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{{ | {{Plane | ||
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|layers= | |area = | ||
|alignment= | |type = | ||
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|greyhawk powers=[[Anguileusis]], [[Beory]], [[Fharlanghn]], the [[Green Man]], [[Heward]], [[Iuz]], [[Kiaransali]], [[Krovis]], [[Sardior]], [[Skoraeus Stonebones]], [[Vathris]], [[Vecna]], Zagyg]], [[Zinzerena]], the [[Olman]] pantheon, the [[Touv]] pantheon. | |layers = | ||
|alignment = | |||
|inhabitants = Various | |||
|settlements = | |||
|greyhawk powers = [[Anguileusis]], [[Beory]], [[Fharlanghn]], the [[Green Man]], [[Heward]], [[Iuz]], [[Kiaransali]], [[Krovis]], [[Sardior]], [[Skoraeus Stonebones]], [[Vathris]], [[Vecna]], [[Wastri]], [[Zagyg]], [[Zinzerena]], the [[Olman]] pantheon, the [[Touv]] pantheon. | |||
}} | }} | ||
The ''' | The '''Material Plane''' (also called the '''Prime Material Plane''' or '''Prime''') is the central plane of existence. The Prime is the plane most similar to real-world [[Earth]], with the same basic physical laws and features. The Material Plane is the primary location of most ''Dungeons & Dragons'' campaign settings, with the exceptions of ''[[Ravenloft]]'' and ''[[Planescape]]''. | ||
The inhabitants of each Material Plane always refer to their own plane as the Prime Material Plane. | The inhabitants of each Material Plane always refer to their own plane as the ''Prime'' Material Plane. | ||
==Description== | ==Description== | ||
In the ''[[World of Greyhawk]]'' setting, the Material Plane consists of [[Greyspace]] and all of its contents, including [[Oerth]]. It is spatially infinite, and | In the ''[[World of Greyhawk]]'' setting, the Material Plane consists of [[Greyspace]] and all of its contents, including [[Oerth]].{{csb|MotP3e|42|note="Oerth, the Material Plane for the D&D cosmology, consists of self-contained spherical bodies hanging in space."}}{{csb|MotP3e|16|note="The Material Plane encompasses the world of Oerth and the world presented in the core D&D rulebooks."}} It is spatially infinite, and contains countless stars (and presumedly planets) beyond that. | ||
In the cosmology shared by the ''Planescape'' and ''Spelljammer'' settings, there is only one Prime Material Plane, which contains many different ''crystal spheres''. In other cosmologes, such as that used by the ''Manual of the Planes'', there are numerous different Material Planes. The | In the cosmology shared by the ''Planescape'' and ''Spelljammer'' settings, there is only one Prime Material Plane, which contains many different ''crystal spheres''. In other cosmologes, such as that used by the ''Manual of the Planes'', there are numerous different Material Planes. The third edition ''Manual of the Planes'' refers exclusively to the "Material Plane" rather than the "Prime Material Plane." According to this cosmology, [http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Realmspace Realmspace], [http://scratchpad.wikia.com/wiki/Krynnspace Krynnspace], and other campaign settings are "sister" Material Planes to Greyspace. In the first edition ''Manual of the Planes'', these alternate Material Planes are accessible via the [[Astral Plane]]. In the third edition ''Manual of the Planes'', the [[Plane of Shadow]] joins them. The Astral is used again in fifth edition. | ||
==Structure== | ==Structure== | ||
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The Inner Planes connect to the Material Plane via ethereal vortices, which are spiraling tubes delivering elemental matter to and from the Material Plane. They are found in areas of great elemental concentration, such as deep within the earth, in volcanoes, on the bottom of the ocean, or on the tops of mountains. The Outer Planes connect to the Material Plane via astral conduits, which are silvery tubes or cyclones that souls use to reach the afterlife after their deaths. Astral conduits are normally invisible to mortal eyes, though they can be perceived using magic. | The Inner Planes connect to the Material Plane via ethereal vortices, which are spiraling tubes delivering elemental matter to and from the Material Plane. They are found in areas of great elemental concentration, such as deep within the earth, in volcanoes, on the bottom of the ocean, or on the tops of mountains. The Outer Planes connect to the Material Plane via astral conduits, which are silvery tubes or cyclones that souls use to reach the afterlife after their deaths. Astral conduits are normally invisible to mortal eyes, though they can be perceived using magic. | ||
The [[Fading Lands]] are demiplanes | The [[Fading Lands]] are demiplanes which are coexistent and coterminous with the Prime Material. | ||
===Crystal spheres and the Flow=== | ===Crystal spheres and the Flow=== | ||
In the Spelljammer setting, the worlds of the Material Plane are surrounded by '''crystal spheres'''. The crystal sphere is the night sky itself. In the fantastic universe of Spelljammer, the sky is made of solid, indestructible matter, dark as night, and always spherical. The sphere normally surrounds the planetary system at | In the Spelljammer setting, the worlds of the Material Plane are surrounded by '''crystal spheres'''. The crystal sphere is the night sky itself. In the fantastic universe of Spelljammer, the sky is made of solid, indestructible matter, dark as night, and always spherical. The sphere normally surrounds the planetary system at twice the distance from the system's primary body to the most distant planet in the system. The stars may be a number of different things, from relatively small bodies of fire to torches held by statues of forgotten gods to portals in the substance of the sky itself. | ||
The '''Phlogiston''', or Flow, is the chaos outside Creation. It's the region the powers that be haven't gotten around to making yet. Some say they fear it, and | The '''Phlogiston''', or '''Flow''', is the chaos outside Creation. It's the region the powers that be haven't gotten around to making yet. Some say they fear it, and built the crystal spheres to keep the Phlogiston at bay. Others think the crystal spheres precede the gods, created long before by even older beings. The Flow has currents, making travel between the various spheres in magical ships relatively swift. | ||
Whether or not crystal spheres and the Phlogiston exist in the | Whether or not crystal spheres and the Phlogiston exist in the third edition D&D game was never revealed, but they were not mentioned in any third edition source. Following the rule of thumb that previous [[Greyhawk canon|canon]] holds true unless specifically contradicted, however, these features must be present in the third edition form of the Material Plane as well. | ||
Fifth edition has similar spheres containing each planetary system, but terms them "'''wildpace systems'''" instead of crystal spheres. They float and drift in the Astral Plane like "corks bobbing in water",{{csb|Spelljammer5e|21|Astral Adventurer's Guide}} just as they do in the phlogiston; of earlier editions, but have hazy, indistinct borders rather than a solid impermeable one. | |||
==Inhabitants== | ==Inhabitants== | ||
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===Fauna=== | ===Fauna=== | ||
{{main|Animals}} | |||
The variety of fauna on the Prime Material is vast, spanning the entire animal kingdom. | The variety of fauna on the Prime Material is vast, spanning the entire animal kingdom. | ||
==Bibliography== | == External links == | ||
{{External link disclaimer}} | |||
[https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Prime_Material_plane Prime Material Plane page from Forgotten Realms Fandom wiki] | |||
== References == | |||
=== Notes === | |||
<references group="note" /> | |||
=== Citations === | |||
<references /> | |||
=== Bibliography === | |||
*[[David Cook|Cook, David "Zeb"]] ''Planescape Campaign Setting.'' Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1994. | *[[David Cook|Cook, David "Zeb"]] ''Planescape Campaign Setting.'' Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1994. | ||
*[[Monte Cook|Cook, Monte]]. ''The Planewalker's Handbook''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1996. | *[[Monte Cook|Cook, Monte]]. ''The Planewalker's Handbook''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1996. | ||
*Grubb, Jeff. ''[[Manual of the Planes]]''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1987. | *Grubb, Jeff. ''[[Manual of the Planes]]''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1987. | ||
**Grubb, Jeff. ''Spelljammer: AD&D Adventures in Space''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1989. | **Grubb, Jeff. ''Spelljammer: AD&D Adventures in Space''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1989. | ||
*Grubb, Jeff, [[David Noonan]], and [[Bruce Cordell]]. ''[[Manual of the Planes]]''. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2001. | *Grubb, Jeff, [[David Noonan]], and [[Bruce Cordell]]. ''[[Manual of the Planes]]''. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2001. | ||
* [[Carl Sargent|Sargent, Carl]]. ''[[Ivid the Undying]]''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1995. Published online. [https://greyhawkonline.com/download/16370/?tmstv=1727302323 PDF by William Allman with maps]. Original RTF archived:[http://web.archive.org/web/20081218001449/http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/downloads Wizards.com]. WGR7 or WGRx | |||
*[[Carl Sargent|Sargent, Carl]]. ''[[ | |||
*[[James M. Ward|Ward, James]] and [[Robert J. Kuntz]]. ''[[Deities and Demigods]]''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1980. | *[[James M. Ward|Ward, James]] and [[Robert J. Kuntz]]. ''[[Deities and Demigods]]''. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1980. | ||
{{index|title=Material Plane (Prime Material Plane)}} | |||
[[Category: | [[Category:Inner Planes]] | ||
Latest revision as of 13:01, 5 May 2025
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The Material Plane (also called the Prime Material Plane or Prime) is the central plane of existence. The Prime is the plane most similar to real-world Earth, with the same basic physical laws and features. The Material Plane is the primary location of most Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings, with the exceptions of Ravenloft and Planescape.
The inhabitants of each Material Plane always refer to their own plane as the Prime Material Plane.
Description
In the World of Greyhawk setting, the Material Plane consists of Greyspace and all of its contents, including Oerth.[1][2] It is spatially infinite, and contains countless stars (and presumedly planets) beyond that.
In the cosmology shared by the Planescape and Spelljammer settings, there is only one Prime Material Plane, which contains many different crystal spheres. In other cosmologes, such as that used by the Manual of the Planes, there are numerous different Material Planes. The third edition Manual of the Planes refers exclusively to the "Material Plane" rather than the "Prime Material Plane." According to this cosmology, Realmspace, Krynnspace, and other campaign settings are "sister" Material Planes to Greyspace. In the first edition Manual of the Planes, these alternate Material Planes are accessible via the Astral Plane. In the third edition Manual of the Planes, the Plane of Shadow joins them. The Astral is used again in fifth edition.
Structure
The Prime Material is equidistant between the Inner Planes and the Outer Planes. As such, it is equal parts matter and spirit, equal parts substance and belief, a place where the elements of the Inner Planes and the alignments of the Outer Planes exist in rough balance. The Prime touches the Astral, Ethereal, and Shadow planes.
The Inner Planes connect to the Material Plane via ethereal vortices, which are spiraling tubes delivering elemental matter to and from the Material Plane. They are found in areas of great elemental concentration, such as deep within the earth, in volcanoes, on the bottom of the ocean, or on the tops of mountains. The Outer Planes connect to the Material Plane via astral conduits, which are silvery tubes or cyclones that souls use to reach the afterlife after their deaths. Astral conduits are normally invisible to mortal eyes, though they can be perceived using magic.
The Fading Lands are demiplanes which are coexistent and coterminous with the Prime Material.
Crystal spheres and the Flow
In the Spelljammer setting, the worlds of the Material Plane are surrounded by crystal spheres. The crystal sphere is the night sky itself. In the fantastic universe of Spelljammer, the sky is made of solid, indestructible matter, dark as night, and always spherical. The sphere normally surrounds the planetary system at twice the distance from the system's primary body to the most distant planet in the system. The stars may be a number of different things, from relatively small bodies of fire to torches held by statues of forgotten gods to portals in the substance of the sky itself.
The Phlogiston, or Flow, is the chaos outside Creation. It's the region the powers that be haven't gotten around to making yet. Some say they fear it, and built the crystal spheres to keep the Phlogiston at bay. Others think the crystal spheres precede the gods, created long before by even older beings. The Flow has currents, making travel between the various spheres in magical ships relatively swift.
Whether or not crystal spheres and the Phlogiston exist in the third edition D&D game was never revealed, but they were not mentioned in any third edition source. Following the rule of thumb that previous canon holds true unless specifically contradicted, however, these features must be present in the third edition form of the Material Plane as well.
Fifth edition has similar spheres containing each planetary system, but terms them "wildpace systems" instead of crystal spheres. They float and drift in the Astral Plane like "corks bobbing in water",[3] just as they do in the phlogiston; of earlier editions, but have hazy, indistinct borders rather than a solid impermeable one.
Inhabitants
The Prime Material is inhabited by numerous sentient races, most notably humans, but also dragons, dwarves, elves, giants, gnolls, gnomes, goblinoids, halflings, kobolds, lizardfolk, orcs, and many other lifeforms.
Fauna
The variety of fauna on the Prime Material is vast, spanning the entire animal kingdom.
External links
Disclaimer:Any lore presented through the following links does not necessarily adhere to established officially published content, and the views expressed do not necessarily represent the views of the editors of this wiki.
Prime Material Plane page from Forgotten Realms Fandom wiki
References
Notes
Citations
- ↑ Manual of the Planes (2001), p.42, "Oerth, the Material Plane for the D&D cosmology, consists of self-contained spherical bodies hanging in space.".
- ↑ Manual of the Planes (2001), p.16, "The Material Plane encompasses the world of Oerth and the world presented in the core D&D rulebooks.".
- ↑ Spelljammer: Adventures in Space (2022), p.21, Astral Adventurer's Guide.
Bibliography
- Cook, David "Zeb" Planescape Campaign Setting. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1994.
- Cook, Monte. The Planewalker's Handbook. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1996.
- Grubb, Jeff. Manual of the Planes. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1987.
- Grubb, Jeff. Spelljammer: AD&D Adventures in Space. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1989.
- Grubb, Jeff, David Noonan, and Bruce Cordell. Manual of the Planes. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2001.
- Sargent, Carl. Ivid the Undying. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1995. Published online. PDF by William Allman with maps. Original RTF archived:Wizards.com. WGR7 or WGRx
- Ward, James and Robert J. Kuntz. Deities and Demigods. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1980.
Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index
The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.
| Topic | Type | Description | Product | Page/Card/Image
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Material Plane (Prime Material Plane) {Physical Plane} | Planar | Plane/Dimension, | Deities & Demigods (1st & 2nd printing), AD&D 1e | 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48, 53, 55, 63, 65, 66, 72, 73, 75, 77, 78, 82, 84, 86, 87, 88, 89, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 103, 107, 108, 111, 113, 120, 128, 129, 132, 133 |
| Material Plane (Prime Material Plane) {Physical Plane} | Planar | Plane/Dimension, | Deities & Demigods (3rd+ printing), AD&D 1e | 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 48, 50, 58, 60, 61, 67, 68, 70, 72, 73, 77, 79, 82, 83, 84, 88, 92, 93, 96, 98, 105, 113, 114, 117, 118 |
| Material Plane (Prime Material Plane) {Physical Plane} | Planar | Plane/Dimension, | Dungeon Masters Guide (Revised), AD&D 2e (Premium Edition) | 178 |
| Material Plane (Prime Material Plane) {Physical Plane} | Planar | Plane/Dimension, | Dragon magazine #061 | 32 |
| Material Plane (Prime Material Plane) {Physical Plane} | Planar | Plane/Dimension, | Dragon magazine #067 | 25 |
| Material Plane (Prime Material Plane) {Physical Plane} | Planar | Plane/Dimension, | Dragon magazine #068 | 64, 66, 69 |
| Material Plane (Prime Material Plane) {Physical Plane} | Planar | Plane/Dimension, | Dragon magazine #069 | 29 |
| Material Plane (Prime Material Plane) {Physical Plane} | Planar | Plane/Dimension, | Dragon magazine #070 | 22 |
| Material Plane (Prime Material Plane) {Physical Plane} | Planar | Plane/Dimension, | Dragon magazine #071 | 19, 20 |
| Material Plane (Prime Material Plane) {Physical Plane} | Planar | Plane/Dimension, | Dragon magazine #075 | 18, 19, 31, 33 |
| Material Plane (Prime Material Plane) {Physical Plane} | Planar | Plane/Dimension, | Dragon magazine #076 | 31, 32, 34, 36 |
| Material Plane (Prime Material Plane) {Physical Plane} | Planar | Plane/Dimension, | Dragon magazine #224 | 68, 69 |
| Material Plane (Prime Material Plane) {Physical Plane} | Planar | Plane/Dimension, | Dragon magazine #347 | 39, 41 |
| Material Plane (Prime Material Plane) {Physical Plane} | Planar | Plane/Dimension, | Legends & Lore, AD&D 1e | 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 48, 50, 58, 60, 61, 67, 68, 70, 72, 73, 77, 79, 82, 83, 84, 88, 92, 93, 96, 98, 105, 113, 114, 117, 118 |
| Material Plane (Prime Material Plane) {Physical Plane} | Planar | Plane/Dimension, | Manual of the Planes, AD&D 1e | 5, 6, 7, 12, 24, 27, 29, 35, 40, 44, 45, 47, 49, 53, 54, 60, 62, 63, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 83, 84, 85, 87, 88, 90, 91, 93, 94, 97, 98, 102, 103, 110, 113, 116, 120 |
| Material Plane (Prime Material Plane) {Physical Plane} | Planar | Plane/Dimension, | Pathfinder Chronicles: Campaign Setting, Pathfinder 1e | 180-181 |
| Material Plane (Prime Material Plane) {Physical Plane} | Planar | Plane/Dimension, | Player's Handbook, AD&D 1e | 120, 121 |