It is the meeting place of opposed alignments.
It is the fulcrum of the Outer Planes.
It is the hub of the Great Wheel.
The Outlands is unique among the Outer Planes because it borders all other Outer Planes. As a result, it is the common ground for extraplanar creatures. Beings from infernal and celestial planes, as well as those of law and chaos, can be found here. In addition, deities of true neutrality or ideals such as scholarship or nature have their realms here. The Outlands is an infinitely large wheel with a great spire rising from its center. Outlanders consider this towering cylindrical plinth as the heart of the Outer Planes and the axle around which the Great Wheel spins. This great plinth is clearly visible from anywhere in the plane, as it rises above the clouds themselves and ascends into unreachable heavens. The City of Doors, Sigil, floats at the top of the spire. The Outlands itself is a broad region of varied terrain, with open prairies, towering mountains, and twisting, shallow rivers. There are settlements throughout the area, inhabited by petitioners and other natives of the plane. But they are small flecks against the greater wildness of the Outlands.
The Outlands has the following traits.
Normal Gravity.
Normal Time.
Infinite Size: The Outlands is a disk with an infinite radius, radiating an unmeasurable distance from its hub. The area around the hub is the most important part of the plane. Distance itself is a flexible concept in the Outlands, as noted in the Movement and Combat section.
Divinely Morphic: This trait disappears close to the center of the plane, and even deities are affected by the nature of the plane.
No Elemental or Energy Traits. Mildly Neutral-Aligned: Unlike the other Outer Planes, all alignments are equally welcome in the Outlands.
Normal Magic, Impeded Magic, and Limited Magic: The Outlands has the normal magic trait far from its central spire, but as one approaches the hub of the plane, spells, spell-like abilities, and even supernatural powers are further and further restricted. Where the surface of the plinth is near vertical, almost no abilities (and few deity-level powers) function. Far from the spire, magic functions normally. At about 1,100 miles from the base of the spire, the impeded magic trait begins, impeding 9th-level spells with a DC of 35. Moving closer to the base of the spire, spells of lower levels are impeded in this manner, according to the table below. Furthermore, the limited magic trait starts to emerge at 900 miles away from the center of the plane, making 9th-level spells and spell-like effects unavailable. Moving closer still, more and more abilities cannot be used, and finally even the deity-level powers are affected. Extraordinary abilities are never affected by this trait.
Distance Impeded Limited
from Spire Spells Spells Other Effects
1,200 mi. None None None
1,100 mi. 9th None None
1,000 mi. 8th-9th None None
900 mi. 7th-9th 9th All creatures gain immunity
to poison
800 mi. 6th-9th 8th-9th Psionic spell-like abilities
don’t function
700 mi. 5th-9th 7th-9th Positive and negative
energy can’t be channeled
600 mi. 4th-9th 6th-9th Supernatural abilities
don’t function
500 mi. 3rd-9th 5th-9th Access to the Astral Plane
prohibited
400 mi. 2nd-9th 4th-9th Divine powers of demi-deity
rank and lower annulled
300 mi. All 3rd-9th Divine powers of lesser
rank and lower annulled
200 mi. All 2nd-9th Divine powers of intermediate
rank and lower annulled
100 mi. All All All divine powers annulled
The Outlands borders the top layer of all the other Outer Planes. There are number of semipermanent locations known as portal towns about 1,000 miles from the spire. These communities grew up around existing portals to these other planes and see a regular flow of traffic between the other Outer Planes and the Outlands. In addition, the Outlands has a number of freestanding portals to the Material Plane, as well as portals to Sigil, the City of Doors. Because portals connect Sigil to each of the portal towns, Sigil is the heart of the heart of the Outer Planes.
As the crossroads of the Outer Planes, the Outlands can have any and all other natives of the Outer planes within its borders. Creatures from the other Outer planes tend to cluster at portal towns with access to their particular planes. Other planar natives such as the mercanes are regular traders in this domain. Obad-Hai, the deity of nature, makes his home here in a realm known as the Hidden Wood. Boccob, the deity of magic, dwells in the Outlands in his Library of Lore.
Petitioners in the Outlands are common within the realms of neutral deities, within the various portal towns, and within specific locations such as ancient libraries, museums, or crypts scattered across the plane. In general, such petitioners are human or humanoid in appearance, and they tend to adopt a live-and-let-live attitude toward other travelers. As long as they are not bothered, they do not care to bother others. Outlands petitioners encountered in the wide spaces between communities are usually wanderers seeking new lands, penitents seeking a deity they believe in, or shepherds happy with their lot in the afterlife. Outlands petitioners have the following special petitioner qualities:
Immunities: Electricity, polymorph.
Resistances: Acid 20.
Other Special Qualities: Damage reduction 10/+1.
In addition, petitioners that seem more native to other Outer planes sometimes walk the Outlands—valiant warriors that should be among Ysgard's glorious dead, and half-melted lemures that belong in Hell are lost or were misdirected to the Outlands. Or maybe these petitioners were not quite good or evil enough to truly merit their inclusion on an aligned plane. Whether they're seeking or avoiding their just reward, they are exceptions to the rule that petitioners can't move between planes.
The Outlands seems most stable close to the spire, and travelers who go beyond the ring of portal towns may discover the land mutable and continually shifting. One notable aspect of the mutable nature of distance is that once a traveler gets outside the ring of portal towns, another portal town is never more than a few weeks away. No matter where travelers are beyond the ring of portal towns, the nearest town is 4d8×10 miles away. A traveler can effectively travel two thousand miles outward from the spire, then turn around to find a portal town only 4d8×10 miles away. The reason for this distance distortion is unknown. It seems to be that once a traveler gets farther away from the spire, the Outlands is less significant. No one has found an “edge” to the plane yet. The Outlands does not present any inherent benefit or penalty to combat. Mists and fogs that provide concealment are common, however, and the terrain tends to be rugged.
The Outlands is relatively open space once you get beyond the portal towns and the domains of the neutral deities. Rolling, grass-covered hills, deep canyons, thick forests, and sharp-toothed mountains dot the landscape. The Outlands has a cycle of day and night similar to that of the Material Plane, although there is no obvious sun or stars. During the day, the sky simply brightens; 12 hours later, it darkens for night. In the Outlands, heavy fogs and mists are common. Travelers occasionally get lost and wind up closer to unfriendly portal towns than they anticipated.
Arranged in a rough circle about 1,000 miles from the base of the spire are a string of small communities. These are known as portal towns, because they exist near natural entrances to the Outer Planes. While other portals to the Outer Planes exist, these portal towns are easy to find and are convenient stopping places for travelers seeking a particular Outer Plane. The various portal towns emulate the traits of the planes beyond their portals. Those bordering lawful planes tend to be neat and orderly, while those near the planes of chaos are more unstructured and rambling. Those near the good-aligned planes tend to be more hospitable to peaceful travelers, while those near portals to evil-aligned planes are more hostile. The inhabitants of a portal town are usually petitioners and natives of the associated plane. Travelers find demons in and around Plague-Mort, the portal town to the Abyss, and more celestial creatures near Fortitude and Excelsior.
Portal Town Plane
Glorium Heroic Domains of Ysgard
Xaos Ever-Changing Chaos of Limbo
Bedlam Windswept Depths of Pandemonium
Plague-Mort Infinite Layers of the Abyss
Curst Tarterian-Depths of Carceri
Hopeless Gray Waste of Hades
Torch Bleak Eternity of Gehenna
Ribcage Nine Hells of Baator
Rigus Infernal Battlefield of Acheron
Automata Clockwork Nirvana of Mechanus
Fortitude Peaceable Kingdoms of Arcadia
Excelsior Seven Mounting Heavens of Celestia
Tradegate Twin Paradises of Bytopia
Ecstasy Blessed Fields of Elysium
Faunel Wilderness of the Beastlands
Sylvania Olympian Glades of Arborea
On occasion, these portal towns may suddenly disappear, moving directly onto the plane they are connected to. This may be due to the alignment of the town natives; once a critical mass is reached, the town and its inhabitants are welcomed into the related Outer Plane. This phenomenon is a natural quality of the outlands. It shrugs off pieces to the various Outer Planes. Some within the various portal towns are extremely hostile to those that might hold them back from reaching the Outer Plane. Others seek to keep the town (and its merchants) securely moored in the Outlands by making sure there is some darkness in every light, and some light in every dark.
The realm of Obad-Hai is a patchwork of thick woods and open glades and rolling fields. Explorers' notes place the Hidden Wood in several specific locations in the Outlands, often near the portal towns of Fortitude or Faunel. But it's rarely found at all except by travelers who become lost in the woods. Obad-Hai's domain is nature in all its forms: wild and tamed, savage and domesticated. All four seasons exist simultaneously in balance within Obad-Hai's realm. In the space of a quarter-mile, snowfields give way to forests draped in fall color next to orchards heavy with fruit and newly plowed fields. Creatures encountered within the Hidden Wood tend to be axiomatic or anarchic, but include a large number of Material Plane animals, beasts, and plants. These creatures are usually hostile to travelers, an attitude that Obad-Hai encourages. Obad-Hai has changed the magic trait within his realm. He has added the enhanced magic trait (all spells cast by druids are extended, and all spells targeting animals or plants are heightened by two levels). He has the power to make other changes to the traits of his realm if he wishes. Petitioners serving Obad-Hai appear human and have the abilities of typical Outlands petitioners. In addition, they gain the ability to speak with animals and plants (as the speak with animals and speak with plants spells cast by a 1st-level druid) at will. Petitioners are often gardening, herding, hunting, pruning, planting, or harvesting. Great feasts are common within Obad-Hai's realm. Obad-Hai has deep disagreements with Ehlonna, the Forest Goddess of the Beastlands, and the two are considered rivals. Obad-Hai believes in the primacy of natural selection and nature as an uncaring, nonjudgmental reckoner of worth. Ehlonna leans more toward the peaceful aspect of nature.
Boccob, the Lord of All Magic, makes his home in a sprawling citadel known as the Library of Lore. This massive complex sits atop a barren bluff. The only access to the library is by ascending a single great staircase guarded by an elder elemental of each type. No one can reach the library without the permission of these great elemental creatures, who answer only to Boccob. The walls themselves are proof against teleportation and astral meddling, and those who try find themselves at the base of the great stair. Within the walls of the library, spells that access other planes do not function. The library is a convoluted mazework of passages that cross beneath and occasionally through each other, leaving no mark of their passage but foiling the most diligent of mapmakers. Within this structure are private meditation cells for wizards, sealed armories of magic items, and both true and false libraries that contain much of the magic knowledge of the world. Those granted access to a true library (done with the approval of Boccob himself) can find the answer to any questions as if a 12th-level caster had cast the commune spell. One hour of research is required for each question answered. The Library of Lore contains a copy of every nonartifact magic item created by mortal hands. They are sealed beneath magical wards and traps, and golems and shield guardians patrol the halls. Boccob is a greater deity, and as such the effects of his realm can be felt up to a hundred miles beyond the walls of his library. Within this area he can apply the limited magic trait to spells with the law, chaos, good, or evil descriptor, one at a time, at will. In addition, Boccob has applied the enhanced magic trait to his realm. All divination spells cast within Boccob's domains are extended, and all spells within the Library of Lore itself are silenced (as with the Silent Spell feat). He has the power to further modify the magic trait of his realm. Petitioners of Boccob appear human and have abilities typical to Outlands petitioners. In addition, they have the ability to detect chaos/evil/good/law, as the spells cast by a 2nd-level cleric, up to twice per day; they often use this ability to determine whether a visitor deserves to receive the information desired. Petitioners are usually librarians, scribes, researchers, inventors, or guides.
The heart of the Outlands, and therefore the selfproclaimed center of the planes, Sigil is known as the City of Doors. Portals leading throughout the cosmos lace every district of the city. Situated atop the spire itself that rises above the surrounding plane, Sigil is a ring floating in space, with the city itself constructed along the inside of the band. Sigil has a number of special traits, one of which is objective directional gravity. “Down” is toward the ring itself. Those who escape the ring suddenly find themselves in open air, often plummeting down the side of the spire. While magic is extremely limited near the spire, the City of Sigil has the normal magic trait. Again, once over the edge of Sigil's walls, the trait for the rest of the Outlands takes effect. Sigil is apparently proof against deities. Whether because of the Lady of Pain's desire, Sigil's place atop the Spire, or an agreement among the deities, deities do not enter Sigil. Sigil has a huge number of portals, the sum total of which is unknown even to the inhabitants. There are portals to every known Outer Plane, every Inner Plane, and even (it is rumored) gates to alternate Material Planes. Portals also connect Sigil to other locations in the Outlands, usually the portal towns. These portals require command words or command items in order to function. Sigil is a trader's city. Goods, merchandise, and information come to it from across the planes. There is a brisk trade in information about the planes, in particular in the command words or items required for the operation of particular portals. These portal keys are sought after, and usually travelers within the city are looking for a particular portal or a portal key to allow them to continue on their way. Sigil is controlled by a number of factions, all of which may be politely described as “philosophers with clubs.” These factions break down along the lines of traditional alignments and control different parts of the city and different services therein. The ultimate ruler of Sigil is an enigmatic being known as the Lady of Pain, a floating female humanoid with blade like hair. The power level and abilities of the Lady of Pain are unknown, but it is widely assumed that her power equals or exceeds that of the deities themselves.