The Planes: Plane of Water
Our next stop in The Planes series is the Plane of Water- a plane of oceans and seas, dotted with islands and horrors untold in its darkest depths.
Introduction to the Planes
Feywild, Shadowfell
Astral Plane, Elemental Chaos
Sigil
What is the Plane of Water
The Plane of Water is located in the Inner Planes and is the home for water elementals, cruel and intelligent creatures, an endless ocean, and ancient civilizations far below its surface. While typically thought of as an ocean, there are huge currents and expanses that are made up of freshwater, swamps and more. Finding yourself in the Plane of Water, while it is far more hospitable in the immediate term than other Inner Planes, is a dangerous proposition unless you have some way to breathe water.
History
Volo’s Guide to Monsters, (2016) WotC
The Plane of Water was fleshed out in the 1st edition’s Manual of the Planes (1987) and, up to 3rd edition, the Plane of Water was an infinite ocean with no surface and the water itself gave off a faint blue-green glow. In 4th edition, it was part of the Elemental Chaos and was not a specific plane unto itself, but with the arrival of 5th edition the Elemental Chaos was pulled back and the Plane of Water was reborn.
The major difference between the Plane of Water in 5e and previous editions is that it now has a surface and atolls and islands dotting the surface. These dots of land are fiercely defended by the inhabitants, as land is so rare in this plane. Beneath the surface, many dangers are lying in wait, from the Krakens and Aboleths who claim the deepest regions, to Sahuagins and Tritons who war for coral reefs and underwater caverns. Ruling over all of this are the Marids, who watch over the plane as its stewards.
An Outsider’s Perspective
Arriving in the Plane of Water may be incredibly deadly to any outsiders, or they may not even realize they are there. If you are unlucky enough to arrive hundreds of feet below the surface, you may not be able to enjoy the experience for very long before you drown. On the other hand, there have been stories of ships going through portals to this Inner Plane during a storm at sea, and not realizing they have traveled to another plane.
Dungeon Master’s Guide, 2014 WotC
On the surface, the Plane of Water resembles a normal ocean with endless horizons of water. Clear blue skies, a warm sun that arcs across the sky is interrupted multiple times per day with intense rainstorms and lightning before suddenly clearing up to a beautiful day. Of course, while these storms might be hard for sailors unused to them, the biggest threat to ships is the massive wave that forms when the Plane of Water shifts. This creates a wave so huge that it sweeps from one side of the plane to the other, sinking ships, crashing into islands and showing the full destructive power of the ocean.
But the Plane of Water is one of the most hospitable Inner Planes, with only a few considering that the Plane of Air is a more hospitable location. There is plenty of air on the surface of this plane, and this ocean is made up of salt and freshwater that is filled with fish of all kinds. If you are lucky enough to find an island, plants grow easy on these spots of land and even the elementals that make up this plane are less likely to attack as they are easy-going.
If you can find some way to breathe underwater, the true Plane of Water opens up to you and the many locations and civilizations are ready for you to explore. Huge balls of coral that float through the ocean are the home of Marids and Tritons, currents of ice form near the borders of the Frostfell and even balls of fire spring up from time to time.
A Native’s Perspective
Life in the Plane of Water is relatively relaxed, with the inhabitants here being influenced by the water to go with the flow. Many portals lead from the oceans of the Material Planes and it isn’t uncommon for the elementals to find new guests in their oceans. The elementals are both playful and cruel and love to torment and drown new visitors to their plane.
Ghosts of Saltmarsh, 2019 WotC
Beyond the playful, and murderous, elementals there are also the Tritons who reside in this plane. They stick to the areas of the sea where light is still filtered down, known as the Sea of Light, where they build their castles and fortresses near permanent portals that allow them access to the rest of the planes.
The stewards of the plane are the Marids who watch over the plane, though they typically do little to interfere with anything. They are far more aloof and look on with self-importance, confident in their superiority over others. Though, the creatures who dwell in the darkest regions of the plane lay in wait, ready for the day they could strike out and take over what they see as theirs. These creatures are the Krakens, powerful squid-like beings who can make the oceans tremble with their power. They desire the destruction and ultimate command of all mortals.
Atmosphere
The Plane of Water is a lot like the oceans of the Material Plane, with open skies above its surface and vibrant and rich water below. Those who find themselves on the surface are in perfectly breathable air that is clean and crisp, while those below the surface find water of all types. The closer they travel to the border of the Plane of Air, the closer they get to Frostfell, also known as the Plane of Ice, and the closer they get to the border of the Plane of Earth, the closer they get to the Swamp of Oblivion, also known as the Plane of Ooze.
Each border of the Plane of Water has its own differences. The Frostfell introduces flowing rivers of ice, icebergs and big bubbles of air that travel through the ocean. On the other side of the plane is the Silt Flats where motes of earth, clouds of dirt and swamps pollute the water. At either location, elementals of those planes can be found co-mingling with the water elementals, though they typically don’t stay long as they find it too different than their normal home plane.
In older editions, there was no surface but rather water everywhere. You could swim up for all eternity and never find a surface to the water, just like you could swim down and never find a bottom. Everywhere you swam was the same soft, blue-green glow of the water and the light pressure of water as if you were only a few feet below the surface.
Traits
The Plane of Water is one of the planes that make up the Material Plane, and as such is very much like the oceans and lakes you’d find on the Material Plane.
Travel to the Plane
Ghosts of Saltmarsh, 2019 WotC
Traveling to this plane is one of the easier ones to arrive too, so long as you know where to look. Throughout the bottom of the oceans of the Material Plane and during horrible storms, portals appear and disappear constantly, sending fish, creatures and even ships into the Plane of Water without anyone realizing what happened. Then again, those portals aren’t always reliable and a ship trying to make its way through a horrible storm in the Material Plane might slip through a portal and find themselves hundreds of feet below the surface and being crashed against rocks.
Another way of arriving at the plane is to travel from the Plane of Air, though that requires you to travel through the Plane of Ice. You could also travel from the Plane of Earth, which requires you to travel through the Plane of Ooze, which is just a massive swamp and a great way to be devoured by oozes. At the very extent of the Plane of Water, it merges into the Elemental Chaos, and that is another way to arrive on the Plane of Water.
Traversing the Plane
Traveling across the plane isn’t very difficult, especially if you have the ability to swim and breathe water. For those that can’t do either, ships are a great way of traveling. Despite the multiple lightning storms a day that sweeps through the plane, it is relatively safe to travel by ship from one island to the next, as those who reside below the waves care not for those who stay on the surface.
On the surface, a traveler might find a vast island of ships and driftwood that has been tied together as makeshift mega-rafts with traders, adventurers, and more surface folk. They travel from island to island on the Plane of Water, selling, trading and bartering for supplies.
Below the surface, it is highly recommended for any travelers to hire an elemental guide to take them through the waters. These deepwater locations are hard to find, and many of them float on the currents of the water. If you don’t know how fast the currents are, or where the coral palace of the Marid is located, you may never find it in this massive ocean of shifting currents.
Two Worlds
The Plane of Water, in 5th edition, is very much of two worlds. Above the water, the inhabitants are in the beautiful warm sun that arcs across the sky on their tropical islands and atolls. Below the surface are the true denizens of the Plane of Water who give no thought to those who must stay on the surface. The real activity of this plane resides beneath the waves, and if a traveler is unable to breathe underwater, they can miss more than they realize when visiting this plane.
Locations
Many of the locations of the Plane of Water are hidden deep beneath the surface, and few travelers have ever found those halls. Somewhere in the Sea of Light, fortresses of Tritons guard against the strange abominations that reside in the Darkened Depths.
For an in-depth look at a domain in the Plane of Water, check out our post on The Brine Depths.
Citadel of Ten Thousand Pearls
The Citadel of Ten Thousand Pearls is the seat of power known as the Coral Throne. This throne is sat upon by the Great Padishah of the Marid, the wise ruler of the Plane of Water and the Marids themselves. The citadel is located upon a free-floating coral reef, covered in buildings constructed of living shells and glowing pearls.
The inhabitants of the citadel are Marid’s and their entourage of servants and slaves, many consider the Marid to be one of the more benevolent masters when it comes to the genies. In this citadel, adventurers could be called on for espionage and court politics since each Marid assumes that they truly deserve to sit atop the Coral Throne and all others are inferiors.
City of Glass
At the crossroads of a collection of permanent portals to other locales is the City of Glass far below the surface of the Plane of Water. This city has massive sheets of glass that create a bubble around it, half-filled with water and half-filled with air. This city is a hot spot for trading, and merchants from all over can be found here.
Many claim that the glass that surrounds the city is unbreakable, but that has been proven false a few times when errant spells have destroyed the glass. The Marid overseers of the city quickly put to death those who cast the spells and repaired the glass while there was still air in the city.
Darkened Depths
Far below where the light is filtered into the ocean are the Darkened Depths. Here, creatures of evil plot their revenge, not just on those who inhabit the Plane of Water, but even those who live on the Material Plane. The Aboleths, Krakens and other abominations make their domains in these dark waters, all waiting for the day when they might rise again.
Isle of Dread
Isle of Dread, 1981 TSR Inc.
This island is one of the easier ways of traveling to the Plane of Water, but it is rarely by choice. Many times ships crash against the jagged rocks that surround the island, and intense storms swept in from the ocean allow it to move back and forth between the Plane of Water and the Material Plane. Those that arrive at this island find a strange land of dinosaurs and mind-controlling aquatic creatures, known as the kopru, that attempt to enslave any that make it on to the island.
In 4th edition, the Isle of Dread was also known as the Dread Isle and appeared in the Feywild and was inhabited by Yuan-ti and Su Monsters who fought each other for control.
Sea of Light
This area of the Plane of Water is where the light from the sun is able to pierce down, and where much of the life of the ocean can be found. Fortresses of Tritons and Marids, schools of fish, and pods of dolphins can be found throughout this massive ocean. So long as a traveler doesn’t stumble upon a water elemental or a hungry shark, journeying through the Sea of Light is relatively safe.
Factions & People
Aboleths
In the Darkened Depths are the Aboleths, aberrations from the Far Realm with long memories of the time before the gods came and when there was no Material Plane. They ruled the primordial oceans, enslaving all with their powerful minds. When the Material Plane was formed, they traveled to its oceans and lakes to further their own empires of slaves and horror, but they were driven down into the Underdark and back to the Plane of Water where they wait, biding their time.
The Aboleths were once from the Far Realm, but traveled to the multiverse, bringing along their strange cities and architecture. Somewhere in the Darkened Depths is a city of Aboleths, where a massive Aboleth rules over the others. It is said that when an Aboleths body is destroyed on the Material Plane, they reform in the Plane of Water, though it is unclear what allows them to do so.
Elementals
The Plane of Water is the source of creation for water elementals and their Mephit counterparts. Also, in this vast ocean are the water weirds, Marids, and many other strange elementals. These elementals take on the persona of the Plane of Water and going with the flow is the best way to describe them. They are all mostly laid back, though they aren’t one to pass up an opportunity to play with travelers, especially those who can’t breathe water.
Krakens
In the Darkened Depths are the fearsome, and often considered mythical, Krakens. These slumbering titans are said to have been here long before mortals walked the multiverse and these leviathans are often called the harbingers of doom, often the result of cultists summoning them to the surface.
It is said that during the Dawn War, their numbers were severely decimated and they were forced to hide slumbering in the deep depths of the oceans to avoid being rooted out and destroyed.
Marids
Monster Manual, 2014 WotC
Marids are incredibly independent, and while they all give their loyalty to their ruler, the Great Padishah of the Marid, they are by no means beholden to them. Depending on how far away a Marid makes their home, they have less and less loyalty to the Great Padishah. They are often considered one of the nicer genie to work with, and each Marid assumes that they are the best of their kind.
While the Marids are typically nicer to travelers from other realms, they are also difficult to work with, as they love to tell tales about their exploits, and the genies find it extremely rude to interrupt them when they begin their tales. In fact, certain ‘inferior’ races are considered so far below the Marid, that the Marid have no problem killing them outright for interrupting their stories.
The Marid are described as fish-like creatures with teeth of pearls and luminous scales for skin. They often have a large entourage of slaves consisting of artisans, poets, and singers, not because they like slaves but because they believe that their station in life demands they have slaves of the highest quality.
Tritons
Often considered aloof and distant, the Triton society is largely unknown. They form underwater fortresses and castles throughout the Plane of Water where permanent portals exist, and they often send patrols to the Darkened Depths to check on the evil creatures that lurk there.
Tritons see themselves as protectors and are quick to tell of their mighty tales and deeds, for they have waged an endless war against Krakens, Aboleths and other horrible abominations that exist in the Plane of Water. In recent times, they have realized that many of the evil creatures they once fought on the plane have found portals to the Material Plane, allowing those monsters to escape. The Tritons feel that they have failed all those they protected and have sent massive expeditionary forces to the Material Plane. They are focused on stopping evil creatures from reaching the surface of the world and corrupting all they touch.
Resources & Further Reading
Manual of the Planes (1st edition)
For more information on random encounters in the Plane of Water.
Manual of the Planes (3rd edition)
For more information on creatures and locales in the Plane of Water.
Dungeon Master’s Guide (5th edition)
For more information on how the Plane of Water functions with a surface.
Monster Manual (5th edition)
For more information on Aboleths, Marids, Krakens and Tritons.
Deep Dive - The Kraken
For an in-depth look at the Kraken through the various editions of Dungeons & Dragons.
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