I'm running a game where cities and settlements from the Elemental Planes are relevant to the players. However, I have no idea what these places are even like, and I don't want to end up resorting to, "It's just like a normal city, but you're on the Plane of Fire/Air/etc."
The DMG is extremely short on details, and I've looked at materials for the older editions (including the Planescape campaign books) and they're likewise terse about life on the Elemental Planes.
So what are the cities like on these planes? Any suggested reading for getting more information?
One description I read claims that the parts of the elemental planes nearest the material plane bears a lot of similarity to the material plane. In the description when one goes further, it ends up being solid rock, empty air, endless fire, and completely underwater. It states that going even further ends up in chaotic energies of all the elemental planes mixing. It suggests that most elemental planar travel goes to those borderlands near the material plane. I've read how the boundaries between planes also have specific features combining the two planes. So if you use that configuration, you can make it as familiar or as alien as you'd like depending on how far away from the material plane one goes.
I think they make it vague and brief on purpose to allow you to decide as your imagination desires. The mixing of the planes allows a lot of opportunity for variety never previously encountered or something familiar in the middle of something indescribable.
I say, "Go nuts." Do what you think works for you.
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Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
I'm running a game where cities and settlements from the Elemental Planes are relevant to the players. However, I have no idea what these places are even like, and I don't want to end up resorting to, "It's just like a normal city, but you're on the Plane of Fire/Air/etc."
The DMG is extremely short on details, and I've looked at materials for the older editions (including the Planescape campaign books) and they're likewise terse about life on the Elemental Planes.
So what are the cities like on these planes? Any suggested reading for getting more information?
One description I read claims that the parts of the elemental planes nearest the material plane bears a lot of similarity to the material plane. In the description when one goes further, it ends up being solid rock, empty air, endless fire, and completely underwater. It states that going even further ends up in chaotic energies of all the elemental planes mixing. It suggests that most elemental planar travel goes to those borderlands near the material plane. I've read how the boundaries between planes also have specific features combining the two planes. So if you use that configuration, you can make it as familiar or as alien as you'd like depending on how far away from the material plane one goes.
I think they make it vague and brief on purpose to allow you to decide as your imagination desires. The mixing of the planes allows a lot of opportunity for variety never previously encountered or something familiar in the middle of something indescribable.
I say, "Go nuts." Do what you think works for you.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
If you can get your hands on a copy of The Inner Planes from 2E it has descriptions of all the inner planes with locations, inhabitants, hazard, etc.