Elemental Plane of Fire

"'It's not the heat. It's the...hmm. No. It's the heat.' -Haimich Tallshins, A Halfling Planewalker."

Description
It is a plane continually ablaze. It smells of burning flesh and ashen dreams. It is flame incarnate. Everything is alight on this plane. The ground is nothing more than great, evershifting plates of compressed flames. The air ripples with the heat of continual firestorms, and the most common liquid is magma, not water. The oceans are made of liquid flame, and the mountains ooze with molten lava. It is a crematorium for the unprepared traveler, and an uncomfortable spot even for the dedicated traveler.

Fire survives here without need of fuel or air to burn, but flammables brought here are hungrily consumed. The elemental fires seem to feed on each other to produce a continually burning landscape.

Elemental Plane of Fire Traits

 * Normal Gravity The "ground" beneath one's feet is made of heavier flame, ash and debris, but it provides solid enough footing.
 * Normal Time
 * Infinite Size
 * Alterable Morphic
 * Fire-Dominant
 * Mildly Neutral-Aligned
 * Enhanced Magic Spells and abilities with the "fire" keyword are maximized and enlarged.
 * Impeded Magic Spells and abilities that use or create water, or have the "cold" keyword, are impeded.
 * No Special Traits

Planar Links
The Plane of Fire is not only dangerous to nonnatives, but difficult to reach. Few gateways lead here and even fewer lead out. Portals exist in Sigil, of course, though many of them are used to incinerate trash and so lead to inherently unsafe areas.

In the tortured wastes of the Tarterian Depths of Carceri, in its lowest sphere, there is an immense portal bound within a ring of jumbled bones. The bones all come from intelligent creatures. In order to use this portal, a body must add a bone to the ring. The bones must come from an intelligent creature, and that creature's bones must be new to the ring. If these conditions are met, the portal opens. A Common creature has a 1% chance of opening the portal, where as a rare creature has a 5% chance. A unique creature has a 100% chance.

In the Bleak Eternity of Gehenna, the yugoloths have their own gateway. The basalt-framed portal, if it does exist, is rumored to stand inside the dreaded Tower of the Arcanaloths, and users only need to be of Evil alignment and possess an open flame.

Movement and Combat
The surface of the plane is relatively firm, making walking akin to walking on burning hot coals. Of course, if that would hurt you, then the plane itself will readily consume you. Flying creatures find the atmosphere thin and usable. Nonnative fliers can fly at half speed. Nonnative burrows can burrow at half speed, due to the coals and ash.

Fire Inhabitants
Despite being one of the most hostile of the Inner Planes, it is one of the most vibrant and populated. A number of elementals, outsiders with the "Fire" sub-type and fire-users may all be found here.

Elementals are sentient pieces of the plane itself, moving with seeming volition and purpose. Such creatures have no love of fleshy, cooler creatures and may attack merely to burn them and feed off the flames. Outsiders such as efreet, azers and salamanders have more organized societies. They often have large settlements, the most famous being the efreeti City of Brass. Outsiders tend to be more welcoming of visitors, and a few even go out of their way to be hospitable to travelers.

The native language of most inhabitants is Ignan, a sharp, hissing and clicking language. Those natives who deal with others may speak additional languages, Common and Infernal being most common.

Imix
Great and powerful, the Prince of Evil Fire Creatures, rules over his domain from the heart of a volcano. Supposedly his home contains vortices to the Elemental Plane of Earth and the Paraelemental Plane of Magma, and he has powerful allies on both planes. A vast army of elementals, efreet and salamanders bow to him, but this is not enough for him. Zaaman Rul (see below) and he have a longstanding war, but Imix consistently wins the battles and it is said this is why this plane tends towards Evil.

Kossuth
The Tyrant-King of Fire Elementals is an uneasy ally of Imix, though he is the most powerful creature on the plane. He is the ultimate master of all flames, and his home is a globe of elemental fire that burns at the heart of the plane.

Zaaman Rul
The Prince of Good Fire Creatures is the bastard son of Imix, according to the azer and the salamanders. He attempted to defeat Imix in open combat and was roundly defeated, so currently is in hiding. He is now aware of his own weakness and has vowed to never overestimate his own strength or underestimate his foe's again.

Asgeroth
The evil Imix has searched the Great Wheel far and wide for powerful evil creatures to aid him. His greatest find is Asgeroth, a pit fiend recruited from the Nine Hells of Baator. On his own plane, he was but a minor general in the great Blood War. His ambition was greater than his power, so he was unable to rise in the baatezu ranks. When Imix contacted him, he leaped at the opportunity. Asgeroth recognizes the debt that is owed and is Imix's most loyal servant, who led the final charge that broke Zaaman Rul's lines and is now in charge of finding and eliminating Zaaman Rul, so that Imix can focus on his other hated foe, Olhydra, Princess of Evil Water Creatures.

Garn
A powerful and intelligent salamander, Garn serves the cause of neutrality and his master, Kossuth. While his powers seem enhanced by his master, he never seems to really contact his master. Whether some mystical bond exists between them is unknown, and unlikely to ever be known. Garn is nothing short of an assassin. He does not negotiate, or lead armies. When someone troubles Kossuth, Garn puts an end to those troubles.

Features
The greatest danger here is its fire-dominant trait. The heat of the plane, the omnipresent flames and the hot, toxic smoke of the air are all represented in the effects of this trait on creatures and objects.

City of Brass
The City of Brass is populated by powerful efreet, and is considered by many to be their home and capital. Efreet may be found elsewhere on this plane, but even far-flung settlements swear fealty and allegiance to the Grand Sultan who rules from his burning palace. The Grand Sultan is said to be an efreeti of singular power and prowess, and is advised by all manner of maliks, beys and emirs. His direct servants are six pashas of considerable power.

The city itself is cradled in a brass hemisphere forty miles across, floating above a plate of cracked obsidian at the heart of the Plane of Fire. Stairs of burning basalt and rivers of flame stream up from the surface below to the well-armed gates of the city. The city walls may be reached by flying creatures, but the efreet take a dim view of interlopers who refuse to announce themselves at the city gates.

This is the most well-known location on this plane and the most likely travelers are destined for. Within the city, vision is normal and the fire-dominant trait is suppressed by the will of the sultan. Whether the suppression ability comes from the sultan's own natural talents, an arrangement with a powerful force or a magical artifact is unknown. At his whim, the protection can be revoked immediately.

The City of Brass is also Mildly Evil-Aligned, as good-aligned creatures suffer a -1 to all d20 rolls. this is in part due to the natures of the efreet within the walls, but the city has a number of freestanding gates that lead to Baator. Baatezu are fairly common within the city, often on errands or bringing the sultan gifts.

At the center of the city are the tallest towers and greatest fountains of flame. Here is the Burning Palace of the Grand Sultan and All the Efreet, where he rules from his Charcoal Throne. It is said that within lie grand wonders beyond belief and treasure beyond imagining. But here is also death for any uninvited guest or those who would steal even a single coin or bauble from the sultan.

Nearby are the Obsidian Fields, where slaves tend the crops of fire fruit that sustain the city. The fire fruit are fatal to nonnatives. Past them lies the Sable Forest, where the serpent trees sustain themselves on heat. Here the nobles of the City of Brass relax and hunt with hell hounds and fiery mounts.

No one knows the population of the City except for perhaps the Grand Sultan, but the population is over a million. Even non-natives live there, one example being Jamina al-Mubarak al-Kamal (Prime, Female, Fire Genasi, True Neutral), who serves as ambassador for a group known as the Brotherhood of the True Flame.

The Crimson Pillar
If one part of the plane is hotter than any other, it is the home of Kossuth. It is a blue-white sphere of pure flame that hangs high in the air. Even natives are burned by it, and it pierces all resistances. Only fire immunity can protect you.

Within it, Kossuth holds court, providing protection from those he favors and withdrawing it from those he doesn't (at his whim, he can grant someone true fire immunity, which protects from all fire damage and can never be pierced or altered). Many see him as a force of neutrality, but none know his true motives.

The Crucible
The largest of the azer towers, it rests on an island of obsidian surrounded by molten, bubbling platinum. Whether this metal ocean occurred naturally, or was created by the azer, is unknown. It may even be a vortex to the Elemental Plane of Earth. The island is covered with treelike plants whose bark and leaves are made of pure metals.

The master here is Shanmakeen (Planar, Male, Azer, Fighter/Wizard, Neutral Good), and his skill with hammer and anvil is legendary. It is said that he can and will fashion any magical weapon for those able to meet his price.

Plain of Burnt Dreams
In this vast region, the solid flame that forms the base of this plane rises above the liquid flames of the Blazing Sea. The plain is known for two things: first is the Temple of Ultimate Consumption, from which Imix rules. It is a pyramid of gleaming obsidian, guarded by legions of fire elementals. Second, the great battle between Imix and Zaaman Rul was recently fought here. Some claim an artifact of untold good was brought here, but lost in the Blazing Sea before Zaaman Rul could activate it. If this is true, one who finds it could name his or her price to either of the Elemental Princes.

Fire, Fire and More Fire
Any nonmagical or unprotected flammable material instantly catches fire upon arrival. This includes wood, cloth, paper. Magical items are allowed a saving throw where the DC is 20 - the item's level. Unprotected water and other fluids boil away. Those exposed suffer the effects of a steam cloud, as below.

Nonmagical or unprotected tone that isn't magma safe melts into magma in 2 rounds. Anyone in contact with such material takes 3d10 fire damage. Unprotected or nonmagical metal items reach their melting point in just 2 rounds. This causes 4d10 fire damage to those in contact with such. Magical metal items can escape this fate with a saving throw at DC - the item's level.

Breathing
The air is toxic due to the constant burning, which means nonnatives take 1d10 poison damage every round. This can be avoided by having some way to negate poison or your own air supply.

Steam Clouds
Heated gas and smoke comprise the atmosphere above the surface of the Plane of Fire. Clouds of superheated steam billow across the fiery landscape. Steam clouds are hard to discern among the smoke and shimmering vapors of the ignited atmosphere, so a traveler can become trapped within such a cloud without knowing it. Most steam clouds are high enough above the surface that they only pose a hazard to creatures in flight. Natives can sense the shifts in winds and avoid steam clouds.

A steam cloud deals 1d10 fire damage per minute to those caught in it, and is not considered a planar effect.

Rains of Ash
Rains of hot ash pose the same perils to those on the grounds as steam clouds do to those in the air. Such rains appear as a darkening on the horizon that moves in like a summer thunderstorm. Those caught in the ash rain take an additional 1d10 fire damage each minute. These rains last 2d10 minutes, and do not count as planar effects.

Magma Rivers and Firefalls
Most of the plane consists of slow-moving solid flame, but there are fast-moving, hotter, regions. These regions of flame and magma pour through the ductile landscape. Magma rivers are incredibly hot, dealing 20d10 fire damage to those who enter them (again, not a plane effect). Creatures immune to fire are unaffected by this, but they can drown in such a river.

Often these rivers crash over cliffs, forming great firefalls of spectacular beauty. These firefalls often contain vortices to the material Planes, if one is desperate to escape and has taken the proper precautions.

Planewalkers
The Plane of Fire is among the most feared planes in all of the Great Wheel. Even those willing to brave Baator or the Infinite Layers of the Abyss give pause before visiting this plane. Nonnatives come to the Plane of Fire to learn to control or master the flames. The efreet pay well for those who serve them, and the azer are skilled craftsmen willing to fashion an item for anyone with the money. Wizards either come themselves or send mercenaries to utilize a piece of the plane's power to fuel their spells and rituals.

Planar Encounters
Despite its hostile nature, this plane hosts diverse creatures and phenomena. Roll once per hour, on a d% of 96-100, roll on the below table.