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View Full Version : Thoughts on Universe Hopping



Aeromyre
2010-06-11, 12:20 AM
I've always been one to think there are alternate universes out there, and i want to know what you think. Are there infinite numbers of slightly different universes or are they all vastly different? Do they stem off each and every person's possible choices to be made, only the major choices, or are good people evil, lawful people chaotic and vice versa?

Then pop it into D&D or another rpg what do you think of that? have you ever traveled to alternate versions of the prime material plane?

Tanuki Tales
2010-06-11, 12:28 AM
Well, technically the DnD cosmology is a multiverse in of itself. Each plane is most times infinite in its own scope, making it a universe of its own.

Magic Myrmidon
2010-06-11, 12:34 AM
I've done a lot with the different dimension thing in DnD. As for real life, I don't really think about it too much. If I do, I think of it in terms of theories of how time travel could possibly work (even though it really doesn't...) You know, whether a change in the past affects the future, splits the timeline, or merely shifts you into a different timeline since every choice made creates a new one. Fun to think about.

Aeromyre
2010-06-11, 12:39 AM
Fun to think about.

Definitely :D



Well, technically the DnD cosmology is a multiverse in of itself. Each plane is most times infinite in its own scope, making it a universe of its own.

Well yeah but i generally adventures happen in the prime material but technically you could go to a parralell/alternate astral plane or any plane for that matter

Lord Vukodlak
2010-06-11, 12:40 AM
Traveling between game systems would be troublesome as you'd need to modify the characters quite a lot but you could say go from Krynn, to Faerun, To Eberron, or say even into the D20 modern books.

An NPC in my campaigns named Braxis travels the multiverse, he at times makes off hand comments to major events of those worlds. Such as the time he went to visit Krynn and found the planet missing.
And once when asked why he appeared so unmoved by a kingdoms plight he replied.
"I bore witness to a beautiful green world, a shining jewel in the cosmos wither and die into a lifeless husk."
*He was talking about Athas*

Aeromyre
2010-06-11, 12:44 AM
Traveling between game systems would be troublesome as you'd need to modify the characters quite a lot but you could say go from Krynn, to Faerun, To Eberron, or say even into the D20 modern books.

An NPC in my campaigns named Braxis travels the multiverse, he at times makes off hand comments to major events of those worlds. Such as the time he went to visit Krynn and found the planet missing.

Nah, i'm stickin with pathfinder and simply changing the setting. Like we started in my dad's pretty standard D&D universe, traveled to my brother's universe controlled by dragons, then to the Warhammer universe, soon to my own universe where wizards rule scattered islands, where the character's will get stuck permanently.

Xyk
2010-06-11, 01:00 AM
...I think of it in terms of theories of how time travel could possibly work (even though it really doesn't...)...

It's theoretically possible (http://www.hawking.org.uk/index.php/lectures/63)

Aeromyre
2010-06-11, 01:01 AM
It's theoretically possible (http://www.hawking.org.uk/index.php/lectures/63)

Yes but everything is theoretically possible :D

Asheram
2010-06-11, 08:26 AM
*coughs* Well, not really different dimensions, but.... Spelljammer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spelljammer)?

Altair_the_Vexed
2010-06-11, 09:27 AM
I do universe hopping all the time. I think it's much more interesting to have prime material settings that parallel the mains setting, than elemental adventures and the like.
Otherwise, where would this guy come from? (http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=35) :smallbiggrin:

Aeromyre
2010-06-11, 09:42 AM
*coughs* Well, not really different dimensions, but.... Spelljammer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spelljammer)?

That's a little silly if you ask me


I do universe hopping all the time. I think it's much more interesting to have prime material settings that parallel the mains setting, than elemental adventures and the like.
Otherwise, where would this guy come from? (http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=35) :smallbiggrin:

Awesome that's exactly what i wanted too hear

Tanuki Tales
2010-06-11, 10:59 AM
Well yeah but i generally adventures happen in the prime material but technically you could go to a parralell/alternate astral plane or any plane for that matter

You want to clarify though.

Going from the Prime Material to the Astral or Shadow is simply moving to a separate dimension. Those two are harder to argue as their own separate universes since they're coterminous to just about everything bit of the standard cosmology (similar to The Bleed from DC comics).

But going from Prime Material to say...the Nine Hells is a whole new kettle of Fish since the Hells not only have unique and wildly different physical and mystical laws but its native inhabitants don't even resemble most of those found on the Prime Material save in the most basic ways.

And in most cases the use of the word Dimension tends to hold a kind of finite feel to it (even though Dimension and Universe are often interchanged in fiction) while a universe can be finite or infinite.

But regardless of the semantics here I give a +1 to using Spelljammer.

Aeromyre
2010-06-11, 01:47 PM
You want to clarify though.

Going from the Prime Material to the Astral or Shadow is simply moving to a separate dimension. Those two are harder to argue as their own separate universes since they're coterminous to just about everything bit of the standard cosmology (similar to The Bleed from DC comics).

But going from Prime Material to say...the Nine Hells is a whole new kettle of Fish since the Hells not only have unique and wildly different physical and mystical laws but its native inhabitants don't even resemble most of those found on the Prime Material save in the most basic ways.

And in most cases the use of the word Dimension tends to hold a kind of finite feel to it (even though Dimension and Universe are often interchanged in fiction) while a universe can be finite or infinite.

But regardless of the semantics here I give a +1 to using Spelljammer.

I think that all the known planes of existence, could be called dimensions that exist in one universe. Then in parallel/alternate universes the dimensions may or may not be there and they may or may not be the same. There may even be some that exist in an alternate universe while a dimension/plane of our universe does not.
For instance, if the greeks never grew into a powerful empire and their religion would not be known about or even ever conceived so therefore Olympus would not exist, but perhaps something else would.

Adumbration
2010-06-11, 02:05 PM
The Planescape setting is essentially about this, you know.

And there's a 9th level spell for time travel, too. (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/pg/20030409b)

Finding that link took me ages, by the way.

Tanuki Tales
2010-06-11, 02:08 PM
I think that all the known planes of existence, could be called dimensions that exist in one universe. Then in parallel/alternate universes the dimensions may or may not be there and they may or may not be the same. There may even be some that exist in an alternate universe while a dimension/plane of our universe does not.
For instance, if the greeks never grew into a powerful empire and their religion would not be known about or even ever conceived so therefore Olympus would not exist, but perhaps something else would.

That's only assuming Faerunian deity structures though.

And if you want to call the entire cosmology of DnD as one universe than nothing else can be called a universe since no defining element for what separates a universe from a "plane" or "dimension" exists. Everything would simply be one level stacked upon each other and even so called "parallel" existences aren't truly that in the commonly thought of sense because nothing truly separates them from everything else.