How does the astral plane 5e work in dnd and how is it different from Material plane?

The Astral Plane 5e in dnd is unique in that it is negligible instead of infinite; there is no place or time here, though both treasure up with beings when they leave. The lately dead souls from the Prime Material Plane pass by here on their way to the eternity or Outer Planes.

Astral sea and Astral Plane 5e rules

The Astral Sea was also known as the Astral Plane. It was one of the planes of existence according to various models of cosmology.

You could reach the Astral from any point on a Prime Material or Outer plane. It was described as a barren area of other-dimensional no ness that extended in all directions. The only solid substance found in the bright, gray void was usually chunks of matter that had been separated from their original plane. Although the Astral did not have gravity, objects could still be thrown or pushed off essential things to move around in the weightless environment.

While time in the Astral was the same as on the Prime Material plane, the effects of time were almost stopped. A thousand years in the Astral felt like a day to the traveler. While in the Astral plane, creatures did not become old or go hungry. Its mortal inhabitants needed to return to the Material Plane to have children and to become adults.

How to enter Astral Plane 5e?

You can enter the Astral plane in one of two ways. Either you project your astral form through the astral projection spell or by physically entering it. Although it was the most secure way to travel, astral projection still carries some risk. You will need to leave your physical body on the plane of origin.

The astral form would bring any items or clothing with a magical aura or magic aura. Your astral self projected onto your physical body using a silver cord. It stretched behind you for approximately 10 feet (3 meters) or 1 ft (30 centimeters depending on the spell). Then, it became invisible and intangible. Only a robust psychic wind, a githyanki sword or the will to gods could cut this silver cord. Although the physical body that was left behind looked alive, it did not need food, water or air, and didn’t age.

The Travelers’ body

It was able to move and was susceptible to injury and death. Death would follow the projection if the traveler’s body were killed. The astral self is then killed, and the traveler returns to the physical body. To physically enter the Astral plane, one needed a spell called plane shift. That brought travelers fully into the Astral without any silver cord to anchor them back to their original plane.

The multiverse in which Dungeons & Dragons is played takes its place are the planes of the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying games.

In the first versions of Dungeons and Dragons, the Inner and Ethereal, Prime Material and Astral Plane concept in 5e was introduced. At that time, there were only four Inner Planes and no fixed number of Outer Planes. The Great Wheel cosmology was born from this idea. The fourth edition used a simplified, simpler cosmology that only six principal planes were included in the World Axis Cosmology. A new version of the Great Wheel Cosmology was introduced in the fifth edition.

Some Dungeons and Dragons settings also have cosmologies that are pretty different from the ones we’ve discussed. The Eberron setting, for example, has just seventeen planes, many of which are exclusive to Eberron.

Deities 5e

The Astral Plane 5e was the place where the gods were buried. The Astral Plane was the graveyard of deities. It remained here as a floating “god’s isle,” a bit of solid matter in the infinite empty void with only a tiny amount of energy.

Celestian, a god from Oerth, was an exception to these rules. The deity of travelers, Celestian from Oerth, did not reside in a permanent realm. Instead, he wandered the Astral (and sometimes beyond).

Between its journeys through the planes, Sardior’s Ruby Palace also rested in the Astral Plane.

There were at least two known dead deities that drifted in the Astral Plane, but only temporarily:

Amaunator

Bane
Bhaal
Enki

Gilgeam
Ibrandul
Kalzareinad

Karsus
Kiputytto
Leira

Moander
Myrkul
Ulutiu

Other Planes in the dnd

The Plans of Existence

There are many worlds in the cosmos, as well as alternate realities. These are called the Planes of Existence. It includes every world in which GMs can run their Adventures. All within the relatively mundane realm known as the Material Plane.

Beyond this plane are Domains containing raw elemental matter, energy, realms containing pure thought, ethos, and the homes of angels and Demons.

These planes can be used to summon creatures, draw energy, communicate with them, and allow adventurers to travel there. Your character will gain more power and experience higher levels. You might be able to walk on solid fire streets or test your skills on a battlefield, where the Fallen are resurrected every dawn.

The Material Plane

The Material Plane is where the philosophical and elemental forces of the Other Planes meet in the chaotic existence of mundane matter and mortal life. The Material Plane is the base for all fantasy gaming worlds. The Material Plane is the basis of all the multiverse.

Because the worlds of The Material Plane reflect the creative imagination of both the GMs who created them and the players whose heroes live there, they are endlessly varied. These include worlds with magic–wasted Desert worlds and island-dotted water worlds. They also contain worlds where advanced Technology is combined with magic and other worlds locked in an endless Stone Age.

Beyond the Material

Beyond the Material Plane are the Planes of Existence, which are realms of mythology and mystery. These are not just other worlds. They have different qualities of being.

Planar Travel

Adventurers travel into other planes of existence. They embark on a legendary journey across the thresholds to reach a mythic destination and complete their quest. That is the stuff legends are made of. For years, songs and stories will chronicle the story of Efreeti bargaining with a local Efreeti or navigating the realms where the dead are buried.

You can travel to The Planes Beyond the Material Plane in two ways: Casting a Spell or using a planar portal.

Spells:

There are a variety of Spells that allow for direct or indirect access into other planes of existence. Plane Shift or gate can transport Adventurers to any other plane of existence with different levels of precision. Etherealness lets Adventurers enter the Ethereal Plane and travel from there to any of The Planes that it touches (such as the Elemental Planes). The Astral Projection spell allows Adventurers to project themselves into this 5e Astral Plane and travel to the Outer Planes.

Portals:

A portal refers to an interplanar connection between a specific location on one plane and another. Portals can be described as doorways, clear windows, or fog-shrouded passages. Simply walking through them will affect interplanar travel. Some locations, such as circles of standing stones or soaring towers or sailing ships or entire towns, can exist in multiple planes simultaneously or flicker between them. Some vortices join an Elemental Plane with a similar Location on the Material Plane. For example, the heart of a volcano (leading into the Plane of Fire) or the ocean’s depths (leading to the Plane of Water).

Transitive Planes

Transitive Planes are the Ethereal Plane, Astral Plane and Astral Plane. These are mainly featureless realms and serve as a way to travel from one plane to the next. These planes can be accessed by spells like Etherealness or Astral Projection, which allow characters to traverse them to reach The Planes beyond.

The Ethereal Plane is a fog-bound, misty dimension sometimes called a great ocean. The Border Ethereal is a place whose shores overlap the Inner and Material Planes. Each Location on these planes corresponds to a location on the Ethereal Plane. Some creatures can see through the Border Ethereal. The True Seeing and See Invisibility spells grant this ability. Some magical effects can extend from the Material Plane to the Border Ethereal. These include those that use force energy, such as Forcecage or Wall of Force. The Deep Ethereal is a region of swirling fogs and colorful mists at the bottom of the plane.

The Astral Plane, the realm of dream and thought, is where visitors travel as disembodied spirits to reach The Planes, the divine and demon. It is a vast, silvery sea with swirling wisps and gray streaks among motes of light that resemble distant stars. ERRATA IV Whirlpools in color flashed in midair, like spinning coins. Although there are occasional bits of solid matter, the Astral Plane is mostly an infinite, open area.

Inner Planes 5e

The Inner Planes surround the Material Plane, its echos, and provide the raw elemental substance that made all the worlds. The four Elemental Planes, Air, Earth, Fire and Water, form a ring around this Material Plane suspended in the churning Elemental Chaos.

The four Elemental Planes look like a world in a Material Plane at their innermost edges. The Four Elements mix in the Material Plane to form land, sea, or sky. The Elemental Planes, which are far from the Material Plane, are alien and hostile. The elements are found here in their purest form: vast expanses made of solid earth, blazing flame, clear water and unsullied atmosphere. These areas are not well-known, so speakers often refer to the border regions when referring to the Plane of Fire. The Inner Planes are the most remote areas where the pure elements can dissolve and bleed into an endless tumultuous mix of clashing energies. That is the Elemental Chaos.

Outer Planes 5e

The Inner Planes contain the energy and raw material that make up the multiverse. The Outer Planes provide the thought, direction and purpose for this construction. Many sages refer to the Outer Planes as spiritual, divine, or godly planes since the Outer Planes have been called the home of deities.

The language used to discuss anything related to deities must be very symbolic. They are not actually “places,” but they symbolize the idea that the Outer Planes can be thought of as realms of spirit and thought. Like the Elemental Planes, one can see the visible part of the Outer Planes like a border. Still, vast spiritual regions are beyond our everyday sensory experience.

Even in the most visible regions, appearances are not always accurate. Many of the Outer Planes initially appear friendly and familiar to the natives of The Material Plane. The Outer Planes’ powerful forces can alter the landscape. These powerful forces can reshape the landscape to meet their needs.

The Outer Planes have no concept of distance. The Planes can appear very small but can stretch to infinity. If the Hells wish, it might be possible to tour The Nine Hells from the first to the ninth layers in one day. It could take several weeks to trek through a single layer.

The Outer Planes, a group consisting of 16 planes that correspond with the eight alignments (excluding neutrality) and the shades between them, are the most well-known.

Upper Planes 5e

The Upper Planes are Planes that have some good in their Nature. The Upper Planes are home to celestial creatures like angels and Pegasi. The Lower Planes are home to planes that contain some evil. The Lower Planes are home to devils and Demons, as well as other evil-minded friends. An Alignment of a plane is its essence. A character whose Alignment does not match that of the plane experiences a deep sense of dissonance there. Elysium is a neutral good Upper Plane. A good creature experiences Elysium and feels in tune with it. An evil creature, however, feels uncomfortable and out of tune.

Demiplanes 5e

Demiplanes can be described as small Extradimensional Spaces that have their own rules. These are bits of reality that don’t fit anywhere else. There are many ways that Demiplanes can be created. Some are made using Spells such as Demiplane or at the request of powerful deities or other forces. They could exist as a folded of existing reality or as a growing universe. Any given Demiplane can only be accessed from one point that touches another plane. Although a Plane Shift spell may theoretically transport travelers to a Demiplane, the frequency needed to obtain the tuning fork is very difficult to find. If the caster is familiar with the Demiplane, the gate spell is more reliable.

Summary

The Astral Plane 5e in dnd is a space filled with few recognizable objects. Unlike the Material Plane, which includes realms of geological landscapes, kingdoms, and flourishing cultures, the Astral Plane is primarily empty. Characters can not bodily enter D&D’s Astral Plane instead of throwing their consciousness out of their bodies with spells like blink or astral projection. What objects do exist there can be associated with but are lacking in form. There is also no gravity in the 5e Astral Plane, so whoever enters it floats rather than stepping on surfaces.