which planar book should I buy: Manual, Below, or Above?

[Joshua Randall]

I've got a gift card burning a hole in my pocket, so which of the 4e planar books should I buy? And why?

Manual of the Planes
The Plane Below
The Plane Above

I almost exclusively play Living Forgotten Realms (LFR) these days, so none of the books will have any direct use to me. But I do like reading well written D&D books for inspiration.

3e's Manual of the Planes was absolutely fantastic in that regard, but I have read mixed reviews on the 4e version. Plus, I kind of get the sense that Plane Below and Plane Above are better versions of what 4e Manual of the Planes was trying to be.

What would you recommend?

 

[Mummolus]

Manual of the Planes is a bit meh. Plane Above and Plane Below complement one another very well. I think I preferred Plane Above, myself, but you can't really go wrong with either of them.

 

[TarionzCousin]

I own all three and think Plane Above is the best.

 

[Nullzone]

Seconding Plane Above, it's a great read and really empowers you to make the Astral Sea an awesome place to adventure.

 

[Harlekin]

I've got a gift card burning a hole in my pocket, so which of the 4e planar books should I buy? And why?

Manual of the Planes
The Plane Below
The Plane Above

I almost exclusively play Living Forgotten Realms (LFR) these days, so none of the books will have any direct use to me. But I do like reading well written D&D books for inspiration.

3e's Manual of the Planes was absolutely fantastic in that regard, but I have read mixed reviews on the 4e version. Plus, I kind of get the sense that Plane Below and Plane Above are better versions of what 4e Manual of the Planes was trying to be.

What would you recommend?

The Plane Above is one of the best book on planes in any edition of D&D.

The Manual of the Planes is very strong, but a little to brief.

The Plane Below is a little meh, especially when compared to the other two.

 

[Wrox]

Demonomicon

Don't forget the Demonomicon.

But then again, I've always preferred the Abyss and its archdemons.

 

[Joshua Randall]

Sounds like Plane Above it is. Heck, I've always been more of a goody-goody player so it kind of fits. Thanks, guys.

 

[UngeheuerLich]

Can you tell me at which party level it will be most useful?

 

[Neverfate]

Can you tell me at which party level it will be most useful?

Plane Above (I don't have the others) is suited for Paragon - Epic. Most of the creatures are at least paragon level if I recall correctly.

As someone who mostly runs HEROIC level games and encounters. I really bought the book because it's really well written and full of cool places and ideas. It's one of the few 4th edition books I read just to read it.

 

[pemerton]

I think that if you want to make the 4e default mythology a bigger part of your game, then either Demonicon, the Underdark or The Plane Above is the way to go.