Planar Effects
Source: Dungeon Master’s Guide p. 50
When adventurers travel to other planes of existence, they undertake a legendary journey that might force them to face supernatural guardians and undergo various ordeals. You can choose to add effects to any or all of the planes, to better represent their uniqueness. The effects listed below apply to the default cosmological arrangement presented in the “Player’s Handbook”, and are individually optional.
Feywild: Feywild Magic
Tales speak of children kidnapped by fey creatures and spirited away to the Feywild, only to return to their parents years later without having aged a day, and with no memories of their captors or the realm they came from. Likewise, adventurers who return from an excursion to the Feywild are often alarmed to discover upon their return that time flows differently on the Plane of Faerie, and that the memories of their visit are hazy. You can use these optional rules to reflect the strange magic that suffuses the plane.
Memory Loss
A creature that leaves the Feywild must make a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw. Fey creatures automatically succeed on the saving throw, as do any creatures, like elves, that have the Fey Ancestry trait. A creature that fails the saving throw remembers nothing from its time spent in the Feywild. On a successful save, the creature’s memories remain intact but are a little hazy. Any spell that can end a curse can restore the creature’s lost memories.
Time Warp
While time seems to pass normally in the Feywild, characters might spend a day there and realize, upon leaving the plane, that less or more time has elapsed everywhere else in the multiverse.
Whenever a creature or group of creatures leaves the Feywild after spending at least 1 day on that plane, you can choose a time change that works best for your campaign, if any, or roll on the Feywild Time Warp table. A wish spell can be used to remove the effect on up to ten creatures. Some powerful fey have the ability to grant such wishes and might do so if the beneficiaries agree to subject themselves to a geas spell and complete a quest after the wish spell is cast.
Shadowfell: Shadowfell Despair
A melancholic atmosphere pervades the Shadowfell. Extended forays to this plane can afflict characters with despair, as reflected in this optional rule.
When you deem it appropriate, though usually not more than once per day, you can require a character not native to the Shadowfell to make a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw. On a failure, the character is affected by despair. Roll a d6 to determine the effects, using the Shadowfell Despair table. You can substitute different despair effects of your own creation.
If a character is already suffering a despair effect and fails the saving throw, the new despair effect replaces the old one. After finishing a long rest, a character can attempt to overcome the despair with a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw. (The DC is higher because it’s harder to shake off despair once it has taken hold.) On a successful save, the despair effect ends for that character.
A calm emotions spell removes despair, as does any spell or other magical effect that removes a curse.
Outer Planes: Psychic Dissonance
Each of the Outer Planes emanates a psychic dissonance that affects visitors of an incompatible alignment—good creatures on the Lower Planes, evil ones on the Upper Planes—if they spend too much time on the plane. You can reflect this dissonance with this optional rule. At the end of a long rest spent on an incompatible plane, a visitor must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the creature gains one level of exhaustion. Incompatibility between lawful and chaotic alignments doesn’t have the same effect, so Mechanus and Limbo lack this quality.
Mount Celestia: Blessed Beneficence
In contrast to the dissonance experienced by evil creatures here, good creatures are literally blessed by the pervasive beneficence of the plane. Creatures of good alignment gain the benefit of the bless spell as long as they remain on the plane. In addition, finishing a long rest on the plane grants a good creature the benefit of a lesser restoration spell.
Bytopia: Pervasive Goodwill
At the end of each long rest taken on this plane, a visitor that is neither lawful good nor neutral good must make a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature’s alignment changes to lawful good or neutral good (whichever is closer to the creature’s current alignment). The change becomes permanent if the creature doesn’t leave the plane within 1d4 days. Otherwise, the creature’s alignment reverts to normal after one day spent on a plane other than Bytopia. Casting the dispel evil and good spell on the creature also restores its original alignment.
Elysium: Overwhelming Joy
Visitors spending any time on this plane risk becoming trapped by overwhelming sensations of contentment and happiness. At the end of each long rest taken on this plane, a visitor must make a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature is unwilling to leave the plane before taking another long rest. After three failed saving throws, the creature never willingly leaves the plane and, if forcibly removed, does everything in its power to return to the plane. A dispel evil and good spell removes this effect from the creature.
The Beastlands: Hunter’s Paradise
Visitors to the Beastlands find their hunting and stalking capabilities improved, and characters have advantage on Wisdom (Animal Handling), Wisdom (Perception), and Wisdom (Survival) checks while there.
The Beastlands: Beast Transformation
Whenever a visitor slays a beast native to the plane, the slayer must succeed on a DC 10 Charisma saving throw or become transformed (as the polymorph spell) into the type of beast that was slain. In this form, the creature retains its intelligence and ability to speak. At the end of each long rest, the polymorphed creature can repeat the saving throw. On a successful saving throw, the creature returns to its true form. After three failed saving throws. the transformation can be undone only by a remove curse spell or similar magic.
Arborea: Intense Yearning
Keep track of how many days a visitor spends on Arborea. When the visitor leaves, it must make a Charisma saving throw against a DC of 5, plus 1 for each day spent on the plane. On a failed save, the creature becomes afflicted with a yearning to return to Arborea. As long as the effect persists the creature has disadvantage on ability checks. At the end of each long rest, the creature can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on a success. A dispel evil and good spell removes this effect from the creature.
Ysgard: Immortal Wrath
Ysgard is the home of slain heroes who wage eternal battle on fields of glory. Any creature, other than a construct or undead, that is killed by an attack or a spell while on Ysgard is restored to life at dawn the next day. The creature has all its hit points restored, and all conditions and afflictions it suffered before its death are removed.
Limbo: Power of the Mind
As an action, a creature on Limbo can make an Intelligence check to mentally move an object on the plane that it can see within 30 feet of it. The DC depends on the object’s size: DC 5 for Tiny, DC 10 for Small, DC 15 for Medium, DC 20 for Large, and DC 25 for Huge or larger. On a successful check, the creature moves the object 5 feet plus 1 foot for every point by which it beat the DC.
A creature can also use an action to make an Intelligence check to alter a nonmagical object that isn’t being worn or carried. The same rules for distance apply, and the DC is based on the object’s size: DC 10 for Tiny, DC 15 for Small, DC 20 for Medium, and DC 25 for Large or larger. On a success, the creature changes the object into another nonliving form of the same size, such as turning a boulder into a ball of fire.
Finally, a creature can use an action to make an Intelligence check to stabilize a spherical area centered on the creature. The DC depends on the radius of the sphere. The base DC is 5 for a 10-foot-radius sphere; each additional 10 feet added to the radius increases the DC by 5. On a successful check, the creature prevents the area from being altered by the plane for 24 hours, or until the creature uses this ability again.
Pandemonium: Mad Winds
A visitor must make a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw after each hour spent among the howling winds. On a failed save, the creature gains one level of exhaustion. A creature that reaches six levels of exhaustion while on this plane doesn’t die. Instead, the creature gains a random form of indefinite madness, as described in chapter 8, “Running the Game.” Finishing a long rest doesn’t reduce a creature’s exhaustion level unless the creature can somehow escape the maddening winds.
The Abyss: Abyssal Corruption
A non-evil visitor that finishes a long rest in the Abyss must make a DC 10 Charisma saving throw. On a failure, the creature becomes corrupted. Refer to the Abyssal Corruption table to determine the effects of this corruption. You can substitute different corruption effects of your own creation.
After finishing a long rest, a corrupted creature can make a DC 15 Charisma saving throw. On a successful save, the corruption effect ends. A dispel evil and good spell or any magic that removes a curse also ends the effect.
If a corrupted creature doesn’t leave the plane within 1d4 + 2 days, its alignment changes to chaotic evil. Casting the dispel evil and good spell on the creature restores its original alignment.
Abyssal Corruption
dice: [](planar-effects.md#^abyssal-corruption)
| dice: d10 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1-4 | Treachery. The character gains the following flaw: “I can only achieve my goals by making sure that my companions don’t achieve theirs.” |
| 5-7 | Bloodlust. The character gains the following flaw: “I enjoy killing for its own sake, and once I start, it’s hard to stop.” |
| 8-9 | Mad Ambition. The character gains the following flaw: “I am destined to rule the Abyss, and my companions are tools to that end.” |
| 10 | Demonic Possession. The character is possessed by a demonic entity until freed by dispel evil and good or similar magic. Whenever the possessed character rolls a 1 on an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, the demon takes control of the character and determines the character’s behavior. At the end of each of the possessed character’s turns, he or she can make a DC 15 Charisma saving throw. On a success, the character regains control until he or she rolls another 1. |
| ^abyssal-corruption |
Carceri: Prison Plane
No one can leave Carceri easily. Magical efforts to leave the plane by any spell other than a wish simply fail.
Portals and gates that open onto the plane become one-way only. Secret ways out of the plane exist, but they are hidden and well guarded by traps and deadly monsters
Hades: Vile Transformation
At the end of each long rest taken on the plane, a visitor must make a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature gains one level of exhaustion, which can’t be removed while the creature remains in Hades. If the creature reaches six levels of exhaustion, it doesn’t die. Instead, the creature permanently transforms into a larva, whereupon all levels of exhaustion afflicting the creature are removed.
A larva is a miserable fiend that retains the facial features of its previous form but has the body of a fat worm. A larva has only a few faint memories of its previous life and the statistics in the larva stat block. Hades is crawling with larvae. Night hags, liches, and rakshasas harvest them for use in vile rituals. Other fiends like to feed on them.
Gehenna: Cruel Hindrance
The plane’s cruel nature makes it difficult for visitors to help one another. Whenever a visitor casts a spell with a beneficial effect, including a spell that restores hit points or removes a condition, the caster must first make a DC 10 Charisma saving throw. On a failed save, the spell fails, the spell slot is expended, and the action is wasted.
The Nine Hells: Pervasive Evil
Evil pervades the Nine Hells, and visitors to this plane feel its influence. At the end of each long rest taken on this plane, a visitor that isn’t evil must make a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature’s alignment changes to lawful evil. The change becomes permanent if the creature doesn’t leave the plane within 1d4 days. Otherwise, the creature’s alignment reverts to normal after one day spent on a plane other than the Nine Hells. Casting the dispel evil and good spell on the creature also restores its original alignment.
Acheron: Bloodlust
Acheron rewards a creature for harming other creatures by imbuing that creature with the strength to keep fighting. While on Acheron, a creature gains temporary hit points equal to half its hit point maximum whenever it reduces a hostile creature to 0 hit points.
Mechanus: Law of Averages
While on Mechanus, creatures always use the average damage result for attacks and spells. For example, an attack that normally deals 1d10 + 5 damage always deals 10 damage on Mechanus.
Mechanus: Imposing Order
At the end of each long rest taken on this plane, a visitor that isn’t lawful neutral must make a DC 10 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the creature’s alignment changes to lawful neutral. The creature’s alignment reverts to normal after one day spent on a plane other than Mechanus. Casting the dispel evil and good spell on the creature also restores its original alignment.
Arcadia: Planar Vitality
While on this plane, creatures can’t be frightened or poisoned, and they are immune to disease and poisons.