dimensional magical
portals.

Contents

1 Development
2 Reception
3 Cosmology
3.1 Outlands
3.1.1 Realms
3.1.2 Fauna
4 Sigil
5 Factions
5.1 The Faction War
6 Sects
7 Rules
7.1 Rule-of-Three
7.2 Unity of Rings
7.3 Center of All
8 Published material
8.1 Boxed sets
8.2 Accessories
8.3 Adventures
8.4 Video game
8.5 Collectible card game
8.6 Novels
8.6.1 Blood Wars Trilogy
9 See also
10 References
11 External links

Development

Planescape is an expansion of ideas presented in the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeon Master's Guide (First Edition) and the original Manual of the Planes. When
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition was published, a decision was made not to
include angelic or demonic creatures, and so the cosmology was largely ignored.
However, fan demand for a 2nd Edition Manual of the Planes was strong enough to
justify its expansion into a full-fledged campaign setting, and so in 1994
Planescape was released.[citation needed]

David "Zeb" Cook developed Planescape when he was assigned to create "a complete
campaign world (not just a place to visit), survivable by low-level characters, as
compatible with the old Manual of the Planes as possible, filled with a feeling of
vastness without overwhelming the referee, distinct from all other TSR campaigns,
free of the words "demon" and "devil" and explainable to Marketing in 25 words or
less".[3] For inspiration, Cook listened to Pere Ubu, Philip Glass and Alexander
Nevsky, read The Dictionary of the Khazars, Einstein's Dreams, and The Narrow Road
to the Deep North, and for fun at "Bad Movie Nights", watched such films as Naked
Lunch and Wolf Devil Woman.[3]

Cook came up with the idea that everything would revolve around factions, and that
those factions would be ideas taken to the extreme. He also felt that Sigil came
about because it was natural, because the planes needed a crossroads, and that the
campaign needs a center which could be both a place for adventure and a place to
hide, where characters could get to and from it quickly. Cook decided to adapt the
Manual of the Planes because the older material made survival on the planes too
difficult or complex; he ignored anything that complicated gameplay, which left the
"descriptions of twisted and strange creations".[3]

Cook conceived of the look for the setting from images such as "the gloomy prisons
of Piranesi's Le Carceri etchings, and Brian Froud's illustrations and surrealist
art", and Dana Knutson was assigned to draw whatever Cook wanted. "Before any of us
knew it, [Knutson] drew the Lady of Pain. I'm very fond of the Lady of Pain; she
really locks up the Planescape look. We all liked her so much that she became our
logo.[3]
Reception

Planescape won the 1994 Origins Award and has received critical acclaim for its
unique visual aspects, especially the work of artists Tony DiTerlizzi, Robh Ruppel,
and Dana Knutson.[4] Pyramid magazine reviewer Scott Haring said Planescape is "the
finest game world ever produced for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. Period."[1] Haring
described the writing as "wonderful," also saying that it "has got one of the most
distinctive graphic looks I've seen in any game product" and that the "unusual
drawings remind [him] a little of Dr. Seuss."[1] Trenton Webb of British RPG
magazine Arcane called Planescape "the premier AD&D world", noting its hallmark as
"a bizarre juxtaposition of legend and nightmare".[5] Game designer Rick Swan said
that the original Manual of the Planes had in a sense been "reincarnated as the
Planescape setting ... TSR's most ambitious campaign world to date. Abandoning the
straightforward but dry approach of the Manual, the Planescape set reads less like
a textbook and more like a story. Characters take precedence over game systems,
high adventure supplants the physics lessons."[6]
Cosmology
An artistic representation of the grand design of the Planes

The Dungeons & Dragons cosmology as reflected in Planescape consists of a number of

planes, which can be divided into the following regions:[1]

The Inner Planes (representing planes of elemental nature, such as Water,

Earth, Fire, and Air, as well as the Positive and Negative energy planes)
The Ethereal Plane
The Prime Material Plane
The Astral Plane
The Outer Planes (representing alignments and the primary domains of the
various deities)

Outlands

The Concordant Domain of the Outlands, also known as the Concordant Opposition, is
the Outer Plane where the souls of people of Neutral alignment are sent after
death. It is popular as a meeting place for treaties between the powers. The
Outlands are also home to the gate-towns. At the center of the Outlands is the
Spire, atop which Sigil can be seen. The Outlands are the home plane of the
neutral-minded rilmani. The Outlands are part of a series of rings that form the
multiverse. Travel between the planes of the Outlands is accomplished via The Great
Road.[7]

In first edition and second edition AD&D before Planescape, this plane is also at
the center of the Outer Planes and known by its original name Concordant
Opposition. The First Edition Manual Of Planes states that the center of the plane
takes various forms at different times (a mountain, a huge tree, etc.) and godly
powers are lost as one moves toward the center, as well as spells, beginning with
the highest levels of spells at the farthest out and then gradually losing the
lower ones step by step the further one moves inward. Within 100 miles (160 km) of
the center, not even chemical reactions take place, and neither man nor deity can
get closer than 100 miles (160 km). In Second Edition Outer Planes Monstrous
Compendium, under the description of the Mediators of Nirvana (Mechanus), it states
that this plane was originally intended for Neutral Powers (deities) and created by
the Powers (deities) of creation, but each Neutral Deity asserted their individual
influence causing it to become unbalanced, then were cast out by the powers of
creation. It also states that three lights of balance exist at the center of this
plane, one for each Mediator in Nirvana. (Mechanus) Before Planescape, there is
also no mention whatsoever of Sigil being at the Center of this Plane.

Gate-towns are settlements which are built around a permanent portal to a certain
Outer Plane on the Great Wheel. Gate-towns are important strategically because they
provide a (relatively) stable way to enter a desired Outer Plane. The gate-towns
reflect the plane that they lead to, for example, Xaos (or aXos, soaX, etc.) is a
town where everything changes from one moment to the next. Even the location of the
portal to Limbo changes every day not that there's any regularity to daybreak and
nightfall in Xaos. The character of Xaos mirrors what the plane of Limbo is like.
Realms

The Outlands is the location of a number of godly realms, including the following:

The Caverns of Thought, realm of the illithid deity Ilsensine

The Court of Light, realm of the naga deity Shekinester
The Flowering Hill, the realm of the halfling goddess Sheela Peryroyl
Gzemnid's Realm, home of the beholder deity of gases and vapors
The Hidden Realm, home of the chief giant deity Annam
The Hidden Vale, realm of the Dragonlance god Gilean
The Hidden Wood, realm of the nature god Obad-Hai
The Library of Lore, realm of the god Boccob
The Mausoleum of Chronepsis, realm of the dragon deity Chronepsis
The Marketplace Eternal, realm of the god Zilchus
The Palace of Judgement, Yen-Wang-Yeh's realm
The Scales of Wealth, the realm of Shinare
Semuanya's Bog, realm of the lizardfolk deity Semuanya
The Steel Hills, realm of the goddess Ulaa
Thoth's Estate, the realm of Thoth
Tvashtri's Laboratory, realm of the Indian god of artifice
The Web of Fate, realm of the goddess Istus
The Well of Urd, realm of the Norns
Wonderhome, realm of Gond

Three dwarven gods, (Vergadain, Dugmaren Brightmantle, and Dumathoin) share the
realm of The Dwarven Mountain on the plane of the Outlands.

The Celtic gods (Daghdha, Diancecht, Goibhniu, Lugh, Manannan mac Lir, Oghma, and
Silvanus) share the realm of Tr na ng on the Outlands.
Fauna
 Concordant dragon
Fhorge

Sigil
Main article: Sigil (city)

Sigil, the "City of Doors", is located atop the Spire in the Outlands. It has the
shape of a torus, and the city itself is located on the inner surface of the ring.
There is no sky, simply an all-pervasive light that waxes and wanes to create day
and night. Sigil cannot be entered or exited save via portals. Although this makes
it quite safe from any would-be invader, it also makes it a prison of sorts for
those not possessing a portal key. Thus, many call Sigil "The Bird Cage" or "The
Cage." Though Sigil is commonly held to be located "at the center of the planes"
(where it is positioned atop the infinitely tall Spire), some argue that this is
impossible since the planes are infinite in all dimensions, and therefore there can
never truly be a center to any or all of them. Curiously, from the Outlands, one
can see Sigil atop the supposedly infinite Spire.
Factions
A view of the Spire and Sigil from Outlands
Main article: Faction (Planescape)

Within Sigil there are philosophically-deriven factions. Before the event known as
the Faction War the groups controlled the political climate of Sigil. Each of these
factions is based on one particular belief system; it should be noted that one
faction's beliefs make them enemies while others make them allies. There are
fifteen factions in total.
The Faction War
Main article: The Faction War

In 1998, TSR published Faction War, an adventure that effectively closed the book
on Planescape as it was then ending the product line. The culmination of several
adventures leading up to that point, the Faction War brought an end to the
factions' control of the city. Instigated by the power-hungry Duke Rowan Darkwood,
factol of the Fated, in a bid to dethrone the Lady and rule Sigil himself, the war
spread throughout the city before the Lady of Pain, with the aid of a group of
adventurers (the players' characters), intervened.
Sects

Sects are in many ways identical to the Factions, differing in that they are not
based in Sigil. Sects are often highly specific to the particular planes they
originate from, though historically many of the Factions were once Sects and some
Sects were once Factions. A complete list of Sects is probably not possible due the
infinite multitudes of the Planes.[vague]
Rules

There are three principles (or heuristics) governing the world of Planescape: the
Rule-of-Three, the Unity of Rings, and the Center of the Multiverse.[8]
Rule-of-Three

The first principle, the Rule-of-Three, says simply that things tend to happen in
threes.[9] The principles which govern the planes are themselves subject to this
rule.
Unity of Rings

The second principle is the Unity of Rings, and notes that many things on the
planes are circular, coming back around to where they started. This is true
geographically as well as philosophically.[citation needed]
Center of All
The third principle (fitting neatly into the Rule-of-Three above) is the Center of
All, and states that there is a center of everything or, rather, wherever a
person happens to be is the center of the multiverse... from their own perspective,
at least. As most planes are functionally infinite, disproving anyone's centricity
would be impossible. In Planescape, this is meant philosophically just as much as
it is meant in terms of multiversal geography.[10]

The fact that anywhere could be the center of the multiverse in this view also
implies that nowhere can be said to be the de facto true and only center. This
sparks a lot of arguments and violence since some people believe the City of Doors
to be the center due to its uncommon number of portals to other planes and position
in the Outlands and some factions also claim different centers, each with their own
significance.
Published material

The campaign setting was followed by a series of expansions detailing the Planes of
Chaos (by Wolfgang Baur and Lester Smith), the Planes of Law (by Colin McComb and
Wolfgang Baur), and the Planes of Conflict (by Colin McComb and Dale Donovan).

Other expansions and adventures followed, as listed below. Upon the release of 3rd
Edition, Planescape, along with most other settings, were discontinued, although
fan sites such as planewalker.com were allowed to continue to use the material and
update it to the new edition. The 3rd Edition Manual of the Planes, the 3.5 Edition
Dungeon Master's Guide, and the 2004 Planar Handbook also used the general layout
of the planes and some of the details from the setting, including Sigil, but these
are not part of the Planescape line. Similar material has surfaced in 4th Edition
rulebooks, as the Dungeon Master Guide 2 includes a section on Sigil. The 5th
Edition Player's Handbook also contains a section explaining the planes and Sigil.

The series had a small number of novels. The novels were not generally well
received.[citation needed]

In 1995, Planescape won the Origins Award for Best Graphic Presentation of a
Roleplaying Game, Adventure, or Supplement of 1994.[4]
Boxed sets

2600 Planescape Campaign Setting

2603 Planes of Chaos
2607 Planes of Law
2610 A Players Primer to the Outlands
2615 Planes of Conflict
2621 Hellbound: The Blood War

Accessories

Planescape Conspectus
2609 In the Cage: A Guide to Sigil
2611 The Factols Manifesto
2620 The Planewalker's Handbook
2623 On Hallowed Ground
2624 Uncaged: Faces of Sigil
2625 A Guide to the Astral Plane
2630 Faces of Evil: The Fiends
2633 A Guide to the Ethereal Plane
2634 The Inner Planes
2602 Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix
2613 Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix II
2635 Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix III
 The Planescape Sketchbook

Adventures

2601 The Eternal Boundary

2604 Well of Worlds
2605 In the Abyss
2606 The Deva Spark
2608 Fires of Dis
2614 Harbinger House
2619 Something Wild
2626 Doors to the Unknown
2628 The Great Modron March
2629 Faction War
2631 Dead Gods
2632 Tales From the Infinite Staircase

Video game
Main article: Planescape: Torment

The setting was featured in the computer game Planescape: Torment, which portrayed
the Planescape world (specifically Sigil, the Outlands, Baator, Carceri, and the
Negative Energy Plane). It is now a cult game[11] and was out of print until its
DVD re-release as a budget title in 2009.[12] It was released as a download on
GOG.com in 2010 and soon became the "second most wanted game" on the site.[13] An
enhanced edition by BeamDog was released on April 11, 2017.[14]

Marketed as a spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment, Torment: Tides of

Numenera was released in February 2017. The game takes inspiration from but is not
itself based in the Planescape setting.
Collectible card game
Main article: Blood Wars Card Game

TSR published a collectible card game based on the Planescape setting called Blood
Wars. The game featured major locations, personalities, and features of the
Planescape setting and also introduced new creatures that were added to the role
playing game setting as part of subsequent products.
Novels

Fire and Dust (1996), by James Alan Gardner, a rejected title that the author
has since published as a free online manuscript. [1]
Pages of Pain (December 1997), by Troy Denning, (ISBN 0-7869-0508-5)
Torment (October 1999), by Ray Vallese and Valerie Vallese, (ISBN 0-7869-1527-
7)

Torment is based on an early script of Planescape: Torment.

Blood Wars Trilogy

Blood Hostages (January 1996), by J. Robert King, (ISBN 0-7869-0473-9)[15]

Abyssal Warriors (June 1996), by J. Robert King, (ISBN 0-7869-0501-8)[15]
Planar Powers (August 1997), by J. Robert King, (ISBN 0-7869-0532-8)[15]

See also

Major planar races

Multiverse

References
Scott Haring; Andrew Hartsock (August 1994). "Pyramid Pick: Planescape". Pyramid.
Steve Jackson Games. #8. Retrieved 2008-02-26.
"The History of TSR". Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2008-10-
04. Retrieved 2005-08-20.
Alloway, Gene (May 1994). "Feature Review: Planescape". White Wolf. White Wolf
Publishing (43): 3638.
"1994 Origins Award for Best Graphic Presentation of a Roleplaying Game, Adventure,
or Supplement of 1994". Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design.
Webb, Trenton (March 1996). "Games Reviews". Arcane. Future Publishing (4): 73.
Swan, Rick (July 1994). "Role-playing Reviews". Dragon. Lake Geneva, Wisconsin: TSR
(#207): 5152.
Wilson, Johnny L. (April 1999). "Planescape: Torment" (PDF). Computer Gaming World.
pp. 6266. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
"Planescape: Torment glossary".
"Planescape:Torment - The Glossary". Retrieved 2007-10-02.
Planescape Campaign Setting pg.3
"The Escapist : Planescape: Torment".
"Plane Scape Torment (PC DVD): Amazon.co.uk: PC & Video Games".
Planescape Torment Game at GOG.com: Computer Game
"Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition". planescape.com. Retrieved 2017-03-30.

Kenson, Stephen (March 1999). "Profiles: J. Robert King". Dragon. Renton,

Washington: Wizards of the Coast (#257): 120.

External links

Planescape at DMOZ
The Unity of Rings: comic including basic information on Planescape
Planescape Survival Guide: Ongoing Planescape webcomic (since 2005)
Planescape: Metamorphosis: New ongoing Planescape webcomic
The Acaeum's All Things Planar: Planescape collector's product list and forums
Planescape Collector's Guide: an expanded, reasonably comprehensive guide to
products released for the Planescape setting