I've lately been reading up on D&D cosmology, comparing the different cosmological models and the events leading up to them. And I have to admit that some areas have left me confused. Particularly the changes from 4th to 5th edition. What has changed and what hasn't? For example, it is described how the Energy and Elemental planes collapsed into the Elemental Chaos, and how Shar used this occurance to create the Shadowfell from the Plane of Shadows. Yet, in 5e, both the Energy planes as well as the Elemental planes still exist, and so does the Shadowfell?
Does the Astral Sea no longer exist. Did it ever?
What has happened and what hasn't?
I'd appreciate it if someone could give me a quick overview of the most major changes from 4e to 5e.
If you mean the positive and negative planes by the energy planes, they do exist. Right there in the same DMG
The Positive and Negative Planes. These two planes enfold the rest of the cosmology, providing the raw forces of life and death that underlie the rest of existence in the multiverse.
So I believe they've been pushed beyond where they used to be located in prior cosmologies and sort of produce a balance "shell" containing the rest of the planes or what some scholars in my game world call "existence." I don't think it's precisely stated in canon, but in my game Far Realms dwell beyond the positive and negative planes. And in my own game canon the negative plane is most often breached to bring far realm incursions. Similar breaches exist in the positive plane, its what puts souls into the world. But again those last two claims are things I've worked out for my own game world.
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Right, but there's no information at all about what happened after the Energy and Elemental planes collapsed into the Elemental Chaos? All we know is that they still exist like nothing ever happened?
Also, In 4e the Astral Plane became the Astral Sea (meaning the outer planes now floated in the actual Astral Plane instead of simply being connected by it). However in 5e it is called the Astral Plane once again with only a single mention of the Astral Sea. Does this imply that the Outer planes stopped drifting around like they did before?
I don’t know if everything was ever fully explained in regards to the switch back from 4e’s World Axis Cosmology to the Great Wheel Cosmology for the Forgotten Realms, at least not in any Official 5e book that I can remember. I think this information was more explains via supplements and answers from the Devs.
To be fair though, 4e Cosmology was not initially created for the Forgotten Realms specifically but instead created for 4e’s more ambiguous Nentir Vale/Points of Light world setting. It was later adopted into Forgotten Realms when they released setting books for them.
Following the Forgotten Realms Wiki, the World Axis and Great Wheel cosmological models are both used by scholars still, though the Great Wheel is what 5e specifically uses. I think they are both treated as different ways of interpreting the multi-planar systems of the Forgotten Realms Universe.
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"Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crunchy and taste good with ketchup."
I've lately been reading up on D&D cosmology, comparing the different cosmological models and the events leading up to them. And I have to admit that some areas have left me confused. Particularly the changes from 4th to 5th edition. What has changed and what hasn't? For example, it is described how the Energy and Elemental planes collapsed into the Elemental Chaos, and how Shar used this occurance to create the Shadowfell from the Plane of Shadows. Yet, in 5e, both the Energy planes as well as the Elemental planes still exist, and so does the Shadowfell?
Does the Astral Sea no longer exist. Did it ever?
What has happened and what hasn't?
I'd appreciate it if someone could give me a quick overview of the most major changes from 4e to 5e.
The energy planes do not exist - not as far as I can tell.
The Astral Plane in 5e.
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If you mean the positive and negative planes by the energy planes, they do exist. Right there in the same DMG
So I believe they've been pushed beyond where they used to be located in prior cosmologies and sort of produce a balance "shell" containing the rest of the planes or what some scholars in my game world call "existence." I don't think it's precisely stated in canon, but in my game Far Realms dwell beyond the positive and negative planes. And in my own game canon the negative plane is most often breached to bring far realm incursions. Similar breaches exist in the positive plane, its what puts souls into the world. But again those last two claims are things I've worked out for my own game world.
Jander Sunstar is the thinking person's Drizzt, fight me.
Right, but there's no information at all about what happened after the Energy and Elemental planes collapsed into the Elemental Chaos? All we know is that they still exist like nothing ever happened?
Also, In 4e the Astral Plane became the Astral Sea (meaning the outer planes now floated in the actual Astral Plane instead of simply being connected by it). However in 5e it is called the Astral Plane once again with only a single mention of the Astral Sea. Does this imply that the Outer planes stopped drifting around like they did before?
I don’t know if everything was ever fully explained in regards to the switch back from 4e’s World Axis Cosmology to the Great Wheel Cosmology for the Forgotten Realms, at least not in any Official 5e book that I can remember. I think this information was more explains via supplements and answers from the Devs.
To be fair though, 4e Cosmology was not initially created for the Forgotten Realms specifically but instead created for 4e’s more ambiguous Nentir Vale/Points of Light world setting. It was later adopted into Forgotten Realms when they released setting books for them.
Following the Forgotten Realms Wiki, the World Axis and Great Wheel cosmological models are both used by scholars still, though the Great Wheel is what 5e specifically uses. I think they are both treated as different ways of interpreting the multi-planar systems of the Forgotten Realms Universe.
"Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crunchy and taste good with ketchup."
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