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TechnOkami
2010-08-05, 03:31 AM
So, my DM is very big on the world of Krynn and I want to be a Planar Druid, which he will accept. The issue is that the main plane I want he says is too far out of reach of Krynn, which is the Plane of Dreams (Manual of the Planes). So... with such limitations placed on me, what plane found in the Dragonlance universe would be best for a Planar Druid?

I'm sorry, Planar Shepherd, my bad.

Ozymandias9
2010-08-05, 03:34 AM
So, my DM is very big on the world of Krynn and I want to be a Planar Druid, which he will accept. The issue is that the main plane I want he says is too far out of reach of Krynn, which is the Plane of Dreams (Manual of the Planes). So... with such limitations placed on me, what plane found in the Dragonlance universe would be best for a Planar Druid?

To my knowledge, Krynn doesn't have well defined outer planes. The Abyss, however, might be interesting. It's at least somewhat morphic and uses subjective distance.

BobVosh
2010-08-05, 04:13 AM
I thought the whole point of Krynn is that it is out of reach of almost every plane. Something about what Tiamet did (or whatever she is called in the setting)

Ozymandias9
2010-08-05, 05:28 AM
I thought the whole point of Krynn is that it is out of reach of almost every plane. Something about what Tiamet did (or whatever she is called in the setting)

Takhisis, and that would depend on the game period.

And it appears I need to correct my prior post. The Dragonlance Campaign Setting does contain a cosmology on pages 117 and 118. It has a list of the fairly limited planes that cannonically exist for the setting. You're not likely to find much except the outer planes of interest to a Planar Shepard. The Abyss or possibly the Grey are my best recommendations, but the DM will have to stat the planes and the effects for you.

The most salient portion of the cosmology would be the Gate of Souls, which hedges the local prime from the outer planes. The text states that the gate is the only path for transit to the outer planes, but that would seem to disagree with the established lore (specifically both the gates forged by the Wizards of High Sorcery during the Age of Dreams, and the fact that Skye was able to travel to Krynnspace through either the ethereal plane or ethereal sea before Takhisis stole the world).

While the description there is fairly inconsistent, there are some points that we can probably distill based both on the published novels and on thematic overlap between the 3e and AD&D treatment:

Krynn/Krynnspace is unusually inaccessible to planar travel (Great Barrier, Gate of Souls, Remote Crystal Sphere).
Krynn Prime is actively guarded against extra-planar intrusion, preventing free access through/from at least the local outer planes, and most likely certain of the local inner planes.
It is possible, though sufficiently powerful magic, to reach the outer planes (or at least the Abyss) from Krynn Prime, but the opposite is not true.
Travel in both directions is possible through either the Ethereal Plane or the Ethereal Sea.

Lapak
2010-08-05, 08:51 AM
While the description there is fairly inconsistent, there are some points that we can probably distill based both on the published novels and on thematic overlap between the 3e and AD&D treatment:

Krynn/Krynnspace is unusually inaccessible to planar travel (Great Barrier, Gate of Souls, Remote Crystal Sphere).
Krynn Prime is actively guarded against extra-planar intrusion, preventing free access through/from at least the local outer planes, and most likely certain of the local inner planes.
It is possible, though sufficiently powerful magic, to reach the outer planes (or at least the Abyss) from Krynn Prime, but the opposite is not true.
Travel in both directions is possible through either the Ethereal Plane or the Ethereal Sea.
Looks accurate to me, except for the bit I bolded. (Which is really nitpicky, but if we're assembling a solid list...) Krynn's Crystal Sphere in AD&D Spelljammer was actually one of the easiest to get to, being bound with Realmspace and Oerthspace in a stable triad. This very likely changed later, but there was a point in 2e where Krynn was pretty easy to get into and out of as long as you were using a spaceship to do it.

EDIT: Yeah, that decisively changed when T stole the world. But BEFORE that, it was accessible.

Lhurgyof
2010-08-05, 01:20 PM
Hmm, never heard of Krynn... care to enlighten me?
I heard of Krynn Minotaurs before.


Looks accurate to me, except for the bit I bolded. (Which is really nitpicky, but if we're assembling a solid list...) Krynn's Crystal Sphere in AD&D Spelljammer was actually one of the easiest to get to, being bound with Realmspace and Oerthspace in a stable triad. This very likely changed later, but there was a point in 2e where Krynn was pretty easy to get into and out of as long as you were using a spaceship to do it.

EDIT: Yeah, that decisively changed when T stole the world. But BEFORE that, it was accessible.


Ah, Crystal Spheres ARE real!
I remember when we left Dark Sun, that it was in a crystal sphere, which is pretty much the hardest one to enter/leave at all.

Ozymandias9
2010-08-05, 02:53 PM
Hmm, never heard of Krynn... care to enlighten me?
I heard of Krynn Minotaurs before.

Dragonlance

TechnOkami
2010-08-05, 11:56 PM
So, in terms of I can wildshaping into the planes native magical animals/outsiders and having a planar bubble which actually has some decent effect... how would the abyss and the other plane be of benefit?

Ozymandias9
2010-08-06, 01:07 AM
Well, excepting the standard inner planes that it shares with most of the other cosmologies, Krynn's cosmology is fairly nebulously defined. However, the lore from the Dragonlance novels make it quite clear that the Abyss is highly morphic and responds directly to will. Hyjinks may well ensue with your planar bubble.

For magical beasts, you're kinda boned-- unless you choose Krynn prime, there are (to my knowledge) no planes that have magical beasts defined to exist in the setting. You may be able to pass standard magical beasts present in the elemental or positive energy planes, but that's a limited lot. If you're lucky, the DM may let you use magical beasts present on planes thematically similar to one of the outer or transitive planes, in which case take your pick.

Where the Abyss really comes in handy is for the outsider option at level 9. I'm looking at the Beastiary of Krynn right now, and there isn't a single outsider I can find therein that isn't native to the Abyss