Manual of the Planes

Manual of the Planes is a sourcebook for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons that details the multiverse beyond the standard game world. Published by TSR in 1987, this 128-page hardcover volume features cover art by Jeff Easley and interior illustrations by Stephen Fabian. The book outlines the fundamental structure of D&D's cosmos, including the Astral and Ethereal planes, the realms of pure elements, and the domains of gods and demons. It contains practical information about planar travel, survival techniques, and how different environments affect magic and combat. Each plane receives a systematic breakdown of its physical laws, inhabitants, and special hazards that adventuring parties might face. The manual serves as both a theoretical framework for understanding D&D's cosmology and a practical toolkit for Dungeon Masters running planar adventures. This work represents a significant expansion of D&D's scope beyond traditional fantasy settings, establishing a complex metaphysical structure that would influence fantasy gaming for decades.

Readers value the Manual of the Planes as a detailed resource for Dungeons & Dragons campaigns involving travel between different planes of existence. Liked: - Clear descriptions and diagrams of complex planar concepts - Usable content for both players and DMs - Strong artwork that helps visualize abstract dimensions - Practical advice for running planar adventures Disliked: - Some find the content overwhelming for new DMs - A few readers note minor inconsistencies with other D&D planar lore - Limited monster statistics compared to other supplements - Paper quality issues in some printings Ratings: Goodreads: 4.19/5 (157 ratings) RPGGeek: 7.69/10 (69 ratings) Notable Reviews: "Explains complex cosmic concepts without getting bogged down in unnecessary detail" - RPGGeek reviewer "The illustrations really help bring abstract planes to life" - Goodreads user "Good foundation but needs supplementing with other resources for full campaigns" - DriveThruRPG review

Planescape Campaign Setting by David "Zeb" Cook This D&D campaign sourcebook details the city of Sigil and the philosophy of the planes through faction-based gameplay mechanics and planar travel rules.

Guide to the Ethereal Plane by Bruce R. Cordell This sourcebook focuses on the misty realm between the Prime Material and Inner Planes with maps, locations, and encounter tables.

Deities and Demigods by James M. Ward, Robert J. Kuntz This rulebook presents pantheons from multiple mythologies with statistics and planar information for divine realms.

The Planar Handbook by Bruce R. Cordell, Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel This D&D 3.5 supplement provides rules for planar characters, planar feats, and dimensional travel mechanics.

Lords of Madness by Rich Baker, James Jacobs, Steve Winter This sourcebook explores aberrations and their connection to other planes with rules for running encounters in alien dimensions.

🌟 The Manual of the Planes was first published in 1987 and helped establish the "Great Wheel" cosmology that became a cornerstone of D&D's multiverse. 🌟 Jeff Grubb also co-created the Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms campaign settings, two of the most successful D&D worlds ever published. 🌟 The concept of interconnected planes in D&D was heavily influenced by Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion series and its multiverse of parallel worlds. 🌟 The book introduced the concept of "planar layers," where each outer plane consists of multiple distinct levels - a feature that became standard in future D&D cosmology. 🌟 The survival rules for different planes established in this manual were so well-designed that they remained largely unchanged through multiple editions of D&D.