Hey all, i am hoping one of you fine adventurers/dm's could provide a list of all essential planar source books. I have a strong desire to learn more about planes and their properties. As such i have a need for many reference guides.
Thank you so much for any assistance you all can, and are willing to, provide.
The gold standard for this is the book, "Manual of the Planes" which had official versions produced for 2nd edition, 3rd edition and 4th edition - you should be easily able to purchase one of these if you want to understand the mechanics/lore.
There's been no news on a version for 5th edition yet, so maybe years before we have an official 5e edition.
The current, 5e planar reference is the DMG, Chapter 2: Creating a Multiverse.
For previous editions, you have to understand that the nature of the planes has changed significantly from edition to edition. It's also slightly different for each setting. So the Abyss you get to from Krynn isn't necessarily the same Abyss as the one you get to from Toril. To confuse things even more, they can also be the same Abyss.
My personal preference is for the AD&D Manual of the Planes. It's a fantastic book that, IMO, stands the test of time. However it can be hard to reconcile with 5e rules so I just use the DMG version.
There is some speculation that the next big book from WotC might be a Planescape one, though, so cross your fingers :)
Like others have said, the various Manuals of the Planes are a great starting point into the planes, with each giving a little different spin on the planes (AD&D 1e, D&D 3e, D&D 4e - I'm partial to the 3e one as really great stuff, but all are interesting). If you want some planar material with a very strong flavor to it, the Planescape campaign setting is definitely interesting. I'd recommend starting right off with the original Planescape Campaign Setting boxed set or the Planewalker's Handbook as a sort of "Player's Guide to the Planes" (which is of course useful to DM's as well). But, like I said, the Planescape stuff is definitely a campaign setting with a strong feel to it (that I think is awesome, it's my favorite setting, but not everyone is a fan) and the Manuals of the Planes are more generic guides.
This also reminds me - I have been considering starting an "Introduction to Planescape" website/podcast/something. There are a lot of new D&D fans with 5e and the Planescape/planar stuff hasn't been supported for a long time, but I wasn't sure if there'd be an audience for that sort of thing. Might have to actually get some stuff posted soon and see!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
Hey all, i am hoping one of you fine adventurers/dm's could provide a list of all essential planar source books. I have a strong desire to learn more about planes and their properties. As such i have a need for many reference guides.
Thank you so much for any assistance you all can, and are willing to, provide.
-
View User Profile
-
View Posts
-
Send Message
D&D Beyond FoundersThe gold standard for this is the book, "Manual of the Planes" which had official versions produced for 2nd edition, 3rd edition and 4th edition - you should be easily able to purchase one of these if you want to understand the mechanics/lore.
There's been no news on a version for 5th edition yet, so maybe years before we have an official 5e edition.
Pun-loving nerd | Faith Elisabeth Lilley | She/Her/Hers | Profile art by Becca Golins
If you need help with homebrew, please post on the homebrew forums, where multiple staff and moderators can read your post and help you!
"We got this, no problem! I'll take the twenty on the left - you guys handle the one on the right!"🔊
The current, 5e planar reference is the DMG, Chapter 2: Creating a Multiverse.
For previous editions, you have to understand that the nature of the planes has changed significantly from edition to edition. It's also slightly different for each setting. So the Abyss you get to from Krynn isn't necessarily the same Abyss as the one you get to from Toril. To confuse things even more, they can also be the same Abyss.
My personal preference is for the AD&D Manual of the Planes. It's a fantastic book that, IMO, stands the test of time. However it can be hard to reconcile with 5e rules so I just use the DMG version.
There is some speculation that the next big book from WotC might be a Planescape one, though, so cross your fingers :)
The 2e Planescape setting books did a lot to flesh out the planes, though there were quite a number of changes made in later editions.
My RPG Design Blog on Facebook
My Recent Product Announcements on Twitter
Like others have said, the various Manuals of the Planes are a great starting point into the planes, with each giving a little different spin on the planes (AD&D 1e, D&D 3e, D&D 4e - I'm partial to the 3e one as really great stuff, but all are interesting). If you want some planar material with a very strong flavor to it, the Planescape campaign setting is definitely interesting. I'd recommend starting right off with the original Planescape Campaign Setting boxed set or the Planewalker's Handbook as a sort of "Player's Guide to the Planes" (which is of course useful to DM's as well). But, like I said, the Planescape stuff is definitely a campaign setting with a strong feel to it (that I think is awesome, it's my favorite setting, but not everyone is a fan) and the Manuals of the Planes are more generic guides.
This also reminds me - I have been considering starting an "Introduction to Planescape" website/podcast/something. There are a lot of new D&D fans with 5e and the Planescape/planar stuff hasn't been supported for a long time, but I wasn't sure if there'd be an audience for that sort of thing. Might have to actually get some stuff posted soon and see!