Planes of Existence

critgames2022-03-06T18:23:54-08:00

The cosmos teems with a multitude of worlds as well as myriad alternate dimensions of reality, called the planes of existence. It encompasses every world where GMs run their adventures, all within the relatively mundane realm of the Material Plane. Beyond that plane are domains of raw elemental matter and energy, realms of pure thought and ethos, the homes of demons and angels, and the dominions of the gods. Many spells and magic items can draw energy from these planes, summon the creatures that dwell there, communicate with their denizens, and allow adventurers to travel there. As your character achieves greater power and higher levels, you might walk on streets made of solid fire or test your mettle on a battlefield where the fallen are resurrected with each dawn.

The Material Plane

The Material Plane is the nexus where the philosophical and elemental forces that define the other planes collide in the jumbled existence of mortal life and mundane matter. All fantasy gaming worlds exist within the Material Plane, making it the starting point for most campaigns and adventures. The rest of the multiverse is defined in relation to the Material Plane. The worlds of the Material Plane are infinitely diverse, for they reflect the creative imagination of the GMs who set their games there, as well as the players whose heroes adventure there. They include magic-wasted desert planets and island-dotted water worlds, worlds where magic combines with advanced technology and others trapped in an endless Stone Age, worlds where the gods walk and places they have abandoned.

Beyond the Material

Beyond the Material Plane, the various planes of existence are realms of myth and mystery. They’re not simply other worlds, but different qualities...

Pantheons

critgames2022-03-06T18:21:41-08:00

The Celtic, Egyptian, Greek, and Norse pantheons are fantasy interpretations of historical religions from our world’s ancient times. They include deities that are most appropriate for use in a game, divorced from their historical context in the real world and united into pantheons that serve the needs of the game.

The Celtic Pantheon

It’s said that something wild lurks in the heart of every soul, a space that thrills to the sound of geese calling at night, to the whispering wind through the pines, to the unexpected red of mistletoe on an oak-and it is in this space that the Celtic gods dwell. They sprang from the brook and stream, their might heightened by the strength of the oak and the beauty of the woodlands and open moor. When the first forester dared put a name to the face seen in the bole of a tree or the voice babbling in a brook, these gods forced themselves into being. The Celtic gods are as often served by druids as by clerics, for they are closely aligned with the forces of nature that druids revere.

Table- Celtic Deities

Deity Alignment Suggested Domains Symbol The Daghdha, god of weather and crops CG Nature, Trickery Bubbling cauldron or shield Arawn, god of life and death NE Life, Death Black star on gray background Belenus, god of sun, light, and warmth NG Light Solar disk and standing stones Brigantia, goddess of rivers and livestock NG Life Footbridge Diancecht, god of medicine and healing LG Life Crossed oak and mistletoe branches Dunatis, god of mountains and peaks N Nature Red sun-capped mountain peak Goibhniu, god of smiths and healing NG Knowledge, Life Giant mallet over sword Lugh, god of arts, travel, and commerce CN Knowledge, Life Pair of long hands Manannan mac Lir, god of oceans and sea creatures LN Nature, Tempest Wave of white water...