Version 1.2 - D&D 3rd Edition Campaign Setting

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(A)D&D

Planar Considerations

Pinnacle

This page last modified by Jens-Arthur Leirbakk

Pinnacle is a campaign set in an 'alternate cosmology'. But what practical changes are made to the baseline rules as a consequence of this? The answer is - not much. Unless one counts the changes made to planar travel spells and suchlike.

General Description

Consider a million million shards of colored glass, each unique, yet all lying on a table cloth. Each shard of glass represents one particular plane, one particular world or set of worlds. The table cloth represents the medium which these planes are suspended in, the Nothing. Where the distance to another shard is shortest, there exists a dimensional link - a place where the worlds might even just almost touch. This would be a shardway.

Though crude, this might be an apt description of the Pinnacle cosmology.

The Astral, the Ethereal and the Shadow

Each shard is surrounded by its own Astral plane, Ethereal plane, and Shadowplane. Travel from one shard to another is not possible through neither the Astral, nor the Ethereal or the Shadow planes - but travel from one place to another on the same shard can be facilitated.

This has the effect of allowing any shadow walk, astral spell, ethereal jaunt or similar spells to work normally, except that one cannot reach another plane through utilizing these planes. Travel from one plane to another is virtually impossible except in the vicinity of a shardway.

Elemental and Outer Planes

Again, each shard is thought to have its very own array of elemental planes, and a certain select number of outer planes where one draws summoned creatures from. Though not proven conclusively, it is believed that the creatures summoned to any particular shard are unique for that shard, and that creatures summoned to another shard can share the same general characteristics but not the specifics of that summoned creature.

For instance, a particular shard might have an Elemental Plane of Fire that contains a disparate amount of azers, while the azers might be virtually unknown as summoned allies on another plane - but efreeti abound. And so forth.

The Nothing?

In order to explain the differing characteristics of each known shard, Pinnacle scholars have put forward the theory of the Nothing. The Nothing is a charged nothingness in which each shard and its attendant cornucopia of planes are suspended. The Nothing grants each shard its unique characteristics by virtue of its charges, esoteric ambient energy fields that control such characteristics as access to divine magic, access to arcane magic, access to psionics, ambient gravity, life forces and so forth. Furthermore, the Nothing is impermeable for dimensional magics, as there is no magic outside the field of the shard except quite specific pathways between various shards - shardways.

Thus, the Nothing forms the explanation of that which forms the identity of each particular shard, and grants that particular shard its very own laws of Nature.

The Races of the Shards

For some reason, most shards share a basic composition of races. Gnomes, elves, humans, dwarves and their kin and sub-races are present on almost all shards - as well as their traditional goblinoid foes, the orcs, bugbears, gnolls, goblins, kobolds and what have you. Rare is the shard that lack one or more of these races - though not totally unheard of.

It is as if each shard started with much the same baseline lineup of races, but then evolved in various directions based on what conditions that particular shard imposed on them. Naturally, this is a hotly contested theory - Pinnacle scholars rarely let any chance of vehement protest pass, and least of all on such a metaphysical question as this.

Divine Intervention

It is a fact that on most - if not all - known shards, there are deities that either directly or indirectly grant wielders of divine magic their power. The names, symbols and forms of these deities vary from one shard to another, yet there are often similarities between the various pantheons that these deities form. For instance, most shards that contain dwarves, have virtually identical pantheons. It is believed, though not conclusively proven, that most deities have one divine 'core', so to speak, and that this core might take on various aspects in various shards in order to be recognizable to their followers. Furthermore, some Pinnacle scholars believe that the core of any given deity is capable of penetrating the Nothing in order for the same core to be present on various shards - but that the nature of the Nothing might interact with the core to form the particular aspect of that core which is revered on the shard in question.

The deities are mysteriously silent on this and other, competing theories.

The Particulars

But what does it all mean? All of this boils down to a few rules of thumb for a would-be shardwalker.

Never assume anything about the Laws of Nature. Although rare, shards that exhibit exceptions or modifications on that which one might consider the laws of Nature does exist. One shard might have a minor aspect against healing magic. Another might possess a slight bias against or towards arcane magic, while leaving divine magic and psionics unchanged. And so forth.

Planar travel is difficult. Unless in the vicinity of a shardway, any magics or other abilities that allow planar travel is virtually impossible to execute successfully. Any character trying to utilize any means of planar travel must make a caster level check against a difficulty set by the GM, based on the distance from the nearest shardway and so on.

If the check fails, the attempt at planar travel didn't work. If the check succeeds, the attempt at planar travel did work - but only where that shardway leads. In the case of an attempt at planar travel in the vicinity of several shardways, the caster may try a Knowledge: Planes check against a difficulty set by the GM to choose any particular shardway - otherwise, the shardway is chosen (usually randomly) by the GM.

Exceptions do exist. This is perhaps the ultimate caveat. The lore of the shardways does not constitute a science in any sense of the word - anything can (and do) happen in the vicinity of the shardways.