Planescape
Imagine a place where the sky does not exist. Instead, an all-pervasive light waxes and wanes to create day and night for those who live there. This is Sigil, the City of Doors, located atop the Spire in the Outlands. The city itself has the shape of a torus, sitting on the inner surface of that ring. There is no way to enter or exit this place except through portals. It functions as a prison without walls for anyone lacking a portal key. Many inhabitants call it "The Bird Cage" or simply "The Cage." From the Outlands below, one can see Sigil suspended above the infinitely tall Spire. Some argue that calling it the center of the planes is impossible since the planes are infinite in all dimensions. Yet the city remains the crossroads for the multiverse.
Within the boundaries of Sigil, fifteen philosophy-derived factions controlled the political climate before 1998. Each group was based on one particular belief system. One faction's beliefs made them enemies while others became allies. These groups were not merely social clubs but powerful entities that shaped reality through their convictions. In 1998, TSR published Faction War, an adventure that effectively closed the book on Planescape. The war began when Duke Rowan Darkwood, factol of the Fated, instigated a bid to dethrone the Lady and rule Sigil himself. The conflict spread throughout the city until the Lady of Pain intervened with the aid of adventurers. Before this event, the factions held absolute power over the city's politics. Their existence proved that belief itself could shape the physical world around them.
David Zeb Cook developed Planescape when assigned to create a complete campaign world survivable by low-level characters. He needed something distinct from other TSR campaigns yet compatible with the old Manual of the Planes. For inspiration, Cook listened to Pere Ubu, Philip Glass, and Alexander Nevsky. He read The Dictionary of the Khazars, Einstein's Dreams, and The Narrow Road to the Deep North. At Bad Movie Nights, he watched films like Naked Lunch and Wolf Devil Woman. Cook conceived the look for the setting from images such as the gloomy prisons of Piranesi's Le Carceri etchings. Dana Knutson was assigned to draw whatever Cook wanted to see. Before anyone knew it, she drew the Lady of Pain. Cook stated that she really locked up the Planescape look. They all liked her so much that she became their logo.
The Planescape Campaign Setting was released for AD&D 2nd Edition in April 1994. It followed a decision made during the publication of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition not to include angelic or demonic creatures. Fan demand for a 2nd Edition Manual of the Planes justified its expansion into a full-fledged campaign setting. From 1994 to 1998, Planescape was a major setting for Dungeons & Dragons. Upon the release of 3rd Edition, Planescape along with most other settings were discontinued. The 3rd Edition Manual of the Planes appeared in 2001, followed by the 3.5 Edition Dungeon Master's Guide in 2003. Sigil returned in the 4th Edition Manual of the Planes published in 2008. A three-volume box set titled Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse arrived in October 2023 for 5th Edition. This marked a revival after years of absence from official product lines.
Pyramid magazine reviewer Scott Haring called Planescape "the finest game world ever produced for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons." He described the writing as wonderful and noted one of the most distinctive graphic looks seen in any game product. Trenton Webb of British RPG magazine Arcane called it "the premier AD&D world" due to its bizarre juxtaposition of legend and nightmare. Game designer Rick Swan said TSR's most ambitious campaign world read less like a textbook and more like a story. RPG historian Stu Horvath noted that if there is a problem, it would be its vast strangeness. There is a lot to explain and not nearly enough space to fit it all in. However, Horvath lauded the artwork saying it picks up where the words leave off. The art encourages exploration in a way few other D&D settings do.
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Common questions
What is Planescape and where is Sigil located?
Planescape is a Dungeons & Dragons fictional campaign setting featuring Sigil, the City of Doors. Sigil sits atop the Spire in the Outlands on the inner surface of a torus-shaped city with no sky.
Who created Planescape and what inspired its design?
David Zeb Cook developed Planescape when assigned to create a complete campaign world survivable by low-level characters. He drew inspiration from music by Pere Ubu and Philip Glass, books like The Dictionary of the Khazars, and Piranesi's Le Carceri etchings.
When was Planescape Campaign Setting released for AD&D 2nd Edition?
The Planescape Campaign Setting was released for AD&D 2nd Edition in April 1994. It followed a decision made during the publication of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition not to include angelic or demonic creatures.
Why did the factions lose power in Planescape in 1998?
Factions lost power because Duke Rowan Darkwood instigated a bid to dethrone the Lady and rule Sigil himself. The conflict spread throughout the city until the Lady of Pain intervened with the aid of adventurers in the Faction War adventure published that year.
What happened to Planescape after 3rd Edition was released?
Upon the release of 3rd Edition, Planescape along with most other settings were discontinued. A three-volume box set titled Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse arrived in October 2023 for 5th Edition marking a revival after years of absence from official product lines.