Questions tagged [cosmology]
For questions pertaining to the overall metaphysical structure of a setting.
27
questions
29
votes
3
answers
7k
views
Where does the Sun go at night?
Planes are flat, right? And the Material Plane is infinitely large?
I typically describe the sky material plane in a manner similar to that of the Earth: there's a sun in the sky and clouds and ...
29
votes
2
answers
7k
views
How is the Blood War a balanced conflict?
There are 2 sides to the Blood War. The Nine Hells and the Abyss.
Devils, from the Nine Hells:
Are Lawful, orderly and disciplined
Take the souls of mortals they can make deals with either in life ...
24
votes
2
answers
3k
views
Does any lore text explain why the planes of Acheron, Gehenna, and Carceri are the alignment they are?
Acheron is between pure law and lawful evil; Gehenna is between pure evil and lawful evil; and Carceri is between pure evil and chaotic evil.
But this seems wrong to me. It seems to me that Acheron ...
21
votes
3
answers
4k
views
Why does arcane magic work outside Toril?
I'm currently DMing a campaign in the Forgotten Realms, but I want to later on add some Planescape and Spelljammer stuff in the story, allowing the PCs to travel beyond the world of Toril to other ...
20
votes
1
answer
10k
views
What are the planes of D&D 4e? Where did they come from, and how are they connected?
I understand that in D&D 4e's default setting there are planes, and I know a bit about them: the material plane is where the people generally are, and there's a "feywild" where the Eladrin and ...
17
votes
1
answer
2k
views
About the Cosmology of Mage the Ascension
I've been trying to make sense of the Tapestry's structure in Mage the Ascension as described in the 20th anniversary edition, but there some points I'm not sure I understood correctly.
So, if I get ...
15
votes
1
answer
2k
views
How to Even Begin Understanding the Underworld's Geography/Cosmology?
Each time I get curious about WtO and try reading about parts of its setting, I hit a lot of crosslinks but am having trouble envisioning the basic zoomed-out geography and how they all relate to each ...
14
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Which editions of D&D used these various cosmologies as their default?
There seem to be multiple ways to arrange the planes in D&D. There's the Great Wheel cosmology, the World Axis cosmology and the World Tree cosmology.
The D&D 5e PHB (Appendix C, p. 303 ...
12
votes
4
answers
14k
views
What was behind the creation of the gods/planes?
While reading about some of the gods and they all have their own mythology as to how they came to be. For example, I understand that Corellon created the elves and how the Drow got started and so ...
12
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Which Planes Border the Astral Plane in the Great Wheel Cosmology?
After going through the Great Wheel Cosmology and going through the various wikia articles on the subject, I feel it's unclear which planes border the Astral one in D&D 5e.
I've found plenty of ...
12
votes
1
answer
1k
views
What is the Feywild like in realmspace?
The 5th Edition Dungeon Master's Guide describes the Feywild as "an alternate dimension that occupies the same cosmological space" parallel to the "Material Plane". Typically, the Feywild is ...
10
votes
3
answers
2k
views
What breaks using nWoD rules with classic WoD cosmology?
What major problems will I run into if I ran an nWoD game with the classic WoD cosmology being the "true" cosmology? At this point, my major (only) concerns are the big three (Werewolf, Mage and ...
10
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Does the spell Misty Step transit through the Ethereal Plane?
In older D&D lore, most teleportation type spells worked like a short and (almost?) instantaneous transit through the Ethereal Plane.
I'm working on a monster species with Succubus ancestry, being ...
10
votes
3
answers
967
views
Planar Ownership—how does it work?
Numerous deities and demons are "owners" of planes in the D&D cosmology. My question is for rules sources on the topic how the following questions can be answered:
How is an entity the legal ...
7
votes
2
answers
478
views
What might "The Demiurge" be?
Reading Belial's Brood and it says, in the standard I will neither confirm nor deny the truth of this, that Belial is the right hand of the Demiurge. Now, I feel like something else has been called ...