Beyond Countless Doorways is a d20 system book that looks at a cosmological framework for fantasy campaigns along with 18 examples of planes which could fit into this framework. Most of the planes in the book could be used in a campaign featuring the `standard' Great Wheel cosmology as strange regions existing within other planes, or else as strange (in some cases very strange) demiplanes.
The cosomology is presented in the first chapter. The idea is that there are endless numbers of alternate worlds, which may or may not be in conjunction. Plane-shifting magic only works between planes which are in conjunction, so that a typical planar journey involves crossing several planes.
The book mentions that this cosmology is inspired by the works of Michael Moorcock. The Moorcockian feel of the cosmology is further enhanced by the introduction of two templates- Planar Wardens nad Purveyors of Dichotomy. Planar Wardens are creatures that are a plane's designated ruler, representative, or guardian. There can only be one Planar Warden on a given plane.
Puveyors of Dichotomy come in pairs. These pairs represent opposing concepts, such as light and dark, earth and air, or law and chaos. The stronger a concept is on a plane compared to its opposite, the stronger a given Purveyor of Dichotomy is compared to its opponent. It is possible for a Purveyor of Dichotomy to utterly conquer the opposing concept, and then gain further power by extending its influence into other planes.
As already mentioned, the heart of the book is a description of a number of different planes. These 18 descriptions tend to be around ten to fifteen pages in length, which is typically long enough to give an overview of a plane's background and broad history, along with a few locations and NPCs. Many of the planes introduce new monsters.
The following list contains some of the more interesting examples of planes in the book. Many of the planes come with secrets. I will try not to give out any spoilers which are too blatant, but I will hint at some of these secrets.
- Avidarel
A dark cold plane where the stars and sun have died. Haunted by incorporeal undead and more benevolent beings called Memories of Starlight. What remains of the sun is quite mineral rich, and even contains the well-hidden key to restoring life to the entire plane.
- The Lizard Kingdoms
A world of dinosaurs, where the main intelligent species are giant lizard men. Humans and dwarves do exist here, but are about half their usual size, and are seen by the lizard men as vermin.
- The Mountains of the Five Winds
A plane that has largely fallen under the influence of an invading cloud of chaos. Beneath the cloud, both the people and the land are warped by its effects. Above the cloud are five cities unaffected by the cloud, now sworn to the service of law.
- The Ten Courts of Hell
A bureaucratic version of Hell, which presents the picture, or at least the illusion, of devils punishing the guilty. This plane introduces several new fiends, and has a slightly eastern rather than western feel.
- Tavaerel
A world where magic is fading, magic-users are hunted down, and magical creatures of all kinds are almost extinct. The virtual extinction of dragons is closely connected with the fading of magic.
- Yragon
A jungle world dominated by intelligent ape-like creatures called Grahlus. These Grahlus raid other planes in order to capture slaves.
After the description of its planes, the book concludes by looking at how a parallel world- a world identical to the `base' campaign world in many but not all respects- can be implemented.
The book is well-written (which is how I always interpret the style rating) with good art work The pdf is well-indexed, and up to the usual high standards of Malhavoc press products in presentation.
I like most of the planes in the book, although the ones I mention in this review are those which inspire me the most. Several of the planes are built around the same themes, for example an invasion from another plane.
The book is probably most valuable to a DM who is starting to think about the cosmology of a campaign, especially if the cosmology is likely to be important. For DMs running more established campaigns where planar travel is involved, the book certainly contains plenty of examples of exotic locations, and is likely to be worth purchasing if any of the planes I mentioned above spark any interest.
Review Summary