The Planescape Campaign Setting is a boxed set for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. The set was designed by David "Zeb" Cook and published in 1994. It introduced the Planescape setting and was highly praised by White Wolf and Pyramid magazines.
Contents
The Planescape Campaign Setting boxed set details the planes of the Dungeons & Dragons game, which had been previously featured in books such as Deities and Demigods and the Manual of the Planes. The set consists of a Player and DM Guide, a Monstrous Supplement, a guide to the town of Sigil and the Outlands, four color maps, and a DM screen. The Inner Planes of Air, Earth, Fire, and Water, the Paraelemental and Quasimental Planes, and the Positive and Negative Material Planes are discussed first. This includes their descriptions, physical and magical conditions, and native hazards. The Outer Planes are also detailed, with their layers and the realms possible on each layer. Important layers and realms are included in the descriptions of individual Outer Planes, including which gods ("Powers") make their home there. Also described with the Outer Planes are the four unique planar paths—the rivers Oceanus and Styx, the tree Yggdrasil, and Mount Olympus—which touch many layers of the various Outer Planes and can take travelers from one place to another. The largest of the set's guides is devoted to a description of the Outlands, which provides connections to all the other Outer Planes via corresponding towns or forts located at various sites. Sigil, the City of Doors, located atop the Outlands, is a place run by various factions, and which contains portals to any plane or layer. The ruler of Sigil is the Lady of Pain, a mysterious being who appears during times of internal or external turmoil.
With the rules governing inter-planar travel, characters can move from plane to plane via portals, elemental vortices, and astral conduits. A vortex works like a doorway; a conduit is nothing more than a tunnel. Depending upon the parameters of the campaign, players may choose from the standard AD&D game archetypes, including humans, dwarves, and halflings, or opt for planar races, such as bariaur, githzerai, and tieflings. A player also may assign his PC to one of the character factions, which derive from philosophies and alignments, and most factions accept every class. Wizard and priest spells are affected in different ways based on the caster's location.
The multiverse consists of three divisions. The first division, the Prime Material Plane, includes the worlds associated with the Dragonlance, Ravenloft, and Forgotten Realms settings. The second division is made up of the six Inner Planes, which correspond to the six elemental building blocks of the Prime Material Plane: Fire, Air, Earth, Water, Positive Energy, and Negative Energy. The Paraelemental Planes, subdivisions of the Inner Planes, appear where the Elemental Planes merge with one another. The Quasielemental Planes, another set of Inner Planes, arise along the borders of the Positive and Negative Planes. The third division is the Outer Planes, which take the form of broad rings, infinite in number and size. The three groups of Outer Planes are attuned to specific alignments: the Upper Planes of Good, the boundary Planes of Neutrality, and the Lower Planes of Evil.
Sigil is centered in the Outlands, a stable area also known as Concordant Opposition, and contains doorways leading to every locale in the multiverse. As described in the 96-page "Sigil and Beyond" book, it resembles a medieval city "built on the inside of a tire that hovers over the top of a gods-know-how-tall spike, which rises from a universe shaped like a giant pancake." Visitors can arrange for sedan chairs to carry them around, while Light Boys brighten the way with continual light wands. Overseeing the realm is the Lady of Pain, a mysterious being. The "DM Guide" contains a listing of noteworthy locations from the Inner and Outer Planes.
Publication history
The Planescape Campaign Setting was designed by David "Zeb" Cook. It was published by TSR as a boxed set and consisted of one 96-page book, one 64-page book, two 32-page books, four 32" x 21" double-sided map sheets, and one four-panel referee screen. Editing was by David Wise, the conceptual artist was Dana Knutson, illustrations were by Tony DiTerlizzi, graphic design was by Dee Barnett and Dawn Murin, and the cover was by Robh Ruppel.
Reception
Planescape Campaign Setting won the Origins Award for Best Graphic Presentation of a Roleplaying Game, Adventure, or Supplement of 1994.