Great ideas are not exclusive

dooley's picture
The original Rimalni

I was watching Jordphan's latest videos and noted during his recent Outlands video that a race exists known as the Rimalni.

Their range of abilities is strictly aligned to provide a 'balance' to the multiverse, going so far as to polymorph into various forms of creature to ensure said balance.

They seem to have evolved from organic celestial creatures into something more akin to modrons, or robotic, metallic, drone like creatures.

While I knew that the Spire and Sigil were a sort of hub for the multiverse, I appreciated the theory Jordphan puts forth about a helical flow to the magic in the 'verse.

I appreciate that we have a source book to explore these locations with, although saying that, I've never explored Planescape in prior editions (and may or may not get to exploring the content ever, given the sorts of stories I write).

What I found interesting was the similarity to an old concept I had in the Karrasel, a partially organic, partially mechanical machine of immense size and complexity that is responsibile for milling and cycling the souls and energies of the material and adjoining realms.

I find it an easy concept to accept and explain as it's my view on our world, being that as science has explained, energy never dies, it just converts and transmits.

The Karrasel was basically a policing force of robots who Timecop'd their way around the 'verse swarming and 'correcting errors' in the timeline. Basically like a robotic and brutal Time Variance Authority (the timeline policing organization from Loki).

It was a fun concept to play with and provided the high level antagonism needed for a campaign of time traveling player characters.

The campaign concluded with a proper D&D ending of a crazy sort.

Ultimately, I was satisfied with that weird ass storyline and proud that a time traveling campaign actually happened, nevermind concluded despite going off the rails as much as it did.

Finding this Rimalni race in the D&D canon is truly something to me. Not sure if it's funny? Awesome? If it should be unsurprising? If I'm reading too far into it?

On the outset, it's a similar concept in that we have a multi versal race of automatons who do what's necessary to maintain a 'balance.'