Survival in the Plane of Fire | Movement in the Plane of Fire | Encounters in the Plane of Fire | Creature Encountersf | Magick in the Plane of Fire |
- | - | Features of Elemental Fire | - | - |
The Inner Planes | - | - | - | Manual of the Planes |
-
The plane of elemental Fire is a hellish
place, unsuitable for the
unprotected traveller && uncomfortable
to thsoe who make their
homes in cooler regions. In addition to
elemental creatures, this
plane is the home of the evil efreeti
and their fabled City of Brass,
and the realms of the dwarf-like azer.
In comparison to the
plethora of Greater and Lesser Powers
that inhabit the plane of
Air, only one power, Hastsezini,
the fire god of the Amerindian
Mythos,
makes this plane his home.
The unwary traveller entering the plane
of Fire is immed.
subjected to the terrible heat of the
plane and the brilliance of the
plane itself. Those who survive their
entry into the plane of Fire
are treated to all the wonders of the
plane.
The plane of Fire is alive with every color
and manner of flame,
all burning without consuming any fuel,
radiating energy and
heat at max. levels. There are the brilliant
yellows and
oranges of every adventurer's campfire,
and the hot red edged
w/ white of the live embers of the campfire.
The shine of candles
and the white radiance of heated steel
can be seen, as well
as the blue && green flames of
alchemic experiments.
Most matter that is unprotected is consumed
by the flames, but
some elemental pockets do survive in the
plane of Fire and often
serve as waystations for beings from other
planes.
The borders of the plane of Fire are only
slightly cooler than the
inner parts of the plane. Toward the plane
of elemental Air, the
amount of burnable material increases,
and large pockets of
haze and soot collect until the fires
of the plane are reduced and
the traveller reaches the para-elemental
plane of Smoke. In the
opposite direction, toward the plane of
elemental Earth, more
ground appears, thick basalt columns form,
as well as less impervious
materials that flow under the effects
of the heat. When the fire
is finally subsumed in the heat of the
surrounding rock, the
plane of para-elemental Magma, home of
the magmen, is
reached.
If the traveller gains an elemental guide
and moves toward the
Positive Material plane, the flames become
brighter and less distinct,
until the light overwhelms the fires and
the traveller reaches
the plane of quasi-elemental Radiance.
In the other direction, the
flames begin to die, leaving behind the
remains of eons of fires
now dead. The air becomes cool and then
bone-chillingly cold
and the last of the flames disappear.
The traveller has reached
the negative quasi-plane of Ash, the border
between the plane of
Fire and the unknowable depths of the
Negative Material.
Movement toward other
planes is impossible without an elemental
guide. No clues of direction can be gained
from local variations in
conditions--the heat level varies tremendously
between
locations, and pockets of basalt
and magma are found throughout
the realm, even in the region toward para-elemental
Smoke.
Survival
in the Plane of Fire
-
Burning: The
sheer heat of the plane of Fire poses the greatest
threat to the traveller. A temperature
of the plane is equivalent to
that encountered in a stroll through a
volcano. This heat has the
following effects on items and creatures.
* Unprotected paper,
clothing, wood, and other normally flammable
material immediately burst into flame.
Those unfortunate
enough to be holding onto or wearing such
items suffer 3d6
points of fire damage.
* Unprotected and nonmagical
metal becomes superheated
and melts in two rounds. Those unfortunate
enough to be carrying
or wearing such items suffer the effects
of a full-strength heat metal
the first round (2d4 points of damage
and disability of the
body parts in contact with the metal),
and 3d10 points of damage
from the liquid, dripping metal on the
second round.
* Unprotected water
and other fluids immediately boil and
evaporate into the thin atmosphere of
this plane. Magical liquids
such as potions get a saving throw
vs. fire or are boiled away
(saves are made when entering the plane
or as soon as the item
becomes unprotected). An unprotected character
putting his
hands in boiling water or his face in
the evaporating superheated
steam receives 2d10 points of damage.
* Ice melts in one round.
The resultant puddle evaporates in
one additional round. This tends to limit
the effectiveness of wall of ice spells.
* An unprotected being
in the plane of Fire must roll a successful
save vs. Breath Weapons or die immediately.
If it
survives, it receives 4d10 points of damage
per round. If the
being has a natural nonmetal AC of 2 or
highter, this damage is <?>
reduced to 1d10 points and a +2 bonus
is added to the save.
* Unprotected stone
of nonvolcanic origin melts into magma.
Creatures made of stone (such as a stone
golem) suffer 1d10
points of damage per round. Volcanic stone
includes basalt,
obsidian, and pumice.
As you can see, a trip
to the plane of elemental Fire is no Sunday
at the beach.
All of the above apply
to creatures and items with no protection.
However, there are many readily available
spells and
devices that provide full protection on
the plane of Fire, regardless
of their limitations on the PMP. Protection
from fire,
ring of fire protection, or the
modified spell fire plane protection
enables the user to travel through the
plane of Fire without
harm. Should the protection elapse or
be dispelled, the traveller
is subject to the full effects of the
plane.
Breathing: The
atmosphere of the plane of elemental Fire is
very, very thin and very, very hot. What
breathable gas there is is
mixed with methane, smoky carbon monoxides,
and other noxious
gases, and superheated by the ambient
energy of the plane.
This has the following effects on ordinary
travellers:
* Unprotected beings
that must breathe the heated air TAKE
1d10 points of damage per round.
* Beings not protected
from poisons are affected as if by a
cloudkill spell (the effect depnds
on the beings' levels).
Protections vary according
to the dangers presented, immunity
to poisons in any form prevents cloudkill-like
effects, as does
any spell that transforms one element
into another (for example,
an airy fire spell to create a
breathable region around the caster).
Items that prevent damage from fire also
prtect against the
super-heated nature of the atmosphere.
Finally, magical items
that remove the need to breathe (such
as an ioun stone) or permit
a shape change into an unbreathing
being (such as a basalt stone
golem) negate the hazardous effects of
breathing.
Vision and Senses:
The plane of fire was misty and translucent,
and the radiance is such that vision is
usually limited to only 120'.
Lenses of smoked glass or quartz reduce
the glaring light of the
plane and allow the user to double the
sighting distance.
Infravision does not
allow the user to detect native creatures
against the flaming background, but it
can be used to detect non-native
creatures as cooler spots against the
background. Ultravision
does not function in the inner planes.
Movement in the plane
of elemental Fire works the same way
as in the plane of Air or the other elemental
planes. The tactic of
altering the down direction and falling
in that direction is usually
hampered by the limits of visibility.
More normal forms of transportation
(walking, flying, swimming) function normally
and are
the standard means of travel in the plane.
Flying and swimming
creatures gain no benefit in the plane.
Note that truly solid surfaces
in the plane of Fire are few and far between.
Encounters in the Plane of Fire
Travellers in the plane
of elemental Fire have a 1 in 10 chance
of an encounter every eight hours. The
type of encounter is rolled
below:
1-15 | Elemental Phenomena |
16-20 | Elemental Pocket |
21-00 | Creature Encounter |
Elemental Phenomena
Most of the phenomena
in the plane of elemental Fire deal with
heat, flame, and fire by-products. Roll
on the following table.
D12 Roll | Effect |
1-4 | Hot Spot |
5-7 | Cold Spot |
8 | Rain of Ashes |
9 | Smoke Cloud |
10 | Eruption |
11 | Explosion Field |
12 | Vortex to a Prime Material plane |
Hot Spot: This
is a region that is significantly hotter than the
surrounding plane--treat it as a magical
fire for spells that protect
from heat and fire. Infravision can detect
hot spots, but normal
vision cannot. All damage from heat and
fire effects is doubled
and saves suffer a -1 penalty while in
a hot spot. Creatures
native to <the> plane of elemental
Fire benefit from such hot spots
and regain 1d6 points of damage per turn
spent within them.
Cold Spot: A
place of relative sanctuary in the plane, where
temperatures are chillingly close to those
in the PMP
deserts. Creatures of elemental Fire tend
to avoid these cool
regions, though creatures from other planes
treat them as oases.
In some cases, liquid water and normally
flammable materials
exist in these cold spots.
Rain of Ashes:
This is a sprinkling of cinders, scorched earth,
and the like scattered by a prior explosion.
This debris hangs in
the flames like a cloud of dust stopped
in time. Those entering
such a cloud suffer 2d6 points of damage.
Smoke Cloud:
Similar in appearance to the rain of ashes, the
smoke cloud's danger is in its suffocating
nature. It functions as a
combination of stinking/incendiary
cloud for all who enter it
unprotected.
Eruption: This
is an extremely hot flame in the process of
erupting. Unlike most inanimate objects,
it moves on its own,
spurting as a sphere of moving flame from
its central point to a
distance of about 2,000 yards. Those caught
within it suffer the
effects of a hot spot and also receive
2d6 points of damage from
all the other-planar debris in the mass.
Explosion Field:
This is similar to an eruption, but the event is
waiting to happen, and is usually tripped
off by a living or magickal
entity. All those within the field suffer
the effects of an eruption,
and in addition suffer 4d12 points of
physical damage (flying
rocks, flaming pieces of other elements,
etc.).
Vortex to a Prime
Material plane: Usually a vortex in the
plane of Fire appears as a huge free-standing
fireball or column
of fire. The opening between the planes
is located in the center of
the sphere or column. The traveller seeking
escape from this
plane can risk passage through the vortex
into what lies beyond.
This is usually a lake of lava or the
heart of a volcano, but the elemental
traveller must have some form of protection
or he would
have died almost immediately upon entering
the plane. The DM
determines for his campaign the chances
of a vortex leading to
the traveller's PMP or to another PMP.
Elemental Pockets
The plane of elemental
Fire is generally hostile to pockets of
other elemental material, so that such
materials are relatively
rare (and thus the plane of Fire is the
"purest" of the four major
elemental planes). The DM can choose the
pocket the elemental
traveller encounters, or he can roll on
the following table.
d20 Roll | Type of Pocket |
1-3 | Air Pocket |
4-6 | Earth Pocket |
7-9 | Smoke Pocket |
10-12 | Magma Pocket |
13-14 | Ash Pocket |
15-16 | Radiance Pocket |
17 | Lightning or Vacuum Pocket |
18 | Dust or Mineral Pocket |
19 | Salt or Steam Pocket |
20 | Water, Ooze, or Ice Pocket |
Remember that pockets
of water, ice, or ooze do not have long life
expectancies in the plane of Fire--they
are eventually evaporated or
baked solid. Long-term structures in these
pockets only exist if the
pocket borders or their cold spots are
protected by a magickal spell or
device (such as walls of force
stretching around the perimeter).
Air Pockets:
Pockets of air in the plane of Fire are invisible, but
the atmosphere is noticeably thicker around
them and they give
off yellow-white flames. Air pockets are
slightly warmer than the
surrounding elemental fire. Air pockets
have a 20% chance to be
inhabited by a creature of the plane of
elemental Air.
Earth Pockets:
Most normal stone and earth are liquified by
the intense heat of the plane, but some
especially fire-resistant
materials can withstand the fire. These
remaining pockets
appear as huge blocks of stone. They are
usually mined, tunneled,
and built upon by other creatures. They
have a 50% chance
of inhabitants, with an equal chance of
those inhabitants being
from the planes of Earth or Fire.
Smoke Pockets:
These pockets look very much like rain of
ashes phenomena and have similar effects.
In addition, there is a
40% chance that a being from the plane
of Smoke makes a pocket
its home.
Ash Pockets:
These affect travellers as the rain of ashes elemental
phenomena, but have the additional effects
of the cold
spot. Those who enter its confines suffer
as if entering the plane
of para-elemental Ash. Ash pockets have
only a 10% chance of
being occupied. The inhabitants are almost
always creatures
from the para-elemental plane of Ash.
Radiance Pockets:
Pockets of para-elemental radiance
resemble hot spots to those with normal
vision, but they are really
no warmer than the surrounding terrain.
Those who enter these
pockets suffer the effects of being immersed
in the plane of Radiance.
There is a 10% chance of some creature
from that plane
making a pocket its home.
Lightning Pockets:
These resemble the dust-clouds of rain of
ash phenomena, but they pose different
problmes to the traveller.
The intruder suffers as if in the quasi-elemental
plane of Lightning,
but he receives no physical damage from
the cloud itself.
There is a 10% chance that some creature
native to that plane
inhabits any pocket.
Vacuum Pockets:
Vacuum pockets are marked by a dramatic
thinning of the already thin atmosphere
of the plane of Fire. As
with pockets of air, these pockets resemble
hollow spots in the
firey background. The flames around vacuum
pockets' borders
are redder and more subdued. Intruders
suffer the effects of
immersion in the quasi-elemental plane
of Vacuum. Vacuum
pockets have a 10% chance of imploding
every time they are
entered. The implosion inflicts 2d6 points
of damage to all within.
Dust Pockets:
These are rare in the plane of Fire, as the
intense heat quickly chars the dust to
cinders. Dust pockets
resemble rains of ashes, but those entering
the pocket suffering
the effects of entering the quasi-plane
of Dust. There is a 20%
chance of inhabitants--equal chance that
they are from the
plane of Dust or Fire.
Mineral Pockets:
The superheated stone and crystals of these
pockets seem to be a baslt-like pocket
of earth, but when a traveller
treads upon the surface, there is a 10%
chance per round
that the structure explosively collapses
(with the effects of an
explosion field to those within 10 feet).
In the plane of elemental
Fire, these pockets are always uninhabited.
Salt Pockets:
Relatively rare on the plane of Fire, pockets of
salt are similar in appearance and effect
to the rain of ashes phenomena.
There is a 10% chance a pocket is inhabited
by creatures
native to the quasi-plane of Salt.
Steam Pockets:
These gaseous pockets of super-heated
water vapor are usually uninhabited. Steam
pockets appear to be
rains of ashes, though their colors vary
from blue to white.
Water Pockets:
Pockets of elemental water (and those of its
related para-planes) are rare in the plane
of Fire. The few that do
exist are surrounded by cold spots. They
appear to be globes or
waves of free-standing water among the
flames. Water pockets
subject intruders to the effects of the
plane of elemental Water.
The heat of the plane
of Fire causes water pockets to diminish
in size (at a rate of about 10 feet in
diameter per elemental day)
and eventually evaporate. Such pockets
are treated as oases by
nonfire creatures--pockets have a 60%
chance that nonnative
elemental creatures are in residence.
Ooze Pockets:
Pockets of para-elemental Ooze must be of
sufficient size to maintain their existence
against the baking
heat. The surfaces of these pockets are
treated as cold spots for
their effects on travellers. The exteriors
of ooze pockets form a
crust of dried mud that breaks easily
if touched. Those entering
pockets of ooze suffer the effects of
entering that para-plane.
There is a 30% chance of nonnative creatures
using pockets as
bases, including creatures from the plane
of Ooze.
Ice Pockets:
The rarest of the para-elemental pockets, the
phrase "an ice pocket's chance in elemental
fire" is known in
some form or another throughout the planes.
The areas surrounding
ice pockets are cold spots. There is a
40% chance that
these areas are the lairs of creatures
native to the plane of Ice.
-
Most creatures of the
plane of elemental Fire are made of the
same material as their surroundings, but
they are detectable as
seperate entities by the colors of their
flaming surfaces. If they
remain in place, elemental creatures are
not invisible (as creatures
of elemental air would be) but are rather
hiding
in shadows
as a thief of the same level as their
HD.
Creatures native to
the plane of Fire seem to be constructed of
smaller elemental shapes that compose
the entire body. Some of
these shapes are vaguely humanoid, others
resemble animals or
monsters, and some look like wheeling
arches of flame, fiery tori,
and flaming spirals.
All creatures native
to this plane are immune to the effects of
their home plane and to the effects of
fire or heat anywhere in the
inner planes. They can be affected by
fire-based attacks (though
to a lesser degree) if found on planes
other than the inner. They
are affected by a lowering of temperature,
such as found in cold
spots and the quasi-plane of Ash and by
the effects of water and
ice. Temperatures lower than 100 degrees
Fahrenheit inflict 1d2
points of damage per round to a creature
of elemental fire. Spells
and items that create or USE water inflict
damage at a rate of 1d6
points per quart of water used. Elemental
fire exists without need
of air or combustible material, so removing
these materials has
no effect on creatures made of this element.
On the following sample
encounter chart, roll 1d8 and 1d12 to
get a number from between 2 and 20.
Fire Encounter Chart
D8 +
D12 Roll |
Number | Creatures Encountered | Notes |
2 | 1 | Imix** | FF |
3 | 1-3 | Flame Ropers* | MM* |
4 | 1-4 | Flame Leucrotta* | MM* |
5 | 1 | Flame Otyughs* | MM* |
6 | 2-12 | Phantom Stalkers* | FF |
7 | 2-8 | Grues, Harginn* | MM2 |
8 | 2-12 | Magmen* | MM2 |
9 | 2-20 | Fire Bats* | MM2 |
10 | 3-30 | Azer* | MM2 |
11 | 4-24 | Efreeti* | MM |
12 | 4-12 | Fire elementals* |
MM |
13 | 4-40 | Salamanders* | MM |
14 | 1-6 | Smoke para-elementals | MM2 |
15 | 1-6 | Magma para-elementals | MM2 |
16 | 2-12 | Flame Griffons* | MM* |
17 | 40-400 | Flame Goblins* | MM* |
18 | 1-4 | Flame Phase Spiders* | MM* |
19 | 5-50 | Flame Quippers* | FF* |
20 | 1-10 | Flame Aarakocra | FF* |
Notes:
* Indicates native to
the plane of Fire
* Fire elemental prince
of evil
MM = Creatures from
Monster
Manual
MM2 = Creatures
from the Monster Manual II
FF = Creatures
from the FIEND FOLIO tome
MM* = Creatures have
stats, appearance, and abilities similar to those of the listed creatures
from Monster Manual
FF* = As MM*, but creatures
being duplicated are from the FIEND FOLIO tome
Magic in the plane of
Fire follows the general rules for the inner
planes in terms of the spells that can
be CAST. Materials created
by spells (ice, water, earth, etc.) are
immediately affected by the
heat and fire of the plane unless CAST
within an AREA where such
substances can exist. A move earth
spell is not effective unless a pocket
of elemental earth is present. Control
winds and control weather
spells do not function in the thin atmosphere
of the plane of elemental
Fire (though they do work in pockets of
elemental air).
The Elementals | Archomentals | Kossuth | The Efreet | Azer | Hooks && Bubbles |
The Elementals:
Creatures made of elemental fire have a
wispy substance and appear to be constructed
of fiery shapes of
various volumes, forms, and destinies.
A single creature (such as
the flame roper from the chart above)
can differ in appearance
from one time to another, from a white-hot
beast resembling a
tree to a dull-red spiral-shaped creature
with radiating spikes of
blue flame, for example. In both cases,
the creatures has the abilities
of the roper known to natives of the PMP.
Appendix II on page
120 gives notes to help the DM determine
the appearance of inner planar monsters.
Creatures of pure elemental
fire prefer the hot banks where
there are few elemental pockets. Their
favorite hang-outs are the
super-heated hot spots, which exert a
healing influence upon
them. They avoid the cold spots and the
intrusions of such rare
substances as elemental water and para-elemental
ice.
These creatures are
generally hostile to Prime Material beings,
which they perceive as little more than
walking water bottles looking
for an accident to burst. Those of low
INT or higher
can be recruited as elemental guides in
return for rare or interesting
combustible material. Creatures of elemental
fire burn and consume
this material for variety, much like those
on the Prime Material
USE perfume or cologne.
Archomentals:
Of the various elemental princes and other
petty potenates of the plane of Fire,
only Imix has been
described. There are others of various
alignments, intentions,
and beliefs, but they have abilities similar
to Imix's. The archomentals
are considered Demi-Powers in their own
planes.
Imix is said to make
his fortress in the heart of a great active volcano,
ringed with volcanic rocks and protected
by frozen eruptions and
explosion fields. Imix seeks out such
pockets of unburnable basalt
and other volcanic rock to ADD to the
defense of his home. He is
extremely paranoid about cold, ice, and
especially water in his
domain. His great cohort of a dozen fire
elementals of max.
stats patrol his borders constantly, seeking
any who dare to disturb
the slumber of their lord. Those who seek
out Imix are warned
that there are easier ways to achieve
destruction.
Kossuth: The
tyrant-king of all elementals is known by many
names, all of which sound like the rush
of super-heated air from a
foundry or the crackle of lesser matter
being immolated. Kossuth
dwells in a palace built of elemental
fire in a hot spot at the center
of the plane. The heat here is so intense
that even creatures totally
immune to flame, such as fire elementals,
take 1d2 points of
damage per turn unless protected by Kossuth.
Kossuth is quick to
judge, and his judgments always revolve
about what is best for his dominion in
general and himself in particular.
He expects absolute honor and loyalty
from all who serve
him, and has been known to overwhelm those
who displease
him, elemental and prime traveller alike,
with the power of his
flames. Kossuth is a Greater God, the
primal power behind all
flame, and as such is unslayable in his
home plane and has all
the abilities afforded to a Greater God
in Appendix IV. <>
Hooks &&
Bubbles: Hooks and bubbles resemble (and have
the same effect as) those on the plane
of Air. They are less common;
hooks are usu. after phantom stalkers
or fire elementals.
One dangerous item unique
to the plane of Fire is the spiraling
flame, a phenomena that captures the elemental,
places his
reduced form into a small container, and
casts that container into
another plane. Its effect on intelligent
creatures is as follows:
Those witnessing the spiraling flames
must roll a successful save
vs. Spell or be charmed and immobile.
A charmed victim
is drawn into the spiral in 1d6 rounds.
The only escape is for an
ally to discover
the container and release the victim.
Quote:
Originally posted by Mark
The 1st edition AD&D
DMG (1979 - TSR Games) is adorned (front and back cover) with a David C
Sutherland III rendering of three adventurers battling an efreet on the
Elemental Plane of Fire. Was this inspired by one of the games that you
ran (or played in) and, if so, what was the outcome of said battle?
Actually, I did run a few
adventures in the City of Brass, but I don't recall Dave Sutherland being
involved--mainly rob and Terry Kuntz. So, to answer the question, I suppose
that Dave either based his illustration on his own adventuring or else
pure imagination
Cheerio,
Gary
Quote:
Originally Posted by Holy
Bovine
If Gary Gygax falls in lava
the lava doesn't get a saving throw.
Everyone else just dies.
This brings to mind the
use of certain potent magical devices that would indeed pretty much negate
the effects of lava or magma--anything having to do with compatibility
with Elemental Fire.
Having been divorced from my first wife, I no longer need such magical protection
Cheerio,
Gary
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