Dungeons & Dragons 5R Player's Handbook 2024 Appendix: the Multiverse TheMultiverse, a new era of fantasy adventure awaits you

Appendix A: The Multiverse

A New Era of Fantasy Adventures Awaits You

This appendix offers a brief introduction to the Multiverse—the overarching reality that encompasses the countless worlds and adventures of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). These realms, along with other planes such as the Far Realm, the Negative Plane, and the Positive Plane, are explored in greater detail in the Dungeon Master’s Guide.

The Material Realms

The forces of philosophy and elemental power converge to create the following planes of existence:

• The Material Plane
  Most D&D adventures take place on the Material Plane, which includes classic settings such as Dragonlance, Eberron, the Forgotten Realms, and Greyhawk. There is also space for worlds created by your own group. This plane is shaped by the laws of magic and physics, which vary across its many worlds.

• The Feywild
  A vibrant, idealized realm overflowing with life and emotion. These forces are strongest in the Domains of Delight, which embody the joyous aspects of this magical land.

• The Shadowfell
  A dim and somber plane, filled with desolate wastelands, haunted ruins, and the infamous Domains of Dread.

The Transitive Planes

The Transitive Planes serve as pathways between other planes:

• The Astral Plane
  Also known as the Astral Sea, this endless expanse of silver light connects the Material Plane to the Outer Planes. In its vastness, entire civilizations have risen, while others sail its magical expanse aboard spelljamming ships.

• The Ethereal Plane
  A ghostly realm that connects the Material Plane to the Inner Planes. Its regions where it overlaps with other planes are known as the Border Ethereal, allowing creatures to glimpse into the worlds beyond.

The Inner Planes

The Inner Planes are the source of elemental power and the fundamental building blocks of reality:

• The Elemental Plane of Air
  Endless skies filled with drifting clouds and floating islands.

• The Elemental Plane of Earth
  A labyrinth of tunnels and caverns teeming with rock and precious minerals.

• The Elemental Plane of Fire
  An eternal inferno, where volcanic islands harbor life amidst the flames.

• The Elemental Plane of Water
  A bottomless ocean teeming with mysterious marine creatures.

• The Elemental Chaos
  The borderlands of the Inner Planes, where elemental forces clash and collide in unpredictable ways.

• The Para-Elemental Planes
  In the border regions between the elemental planes, elemental forces combine to form realms of ash, ice, magma, and ooze.

The Outer Planes

The Outer Planes are realms where philosophies take form and where spirits reside after death. They are the homes of immortal beings and divine entities:

• Sigil, the City of Doors
  Located at the heart of the Outer Planes, Sigil is a city of infinite portals that connect to every corner of the Multiverse. The enigmatic Lady of Pain maintains order in this cosmopolitan hub.

• The Outlands
  A nexus of influences from the other Outer Planes, the Outlands contain portals leading to those planes. At its center stands the Spire, atop which floats Sigil.

• Other Outer Planes
  These realms, also known as Alignment Planes, embody specific moral and philosophical principles. Some are paradisiacal heavens, others are nightmare realms, and some are stranger still. Each plane is shaped by one or more of the alignments described in Chapter 2.

Outer Planes and Their Alignments