Ok, to any of my players, please stay out.


If you were going to have a metaplane that's sole purpose was to house spirits that should not be allowed to roam free, what would you populate it with?

I am planning on using the maps from Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil, as the metaplane itself.

Some of the imagery/ideas I am planning on using:

A spirit 'chain gang' in the earth portion of the plane.
Spirits of man at the entrance of the metaplane acting as well armoured guards.
Each 'jail' of sorts being composed of 4 layers, each layer being a case of True Earth, Air, Water or Fire. (This is still up for debate).

Can anyone think of other interesting encounters or images I should involve the PCs in?

Think "Ravenloft" and run with it.

And here's a question: If this is a prison plane for spirits--how do the PCs get there? And, more importantly, how do they get out?

What do spirits do to get thrown in jail? Embezzling karma? Grand Theft: Services?
My examples are admittedly silly, but it's going to be an important point to develop this place. One of your players is going to ask someone (or everyone) what they did to get thrown in jail, and you don't want to be stuck will nothing but a blank expression.
Are they all spirits who've gone uncontrolled? Is that maybe a "crime" for them? Maybe they're all just a dangerous type, like insects or shedim? Who locked them up?
I'm sure you have answers for all this, but now I'm curious.

I'd say it would be best to lock said spirits up in a circular city, perhaps one on the inside of a torus, then suspend said torus over an infinite spire. Have portals connect to the city and very few leave, and give the city the ability to spit out the worst offenders in endless loops that have no exit.

By the way, this is totally my own, original idea.

Was wondering if they were to be providing security, looking for intel, helping one to escape, and/or hunting down an escapee. Perhaps even all 4. Would this look something like an escape from New York adventure?

Opps late post.

My idea is a bit different. Except for the prison itself, which would be the Metaplane's Citadel, have it be exactly like the Sixth World that they know on the surface. However, once that surface is scratched, one can see that this plane is a hell of prison, cage, and chain metaphors, but with no actual prisons, cages, or chains. For example, instead of having a traditional chain gang, the PCs see a group of men performing hard labor while their nagging wives, the metaphorical balls and chains, complain about their every move.

Any other ideas on other inhabitants, guardians or guarded, that would make interesting finds?

How about a spirit who claims to have been wrongfully imprisoned and asks for the PCs help in escaping? Could make for an interesting side-quest, if they decide to pursue it.

You know, instead of an actual metaplane, why not have the prison be one of the Kaers that shifted itself into the metaplanes and is forever stuck randomly shifting from one metaplane to another?

That way the view can change from time to time, and imagine the looks on your player's faces when the Kaer starts shifting into the Deep Metaplanes and the Astral Rift blanks out until they can manage to steer it back into the Near Metaplanes, perhaps requiring them to make a deal with the trapped Horror.

An idea for you:
Noumenon
http://www.abstractnova.com/noumenon.php
http://www.rpg.net/reviews/archive/12/12877.phtml (review of the same)

Just a thought.

I have a name for the module itself: "The Lamp"

Interesting inhabitants:
1. An animal spirit that is newly formed for the first time with the mind of a puppy/kitten/etc
2. A coven of spirits that all have pacts with one another so through the loan of abilities within the coven they can gain in mutual power.
3. A mage possessing an object able to communicate only with Mind Link. He doesn't know how to get out of the object and needs... help. Little does he know an Ally formula can be made in the metaplanes to capture those from another plane...
4. A person who is needed to solve a module that can only be communicated to when they are dreaming. The problem being that if you break the paradigm of their dream they wake up and you have to start over...
5. A magical group of lawyers. To outsmart them you have to learn their rules and then beat them at their own game. On a small scale coul dbe applied to guards.

Somehow I had this vision of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.