Manual of the Planes

[Stefan Hill]

After buying FRPG because of buying the Arcane Powers book (see Swordmage) I have been thinking about the Manual of the Planes. Mainly for the new rituals.

Worth the cash?

Cheers,
S.

[Matthew Koelbl]

Stefan Hill wrote:

After buying FRPG because of buying the Arcane Powers book (see Swordmage) I have been thinking about the Manual of the Planes. Mainly for the new rituals.

Manual of the Planes is one of the 4E books I have most enjoyed having... but at the same time, I'm not sure it would be worth it. It has only a smattering of player options - Paragon Paths, Rituals... with the rest mainly fluff, flavor, world-setting, monsters, and other DM useful info.

If you think you'll enjoy the read, sure, then I'd say go for it. If you are looking at it for options... it is going to disappoint.

What I might recommend instead, though? If you don't already have DDI, you might consider picking up a single month of access. It would run about 1/3 - 1/2 the price you'd pay for Manual of the Planes, and would give access to the Rituals... along with all the back Dragon/Dungeon content, and a fully usable current copy of the Character Builder. If all you are looking for is the Rituals in MotP, it is probably the better way to go about it. (*This is assuming DDI is even an option, of course, but I figured I'd put the thought forward.)

[Stefan Hill]

Thanks Matt,

You convinced me to the get the book - sounds like the kind of thing I like, fluff etc. That and I prefer paper over electronic any day :)

Cheers,
S.

[KnightErrantJR]

While I'm not a big fan of the new cosmology, I was playing an Eladrin in my friend's campaign, and I really enjoyed the information on the Feywild in the book. I was actually a bit surprised at the level of detail they put into that particular plane.

[Eremite]

KnightErrantJR wrote:

While I'm not a big fan of the new cosmology, I was playing an Eladrin in my friend's campaign, and I really enjoyed the information on the Feywild in the book. I was actually a bit surprised at the level of detail they put into that particular plane.

I seem to recall that the Feywild part of the book was written by Jon Rogers who, inter alia, was the screenwriter of the Transformers movie.

[Matthew Koelbl]

It was indeed! Though more important as a selling point to myself was that he was also the author of the recent DC comics series "Blue Beetle". I understand he is also the creator of a tv show called "Leverage", which I've heard good things about, though I haven't seen myself.

Anyway, the Feywild is also my favorite part of the book, but I'm a fan of all of it - I really like the 4E cosmology, and this book really sets things up well to make use of it.

[drjones]

Eremite wrote:

I seem to recall that the Feywild part of the book was written by Jon Rogers who, inter alia, was the screenwriter of the Transformers movie.

Dang, I'll try not to think of that while I peruse the book.

[Matthew Koelbl]

drjones wrote:

Eremite wrote:

I seem to recall that the Feywild part of the book was written by Jon Rogers who, inter alia, was the screenwriter of the Transformers movie.

Dang, I'll try not to think of that while I peruse the book.

Well, as I understand it, he was one of several screenwriters who worked on the movie. So if there are parts of it you enjoyed, assumed he was the one responsible. The parts you didn't like, assume were the work of someone else. ;)

[Riley]

As has been said before, don't buy it for rituals or character options. If you're going to buy it, do so for the cosmology and the fluff.

[Pop'N'Fresh]

I kinda like how they combined all of the planes into larger mega-planes. Then they go on to divide up the mega-plane into regions that resemble a certain constituent part.

It makes the plane more interesting when you travel there and find various types of terrain, creatures, and pockets of civilization. I didn't like the old planes where you travel to say, the plane of earth, and the DM just looks at his books and says, "you're in a big tunnel made of rock, where do you wanna go now?"

[Celestial Healer]

I'm digging the new cosmology, too. I found this book fascinating, especially the Feywild portion (and now I have some clues as to why that is so...)

[bugleyman]

Stefan Hill wrote:

After buying FRPG because of buying the Arcane Powers book (see Swordmage) I have been thinking about the Manual of the Planes. Mainly for the new rituals.

Worth the cash?

Cheers,
S.

For the rituals? Absolutely not.

Generally? Yes, it is a good book, and one of the more interesting to read in the 4E line so far...

[bugleyman]

Celestial Healer wrote:

I'm digging the new cosmology, too. I found this book fascinating, especially the Feywild portion (and now I have some clues as to why that is so...)

FYI I just read the fourth Dresden Files book (SUMMER KNIGHT, by Jim Butcher), and it had a ton of great inspiration for the Feywild. And it's a good book, too.

[Stefan Hill]

I little off topic;

Would the Feywild work well for a Raymond E. Feist "Faire Tale" type setting? Without the modern bits of course.

Cheers,
S.