The planes

Today I’ll talk a bit more about the different planes and how they function in my world.

We live in the Material Plane, which is comprised of matter and energy. The basic physical laws of the universe apply here, as modern physics tells us (or close enough, anyway). The Material Plane on it’s own is just that. What makes magic possible in my game is the Astral Plane. The Astral Plane overlaps the physical plane, allowing magic to seep into the physical plane. Because of this overlap, many beings of the Material Plane are dual-natured to some degree or other. They have “souls”, which to many people have religious connotations, but are in actuality are just a piece of that being that resides on the Astral Plane. All humans are born with souls, which, like an unused muscle, slowly deteriorates until it is all but useless. The denizens of the Astral Plane generally leave human souls alone, because they are so small, yet have such a strong connection to the Material Plane, that they provide no sustenance at all.

Mages, on the other hand, use that muscle. Your Power rating is how strong your “soul” is, or rather how strong your connection to the astral plane is. Magical beings use their connection to the Astral Plane to bring magic into the Material Plane, and take control of it. The denizens of the Astral Plane also generally leave the souls of magical beings alone, because they may be able to fight back, and it is not worth the risk.

When beings with souls die, their souls are set free. Unfortunately, most souls are so weak and useless, that they just drift, and are quickly eaten by something on the Astral Plane, or are sucked down into the underworld to be turned into a demon. However, Magical beings can control themselves to some degree. They may become ghosts if they have unfinished business, or may just wander the astral landscape as a spirit. Some are drawn down into the underworld to become demon generals or captains. The only way to resurrect somebody is to get their soul back into a body (preferably their own) and hope that the soul is strong enough to attach themselves to that body.

The Underworld as a slightly different system. First of all, there is no Astral Plane overlapping the Underworld. The Underworld is comprised of both matter and magic. For this reason, beings there can raise to great power, and even the weakest of creatures can perform at least some small magic. When Demons come to our world, the distance from our source of magic weakens them significantly, and their effective power is halved. When magical beings from the Material Plane go to the Underworld, They gain no bonus until they “get used” to the way magic flows. They basically have to make checks, which will give them bonuses up to 1/2 their Power if they stay long enough.

When you die in the Underworld, your body falls dead, and you are reborn in a new body that forms from nothingness several days later. Your power and physical abilities are hampered until you get used to your new body, which generally takes months to achieve full power. So death is not permanent, but it is a nuisance.

There are other planes as well that are not so close to the Material Plane. Yet, with enough power and the right setup, a gateway can be created. Although some are similar, each plane has different characteristics, and functions in a different manner.

~ by episoen on June 5, 2008.