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Manual of the Planes: A 4th Edition D&D Supplement (D&D Rules Expansion) |  | Author: Wizards RPG Team
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
Buy Used: $8.70
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New (34) Used (26) from $8.70
Seller: brightlight_books
Rating:  15 reviews
Sales Rank: 38068
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 160
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 11 x 8.4 x 0.6
MPN: WOC2189372
ISBN: 0786950021
Dewey Decimal Number: 793
EAN: 9780786950027
ASIN: 0786950021
Publication Date: December 16, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Manufacturer: Hasbro / Wizards of the Coast |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
The planes have always been a place of great mystery and danger in the Dungeons and Dragons Roleplaying Game and the new array of planes debuting in 4th Edition continue that grand tradition. Home to gods and devils demons and genies fey and titans these strange dimensions offer unlimited adventure opportunities for Dungeon Masters and their players. Manual of the Planes explores the many planes introduced in the 4th Edition Dungeon Master's Guide. This 160-page useful travel guide also comes in handy for players seeking to battle demons devils elementals and other iconic D and D monsters native to the planes. RICHARD BAKER ROB HEINSOO and JAMES WYATT have collectively authored over 100 game products and novels.
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| Customer Reviews:
 I found it highly disappointing. February 24, 2010
Admiral Ackbar (Orbiting Corescant.)
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
The Manuals of the Planes have traditionally been a way to try to explain the celestial universe of D&D. If that is what WotC was attempting to do with this latest version of the planes, then the book could be considered a success. Personally though, I just don't like this book.
After reading it, I've come to the conclusion that the writers and editors had three goals. Each one they hit the nail on the head.
1) It's meant to update the basic mechanics of the planes to 4th edition. Introduce a couple new powers, new definitions of how planes fuctions, the basic mechanics of traveling to the planes. It does that. It doesn't do it too deeply, but it gets the basics of the basics explained for 4th E.
2) It appears, from my reading this book and the new Forgotten Realms book, (Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide, 4th Edition) That WotC has made an editorial decision that 4th E. settings should focus more on atmosphere and flavor than background and setting. There's a lot of descriptions of what places are like. Just enough details to give a sense of flavor. But compared to previous books, especially 3rd E, there is much less content and background. This new manual has only half the content of the previous manual. Manual of the Planes (Dungeon & Dragons d20 3.0 Fantasy Roleplaying) There can be an argument made for this editorial change. But to me it feels like there's been a major subtraction on the quality of the new book. It is more accessible, but much much less useful. I think that actually hurts a beginner.
3) The new book changes the nature of the planes from the 3rd edition in a subtle but important way. On one hand, it tries to simplify the cosmological structure. They eliminate the ethereal plane, introduce fey and shadow as parallel worlds, and a few other changes. But more importantly, it does so in such a way that if you know the history of D&D, it attempts to unify every campaign setting ever created by TSR or WotC. For example, the Astral Plane is now Spelljammer. The Shadowfell is the gateway to Ravenloft. They reintroduce Sigil for Planescape. Then you have the prime settings like FR, Greyhawk, Ebberon, and more. It tries to take all these settings and tie them up in a nice, neat, little cosmological bow.
On those three marks, if that's what this book was trying to do, it was a success. But in every other aspect, the book is lacking. There are a number of core planes and how they interact. Say about 16 or 17. They only detail a handful. It's hard for me to describe why I dislike it so much. Basically, it's a quarter of previous books. It has nowhere near the detail or setting background that I would expect this type of book to have. Maybe it's because the previous 3rd E books had so much detail that I have a hard time liking this book in that light. But to me, if I need to have the previous book to get any real use out of the new book, then I can't do anything but call the new book a failure.
It's my opinion they tried to make this book beginner friendly. But they made it too beginner friendly and so it doesn't give the proper guidance for beginners. Also it doesn't have the detail or plot ideas that veteran players really want to see. Thus, it's not a good book for beginners, it's not a good book for vetern players, it's not a good standalone book at all. You really need to know the material from previous books to put this book to full use.
I ended up buying this book for $12 used. At that price I recommend it and the other manual. But I would highly recommend against anyone paying full price. It's not worth it. get the previous book instead. It can be found used for around $15. Then, if you really want to update the setting, get this book next. But don't start with this book.
 Planescape, how I miss you. August 7, 2009
Wyrmwood (Big Pine, USA)
6 out of 9 found this review helpful
So, back in the day before the death of AD&D 2nd edition and Wizards of the Coast swallowing up the faltering TSR, there was Planescape. One of the best campaign settings ever created for D&D. Planescape took place in the realms of Deities, Demigods, Devils, and Demons. What made the world different was the unique feel of planar culture, the hodge podge of settings (allowing you to play almost anything imaginable), and the focus on factional beliefs. Planescape had too many things that were wonderful about it to list here, and somewhere in cyberspace there is a site dedicated to keeping this setting alive and thriving. Go to [...] and you'll enjoy even new 4e rules for Planescape. Now all of that said, Manual of the Planes is NOT Planescape. Rules heavy, story light, the Manual of the Planes has info on various planar locations, rules for planar encounters, and even various hazards that can be found there. What the book doesn't have is heart. I feel no connection to this book, and in my own games have only used it for the various incidental rules that are only mildy more useful than something I could make up myself. This book is useful for 4e players wanting to explore the planes, but don't look for depth here, just rules.
What's there is well done. April 13, 2009
TheScientistDM
4 out of 6 found this review helpful
The Manual of the Planes is an interesting but short DM-friendly book that illustrates the 4th Edition D&D cosmology. It opens with five mechanics-lite chapters on planar travel and four important regions of the D&D universe that do a good job of inspiring creativity in DMs. These five chapters describe the general World Axis Cosmology of this edition of D&D, along with portals, hazards, and a great deal of specifics on the Feywild, the Shadowfell, the Elemental Chaos, and the Astral Sea. Unfortunately, only a few specific locations (like Sigil) are thoroughly described, and other locations, including separate demiplanes like the Plane of Dreams and different universes like the Far Realm, receive only a short page of coverage each. This is disappointing in that the book contains only 159 numbered pages of material, and I find it unacceptable that many interesting concepts are almost entirely ignored by this US $30 book. While I enjoy cooking up my own material, the book would have felt like a better read if it were simply more inclusive. The mechanics heavy chapters unfortunately suffer similarly.
Chapters six and seven of the Manual cover monsters, paragon paths, rituals, and items. This is the meat of the book for me, and it suffers from the same problems as the flavor chapters: it lacks length. Several useful and interesting monsters, including a few unique and powerful demons and devils, are presented, but overall only 22 pages of monsters are included. The player options are no better: the entire chapter spans only 21 pages. The saving grace to these last two chapters is the thought and flavor behind them. Some of the monsters are alluded to in the flavor chapters, and the character options are certainly easy to insert into a planar campaign. Items include the classic Githyanki Silver weapon and a few interesting vehicles, and the rituals include new versions of fun spells like Rope Trick.
With all the complaints included in this review, you might think I'd give the book a low score. The problem is that after reading it, I want to do nothing of the sort. What flavor material is included is a fun read, and the extra, well-balanced mechanical options for players and DMs to add to the game will be well-used on my part. The value of the book weighs heavily with me, though, and I cannot justify a better rating than three stars. If you're looking for very general information on the planes, and you don't mind paying for only a little, grab this title. If you're a DM seeking more options for a campaign, I encourage you to look at Open Grave: Secrets of the Undead. In terms of format, length, and content quality, it is strictly superior to the Manual of the Planes.
 Take a plane April 7, 2009
Rudy Barbieri (ITALY)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book contains a lot of useful information for the dungeon master. It contains also useful information regarding feywild for eladrin player. I've been hated manual of planes in older version, but this version is very good.
 Excellent Job, WotC! March 26, 2009
B. Elizabeth Goldthwait (Youngstown, OH)
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is an excellent book. If you're at all interested in the planes, buy it. The new planar material is much more fresh and interesting than the old great wheel stuff, and I recommend all DMs check it out.
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