D&D: ‘Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse’ Preview – Putting The (Lady of) Pain in Campaign Setting
Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse may be one of the year’s most anticipated D&D books. A new preview shows what awaits within.
Planescape was the belle of the D&D 2nd Edition ball. It launched onto the scene with a splash. With its mix of vibrant, stylized art from Tony DiTerlizzi and a whole new take on how D&D’s various creatures might interact once you get away from the grounded reality of “the Material Plane” you got a setting that evokes the same sort of feeling of like Marvel or DC’s Cosmic/Space titles.
Gods and monsters, angels and devils, all living and breathing, fighting and dying, and existing alongside one another. Especially in Sigil, the heart of it all. In a recent Planescape Preview, WotC unveiled more details about the three-book set. As you might expect, Sigil is once again at the center of the multiverse.
Planescape Preview – Outlands, Monsters, and an Adventure
Here’s what we know about the boxed set so far:
- Like Spelljammer: Adventures in Space, it’s a 3-book set that includes a setting book, monster manual, and adventure
- Many folks are worried that there won’t be enough setting in the setting book, with only 96 pages including player options and setting details
- The monster manual is a scant 64 pages
- The adventure is 96 pages as well
- Also, there’s a DM screen and poster map
- The set comes in a regular or deluxe cover art edition
- Tony DiTerlizzi is back doing Planescape art for at least some of it
In the new preview, here’s what we learned:
Sigil and the Outlands is the 96-page sourcebook for the campaign setting. In addition to “introducing Planescape” it will feature new rules and player options, including potentially the Fate Domain subclass, and the Glitchling species option.
Morte’s Planar Parade is the name of the creature compendium, which includes NPCs as well as monsters.
Turn of Fortune’s Wheel is the adventure. Here’s a brief summary of it:
“A plot to undermine the rules of reality has caused a glitch in the multiverse. Contend with mighty immortals and chronicle the farthest reaches of the Outlands to uncover the truth of this conspiracy.”
The adventure promises to “tour the Outlands” giving players and DMs a chance to see the “kinds of things that might happen in that setting.” Which, yes, that’s what one would hope an adventure would do.
It seems that WotC is hoping to have the adventure serve as double duty for the setting/lore section. But, will it be enough? Planescape was ripe with lore in earlier editions. Everything from the various factions of Sigil to the specific slang, and strange rules of the enigmatic Lady of Pain. And that’s just the central city, saying nothing of Para-Elemental Planes or the conflict boiling between demons and devils/tanar’ri and baatezu.
‘Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse’ releases October 17th
