When/If they do make one over them, I do hope for a couple of player options in them. Plane Below is great for me from a DM standpoint, given I'm always the DM
. But, I would have liked something alittle extra then just the artifacts for my players if I do a larger Elemental Chaos adventure. But, Manuel of the Planes gives my players plenty of options.I have no source, but I do recall mention of books detailing the Feywild, Shadowfell, and Far Realm eventually.
When/If they do make one over them, I do hope for a couple of player options in them. Plane Below is great for me from a DM standpoint, given I'm always the DM
I don't remember any mention of a book on the Far Realm, and I would think that would undermind the madness and unknowableness of it... though a book on Aberrant origin creatures, much like the Draconomicon series, Open Grave, and the upcoming Demonomicon would be much appreciated.
That said, Manual of the Planes seems to be just the first in a series of volumes describing the planes. It's the core module of sorts for the rest, going by the references in The Plane Below to it, citing which page in the the Manual to turn to to get information on highlighted spots in that book. I assume The Plane Above and the books on the Feywild and the Shadowfell will do the same. Underdark also seems tangently related, since it details a place that's quite like a whole plane of its own, and something that stretches between the Parallel Planes.
I think WotC also learned their lesson about including Player content and DM content in the same book – Manual of the Planes is odd in that regard. Of course, that didn't stop them from doing it with Dark Sun...
I am sure though that someone will try to come up for something similar third party though.EDIT: If all else fails, I could just go buy the Cthulhu Bestiary and a book of M.C. Escher and Salvador Dali painting for inspiration
Personally, I'd buy a book dedicated just to the Feydark.
I have the book, and it's because I have enjoyed it that I was ok with getting the Elemental Chaos book The Plane Below.
I'm expecting to order the Underdark tome the day they release it too.
And can't imagine not getting The Plane Above.
I have not heard any talk about a Feywild book, but can't picture them not doing it. After all, why not?
Open Grave IS Shadowfell to my knowledge.
I have the book, and it's because I have enjoyed it that I was ok with getting the Elemental Chaos book The Plane Below.
I'm expecting to order the Underdark tome the day they release it too.
And can't imagine not getting The Plane Above.
I have not heard any talk about a Feywild book, but can't picture them not doing it. After all, why not?
No, they're different books. Sure, Open Grave includes elements from the Shadowfell, and briefly discusses the Shadar-kai and Raven Knights and the Raven Queen, but only in terms of death and the dead and the undead. A Shadowfell book would be a setting book, detailing areas, cultures, and peoples, as well as monsters from it, rather than a book primarily about the Undead, who happen to reside in large numbers in the Shadowfell, but aren't solely of Shadow Origin.
But Shadowfell is the realm of the dead. Those that die go here and almost immediately pass on. Those that don't pass on are the undead. Now the fact that the living can exist here is of course nothing special in the gaming world.
But we don't need extensive knowledge of those that live in Shadowfell by choice. We need extensive knowledge of the Undead who quite understandably will enjoy the experience of being in Shadowfell. After all, Shadowfell is club med to an undead creature.
If you look at Open Grave's table of contents, it's quite plain it's not JUST about the undead. It's about those that make an existence here, it's about the places in Shadowfell AND the monster that lurk here.
Far be it for me to tell W.O.C. what they can put into print, but I think you will be waiting quite a while for a book labeled Shadowfell. It would be intensely redundant. I sure wouldn't need it. Some would say Open Grave was partly redundant if you already have Manual of the Planes.
You might be fixating too much on the name they gave the book. Maybe that is something W.O.C. should consider for the Feywild. Because to call it 'The land of Fairie' might also get you asking for another book titled Feywild.
But Shadowfell is the realm of the dead. Those that die go here and almost immediately pass on. Those that don't pass on are the undead. Now the fact that the living can exist here is of course nothing special in the gaming world.
If you look at Open Grave's table of contents, it's quite plain it's not JUST about the undead. It's about those that make an existence here, it's about the places in Shadowfell AND the monster that lurk here.
Your make some rather presumptuous errors. The Shadowfell is not merely the realm of the dead, it is also a dark reflection of the natural world, just are the Feywild is a vibrant reflection. That the dead go there before passing onto what ever afterlife might await them could easily have more to do with the Raven Queen (god of death), making her home their than the actual fundamental nature of the plain, though that can also lead to something of a chicken-or-the-egg argument.
As for the Shadowfell being mostly populated by undead, this might be true as of the 229 shadow origin creature currently in the compendium abut 56% of them are undead, but that seems too small a lead to make such an absolute statement. As for open grave being not just undead, this is also true as about 13% of the creatures in it's pages aren't, however, more importantly only 23% of the total listed creatures in that tome have the shadow origin (undead or not), while 63% have the natural origin. I'm away from my books presently, but as I recall while the shadow fell is discussed in Open Grave, the amount of relevant material is not much more, and likely less, than the coverage provided in Manual of the Plains. The book instead mostly only discuses the realm as it specifically relates to the undead, ignoring its other traits and characteristics and with little to no discussion of its locations or history. All in all it seems unlikely that the book subtitled "Secrets of the Undead" is meant to be our go to source for information on the plain of shadows.
Both the Feywild and Shadowfell are said to have visages of the real world reflected within them. I'd love to see some concepts of locations from reality altered in BOTH realms, so we can see exactly how, say, a vast citadel is mirrored in each location. The dichotomy between the Feywild landmark and the Shadowfell landmark would be incredibly nifty.
But Shadowfell is the realm of the dead. Those that die go here and almost immediately pass on. Those that don't pass on are the undead. Now the fact that the living can exist here is of course nothing special in the gaming world.
If you look at Open Grave's table of contents, it's quite plain it's not JUST about the undead. It's about those that make an existence here, it's about the places in Shadowfell AND the monster that lurk here.
Your make some rather presumptuous errors. The Shadowfell is not merely the realm of the dead, it is also a dark reflection of the natural world, just are the Feywild is a vibrant reflection. That the dead go there before passing onto what ever afterlife might await them could easily have more to do with the Raven Queen (god of death), making her home their than the actual fundamental nature of the plain, though that can also lead to something of a chicken-or-the-egg argument.
As for the Shadowfell being mostly populated by undead, this might be true as of the 229 shadow origin creature currently in the compendium abut 56% of them are undead, but that seems too small a lead to make such an absolute statement. As for open grave being not just undead, this is also true as about 13% of the creatures in it's pages aren't, however, more importantly only 23% of the total listed creatures in that tome have the shadow origin (undead or not), while 63% have the natural origin. I'm away from my books presently, but as I recall while the shadow fell is discussed in Open Grave, the amount of relevant material is not much more, and likely less, than the coverage provided in Manual of the Plains. The book instead mostly only discuses the realm as it specifically relates to the undead, ignoring its other traits and characteristics and with little to no discussion of its locations or history. All in all it seems unlikely that the book subtitled "Secrets of the Undead" is meant to be our go to source for information on the plain of shadows.
Thank you Tharag. The book speaks almost nothing of the Domains of Dread – most of what is spoken of the actual plane is in the Manual of the Planes, with similar limited discussion in Open Grave. We need a book that expands out the plane like The Plane Below does. I could see them republishing a book full of Domains of Dread as well at some point... and I wouldn't be surprised if there are one or more Domains in the Shadowfell book.
I've never seen the interest in Ravenloft. But wouldn't it be better to just ask Ravenloft to be released for 4th edition?
They were interesting to peruse.
Have there not been several Domains of Dread already detailed in Dungeon Magazine? (Probably more to come as well.)
They were interesting to peruse.
There's been 3 Domains of Dread thus far, one for each tier, with a fourth coming out late this month. I wouldn't be surprised if they were compiled and updated once a bunch more come out, with new ones added, in a Domains of Dread book. I doubt they'd use the Ravenloft label, though with rules for the Count himself, I wouldn't be surprised if we eventually see his castle as a Domain. But for now, they've been doing Domains that directly relate to the histories they've established – the fall of Nerath for the Heroic tier Domain, the fall of Bael Turath for the Paragon tier, and the fall of Arkhosia for the Epic tier one. I wouldn't be suprised either if there were one or more in a Shadowfell book, since Domains of Dread sort of are major places of importance in the Shadowfell, and their mirroring the Natural World provides an interesting venue for the book.
If wotc released feywild and shadowfell books, I'd buy them.
So would I!
I too would really, really like a Feywild book and was saddened that it wasn't announced for this year. I hope that's just because they're saving the best for last...
They haven't announced anything bast the Dark Sun release this summer… it could be in the Fall.