Where do people go when they die? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Where do people go when they die? [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Carolan
03-01-07, 07:30 AM I'm a bit confused as to where petitioners end on the great wheel up once they have died.
If they are Lawful Neutral for instance they go to Mechanus and Lawful Good then Mount Celestia. But who goes to Arcadia. Is it people who are the above alignments who are a bit good for mechanus but not enough for Celestia. In that case why not Bytopia or is that for people who are too lawful for Elysium but not enough for Celestia. This could be asked all around the great wheel, eg Gehenna or Archeron, Pandemonium or Carceri, Ysgard or Beastlands
Ordbyrht
03-01-07, 09:06 AM I'm a bit confused as to where petitioners end on the great wheel up once they have died.
I've always found this hard to explain, so bare with me. Using the examples of Mount Celestia, Arcadia and Bytopia, they are all different balances of Law and Good. Mount Celestia is a perfect balance of Law and Good, Arcadia, on the other hand, is more Law-inclined than it is Good. Finally, Bytopia is more Good-inclined than it is Law.

I don't have a lot of time, so hopefully, someone will come along supplement what I've said.
Millennium
03-01-07, 09:37 AM By default, you go to the outer Plane which most closely matches your own alignment.
I've always found this hard to explain, so bare with me. Using the examples of Mount Celestia, Arcadia and Bytopia, they are all different balances of Law and Good. Mount Celestia is a perfect balance of Law and Good, Arcadia, on the other hand, is more Law-inclined than it is Good. Finally, Bytopia is more Good-inclined than it is Law.
This is pretty much spot-on: the three planes here differ in terms of emphasis more than anything else. An LG character might go to Arcadia or Bytopia if Law or Good was a significantly stronger influence in that character's life, but if neither was really stronger than the other then the character would instead go to Celestia.

Keep in mind that going to a plane that matches your alignment is only the default. If you have a patron deity, then you go to that deity's realm even if your alignment doesn't match the plane it's on. In some campaign settings (notably the Realms), fiends can also buy or even steal souls for their planes.
CzarGarrett
03-02-07, 09:10 AM I see it as a difference between Lawful Good, Lawful Good, and Lawful Good

It winds up being like the Compass Rose. There's your N/S/E/W, then your NE/NW/SE/SW. And in between, NNE/SSW/etc
ripvanwormer
03-02-07, 02:07 PM It's a matter of priorities.

If you're lawful good, but care more about good than law, you end up in Bytopia.

If you're lawful good, but care more about law than good, you end up in Arcadia.

If you're lawful good, and care equally about law and good, you end up in Celestia.

Arcadia is also the spiritual home of lawful neutral characters who favor good over evil. Bytopia is also the spiritual home of neutral good characters who favor law over chaos.

And so on. Ysgard is the home of chaotic neutral characters who favor good over evil, and chaotic good characters who favor chaos over good. Carceri is the home of neutral evil characters who, if they had to decide, would choose chaos over law, and the home of chaotic evil characters who would choose evil over chaos.

The "in-between planes" are, as you guessed, the place for those who don't quite fit in one of the nine primary alignments.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Carolan 03-01-07, 07:30 AM	I'm a bit confused as to where petitioners end on the great wheel up once they have died. If they are Lawful Neutral for instance they go to Mechanus and Lawful Good then Mount Celestia. But who goes to Arcadia. Is it people who are the above alignments who are a bit good for mechanus but not enough for Celestia. In that case why not Bytopia or is that for people who are too lawful for Elysium but not enough for Celestia. This could be asked all around the great wheel, eg Gehenna or Archeron, Pandemonium or Carceri, Ysgard or Beastlands
Ordbyrht 03-01-07, 09:06 AM	I'm a bit confused as to where petitioners end on the great wheel up once they have died. I've always found this hard to explain, so bare with me. Using the examples of Mount Celestia, Arcadia and Bytopia, they are all different balances of Law and Good. Mount Celestia is a perfect balance of Law and Good, Arcadia, on the other hand, is more Law-inclined than it is Good. Finally, Bytopia is more Good-inclined than it is Law. I don't have a lot of time, so hopefully, someone will come along supplement what I've said.
Millennium 03-01-07, 09:37 AM	By default, you go to the outer Plane which most closely matches your own alignment. I've always found this hard to explain, so bare with me. Using the examples of Mount Celestia, Arcadia and Bytopia, they are all different balances of Law and Good. Mount Celestia is a perfect balance of Law and Good, Arcadia, on the other hand, is more Law-inclined than it is Good. Finally, Bytopia is more Good-inclined than it is Law. This is pretty much spot-on: the three planes here differ in terms of emphasis more than anything else. An LG character might go to Arcadia or Bytopia if Law or Good was a significantly stronger influence in that character's life, but if neither was really stronger than the other then the character would instead go to Celestia. Keep in mind that going to a plane that matches your alignment is only the default. If you have a patron deity, then you go to that deity's realm even if your alignment doesn't match the plane it's on. In some campaign settings (notably the Realms), fiends can also buy or even steal souls for their planes.
CzarGarrett 03-02-07, 09:10 AM	I see it as a difference between Lawful Good, Lawful Good, and Lawful Good It winds up being like the Compass Rose. There's your N/S/E/W, then your NE/NW/SE/SW. And in between, NNE/SSW/etc
ripvanwormer 03-02-07, 02:07 PM	It's a matter of priorities. If you're lawful good, but care more about good than law, you end up in Bytopia. If you're lawful good, but care more about law than good, you end up in Arcadia. If you're lawful good, and care equally about law and good, you end up in Celestia. Arcadia is also the spiritual home of lawful neutral characters who favor good over evil. Bytopia is also the spiritual home of neutral good characters who favor law over chaos. And so on. Ysgard is the home of chaotic neutral characters who favor good over evil, and chaotic good characters who favor chaos over good. Carceri is the home of neutral evil characters who, if they had to decide, would choose chaos over law, and the home of chaotic evil characters who would choose evil over chaos. The "in-between planes" are, as you guessed, the place for those who don't quite fit in one of the nine primary alignments.