Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 havard Apr 25, 2007 9:07:49	How would the SJ cosmology work with the concept of Alternate Primes? From what I understand Alternate Primes have their own Ethereal and Astral Planes. Could SJ Crystal Spheres be considered Alternate Primes? Havard
#2 ripvanwormer Apr 25, 2007 16:35:48	Alternate Material Planes don't need to have their own Astral or Ethereal Planes; there are several cosmological models in the 3e Manual of the Planes where multiple Material Planes coexist in the same cosmology, and transitive planes connect them. For example, the Astral Plane might be the "road" through which you move from one Material Plane and another. This is how the multiverse was set up in 1st edition - travel through the Astral Plane was called "probability travel" because the various color pools often led to alternate probabilities. The main reason to use alternate Material Planes is because you want one to be a mirror or alternate version of another - a place where evil doppelgangers of your PCs exist, for example, or a place where history went differently some time in the past, or a place where time moves at a different pace. An alternate Material Plane may also be a place where the laws of nature are different, where magic works differently or not at all. The Material Plane is said to be infinite in expanse, so it can be assumed that each alternate world would have its own infinite universe beyond it. Some of these universes might be like the Spelljammer one, with crystal spheres and phlogiston, while others might be more "scientific," with empty space arranged into galaxies and clusters of galaxies. In those cases where your idea for an alternate world doesn't depart very much from a standard D&D world, then yes - I think it makes sense to just make it another crystal sphere on the same Material Plane. For example, Aelos from Where Chaos Reigns would make sense as just another world in another crystal sphere (or even the same crystal sphere, if you wanted). LaTerre/Mythic Earth could be another sphere as well. There could be alternate versions of other planes other than the Material - alternate Astral Planes, alternate Nine Hells, alternate Temporal Energy Planes - but unless those planes are distinct and interesting in their own right, I think it overcomplicates things. Rather than introducing two identical Planes of Fire, I'd just let two alternate worlds share the same Plane of Fire.