Planes of Existence

Planes are different regions or versions of reality, each plane corresponding to some type, kind, or category of being.

Prime Material and its Echoes
Faerune, Eberon, Athas, Oerth, and many more are part of the Prime Material plane. These are the worlds that most closely resemble Earth in their physical structure. Additionally, the Prime Material has two echoes - the Shadowfell and the Feywild. These echoes are copies of the Prime Material, with similar geographical features, but with much more prevalent magical energies.


 * Shadowfell: The bleak, desolate reflection of the Prime Material plane. Also known as the Plane of Shadow or the Shadowlands, it lacks nearly all color and the plane itself drains visitors of their happiness.
 * Feywild: The much brighter, wilder, and more magical version of its Prime counterpart. It is the original home of pixies, satyrs, and any other fey creatures.

Transitive Planes
The places between the planes are called the transitive planes.


 * Ethereal plane: This plane connects the Material plane and its echoes to the inner elemental planes. It is the plane of ghosts.
 * Astral plane: sometimes Astral Sea, connects all of the outer planes of existence. It is mostly empty, the only matter here was brought from other places. It is the plane of thought and dreams.

Elemental Planes
The inner rung of the great wheel is comprised of the elemental planes.


 * Fire: The source of all fire in the multiverse.
 * Water: A bottomless ocean; home to massive, mysterious seafaring creatures.
 * Earth: Shifting, shaking rocks and dirt in all directions.
 * Air: A plane of infinite sky. Creatures that cannot fly often have a hard time traveling here.

Para-Elemental Planes.
The elemental planes are arranged in a circle, adjacent to one another. Their intersections create the four para-elemental planes.


 * Ash: The choking intersection of fire and air.
 * Magma: The molten intersection of fire and earth.
 * Ooze: The slimy intersection of water and earth.
 * Ice: The frozen intersection of air and water.
 * Elemental Chaos: All of the inner planes sit within the elemental chaos. It is a plane of constant change and unbridled elemental power.

Outer Planes
There are sixteen outer planes of existence, each corresponding to a different aspect of each alignment.

Upper Planes
Known as the upper planes, these are the 7 good aligned planes.


 * Arcadia: A plane of pleasant order.
 * Mount Celestia: The pinnacle of lawful goodness.
 * Bytopia: A twinned paradise.
 * Elysium: Pure good unbound by law and unfettered by chaos.
 * The Beastlands: Wild beasts rule here without any traces of civilization.
 * Arborea: Disorganized, but well meaning.
 * Ysgard: The plane of heroic warriors and glory seekers.

Lower Planes
The lower planes, being evil aligned, stand in opposition to the good upper planes.


 * Pandemonium: A dark, underground plane of howling madness.
 * The Abyss: A bottomless pit of demons.
 * Carceri: A prison to the multiverse.
 * Hades: Nothing buy grey depression.
 * Gehenna: A volcanic plane of selfishness.
 * The Nine Hells: Home of devils and lawyers.
 * Acheron: The plane of endless war.

Law and Chaos

 * Mechanus: Absolute law.
 * Limbo: Absolute chaos.

The Center
In the center of the wheel, at least according to its inhabitants, is the Outlands. At the center of that is the city Sigil.

The Energy Planes
The entire wheel is surrounded by the two energy planes, positive and negative.


 * Positive Energy Plane: Pure, radiant light and life.
 * Negative Energy Plane: Black, necrotic darkness and death.

Beyond the Wheel
Beyond the wheel is a plane known as the Far Realm, the home of Beholders, Mindflayers, Aboleths, and other aberrations.

Psychic Dissonance
Each of the Outer Planes emanates a psychic dissonance that affects visitors of an incompatible alignment-good creatures on the Lower Planes, evil ones on the Upper Planes-if they spend too much time on the plane. At the end of a long rest spent on an incompatible plane, a visitor must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature gains one level of exhaustion. Incompatibility between lawful and chaotic alignments doesn't have the same effect, so Mechanus and Limbo lack this quality.