Are there ways to travel between planes after death?

[Sir Edgen]

Hey everyone. Let's say we have two friends. One is LG and after death goes to domain of his LG god. Another is CG, his situation is similar. Wouldn't it be cruel if they couldn't see each other ever again? Except for transforming into powerful native outsiders and seeing each other on mortal plane, are there ways for them to remain in contact? Also, other interesting question, can outsiders in service of gods travel to other gods' domains? You know, just to chill together? These questions are both for D&D and pathfinder.

[Nifft]

If you couldn't travel between planes as an Outsider, the Blood War would be a lot less bloody, and Sigil would have a lot fewer visitors.

However, the best possible answer to this problem is reincarnation.

[hamishspence]

If you couldn't travel between planes as an Outsider, the Blood War would be a lot less bloody, and Sigil would have a lot fewer visitors.


True. Most petitioners, however, have the "Planar Commitment" trait, that prevents them from leaving. Sometimes petitioners can be promoted though, to something that can leave - and not every Outer Plane imposes that trait on its petitioners.

[Edreyn]

Petitioners don't retain their mortal memories, so they won't have any reason to meet.

[hamishspence]

Not every dead spirit in an Outer Plane becomes a petitioner - some just are "Souls" going by Complete Divine - with Petitioners being the more favoured ones. Souls eventually become "abstract quanta" of the plane - but it takes a long time.

[Nifft]

True. Most petitioners, however, have the "Planar Commitment" trait, that prevents them from leaving. Sometimes petitioners can be promoted though, to something that can leave - and not every Outer Plane imposes that trait on its petitioners.


Petitioners don't retain their mortal memories, so they won't have any reason to meet.

Yeah, if they've ended up as petitioners then they're already gone.

There's nobody left to visit if the DM goes that route.


Not every dead spirit in an Outer Plane becomes a petitioner

Okay? But you're the only one to assume that they even might be petitioners.

Manual of the Planes puts the fate of dead souls 100% in the DM's hands, and talks about how petitioners might be exceptions rather than the default.

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@Sir Edgen - an Outsider doesn't need the (native) subtype to visit another plane. That's just needed to treat the Prime Material as his or her home plane. Ordinary, garden-variety Outsiders can visit other planes, and there's a lot of lore to support this in most settings.

[Sir Edgen]

Petitioners don't retain their mortal memories, so they won't have any reason to meet.
Wow, I didn't know that. But I've found this on wiki site: "...though there was some evidence to suggest that they retained strong emotions connected with those they knew in life, such as past lovers or family members. If their loved ones followed the same deity, or pantheon, they could be reunited."
This seems odd to me. Alignment depends on person's moral value system and convictions, and memories are necessary for them to exist. Doesn't this life after death system downgrade values of good and evil, law and chaos? Is this a thing in Pathfinder cosmology, too?

[hamishspence]

Okay? But you're the only one to assume that they even might be petitioners.

"Transforming into outsiders" is mentioned in the OP - and petitioners are outsiders. So I figured that the info about petitioner limitations was worth at least mentioning.

[Nifft]

Except for transforming into powerful native outsiders and seeing each other on mortal plane


"Transforming into outsiders" is mentioned in the OP - and petitioners are outsiders. So I figured that the info about petitioner limitations was worth at least mentioning.

I don't think petitioners can be native outsiders.

Is there another rule which would allow that?

[hamishspence]

Being a petitioner of a god that resides on the mortal plane maybe? Like Vecna or Fharlanghn?

[Sir Edgen]

Ow, I'm sorry for "native outsider" misunderstanding. I just realised that I used that term wrong. Fro some reason I thought it means "outsider native to some plane", which just is... an outsider. Yeah...my brain doesn't work during quarantine

[ShurikVch]

Actually, LG Petitioners at the Celestia and the House of the Triad are get No Planar Commitment SQ, so - in theory - should be able to leave the plane to visit their CG friend (as long as they get some way of interplanar transportation)

About the Petitioner's memories - it's not as clear-cut, and more of case-by-case matter
For example, Exceptional Petitioners (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/divine/divineMinions.htm#exceptionalPetitioners) are right there in the rules

[Zarrgon]

The basic answer here is yes.

Maybe. Though it does depend on the cosmos, setting and edition.

In the most vague, generic after life, part of being dead and ''moving on" is that you put all your "mortal" life behind you. That iis the whole idea of dead folks have no memories. So they would not even want to "see or meet and old" friend. That was something they did in life, not afterlife.

In a lot of settings, each god does something different with their dead that worship them. And plenty of them do keep their memories. Some gods might allow travel, or gatherings or meetups.