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Planescape
DesignersDavid "Zeb" Cook
PublishersTSR, Inc.
Wizards of the Coast
Publication1994
GenresFantasy
SystemsDungeons & Dragons

Planescape is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, designed by Zeb Cook,[1] and published by TSR in 1994.[2]

Description

[edit]

Planescape encompasses numerous planes of existence, creating an entire cosmology called the Great Wheel, which was originally developed in the 1987 Manual of the Planes by Jeff Grubb. This includes many of the other Dungeons & Dragons worlds, linking them via inter-dimensional magical portals.

Cosmology

[edit]
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]

Planescape "solidified the Great Wheel cosmology that began in 1e and would later be reinstated in 5e as the dominant of three theoretical models".[3]: 98 

Outer Planes

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The Outer Planes consist of: the Abyss, Acheron, Arborea, Arcadia, Baator, Beastlands, Bytopia, Carceri, Elysium, Gehenna, Gray Waste of Hades, Limbo, Mechanus, Mount Celestia, the Outlands, Pandemonium, and Ysgard.

Sigil

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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

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Main article: Faction (Planescape)

Within Sigil there are philosophy-derived 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; one faction's beliefs make them enemies while others make them allies. There are fifteen factions in total.

The Faction War

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Main article: 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

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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.

Rules

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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.[4]

Rule-of-Three

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The first principle, the Rule-of-Three, says simply that things tend to happen in threes.[5] The principles which govern the planes are themselves subject to this rule.

Unity of Rings

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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.

Center of All

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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.[6]

The fact that anywhere could be the center of the multiverse in this view also implies that nowhere can be said to be the only absolute true 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.

Publication history

[edit]

Development

[edit]
Le Carceri d'Invenzione, Piranesi, 1761. One of a series of etchings that inspired the visual look of the setting.

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.

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".[7] 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.[7]

Cook came up with the idea that all of the activity in Sigil would revolve around factions, each of which would be built upon ideas taken to their extreme. He also felt that Sigil was necessary as a crossroads for the planes and a campaign center which could be both an adventure location itself and somewhere to hide out, which characters could quickly get to and from. Cook decided to adapt the Manual of the Planes because the older material made survival on the planes too difficult or complex, so he ignored anything that made gameplay more complicated, which left the "descriptions of twisted and strange creations".[7]

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 to see. According to Cook, "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".[7]

2nd edition

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The Planescape Campaign Setting was released, for AD&D 2nd Edition, in April 1994. The campaign setting was followed by a series of expansions detailing the Planes of Chaos (by Wolfgang Baur and Lester W. Smith), the Planes of Law (by Colin McComb and Baur), and the Planes of Conflict (by McComb and Dale Donovan). From 1994 to 1998, "Planescape was a major setting" for Dungeons & Dragons.[8]

The setting also had a small number of novels.

Later editions

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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 (2001), the 3.5 Edition Dungeon Master's Guide (2003),[9] and the Planar Handbook (2004) 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.

Sigil is described in the 4th edition Manual of the Planes (2008)[10] and expanded upon in Dungeon Master's Guide 2 (2009). Shannon Appelcline, author of Designers & Dragons, commented that while Sigil "had been largely ignored during the 3e era", it "was faring better in 4e, despite the large-scale restructuring of D&D's cosmology" due to small inclusions in the Dungeon Master's Guide (2008) and Manual of the Planes.[11]

Appelcline highlighted that it was the 4th Edition Dungeon Master's Guide 2 which "saw the return of the fan-favorite setting of Sigil" which "was laid out as a full paragon-level setting. There's not much new here for old-time fans of Planescape, but there was one big change as a result of Faction War (1998). The factions that caused much of the conflict in Planescape are now gone. [...] The Dungeon Master's Guide 2 also contains 'A Conspiracy of Doors', the first Sigil adventure to see print in many years".[11]

The 5th Edition Player's Handbook (2014) also contains a section explaining the planes and briefly mentions Sigil.[12] There is also some information on Sigil in the 5th Edition Dungeon Master's Guide (2014).[13] In July 2022, Unearthed Arcana: Wonders of the Multiverse was released as part of the Unearthed Arcana public playtest series for the 5th Edition. Both Polygon and ComicBook.com highlighted that the new character race – the Glitchling – and other references to the Planescape setting might indicate a reboot of the setting for 5th Edition.[14][15] Charlie Hall, for Polygon, commented that "this wouldn't be the first time that Wizards used playtest materials to tease a reboot of a classic setting".[14]

Christian Hoffer, for ComicBook.com, wrote that "while described as a collection of material from around the Multiverse, many Dungeons & Dragons fans noticed that it contained multiple references to Mechanus, Sigil, the Outlands, and other areas explored in the popular Planescape setting. [...] Based on the last handful of public playtests, it appears that Dungeons & Dragons is gearing up for some sort of multiversal book in the near future. Whether this is a true Planescape re-launch or just a book that uses the D&D cosmology remains to be seen".[15]

A three-volume box set titled Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse was released in October 2023 for 5th Edition.[16]

Reception

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Pyramid magazine reviewer Scott Haring said Planescape is "the finest game world ever produced for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons".[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".[17] 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".[18]

Curtis D. Carbonell, in the book Dread Trident: Tabletop Role-Playing Games and the Modern Fantastic, wrote: "Planescape's sophistication marked it as D&D's answer to its own simplistic medieval-European-inspired fantasy settings, [...]. Planescape channeled the Weird before China Miéville brought the 'new weird' genre into focus [...]. With Planescape, we have an attempt by an AD&D game setting to add layers of intellectual complexity to a game often driven by much more simplistic mechanism. The greatest commerce isn't loot, treasure, magic items, etc.; it is belief so strong it can shape reality".[3]: 99 

In a review of The Great Modron March, Backstab [fr] magazine contributor Philippe Tessier called the presentation of Planescape products superb in general.[19]

In his 2023 book Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground, RPG historian Stu Horvath noted, "If there is a problem with Planescape, it would be its vast strangeness. There's a lot to explain and not nearly enough space to fit it all in." However, Horvath lauded the artwork, saying, "The art picks up where the words leave off. Planescape is the apex of the aesthetic-driven, high-concept Dungeons & Dragons setting. Dana Knutson developed all of the concept artwork for the setting, which Robh Ruppel turned into covers, and Tony DiTerlizzi used to fill out the interiors." Horvath concluded, "Planescape often feels built for something besides conflict — the art, the philosophy, and the infinite reaches encourage exploration in a way few other D&D settings do: Characters are encouraged to just walk off into the multiverse until they find something to wonder at."[20]

Awards

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The Planescape Campaign Setting boxed set won the 1994 Origins Award for Best Graphic Presentation of a Roleplaying Game, Adventure, or Supplement.[21]

Official products

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Boxed sets

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Miniatures

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  • 10–519 "Planescape Miniatures" – box includes ten miniatures (Duke Rowan, Factol Hashkar, Factol Sarin, Factol Pentar, Lord Graz'zt, Lady of Pain, Erin Montgomery, Lord Pazrael, Factol Rhys, and Karris the Indep) and a Lady of Pain badge (made from the same metal material as the miniatures, but with a pin and backing like a "tie tac" so it can be worn as a "badge").
  • 10–520 Planescape Miniatures "Powers of Chaos" – box includes eight miniatures (Baphomet, Bast, Corellon Larethian, Gorellik, Lolth, Loki, Ygorl, and Faerie Queen of Air and Darkness).
  • 10–521 Planescape Miniatures "Powers of Law" – box includes eight miniatures (Clangeddin Silverbeard, Hecate, Set, Tyr, Maglubiyet, Horus, Gruumsch, and Moradin).
  • 10–522 Planescape Miniatures "Powers of Conflict" – box includes eight miniatures (Cronus the Titan, Garl Glittergold, Tefnut, Hades, Cat Lord, Hel, Skerrit, and Arawn).

Accessories

[edit]

Adventures

[edit]

Video game

[edit]
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[22] and was out of print until its DVD re-release as a budget title in 2009.[23] It was released as a download on GOG.com in 2010 and soon became the "second most wanted game" on the site.[24] An enhanced edition by Beamdog was released on April 11, 2017.[25]

Marketed as a spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment, Torment: Tides of Numenera was released in February 2017. The game takes inspiration from the previous game but is not itself based in the Planescape setting.

Collectible card game

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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

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  • 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

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See also

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References

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Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Planescape

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Planescape is a campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, originally published in 1994 by TSR, Inc., as a boxed set for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition, designed by David "Zeb" Cook. The setting explores the multiverse of planes of existence, providing a framework for adventures across infinite realities that connect various Dungeons & Dragons worlds through portals and pathways. At its core is Sigil, the City of Doors, a vast, neutral metropolis located atop an infinite spire in the Outlands plane, serving as a central hub where portals lead to every corner of the multiverse. The Planescape cosmology is based on the model, which organizes the multiverse into the Prime Material Plane (home to mortal worlds like the ), the Inner Planes (elemental realms of fire, water, air, and earth), the Transitive Planes (connecting realms like the Ethereal and Astral), and the Outer Planes (alignment-based realms embodying moral and ethical philosophies, inhabited by gods, celestials, fiends, and the souls of the dead). The Outlands, a neutral plane bordering the Outer Planes, features gate-towns that serve as entry points to specific Outer Planes, each reflecting the alignment and nature of their connected realm. This structure allows for diverse storytelling, from philosophical debates and planar politics to epic conflicts involving immortals and cosmic forces. A defining feature of Planescape is its emphasis on and belief, embodied by the factions—organized groups in that represent competing worldviews on the nature of the , such as the Athar (who deny the gods' ) or the Society of Sensation (who seek ultimate sensory experience). Characters often align with a faction, influencing their motivations, alliances, and access to planar lore, while the setting's distinctive (e.g., "berk" for fool, "cutter" for person) and hard-edged, Victorian-inspired aesthetic add to its immersive, intrigue-filled tone. Travel between planes occurs via portals in , planar pathways like the River Styx, or magical means, enabling crossovers with other settings. Planescape has influenced Dungeons & Dragons through supplements, novels, and the 1999 video game Planescape: Torment, and was revived in 2023 by Wizards of the Coast with Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse, a 5th edition boxed set including a setting guide for and the Outlands, a of planar creatures, and an module for levels 3–10. The 2024 revised core rulebooks further integrated Planescape's cosmology as the standard structure for Dungeons & Dragons. This release updates the setting for modern play while preserving its focus on multiversal exploration and philosophical depth, offering new character options, spells, and feats tied to planar themes.

Setting Overview

Core Concepts and Themes

Planescape, released in as a for Advanced (AD&D) 2nd edition, centers on interdimensional travel across an expansive and engages players in philosophical debates that influence the fabric of reality. Developed by TSR, it expands beyond typical fantasy adventures on a single world, emphasizing exploration of diverse planes where abstract ideas manifest tangibly. This setting reorients gameplay toward the consequences of belief, morality, and belief-driven conflicts, with the multiverse structured around the Great Wheel cosmology that connects infinite realms. Key themes in Planescape revolve around the exploration of as a subjective force rather than an absolute, where alignments and ethical choices propel eternal struggles like the Blood War between demons and devils. shapes reality, particularly on the Outer Planes, where collective convictions can alter landscapes and summon powers, underscoring the interplay between infinite planes and the mortal mind. This philosophical depth encourages narratives that question existence, , and the nature of , moving away from heroic quests toward introspective journeys across planar boundaries. The setting introduces unique jargon known as "cant" or planar slang, which immerses players in its urban, multicultural atmosphere; for instance, "berk" denotes a fool or naive newcomer, while "cutter" refers to a competent individual or person in general. This lexicon, drawn from historical thieves' argot, enhances role-playing in Sigil, the neutral hub city at the multiverse's center. Planescape shifts focus from rural fantasy tropes to sophisticated urban intrigue in this City of Doors, where portals connect realms and philosophical factions vie for influence through rhetoric and alliances rather than brute force.

Philosophical Foundations

In Planescape, the operates on the principle that and profoundly influence reality, with collective convictions shaping the nature of planes, the , and even the prominence of deities. Strong, widespread beliefs can alter physical and metaphysical landscapes; for instance, gods derive their power primarily from the and of their followers, potentially elevating minor entities to divine status or diminishing others into obscurity if devotion wanes. This belief-driven metaphysics underscores the setting's emphasis on as a tangible force, where ideological conflicts among inhabitants seek to impose their worldviews to gain influence or reshape existence for the better. A cornerstone of this system is the Rule of Three, a fundamental asserting that phenomena in the manifest in triads, reflecting alignments (, chaos, neutrality) and moralities (good, , neutrality), as well as broader patterns in events and structures. Applied to mortality, the Rule of Three dictates that occurs in three stages: the physical demise of the body, the dissipation of the spirit to its aligned , and a final true leading to oblivion if the soul is not reformed or reincarnated. This progression reinforces the impermanence of existence and ties into the belief that conviction can sometimes defy or accelerate these stages, such as through powerful magics or philosophical enlightenment aimed at achieving "true " as release. Complementing this is the Unity of Rings, which posits that all elements of the are interconnected in cyclical patterns without true beginnings or ends, evident in the ring-shaped of locations like and the layered structure of the Outlands. This interconnectedness implies a holistic web where actions on one plane ripple across others, emphasizing the futility of isolation and the power of shared beliefs to maintain or disrupt these cycles. At the heart of this philosophy lies the Center of All, the notion that no single point dominates the ; instead, every location holds potential centrality based on perspective, with serving as a neutral nexus where diverse beliefs converge without one overshadowing the rest. Enigmatic higher powers enforce balance, intervening subtly to prevent any or entity from monopolizing reality, thereby preserving the 's dynamic equilibrium. These principles drive character motivations, compelling adventurers to align with or challenge beliefs not merely for personal gain, but to wield as the ultimate tool for navigating and influencing the planes.

Cosmology

Multiverse Structure

The Planescape multiverse is structured according to the cosmology, a model that arranges the 17 Outer Planes in concentric rings around the Outlands, facilitating planar travel and interactions through conceptual and magical means. This framework encompasses the Prime Material Plane at its core (home to mortal worlds), the Inner Planes (elemental and energy realms), the Transitive Planes (conduits like the Astral, Ethereal, and Shadow), and the Outer Planes (alignment-based realms embodying moral and ethical philosophies). The arrangement emphasizes the interplay between physical existence on the Prime and the abstract, belief-driven natures of the outer realms, with the entire structure visualized as a to represent cycles of alignment and opposition. The Inner Planes represent the raw building blocks of creation, comprising the four elemental planes of Air, Earth, Fire, and Water, along with the planes of Positive and Negative Energy that fuel life and death, respectively. These planes connect directly to the Prime Material Plane, infusing it with natural forces, and are distinct from the more ideological Outer Planes. Transitive Planes, including the Astral Plane—which links the Prime Material and Outer Planes for thought-based travel—the Ethereal Plane, which overlaps the Prime and Inner Planes to enable ghostly phasing and exploration, and the Plane of Shadow, which borders the Material Plane for journeys into darkness and illusion—act as bridges across the multiverse. Together, these divisions provide the foundational pathways for adventurers navigating beyond the mortal world. The Outer Planes form the outermost ring of the , consisting of 16 aligned realms arranged in opposition to reflect the spectrum of good, , , and chaos, each serving as divine domains for deities and their petitioners. Bordering these is the Outlands, a neutral plane that acts as a transitional hub where alignment forces balance, preventing direct access to the Outer Planes from within its borders except through specific portals. At the heart of the Outlands rises , an immense, unreachable peak symbolizing infinite neutrality, upon which the city of is paradoxically perched, serving as the multiverse's central . Many Outer Planes, such as , feature infinite layers that extend endlessly, allowing for vast, ever-shifting landscapes shaped by the plane's dominant philosophy.

Planes and Their Inhabitants

The Inner Planes encompass the fundamental elemental realms that underpin the material world, comprising the four primary planes of Air, Earth, Fire, and Water. These planes exist as vast, infinite expanses dominated by their respective elements, where air manifests as endless skies filled with floating citadels and storms, earth as labyrinthine caverns of shifting stone and crystal, fire as roiling seas of flame and lava rivers, and water as boundless oceans teeming with currents and abyssal depths. Far from the Material Plane, the elements remain pure and unmixed, creating environments lethally hostile to outsiders through extreme conditions like suffocating voids or crushing pressures. Primary inhabitants include elementals, incorporeal or physical embodiments of the elements themselves—such as air elementals that whirl like living tornadoes or fire elementals that blaze with sentient fury—and genies, the noble rulers who command elemental forces with innate magic and establish sultanates or courts within these realms. For instance, djinni soar through the Plane of Air, weaving wishes from winds, while efreet forge empires in the Plane of Fire's infernal heat. Bordering these elemental planes are the para-elemental planes, formed at the intersections with the Plane and blending elements in hybrid forms, such as the Plane of where air meets negative energy in choking clouds of ash and cinders, or the Plane of Ice where water freezes into eternal glaciers amid biting cold. These border realms amplify the dangers of their parent planes, with corrosive mists or razor-sharp shards posing constant threats to travelers. Inhabitants here include specialized elementals adapted to the mixtures, like smoke mephits that dart through toxic fumes, alongside genie-kin who vie for control over these volatile territories. The unique challenges of the Inner Planes lie in their raw, primordial nature, demanding adaptation to elemental dominance that can overwhelm unprepared adventurers with exhaustion, , or . The Outer Planes represent the infinite layers of moral and philosophical extremes, shaped by the alignments that influence their landscapes and societies, with each plane serving as a divine domain tied to specific ethical paradigms. Mount Celestia, the lawful good plane, ascends in seven mounting heavens of pristine mountains, golden cities, and radiant skies, where order and mercy prevail amid trials of virtue. Its inhabitants include archons, celestial guardians enforcing divine law with unyielding discipline, and petitioners—the souls of the faithful deceased—who labor in harmonious service to deities like those of justice and protection. In contrast, embodies chaotic evil across countless ever-shifting layers of grotesque horrors, from festering swamps to volcanic wastelands teeming with betrayal and madness. Demons, fiendish hordes led by demon lords in perpetual wars, dominate here, preying on the weak amid the plane's inherent instability that warps reality into nightmarish forms. Petitioners in the Abyss suffer eternal torment, twisted into or worse, while deities of destruction hold tenuous sway over fractured domains. Other outer planes, like the neutral battlegrounds of the Beastlands or the bureaucratic hells of Baator, host devils, yugoloths, and celestials in factional conflicts, with challenges arising from alignment-based magical dissonance that weakens opposing ideologies and provokes moral reckonings. The transitive planes facilitate movement across the , offering pathways that overlap or connect other realms without their own dominant themes. The appears as an endless silvery void of thought and memory, where physical bodies do not age and travelers project via mental focus, navigating by willpower amid floating debris of ancient battles and dead gods' corpses. Inhabitants include githyanki raiders who hunt from astral ships and astral dreadnoughts, massive predators that devour minds and sever silver cords linking to physical forms. Hazards involve echoes that can trap the unwary in illusions or the risk of permanent severance from one's body. The Ethereal Plane, a foggy expanse of muted colors and whispers, overlaps the Material and Inner Planes, allowing phase-shifting through walls and borders via spells like etherealness. Ghostly entities such as phase spiders and ether cyclones roam its depths, with the Border Ethereal enabling stealthy reconnaissance but exposing intruders to ethereal haunters that drain life force. The Plane of Shadow mirrors the Material Plane in shadowy form, enabling travel through darkness and access to negative influences, inhabited by shadows, shadar-kai, and . These planes demand mental fortitude and protective magic, as disorientation or predatory ambushes can strand explorers in . The Positive and Negative Energy Planes stand as the ultimate sources of creation and entropy, enveloping the Inner Planes and infusing all existence with vital forces, yet posing existential threats through their unchecked energies. The Positive Energy Plane radiates blinding light and explosive vitality, accelerating growth and healing living creatures at an overwhelming rate—minor exposure restores wounds rapidly, but major dominance risks spontaneous combustion as bodies overload with life force. Inhabitants are rare, including guardians like solars who channel its power, but the plane's essence destroys undead on contact, making it a bastion against necromancy. Conversely, the Negative Energy Plane is a lightless void of decay and cold, siphoning vitality from the living to fuel entropy, where even brief exposure causes exhaustion and hit point drain, while empowering undead with regenerative strength against the living. Undead lords and night hags thrive here, harvesting necrotic energy, but mortals require wards like death ward to survive its life-draining aura. These planes highlight the multiverse's balance, where excess life or death warps reality into hazardous extremes, challenging adventurers with survival mechanics tied to their fundamental opposition to undeath and vitality.

Sigil: The City of Doors

Sigil is the central metropolis of the Planescape , known as the City of Doors for its innumerable portals that connect to every layer of . This ring-shaped city encircles the infinite at the heart of the Outlands, floating above its apex in a massive stone torus structure, rendering it inaccessible by conventional planar travel. Portals to and from can manifest in any doorway, window, archway, or frame, activated by specific keys ranging from mundane objects to symbolic gestures, making the city a nexus for multiversal transit. The city's geography divides into distinct wards, each reflecting its stratified society. The Hive serves as the overcrowded slums, a chaotic underbelly teeming with poverty, crime, and unlicensed portals that lead to perilous destinations. In stark contrast, the Lady's Ward houses the elite, featuring grand estates, temples, and administrative centers amid manicured parks and fortified walls. Notable landmarks include the Great Gymnasium, a sprawling complex dedicated to physical and magical training for adventurers and planar explorers, and the , a foreboding where the Lady of Pain metes out eternal punishments to transgressors. Governance in is enigmatic and absolute, enforced by the Lady of Pain, a mysterious, god-like figure who appears rarely but wields unchallenged authority to maintain order. She is assisted by the , her mute, ethereal servants who silently repair the city, inscribe its architecture with glowing runes, and execute her will through subtle manipulations of reality. The Civic Festhall, located in the Clerk's Ward, functions as a neutral gathering place for , , and information exchange, fostering the city's intellectual and social fabric without direct political power. Sigil's economy revolves around the commodification of , arcane artifacts, and interplanar , fueled by its unparalleled access to the . Merchants and spies trade secrets as readily as goods, with markets overflowing from exotic spices of the Beastlands to enchanted relics from , all bartered in a of jink or favors. The , estimated at 250,000 to 300,000 inhabitants, comprises an extraordinary diversity of beings, including humans, tieflings, modrons, and celestials, drawn from every plane to seek fortune, refuge, or intrigue in this neutral hub.

Society and Organizations

Factions

In the Planescape campaign setting, the factions represent fifteen distinct philosophical organizations that wield considerable influence over , the City of Doors, by embodying competing visions of the multiverse's nature and purpose. Established after the Great Upheaval approximately 600 years prior, these groups were limited to fifteen by decree of the Lady of Pain to prevent further chaos, allowing them to share through a delicate balance of power that permeates daily life, trade, and enforcement in the city. Each faction's ideology shapes its members' actions, from charitable endeavors to aggressive proselytizing, fostering a vibrant yet tense political landscape where beliefs directly impact planar affairs. Membership in these factions generally demands alignment with their core , often involving oaths, tests of character, or practical demonstrations of commitment, which in turn provide access to specialized resources, safe houses, and alliances across the planes. Symbols unique to each —typically worn on , etched on buildings, or used in official seals—serve as immediate identifiers, reinforcing group identity and deterring . These organizations exert influence through control of key institutions in , such as courts, asylums, and markets, while their philosophies occasionally spill into broader planar politics, allying or clashing with extraplanar entities. The following table summarizes the fifteen original factions, their philosophies, representative symbols (described textually where documented), and primary influences in Sigil:
FactionPhilosophyRepresentative SymbolInfluence in Sigil
Athar (Defiers)Gods are false pretenders, mere powerful mortals; true divinity lies beyond them.Broken ring or wheelOperates the Shattered Temple; challenges divine cults; resists magical divine effects.
Believers of the Source (Godsmen)All beings can achieve godhood through trials and reincarnation.Circle with ascending sparkManages the Great Foundry; promotes self-improvement; influences ethereal travel and ascension rites.
Bleak Cabal (Bleakers)The multiverse holds no inherent meaning; suffering reveals personal truth.Inverted teardropRuns the Gatehouse asylum; provides aid to the downtrodden; fosters despair-based resilience.
Doomguard (Sinkers)Entropy and decay are the multiverse's ultimate state; preservation is futile.Cracked hourglassControls armories on the Negative Energy Plane; sabotages preservation efforts; allies with nihilists.
Dustmen (Dead Book)Life is an illusion of death; true existence awaits in undeath or beyond.Mummified hand or skullOversees the Mortuary; handles funerals and undead affairs; promotes detachment from life.
Fated (Takers)Might and personal effort determine fate; take what you can hold.Clenched fistDominates the Hall of Records; hoards resources; emphasizes individual achievement in trade.
Fraternity of Order (Guvners)Universal laws govern all; understanding and exploiting them yields power.Balanced scalesAdministers City Courts; enforces regulations; leverages bureaucratic control.
Free League (Indeps)No single philosophy dominates; individualism and cooperation without dogma.None (rejects formal symbols)Influences the Grand Bazaar; promotes free trade; acts as neutral mediators.
Harmonium (Hardheads)Unity and peace require enforced order, even by force if necessary.Five-pointed starMaintains City Barracks; polices streets; pushes for standardized harmony.
Mercykillers (Red Death)Absolute justice demands punishment without mercy to purge imperfection.Sword piercing scalesRuns the Prison; executes judgments; ensures swift legal retribution.
Revolutionary League (Anarchists)Factions corrupt the multiverse; chaos and revolution reveal true freedom.Broken chainOperates covertly; incites unrest; undermines faction structures.
Sign of One (Signers)The multiverse springs from individual imagination; each mind creates reality.Single eyeControls the Hall of Speakers; inspires artistic and illusory pursuits.
Society of Sensation (Sensates)Sensory experiences alone reveal the multiverse's truths.Coiled spiralHosts the Civic Festhall; curates pleasures and explorations; enhances sensory trades.
Transcendent Order (Ciphers)Instinctual action without deliberation harmonizes one with the multiverse.Interlocked circles (yin-yang variant)Manages the Great Gymnasium; trains reflexes; promotes immediate, unthinking harmony.
Xaositects (Chaosmen)The multiverse is fundamentally chaotic; order is illusion, change eternal.Tangled lines or scribbleThrives in the Hive Ward; disrupts routines; studies random patterns.
This factional structure persisted until the events of the Faction War in 130 Years From the Founding of the Hive (YFHR), a cataclysmic conflict sparked by escalating philosophical rivalries and manipulations by Factol Duke Rowan Darkwood of the Fated, who sought to seize control of . The war involved bitter battles across the city, revelations of ancient secrets, and intervention by the Lady of Pain, ultimately resulting in the dissolution of the fifteen factions as organized powers in 2nd edition canon; surviving members reorganized into smaller, independent guilds focused on specific functions like justice or charity, marking a shift toward decentralized politics in . However, the 2023 5th edition revival in Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse reestablishes twelve ascendant factions as major influences, drawing from original factions and post-War remnants.

Sects and Other Groups

In the Planescape setting, sects serve as smaller, philosophy-oriented groups that operate independently of the major factions, often emphasizing niche beliefs or practices across the planes. These organizations typically lack the political clout or official seats in held by factions, instead fostering communities bound by shared lifestyles or pursuits. Following the Faction War of 130 YFHR, which dissolved the formal power structures of the fifteen factions in 2nd edition, many sects gained prominence as survivors adapted their ideologies to a factionless , filling voids in philosophical discourse and planar exploration. In the 5th edition update, this evolution culminates in the twelve ascendant factions, blending classic and reformed groups.

5th Edition Ascendant Factions

The 2023 Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse introduces twelve ascendant factions that hold significant sway in , updating the setting's societal structure. These include remnants and evolutions of original factions alongside new groups:
FactionPhilosophy SummaryKey Role in Sigil
AtharGods are frauds; true power lies in the Great Unknown.Monitors religious activities from the Shattered Temple.
Bleak CabalNo grand plan exists; aid the suffering to find personal truth.Operates healing sanctuaries like the .
DoomguardEmbrace entropy and destruction as natural forces.Oversees weapons and decay-related industries.
FatedWhat you can hold, you own through personal might.Manages taxes and debts via the .
Fraternity of OrderLaws underpin ; master them for control.Adjudicates disputes and portals in courts.
Hands of HavocDismantle oppressive systems through chaos and rebellion.Sabotages unjust powers covertly.
HarmoniumEnforce unity and order for the greater good.Polices streets from City Barracks.
Heralds of DustThe multiverse is an illusion of life; seek true death.Administers the Mortuary and funerals.
MercykillersDeliver absolute, merciless justice.Runs the and executions.
Mind's EyeHarness mental power and visualization to shape .Oversees the Great Foundry for ascension.
Society of SensationTruth comes from profound sensory experiences.Hosts events at the Civic Festhall.
Transcendent OrderAchieve harmony through instinctive, unhesitating action.Trains at the Great Gymnasium.
The Mind's Eye exemplifies a post-Faction with a focus on psionic potential and mental discipline. Formed from the merger of the Believers of the Source and the Sign of One, its members—known as —believe that focused visualization and inner power can manifest reality, drawing on psionic abilities to transcend physical limitations. This group promotes rigorous mental training and manifestation techniques, attracting those disillusioned by the 's chaos who seek personal empowerment over collective governance. In the 5th Edition revival, the Mind's Eye persists as one of the twelve ascendant groups influencing , underscoring its enduring role in planar society. Another key sect is the Society of Sensation, or Sensates, which prioritizes the accumulation of sensory experiences as the ultimate path to multiversal truth. Members chronicle and pursue novel sensations—sights, sounds, tastes, and beyond—to refine their perceptions, rejecting abstract philosophy in favor of direct, embodied knowledge. The sect maintains the Civic Festhall in as a central hub for sensory archives, performances, and initiations, where initiates must demonstrate unique experiences to advance. Post-Faction War, the Sensates adapted by emphasizing exploratory expeditions, solidifying their position as cultural influencers in a restructured ; in 5th edition, they remain an ascendant . After the Faction War, traditional guilds proliferated to handle Sigil's administrative and economic needs, evolving from pre-War trade associations into essential societal pillars without the ideological mandates of factions. Remnants of the Bleak Cabal, for instance, reorganized into informal aid networks in the city's underbelly, offering succor to the destitute and mad while clinging to their nihilistic worldview in decentralized outposts. Arcane guilds, such as those descended from wizardly orders, regulated magical practices and research, preventing the power vacuums that fueled the War. Criminal syndicates also thrived in this era, exploiting the power shift to control illicit trade and underground operations. Groups like the Syndicate of Terror, Extortion, Assassination, and Larceny (STEAL) operated multiverse-wide networks for , , and enforcement, often allying with planar traders to evade Sigil's watchful . These syndicates filled roles in the city's shadows, from black-market dealings in Outlands artifacts to orchestrating heists on inner-plane vaults, distinct from the overt of former Mercykillers. Other entities, including mercenary companies and trader collectives, supported planar expeditions and commerce. Mercenary outfits like the reorganized Sodkillers provided armed escorts for high-risk ventures into or Mechanus, prioritizing profit and survival over philosophy. Planar traders, organized into loose guilds, facilitated exchanges between realms, bartering exotic goods while navigating portal instabilities. The Sensate society's expeditionary arms further blurred lines, combining sensory quests with mercantile opportunities to map uncharted experiences across the . These groups collectively sustain Sigil's underbelly and exploratory endeavors, embodying the adaptive resilience of Planescape society .

Gameplay Elements

Character Options

In the Planescape campaign setting for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition, player characters are drawn from a diverse array of planar races and adapted classes that reflect the multiverse's philosophical and cosmological depth, emphasizing themes of belief, exploration, and factional intrigue over traditional fantasy tropes. These options encourage characters who are "bashers" or "cutters" navigating and the planes, often as planewalkers seeking personal truths amid infinite realities.

Planar Races

Planar races in Planescape expand beyond standard humanoid options, incorporating beings native to or touched by the Outer, Inner, and Transitive Planes, each with unique ties to the setting's lore and mechanics. These races are playable with adjustments for level limits in some cases, promoting integration into 's cosmopolitan society while highlighting planar origins. Bariaur are centaur-like humanoids from the Upper Planes, particularly Ysgard in the Beastlands or Arborea, featuring a humanoid upper body atop a quadrupedal form with cloven hooves and often ram-like horns on males. Known for their nomadic, competitive spirit and love of around campfires, bariaur embody chaotic good ideals of and honor, making them natural explorers and traders in Sigil who often align with the Free League or Society of Sensation. In gameplay, they possess enhanced speed and charging capabilities suited to mounted combat, though their large size imposes armor restrictions. Genasi represent elemental-touched humans infused with the essence of the Inner Planes, manifesting traits from air, earth, fire, or water genies such as sylphs, dao, efreeti, or marids. Air genasi, for instance, exhibit ethereal grace and resistance to electricity, while earth genasi display stony resilience against acid; these variants underscore the chaotic flux of elemental realms, with genasi often serving as solitary planar travelers or elemental specialists who adapt to various factions based on temperament. Their abilities include innate spell-like effects tied to their heritage, enhancing survival in hazardous planar environments. Githzerai hail from the entropy of , descendants of humans enslaved by illithids who escaped to forge monastic societies emphasizing mental and . Lean and ascetic, with sharp features and a reserved demeanor, githzerai prioritize above all, harboring deep enmity toward mind flayers and their githyanki kin; they favor alignments and often join the Xaositects. Playable githzerai benefit from psionic wild talents like mental barriers or shifts through chaos, allowing them to manipulate 's formless matter or resist planar perils. Githyanki, in contrast, are militaristic raiders dwelling in fortified cities on the , also illithid slave descendants but loyal to the lich-queen Vlaakith, whom they serve with fanatical devotion. Pale-skinned with angular faces and a predatory ruthlessness, githyanki embody lawful evil hierarchies, adventuring as outcasts to amass power or escape societal rigidity; they frequently clash with githzerai and s. As characters, they possess innate psionic abilities such as or silver sword summoning, due to their combat prowess and spell resistance. Modrons are hierarchical constructs from the clockwork order of Mechanus, geometric beings of flesh and gear driven by immutable logic; rogue modrons, severed from the modron hierarchy, become playable wanderers seeking to comprehend chaos. Typically cuboid and genderless, with ranks from monodrone to pentadrone, these lawful neutral entities view the through analytical lenses, aligning rarely with factions but pursuing order amid . Rogue modrons retain immunities to and , plus logical problem-solving that aids in planar puzzles. Tieflings are planetouched humans bearing fiendish ancestry from the Lower Planes, exhibiting infernal traits like horns, tails, or reddish skin, which mark them as outsiders in Sigil's diverse populace. Planar variants draw from specific abyssal or baatorian influences, fostering a reputation for cunning and ambition; tieflings often gravitate toward self-reliant factions like the Fated, using their heritage for survival in hostile realms. They gain minor spell-like abilities, such as or once per day, emphasizing narrative stigma over mechanical penalties.

Class Adaptations

Classes in Planescape draw from core AD&D 2nd Edition rules but adapt to the setting's emphasis on planar travel, , and intrigue, often through specialized or archetypes that integrate al roles and multiversal lore. Bards function as factotums, information brokers and jacks-of-all-trades who thrive in Sigil's underbelly, gathering secrets from taverns and faction halls to trade for influence or jink. These versatile performers forgo traditional spellcasting for expanded non-weapon proficiencies in lore, , and , enabling them to navigate social webs and uncover hidden truths across the planes. Fighters adapt as mercenaries, hardened bashers-for-hire who escort planewalkers through dangerous portals or enforce pacts in the Outlands. Specializing in mastery and , these combatants leverage planar hazards like belief checks for tactical edges, often hailing from warrior-heavy races like githyanki or bariaur to excel in multiversal skirmishes. Wizards specialize in portal magic, delving into spells that manipulate gates, conduits, and vortices rather than battlefield evocations. These arcanists, known as planewalker wizards, require proficiencies in portal feel and planar lore to attune to the multiverse's pathways, gaining bonuses to spells like dimension door or plane shift while risking wild magic in unstable realms.

Backgrounds

Backgrounds in Planescape manifest as or archetypes that tie characters to 's intrigue and the planes' philosophies, providing hooks and proficiency bonuses without altering core class mechanics. The Criminal background suits a Sigil thief, a rogue kit focused on the city's shadowy guilds, where peelers and cony-catchers master , , and evasion amid the Hive Ward's chaos. These operatives exploit Sigil's portals for or heists, gaining contacts in the thieves' underground but facing risks from Harmonium patrols. A Sage might embody a Civic Festhall researcher, affiliated with the Society of Sensation's headquarters in the Clerk's Ward, where scholars catalog sensory stones and planar artifacts to pursue experiential enlightenment. This background grants access to libraries and hedonistic networks, fostering proficiencies in and for uncovering multiversal secrets.

Alignment's Narrative Importance

Alignment in Planescape transcends mechanical restrictions, serving as a narrative cornerstone that influences faction membership, planar affinities, and character arcs, with choices reflecting a basher's beliefs rather than dictating actions. Characters select alignments during creation to align with home planes or philosophies, such as chaotic for Limbo natives or lawful for Mechanus denizens, enabling roleplay in belief-driven conflicts without rigid enforcement. This approach underscores the setting's theme that "dead are those who believe they are," prioritizing philosophical depth over punitive mechanics.

Unique Mechanics and Rules

Planescape introduces several distinctive mechanics that differentiate it from standard Dungeons & Dragons gameplay, emphasizing the multiverse's fluidity, the power of belief, and the challenges of interdimensional interaction. Central to the setting is planar travel, which relies heavily on portals—stationary gateways that connect locations across planes and require specific "keys" to activate. These keys can be mundane items like a lemon or a specific coin, phrases, tunes, or even abstract concepts such as a particular emotion or alignment state, ensuring that travel is not merely logistical but narrative-driven and unpredictable. Spells like plane shift provide an alternative for direct transit but carry risks, such as random destination offsets or stranding travelers in hazardous conduits—vast, unstable rivers of energy linking distant planes that can disorient or harm those navigating them without proper guidance. The setting's philosophy of belief shaping reality manifests in optional conviction mechanics, particularly the Belief Points system, where characters earn points by upholding their personal philosophies, faction tenets, or ethical convictions during play. These points represent the tangible influence of willpower on the , allowing players to spend them for mechanical benefits like rerolling failed checks, gaining temporary hit points, or enhancing saves against fear or illusion—effects that grow stronger on planes where belief holds sway, such as the Outlands or divine realms. For instance, a character steadfastly adhering to a 's code might accumulate points to avert disaster in a belief-warped locale, underscoring how conviction can literally alter outcomes in a campaign focused on philosophical exploration. Hostile planes amplify these risks through fear-based resolutions, requiring Wisdom or morale checks to resist demoralization or reality-bending terrors, with failure potentially imposing penalties like reduced movement or illusory hazards that feel all too real. Planar affinity mechanics further integrate alignment into environmental challenges, imposing save penalties or combat adjustments based on a character's moral and ethical stance relative to a plane's dominant traits. On moderately aligned planes, such as those with strong lawful influences like Mechanus, opposed chaotic characters suffer a -1 penalty to saving throws against effects tied to the plane's nature, while strongly aligned realms escalate this to -2 or more, affecting spell resistance or initiative as well. These affinities encourage strategic party composition and , as mismatched alignments can turn routine encounters into tests of adaptability—evil outsiders, for example, might face amplified holy damage on good-aligned layers of the Upper Planes. Combat and magic undergo significant alterations on transitive planes like the Astral and Ethereal, adapting core rules to their unique physics. In , a 7th-level spell creates a semi-tangible astral form tethered by a , enabling thought-speed movement (up to 120 feet per round per point of ) but rendering physical weapons ineffective unless silvered or magical; emphasizes spell duels and maneuvers, with severed cords causing instant death to the projector. On the Ethereal Plane, interactions blend the Border (overlapping the ) and Deep regions: travelers can observe but not physically affect the Plane without force-affecting magic like magic missile, while involves three-dimensional maneuvering through mists that impose visibility penalties and allow ambushes from unseen angles—ghosts and phase spiders, for instance, exploit this to strike without retaliation. These rules transform exploration into a tactical puzzle, where spells like etherealness must be managed carefully to avoid isolation or predation by plane-native threats.

Fifth Edition Options

The 2023 fifth edition release, Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse, updates gameplay elements for modern rules while preserving core themes. It introduces two new backgrounds: , for characters attuned to planar portals and influenced by mysterious forces, granting proficiency in Arcana and plus the Planar Wanderer feat; and Planar Philosopher, for those pursuing multiversal truths through factional or personal creeds, providing proficiency in a philosophy-related skill and the Student of the Gate feat. Additionally, seven new feats tie characters to planar alignments and origins, such as Scion of the Outer Planes (gaining flight or resistance based on heritage) and Agent of Order (enhancing lawful abilities with ). These options, along with updated spells like gate seal and faction integration guidelines, facilitate seamless play in Sigil and the Outlands.

Publication History

Origins and 2nd Edition Development

Planescape was developed by David "Zeb" Cook at TSR, Inc., beginning in 1993 and culminating in its release the following year. Cook drew inspiration from urban fantasy elements and philosophical concepts, envisioning a multiverse where belief shapes reality and factions embody ideological conflicts, famously summarizing the setting as "philosophers with clubs." The core product, the Planescape Campaign Setting boxed set, launched in April 1994 for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition. This comprehensive set included a 128-page outlining character options and planar lore, a 192-page detailing the cosmology and , a 64-page with new planar creatures, a large poster map of the City of Doors, and a cardboard Dungeon Master screen. Cook served as the lead designer. The visual style was defined by interior illustrations from , whose gothic, whimsical artwork captured the setting's eccentric tone, alongside cartography and additional art by Dana Knutson. Among the earliest supplements expanding the foundational 2nd Edition line were The Factol's Manifesto in June 1995, which delved into faction philosophies and membership, and Hellbound: The Blood War in 1996, a boxed set exploring the eternal conflict between demons and devils.

Expansions and Supplementary Products

The Planescape campaign setting for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition was expanded through a series of boxed sets that delved into specific alignments of the Outer Planes, providing detailed lore, maps, and adventure hooks for Dungeon Masters. Planes of Law, released in 1995, focused on the lawful-aligned planes including Mount Celestia, Baator, , Mechanus, and Arcadia, offering over 200 pages of descriptions, NPC profiles, and guidelines for integrating these realms into campaigns. Planes of Chaos, published in 1994, explored the chaotic planes such as , , Pandemonium, and the Wildlands, with a 128-page GM's book, a 48-page player's guide, a 32-page adventure module, and additional components like posters and cards to facilitate chaotic gameplay dynamics. Planes of Conflict, issued in 1995, covered the neutral or conflicted planes like the Beastlands, , and , emphasizing philosophical tensions and including a 160-page sourcebook, adventures, and fold-out maps to highlight interdimensional strife. Adventures for Planescape emphasized intrigue within and the planes, building on the setting's philosophical themes. In the Cage: A Guide to , released in 1995, combined a comprehensive city sourcebook with integrated adventure scenarios exploring 's underbelly, including hooks for factional plots and planar excursions suitable for characters of levels 1-3. Faction War, published in 1998, presented an epic 128-page adventure arc known as The Great Unraveling, where player characters navigate escalating conflicts among 's factions, culminating in major upheavals to the city's power structure for parties of 5th to 9th level. Supplementary accessories enhanced Planescape's tactical and monstrous elements. In 1994, Ral Partha released official Planescape miniatures sets, including sculpts of iconic figures like the Lady of Pain, gods, demons, and devils, designed to support tabletop battles across the planes. The Planescape series provided creature lore through loose-leaf appendices: Appendix I (1994) introduced 64 multiplanar monsters from the Inner, Outer, Astral, and Ethereal Planes; Appendix II (1995) expanded on Outer Planes fiends and celestials with updated entries and full-color art; and Appendix III (1998) detailed 64 beings from the Inner Planes, including elementals and paraelementals, to populate adventures in elemental realms. The Blood Wars collectible card game, launched by TSR in 1995 and expanded through 1997, translated Planescape's planar conflicts into a strategic multiplayer format, with over 500 unique cards across the base set and expansions like Legions (1995), Factols & Factions (1996), and Powers & Proxies (1997), depicting warlords, legions, battlefields, and fates inspired by the eternal Blood War between demons and devils. Planescape's literary tie-ins included the Blood Wars Trilogy by J. Robert King, a series of novels centered on the infernal Blood War. Blood Hostages (1996) follows a devilish diplomat navigating demonic alliances; Abyssal Warriors (1996) escalates the frontline clashes; and Planar Powers (1997) involves proxy agents of deities in the escalating conflict, weaving themes of betrayal and cosmic strategy across the Lower Planes.

5th Edition Revival and Recent Releases

Following the end of major 2nd edition support in the late 1990s, the Planescape campaign setting remained largely dormant, with no official publications until announced its adaptation for 5th edition on August 18, 2022. This revival materialized as Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse, a boxed set released on October 17, 2023, comprising three hardcover books designed for both players and Dungeon Masters. The set includes and the Outlands, a 96-page guide detailing the city of , its factions, and the neutral Outlands; Turn of Fortune's Wheel, a 96-page campaign anthology exploring multiversal intrigue and philosophical dilemmas; and a 64-page introducing over 50 planar creatures, such as factotums and modrons. The release refreshes Planescape's cosmology for 5th edition compatibility, emphasizing infinite planes, portals, and ethical conflicts while integrating with the framework expanded in the 2024 Player's Handbook, which dedicates sections to planar layers, travel mechanics, and cross-setting connectivity. Digital tools on support the set with searchable lore, customizable character options like planar backgrounds, automated encounter generation from the compendium, and interactive maps of and key Outlands sites, enabling seamless virtual tabletop integration for contemporary campaigns.

Adaptations

Video Games and Digital Media

Planescape's adaptation into video games began with , developed by and published by in 1999. This isometric game (RPG), built on BioWare's Infinity Engine, centers on the Nameless One, an immortal protagonist who awakens with and embarks on a quest to uncover his past across the planes of existence. Unlike traditional RPGs emphasizing combat, the game prioritizes narrative depth, philosophical dialogue, and player choice, allowing resolution of most conflicts through conversation and moral decisions rather than violence. The game's reception highlighted its innovative storytelling, with critics lauding it as one of the most compelling narratives in gaming history for subverting RPG tropes and exploring themes of identity, , and redemption. It received widespread acclaim for its writing, which drew from the rich lore of the , and its atmospheric depiction of and surrounding planes. In 2017, released Planescape: Torment: Enhanced Edition, updating the original with modern resolutions, bug fixes, controller support, and minor content additions curated in collaboration with original lead designer , making it accessible to new audiences while preserving the core experience. Building on this legacy, Torment: Tides of Numenera, developed by and released in 2017, serves as a . Set in Monte Cook's universe—a far-future reimagined as a philosophical layered with ancient technologies and existential mysteries—the isometric RPG echoes Planescape: Torment's emphasis on narrative over action. Players control the Last Castoff, a vessel for a dying consciousness, navigating crises of legacy and meaning through deep dialogue trees and crisis resolution mechanics that reward intellect and empathy. Reviews praised its preservation of the original's weird philosophical tone and complex character interactions, though noted its deliberate pacing and challenging combat as divisive elements. The fifth edition revival of Planescape extended into digital tools with the 2023 release of Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse, a three-book set integrated into for seamless campaign management. This digital edition includes the setting guide, a 96-page adventure book (Turn of Fortune's Wheel), and a , enabling players to create planar characters with new backgrounds, feats, and glitch mechanics directly in the platform's character builder, alongside DM tools for maps, encounters, and monster stats. From 2023 onward, these modules support ongoing Planescape campaigns on , with features like optimized maps and over 50 new monsters enhancing virtual tabletop play. In 2023, continued expanding digital support through platforms like , offering a fully integrated VTT version of the adventure set with dynamic maps of and the Outlands, tied to broader 5e updates for .

Novels, Card Games, and Other Media

The Planescape novel line, published by TSR from 1996 to 1997, marked the setting's entry into literary fiction, expanding on its themes of planar intrigue and philosophical conflicts through narrative prose. The inaugural series, known as the Blood Wars Trilogy by J. Robert King, delved into the eternal Blood War between baatezu devils and tanar'ri demons, portraying espionage, betrayal, and cosmic stakes across the Lower Planes. The trilogy comprises Blood Hostages (January 1996), which introduces a proxy's desperate mission amid escalating fiendish hostilities; Abyssal Warriors (June 1996), focusing on abyssal forces and proxy warriors in the chaos of war; and Planar Powers (1997), culminating in divine interventions and the broader implications for the . Subsequent novels in the line, such as Pages of Pain by (1996), explored Sigil's underbelly through the philosophical musings of a Factol, blending personal redemption with factional politics. The line also included a novelization of the video game, by Ray Vallese and Valerie Vallese (1999), adapting the Nameless One's story into prose. Beyond full-length novels, Planescape media included adventure anthologies that incorporated short-form narratives to frame planar quests, providing Dungeon Masters with self-contained stories rich in setting lore. Tales from the Infinite Staircase (1998), edited by , assembled eight interconnected adventures traversable via the Infinite Staircase, a legendary planar conduit linking diverse realms and emphasizing themes of exploration and multiversal connectivity. This anthology served as a narrative bridge for players new to Planescape, integrating short vignettes that highlighted the setting's whimsical yet perilous cosmology without requiring prior campaign knowledge. The Blood Wars Collectible Card Game (CCG), released by TSR in March 1995 to coincide with TSR's 20th anniversary, adapted Planescape's factional dynamics into a strategic card-based format simulating the Blood War's skirmishes. Designed by Steven Schend, the game featured over 300 cards representing factions, planar locations, creatures, and spells, with gameplay centered on resource management, combat resolution, and alliance-building among baatezu, tanar'ri, and neutral powers like yugoloths. Players assembled decks to wage proxy battles, capturing the setting's moral ambiguity and planar warfare. Expansions such as Factols & Factions (June 1995) and Powers & Proxies (August 1995) introduced new cards for faction leaders and divine agents, while Insurgents of the Inner Planes (March 1996) added mechanics tied to elemental incursions. The game supported two-player duels in "Duel-Decks" and larger tournaments, though production ceased after 1996 amid TSR's financial shifts. Other media encompassed audio productions that enhanced immersion through spoken-word guides to the planes. The A Player's Primer to the Outlands boxed set (1995) included a unique audio CD embodying the "mimir," a sentient magical artifact that narrates lore, histories, and gate-town descriptions in a cryptic, interactive style, allowing players to "query" planar knowledge during sessions. This CD, featuring voice acting and ambient soundscapes, provided an auditory tour of the neutral Outlands encircling , emphasizing the setting's philosophical depth. Limited comic adaptations were explored but remained unpublished as a full series, with promotional concepts like Planescape: The Unity of Rings, created in 1994 but unpublished until its digital release in 2003 by .

Reception and Legacy

Critical Reception

Upon its release, the Planescape Campaign Setting for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition received widespread acclaim for its innovative multiverse framework, which expanded beyond traditional fantasy tropes to explore existential and philosophical themes through factions like the Sign of One and the Bleak Cabal. Reviewer Rick Swan in Dragon Magazine Issue #207 praised it as TSR's most ambitious campaign world, highlighting its focus on ideas and possibilities that encouraged deep roleplaying. The artwork by Tony DiTerlizzi was particularly lauded for its spectacular, cohesive style that captured the setting's otherworldly essence, earning a perfect score in visual presentation from multiple critics. However, the setting faced criticisms for its steep , as the complex planar mechanics and effects proved challenging for novice Masters, potentially overwhelming players unfamiliar with high-level abstractions. Additionally, the heavy use of Sigil-specific jargon and slang was seen as excessive by some, creating despite the boxed set's high overall rating of 6 out of 6 from . The 2023 revival in Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse for D&D 5th Edition was positively received for improving accessibility, with tools like mimirs aiding navigation of the expansive multiverse and making it more approachable for modern players. Beth Rimmels awarded it an A grade on EN World, commending the robust adventure Turn of Fortune's Wheel and the return of DiTerlizzi's artwork for maintaining the setting's iconic tone. That said, some reviewers noted a dilution of the original's edgy originality, with the boxed set's compact format and limited new player options—such as only two backgrounds and seven feats—resulting in a more introductory feel that watered down philosophical depth.

Influence and Awards

Planescape profoundly shaped the Dungeons & Dragons multiverse by introducing a interconnected cosmology of planes, portals, and philosophical factions that emphasized narrative depth over traditional combat, influencing subsequent editions' handling of planar travel and cosmic lore. This framework directly informed the fifth edition's multiversal structure, where campaigns can seamlessly span worlds like the and outer planes via , as seen in the 2023 Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse boxed set. The original Planescape Campaign Setting earned the 1994 Origins Award for Best Graphic Presentation of a Roleplaying Game, Adventure, or Supplement, recognizing its innovative art and design by and others that blended Victorian, , and surreal aesthetics. The 1999 video game adaptation, , further amplified this impact, winning RPG of the Year from both and Computer Gaming World, along with Game of the Year from The Vault Network, for its emphasis on dialogue, identity, and moral choice over mechanics. Culturally, Planescape pioneered philosophical RPGs by integrating real-world ideologies—such as chaos, , and belief's power to shape —into , inspiring narrative-focused titles in the indie scene like and broader urban fantasy tropes of diverse, intrigue-filled cities amid cosmic stakes. Its 2023 fifth-edition revival reaffirms this legacy, bridging classic elements with modern playstyles amid ongoing popularity. The Planescape fan community remains active, producing homebrew expansions for factions and planes while engaging at conventions like and Origins, and contributing to D&D's 2024 50th anniversary events that incorporated Planescape adventures linking the to . In 2025, fans released a major mod for titled "Blizzard in Baator," adding a new region and restoring cut content.

References

  1. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/17267/Planescape-Campaign-Setting-2e
  2. https://wpn.wizards.com/en/products/planescape-adventures-in-the-multiverse
  3. https://dndstore.wizards.com/us/en/product/820944/planescape-adventures-in-the-multiverse-digital-plus-physical-bundle
  4. https://www.belloflostsouls.net/2023/10/dd-planescape-takes-center-stage-in-2024.html
  5. https://nitessine.wordpress.com/2011/05/22/lets-read-planescape-the-planescape-campaign-setting-part-ii/
  6. https://mimir.net/culture/languages/cant-dictionary/
  7. https://mimir.net/wp-content/uploads/Planescape_Campaign_Setting_Chapter_1_Introduction.pdf
  8. https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dmg/creating-a-multiverse
  9. https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1576-what-to-know-before-you-visit-sigil-the-city-at
  10. https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/basic-rules-2014/appendix-d-the-planes-of-existence
  11. https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dmg/dungeon-masters-guide
  12. https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/paitm/sato
  13. https://www.wargamevault.com/product/17267/Planescape-Campaign-Setting-2e
  14. https://www.dmsguild.com/product/17299/Faction-War-2e
  15. https://dnd.wizards.com/products/planescape-adventures-multiverse
  16. https://www.enworld.org/threads/planescape-factions-preview.700007/
  17. https://mimir.net/wp-content/uploads/Planescape_Campaign_Setting_Chapter_2_Characters__Races.pdf
  18. https://the-eye.eu/public/Books/rpg.rem.uz/Dungeons%2520%2526%2520Dragons/AD%2526D%25202nd%2520Edition/Planescape/The%2520Planewalkers%2520Handbook.pdf
  19. https://adnd2e.fandom.com/wiki/Planewalker_Wizard_%28Character_Kit%29
  20. https://adnd2e.fandom.com/wiki/Planewalker_Rogue_%28Character_Kit%29
  21. https://mimir.net/wp-content/uploads/Planescape_Campaign_Setting_Chapter_3_Factions.pdf
  22. https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/paim/character-options
  23. https://dungeonsanddragonsfan.com/planescape-5e-dnd-2023/
  24. https://icecano.com/blog/tag/planescape
  25. https://www.dmsguild.com/en/product/17298/planes-of-chaos-2e
  26. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/17274/in-the-cage-a-guide-to-sigil-2e
  27. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/17299/faction-war-2e
  28. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/17294/monstrous-compendium-planescape-appendix-iii
  29. https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/4597/blood-wars
  30. https://www.ign.com/articles/dd-planescape-sourcebook-reveal-2023-roadmap
  31. https://www.polygon.com/23311530/dnd-planescape-campaign-reboot-three-book-boxed-set
  32. https://wpn.wizards.com/products/planescape-adventures-in-the-multiverse
  33. https://www.ign.com/articles/everything-we-know-about-dds-planescape-adventures-in-the-multiverse-sourcebooks
  34. https://www.enworld.org/threads/the-multiverse-in-the-2024-players-handbook.705833/
  35. https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/dnd/paitm
  36. https://marketplace.roll20.net/browse/bundle/25619/dandd-planescape-adventures-in-the-multiverse
  37. https://store.steampowered.com/app/466300/Planescape_Torment_Enhanced_Edition/
  38. https://www.gog.com/en/game/planescape_torment_enhanced_edition
  39. https://www.ign.com/lists/top-100-rpgs/6
  40. https://www.beamdog.com/games/planescape-torment-enhanced/
  41. https://store.steampowered.com/app/272270/Torment_Tides_of_Numenera/
  42. https://www.gog.com/en/game/torment_tides_of_numenera
  43. https://www.ign.com/articles/2017/02/28/torment-tides-of-numenera-review
  44. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/453930/planescape-adventures-in-the-multiverse-roll20
  45. https://isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pl.cgi?26284
  46. https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/abyssal-warriors_j-robert-king/347576/
  47. https://www.abebooks.com/9780786905324/Planar-Powers-Planescape-Blood-Wars-0786905328/plp
  48. https://daviddennen.medium.com/fiction-of-planescape-introduction-f2bb60fdbae3
  49. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/17291/tales-from-the-infinite-staircase-2e
  50. https://www.acaeum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=16811
  51. https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/17301/a-players-primer-to-the-outlands-2e
  52. https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Planescape:_The_Unity_of_Rings
  53. http://rlyehreviews.blogspot.com/2024/04/1994-planescape.html
  54. https://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/classic/rev_2460.phtml
  55. https://www.enworld.org/threads/planescape-adventures-in-the-multiverse-review.700464/
  56. https://www.wargamer.com/dnd/planescape-5e-review
  57. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d4db01d648a4e0001199c62/t/5d545bcf7227700001bd0fe3/1565809619197/Origins%2BAwards%2BWinners%2B1994.pdf
  58. https://www.pcgamesn.com/planescape-torment/remake
  59. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/planescape-torment-and-the-evolution-of-the-rpg
  60. https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-strange-greatness-and-missing-legacy-of-planescape/
  61. https://www.geekwire.com/2023/dungeons-dragons-in-2023-wizards-of-the-coast-reveals-planescape-revival-and-more/
  62. https://newsroom.hasbro.com/news-releases/news-release-details/dungeons-dragons-celebrates-50th-anniversary-2024-more-50
  63. https://bleedingcool.com/games/dungeons-dragons-announces-50th-anniversary-plans/
  64. https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/one-of-the-best-rpgs-of-all-time-is-getting-its-first-ever-unofficial-dlc-that-adds-a-whole-new-region-and-restores-cut-content/
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