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mburnamfink's review
3.0
Adventures to the elemental planes have long been a troubling staple of D&D. Welcome to the Elemental Plane of Fire... where everything is on fire! The Plane Below improves the cosmology through mixing all the elements in one sprawling Elemental Chaos, but lacks the focused ideas of The Plane Above.
First off, the Elemental Chaos is a profoundly bad place to travel, with lakes of fire, rivers of lightning, tornadoes of stone, and vast bubbles of air and water. Lots of terrain of the 5/damage per tier type. Assuming that a party has enough enchantments not to die, they can visit locations like the City of Brass, possibly the greatest city in the universe, and ruled by Efreet Slavers, and the Abyss, home to horrible demons. There are a few more neutralist groups to meet and quest for. Githzerai live in monasteries practicing esoteric martial arts and using meditation to literally hold together fragile life-supporting domains. Djinn fought against the gods, and for their sins were scattered to the winds and entrapped in fine objects. A few free Djinn hire adventurers to help restore their lost empire. Slaads are dada-esque forces of pure chaos, and cultists of the defeated Primordials conduct dark rites. Overall, while there are some cool vistas and ideas, this book never real came together as a good thematic guide to adventures, or an explanation of the 4e cosmology.
First off, the Elemental Chaos is a profoundly bad place to travel, with lakes of fire, rivers of lightning, tornadoes of stone, and vast bubbles of air and water. Lots of terrain of the 5/damage per tier type. Assuming that a party has enough enchantments not to die, they can visit locations like the City of Brass, possibly the greatest city in the universe, and ruled by Efreet Slavers, and the Abyss, home to horrible demons. There are a few more neutralist groups to meet and quest for. Githzerai live in monasteries practicing esoteric martial arts and using meditation to literally hold together fragile life-supporting domains. Djinn fought against the gods, and for their sins were scattered to the winds and entrapped in fine objects. A few free Djinn hire adventurers to help restore their lost empire. Slaads are dada-esque forces of pure chaos, and cultists of the defeated Primordials conduct dark rites. Overall, while there are some cool vistas and ideas, this book never real came together as a good thematic guide to adventures, or an explanation of the 4e cosmology.
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