The Planes of Nakara

In (slowly) developing the Basic Atlas of the Planes, I'm trying to make sure I look to Eastern influences as well as Western (mainly because these resources act to support the foundation of the Basic Psionics Handbook. Nakara is the hindu concept of hell... arguably 21 or 28 layers (I'm going with 28), where each layer reflects a particular type of sin. I'm leaving the sin references out, and taking some latitude with the appearance of the layers since the sources don't really describe them. So here's where I've ended up for now...

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1. Tamisra (Darkness). A realm similar in appearance to the Prime Material Plane, except that it is consumed by total and complete magical darkness. No forms of light (magical or normal) function here, even for the briefest periods of time.

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2. Andhatamisra (Blind-darkness). This realm consists of a massive winding web of underground tunnels and caverns, with no natural sources of light. While magical and normal lights work here, any time a fresh source of light is illuminated, all within sight of it must save vs. spells or be permanently blinded (until it is negated by cure blindness or remove curse).

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3. Raurava (Fearful/Hell of Rurus). This realm appears as an expansive jungle broken by massive active volcanoes and rivers of flowing magma. This realm is populated by savage serpent-like rurus.

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4. Maharaurava (Great-fearful). A cracked and barren realm with no life or sustenance to speak of, save for the kravyadas (flesh-eating rurus that appear as human/animal hybrids).

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5. Kumbhipaka (Cooked in a Pot). A rocky realm pocked by a seemingly infinite number of pits filled with boiling oil. A putrid cloud hangs over the entire place, and the smell of burning hair and flesh is pervasive.

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6. Kalasutra (Thread of Time/Death). This realm is made entirely of copper and extremely hot, heated by fire from below and the red hot sun from above.

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7. Asipatravana/Asipatrakanana (Forest of Sword Leaves). A metallic forest where everything is composed of metal, and the trees have razor-sharp swords for leaves. This realm is populated by whip-wielding yamadutas who will attempt to beat any creature they encounter.

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8. Shukaramukha (Hog’s Mouth). A massive prison complex guarded by yamadutas with fists so powerful they are able to liquify anything they squeeze.

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9. Andhakupa (Well with its Mouth Hidden). A great forest at the bottom of a great pit. The forest is overrun with birds, animals, reptiles, mosquitoes, lice, worms, flies and other creatures that attack endlessly all intruders to the realm.

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10. Krimibhaksha (Worm-food). The main feature of this plane is a 100,000 mile diameter lake filled with worms (instead of water). Anyone who dies here is reborn as a worm who must spend every spare moment devouring worms, or be devoured by the other worms (to be reborn again as a worm).

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11. Sandamsa (Hell of Pincers). A massive dungeon complex filled with unimaginable sums of gold. The demons dwelling here torture prisoners with red-hot iron tongs. The realm is overseen by an omnipotent presence known as The Great Rakshak.

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12. Taptasurmi/Taptamurti (Red-hot Iron Statue). A landscape of red-hot iron populated by iron golems armed with iron whips.

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13. Vajrakantaka-salmali (The Silk-cotton Tree with Thorns like Thunderbolts/Vajras). A thorny, brambled realm that surges with electricity.

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14. Vaitarni/Vaitarna (To Be Crossed). A river that both occupies its own plane while forming the boundary of Naraka (accessing all layers of the Nakara at one point or another). The river is filled with excreta, urine, pus, blood, hair, nails, bones, marrow, flesh and fat, and it is lined on both banks with fire. The realm is populated by fierce, flesh-eating aquatic beings that spit boiling oil.

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15. Puyoda (Water of Pus). An ocean of pus, excreta, urine, mucus, saliva and other repugnant things. Its waters surge and it difficult to traverse without swallowing (accidentally) its disease-riddled waters.

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16. Pranarodha (Obstruction to Life). A forested realm where yamaduta archers hunt to kill all humanoid intruders to the realm.

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17. Visashana (Murderous). A rocky, mist-filled realm is populated by whip-wielding yamadutas who attempt to beat to death any creature of status. It is believed that the great maker of chaotically-aligned astras (the weaponsmith that made Pashupatastra for Kali and Trishul for Kali) calls this plane home.

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18. Lalabhaksa (Saliva as Food). A sea of semen, devoid of any plant-life.

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19. Sarameyadana (Hell of the Sons of Sarama). A massive kennel populated by 720 ferocious dogs (the sons of Sarama) with razor-sharp teeth, who act in service to their yamaduta handlers.

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20. Avici/Avicimat (Waterless/Waveless). A barren, craggy realm filled with razor-sharp, wave-shaped rocks, and a peak 100 miles high at its center. Visitors to this realm become weaker the longer they remain away from their home plane. Each fall causes cuts that cannot be healed while the intruder remains on the plane, but neither does the intruder die from these cuts (though those so injured often beg for death).

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21. Ayahpana (Iron-drink). A steamy, rocky realm strewn with rivers of molten iron. The yamadutas that inhabit this realm will stand on the chests of captured victims and force them to drink this molten iron.

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22. Ksarakardama (Acidic/Saline Mud/Filth). This realm is similar in appearance to the Slime Pits of the Abyss, but with muck and filth instead of slime.

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23. Raksogana-bhojana (Food of Rakshasas). A great jungled realm that is home to the rakshasas (tiger-like asuras). The ruler of this realm, Bha Hsankarh, is believed to be the progenitor of both the rakshasas and the rakastas.

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24. Shulaprota (Pierced by Sharp Pointed Spear/Dart). This realm is composed of an almost endless sky, spotted by an occasional small floating island featuring a small outcropping of trees. The realm is populated by ferocious carnivorous birds like vultures and herons with razor sharp beaks.

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25. Dandasuka (Snakes). While the geography of this realm varies wildly, its climate ranges from tropical to sub-arctic. It is pervasively pocked with snake pits and dens, and populated by seven-hooded snakes.

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26. Avata-nirodhana (Confined in a Hole). A vast prison realm of caverns lined with dark wells and hidden crannies, and filled with poisonous fumes and suffocating smoke.

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27. Paryavartana (Returning). This realm appears as a vast forest filled with small-to-medium sized trees. It is populated by hard-eyed vultures, herons, crows and similar birds which attempt to pluck out the eyes of every living (non-avian) creature.

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28. Sucimukha (Needle-face). This realm appears as a massive landscape stitched together from the flesh of all manner of creatures. The yamadutas here are armed with massive needles, and each of their victims becomes part of the ever-expanding patchwork landscape.

d30 Feature of the Week: Fiend Generator

Today's tables are ones I started a while back, and recently pulled out of d30 Development Limbo. They're based loosely on Appendix D from the DMG ("Random Generation of Creatures from the Lower Planes"). The funny thing is, just as I was getting close to finishing these up, Steve Marsh sent me his "Abomination Generator" pages from the Shattered Norns project I'm helping with. Abominations are MUCH different than fiends (demons/devils/daemons), and his tables produce some FREAKY-looking stuff.

But I digress.

These pages (please note there are 2 separate downloads for this) cover everything in the DMG Appendix D, and then some. I'm not saying they won't change or get updated at some point (which is the case for all the d30 charts I post here); e.g., I'm thinking about adding psionics in there somewhere. But these will get you well underway should your game for some lower planes creatures.

BTW, if you don't feel like rolling a d30 (not a situation I can imagine, I assure you), then check out the automated generator over at Land of Myriad.

Feel like rolling some d30s? Download these 2 puppies...

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Click here to download Part I
of the d30 Fiend Generator from MediaFire.

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Click here to download Part II
of the d30 Fiend Generator from MediaFire.

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Temple of the Rats: Background Information

The Temple of the Rats was originally constructed in the name of the ancient goddess Inaenu (pron. in-NAY-new)—a goddess of fire and war whose followers and cults have long since disappeared. (The original name of the temple has also long been forgotten, for it was not “the Temple of the Rats”).

It is held that the temple was once a place of great dignity, for the followers of Inaenu were stout warriors who feared little and killed many in her name. These warriors met their undoing, however, when they faced the armies of an evil leader known as “The Red Lord.” The Red Lord enlisted the aid of a powerful wizard who spread a fog of fear over the battlefield. The followers of Inaenu deserted the battle and came running back to the temple.

Such a sin against Inaenu was punishable by death. She chose to spare their lives, however, but turned them into rats, and offered the temple as a future place to stay. They expressed their gratitude and pledged their undying allegiance to Inaenu. The goddess had no need of such cowards among her followers, so she left the temple to the abandon of its residents and it fell into disrepair.

It was no wonder that Dabothuda, the demon prince of rats took the temple under his watch. And so, it became of place of evil. A fair number of adventurers have tried to rid the temple of its evil, but it is said that many of them were turned into wererats and now call the temple their home.

In recent weeks, there has been a growing number of wererat raids on local villages near the temple. Given that so many of the villagers are being wounded by the wererats (and becoming lycanthropes themselves), it is likely that the creatures are growing in number and the temple is the center of this growing problem.

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Dabothuda*
(demon prince of rats and wererats)
Titles: Lord of Secret & Hidden Places, Master of the Wandering Mind, Destroyer of Obstacles

ARMOR CLASS: 0
HIT DICE: 12 (66 hp)
MOVE: 180'(60')
ATTACKS: 2 claws/1 bite
DAMAGE: 2-12/2-12/2-12+disease
NO. APPEARING: 1 (unique)
SAVE AS: Dwarf:12
MORALE: 11
TREASURE TYPE: 5,000,000 cp
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic

PSIONIC ABILITIES (see the Basic Psionics Handbook)
PSIONIC LEVEL: 12 (60 PSPs)
Attack modes: ego whip, id insinuation, mind thrust, psionic blast, psychic crush
Defense modes: intellect fortress, mental barrier, mind blank, thought shield, tower of iron will
Psychometabolism: D) complete healing; S) cell adjustment, chameleon ability
Clairsentience: D) aura sight, catacognition, hypercognition, precognition, psionic divination, psionic true seeing* (always on), sensitivy to psionic impressions; S) 360° vision* (always on), clairvoyance, danger sense, detection of good/evil, detection of magic* (always on), know direction, know location, piercing vision* (see below)
Psychokinesis: S) control light, control sound
Telepathy: S) mind link* (wererats only), D) animal telepathy* (rats and wererats only), conceal thoughts
Psychoportative: D) probability travel

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Dabothuda, the demon prince of rats, resides on the 15th level of the Abyss—Choohon, a writhing and tunneled place of ruin populated by vermin of all types, but which is particular rife with rodents. It is rumored that Dabothuda keeps as many as 500 different lairs, each of which contains a chest holding 10,000 cp, and all of which are nearly impossible to find.

Dabothuda has two different forms, either of which he may assume at will: 1) a giant black rat that walks erect, or 2) a massive black wererat (both forms stand approximately 10' tall). In either form, Dabothuda’s claw and bite attacks do the same damage. On any successful bite attack, Dabothuda’s victim must save vs. paralysis or contract lycanthropy; unless cured, human victims will become a wererat in 2d12 days, and non-humans will die.

In either form, and in lieu of a physical attack, Dabothuda may opt to use a psionic ability or attack. Additionally, once per day, Dabothuda may summon up to 8 wererats to serve him.

Dabouthuda is always surrounding by a sphere of darkness that extends to a radius of 15'. This darkness may not be dispelled by any magical or psionic means, nor may a light of any type (normal, magical, psionic or otherwise) even penetrate it. Additionally, the darkness effect negates all special vision abilities (e.g., infravision and ultravision), except for darkvision. Dabothuda, however, possesses a unique clairsentient minor devotion known as piercing vision; this ability allows Dabothuda to see in under any light condition to 120', as if there was no impediment whatsoever (including the interior of his own sphere of darkness). This ability is always on and costs no PSPs to use. Additionally, Dabothuda possesses the clairsentient major science psionic true seeing to a range of 120'; this ability is always on and costs no PSPs to use.


Dabothuda is immune to poison, disease, and cold, and takes only half damage from acid, electricity, fire and gas. A magical weapon of +1 or greater is required "to hit" him, but Dabothuda is affected normally by iron weapons, silver weapons and magic missiles.

New Monster Double-shot: Abyssal "Vermin"

In yesterday's post, I wrote about my take on the demons and the demon lords of the Abyss. Today, my new monster features takes a look at what I'll refer to affectionately as "abyssal vermin." The concept of demon larvae and demon locusts aren't necessarily new ones, and I'm mainly looking at adapting them for BX/LL with my eye on a future "planes" book.

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ABYSSAL LARVA

DESCRIPTION Those men, who in their mortal life, were particularly sinful, selfish, and evil, sink to the lower planes after death and are incarnated as abyssal larvae—the fetal forms from which many demons (particularly quasits and imps) are “grown.” Abyssal larvae appear as puffy, bloated human-headed maggots of a pale and sickly whitish-yellow color. The acids used to digest food are always present in the fangedmouth of an abyssal larva. Therefore, the bite of one of these creatures deals 2 points of acid damage in addition to the bite itself (which does 1d4 points of damage). The mind of an abyssal larva is particularly warped, providing it protection from all mind-affecting abilities (e.g., charm, fear, illusions, etc.).

Oe/1E STATS FREQUENCY: Common NO. APPEARING: 10-60 ARMOR CLASS: 7 MOVE: 6" HIT DICE: 1 % IN LAIR: 100% TREASURE TYPE: Nil NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-4 SPECIAL ATTACKS: Acid damage (2 pts. per bite) SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard INTELLIGENCE: Low ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil SIZE: 6' long (M) PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil Attack/Defense Modes: Nil BX STATS ARMOR CLASS: 7 HIT DICE: 1* MOVE: 60'(20') ATTACKS: 1 bite DAMAGE: 1-4 + acid (2 pts.) NO. APPEARING: 2-12 (10-60) SAVE AS: Normal Man MORALE: 7 TREASURE TYPE: Nil ALIGNMENT: Chaotic

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ABYSSAL LOCUST

DESCRIPTION Those abyssal larva that mature, but are not chosen by higher demons to be bred as a particular race of demon, mature naturally into abyssal locusts. The larval coloration becomes replaced by a variety of deeper, jewel-like tones (ranging from sulphur yellow to putrid jade green to blood purple). Additionally, the mind of the larva degrades, causing the chaos of its mind to be calmed, thereby eliminating any sort of immunity to mind-affecting abilities. The forelimbs of an abyssal locust are razor sharp, doing 1d4 each. Furthermore, if all 4 forelimbs attack a single target successfully, the abyssal locust may choose to pick up any victim of human size or smaller and carry the victim away at a speed of 2/3 normal for anything dwarf-sized or smaller, and 1/3 normal for any victim larger than a dwarf. This makes abyssal locusts quite desirable as aerial support to other demons.

Oe/1E STATS FREQUENCY: Rare NO. APPEARING: 5-20 ARMOR CLASS: 6 MOVE: 6"/18" HIT DICE: 1+1 % IN LAIR: 20% TREASURE TYPE: Nil NO. OF ATTACKS: 4 DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-4/1-4/1-4/1-4 SPECIAL ATTACKS: See below SPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard BX STATS ARMOR CLASS: 6 HIT DICE: 1+1* MOVE: 60'(20')/180'(60') ATTACKS: 4 forelimbs DAMAGE: 1-4/1-4/1-4/1-4 NO. APPEARING: 1-4 (5-20) SAVE AS: Normal Man MORALE: 8 TREASURE TYPE: Nil ALIGNMENT: Chaotic

My BX Take on the Demons and Demon Lords of the Abyss

As I've mentioned before, I've realized that what makes sense as a followup to the Basic Psionics Handbook is some sort of "Basic Planes Manual." It actually started as an appendix to the psionics book, but I realized the space was limited, and with all I wanted to include, it warranted its own book.

A while back, I also mentioned (in a G+ comment, I think) how I really liked how Tom Moldvay handled his hierarchies of planar creatures (mostly elemental planar creatures) in Lords of Creation, and that I was going to borrow that model for the planes book.

One of the things I've been working on lately is a hierarchy for the Abyss. I know that demons are not ones to submit to a hierarchy, but it's really more to organize the strength of the demons (from weakest to strongest) so that DMs can (at-a-glance) know which demons would make suitable foes for their players (based on level, monster HD, special abilities, etc.). With that in mind, I set about trying to define the hierarchy. I took some cues both from LL and from the AD&D MM, as well as expanded the demon lords a bit to include some classic Sumerian names. Here's where I ended up.



You'll see that I don't use the same strict HD limitations for order as the LL AEC. Instead, I use a more discriminating line based on whether or not the demon has psionics. (That's not an available cutoff point for the AEC, since there are no psionics there). It also makes something like the marilith more formidable in my system than in LL. Thus MY Mason-Dixon line for standard vs. higher order demons.

As a support to the above, I started to work out my own cosmology around the different layers of the Abyss (again, with some nods to the D&D history of the Abyss, but while trying to create unique and/or OGL-able versions of the names) to "place" the demons and demon lords with their own realms. And here's what that looks like so far.



This is all work in progress, but I'm to a point where I'm done fiddling with this for now, can slide it to the back burner, and get back to the more pressing/ongoing things that SHOULD be occupying my attention.