CONCORDANT DOMAIN OF THE OUTLANDS

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.

OUTLANDS TRAITS

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.

TABLE 7–4: OUTLANDS EFFECTS ON SPELLS AND ABILITIES

Distance from Spire	Impeded Spells	Limited 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

OUTLANDS LINKS

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.

OUTLANDS INHABITANTS

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.

Outlands Petitioners

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.

MOVEMENT AND COMBAT

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 4d8Ч10 miles away. A traveler
can effectively travel two thousand miles outward from
the spire, then turn around to find a portal town only
4d8Ч10 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.

FEATURES OF THE OUTLANDS

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.

Portal Towns

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.

TABLE 7–5: PORTAL TOWNS AND ASSOCIATED PLANES

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.

Hidden Wood of Obad-Hai

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.

Library of Lore

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.

Sigil

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.