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Zaydos
2010-10-13, 11:15 PM
What's you favorite and least favorite outer plane, and why?

Mine are Mount Celestia and Arcadia respectively. I love the balance between law and good of Celestia; people work together without forcing their beliefs on others.

Arcadia is law above good and ends up dystopian and with the feeling that Big Brother is watching.

golentan
2010-10-13, 11:31 PM
My favorite is actually Arcadia, because it's good without feeling Saccharine and has room for improvement. And my least favorite is Baator, because it's everything I fear I could become if I let myself.

Scow2
2010-10-13, 11:34 PM
My favorite is Ysgard. It's the source of Gloryborn Armor.

My least favorite is Eberron's Doluurgh or Forgotten Realm's Wall of the Faithless... I'd rather have a happy afterlife.

Drakevarg
2010-10-13, 11:37 PM
Favorite: Ysgard. Swordfight all day and feast all night? Yes please!
Least Favorite: Negative Energy Plane, probably. It just seems really, really... boring. Also lethal.

Claudius Maximus
2010-10-13, 11:43 PM
The Negative Energy plane is an inner plane.

Favorite: Acheron. Epic infernal wars on floating metal cubes. Lower on it turns into an infinite expanse of darkness filled with supersonic flying ice blades. Hell yes.

Least favorite: Bytopia. It just seems so... lame.

arguskos
2010-10-13, 11:44 PM
Favorite: Acheron. Epic infernal wars on flying metal cubes. Lower on it turns into an infinite expanse of darkness filled with supersonic flying ice blades. Hell yes.
I love me some Acheron too, but it doesn't win for me.


Least favorite: Bytopia. It just seems so... lame.
This however is totally agreed. Bytopia is booooring. That or the Beastlands.

My favorite though? Have to roll with the Concordant Domain of the Outlands! Sigil baby! :smallbiggrin:

Drakevarg
2010-10-13, 11:47 PM
The Negative Energy plane is an inner plane.

Fine. Grey Waste of Hades, then. :smallannoyed: Same reason.

arguskos
2010-10-13, 11:49 PM
Fine. Grey Waste of Hades, then. :smallannoyed: Same reason.
L2PLANES. :smalltongue:

Also, seriously, Hades is pretty blech, but since it's a Plane of Conflict it's automatically more interesting than Bytopia or one of the higher planes. God I hate the Good-aligned planes. :smallsigh:

Drakevarg
2010-10-13, 11:50 PM
God I hate the Good-aligned planes. :smallsigh:

Ysgard is Good-aligned, isn't it?

*checks*

Scratch that. It's Chaotic.

Zaydos
2010-10-13, 11:52 PM
Ysgard is Good-aligned, isn't it?

*checks*

Scratch that. It's Chaotic.

It is between Arborea and Limbo giving it traits of both good and neutrality. It's also an awesome, awesome plane.

arguskos
2010-10-13, 11:58 PM
It is between Arborea and Limbo giving it traits of both good and neutrality. It's also an awesome, awesome plane.
Nope, Ysgard is not good-dominant. Just because it's next door to Arborea doesn't make it good-aligned. :smallwink: It's mildly chaos aligned though, due to proximity to Limbo. This is similar to how Arcadia is not good-aligned, just law-aligned.

Zaydos
2010-10-14, 12:12 AM
Nope, Ysgard is not good-dominant. Just because it's next door to Arborea doesn't make it good-aligned. :smallwink: It's mildly chaos aligned though, due to proximity to Limbo. This is similar to how Arcadia is not good-aligned, just law-aligned.

That actually depends upon the edition as well; 2e it is defined as Chaotic Neutral/Chaotic Good and even in 3e it is said to have good leanings.

Alleran
2010-10-14, 12:40 AM
Plane of Dreams for favourite. Because Sandman is awesome.

Hades would be least favourite.

Amiel
2010-10-14, 12:43 AM
I actually don't have a favourite plane; I do like Heaven but also Arborea. Not so much Elysium, despite its embodiment of perfect goodness, it's also a reality whereby you are forced to merge with the plane, or once having failed saves aren't allowed to leave, ever.

Least favourite may be some of the soul-wasting lower realities, the Gray Wastes, Carceri (the prison plane); Limbo (I hate the slaadi).

Xefas
2010-10-14, 01:04 AM
From a Game Master standpoint, I like Baator the most, because it has an insane potential for awesome adventures there, and I like playing the various Devils. Seriously, you could run a weekly RPG in Baator for 20 years and never run out of stuff to do. It's awesome. I probably like the Beastlands the least. It's so bland and has very little going for it that separates it from the other planes. Even with the comparative wealth of info from 2nd edition Planescape books, it just doesn't grab me.

From a personal standpoint, I want to afterlife in the Outlands, I've decided. I'd probably prefer the Abyss least of all. Possibly Pandemonium.

From just an aesthetic standpoint, Mechanus all the way! Giant gears the size of continents, Inevitable Creche-Forges, and the Modrons! Woooo. Clockwork all the way. And I think the Beastlands win the least favorite one yet again. Seriously, what makes this interesting? Why couldn't we have gotten something Roman, Greek, or Muslim inspired here instead?

Valameer
2010-10-14, 01:09 AM
Favorite: Elysium. Eternal joy and satisfaction? Colours and sensations more intense than any on earth? An island paradise exclusive to me, amongst other islands housing the greatest heroes in the multiverse? Yeah, I can deal with that.

Least: Pandemonium. I hate excessive wind. Plus, you've seen one cavern, you've seen 'em all. It doesn't even have variety like the Abyss or Hell.

Noble Savant
2010-10-14, 01:32 AM
My favorite would have to be Carcerous, I just love the entire theme and flavor they have there. It's just got so much potential for awesome encounters and events.

Elysium creeps me out to the extreme. It's the dire half-dragon spawn of Pleasantville and Stepford.

dsmiles
2010-10-14, 04:56 AM
Favorite: The Far Realm if available, if not, The Abyss. (Both for the same reason, too. Fun and chaos everywhere! Bring the kids!)
Least Favorite: Mechanus (sooooooooooooo boring).

SurlySeraph
2010-10-14, 10:49 AM
Well, Baator's the most interesting to me, but Celestia's of course the most pleasant.
My least favorite would be the Plane of Shadows. It just... meh. Darkness, things aren't really real, echoes of the past and future, shadows coming for you, blah. I don't find it very interesting, and I feel like it could be made much more interesting than it is.

Eldan
2010-10-14, 11:02 AM
That depends:

To go:
Best: Arborea. It's wonderful.
Worst: The Grey Waste. It's pretty much a worst case scenario in every aspect, but losing my emotions makes it especially bad.

To DM:
Best: Baator. The devils are just great antagonists
Worst: Bytopia or Arcadia... I never know what to do with them.

Psyren
2010-10-14, 11:07 AM
Elysium! It's full of furries! :smalltongue:

Planes are on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_Plane) btw, to facilitate discussion.

Eldan
2010-10-14, 11:12 AM
Bah. They only look like furries since 3E. They actually looked pretty cool back in 2E.

Psyren
2010-10-14, 11:17 AM
I was just being facetious - I actually like the Guardinals' animalistic look. :smallsmile:
Summoning a pride of leonals to spam Holy Word Roar everywhere is pretty badass.

What did they look like in 2e?

CockroachTeaParty
2010-10-14, 11:48 AM
Another vote for the Beastlands being the least interesting. I almost always forget that it's there. "What's between Arborea and Elysium? Durr... something lame..."

Ghenna is the evil version of the Beaslands for me. What's the point of Ghenna? Nothing seems to happen there. At least Pandemonium has Garyx.

As for my favorite outer plane... that's a tough one. I'd probably say the Infinite Layers of the Abyss. It's just so wacky! Plus, Dagon lives there! Yay!

thompur
2010-10-14, 12:05 PM
Favorite: The Spruce Goose
Least: The Enola Gay :smallwink:

Scarey Nerd
2010-10-14, 01:35 PM
Favourite: Realm of Dreams is that variant is in effect, if not then the Seven Mounting Heavens of Celestia, because I once ran a campaign all about it and loved everything about it, especially the rulers of each layer.
Least favourite: the Far Realm if available, if not, Limbo, because it seems a bit too chaotic. And I'm an agent of chaos if ever there was one.

Morph Bark
2010-10-14, 01:43 PM
It is between Arborea and Limbo giving it traits of both good and neutrality. It's also an awesome, awesome plane.

Yes. Because you can fight and die and live again, forever. Also Norse gods. HAIL THOR!

Drakevarg
2010-10-14, 01:51 PM
Yes. Because you can fight and die and live again, forever. Also Norse gods. HAIL THOR!

Hail to the Giant-Hunter and hail to the forces of nature all! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTJi5ImbB7g)

Sorry, felt that was needed. Ysgard rules. :smallamused:

Telonius
2010-10-14, 01:55 PM
Favorite: Arborea. Chaotic good, elves and eladrins, several of my favorite goddesses. What's not to like?

Least Favorite: Acheron. Constant, pointless war that drains away the identity? No thanks.

Maryring
2010-10-14, 02:10 PM
Elysium. Or... Celestia. I enjoy pretty much any good plane though.

Emmerask
2010-10-14, 02:20 PM
From a dms perspective:

The Plane of ever changing chaos (or the Limbo): oh the fun I had with my players there :xykon:

Arcadia: dullest Plane ever, check :smallwink:

ScionoftheVoid
2010-10-14, 02:32 PM
Ysgard is very cool, but my favourite plane is probably Acheron. Endless piles of loot with occasional moments of instant death, and it's the home of Wee Jas and Maglubiyet, two of my favourite deities.

Least favourite would be Elysium (everything is all good all the time, sickening and boring) or the Beastlands (nature, nature and, oh look, more nature. Boring unless you deliberately annoy the locals by setting the place on fire. And then they'd probably beat you into unconsciousness and imprison you rather than just killing you quickly). Also doesn't Elysium try to stop you from ever leaving? It is really tough to choose between them.

From a DMing standpoint I'd dislike Limbo, too many random variables for a decent map, but I like the plane apart from that.

Notreallyhere77
2010-10-14, 02:48 PM
My favorite outer planes are the ones I homebrewed.
Tasmyron, the Supreme Hunting Grounds were fun to visualize. It's a highly chaotic plane where predatory creatures go for their afterlife, and the terrain moves around while the sky shifts from day to night at irregular intervals. The trees get up and walk away when a desert spreads, and rivers slosh across the region like a puddle of water on a waterproof tarp. Strongly chaotic, no moral preference.

The other ones I made felt a little generic, even to me.

My least favorite plane is Gehenna. It just seems so... small, compared to the other planes, and the lack of original inhabitants makes it feel like an afterthought. Really, the crawling city is its only redeeming feature, to me.

Zaydos
2010-10-14, 02:56 PM
My least favorite plane is Gehenna. It just seems so... small, compared to the other planes, and the lack of original inhabitants makes it feel like an afterthought. Really, the crawling city is its only redeeming feature, to me.

That brings up a question... are there any creatures native to Gehenna other than Barghests?

Raimun
2010-10-14, 03:06 PM
Yeah, Elysium is a great place.

Sure, it's kind of addicting but aren't all the good things? Like good books, videogames and booze. Ok, it's not like the booze, I mean, just last week I was there and I had no trouble leaving the place. No trouble at all. Left the place and didn't even think about it... that much.

Anyway I'm not really going back there anywhen soon and I haven't even thinked about the place before you mentioned it. I mean, there would be no point at all. You'd have to a complete elysiholic to even think about all that perfect beauty-stuff and eternal happiness-whatever. I-it's not like those things are even something spe...ci...al... Oh my god! Just even give me back those colors! The colors were just perfect! Bright but not too much and so pleasing to even look at! I wasn't even much into colors before I first got there!

That's it! I'm going back! There's no reason to live! Where's my kayak?!

Eldan
2010-10-14, 03:07 PM
Can't remember any. I'll have a look at Planes of conflict.

*a few minutes later*

It names a few things living there: Barghests, Nightmares, bone spears, Dark ones, terlen, vaporighu, phiuls, slasraths... few are only on gehenna, though.

the Monstrous supplement has Linquas, short, construct-like humanoids native to only Gehenna, though they are divine creations, created by Chung siang. The Phiuls, or lingering deaths, are living volcanic vapors. They are somehow connected to the wind dukes of Aaqa, but no one knows how, exactly. The Slasrath... well, they look like flying mantas, with blades for tails. Yugoloths ride them.

and Limbo doesn't have to be that random. A strong enough mind or several people cooperating could easily maintain a large, stable domain.

Notreallyhere77
2010-10-14, 03:08 PM
That brings up a question... are there any creatures native to Gehenna other than Barghests?

Barghests are from there? I didn't know that.
I thought it was all immigrated yugoloths.

Urpriest
2010-10-14, 03:09 PM
That brings up a question... are there any creatures native to Gehenna other than Barghests?

I believe Gehenna has its share of mysterious progenitors buried under new constructions. Some sort of ur-race of fiends.

Kobold-Bard
2010-10-14, 03:20 PM
Favourite: Mechanus. Yes Lawful Stupid is silly, but living in an enormous clock surrounded by Modrons sounds fun to me.

Alternatively: Elyium. All year tan baby :smallcool:

Least: Den of Olidammara. Spend frigging ages in there trying to find the key I'd had in my pocket. Everyone kept pick pocketing it from one another and the DM took very perverse pleasure in making us deal with intolerable, yet charming asshats (it was a fun session, but hindsight has soured me to that place).

EagleWiz
2010-10-14, 04:50 PM
To play:
Favorite: The Abyss, because it is so varied or Ysgard because it is so fun Least: The Beastlands. Nature. Yay. Even in a evil party you cant mess with the beastlands because theres nothing there.

To DM:
Best: Bator. Room for politics and killing stuff.
Worst: Elysium. Not much there and it removes people from the game. Hostile monsters are fun. A plane that forces will saves or loose isn't.

Zaydos
2010-10-14, 04:58 PM
Well I guess I should list my favorite to DM then

Favorite to DM:
Baator; whether as base of operations, or endless dungeon it has the best fluff of any single Lower Plane and unlike the Upper Planes makes interesting encounters.

Elysium: there's no conflict really; sure you could send evil PCs there but the only hazard on the plane is the save or lose and the outsiders are meh, I'd rather use an archon as a holy avenger or a disguised ghaele.

the humanity
2010-10-14, 05:33 PM
Favorite: best run I ever had was in Baator. going with that.

Least: Elysium. no fun. your badass, internally conflicted assassin now lives in the brightest, most colorful hippieville and refuses to leave.

Amiel
2010-10-14, 11:36 PM
That brings up a question... are there any creatures native to Gehenna other than Barghests?

Perhaps the baernaloths are endemic to that plane?

Coidzor
2010-10-15, 01:21 AM
My favorite is Ysgard. It's the source of Gloryborn Armor.

Ahh, yes. He-man armor. :smallbiggrin:


My least favorite is Eberron's Doluurgh or Forgotten Realm's Wall of the Faithless... I'd rather have a happy afterlife.

Yeah, I think by the point they were writing up both of those things they realized how they'd painted things in the previous setting and decided to not beat around the bush about how utterly craptacular the afterlife is.

Hmm, now as far as my favorite Outer Plane... that's a tough one.

I think it has to be Mechanus. Not because I'd want to be there ever, or anything like that. But because of Mechanus Bot. That is, fanon.

Least Favorite... A toss up between Dolurrgh, the Wall of the Faithless, and the Grey Wastes.

Dreary, boring places that break you down into more raw material for the multiverse to cycle through itself again. :smallyuk:

Renchard
2010-10-15, 10:03 AM
Least: The Enola Gay :smallwink:

I think your joke bombed. :smallamused:

Scow2
2010-10-15, 09:55 PM
Ahh, yes. He-man armor. :smallbiggrin:

Actually, I liked the options it gave for female characters as well. Nothing says it has to cover between the collar and abs :smalltongue:

But, as far as best plane for my Non-Warblade characters to retire to: Elysium for:
A.) Furries. They are so fluffy! And Furry! :3
B.) The entire plane is like living Robot Unicorn Attack with all its awesome aspects cranked up to eleven over 9000, and none of its non-awesome aspects.
C.) Seriously. Elysium is like a super-uber version of Robot Unicorn Attack. That's why nobody wants to leave. Everyone's too busy living in HARMONY

Tyndmyr
2010-10-15, 10:45 PM
Least favorite plane?

Plane of Snakes, and Samuel L. Jackson.