The Cosmology of Phoenicia (Preview)

The Cosmology of Phoenicia is quite simple.   The Creator created the World for the purpose of the living men who live on the planet.  The purpose is to test the people of the world to see if they will use their agency for good or for evil.

The Universe that the world resides in is ours.  The planet that Phoenicia is on is in a Universe of Real Physics: Plasma Physics.  The world that Phoenicia is on is a universe of magnetic fields, electric currents, plasma, and connectedness.  The Garden world that Phoenicia is on is in a geocentric Solar System.  There are seven observable planets: one of them is a burned out Brown Dwarf star -- a gas giant.


THE PLANES
Since the 3rd Edition, 4th Edition, and Pathfinder are all encouraging creativity in the planes, I thought it might be best to set up the planar landscape.  The planes include: The Material Plane, the Spirit World, the Etherial Plane, the Plane of Shadow, and a myriad of Outer Planes and Demi-planes (check with your Gamemaster for outer planes).

The Material Plane

By NASA. Photo taken by either Harrison Schmitt or Ron Evans (of the Apollo 17 crew).[see page for license], via Wikimedia Commons

The Material Plane is the center of most cosmologies and defines what is considered normal.
The Material Plane has the following traits:

• Normal gravity.
• Normal Time
• Alterable morphic.
• No Elemental or Energy Traits (specific locations may have these traits, however)
• Mildly neutral-aligned.
• Normal magic.

The Ethereal Plane

The Ethereal Plane is coexistent with the Material Plane and often other planes as well. The Material Plane itself is visible from the Ethereal Plane, but it appears muted and indistinct, its colors blurring into each other and its edges turning fuzzy.
While it is possible to see into the Material Plane from the Ethereal Plane, the Ethereal Plane is usually invisible to those on the Material Plane. Normally, creatures on the Ethereal Plane cannot attack creatures on the Material Plane, and vice versa. A traveler on the Ethereal Plane is invisible, incorporeal, and utterly silent to someone on the Material Plane.
The Ethereal Plane is mostly empty of structures and impediments. However, the plane has its own inhabitants. Some of these are other ethereal travelers, but the ghosts found here pose a particular peril to those who walk the fog.
It has the following traits.

• No gravity.
• Alterable morphic. The plane contains little to alter, however.
• Mildly neutral-aligned.
• Normal magic. Spells function normally on the Ethereal Plane, though they do not cross into the Material Plane.

The only exceptions are spells and spell-like abilities that have the force descriptor and abjuration spells that affect ethereal beings. Spellcasters on the Material Plane must have some way to detect foes on the Ethereal Plane before targeting them with force-based spells, of course. While it’s possible to hit ethereal enemies with a force spell cast on the Material Plane, the reverse isn’t possible. No magical attacks cross from the Ethereal Plane to the Material Plane, including force attacks.

Plane Of Shadow

The Plane of Shadow is a dimly lit dimension that is both coterminous to and coexistent with the Material Plane. It overlaps the Material Plane much as the Ethereal Plane does, so a planar traveler can use the Plane of Shadow to cover great distances quickly.
The Plane of Shadow is also coterminous to other planes. With the right spell, a character can use the Plane of Shadow to visit other realities.
The Plane of Shadow is a world of black and white; color itself has been bleached from the environment. It is otherwise appears similar to the Material Plane.
Despite the lack of light sources, various plants, animals, and humanoids call the Plane of Shadow home.
The Plane of Shadow is magically morphic, and parts continually flow onto other planes. As a result, creating a precise map of the plane is next to impossible, despite the presence of landmarks.
The Plane of Shadow has the following traits.

• Magically morphic. Certain spells modify the base material of the Plane of Shadow. The utility and power of these spells within the Plane of Shadow make them particularly useful for explorers and natives alike.
• Mildly neutral-aligned.
• Enhanced magic. Spells with the shadow descriptor are enhanced on the Plane of Shadow. Such spells are cast as though they were prepared with the Maximize Spell feat, though they don’t require the higher spell slots.
  Furthermore, specific spells become more powerful on the Plane of Shadow. Shadow conjuration and shadow evocation spells are 30% as powerful as the conjurations and evocations they mimic (as opposed to 20%). Greater shadow conjuration and greater shadow evocation are 70% as powerful (not 60%), and a shades spell conjures at 90% of the power of the original (not 80%).
  
• Impeded magic. Spells that use or generate light or fire may fizzle when cast on the Plane of Shadow. A spellcaster attempting a spell with the light or fire descriptor must succeed on a Spellcraft check (DC 20 + the level of the spell). Spells that produce light are less effective in general, because all light sources have their ranges halved on the Plane of Shadow.

Despite the dark nature of the Plane of Shadow, spells that produce, use, or manipulate darkness are unaffected by the plane.


THE SPIRIT WORLD

The spirit world is a realm that replaces the Astral Plane.  It's typically a realm where everything is brought into sharp focus.  There are more and brighter colors on the Spirit World, and every sense is much more keenly aware.   Some of the spirits there say that the Material World is a corruption of what is in the Spirit World.

There are Spirits for everything in the Spirit World.  From Mount Zerin to the flowing Sardis River and the Sardis Falls.  From the smallest flower to the mightiest hurricane.  The Spirit World is a transitive plane -- it is both co-existent with and coterminous to the Material Plane, matching its terrain exactly.


Spirit World Traits:

• Normal Gravity.
• Timeless.
• Infinite Size.
• Alterable Morphic.
• No Elemental or Energy Traits.
• Mildly Neutral Aligned.
• Enhanced Magic.