The ASTRAL PLANE
The ASTRAL PLANE
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The Astral plane consists
of other-dimensional nothingness, a
barren expanse extending in all directions.
The only breaks in
this bleakness are small islands of matter
broken off from their
native dimensions and occasional wide,
spinning columns of
astral conduits, also called wormholes.
Wormholes link the outer
planes with each other and with the PMP.
The
Astral is little more than a plane of
transit, a means of moving
between the inner and outer planes. It
is also secondarily a home
for extra-planar creatures. The plane
has precious few native
creatures, and the only Deity that makes
his home here from
DDG
is Anubis of the Egyptian mythos.
A traveller finding
himself in the Astral sees a bright, well-lit
grayness that extends in all directions,
as if he is within a thick silver
atmosphere. The Astral material is very
clear, and vision is
unimpaired by physical limits. The plane
is incredibly grey
and dull, save for color pools,
other travellers, and conduits to other planes.
Pools are readily accessible portals into
the other
planes of existence. Other travellers
are natives of other planes
who have found a way into the Astral.
Conduits resemble
water spouts on a stormy day at sea, their
ends lost in vast
expanses of grey at either end. Wormholes
are interdimensional
vortices that link the outer planes with
the PMPs
in much the same way that elemental vortices
link the PMPs
w/ the inner planes. In this case, however,
the
conduit exists through a third plane,
the Astral. Conduits and color pools are
xplained in more detail in the Encounters
section.
The Astral has no gravity,
though objects retain their
masses here and can be thrown at normal
velocities. This is different
from the neutrally buoyant Ethereal planes
and the self-determined
gravity of the inner planes. This weightlessness
requires some acclimation, and there may
be difficulty in performing
some actions until that acclimation is
made. Beings can
MOVE by pushing off large objects, but
most usu. MOVE by concentrating
on where they want to go (see page 64).
<>
The Astral plane can
be reached from almost any point in the
Prime Material plane and most points in
the first (closest) layers
of the outer planes. Entering these planes
is normally done
through color pools that open onto
particular areas of the destination
plane. Unlike the situation in the Ethereal,
a being's living
form can exist only in the Astral or the
other plane--it cannot exist
in both simultaneously. The Astral plane
cannot be reached from
any of the inner planes. It can be reached
from the Ethereal plane
only through ether cyclones, which create
temporary ruptures
between the Astral and Ethereal.
Reaching
the Astral Plane
The Astral plane and
those powerful realms that lie beyond it
are generally reached by two very different
means. The traveller
can reach this plane either by projecting
his astral form into the
plane or by physically entering the plane.
Either method can be
accomplished by spell, psionic ability,
or device, and each has
similarities, advantages, and disadvantages.
Unless otherwise
noted, rules that apply to a traveller
(as opposed to an astrally projecting or
physical traveller) apply to both forms
of travel.
Reaching
the Astral by Projection
Projecting one's astral
form is the healthiest method of travelling
to the Astral plane. This method, using
the astral spell or the
psionic ability astral projection,
separates the astral self from the
traveller's body. The astral self, bound
to its original body by a silver cord,
can then 
the Astral plane and travel through it into
the outer planes. Travel by this fashion
has a great advantages in
that the traveller does not risk his real
hide--if the astral form is
slain or destroyed, the traveller's psyche
returns to his original
body. Further, the traveller can voluntarily
return to his original
body if there is a horrendous danger or
hazardous situation to
confront. This return takes 1d100 melee
rounds, but it can be
delayed by the forces of a psychic
wind.
The astral form appears
on the Astral plane as a translucent,
white, humanoid formm. This form is solid
and treated in most situations
in the astral as a physical body. Springing
from the back of this
astral form is a silver cord that
connects the traveller with his
physical body on the PMP. This cord is
visible as
a translucent white string that stretches
back about 10 feet and
then becomes both invisible and
intangible.
The silver cord can be
stretched to any length, but it is not
truly solid in the same fashion
as the astral body, and as such cannot
be attacked or broken
except under special circumstances.
An individual's astral
form includes the traveller's body and the
astral forms of any magical items. Magical
items includes items
that are magical in nature and those that
are under a spell effect,
such as a light spell, or Nystul's magic
aura. All other items are
left behind. Those wishing to bring along
sufficient equipment for
adventures beyond the plane, or at least
sufficient clothing, are
advised that an enchantment or
alteration
spell placed upon
these items is recommended to insure safe
&& modest travel.
Objects that the astrally
projecting traveller finds in the Astral can
be brought into the Prime Material or
outer planes, provided
they do not exceed the traveller's normal
encumbrance limits. A
projecting traveller cannot bring
a castle out of the Astral plane,
but he can return to his physical body
with a chest of gold.
The disadvantages of astral projection
are several. The first is
the care of the physical body. A physical
body without its astral
component does not age, nor require food,
water, or air. A
detect life reveals that the character
is alive, otherwise he <source the spell>
appears to be in a state of suspended
animation that resembles a
feign death spell. The body can be physically
moved while the
astral form is absent; the astral form
will return to its body wherever
it has been moved, provided it remains
on a plane accessible
from the Astral (an astral form cannot
rejoin its body if that
body is placed in the Ethereal, for example).
The physical body is
subject to normal damage, which the astral
form is not aware of at
the time the damage is inflicted. If the
physical body is slain, the
silver cord disappears and the
character dies in 1d10 turns.
Another danger of projecting
the astral form is possession. A
great many extradimensional creatures,
incl. those with
magick jar abilities, can enter
the PMP by possessing
the body of a traveller whose astral form
is out to lunch
(there is a 1% chance of this occurring
each time a character
ventures into the Astral). The silver
cord is not cut in this case and is
still visible to those who have true
seeing or similar spells. The
traveller cannot regain his own body until
the intruding spirit has
moved out voluntarily, or has been exorcised.
The wise traveller
usu. finds a safe location guarded by
trusted {friends} who
either have code words or divination spells
to ascertain that the
correct essence comes home. (Possession
is also a danger to
uninhabited bodies within the Astral plane,
as detailed in the
notes on the astral searcher at
the end of this chapter.) <>
The third danger to
the traveller using astral projection is the
snapping of the silver cord that
links the body to its astral form.
The ways to sever the cord are fortunately
very few:
The psychic wind at its most powerful,
the silver swords of the
Githyanki, and the will of a Lesser or
Greater Deity.
The snapping of a silver
cord has disastrous effects. The traveller's
astral form dissolves into the plane in
1d10 turns, leaving
behind the astral entities of those magical
items brought into the
plane. The body in the Prime plane perishes,
and is irrecoverable
(except for wishes). Any magical
items that were taken into the
plane rot and evaporate with their enchantments
GONE, SAVE for
artifacts, which return to the Prime plane
with their powers intact.
The psionic skill astral
projection allows only the user to project
the astral form, as do most devices of
this type. Some devices,
and the astral spell, permit the
caster to TAKE others along with
him. At the START of the spell, the caster
and those accompanying
him must hold hands, but they can separate
once they enter the
Astral plane. The silver cord runs
to the caster, and then out to all
the other members of the party. If the
cord to the caster is severed,
all those connected to him are destroyed
as above. If a cord
from the caster to a felow traveller is
severed, only that fellow
traveller perishes.
Remember that 1d10 turns
pass between the severing of the
cord and the dissipation of the astral
form. If the astral traveller
can reach a color pool to another
plane and form another body,
his dissipation and death can be avoided.
See color pools.
If a traveller's astral
form is slain, he immediately returns to his
original body. The traveller then falls
into a coma for 1d4+1 days,
during which only a wish or alter
reality will awaken him. At the
end of this time, a system shock roll
is made. If it fails, the individual
dies. If the system shock roll succeeds,
the character regains
consciousness with the following restrictions.
* Regains consciousness
with 1 HP.
* No spell casting
until at least half HP are regained.
* Movement reduced
by half until half HP are regained.
* Attacks with a -4
penalty until half HP are regained.
Healing magick can bring
the victim up to full HP, but
all penalties remain in effect until enough
time has passed for the
victim to have regained half his HP without
curative magick.
(This time is measured in terms of true
time.)
Physical Travel in the Astral Plane
The traveller using
most plane-spanning devices, as well as the
spell plane shift, and the psionic
ability probability travel, can
bring his body into the Astral and make
his way about in that
plane. Creatures and objects blown into
this plane from the Ethereal
by an ether cyclone lose their
ethereal status and are treated
as physically travelling through the plane.
The advantage of this
is that all possessions are brought along,
regardless of magickal
status and that there is no silver
cord to threaten the traveller's
safety. The disadvantage of this method
of travel is that the traveller's
body can be damaged and slain normally.
In the Astral plane,
the physical body appears normally, in its
natural colors. The physical body has
no silver cord. Both astral
forms and physical body can pick up an
astral object or combat an astral foe.
Because the physical
form in the Astral plane has no silver
cord, the physical astral traveller
must find a color pool to his
home plane and USE it to get back home.
The probability travel
psionic ability only permits the traveller to
find other alternate PMPs that have portals
on
the Astral. This particular psionic talent
causes other color pools
to be invisible to the traveller.
Passage through such portals is
impossible. The traveller using this psionic
ability can only
move through the Astral to other Prime
Materials.
The gateways to the
myriad alternate PMPs
and the first layers of the outer planes
appear as two-dimensional
pools of rippling colors. These range
in size from 10-60 feet in
diameter. They are visible from only one
side, so that a traveller
approaching from the "blind side" can
pass through a color pool
without realizing it (the effects of this
are discussed under color
pools in the Encounter section
page 66).
Travellers who enter
the Astral always find themselves near a
pool of silvery color. In the case of
those projecting into the Astral
their silver cords lead back into
that pool. Silver pools that ripple
like mercury in a pan always lead to the
plane the traveller projected
from. The gateways to other planes can
be identified by color,
as follows:
| D20 Roll | Name | Colour of Colour Pool |
| 1 | Concordant Opposition | Leather Brown |
| 2 | Happy Hunting Grounds | Emerald (Faceted Green) |
| 3 | Olympus | Sapphire (Faceted Blue) |
| 4 | Gladsheim | Indigo |
| 5 | [Limbo] | Jet (Reflective Black) |
| 6 | [Pandemonium] | Magenta |
| 7 | [Abyss] | Amethyst |
| 8 | [Tarterus] | Olive |
| 9 | [Hades] | Rust |
| 10 | [Gehenna] | Russet |
| 11 | [Nine Hells] | Ruby |
| 12 | [Acheron] | Flame (Bright Orange-Red) |
| 13 | [Nirvana] | Diamond (Faceted Blue) |
| 14 | [Arcadia] | Saffron |
| 15 | [Seven Heavens] | Gold |
| 16 | [Twin Paradises] | Amber |
| 17 | [Elysium] | Opal |
| 18 | [Prime Material] | Silver |
| 19 | [Other Prime Material] | Other Metallic Colors |
| 20 | Ethereal | Spiraling White |
Portals to one's own
PMP are always silver.
Those to alternate PMPs are other metallic
colors,
such as bronze, gunmetal, tarnished silver,
or brass. The
same is true for creatures of alternate
PMPs:
their home portals always appear silver
and those of others are other
metallic shades.
The portals to the Ethereal
look like milky water flowing in a spiral
pattern. What the astral traveller is
seeing is the end point of an
ether cyclone, where it disrupts
the barrier between the Ethereal
and Astral planes. Individuals passing
from the Ethereal to the
Astral are treated as physical-form travellers
(they lose their ethereal
nature). Travelling from the Astral to
the Ethereal in physical
form endows the travellers with etherealness.
Travelling from the
Astral to the Ethereal in astram form
results in the creation of an
ehtereal body in a similar fashion to
creation of a body in the outer
planes. The ethereal-astral form cannot
reenter the Prime Material
plane in which the original body resides.
In either case, the
traveller from the Astral to the Ethereal
finds himself in the middle
of the ether cyclone, with all
resultant effects and penalties
(including sudden and violent expulsion
back into the Astral or
other plane of existence).
The above color pool
determination is standard for the AD&D
game and will be used in general discussions.
DMs can alter the
preceding color scheme to allow the characters
in their worlds
the excitement of discovering the planes.
The only constant
should be the silvery nature of the home
plane.
A color pool
can be used to VIEW the plane before entrance is
made. For those travellers using projection,
only the caster of the
spell can VIEW through the color pool,
while for those physically in
the planes (or in the cases of multiple
casters of projecting abilities),
the individual with the highest INT controls
the color pool's
viewing. If two individuals of equal INT
are attempting to
control a pool, it does not view into
the regions beyond.
To see the plane beyond
a pool, the viewer must apply mental
concentration when within 30 feet of the
pool. The force of this
concentration causes the pool to become
transparent, revealing
a viewing AREA about 1d4 x 100 yards above
the landscape of the
plane being viewed.
The precise location
of the viewing portal on the plane is set by
the user of the color pool. A percentile
roll is then made by determine
how close he is.
| D100 Roll | Result |
| 1-50 | On TARGET--100 yards above the surface of the AREA being viewed |
| 51-75 | Close--1d4 x 100 yards above the surface and within 1 mile of the AREA desired |
| 76-95 | Fair--1d4 x 100 yards above the surface and 10d10 miles away from the desired AREA |
| 96-00 | Way off--1d4 x 100 yards above the surface in a completely different parta of the plane |
Once a color pool
is used to VIEW a specific scene, that pool is
set to the AREA being viewed for one Prime
Material day, regardless
of whether the scene is the one desired
or not. After that day
has passed, another attempt can be made
to bring the viewing
point to the desired AREA. Alternatively,
the traveller can set out
again the Astral plane and LOOK for another
color
pool leading to
the same plane. There are an infinite
number of color pools leading
to the planes adjacent to the Astral.
It is possible to form
viewing portals inside large structures w/
high ceilings (50+ feet high), though
a thin film of lead can prevent
the formation of a portal. Any viewing
of the Ethereal plane
reveals the inside of an ether cyclone,
w/ no way of moving the
viewpoint elsewhere (the cyclone moves
with the viewer). There
is also a 10% per round cumulative chance
of the concentrating
traveller and all within 30 yards of the
portal being sucked into the
heart of the ether cyclone, with all effects
of that storm taking
immediate effect on the travellers.
The concentrating
traveller can MOVE the portal about as if it is a
disembodied observer. It moves at a rate
of 10 times the traveller's
INT in yards per round. An individual
with an INT
of 17 can MOVE the pool's viewing point
170 yards per round.
This swift movement
of the viewing point enables the traveller
to VIEW large areas,
but there are limitations.
* The viewing portal
cannot pass through solid objects in the
plane being viewed. It must also have
sufficient space to pass
through an AREA of the same diameter as
the pool. In other words,
a 10-foot-diameter pool could NOT fit
through a <five> foot by <five> foot
window and the traveller can see inside.
The traveller can control
the movement but NOT the size of the viewing
portal.
* The viewing portal
only moves forward. It can spin on its axis
to a new orientation, but cannot MOVE
sideways or backward.
* Areas of intense magickal
activity, such as a MU's
research AREA or an alchemist's lab, SLOW
movement to a max.
of 10 yards per TURN. A city that contains
a high pop. of
spell casters, a MU's college, a thriving
clerical class, or a
powerful extradimensional being also slows
the portal to 10 yards
per TURN.
* Certain creatures
can USE their attack forms through these
pools to affect the viewer (see below).
* Individuals of great
power can become aware of the intrusion
and shut off the portal. Those of the
same INT as the
pool's controller can cause the pool to
fog over for as long as they
concentrate on it. Those of higher INT
can shut the pool
down entirely, causing it to collapse
at 10 feet per round until
it completely disappears. The viewer is
given the choice of entering
the pool before it shuts or of finding
another pool. Silver cords
that reach through a pool that closes
or fogs over are unaffected,
though in the former case the traveller
must find another such
pool leading to that plane to rejoin his
body.
These astral viewing
points are invisible to those in the viewed
plane, but they can be revealed by spells
such as detect invisible
and true seeing and magickal items
such as dust of appearance.
Creatures that detect invisible
as a natural ability or as a result of
level can also detect the presence of
astral viewing points.
The viewer in the Astral
plane is generally immune to attacks
from the other plane. The exceptions to
this are those creatures
such as the basilisks, gorgons, cockatrices,
and similar beings
whose attack forms affect beings in the
Astral plane. Such creatures
have the ability to perceive astral portals
into their planes
and attack through them.
Of the astral-affecting
creatures, those that make physical
attacks do so against AC 0, while those
with gaze or breath
attacks need to have the viewing portal
in the range of their
breath or gaze weapons. Only the viewing
point need be within
range--those who are watching can be up
to 30 feet from the point and
still be affected. All those watching
through a pool that
is attacked must roll successful saves
vs. Petrification or
be affected. Companions who are not viewing
through the color
pool are unaffected.
As an example, a cockatrice
attacks a viewing point that leads
to a silver-colored pool on the Astral
plane. An attack is made
against AC 0 and a hit is scored. On the
other side of the pool are
three characters, two of whom are observing
the pool .Those two
observers must roll a successful save
vs. Petrification or
be turned to stone. A traveller with a
physical form in the Astral
plane is turned to stone in a normal fashion.
Those in astral form
are converted into astral stone. They
cannot be reunited with
their original bodies until they are changed
back into astral flesh.
If the caster of an astral spell
with fellow travellers is so affected,
his travelling companions are unaffected,
but they are prevented
from leaving the Atral until the caster
is restored.
If a spell caster detects
a nearby astral viewing point into the
plane, he may affect the viewers by a
dispel
magick. (The chance
of success is 50% plus [or minus] the
difference between the
caster's level and the viewer's level.)
If the dispel succeeds,
those viewers within 30 feet are sucked
through the pool and into
the dispel caster's plane.
Travellers viewing the
Prime, an alternate Prime, or an outer
plane can enter that plane by stepping
through the pool. This
may NOT be done for the plane containing
the viewer's physical
body. Those moving in physical form simply
MOVE into the plane.
Those travelling by astral projection
form a physical body on the
other side, retaining their silver cord
connection. A traveller in
astral form cannot create another physical
body in the plane in
which he left his original body.
Breathing: Time
passes so slowly in the Astral plane that neither astral nor physical travellers
feel the need to breathe.
The astral body cannot be affected by
attacks that work through the
respiratory system of the TARGET. (Travellers
are immune to
cloudkill spells and fogs of ingestive
poison [see DMG, page 20], <>
but are not protected from gorgon breath
or insinuative poison.)
Time: Subjective
time flows slowest on the Astral plane of all
the known major planes of xistence. A
<thousand> years pass
before the traveller feels the effects
of a single day in terms of
aging or wear on physical items. Spells
CAST on the astral plane
have their normal duration according to
the true time of the plane.
A potion ingested in the Astral plane
is permanent for as long as
the individual remains on the Astral--it
resumes its normal duration
upon entering another plane.
Time flows at the same
rate in the known planes, but the effects
of time SLOW down in the Astral plane
to the point where they
almost stop completely. This means that
a viewer at one of the
color pools does not witness a world frozen
in time, but one in
which time passes at the same rate as
for the viewer. the effects of the
passage of time in the Astral are slowed
by a factor of
365,000 to 1 (Or 170 true days to one
subjective round).
Attacks that affect
aging (such as a ghost's attack, or a staff of withering)
have no effect on the Astral plane. The
amount of time
involved to create important changes by
such means is so great
that these paltry spells have little effect.
Food and Drink:
Neither physical nor astral forms have any
need to eat or drink while on this plane.
About 300 subjective
years must pass before the traveller feels
hungry. Food and drink
are often brought into the Astral, but
only for USE in the planes at
the end of the journey.
Gravity: The
Astral plane is truly weightless, unlike the neutral
buoyancy of the Ethereal or the subjective
gravity of the inner
planes. There is no concept of up or down--an
object thrown continues
its motion until it hits something solid.
The effects of this
true weightlessness are discussed in the
following section.
Direction: There
are no magnectic directions in the Astral. The
traveller can MOVE about in the plane
by willing himself forward or
away from known reference points (see
Movement).
Vision: Viewing
conditions in the Astral plane are extremely
clear. Creatures can be seen at 1,000-2,000
yards, and larger
objects are easily detected at greater
distances. Vision through
color pools depends on the conditions
int he plane being viewed.
Infravision does not function in the Astral
plane. Ultravision works
up to double its normal range.
There are <two> types
of movement in the Astral plane: physical
&& mental. Physical movement is
the more clumsy of the <two>. It
involves pushing off solid objects in
order to create SPEED. Mental
movement involves concentration and is
liked to the traveller's
INT score.
Physical movement is
rarely used SAVE by those unaware of or
unable to MOVE by mental concentration,
or as a result of incidental
action. Throwing or pushing off an object
imparts momentum
to both objects. The amount of momentum
imparted depends on
the masses of the objects and their velocities
(objects still have
mass even though they are weightless).
If a hobbit were to {push}
off a castle, the hobbit would MOVE rapidly
in one direction while
the castle would MOVE imperceptibly in
the opposite direction.
The disadvantage of
this form of movement is that there is little
to {push} against in the Astral plane.
Walking, running, flying,
swimming, and most forms of movement involve
pushing off
something in order to MOVE. For the few
situations in which there
is something to {push} against, USE the
following guidelines:
* A large
object pushing off a small object moves 10
feet per
round, regardless of hte movement of smaller
mass (a man who
fires an arrow moves 10 feet per round
in the direction opposite to
the arrow's movement).
* Two similarly sized
objects pushing off each other each
MOVE at a SPEED equal to half the total
STR involved. (A man
with STR 12 pushing off a rock moves 6"
per round. Two men
with STR 12 pushing off each other move
at 12" per round in the
opposite directions.)
* A small object pushing
off a large object moves at a SPEED
=equal= to the pusher's STR. (A man with
STR 12 pushing
off a
large piece of elemental earth moves 12" per round. The
rock moves 10 feet per round in the opposite
direction.)
The above suggestions
are a simplification of true momentum
calculations and intended for simplicity
of play. The scarcity of
solid objects restricts this method of
movement, but it can come
in handy in emergencies. (For instance,
a low INT fighter
[who cannot MOVE very FAST by concentration]
can fire arrows and
propel himself at a SPEED of 10 feet per
round for every arrow
fired.) Turning can be accomplished only
by pushing in a different
direction off another solid object. Striking
a large object while in
motion has the effect of falling onto
that surface from a height
=equal= to the distance covered in one
round.
Mental movement is achieved
by willing oneself in a direction.
The max. SPEED psb. by this method is
10 yards per minute
(30 feet per melee round) per INT point.
Mental movement is at
will. Sudden stops and changes in
direction can occur at will w/ no ill
effects. In groups that are
moving together, USE the movement rate
of the individual w/ the
lowest INT. Both physical && mental
movement can be
used during a journey, but never in the
same round.
Encumbrance slows down
the astral traveller by 10' per round
for every 10 lbs (100 gp) carried. INT
determines +additional+ <>
carrying capacity (see the STR
table on page 9 of the PH). Magickal
items (but not normal items under an enchantment
spell) have no encumbrance.
Movement Through the Astral Plane
The previously described
movement usu. occurs during
encounters and other small-area situations.
Large-scale movement
through the Astral plane is similar to
the travels of elemental
creatures through their own planes. The
thought of a certain destination
either creates a suitable trans-planar
opening nearby or
speeds the traveller toward the particular
location. Since it is simpler
to fin dportals to other planes than to
locate specific areas in
the Astral plane, the Astral is used mainly
as a plane of transit.
Astral Travel Times
1d6+6 hours to a color
pool/portal to another plane or different part of the Astral
10 x 1d4 hours to a
part of the Astral visited before
50 x 1d10 to a part
of the Astral never visited before
As can be seen,
it is easier to cross the Astral than to find
objects within it. Travellers wishing
to spend more time in the
Astral merely desire it. This desire adds
1d4 + 2 hours to the travel
time. Those travelling as a group that
is physically in the Astral
plane are all affected if <one> individual
of that grup wishes to
SLOW; those who are astrally projected
have their journey delayed
only if the main caster of the spell wishes
it to be so.
Encounters in the Astral Plane
Encounters are checked
upon the traveller's initial entrance
into the Astral plane and every four hours
(true time) following
that entrance. Roll 1d10; a 1 means that
there is an encounter.
Encounter checks are also made for those
using a color pool to
view other planes. These encounter checks
are as for the plane
being viewed, with a 5% (1 in 20) chance
that the portal opens up
within striking distance of a creature
that can perceive and affect
astral travellers (provided that such
a creature is native to that
plane). These astral-affecting creatures
tend to create weak
spots in the fabric of the plane, and
color pools tend to open onto
these spots.
| 1-75 | Creature Encounter |
| 76-85 | Color Pool |
| 86-95 | Astral Item |
| 96-00 | Psychic Wind |
Creature Encounters
The Astral is primarily
used as a plane to get to other plaens, so
that most of the encounters are w/ such
outer plane or Prime
Material travellers. Even those creatures
designated as natives
are usu. settlers from another plane.
The most powerful
encountered creatures are not really present;
their astral
forms are what the traveller encounters
in this plane.
Astral Creatures
| Name | Number | Book | Notes |
| - | - | - | - |
| Common Monsters | - | - | - |
| Cerebral Parasite | 3d4 | MM | - |
| Daemon, Minor | - | - | - |
| Charonadaemon | 1 | MM2 | O |
| Derghodaemon | 1d4 | MM2 | O |
| Hydrodaemon | 2d4 | MM2 | O |
| Yagnodaemon | 1d6 | MM2 | O |
| Demon, Lesser | - | - | - |
| Vrock | 1d6 | MM | O |
| Hezrou | 1d6 | MM | O |
| Succubus | 1 | MM | O |
| Babau | 1d6 | MM2 | O |
| Bar-Lgura | 1d6 | MM2 | O |
| Chasme | 1d6 | MM2 | O |
| Dretch | 5d4 | MM2 | O |
| Rutterkin | 3d4 | MM2 | O |
| Deva, Astral | 1d2 | MM2 | O |
| Devil, Lesser | - | - | - |
| Barbed Devil | 3d4 | MM | O |
| Bone Devil | 2d4 | MM | O |
| Erinyes | 4d4 | MM | O |
| Abishai | 3d4 | MM2 | O |
| Bearded Devils | 2d4+2 | MM2 | O |
| Human Travellers | 1d10 | * | P |
| Invisible Stalker | 1 | MM | S |
| Night Hag | 1d4 | MM | O |
| Nightmare | 1d4 | MM | O |
| Slaadi | - | - | - |
| Red | 3d6 | FF | O |
| Blue | 2d6 | FF | O |
| Green | 1d6 | FF | O |
| - | - | - | - |
| Uncommon Monsters | - | - | - |
| Aerial Servant | 1 | MM | S |
| Agathion | 1d6 | MM2 | O |
| Baku | 1d4+1 | MM2 | O |
| Diakk | 2d6 | MM2 | O |
| Githyanki | 2d10 | FF | N |
| Lammasu, Greater | 1d2 | MM2 | O |
| Rakshasa | 1d4 | MM | O |
| Shedu | 2d4 | MM | P |
| Titan | 1d2 | MM | O |
| - | - | - | - |
| Rare Monsters | - | - | - |
| Berbalang | 1 | FF | N |
| Daemon, Greater | - | - | - |
| Mezzodaemon | 1d3 | FF | O* |
| Nycadaemon | 1d2 | FF | O* |
| Arcanadaemon | 1d3 | MM2 | O* |
| Ultrodaemon | 1 | MM2 | O* |
| Demon, Major | - | - | - |
| Nalfeshnee | 1d6 | MM | O* |
| Marilith | 1d6 | MM | O* |
| Balor | 1d2 | MM | O* |
| Nabassu | 1d2 | MM2 | O* |
| Devil, Greater | - | - | - |
| Horned Devil | 1d4+1 | MM | O* |
| Ice Devil | 1d4 | MM | O* |
| Pit Fiend | 1d3 | MM | O* |
| Styx Devil | 1d2 | FF | O* |
| Foo Dog | 2d4 | MM2 | S |
| Geniekind | 1d4 | MM, MM2 | S |
| Githzerai | 1d10 | FF | P* |
| Hollyphant | 1d3 | MM2 | O |
| Intellect Devourer | 1d2 | MM | P |
| Ki-Rin | 1d4 | MM | P |
| Mind Flayers | 1d2 | MM | P* |
| Modron, Hierarch | 1 | MM2 | O |
| Moon Dog | 2d4 | MM2 | O |
| Oni, Go-zu | 2d10 | OA | O* |
| Oni, Me-zu | 2d10 | OA | O* |
| Phoenix | 1d4 | MM2 | O |
| Planetar | 1d2 | MM2 | O* |
| Slaad | - | - | - |
| Death | 1d2 | FF | O* |
| Grey | 1d2 | FF | O* |
| - | - | - | - |
| Very Rare Monsters | - | - | - |
| Cat Lord | 1 | MM2 | O** |
| Charon (Daemon) | 1 | MM2 | O |
| Daemon, Master | 1 | MM2 | O** |
| Demon Prince or Lord | 1 | MM, FF, MM2 | O** |
| Devil, Duke or Arch- | 1 | MM, MM2 | O** |
| Doc Cu'o'c | 1 | OA | P |
| Dragon, Platinum | 1 | MM | O** |
| Dragon, Chromatic | 1 | MM | O** |
| Dragon Horse | 1d3 | MM2 | P |
| Foo Lion | 1d4 | MM2 | O* |
| Generals of the Anim. King | 1 | OA | O* |
| Opinicus | 1d2 | MM2 | P |
| Deity | 1 | MoP | O** |
| Retriever | 1 | FF | O |
| Shedu, Greater | 1d3 | MM2 | P |
| Shirokinukatsukami | 1 | OA | O* |
| Slaad, Lord | 1 | FF | O** |
| Solar | 1 | MM2 | O* |
Notes:
MM = Creature described
in the MM
MM2 = Creature desribed
in the MM2
FF = Creature described
in the FF
OA = Creature described
in OA
MoP = Creatue described
in MoP
<remove column after
full hyperlinking>
N = Creature is native
to the Astral Plane
O = Creature is native
to outer planes but has physical presence in Astral
O* = Creature is native
to outer planes--70% chance encounter is with astral form of creature
O** = As O*, but 100%
chance encounter is with astral form of creature
P = As for O,
but creature is native to Prime plane
P** = As for O**, but
creature is native to Prime plane <where does this appear on the table?>
S = Creature is native
to an elemental plane--only on a mission and is not in the best of moods
* = Human Encounters: Human encounters
are of two types:
single travellers or groups of travellers.
Each type has a chance of
being present either in physical or astral
form.
* A lone traveller has a 50% chance of
being present in either
astral or physical form. If astral, the
individual is of sufficient level
to CAST the astral spell, have
astral
projection as a psionic ability,
or possess some plane-spanning device.
* A group of travellers is 70% likely to
be encountered in astral
form and has a cleric, M-U, or other spell
caster capable of
casting the astral spell. If in
physical form, the travellers are in the
Astral either as probability travellers,
or they possess a device that
brought them into the Astral.
Human Encounter Table
| Class
Roll |
Subclass
Roll |
Character
Type |
Level
Range |
| 1-10 | 1-75 | FIGHTER | 11-20 |
| - | 76-80 | Ranger | 11-18 |
| 81-83 | Barbarian | 10-17 | |
| 84-90 | Cavalier | 8-17 | |
| 91-00 | Paladin | 12-23 | |
| 11-50 | 1-80 | CLERIC | 11-20 |
| 81-00 | Druid | 11-20 | |
| 51-90 | 1-90 | MAGIC-USER | 15-26 |
| 91-00 | Illusionist | 11-20 | |
| 91-99 | 1-80 | THIEF | 11-20 |
| 91-98 | Thief-Acrobat | 11-20 | |
| 99-00 | Assassin | 10-15 | |
| 00 | - | Other (DM's choice)
Monk Bard (7-8 F, 6-9 Th) |
10-17
13-20 |
Astral Encounter Chart
| D8 +
D12 Roll |
Encounter |
| 2 | Unique Deity |
| 3 | Dragon Horse (1d3) |
| 4 | Githzerai (1d10) |
| 5 | Berbalang (1) |
| 6 | Ki-Rin (1d4) |
| 7 | Githyanki (2d10) |
| 8 | Rakshasas (1d4) |
| 9 | Deva, Astral (1) |
| 10 | Nightmares (1d4) |
| 11 | Human Travellers (1d10) |
| 12 | Blue Slaadi (3d6) |
| 13 | Charonadaemon (1) |
| 14 | Titans (1d2) |
| 15 | Greater Lammasu (1d2) |
| 16 | Foo Dogs (2d4) |
| 17 | Balor Demons (1d2) |
| 18 | Planetars (1d2) |
| 19 | Foo Lions (1d4) |
| 20 | Solar (1) |
Color Pools
These gateways
to other planes are described in the Movement section.
From one side they are completely invisible,
so
there is a 1 in 10 chance per encounter
that the traveller does not
see the pool unless he has the ability
to detect invisible objects.
Moving through a color
pool is like pushing through a soft, resilient
membrane. The pool gives before the traveller,
and swallows
him completely, discharging him on the
plane the pool connects
with. It is not possible to be on the
Astral and another plane at the
same time, or stick only part of the body
through the pool into the
plane beyond.
Entering a color pool
from the backside has the same effect as
entering it through the front--immediate
transport to the surface
of the plane to pool is keyed to. The
disadvantages are that no
care has been taken to examine the plane,
so the traveller is
immed. thrown into alien and possibly
dangerous situations.
If those accompanying the suddenly missing
traveller check the
other side of the disk and cause it to
clear, the chance of the viewing
point being in the same AREA as the missing
traveller is the
same as the standard roll for positioning
a color pool over a specific
location in the plane (see page 62). <trim>
If the traveller who
moves through a color pool is the caster of
the astral spell, the other members
of the party are drawn into the
pool as well (having no choice in the
matter).
Only 15% of the color
pools are two-way (i.e. enable travellers to
MOVE back && forth from the Astral
to the other plane repeatedly).
These portals can be moved about in the
plane, but they are visible
to beings on the plane they peer into
and are therefore often
eliminated or tightly controlled by those
beings. Of this 15%, 5% are
two-way, permanent, and cannot be dispelled.
These are referred to as
fixed portals, and are not normally
found as random encounters (see
fixed portals at the end of this chapter).
Those pools that are one-way <link>
can only peer and allow passage from the
Astral into an adjacent
plane. They disappear after the travellers
have moved through
the pool (though they may be easily recreated
by the astral spell or
similar magick on the other side).
Astral Items
The most common astral
item is the wormhole, also called a vortex, maelstrom, or astral conduit.
These resemble huge
grey waterspouts with the ends disappearing in the distance,
swirling and turning slowly in Astral space. These conduits are actually
gateways between the Prime Material and
the outer planes. They
physically transport travellers from a
particular location in one
plane to a particular loc. in the other.
The travellers spend
only a few seconds in the Astral plane
during their journey.
Of these conduits, 80%
have fully functioning gates at both
ends. An astral traveller entering this
type of conduit is whisked to
one of the planes (50% chacne each, though
never to a plane
where a projecting character has
a physical body). The remaining
20% of the gates are incomplete,
either still in the process of
being spun or sundered and in disuse.
Such maelstroms only
carry those caught within into one plane,
and they cannot be
used for a return trip.
Travellers in astral
form who are sucked into these conduits
and have their cords severed do not perish--they
gain a new
physical body on the plane they land in
(if the sucked-in traveller
had compatriots who were attached to him
via silver cords, they
must join him within 1d10 turns or they
will perish). Physical
forms are unchanged by the passage into
the other plane.
Unlike color pools,
these conduits can lead to deeper layers
than those normally accessible from the
Astral plaen. Indeed,
this is the only safe way that the lower
levels of the 666 layers of the Abyss may be <alt>
accessed (if "safe" is the correct term
for anything in that plane).
Also unlike color pools, wormholes cannot
be moved about, but
have definite termination areas at both
ends.
These astral conduits
exert a mild attraction, so that those within
1,000 yards are pulled toward the conduit
at 120 yards per
round. Those who cannot MOVE FAST enough
to escape this pull
(those of 11 INT or less) are dragged
into the conduit and
transported to another plane.
Astral conduits are
not the only items that a traveller can
encounter. The DM can select from a variety
of other items,
including the following:
* The physical body
of an astral traveller who has been slain ||
turned to stone in an encounter. Treat
the body as a single traveller
as far as treasure and abilities (if restored)
are concerned.
* An island of matter,
or piece of another plane lost in the Astral.
These islands vary from a few yards across
to the size of a
demi-plane. Incl. here are demi-planes
sucked through
huge plane-rupturing rifts
in the ether,
towns && villages that have parted
from their parent planes, and outposts
built by forgotten
magickal empires.
* A bit of elemental
matter from the Ethereal plane. These
ethereal islands include pockets of earth
similar to the island of
matter above, spherical
balls of elemental fire that burn without
need of combustion or fuel, spheres
of water (in a weightless
environment water tends to form spheres),
and balls of physical air.
Each of these pieces of elemental matter
has a surface that
can be walked upon. The traveller who
enters an elemental
pocket is affected as if he had entered
that plane.
* The lairs or former
lairs of githyanki, githzerai, wizards, and
lesser deities in the Astral plane.
* Arrows, bolts, or
stones from a distant combat, which have
continued into the traveller's path. There
is a 1 in 10 chance of
one member of the group being hit by a
missile.
* The occasional artifact
that a brave and noble adventurer
removed from his native plane, where its
very presence inflamed
the greed of his fellows, the ire of enemies,
and the interest of the
Great Deities.
The DM can create special
islands of matter as adventure
areas, and allow the astral travellers
to discover these in the wanderings
through the plane.
Psychic Wind
The psychic wind is
the greatest single danger in the Astral
plane (running into the astral for of
Orcus is a close second).
The psychic wind is NOT a wind like Prime
Material winds or those
in the plane of elemental Air. It is first
sensed as a rapid darkening
of the silver-grey sky around the astral
traveller. In 1d10 rounds
the place becomes jet black, shot with
streaks of indigo. Normal
fires lit at this time aid in sight, as
do light spells, but infravision
does not operate (though ultravision functions
normally). As the
sky darkens, the traveller feels some
buffeting && shaking, as if
the plane itself is rebelling against
the storm. As quickly as it
comes, the psychic wind passes, and the
sky returns to normal in
1d10 rounds.
For the effects of a
psychic wind on the astral travellers, roll
1d10. All travellers in the group are
affected by one roll, though
those that are travelling physically may
be affected differently
than those travelling by astral projection.
| Die Roll | Effect |
| 1-12 | Normal wake of the storm:
Astral projection travellers add 1d4+2 hours to their travel time. Physical travellers cannot leave the Astral plane for 1d4+2 hours moving through a color pool. |
| 13-16 | Strong Wind:
Astral projection travellers are lost, and atake 2d10 true days to return to their bodies. Physical travellers are marooned in the Astral plane for 2d10 days as a result of turbulence in the plane. They cannot leave the plane during that time, even by color pools. |
| 17-19 | Cross-Current:
Two things can happen to astral projection travellers (50% chance for each): either taken to a different color pool than the one they were intending (roll randomly for pool) or drawn within 1,000 yards of an astral wormhole. Other travellers are unaffected by the wind. Color pools can be used to enter other planes. |
| 20 | Psychic Wind:
Those travellers using astral projection spells must roll a successful save vs. Spell or be slain when the astral cord snaps. Projecting characters making the save (and those who are physically in the plane) are lost for 4d10 days, at the end of which time the astral travellers can return to their original bodies and the physical travellers can USE pools, spells, or devices to leave the plane. |
Combat in the Astral
plane is governed by the weightless
nature of the environment and by the domination
of mind over
matter, both in movement and combat.
Both physical and astral
forms can be hit in combat. The only
difference is that a physical farm can
be slain on the Astral plane,
while the destruction of an astral form
results in coma (and
possible death) for the individual on
its home plane.
The weapons and armor
of the physical traveller work the same
in the Astral as in the Prime Material.
A physical traveller in
ordinary plate mail remains AC3 in the
Astral plane. Remember
that the bonuses of magickal items are
reduced by 1 in the Astral.
Weapons carried by an
astrally
projected traveller inflict the
standard amount of damage, but nonmagickal
armor and armor
rendered nonmagickal upon entering the
Astral plane provide no
protection. The base AC of an unarmored
astral
individual is AC 8. A traveller in plate
mail who is astrally projecting,
bringing his armor along by means of a
Nystul's
magic aura,
gains no benefit from that armor in combat
and is
considered AC 8. In both forms of astral
travel, AC can
be further modified by bonuses for high
WIS (see below).
STR && DEX do
not affect astral combat, as the ability to
strike a hit and MOVE out of the way is
determined more
by INT && WIS. The traveller's
INT determines the modifiers
to attacks && damage, and his
WIS determines
the modifiers to bow fire and AC.
For example,
a traveller physically in the Astral plane is armed
with a short sword and armored
in chain mail +1. He has the
following abilities: STR
of 12, INT of 17, WIS of 15,
and DEX of 17. On the Prime
Material he is AC 1 (+3 DEX,
+1 Chain), with no
modifiers to hit or damage. When
physically in the Astral,
he is AC4 (the now nonmagickal chain
gives him a base AC of 5).
He gains an AC bnonus of 1 from his
WIS (use his WIS score on
the DEX table on page 11
of the PH to determine
this bonus). <trim>
He is +1 to hit &&
damage from his INT
(check the INT score on
the STR table on page 9 of the
PH
to find these bonuses). <trim>
If the
traveller above is in the plane astrally, his AC is 7 (the
nonmagickal chain provides
no benefit, but he gains the bonus
from WIS) and he is +1 to
hit && damage (though the
nonmagickal sword does not
enter the Astral plane unless a
temporary enchantment is
placed upon it).
As in the Ethereal,
beings in the Astral can be attacked from
above && below, as well as from
the sides. A TARGET of size S can
be attacked by up to <eight> other
size S creatures, <six> size M
creatures, or <three> size L creatures.
A TARGET of size M can be
attacked by up to 12 size S creatures,
<eight> size M creatures, or
<six> size L creatures. A TARGET of
size L can be attacked by a horde
of 18 size S creatures, 12 size M creatures,
or <eight> size L
creatures.
The orientations of
up and down are determined by the individual
and can change from round to round with
no effect on the combatant.
Attacks from above negate
shield bonuses, but the TARGET is
shielded if physically in the plane and
wearing a helm, or astrally
projected and wearing a magickal
helm that retains its enchantment
in the Astral plane.
Missile fire is particularly affected by the nature of the Astral:
* Missiles do not have
to be aimed high to arch when fired, as
they must in the gravity-affected Prime
plane. Those individuals
from a plane with gravity suffer a -2
penalty to hit for the first 2-5
shots in the plane (after this # of shots,
they are acclimated
to firing in zero gravity).
* Long ranges for missile
fire <is> twice the listed range for missiles
on the Prime plane. Beyond this doubled
range, all missiles
miss their targets, but continue moving
until they hit something.
Do not throw your hand axe +2 in
this plane unless you can figure
out a way to get it back if you miss.
Poison does no harm
in the Astral plane as long as the victim
remains here. A character who has been
poisoned in the Astral
must roll a save vs. poison, but he suffers
no adverse
effects until he physically enters a plane
where the effects of time
pass at a more reasonable rate. Insinuative
(contact) poisons and
venoms that enter the victim's bloodstream
are the most effective;
the lack of a need to breathe, eat, or
drink limits the effectiveness
of ingested poisons.
Fire, cold, and other
magickal attacks inflict normal damage in
the Astral plane against both astral and
physical bodies.
Water, acid and other
liquids pose a different peril to the traveller.
In a weightless environment, the surface
tension of liquids
controls their behavior, which is why
they form naturally into
spheres in this plane. When touched, however,
liquids flow over
the intruder in a light film. Liquids
that inflict damage, such as
acid or holy water to undead, inflict
twice the listed damage since
they effectively cover the TARGET's entire
body. More importantly,
a victim so covered cannot talk without
letting the liquid into his
lungs and drowning in 1d4 melee rounds.
A victim covered with a
liquid film cannot USE spells with verbal
components, unless he
has a device that permits water breathing.
Various methods of
removing this covering include severe
toweling, stepping into a
plane where gravity exists, or spinning
the victim around FAST
enough so that the water flies off his
body.
Finally, natural healing
does not function in the Astral plane
except for creatures that are native to
the plane. Travellers who
are injured can regain HP either via magick,
or by journeying
to a plane where time passes more rapidly.
The nature of the Astral
plane does not impede spell casting--
the astral medium allows the spell-casting
traveller to breathe,
communicate, and intone the words necessary
for casting. Any
spell components that are not magickal
must be given a mild
enchantment to allow their passage into
the Astral, but they can
also be brought into the plane physically.
A spell caster cannot
MOVE or dodge while casting spells; if
already moving, he must
continue moving with the same velocity
(direction and SPEED) as
the previous round in order to CAST the
spell. As always, any major
interruption of spell casting (including
hitting something solid)
disrupts the spell.
Spells that normally
affect a flat AREA, such as bless && haste,
in the Astral affect a spherical area
whose radius =equals= the least
of the <two> planar dimensions affected
in the Prime. Similarly, the
various wall spells and similar
constructions that create surfaces
generate hollow spheres with radii of
10 feet plus 2 1/2' per level of
the caster, regardless of the listed AREA
of effect.
Items created in the
Astral plane are affected by the weightless
environment. Water forms into circular
balls (see above for touching
these balls). Fires burn in circular flames
without consuming
their fuel sources. Heat and cold are
very poorly conducted by
the astral medium, so even a very hot
|| cold spelll effect cannot
be felt by those just outside the spell
AREA.
Spells cannot normally
have an effect through the color pools
into other planes. The exceptions are
those spells that impoart
usable abilities to the viewer (such as
infravision,
but not detect
magic,
which would be CAST on an object in the other plane).
Spells CAST from the other plane on those
viewing through the
pool have no effect, the exception being
dispel
magic and similar
spells, which would bring the viewers
into the realm of the creatures
being viewed (see Color
Pools).
Astral space has no
extradimensional component, thus
spells that involve extradimensional space
do not function. Items and
existing spells that USE extradimensional
space are either not
accessible at all or bring those spaces
into existence in the Astral
(50% chance for each). A portable hole
either does not function
(50%) since its contents are in an extradimensional
space and
cannot be found until the traveller enters
a plane with an extradimensional
component or (50%) it creates a huge bag
of the
dimensions of the portable hole's
interior in the Astral plane.
The Astral also has
no egress to the Ethereal SAVE through an
ether cyclone, so those spells that require
access to the Ethereal
or inner planes do not function.
Abjurations
Abjuration spells work
normally in the Astral plane, except that
they cannot affect on the fabric of the
Astral itself. While magickal
in nature, the plane is stronger than
any petty spells, and cannot
be dispelled or held back.
Examples:
* The druidical anti-plant
and anti-animal shells function normally,
but they are not incredibly useful unless
plants or animals
are encountered in the Astral plane. There
are no such creatures
native to the plane.
* The dispel
magick spell affects astrally projected travellers by
casting them back into their original
location (though otherwise
leaving them unhurt). It has no effect
on physically present individuals
other than to perhaps disrupt existing
spells. It has no effect
if CAST against the plane or against silver
cords.
Alterations
* Spells that contact
the Ethereal and inner planess, or make
USE of extra-dimensional space, do not
function (there is no real
link between the Astral and these planes).
* Objects that are animated
by alteration spells have an INT
of 0 for purposes of movement, but they
can attack creatures
that MOVE next to them.
* Alteration spells
that modify an individual's abilities can be
CAST, but those that affect movement only
work in situations
where that movement is permitted in the
Astral.
* Alteration spells
that modify or control existing conditions
fuction only where these conditions already
exist. They
cannot call these conditions into xistence.
Examples:
* The vanish
spell does not operate as it sends the victim into
the Ethereal. Similarly, the rope trick,
which opens into
extra-dimensional space, does not function.
* An animated object
cannot MOVE, but it can be thrown and
attack those that it strikes.
* Many alterations aaffect
movement abilities. Fly only functions
in balls of air that are encountered.
Jump
is useful only
when there are solid objects to push off
(see page 64). Spells
such as succor and teleport
function within the limitations of
those spells if extra-planar travel is
attempted. Slow && haste
spells affect only muscular movement;
they do not have any
effect on mental concentration movement
(though all other
actions, such as combat, are slowed or
quickened).
* The control winds
spell works only in a bubble of air in the
Astral. It cannot effect the nature of
the Astral plane itself. The
control winds spell has no effect
on the psychic wind, as this is
not a true wind.
Conjurations/Summonings
Conjuration and summoning
spells are severly restricted by
the nature of the Astral plane. Spells
above a certain level do not
function in this plane, since the creatures
of the outer planes
have a good idea of what goes on in the
Astral plane and are
unwilling to walk into spells that ensnare,
subjugate, or harm
them. The following restrictions apply.
* Clerical conjuration/summoning
spells of 5th level or higher
do not function.
* Druidical summoning spells of 3d level or higher do not work.
* M-U and illusionist
summoning spells of 5th level or
higher do not function unless linked with
abjuration magick or if it
has only a verbal component.
* Summoning cantrips
do not operate. Those that USE conjuration
magick function normally.
* Spells that call for
the direct intervention of a Greater Deity
work only if the Astral is the native
plane of that power. Deities
from the outer planes may be beseeched
via such spells, but they
are reluctant to manifest themselves and
TURN the Astral into
godly battleground like some PMPs.
Examples:
* The 4th-level druidical
spell animal summoning does not
function in the Astral, though the 6th-level
spell fire seeds does
work because it uses only conjuration
magick.
* Power word spells work, as they have only verbal components.
* The prismatic wall
spell, and those spells related to it, works
normally, as it also calls upon abjuration
magick. This is one of the
few cases in which a combination spell
is an exception to the limitations
of both classes.
* Gate, alter
reality, and wish require the attention of a Deity-class being.
Thus they only if that being makes the
Astral plane its home.
Special Cases:
* The death spell
can be CAST in the Astral plane, even though
it is a high-level spell, <it> is not
linked to any other spell type, and is
not solely verbal. The reason for the
spell's operation might be
the result of the mutual consent of the
Greater Deities, the presence
of Anubis as the sole Greater or Lesser
Deity in the plane,
or some unknown factor that makes this
spell different from all
other conjuration && summoning
spells.
Divinations
Divination spells function
normally, with three special cases.
Divinations that require contact with
beings of the inner or Ethereal
planes do not function, as these planes
cannot normally be
reached from the Astral.
Special Cases:
* The Astral plane is
inherently magickal in nature, so a detect magick
spell causes the entire plane to radiate
magick. It is possible
to discern other magickal energies against
this background radiation:
there is a 5% chance for most normal enchantments
(significantly
higher for artifacts). Astrally projected
individuals always radiate
magick, but physical travellers only radiate
magick if they
are carrying magickal items.
* The find the path
spell gives the caster the ability to locate
the best way to reach the desired goal,
carving <four> hours off the
travel time (travel time is still at least
<one> hour). The spell's
esrever, lose the path, increases
travel time by <four> hours.
* Spells such as true
sight and devices such as a gem of seeing
reveal the fully infinite nature of the
Astral plane, an xperience
that often overwhelms the viewer. The
chance of being
stunned by this panorama is 100% minus
5% per level. Those
stunned are immobilized for the duration
of the spell (or for 1d6
true turns if viewing through a device).
Enchantments/Charms
* The TARGET creature
or creatures must be present in the plane.
These spells cannot cal into being creatures
from other planes.
* Spells that manipulate
or call into being xtra-dimensional
space do not function, as there is no
xtra-dimensionl space in
the Astral.
* Spells that leave
the caster's body without a spirit in the <soul || spirit>
Astral plane (such as the magick jar
spell) can attract the attention of
an astral searcher. Any creature encounter
rolled for such a body
is with an astral searcher creature seeking
to possess the caster's
body and USE it as its own.
Examples:
* The deeppockets
spell, which uses xtra-dimensional space
to increase the holding capacity of a
cloak or suit, cannot be CAST
in the Astral plane. If such an object
is brought into the plane,
either the cloak now has voluminous, obvious
pockets of the
required size, or the pockets cannot be
reached until the traveller
returns to a plane that permits xtra-dimensional
space.
* The druidical animal
friendship functions if there are animals
encountered in the Astral plane (an unlikely
occurence at best).
Though such animals may not be hungry,
they accept food from
the caster of the spell.
* The feeblemind
spell works normally. Victims of the spell
have 0 INT for purposes of movement and
combat, but
they can still MOVE physically.
Special Case:
* The construction required
in the golem spell progresses
according to the SLOW passage of subjective
time in the Astral
plane. Thus the spell is practically useless.
Evocations/Invocations
* Invocation spells
function only if that cleric's deity makes his
home in the Astral, Prime, or outer planes.
* Materials created
by evocation spells have all the physical
properties of those materials in the Astral
plane. See the comments
at the beginning of this section for the
effects of AREA and
wall spells in this plane. <link>
Example:
* The clerical spiritual
hammer spell functions only if the cleric's
deity is on the Prime, Astral, or one
of the outer planes. It
does not work if the cleric worships a
deity on the Ethereal plane, <this should read: Ethereal || inner planes>
despite the occasional connection between
the (via the violent
ether cyclone).
Special Cases:
* The astral spell
obviously cannot be CAST by an individual
who is already astrally projecting,
but it can be CAST by a traveller
who is physically in the plane. Unless
a safe haven is found for
that physical body, both astral and physical
forms are subject to
encounters, attacks, and the effects of
the psychic wind while on
the Astral plane.
* The dig spell
requires a suitable surface, but has the added
danger that the flying earth
&& dust does not settle back down to
earth. Those
within the AREA are affected as for a stinking cloud
spell and must roll a successful save
vs. Wands or be
blinded for 1d4 rounds.
* The spells created
by the archmage Bigby have special
effects on the Astral plane, where the
INT of the caster
affects the success of the spell. Against
creatures that are moving
physically (pushing off objects, etc.),
the spells function as
usual. Against creatures that are moving
by mental concentration,
the spells have the following effects:
Interposing hand:
All those of lesser INT than the caster
are stopped, others slowed in movement
by 50%.
Forceful hand:
SPEED of creature slowed or reversed by the difference
in INT--higher INT controls the direction
of movement. =Equal= intelligences result in no movement.
Grasping hand:
As interposing hand if the caster is less intelligent
than the victim, but it repels the victim
as a double strength
forceful hand if the caster is
more intelligent.
Clenched fist and crushing hand function normally.
The hand spells have
the HP && AC of the
MU on the round the spell was begun.
Illusions/Phantasms
Phantasm-based magick
without an illusionary component does
not function in the Astral plane. Illusionary
magick && phantasm
magick with an illusionary component function
normall hhere.
Examples:
* The spells phantom
wind and phantom steed have phantasm
components without illusionary abilities
and thus cannot be
CAST in the Astral plane.
* All phantasmal
forces have illusionary components and can
be CAST. Indeed, the large
number of creatures that find their way
into this plane from the outer planes
and alternate Primes make
phantasms more believable than in the
standary fantasy setting.
Necromantics
Spells of the necromantic
type function normally in the Astral
plane. Those that involve restoring the
lost spirit to a body have a
chance of attracting an astral
searcher if the attempt fails.
The chnace of this occuring is =equal=
to <five>
times the body's previously highest level,
rolled on percentile dice.
Example:
* A raise dead
on an 18th-level MU's body works properly.
If the system shock roll fails, however,
there is a 90%
chance (18 times 5) that an astral searcher
inhabits the body.
Special Case:
* A clone created on
the Astral plane grows at the subjective
rate of the plane (1 day =equals= 1,000
years). It is highly unlikely
the clone's creator will be around when
the clone comes to full
completion, or if even the creator's civilization
will xist in that far
future time. For this reason, clone growing
is NOT practical in the
Astral, unless an enterprising DM wants
to run a campaigns separated
by at least 60,000 years.
Combination Spells
In general, the combination
of different spell types places the
spell under all the restrictions of both
spell types. The xception
is the combination of abjuration &&
conjuration || summoning
spells, in which case the restrictions
on the conjuration || summoning
spells are ignored.
Magical Items
Magickal items taken from the PMP obey the following restrictions:
* Weapons are reduced
by <one> plus to hit && damage. Weapons
that have particular effects against astral
creatures retain
their +pluses+. The same is true for creatures
whose special attacks
affect the Astral plane.
* Armor && protection
devices are also reduced by <one> plus
for AC && saving throw protection.
Bracers and items
that grant a particular AC are unaffected.
* Potions effects are
as for the type of magick they duplicate.
The nature of liquids in the weightless
environment poses a few
difficulties. Normal potions in normal
vials have the viscosity of
ketchup and tend to cling to the sides
of the vials. It takes 1d4
rounds to consume a potion in such a vial,
and there is a 5%
chance that the user chokes (though does
not drown) and loses
the effects of the potion. Drinking potions
from wineskins or soft
flasks avoids this difficulty and allows
consumption in <one> round.
Oils can be applied
in one round by dipping a finger in the oil
and letting it spread over the body. Magickal
oils never cause
choking || drowning, but some, such as
oil of etherealness, have
no effect on the Astral plane. Potions
are permanent as long as
the individual is on the Astral plane,
but their durations elapse
normally after the user leaves this plane.
Consuming additional
potions runs the danger of potion
miscibility (DMG, page 119).
* Magickal items that
tap into extra-dimensional space or the
Ethereal || inner planes do not function
in the Astral. Items that
call upon powers from those planes are
equally ineffective.
Magic-Users and Illusionists
See Magic
in the Astral Plane (page 68) for the working of spells here.
Spell books are by nature slightly magickal
and project
astrally with the astral traveller. Spells
cannot be recovered under
normal circumstances in the Astral plane
because of the SLOW
passage of subjective time. Spell casters
desiring to regain spells
must reach a plane in which they can REST
and relearn their magick.
If an astrally projecting spell-caster
loses his spell book, the
earthly form of that book rots within
1d10 turns.
Clerics and Druids
See Magic
in the Astral Plane (page 68) for the working of spells
in the Astral. As for other abilities:
* A cleric or druid
regains the usual amount of spells if his deity
resides in the Astral plane. Otherwise
he is limited as a M-U
in having to seek a safe haven to study
in a plane w/ a
faster subjective time flow. A cleric
who can regain spells does so
by REST, which consists of meditating
in a motionless state for the
required amount of true time. This is
an xception to the general
rule that forbids the REST &&
relearning of spells in the Astral.
* Holy symbols, holy
water and its containers, and mistletoe
and oak leaves harvested for USE in druidical
spells, are all mildly
magickal in nature. These items become
astral provided the druid
or cleric has these items on his person
when the spell is CAST.
* A cleric can TURN
undead that are in the Astral plane, but not
those he observes through the viewing
points opened by color pools,
even if these undead are aware of the
cleric's presence.
* Druidical special
abilities, incl. the identification of
plant type, animal type, pure water, pass
through overgrowth,
immunity to woodland creatures' charm,
and shapechange function
normally in the Astral plaen, though they
are of little USE here.
* Hierophant druids
of the highest level can roam the inner
planes' probability lines in a method
similar to the psionic ability
probability travel. The druid moves through
the Astral plane, but
cannot see or enter (even by accident)
color pools that do not
lead to PMPs.
Thieves
All thieves and their
subclasses and split-classes retain their
thieving abilities with the following
restrictions:
* Light comes from the
plane itself in the Astral, so there are
few shadows to hide in to start with.
The chance of hiding in any
existing shadows is unaffected.
* Noise travels very
well for short distances in the Astral, so
the hear noise chance is increased
by 10%, but the chance of
moving silently is reduced by 10%.
* The ability to climb
walls is of little USE in a weightless environment
where movement is by mental command. However,
there can be situations when moving over
a solid surface without
pushing off from that surface into space
is useful. In these situations,
the climb walls ability suffers
no penalties.
Fighters
All fighter abilities
function normally in the Astral plane, with
the limitations noted under combat for
effects of INT and
WIS, as well as those imposed by the lack
of gravity.
Rangers
* Rangers lose their
advantage against being surprised on the
Astral plane, but retain their 3 in 6
chance of surprising others.
* Unless the ranger
is attempting to track across a solid
object, such as an island of matter, tracking
is impossible.
* Rangers who can learn
druidical or M-U spells have
the same limitations as druids & M-Us.
Barbarians
Only barbarians of 6th
level or higher willingly submit theselves
to the dangers of the obviously magickal
Astral plane.
Those of lower levels who find themselves
here seek the nearest
and surest escape from the plane. No barbarian
special abilities
function in the Astral plane.
Cavaliers
Cavalier fighting abilities
are affected as noted under combat
for effects of INT and WIS, as well as
by the lack of
gravity in the Astral plane. All other
abilities remain unchanged.
Normal horses do not travel quickly in
the Astral, being of animal
INT, but the cavalier can USE his horsemanship
skills w/
any horse-like creatures he convinces
to aid in his cause, incl.
ki-rin, dragon horses, and (for evil cavaliers)
nightmares.
Paladins
Paladin fighting abilities
are affected as noted in the combat
section. For other special abilities:
* A paladin's ability
to detect evil, lay on hands, radiate a protection from evil circle,
and, if wielding a holy sword, dispel
magick,
are unchanged (though the effects of the
dispel magick are modified as
noted for that spell on page
68).
* Paladins TURN undead
and learn spells (when of sufficient
level) under the same limitations as clerics.
* The paladin's mount
can be brought into the Astral; most
have an INT ranging from 9-12 for purposes
of movement.
the paladin has all the horsemanship skills
of a cavalier.
Monks
Monk fighting abilities
are affected as noted in the combat section.
Monks gain damage and protective bonuses
for high Wisdoms
and Intelligences in combat. For other
special monk abilities:
* An astrally projecting
monk
has an AC no lower
than AC 7 and might have a higher effective
AC,
depending on his level. This effective
AC is the result of
the monk's training and as such translates
directly into the astral form.
* Thieving abilities are retained as for thieves.
* Movement in the Astral
plane is determined by INT.
Until a monk reaches 10th level, his normal
INT is used.
Upon reaching 10th level (which grants
18 INT against
mind blast attacks), the monk can
MOVE as if he has an 18 INT.
Fighting abilities are not affected by
his gain in INT.
* Other monk abilities are unaffected.
* A monk's chance of
surprise and of stunning man-sized
opponents are unaffected.
| Githyanki | Astral Searchers | Fixed portals | Yggdrasil and Mount Olympus |
Fixed portals:
Color pools that lead to other planes are controlled
by a # of variables as to where they lead
and how common
they are. A color pool that leads to the
plane of Limbo can be relatively
close on one adventure, then MOVE farther
away on a second
trip. Every pool reveals a different AREA
of the plane.
Fixed portals, on the
hand, are always located in the
same spot. They are also always the same
distance (measured in
hours) apart. Further, each fixed portal
has a set xit in the same
loc. of the plane it opens into. A fixed
portal often has identifying
features to tell travellers where it leads.
=Equally= often, fell
creatures guard the portal on the other
side.
Often these portals
are the easiest method of entering the plane of
a Greater Deity that takes pains to eliminate
travellers using color
pools to VIEW his realm.
The locations and planes reached by fixed
portals are up to the DM to fit into his
campaign. These portals, like
color pools, only reach the surface layers
of outer planes.
Yggdrasil and Mount
Olympus: These two astral landmarks
are normally encountered by travellers
from worlds that worship
the Norse and Greek mythoi, respectively,
but travellers from other
PMPs can encounter them. Both are long-standing
conduits from the outer planes to Alernate
Prime
planes. They were each created by a group
of Demi-, Lesser, and
Greater Deities and aworshipers in the
PMP.
Yggdrasil is the "World
Ash" that links the "important" outer
planes to the PMP, in the Norse mythos.
It runs
from Gladsheim, home of most of the Norse
mythos, to Niflheim,
the center layer of the <three> glooms
of Hades and the dwelling
place of the goddess of the same name.
Roots and branches of
Yggdrasil wind through most of the Prime
Planes where these
deities are recognized.
Similarly, Mount Olympus
is a huge mountain that links the
Greek pantheon's part of the plane of
Olympus with the Prime
planes that they are strong in. It has
xits on the lower layers of
the planes of Gehenna, Hades, and Tarterus.
The tree and mountain
are solid and permanent conduits
that weather the the waxing &&
waning of faiths in the Prime Material
and the fortunes of the gods in the outer
planes. The traveller
is confronted by a huge
tree or a mountain wall rising from the mist
of the Astral and disappearing far into
the distance. The traveller
can then climb the tree or mountain to
the appro. outer
plane, descend to the reachable lower
planes, or xplore the
alternate Primes that the conduits touch
upon. At the true terminus
(reawched after the standard amount of
travel time), the tree or
mountain ends in a color pool similar
to that of a fixed portal. The
traveller can then pass into the outer
plane as if moving into an
alternate Prime Material or the Astral
plane.
Yggdrasil and the Mountain
of Olympus are the best-known of
the permanent conduits that link the outer
planes with Prime
planes and with other non-linear outer
planes. Similar portals may
xist for Arcadia, Nirvana, or the Abyss,
depending on the nature
of the campaign and the gods involved.
Further details on the
nature of such permanent channels, conduits,
and their creation
are found in the next
chapter.
PapersAndPaychecks wrote:
Hmm. Strikes me that many players would wish to use the medium for
scouting purposes, in that case. It's also certainly the safest way of
getting to old Acererak's tomb - even if whole hordes of demons flock to
attack the cowardly, lazy and greedy PC who uses these tactics...
Does the Astral plane operate on similar principles?
When a few dismembered carcasses of PCs come flopping out of the Ethereal
Plane I suspect the concensus will be that it is not a viable means to
cheap success in quests of heroic sort.
Indeed the Astral Plane is similar to the Ethereal, albeit there are
even worse perils to risk when hazarding that plane other than for direct
travel to a destination. (In short, it is up to the DM to make certain
that the players do not get away by cheap tricks, the louts!) 
Cheers,
Gary
Solid answers to astral questions
by Roger E. Moore
Since the article on “The
Astral Plane” appeared in issue #67
of DRAGON™ Magazine, a number
of people have written to me
or to Dragon Publishing
Magazine with questions and sugges-
tions concerning AD&D™
adventuring in astral space. Some
additional thoughts on the
subject have come to me as well; this
edition of “Sage Advice”
concerns the Astral Plane and various
aspects of getting around
thereon.
A few things need to be said
before the questions start com-
ing. First: the thank-you’s.
A number of people helped produce
the original article on
the Astral Plane and should be recog-
nized. Georgia Moore, Marc
Cocherl, and Neal O’Koon proof-
read and reviewed the original
draft; Neal got me to clarify the
wound-recovery problem in
astral space. Norman Moore sug-
gested some aspects of magical
item alteration that were
incorporated into the article.
Kim Mohan did a superb job of
editing and clarifying the
material, and Gary Gygax’s com-
ments and additions to the
article were much appreciated.
Thank you all.
Second: my sources. Putting
the Astral Plane article together
was difficult, since so
little material on that environment was
offered in the rule books.
Most of the material in the article was
extrapolated from the Dungeon
Masters Guide,
the DEITIES
& DEMIGODS™ Cyclopedia, AD&D Module Q1 (Queen of
the
Demonweb Pits), and from
some research I had been doing in
graduate school on the effects
of weightlessness.
Third: the reason this follow-up
article was prepared. Com-
ments sent in to Dragon
Publishing or to me were greatly
appreciated, and went a
long way toward further clarifying and
making more logical and
workable the current “astral model.”
Thanks to the following
readers in particular: Nick Bennett,
Brian Cluggish, Scott Grady,
Peter Hare, Robert Konopelski,
Joe Listopad, Steve March,
Jeff Naiman, Russell Pflughaupt,
Robert Stockdale, and Robert
Weisberg.
The questions have been arranged
by topic, much in the
same way the original article
was divided. Some general com-
ments have been added as
well where appropriate.
General Topics
Q: Does the Astral Plane contact the Elemental Planes?
A: Not as far as can
be told from the literature. It was pointed out
by a questioner that if
spell-users could summon walls of stone
on the Astral Plane (as
well as poison gas, water, and fireballs),
then why not let them bring
elementals
as well? This was a hard
point to resolve; it was
assumed that the former sorts of spells
do not necessarily draw
power from the Elemental Planes, and
that in casting such spells
as wall of stone, fireball, etc., the
spell caster is spontaneously
creating material from nothing.
Others may point out that
there are at least two known types
of elementals —aerial
servants and invisible stalkers
— known
to roam astral space. It
could be conjectured that they got there
by being summoned to the
Prime
Material Plane and then sent
into astral space on some
mission. They might also have been
gated
to astral space by their respective rulers on the elemental
planes. Taking a cue from
Module Q1, however, it appears that
the elemental-conjuring
spells are not powerful enough to
bring elementals to the
Astral Plane directly from their home
planes. A spell caster might
try to develop a different type of
elemental-summoning spell
that attracts elementals who hap-
pen to be on the same plane
as the summoner (this would be
good for getting aerial
servants and invisible stalkers to come to
you astrally) — but the
referee should consider the possibility
that such a spell would
actually enrage the summoned creature
if it saved against the
spell, making it very likely that the crea-
ture would then seek out
and attempt to slay the summoner.
If a spell caster just has
to have an elemental on the Astral
Plane, then a magic-user
could summon an invisible stalker on
the Prime Material Plane
and command it to follow him into
astral space while he uses
some other means (spell, psionics,
device, etc.) to get there.
Or, characters could cast a gate spell,
linked directly with the
Elemental Planes (and the rulers there-
of), and then could try
to negotiate for the temporary use of an
elemental or two. This could
obviously be very expensive, as
well as incredibly dangerous,
so it isn’t recommended.
In most cases, if an elemental
is to be conjured, there must be
a medium at the place of
summoning in astral space appro-
priate to the type summoned
(a water sphere for water elementals,
stone or earth for earth
elementals,
or flame for fire
elementals). Only air elementals
would require no special medium
to move through; they can
travel naturally through astral space,
just as aerial servants
and invisible stalkers do.
Q: How does one drink potions in a weightless condition?
A: Inventive characters
can come up with many ways of circum-
venting the problems of
weightlessness (see Gary Gygax’s
excellent suggestion for
write
spells in DRAGON #67.) Using
normal potion bottles can
be time-consuming, since the liquid
contents will not naturally
flow out of them all at once unless
one shakes the bottle like
we normally shake ketchup bottles;
unfortunately, shaking a
bottle makes it hard to drink the potion
at the same time, and too
much liquid may flow out at once,
making the user choke. This
may be simulated by stipulating
that someone using a regular
potion bottle needs 1-4 rounds to
get a full dose of the fluid,
and there is a 5% chance per round of
drinking (non-cumulative)
that the drinker chokes and loses all
the potion’s effects.
Squeezable bottles may be
invented, similar to those used by
astronauts and cosmonauts
nowadays, so that the rate of flow
of the liquid within can
be controlled by the drinker. Potion
drinking would take only
one round, as usual, if such a bottle
was used. Other systems
might be devised involving straws,
syringe-like pumps, and
so forth, that would work just as well.
Q: How is it possible
to drown on the Astral Plane if characters
do not need oxygen? Experiments
have been conducted
recently In which creatures
have had one lung filled with water
with no ill effects, and
some animals have been fitted with
artificial gills to enable
them to breathe water easily.
A: For purposes of
this model of the Astral Plane, it is assumed
that astral characters do
not need to breathe in order to stay
alive but they must have
their lungs clear of foreign material
and exposed to the astral
medium (the “air” of astral space.)
The initial entry into astral
space is sufficient to cause one’s
lungs to be filled with
this medium, and from then on breathing
is unnecessary. But if water
gets into an air-breathing charac-
ter’s or creature’s respiratory
system, it will evenly coat (in this
weightless environment)
all of the system’s air passages and
prevent the astral medium
from providing its life-sustaining
qualities.
***
Q: Okay, if you can
drown on the Astral Plane, then can you
prevent it by holding your
nose?
A: This is assumed
in the action of the saving throw vs. breath
weapon to keep from drowning;
success means the character
was able to cover his/her
nose and keep the mouth shut.
Inventive characters may
develop nose plugs, but it is still
suggested that a roll of
1 as a saving throw be a failure, indicat-
ing that the nose plugs
came loose or fell out, or something else
went wrong mechanically.
Goggles would similarly help pre-
vent blindness for someone
caught in a dig spell’s effects, but a
saving throw of 1 would
indicate that a piece of dirt found its
way past the goggles, or
whatever. Nothing’s a sure thing.
***
Q: Are people able to talk in astral space?
A: Yes. All one has
to do is inhale the “air,” or astral medium, and
then speak normally while
exhaling. Normal conversation can
be heard up to 60 feet from
a speaker, and shouted commands
can reach 240 yards. The
environment is permeated by a
sound-deadening effect,
resulting from the lack of anything to
produce echoes and amplify
the sounds made, so astral space
seems abnormally silent.
If one wanted to get complicated
about it, one could set
up rules which specify that the direction
a speaker is facing makes
a difference in how well he is heard,
but this seems like too
much work.
*
Q:
How are psionics and psionic powers affected by travelling
the Astral Plane?
A: See DRAGON #67
for comments on astral projection
and
probability
travel. As for other disciplines, body
equilibrium affects
the user as per a feather
fall spell; cell adjustment
allows
healing astrally; mind
over body, suspend animation,
dimension
walk,
and etherealness
have no effect if used astrally; and
teleportation
is described further as per the spell teleport
in
DRAGON #67 and in this article.
All other psionic attacks,
defenses, and disciplines
function as normal or as similar mag-
ical spells do, as described
in the original article. Psionic
strength points are recovered
at a varying rate, as follows:
points recovered during
hard exertion (fighting), none; when
moving by mental effort,
6 pts/hour; when “floating” without
thinking of moving, 12 pts/hour.
Q: What other races of spell casters besides human may be encountered?
A: Very few. Elven
wizards (11th-level magic-users) might be
discovered using an astral
spell from a scroll, but no demi-
human clerics or spell casters
of other sorts would likely be
found. The DM may have an
encounter take place with a party
of NPC’s that includes a
7th-level gnome illusionist (possibly
multiclassed) who successfully
used an astral spell from a
scroll of illusionist spells.
A party might also meet a high-level
thief
(10th or greater) of any race except half-orc, who also
used some scroll spell to
be taken to astral space, with or
without partners. For all
practical purposes, assume that 95% of
all spell casters responsible
for bringing a group to the Astral
Plane are human. The other
5% may be set up as special
encounters as the DM chooses,
along the examples given
above.
*
Q: It was mentioned
that
insanity might be present in “special”
encounters involving persons
lost in astral space. How would
this work?
A: In a way, floating
around in the Astral Plane can be described
as a form of sensory deprivation.
There is little to look at,
nothing to hear but oneself
(if alone), and nothing to do if one is
lost. Time becomes meaningless,
and a second passed may
seem like a year (or vice
versa). If a lost NPC is encountered, he
or she will be insane if
a saving throw vs. magic (including
wisdom bonuses) is failed
prior to the encounter. Lost player
characters, for simplicity’s
sake, are assumed to be immune to
the insanity-producing effects
of astral space, though the con-
ditions may certainly make
them uncomfortable. The most
common sort of insanity
found in lost astral travelers would
likely be catatonia
(as per the Dungeon Masters Guide).
*
**
Q: What about lycanthropes?
A: Whether an NPC
is a lycanthrope or not is up to the DM.
However, lycanthropes will
find it impossible to assume animal
shape in astral space (there’s
no natural darkness), and will
appear completely human
if met.
Q: In the Sage Advice
column in issue #71,
it was stated that lycanthropes
cannot
change their shape on the
Astral Plane
because there is no natural
darkness there.
However, the DMG
states that after six
years of experience, lycanthropes
can
change at will. Which is
correct?
A:The Sage Advice
answer in #71 should
be amended as follows: Lycanthropes
of
any sort found on the Astral
Plane will
assume wereform only as
a result of melee
injury or the casting of
certain spells (as
noted on p.
22, DMG) if the creature has
had lycanthropy for less
than six years.
Those having lycanthropy
for more than
six years will, in addition
to the above
circumstances, be able to
change into
wereform at will.
(79.14)
Q: When a cleric travels
the Astral Plane, can his or her holy
symbol
be brought along without a magical aura being placed
upon it?
A: No, unless the
holy
symbol itself is enchanted and has
magi-
cal powers of its own. However,
a cleric could cast a simple
spell like light
upon the symbol,
which in essence causes it to
radiate a magical aura and
will allow it to be brought into astral
space.
*
*
*
Q: Can astral characters
who are “adjacent” to another plane be
seen by other inhabitants
of astral space who are not “adjacent”
to the same plane?
A: Yes. It would work
something like this: Suppose a group of
astral travelers is “adjacent”
to an Outer Plane, looking it over.
Approaching behind them
is a shedu. From the shedu’s view-
point, the characters appear
normal, except that they are
slightly out of focus in
its vision (since they have moved into the
“borderland” between the
planes). The characters will also
appear to be looking around,
viewing something the shedu
cannot see since it is not
also “adjacent” to the other plane.
The characters, if they
turn around, will be able to see the
shedu in the Astral Plane
“behind” them, as well as get a further
glimpse of the surroundings
on the Outer Plane to which they
are “adjacent” (something
like a double exposure on a piece of
film). The shedu and the
characters may interact, but neither
will be able to affect any
inhabitants on the “adjacent” Outer
Plane unless certain special
spells are used. A medusa, if one
were present on the Outer
Plane the characters are viewing,
would be able to see the
characters and attack them but could
not see or attack the shedu.
Any area in astral space
considered “adjacent” to another
plane appears indistinguishable
from any other area of the
Astral Plane. Only the spell
caster who initiated the traveling
can find such a place. Any
plane touching the Astral Plane may
have several or many “adjacent
spots” from which it may be
entered from astral space.
Q: If a magic-user has a familiar, how fast can the familiar travel astrally?
A: Familiars (but
not pets) are assumed to be able to travel at a
velocity based on the magic-user’s
intelligence
if they are
within 12” of the M-U; beyond
that range, they MOVE at a
rate based on their natural
intelligence
score. A min. score
of 2 (for a 2” movement
rate) is suggested, even for a creature
type of animal intelligence,
since the PH says
familiars are “abnormally
intelligent.”
*
*
*
Q: If an astrally
projecting character is wounded but survives to
come back to his or her
material body, is all the damage taken
removed?
A: No. The psychic
trauma of being wounded will still be pres-
ent; though the material
body will be unharmed, the person will
appear exhausted and may
possibly have sympathetic or <link:WSG>
imaginary pains in the parts
of his or her body that received the
wounding. Normal recovery
times apply, and magical spells or <{i}>
potions may be used to restore
lost HP.
*
*
*
Q: Shouldn’t the
initial penalty of -6 “to hit” on missile fire
(because the archer is not
initially used to shooting without
having to account for gravity)
be removed after it is suffered just
once, to reflect the archer’s
sudden realization that all he has to
do is aim at a target directly?
A: This good point
was made, in one way or another, by several
persons. The rule stated
in the original article should still apply
to all attacks made with
thrown weapons; one will always have
the penalty initially, and
even after compensating for it will have
to re-learn how to compensate
each time the Astral Plane is
re-entered. (Perhaps a few
practice sessions at throwing things
would be in order right
after one enters astral space.) Slings are
also governed by this rule.
A modification to the rule
may be made for all types of bows
and crossbows that permit
direct missile fire. Immediately after
entering the Astral Plane,
a person who is familiar with archery
(who has taken a bow or
crossbow as a personal weapon of
expertise) rolls 3d6; a
result equal to or less than the character’s
intelligence score indicates
that the character already realizes
the weightlessness of the
plane will change the path of arrows
or bolts to a straight line;
the first missile such a character fires
will have a -2 “to hit”
penalty, but the rest will be fired as normal.
Would-be archers who fail
the roll vs. intelligence will auto-
matically miss any target
over 60’ distant on the first attempt to
hit it. However, with each
subsequent missile fired, the archer
or crossbowman may again
attempt to roll intelligence or less
on 3d6, and if successful
will have a -2 “to hit” on the next
missile fired, and then
make all future shots at normal “to hit”
odds. (Again, a little target
practice at first couldn’t hurt.) One
character may forewarn another
about the adjustments, so the
second archer won’t need
to do an intelligence roll; the proce-
dure of firing the first
missile at a -2 “to hit,” however, stays the
same. Once this difference
in missile fire is learned, an archer
does not need to make any
further intelligence rolls upon re-
entering the Astral Plane,
but will always shoot the first missile
he fires on that plane at
-2 (while “learning” the procedure
first-hand over again).
*
*
*
Q: Since any missile
in astral space will follow a straight-line
path without slowing down,
shouldn’t the maximum missile
ranges be extended to infinity,
or at least to “as far as the eye
can see”?
A: It’s true that
missiles will have infinite range; they can (and
perhaps do) travel “to infinity.”
But the probability of hitting a
target — which is what missile
firing is all about — at long
ranges is extremely low;
it approaches zero much sooner, and
much more rapidly, than
the missile approaches infinity.
The smallest fraction of
error in aiming at a very distant target
can produce a complete miss.
Imagine having a rifle in outer
space and being told to
shoot at a 5-foot-diameter target one
mile away. You can see that
far, and a fired missile would
certainly travel that far,
but the slightest error in your aim
means that you miss. Doubling
the maximum missile ranges
seemed like a fair way to
extend missile fire without failing to
account for the loss of
accuracy. The chance of hitting any-
thing (unless it is really
big) at a distance greater than the
double-distance long range
(as set forth in the original article)
should be considered very
small — too small to be worth both-
ering about.
But .
. . if some magic-user were to invent, perish the thought,
“smart arrows” that track
a target by its innate intelligence, or
some wizard
eye-like guidance system, well . . . let’s let that
possibility go for the time
being.
***
Q: Since all movement
depends upon simply thinking about
moving, couldn’t a character
dodge a blow by literally thinking
himself out of the way?
A: Not really; the
ability to dodge blows in this fashion is sub-
sumed in the normal AC adjustments
involving dexter-
ity. The higher dexterity
one has, regardless of intelligence, the
better one’s nervous system
is at responding to mental com-
mands to move. (Think of
dexterity as analogous to reaction
time.) One astral character
could “swoop down” at another
character and strike as
he flew past, but unless the target
character is preoccupied,
he or she will get a chance to strike
back, too, at normal odds
“to hit.”
***
Q: Why is overbearing
not allowed, but grappling and pummeling are?
Couldn’t an attempt to overbear
disorient and upset the defender, sending him rolling and tossing?
A: The sort of attack
described in the question could be done
just as well by grappling.
Overbearing requires that there be a
surface to fight on, and
gravity that will work to the overbearer’s
advantage. Otherwise, attacks
meant to overbear will work out
(in non-gravity) just like
grappling.
***
Q: If movement on
the Astral Plane depends only on intelli-
gence, then it would seem
that a magical sword or other weap-
on that had ah innate intelligence
would be able to move and
fight just like a sword
of dancing can. If this is so, then how
could you determine the
fighting ability of an intelligent
weapon?
A: This question didn’t
occur to us during the production of the
original astral article.
It opens up many more questions than
just the one above — for
instance, could an intelligent sword be
made to push treasure along?
Haul unconscious party mem-
bers? Fight independently,
either as a sword or by making a
long run at something like
a spear?
Fortunately, there is a good
“game” answer to the above
question that also makes
some sense “realistically”: The intelli-
gence of a magic weapon
is not a biological intelligence
that is
normally accustomed to acting
while being able to move inde-
pendently; in contrast,
characters or creatures that can and do
move independently on the
Prime Material and other planes are
accustomed to acting while
moving on their own, even though
movement ability is not
a function of intelligence in their normal
environment.
Thus, magical weapons have
no effective movement on their
own in astral space (except
for swords of dancing, which
func-
tion as per the DMG).
Magic weapons are assumed to have no
sensory awareness of their
surroundings except by means of
whatever powers they might
possess (detect traps, detect
metals, etc.) In a word,
they are blind. If such a weapon is held
by a character, it may be
assumed that the weapon can obtain
some limited awareness of
its surroundings, through the
wielder’s own senses, but
that is all. In the AD&D adventure
provided with the Astral
Plane article in DRAGON #67, Fedifen-
sor itself might have escaped
its predicament if it had been able
to move on its own astrally.
Q:
If magic items from the Prime Material Plane are reduced in
effectiveness when taken
to the Astral Plane or one of the Outer
Planes, would not items
made upon an Outer Plane be reduced
in effectiveness if taken
to the Astral or Prime Material Plane?
A: Sure, although
there should be a limit to the reduction in
effectiveness. Prime Material
magic items suffer a loss of one
magical “plus” when taken
to the Astral Plane, and two such
steps when taken to any
Outer Plane. The reverse should also
be true of items coming
from a particular Outer Plane. If a
demon prince made a +5 weapon
on Plane #423 of the Abyss,
the weapon would still be
a +5 weapon anywhere in the Abyss,
but would be a +4 weapon
on the Astral Plane and a +3 weapon
on the Prime Material Plane.
Some interesting adventures
might be arranged around
magic weapons which, on the Prime
Material Plane, are quite
weak, but which pick up additional and
unexpected powers the closer
they are taken to their home
planes.
***
Q: Wouldn’t magic items that depend on energy from the Positive and Negative Material Planes be reduced in effectiveness if taken into astral space?
A: Yes, but most of
these effects are assumed to be accounted
for in the general magic-item
alterations.
A sword
of life stealing, +2 would become a sword
of life stealing, +1 astrally and a
non-magical sword on any
Outer Plane; it is assumed that such
a sword has some kind of
innate link anyway with the Negative
Material Plane.
Part of the problem in answering
this question is that it is not
clear which weapons and
items, if any, get their magical energy
directly from the Positive
and Negative Material Planes and
which do not. The question
can be dropped for the present
without affecting the play
of the game, however.
***
Q: How long does it take to recover spells for casting astrally?
A: The spell caster,
whether praying for a spell or reading from a
spell book, will find that
it takes the same amount of time to
recover spells in the Astral
Plane as it does normally (see
p.39-40,
DMG),
but instead of sleeping the spell-caster must
remain at REST, unmoving,
for the stated length of time. As
mentioned in the original
article, spell casters may only attempt
to gain new spells once
during any single astral journey; the
peculiar magical properties
of the plane make it impossible for
normal spell casters to
gain any new spells after that.
*
**
Q: Couldn’t clerics
who worship a deity who lives on the Astral
Plane be allowed to recover
spells more than once?
A: To every rule (see
the preceding question) there is always
one exception, and this
(ahem) is one such. Clerics — but not
magic-users or illusionists
— whose object of worship normally
resides on the Astral Plane
may repeatedly recover spells while
astral, though the above-stated
time limits still apply for each
recovery period.
*
**
Q:
How do native astral races like the githyanki
recover spells
they CAST?
A: The githyanki and
other native astral races who cast spells
can, because they have fully
adapted to the astral environment,
recover any spells they
use as often as desired. Visitors from the
Prime Material Plane will
never be able to pick up this adapta-
tion, a wish
notwithstanding. Recovery times, as described
above for magic-user and
cleric characters, still apply.
Specific Spell Alterations
Below are listed certain
spell alterations that are further clari-
fied or corrected from the
original presentation:
Commune, Divination, Spiritual
Hammer — The Astral Plane
is not considered “neutral
territory” to the gods, as the Prime
Material Plane is. Spells
like commune, divination, and spiritual
hammer will not function
astrally — unless the cleric’s deity
lives on the Astral Plane
— because to succeed, they require
direct intervention by the
deity or a minion of the deity. The
gods who inhabit the Astral
Plane would take offense if such a
thing were allowed to happen
— so it does not happen.
Word of Recall — This spell
will work on the Astral Plane — if
the cleric’s deity lives
on that plane, and if the cleric using the
spell has a stronghold on
the Astral Plane as well. In such a
case, the cleric may use
word of recall to instantly move from
any point on the Astral
Plane to a place within the astral
stronghold that has a solid
“floor.”
Chariot of Sustarre — The
chariot does not come from the
Elemental Plane of Fire,
and so can appear astrally.
<this is in error>
Conjure Elemental — See comments
under “General Topics”
earlier in this article.
Anti-Magic Shell — Magic-using
creatures native to the
Astral Plane may use this
spell normally.
Conjure Elemental — See comments
under “General Topics”
earlier in this article.
Find Familiar, Monster Summoning
— Note that these spells
do not open an inter-planar
gate, but simply attract creatures
residing on or passing through
the Astral Plane.
Teleport — Use of this spell,
or a magic item which is similar
in nature, is allowed if
one is attempting to teleport within the
Astral Plane to a solid
surface, such as a matter island or a
fortress.
Tenser’s Floating Disk —The
original article was in error
about the usage of this
spell and its after-effects; when the spell
duration ends, anything
the disk was carrying will follow a
straight-line path at a
constant velocity, moving at the same
speed the now-expired disk
was maintaining.
